Chapter 49: A woman who acts like a spoiled child has the best fate
When the Shadow Puppet returned to Chen Qing's shadow with the spoils of war, Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes.
At this moment, his Cultivation had increased by two minor Realms, no more, no less.
He had reached the ninth level of the Spirit Division Realm, just one Bottleneck away from the Body Integration Realm.
For others, crossing from one major Realm to another like this, a slight mistake could not only lead to a failed Breakthrough, but also a drop in Realm in minor cases, or even Qi Deviation in severe cases.
Of course, in this situation, if Chen Qing was willing to use his Epiphany chances, he could easily cross the Bottleneck and achieve a major Realm Breakthrough with 100% certainty.
However, with Chen Qing's current Cultivation and Comprehension Ability, breaking through a small Body Integration Realm was not worth wasting an Epiphany chance.
Looking at the Shadow Puppet kneeling before him on one knee, head bowed, holding a large pile of Storage Pouches and spatial rings with both hands, Chen Qing was about to reach out and take them.
Suddenly, he sensed a trace of an unusual aura.
Turning his head, he saw that the azure Spiritual Qi originally swirling around Xia Qingyue now had faint traces of black-red Devilish Qi.
"Not good! This is Qi Deviation!"
Upon seeing this, Chen Qing no longer had any thoughts about the Storage Pouches and spatial rings.
He immediately channeled Spiritual Qi to protect Xia Qingyue's Dao and stabilize her Qi.
As the faint traces of Devilish Qi gradually faded and disappeared, Xia Qingyue's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
After the Devilish Qi completely vanished, the Spiritual Qi swirling around her became even stronger.
Chen Qing knew that Xia Qingyue had successfully avoided Qi Deviation and achieved a Breakthrough.
Successfully pampered wife! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Cultivation Experience Pack +1!
Xia Qingyue slowly opened her Phoenix eyes, then met Chen Qing's gaze, which was mixed with anger.
Xia Qingyue immediately lowered her head guiltily, like a child who had done something wrong.
"Do you know how dangerous that was just now? If I hadn't discovered it in time, you would probably have fallen into Qi Deviation by now!" Chen Qing reprimanded.
"Husband, I was wrong." Xia Qingyue did not argue, but obediently admitted her mistake and apologized.
During the process, she, of course, also felt a sensation of her body sinking little by little into a swamp, unable to extricate herself.
Just as she was utterly helpless and deeply despairing, a strong hand reached out and pulled her out of the mire.
Subsequently, Xia Qingyue clearly saw that face; it was none other than Chen Qing.
Seeing that Chen Qing was not speaking and still looked resentful, Xia Qingyue felt worried, but at the same time, a warm current flowed through her heart, realizing that Chen Qing was angry because he cared about her.
However, how to appease Chen Qing's anger became a difficult problem for Xia Qingyue.
At this moment, Xia Qingyue suddenly recalled something her mother had once told her: a woman who acts spoiled is the most fortunate.
With a try-it-and-see attitude, Xia Qingyue approached Chen Qing, took his hand, and gently shook it, saying, "Husband, I truly know I was wrong, and it won't happen again."
Looking at Xia Qingyue's sincere pleading expression, Chen Qing was about to say something.
However, Xia Qingyue suddenly leaned in, lightly kissed Chen Qing's cheek, then quickly retreated half a step like lightning, and said sweetly, "Husband, please forgive me this one time, okay?"
Watching the future Empress of Destiny trying her best to act spoiled and beg for forgiveness, Chen Qing's smile ultimately could not be suppressed.
He then quickly composed himself, feigning seriousness and saying, "Don't let it happen again!"
"Thank you, Husband." Xia Qingyue smiled charmingly, a beauty that could topple nations.
If she were not a Princess, she would definitely be called a femme fatale, a disaster for the country and its people!
"Remember, don't let it happen again." Chen Qing emphasized again and again.
"Mmm, mmm, mmm." Xia Qingyue nodded quickly, agreeing immediately.
"Tell me, why did you suddenly fall into Qi Deviation?" Chen Qing inquired about the reason.
"Can I not say?" Xia Qingyue was a bit embarrassed to speak.
"No, you must!" Chen Qing's attitude was firm. "If we don't identify the problem, how can we avoid it in the future?"
"Alright..." Xia Qingyue timidly stated, "Husband's Cultivation speed is too fast, and I was anxious for a moment, which is why..."
