Chapter 748: Breaking the Stalemate [2.3k]

Translator: AnubisTL

The twenty-three ancient demons from the demon realm were clearly seasoned warriors, their coordination flawless.

Upon seeing Li Qing manifest his Fire Extreme Dharma Body, they immediately dispersed, each employing their own methods to suppress the suddenly appearing flame giant.

In an instant, demonic qi surged, completely dyeing the heavens and earth pitch black.

The combined Demonic Might radiating from these twenty-three nascent soul realm ancient demons was nearly unmatched. Who in this world, aside from great powers at the divine transformation stage, could withstand such overwhelming suppression?

Boom!

The raging flames engulfing Li Qing abruptly flickered and dimmed.

He felt as if he were bearing the weight of a hundred thousand mountains, the crushing pressure threatening to collapse his flame dharma body entirely.

This was merely the external pressure. Earlier, he had been struck by a demonic palm, and the demonic qi within his body now raged like venomous snakes, making even maintaining the Spirit Flame Dharma Body an excruciatingly difficult task.

Li Qing faced the greatest life-or-death crisis of his life, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Desperate, he had no choice but to recklessly unleash the three heavenly spirit fires within him, clinging to survival by a thread.

Under such immense pressure, Li Qing’s true essence was being consumed at an astonishing rate. His vast mana flowed away like water.

"This human is truly extraordinary! To withstand our combined suppression for so long without collapsing!"

"Indeed, he possesses remarkable skill. Even in the spirit realm, human cultivators of this caliber are rare!"

"Not just rare—they’re practically nonexistent! Only the most exceptional prodigies of the immortal dao, holy sons of major sects, and heirs of noble clans could possibly achieve such a feat!"

"Who would have thought such a figure could emerge from a mere Minor World? If we allow him to ascend to the spirit realm, he’ll be like a dragon entering the sea—a future calamity!"

The demonic cultivators were deeply shaken, their attacks growing even more ruthless, fueled by a determination to crush Li Qing here and now.

Rumble!

The overwhelming Demonic Might surged forth. Trapped within the Spirit Flame Dharma Body, Li Qing found even breathing a struggle.

"This won’t work! If this continues, there’s no chance of survival!"

Forcing himself to endure the combined suppression of twenty-three ancient demons of equal rank, Li Qing’s mind raced, his thoughts flashing like lightning.

The immense, terrifying pressure slowed his blood flow to a crawl. Only his exceptionally robust fleshly body prevented him from collapsing entirely.

Abandon my fleshly body and flee with my nascent soul?!

No!

Li Qing rejected the idea almost instantly. Even if he abandoned his fleshly body, where could his nascent soul possibly escape the encirclement of twenty-three ancient demons?

In this dire situation, there was no path to heaven and no escape to earth.

His mind raced frantically, searching for a way out of this predicament.

In an instant, he reviewed every technique and resource at his disposal.

I have no choice but to fight!

Within the Fire Extreme Dharma Body, Li Qing’s eyes burned with a resolute ferocity. This was a desperate situation, and he would have to gamble his life to carve out a path to survival.

Suddenly, a pair of silver-purple bone wings materialized behind the colossal flame giant, perfectly proportioned to its massive frame.

These were none other than the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings!

The demonic race froze momentarily, assuming Li Qing was attempting to activate another spirit treasure to flee.

"Hmph, trying to escape under our suppression? What a fool’s dream! Do you think you’re a cultivator in the Divine Transformation stage?"

"This person must be running out of mana and is pinning his hopes on that yellow-grade spirit treasure!"

"Doesn’t he understand his situation? Fine, let him realize the predicament he’s in!"

With these few words, all twenty-three ancient demons unleashed their full power, their terrifying might threatening to crush the very fabric of heaven and earth.

But at that moment, the pair of silver-purple bone wings behind the flame giant, enduring the immense pressure, began to slowly flap.

Instantly, the Wind-Thunder Power between heaven and earth surged into violent motion, as dense lightning and raging hurricanes erupted.

"He’s trying to draw upon the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth using the spirit treasure? Has he gone mad? Forcing such a feat with his nascent soul realm cultivation will only drain his Lifespan!"

"The Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth is scarce in this realm. Even Divine Transformation stage cultivators must be cautious when manipulating it. How much Lifespan does a mere nascent soul realm human cultivator have to waste?"

