Hah! Hah! Teng Qingshan pursued swiftly, his gaze locked onto the figure in the distance. "Old man, your strength is truly astonishing, but the Black Fire Spirit Root is mine.
You can run; once we reach a deserted place, I will finish you!" Teng Qingshan knew his own capabilities well.
If he concealed his true power, killing this silver-haired elder would be difficult! It was best not to reveal his trump cards to anyone! One ahead, one behind, their speeds were almost identical. "Hmph, brat, if I truly wanted to escape, you wouldn't even be able to catch up," the silver-haired elder, 'Wang Yun,' glanced back. "If I weren't concerned about that lunatic Wei Wuyai, and unable to abandon the identity of 'Wang Yun,' I would have killed you already.
Chase me, and I'll kill you once we're outside!" To maintain the identity of 'Wang Yun,' the strength the silver-haired elder displayed couldn't be overwhelmingly terrifying.
The earlier acquisition of the Black Fire Spirit Root was merely due to his erratic and agile movement techniques.
Pure speed wasn't excessively exaggerated; it remained within the tolerable limits for the surrounding martial artists.
…… Whether it was Teng Qingshan or Wang Yun, both harbored the same thought! Conceal their strength! Wait until they were in an empty place to unleash their fullest power and resolve the opponent.
Both were absolutely certain of their ability to kill the other! ** "Peng!" They rushed onward through the underground tunnel, which angled upward.
After a brief dash, Teng Qingshan saw the silver-haired elder dart into the water.
Teng Qingshan followed without hesitation, plunging in after him.
They swam along the bottom for a while.
Ahead, the path was blocked, forcing them upward! They ascended rapidly until Teng Qingshan burst out of the deep pool. "This deep pool is much shallower than the Jade Cold Pool back home," Teng Qingshan moved like a fish, surfacing and landing on the shore.
In the distance, amidst the forest weeds, a blurred figure was rapidly moving. "Hmph, think you can escape?" Teng Qingshan immediately gave chase.
In the Fiery Mountain, the two masters fled and pursued.
The silver-haired elder weaved frantically through the forest.
After running for a while, even Teng Qingshan himself lost track of exactly where he was: "Now, we must be at least ten li of mountain path from that deep pool.
Furthermore, no ordinary martial artist following the normal path down the mountain could possibly reach this desolate place!" "It's time to deal with him!" Teng Qingshan increased his speed once more! …… A group of people surfaced on the deep pool—it was Guan Lü leading thirty elite Black Armored Army soldiers. "Hmm?" Guan Lü surveyed the surroundings but saw no one, momentarily unsure where to pursue. "Commander, what are our orders now?" The Black Armored Army elites awaited Guan Lü's command.
She frowned, looking at two paths ahead, then glanced at a distant peak and coldly stated, "We will proceed to the top of that mountain ahead.
Once there, we will observe the area below carefully to see if we can locate Commander Teng and the others." "Yes!" Seeing further from a higher vantage point was key, and since the Black Armored Army elites could not split up, this was the only order Guan Lü could issue.
The group immediately set off toward the distant peak. "Huā huā~~" A babbling stream flowed through a lush bamboo forest.
Adjacent to the bamboo grove was a stretch of barren land, backed by a sheer cliff that looked as if it had been sliced by a knife.
The silver-haired elder drifted in like a gust of wind, finally stopping abruptly in the wasteland.
In the span of a single breath, a black streak of light flashed, and a youth in dark, tight-fitting clothes stood there. "Teng Qingshan!" The silver-haired elder looked at Teng Qingshan with a half-smile. "I've heard your name for a long time, but it seems that among the Houtian experts, your Qinggong is definitely top ten." Teng Qingshan smiled. "You old man have hidden your depths well.
I suspect your actual strength could place you in the top ten of the 'Earth Ranking'." He hadn't pushed too hard initially, but later, Teng Qingshan had used the first layer of Tianya Xing, instantly achieving astonishing speed. "Knowing that, you still dared to chase?" The silver-haired elder sneered. "It seems you are quite confident." Teng Qingshan's expression turned cold. "Old man, I don't have time to waste with you.
Hand over the Black Fire Spirit Root, and I'll spare your life." "The Black Fire Spirit Root, hmph," the silver-haired elder scoffed. "This time I didn't anticipate that the Scarlet Scaled Beast was hiding beneath the magma.
Otherwise, why would I bother with this Black Fire Spirit Root? However...
without the Black Fire Spirit Fruit, this Black Fire Spirit Root at least ensures this trip wasn't entirely in vain for me." Teng Qingshan frowned.
Hah! Holding his long spear with one hand, Teng Qingshan coldly stated, "It seems you don't intend to hand it over.
You are truly courting death!" "Courting death?" The silver-haired elder laughed, as if hearing the biggest joke imaginable.
His expression immediately turned cold, his gaze sharp, like an old eagle staring at Teng Qingshan. "Seventeen years old, strength enough to rank in the top twenty of the 'Earth Ranking.' What a pity.
With your talent, you could have stepped into the Xiantian realm in the future, but today, you will die by my hand." Teng Qingshan tightened his grip on his spear.
Shu! The spear shot out like an arrow loosed from a taut bow, carrying ferocious power, piercing directly toward the silver-haired elder. "Die!" The silver-haired elder roared suddenly, his long saber executing a simple, fierce chop! Chi! A grating sound, like a knife scraping glass, echoed. "Hmm?" Teng Qingshan's expression changed drastically.