Chen Qing, upon learning the truth, was first stunned, then couldn't help but laugh out loud.
It turned out that she almost fell into Qi Deviation because she was trying to catch up to him and couldn't control her Spiritual Qi properly.
"Does my wife want to surpass me?" Chen Qing asked.
"I know that's impossible." Xia Qingyue shook her head. "I just don't want to be left too far behind by Husband."
"Silly girl, I will always be by your side."
Chen Qing's single sentence caused Xia Qingyue's beautiful eyes to tremble, and her heart felt like a little deer bumping around, her heartbeat involuntarily accelerating, growing louder and louder, finally even sounding as if someone was beating a drum in her ear.
A simple sentence, yet it struck right at Xia Qingyue's heart.
"Husband, I..." A thousand words gathered at Xia Qingyue's lips, but she didn't know how to speak them.
"Alright, let's not talk about that. I have something to give you." Chen Qing raised his hand, and the tip of his index finger touched Xia Qingyue's glabella.
At the same time, he opened the System panel and selected the freshly acquired Cultivation Experience Pack.
"Do you want to use the Cultivation Experience Pack on the target 'Xia Qingyue'?"
Use!
"Cultivation Experience Pack is being used..."
"Use successful!"
The next moment, the Spiritual Qi around Xia Qingyue rapidly boiled and expanded, her Cultivation increasing by one Realm per second.
"I, I broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm?!"
"No, I, I broke through to the Soul Emergence Realm again!!!"
Xia Qingyue looked at Chen Qing with a mix of surprise, joy, and bewilderment.
She knew very well that even if the Spirit Spring Pool accelerated Cultivation speed, it wouldn't allow her to advance two major Realms at once.
At this moment, two words suddenly popped into her mind: "Impartation of Cultivation!"
Xia Qingyue remembered that among the many ways to improve one's Realm in this world, there was the impartation of Cultivation.
One person transfers their own Cultivation to others to achieve the goal of rapidly improving the other party's Realm.
"Husband, why, why would you harm your own Cultivation to help me improve my Realm? I don't want it, please take it back." Faint ripples appeared in Xia Qingyue's eyes.
Chen Qing was too kind to her, and Xia Qingyue always felt she couldn't bear it.
"Cultivation given away is like spilled water; there's no reason to take it back." Chen Qing stated.
"I truly hope to become stronger soon, but I don't want to become stronger at the expense of harming Husband." Xia Qingyue expressed her feelings.
"Don't worry, this bit of Cultivation is nothing to me." Chen Qing dared to say this, naturally with his own confidence.
That's right, it was the System's wife-pampering reward.
However much Cultivation was given out, it would be returned twofold!
Successfully pampered wife! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Double Cultivation Experience Pack +1!
If possible, Chen Qing still wanted to give this Double Cultivation Experience Pack to Xia Qingyue.
However, the option was grayed out, realizing that the System was concerned about a bug being exploited to continuously farm Cultivation Experience Packs and endlessly upgrade their quality.
Nevertheless, for Chen Qing at present, a Double Cultivation Experience Pack was enough to significantly boost his Realm.
***
Chapter 50 Another Bottle
"Confirm use of the Double Cultivation Experience Pack!"
"Currently using Double Cultivation Experience Pack..."
"Double Cultivation Experience Pack used successfully!"
As the System's voice faded, Chen Qing's Cultivation Realm instantly reached the Peak of the Body Integration Realm, and in the blink of an eye, it advanced to the Peak of the Great Tribulation Realm!
This Double Cultivation Experience Pack allowed Chen Qing's Cultivation Realm to rise by two major Realms at once.
It wasn't just a good deal; it was a massive, explosive gain!
Not only did it increase Xia Qingyue's affection for him, but it also significantly boosted his Cultivation Realm, killing two birds with one stone.
Next, Chen Qing opened his System inventory to check the rewards for doting on his wife, which he received earlier when the Shadow Puppet killed those Disciples.
The last time he checked, if he remembered correctly, he saw the words "Dragon Blood."
Chen Qing had previously given the True Phoenix Physique to Xia Qingyue. Although it wasn't Phoenix Blood, as it was also a Sacred Beast Bloodline, Dragon Blood could similarly be used to enhance Xia Qingyue's Physique.
Thinking of this, Chen Qing took out a portion of Dragon Blood contained in a transparent glass bottle.