These demonic races from the demon realm possessed considerable insight. They naturally understood that manipulating the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth was a technique reserved for Divine Transformation stage cultivators. Beyond that, only fifth-tier or higher spirit treasures or spirit formations could accomplish such a feat.

The cost of this action was the depletion of Li Qing’s vital essence, drastically shortening his lifespan.

However, they were unaware that Li Qing currently possessed over three thousand years of lifespan, a longevity that even cultivators in the Divine Transformation stage couldn’t match.

Furthermore, Li Qing activated the Transformation Demon Art, a demonic path cultivation technique he had acquired long ago. This art allowed him to sacrifice his lifespan to condense seven-colored life essence.

Since advancing to the Nascent Soul realm, Li Qing had rarely used this demonic art. Now, facing this desperate situation, he had no choice but to unleash everything he had to break free from this deadly predicament.

The seven-colored life essence flowed forth like radiant light, gradually seeping into the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings.

But this was not all. Li Qing still possessed a vast reserve of seven-colored life essence within his body. Guided by his will, it gradually sank into his dantian, merging with the source fire seeds of the three heavenly spirit fires:

Profound Yellow True Flame! Spirit Devouring Demon Flame! Netherworld Cold Fire!

At that moment, these three distinct heavenly spirit fires seemed to receive a powerful nourishment, instantly surging to their peak intensity!

The numbers representing Li Qing’s lifespan had already plummeted below two thousand years and were still rapidly decreasing:

1,982 years... 1,981 years...

Boom!

But how could Li Qing possibly care about such things now?

He fully activated the Fire Extreme Dharma Body, causing the tri-colored spirit flames engulfing its colossal form to erupt with renewed ferocity.

An ancient demon sensed an ominous premonition and immediately warned:

"Something’s wrong! Stop holding back and trying to capture him alive. Kill him with all your might!"

The other ancient demons stiffened, a faint sense of danger rising in their hearts.

This was utterly absurd. The human cultivator before them was clearly only at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, yet they were twenty-three demons of comparable rank, with several ancient demons possessing cultivation levels far surpassing Li Qing’s.

Where could this sense of danger possibly stem from? It defied all logic!

Absurd as it was, they knew they could no longer afford to hold back in hopes of capturing him alive. Perhaps they would have to settle for bringing back the human’s corpse to claim their battle merits.

Finally, empowered by the seven-colored life essence, the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings began to vibrate with greater intensity.

In an instant, the Wind Thunder Primordial Energy of heaven and earth surged violently, converging into the flame giant’s body.

The three heavenly spirit fires erupted with terrifying power, their pent-up spiritual flames surging forth like a geyser.

Boom!

"Die!" Li Qing roared, his eyes bloodshot and his face twisted with icy killing intent.

The wind fanned the flames, merging fire and lightning into a fusion of energy so potent it shook the very fabric of space, causing it to tremble and distort.

This single strike was so overwhelmingly powerful that Li Qing momentarily broke through the combined suppression of twenty-three ancient demons at the nascent soul realm.

Within the flame giant’s palm, lightning and spirit fire collided and fused, unleashing the most destructive forces in heaven and earth.

Boom!

The flame giant’s fist slammed forward, the explosive force of the colliding lightning and spiritual flames erupting outward.

As space trembled, three nearby ancient demons were instantly reduced to ash, leaving behind a vacuum where no matter or spiritual energy remained.

The remaining twenty ancient demons shuddered violently. They would never forget this scene—it was utterly shocking.

Despite enduring the full force of their combined suppression, Li Qing had not only survived but had also managed to kill three of them.

Their reaction was swift. While fear gripped their hearts, they knew they couldn’t let Li Qing escape.

They even suspected that the Formless Saint Ancestor’s order to descend into this realm had targeted this human.

Such extraordinary combat prowess was a rare sight even in the spirit realm, a true Heavenly Prodigy seldom seen in millennia.

Though they couldn’t fathom how he had achieved this, it defied all reason.

The Two Realms Battlefield had seen its share of prodigies. Some exceptionally talented humans had slain dozens or even hundreds of demonic opponents of equal rank. Yet those were always one-on-one engagements. Even when facing multiple foes, no one could simultaneously handle more than a handful of enemies.

In an instant, the demonic forces unleashed their trump cards, pouring all their might into obliterating the colossal flame giant.

Demonic qi surged, and various demonic treasures activated, draining the heaven and earth spiritual energy within a radius of hundreds of miles into nothingness.