His Samsara Spear immediately vibrated, its tip darting like a nimble viper toward the saber. "Peng!" Raging internal energy blasted outward, shattering the sand and stones on the ground in a chaotic spray! The mere residual impact energy from the collision possessed such might! Hah! Teng Qingshan staggered back three steps, his right hand tingling with numbness. "This...
just how strong is this old man?" Teng Qingshan was greatly shocked. "Among Houtian experts, with that spear move just now, and being prepared, even the number one ranked master on the 'Earth Ranking' couldn't force me back three steps!" Teng Qingshan carefully scrutinized the silver-haired elder.
Is this fellow truly a Houtian expert? Or are there those among Houtian experts as strong as I am? I possess immense physical strength because I cultivate Inner School martial arts.
What about this old man? "Haha, your strength is quite good, but regrettably, you are destined to die today," the silver-haired elder laughed heartily before bringing his saber down again.
Hah! A streak of gray saber light swiftly tore through the air, arriving before Teng Qingshan. "This is—" Teng Qingshan's eyes widened.
This gray saber light was flying toward him, yet the silver-haired elder was still three zhang away, holding his saber. "Saber light leaving the body? How is long-distance attack possible?" Teng Qingshan immediately began swinging his Samsara Spear, smashing against the gray saber light.
Peng! The gray saber light fractured, its power greatly diminished, but the shattered remnants still stabbed forward.
Teng Qingshan dodged frantically, but a sliver of the broken light still grazed his chest. "Hualā!" His clothes ripped, and the fragmented saber light struck the Cold Iron Inner Armor he wore.
Peng! Teng Qingshan stared at the silver-haired elder and said coldly, "You are not a Houtian martial artist!" "Hahahaha..." The silver-haired elder roared with laughter. "Correct, I am not Houtian; I have already stepped into the Xiantian realm, brat...
No matter how great your talent, you must perish by my hand today.
It is far too easy and simple for a Xiantian expert to kill a Houtian martial artist.
A few strikes of saber energy are enough to kill you!" Saying that, the silver-haired elder wildly swung his battle saber.
Hah! Hah! Hah! Three consecutive streaks of saber light flew off his weapon, soaring toward Teng Qingshan mid-air. "Hmph," Teng Qingshan immediately executed Tianya Xing, turning into a wisp of green smoke and darting away.
Two of the saber streaks flew far into the distance, slicing through a long row of mountain bamboo, followed by the chaotic sound of falling timber.
Dust billowed up behind them.
The third streak of saber light narrowly grazed Teng Qingshan's body, striking the sheer rock face of the cliff.
Peng! Gravel flew, leaving a stone pit nearly five or six feet long, surrounded by spiderweb cracks.
Teng Qingshan glanced back, confirming his suspicion: "Just as I thought, this saber energy must be Xiantian True Essence leaving the body, condensed into saber energy.
Purely remote saber energy attacks naturally have less power than saber energy condensed within the blade!" For an Inner Strength martial artist, projecting internal strength outward yields mediocre power.
But contained within the palm, a single strike can crack stone.
It is the same for a Xiantian expert! Saber energy contained within a weapon grants the weapon formidable attack power.
If the saber energy leaves the body to attack, its power is significantly weaker.
However...
capable of easily blasting a large pit into solid rock, this level of power, if directed at an ordinary Houtian master, would kill them easily! This is because most Houtian masters have very ordinary physical resilience and can be easily slain by saber energy! "You dodge quite quickly!" the silver-haired elder sneered. "But I have no more time to waste.
Teng Qingshan, you should be proud to die by my hand." The silver-haired elder suddenly charged toward Teng Qingshan while continuously swinging his battle saber.
Hah! Hah! Hah!...
A continuous stream of over a dozen saber lights enveloped Teng Qingshan from all directions, instantly forming a semicircular net.
Teng Qingshan tried to evade, but after moving less than one zhang, the saber lights completely covered him.
Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of explosions erupted. "Haha, what a shame.
A promising rising star is dead just like that," the silver-haired elder's mouth curved into a sinister smile. "You're laughing a bit too soon, aren't you!" A cold voice sounded.
The silver-haired elder's eyes snapped wide open. "How is this possible...
He, he isn't dead?" At this moment, Teng Qingshan's black tight-fitting clothes were tattered, but his exposed arms and face were completely unmarked.
Facing the bombardment of saber lights, he hadn't sustained a single scratch! "No, impossible!" The disbelief in the silver-haired elder's eyes was profound. "A Houtian martial artist cannot withstand so many strikes of saber energy.
He wears inner armor, yes, but his face is bare—how are there no injuries there? Could it be, could it be..." The main reason Xiantian experts completely overwhelm Houtian martial artists is the incredible potency of the Xiantian True Essence, which can easily leave the body and carry formidable destructive power, easily slaying Houtian experts.
Even the most skilled Houtian master cannot block it.
Only a Xiantian expert can easily resist these saber energy attacks. "Don't tell me...
you, you are also a Xiantian expert!!!" The silver-haired elder shook his head repeatedly. "Impossible! Seventeen years old, how could he be a Xiantian expert!" He refused to believe it, but reality forced the conviction upon him. "Teng Qingshan, have you also stepped into Xiantian?" the silver-haired elder stared at him. "Xiantian?" Teng Qingshan grinned, "Why don't you feel it for yourself, and then you'll know?" Saying this, Teng Qingshan's arms and legs, which had previously appeared smoothly contoured, suddenly seemed wrapped in steel cables in an instant; his veins swelled like thick vipers.
His limbs thickened noticeably.
He transformed from a seemingly refined figure into a terrifying, demonic god! "This..." The silver-haired elder’s eyes grew wide. "You are the first human to witness my full strength!" Teng Qingshan grinned.
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