"Husband, what is this?" Xia Qingyue asked curiously, looking at the blood-red liquid gently swaying within the bottle, shimmering with faint golden threads.
"Dragon Blood, it can be used to enhance your True Phoenix Saint Body," Chen Qing said, handing over the Dragon Blood.
Xia Qingyue took the Dragon Blood, popped open the stopper with a sound, and was about to drink it all in one gulp.
"Hey! This isn't for drinking; you need to absorb and refine it," Chen Qing quickly interjected to stop her.
"Oh, I see," Xia Qingyue chuckled awkwardly.
Immediately, following Chen Qing's instructions, she began to absorb the Dragon Blood from the bottle, just as she would absorb Spiritual Qi.
Chen Qing still held quite a bit of Dragon Blood in his hand. He wasn't in a hurry to absorb and refine it. Instead, he opened the System panel to check the reward for giving away a bottle of Dragon Blood.
"Doting on wife successful! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Shadow Puppet Enhancement Card +1!"
'Shadow Puppets can still be enhanced?'
This was somewhat unexpected for Chen Qing.
'But, only one card? System, aren't you a bit too stingy?'
Chen Qing couldn't help but complain in his heart.
He sighed, silently comforting himself, 'Forget it, one is better than none. Who doesn't have bad luck sometimes?'
Then, he clicked to use the Shadow Puppet Enhancement Card.
"Currently using Shadow Puppet Enhancement Card..."
"Shadow Puppet Enhancement Card used successfully!"
The next moment, several lines of text appeared on the System panel in front of Chen Qing.
Similar to Heavy Armored Shadow Puppet, Assassin Shadow Puppet, Archer Shadow Puppet...
Followed by strings of numbers, which added up to the total number of Shadow Puppets Chen Qing currently possessed.
'Collective enhancement!'
Only then did Chen Qing realize he had misunderstood the System.
The Enhancement Card could randomly change the Shadow Puppets' troop types: Heavy Armored Shadow Puppets specialized in defense, Assassin Shadow Puppets were not only swift but also had surprisingly high damage, and Archer Shadow Puppets excelled in long-range combat...
"Not bad, not bad," Chen Qing was very satisfied with this reward.
"Husband?" Hearing this, Xia Qingyue, who had just completely absorbed the Dragon Blood, looked at him with confusion.
"I was saying that my wife's talent is extraordinary; she refined all the Dragon Blood so quickly," Chen Qing quickly explained.
Then he asked, "How do you feel now?"
"My strength has increased quite a bit, and my Saint Body has undergone a qualitative leap!" Xia Qingyue was still a novice when it came to Cultivation; her vocabulary was limited, so she could only try her best to express what she felt.
"That's good, have another bottle!" Chen Qing took out another bottle of Dragon Blood.
How could he miss this opportunity to gain rewards for doting on his wife?
"Huh?"
To Xia Qingyue, Dragons were Sacred Beasts, long extinct in the Lower Realm.
Legends said that every part of a Dragon's body was a treasure; even a single Dragon scale from ten thousand years ago could fetch a sky-high price at auction.
Yet, Chen Qing could casually produce bottle after bottle of Dragon Blood.
At this moment, Xia Qingyue suddenly recalled witnessing Chen Qing riding a Dragon into the sky at Qingcheng Sect, a domineering sight.
Clutching the Dragon Blood in her hand, she tentatively asked, "Husband, this Dragon Blood, it couldn't be from that spirit pet of yours, could it?"
'Spirit pet?'
Chen Qing immediately realized that the spirit pet Xia Qingyue referred to must be the Nine Nether Undying Dragon.
Since Xia Qingyue had already found an excuse for him, Chen Qing went along with it, saying, "Exactly. It doesn't lack this bit of blood; feel free to use it. If it's not enough, your husband will go and extract more."
Xia Qingyue thought for a moment. The Nine Nether Undying Dragon had such a massive body, so it indeed wouldn't be short on the small amount of Dragon Blood in her hand.
"..." the Nine Nether Undying Dragon.
Given Chen Qing's painstaking efforts, and her own urgent need to improve her strength to repay him, Xia Qingyue nodded and began to absorb and refine the Dragon Blood once more.
At the same time, Xia Qingyue's words also inspired Chen Qing.
'The Nine Nether Undying Dragon's Dragon Blood should be of higher quality than the System-rewarded Dragon Blood, right? If that's truly the case...'