Li Qing, having unleashed his desperate strike, had reached his limit. His mana reserves were nearly depleted, and he could no longer maintain the Fire Extreme Dharma Body.

The flame giant slowly dissipated, revealing a figure in tattered azure robes, his posture still impossibly upright.

"Has he reached his limit?" an ancient demon murmured.

"No, what’s that green light? Why is it..."

Li Qing’s pale face hardened with ruthless determination. In his palm, he clutched an emerald green heart, into which he was channeling vast amounts of seven-colored life essence.

Seven-colored life essence could amplify the power of magic treasures and heavenly spirit fires, and naturally, it could also enhance the Heavenly Poison Heart.

This heart had been obtained from the corpse of a Heavenly Poison Physique cultivator in the Azure Ridge Domain, and Li Qing had later absorbed the poisonous miasma from an entire rift valley in the Great Wilderness Domain.

Now, further amplified by Li Qing’s refined seven-colored life essence, the heart’s toxicity had reached a world-shattering level.

"Danger! Run!" An ancient demon finally realized the threat and tried to flee.

But it was too late. Li Qing, disregarding his own life, hurled the Heavenly Poison Heart outward.

Boom!

The emerald green heart twisted violently in mid-air before exploding.

Rumble!

A poisonous mist, interwoven with seven-colored light, instantly engulfed an area spanning hundreds of kilometers, forming a colossal toxic entity.

Every living creature within range was poisoned—including the twenty ancient demons and Li Qing himself.

This poison originated from the powerful Heavenly Poison Physique and had been repeatedly amplified. Its toxicity could easily kill a nascent soul realm cultivator, and even a fourth-tier demon king couldn’t withstand it.

Almost immediately, seven or eight ancient demons perished, their life force extinguished.

The remaining dozen ancient demons were in equally dire straits, their auras drastically weakened. Even maintaining flight became a struggle, leaving them teetering in the air like drunken men.

Though equally poisoned, Li Qing’s eyes burned with unwavering resolve.

His body was now ravaged by both the virulent poison and rampaging demonic qi, his fleshly body pushed to its absolute limit.

Blood-Burning Secret Art!

Li Qing once again activated this vital essence-draining secret technique, forcibly extracting several more portions of his true essence.

He channeled a portion of this true essence to ignite the heavenly spirit fire, shielding his heart meridian and preventing immediate death from the poison and demonic qi’s onslaught.

With another mental command, a pair of silver-purple bone wings materialized. Even in this desperate situation, Li Qing intended to pursue and slaughter the remaining ancient demons using this spirit treasure.

The fleeing demons were instantly seized by terror.

"Kill!"

The Wind-Thunder Silver Wings vibrated violently as Li Qing raised his natal magic treasure, the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer.

Bang!

His speed remained undiminished. In an instant, he overtook one of the demons and, with a surge of physical strength, brought the Peerless Hammer crashing down.

The demon perished instantly!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The thunderous strikes of the Peerless Hammer echoed relentlessly. One by one, the poisoned and weakened ancient demons fell, their lives extinguished on the spot.

Twenty-three ancient demons had fallen. Li Qing collected twenty demonic bodies before staggering toward the East Sea.

At that moment, a calm voice echoed within him—the Profound Yellow True Flame was communicating:

"Your condition is critical. You could die at any moment."

Li Qing circulated the Dao Tribulation Limitless Sutra, hoping to use the True Intent of Withered Wood Meets Spring to revive his fleshly body. But against the poison ravaging his current form, this was merely a drop in the bucket, only briefly delaying the loss of his life force.

"Then do everything you can to protect my heart meridian! Just keep me alive!" Li Qing responded, his voice barely audible.

The Profound Yellow True Flame remained calm: "This poison is exceptionally potent, a rare and deadly toxin. Even I can’t completely halt its assault on your heart meridian for long. Moreover, the rampant demonic qi is further jeopardizing your life."

Indeed, Li Qing’s situation was dire. He could perish at any moment, clinging to life solely through sheer willpower.

"There’s still a bit of seven-colored life essence left. Absorb it now. I need to focus on traveling and can’t spare any attention for this. Just keep the poison from reaching my heart meridian until we return to the sect!"

One more Chapter to go! This volume is titled "Invincible in the Human Realm," so a little cheat is justified, right? From now on, I’ll walk the path to becoming invincible in the Human Realm!

(End of the Chapter)

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