Chen Qing thought, Undying Dragon, Undying Dragon. If it's undying, wouldn't that mean he could achieve Dragon Blood freedom?
But then he reconsidered: undying it may be, but if too much Dragon Blood was extracted, its Cultivation Realm would inevitably fall.
He shook his head, no longer letting his thoughts run wild.
Chen Qing opened the System panel again to check the rewards for doting on his wife.
"Doting on wife successful! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Shadow Puppet +20000! Note: This batch of Shadow Puppets has automatically been assigned random troop types!"
'Twenty thousand Shadow Puppets?!'
Chen Qing felt that if this continued, he would soon gather a hundred thousand Shadow Puppet army.
Most importantly, he had just checked on a whim and found that the enhancement card brought much more than just troop type upgrades to the Shadow Puppets; it also increased their Cultivation Realm.
Now, the Shadow Puppets' Cultivation Realm had advanced by a whole major Realm, from the Peak of the Soul Emergence Realm to the Peak of the Spirit Division Realm.
'Fifty thousand Spirit Division Realm Puppets, and 100% loyal...'
If this news ever got out, Chen Qing couldn't imagine how the world, various Dynasties, and different factions would view him.
However, what he didn't realize was that not long ago, Ye Feng, as the protagonist of destiny, was still smugly proclaiming himself almost invincible after signing in and getting a dead soldier at the Peak of the Soul Emergence Realm.
"Husband..."
Before Xia Qingyue could finish speaking, Chen Qing handed her another bottle of Dragon Blood. "Another bottle. I observe that my wife is about to Breakthrough!"
Chen Qing lied.
He hadn't actually seen anything; he was simply trying to gain more rewards for doting on his wife.
"Okay!" Xia Qingyue accepted the Dragon Blood and followed his instructions.
"Doting on wife successful! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: longevity fruit +100!"
"Husband, I..."
"Another bottle," Chen Qing interrupted again. "You're almost at a Breakthrough."
"Mm!"
...
Chen Qing continued to gain rewards for doting on his wife, one after another.
"Doting on wife successful! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Epiphany Count +10!"
"Doting on wife successful! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Supreme Saint Body, Space-Time Sacred Body +1! Ranked 6th on the Three Thousand Physique Ranking!"
'Another Saint Body, and it's a Supreme Saint Body ranked in the top ten!'
Just by the words "Time-Space," Chen Qing could easily imagine its power and wondrous uses.
But soon, his attention was uncontrollably drawn to Xia Qingyue, who was focused on Cultivating.
He saw raging flames suddenly ignite around her body without any warning!
***
Chapter 51 Immortal Phoenix
Chen Qing was not in a hurry to extinguish the flames, as he did not consider the fire enveloping Xia Qingyue to be a threat.
Looking at Xia Qingyue's expression, there was indeed no sign of pain.
'Could it be that I actually guessed correctly by accident? Is she really going to Breakthrough?'
Chen Qing couldn't help but think in that direction.
Facts proved that he hadn't thought wrong.
Immediately after, a Phoenix cry echoed through the heavens and earth, and the flames transformed into a sky-obscuring Fire Phoenix, soaring straight into the clouds and circling above their heads.
Witnessing this magnificent scene of the Phoenix appearing and seven-colored Divine Light illuminating the world, Chen Qing guessed that the Dragon blood had most likely activated her True Phoenix Sacred Body.
Not long after, Xia Qingyue slowly opened her eyes, and the layer of orange-red flames that had covered her body had long since been completely absorbed by her.
Xia Qingyue stood up and also noticed the seven-colored light shining down from above.
She looked up, and when she saw the Phoenix circling in the sky, she couldn't help but show a look of surprise, "Phoenix!"
"No need to worry, this Phoenix originates from the True Phoenix Sacred Body you possess," Chen Qing explained.
"True Phoenix Sacred Body! So it was all true!" Xia Qingyue realized belatedly.
"What was true?" Chen Qing pressed.
Xia Qingyue did not hide anything, fully disclosing how, during her Cultivation, her Divine Sense entered a mysterious Realm and she encountered an Undying Phoenix.
In addition, Xia Qingyue also received the blessing of the Undying Phoenix, "According to the Undying Phoenix, it seems I can gain an Opportunity for Nirvana Rebirth when I am on the verge of death."
Hearing Xia Qingyue's words, Chen Qing pondered, "Does that mean an extra life? That's not bad!"
To be honest, even Chen Qing himself hadn't expected the True Phoenix Sacred Body to have such a wonderful use.
He was glad he gave this True Phoenix Sacred Body to Xia Qingyue; otherwise, with his Undying and Imperishable Body, this Nirvana Rebirth Opportunity would be useless to him, a complete waste.
"If not for husband, Xia Qinyue would not have had this Opportunity," Xia Qingyue knew that all of this was Chen Qing's doing.
She was certain that if not for Chen Qing, let alone a Sacred Body or a Nirvana Rebirth Opportunity, she probably wouldn't have embarked on the Dao of Cultivation in this life, and would have lived the ordinary life of a Mortal.
"Wife, you are too polite. There is still a lot of Spiritual Qi left in this Spirit Spring Pool. Let's hurry and refine it, then go look for other Opportunities," Chen Qing suggested.
"Alright!" Xia Qingyue complied and quickly entered a state of Cultivation.
Chen Qing, on the other hand, took out the last bottle of Dragon blood and kept a portion for himself.
He decided to try his luck and see if he, like Xia Qingyue, could also gain a special boost after refining the Dragon blood...
When the entire bottle of Qi and blood was absorbed and refined.
It wasn't that there was no improvement; his physique, Qi and blood, and Cultivation all increased comprehensively.
It was just that there was no special boost like the Nirvana Rebirth Opportunity.
Chen Qing understood the principle that those who are content are always happy, so he didn't dwell on it and quickly absorbed and refined the Spiritual Qi contained in the Spirit Spring Pool.
He aimed to raise his Cultivation from the ninth layer of Undergoing Tribulation to Mahayana before the Spiritual Qi was exhausted.
He didn't mind competing for the title of the youngest Great Emperor.
Time flew by.
Xia Qingyue successfully raised her small Realm by one level before the Spirit Spring Pool dried up.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Chen Qing.
Seeing that he was still Cultivating, Xia Qingyue did not speak to disturb him.
She just watched him, rarely having the chance to openly gaze at Chen Qing's face like this.
Words like 'charming and elegant,' 'talented and handsome,' and 'as graceful as a jade tree facing the wind' continuously emerged in her mind.
However, unlike before, Xia Qingyue now no longer questioned whether all of this was due to 'love is blind'.
She couldn't deny that there was indeed such a reason, and as for the other reason, it was of course because Chen Qing was indeed extraordinarily handsome and as ethereal as a banished immortal!
As she watched, Xia Qingyue became engrossed, completely lost in thought.
Until Chen Qing opened his eyes, their gazes met.
Xia Qingyue's small face immediately flushed red.
She quickly spoke, feigning composure, "Hu, husband, how is your Cultivation?"
But she couldn't hide the panic in her heart.
Chen Qing saw through it but didn't say anything, responding, "It's alright, I successfully Broke through."
A question had been bothering Xia Qingyue, so she took this Opportunity to ask directly, "May I ask husband, what Realm are you currently in?"
"Does wife want to know?" Chen Qing asked in return.
"Mhm, mhm, mhm," Xia Qingyue nodded rapidly.
Chen Qing smiled calmly and released a wisp of pressure.
"..." Xia Qingyue's pupils instantly contracted, and her entire body was repeatedly swept by a terrifying power, leaving her frozen in place, unable to move.
A strong sense of powerlessness swept through Xia Qingyue's body and mind, a feeling as if she herself had turned into an ant, facing a towering giant elephant!
Chen Qing stopped just enough, retracting his pressure, worried about damaging Xia Qingyue.
"Wife, are you alright?" Chen Qing asked with concern.
After a long while, Xia Qingyue finally excitedly uttered, "An eighteen-year-old Mahayana Realm! Husband, are you, are you really Human?"
Genius, Prodigy, Xia Qingyue had heard many such terms from others and read many descriptions in ancient books.
But an eighteen-year-old Mahayana Realm Cultivator, Xia Qingyue had truly never heard of, let alone seen.
How many people at Chen Qing's age were still struggling in the Qi Refining Realm.
In contrast, if he continued like this, he would soon be a Quasi-Emperor, a Great Emperor!
This was also why Xia Qingyue suspected whether Chen Qing was truly Human.
Because in her opinion, this was already beyond what the Human Race could achieve.
"Of course I'm Human, it's just that my Cultivation speed is a bit faster than average," Chen Qing replied.
'You call this a little faster...?'
Xia Qingyue had too many things she wanted to complain about in her heart, but she didn't know where to begin.
Just then, a loud voice came from afar, "Those within the formation, if you have the guts, don't hide in this turtle shell! Come out quickly and die!"
"If you don't come out, once this old man breaks the formation, I will definitely rip out your tendons, flay your skin, and grind your bones to dust!"
The shouting continued.
Chen Qing's Divine Sense swept over, "Hmph! Quite a lot of people have come, must be several hundred, right?"
'Several hundred people have come!'
Xia Qingyue was startled. With her current Cultivation Realm, she couldn't cover such a far distance with her Divine Sense like Chen Qing.
Although she now possessed a Sacred Body and a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivation, she wasn't sure if she could simultaneously deal with hundreds of Cultivators.
Xia Qingyue's thoughts were always written on her face, easily seen through by Chen Qing, who asked, "Wife, do you want to test your current strength against those fellows?"
"I do, but there are hundreds of them, I'm not confident..." Xia Qingyue's voice lacked conviction.
Chen Qing, however, patted his chest and confidently promised, "Don't worry, with your husband backing you up, if the sky falls, I'll hold it up!"
"Husband..." Xia Qingyue's eyes were filled with emotion.
Since Chen Qing had said so much, she no longer refused and agreed with a simple "Alright."
In Xia Qingyue's eyes, as a Cultivator, it was more often about fighting other Cultivators. Relying solely on Yao Beasts was simply not enough to accumulate practical combat experience.
Therefore, this was a very good Opportunity.
***
Chapter 52 Bullying
"There's no time to lose, Husband, let's depart quickly." More than fear, Xia Qingyue felt anticipation in her heart.
She felt as if she was craving battle.
Compared to calligraphy, chess, painting, and literature, Cultivation was indeed far more interesting!
Chen Qing reached out and grasped Xia Qingyue's wrist.
"Husband?" Xia Qingyue retracted her steps, looking at Chen Qing with a bewildered expression.
Chen Qing did not rush to speak. He opened the System backpack, selected [Space-Time Sacred Body], and confirmed the binding!
[Binding in progress… ]
[Space-Time Sacred Body binding successful!]
After confirming the Space-Time Sacred Body was successfully bound and instantly grasping its usage method through his top-tier Comprehension Ability,
Chen Qing then raised his hand and said, "I have a faster way."
Before Xia Qingyue could ask what faster way Chen Qing was referring to, she witnessed the space before them being forcibly torn open into a rift by Chen Qing's splayed fingers, transforming into a teleportation gate.
'No Spirit Stone or Formation needed, he can just tear space and create a teleportation gate at will! Is this the power of a Mahayana Cultivator?!'
Xia Qingyue yearned immensely for Chen Qing's power, wanting even more to catch up to his footsteps.
Not to surpass Chen Qing, but at least to stand confidently by his side, so as not to appear unqualified.
"Let's go." Chen Qing glanced at Xia Qingyue, who was deep in thought.
"Alright!" Xia Qingyue stopped her wild thoughts, responded, and followed Chen Qing's steps into the teleportation gate.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the hundreds of Cultivators preparing to jointly break the Formation also looked up and noticed the torn spatial rift.
Immediately after, they saw Chen Qing and Xia Qingyue emerge from it.
"Such a method is absolutely extraordinary! Everyone, do not let your guard down!"
Upon seeing this, the Elders quickly reminded their Disciples. There was no other reason; even with their current Realm of Cultivation, they couldn't accomplish such a feat.
Upon hearing this, the Disciples' expressions turned serious, and they tightened their grip on their sword hilts, adding a bit more force.
"Wife, these people are all yours, not a single one will escape." Chen Qing assured Xia Qingyue.
From his words, it seemed as if their lives could be disposed of at will, which naturally displeased the crowd. Just as someone was about to retort,
Shadow Puppets appeared in large numbers, forming a three-layered encirclement, tightly surrounding the hundreds of Cultivators, creating an impenetrable wall of bodies.
"W-what kind of people are these? Where did they come from?"
"Are you sure they're people? I can't feel any life force from them."
"So eerie!"
Before they could figure out what kind of existence the Shadow Puppets were, thousands of Shadow Puppets actively released their Realm pressure.
The words "Spirit Division Realm Peak" instantly appeared in everyone's minds.
Their expressions, without exception, all turned to panic.
"These inhuman, ghost-like monsters actually possess Spirit Division Realm Peak Cultivation!"
"That means, a thousand Spirit Division Realm Peak Cultivators??" Someone asked, looking incredulous and sounding disbelieving.
"It's over! We're finished! No one told me before we came that they had so many Spirit Division Realm experts! I, I'm only at Foundation Establishment!"
Chen Qing's display of power caused these people to lose without a fight.
The highest Cultivation among them was merely Soul Emergence Realm second-layer.
If there were only one or two Shadow Puppets, perhaps they could still have the confidence to contend, relying on their numerical advantage.
But now, they faced a thousand Shadow Puppets, all possessing Spirit Division Realm Peak Cultivation. How could they possibly feel confident?
Many people's legs went soft, and they collapsed to the ground.
The sounds of those begging for mercy rose and fell.
Chen Qing ignored them all.
He issued a mental command: they could retaliate, but if anyone dared to harm Xia Qingyue, even a single strand of her hair, they were to be executed immediately!
Spoiling his wife was one aspect; on the other, Chen Qing himself was reluctant to harm his own wife, so why should anyone else be allowed to?
"Wife, make your move." Chen Qing's single sentence helped Xia Qingyue make up her mind.
After a brief thought, Xia Qingyue nodded, stepped forward, and condensed an ice lotus in her palm.
"W-what should we do?"
"It looks like he doesn't intend to spare us. We can only… only fight!"
"Fight? Fight whom? Fight hundreds of thousands of Spirit Division Realm Cultivators?"
Just thinking about it made them feel powerless.
Until a shrill scream echoed through the crowd.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, only to see the person's limbs twisted, their face filled with terror, completely frozen in place, unable to move.
Then, ice spikes continuously pierced out from within their body and from all seven orifices, forming blood-stained ice lotuses.
In just a moment, the entire person completely lost their life force, covered entirely by the ice lotuses.
The scene looked extremely bizarre and chilling!
Seeing that someone had already died tragically at Xia Qingyue's hands, even if they knew it was a dead end, they had no choice but to draw their swords and resist.
To calmly face death? They couldn't do it!
Fighting back, at least offered a glimmer of hope for survival.
"I, I'll fight you all!"
"You are inhumane, don't blame me for being unjust!"
"Wicked woman, take this sword!"
Looking at their expressions and listening to the words coming from their mouths, Chen Qing felt a surge of speechlessness. Someone who didn't know would probably think they were the victims.
It was simply outrageous!
During these past few days with Chen Qing, Xia Qingyue had always kept his teachings in mind: being merciful to enemies was being cruel to oneself.
Therefore, when she acted, she did so without the slightest hesitation, very decisively, with swift and powerful methods.
Xia Qingyue was very clear that if she hadn't been stronger, these people wouldn't necessarily have been merciful at all.
Ice flowers continuously formed from Xia Qingyue's hands and shot out.
Those struck had their Bloodline instantly frozen, and the cold poison immediately invaded their internal organs, turning into seeds that sprouted and bloomed!
During this time, Chen Qing remained silent, quietly taking out his Seven Stars Saber and draining the Qi from those people, using it to light up the Saber stars.
Xia Qingyue's killing speed was extremely fast. Before long, of the original hundreds of people, only a dozen or so remained.
Most were Sect Elders, barely surviving by using Disciples as human shields.
Many Disciples' lives were sacrificed by them, used as shields and sent out to die.
One of the Elders looked at the endless expanse of ice-sealed corpses, cold sweat streaming down their face. They raised a hand to dissuade, saying, "W-wait! You've killed enough people. Shouldn't your immense anger subside by now? Why don't we sit down and talk properly? There's nothing that can't be discussed. Why must it come to a life-and-death struggle?"
Chen Qing scoffed at this, too lazy to waste words with him.
He knew without a doubt that this old fellow probably wanted to compensate him with treasures.
But Chen Qing maintained his stance: if they truly had treasures, they couldn't take them with them when they died, so they would all be his anyway.
Talk? Talk about what nonsense!
Seeing Chen Qing remain silent, Xia Qingyue understood and took two more lives with her ice lotuses.
"You, you are going too far! Even if this old man dies today, I will drag you down with me!"