Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Jellyfish Refined Steel

A glint flashed in Song Changsheng’s eyes as he watched the black flames leap toward him. The muscles in his legs erupted with immense power, and he threw himself to the side, dodging the deadly black blaze.

WHOOSH!

Spiritual Power surged around Zhang Zhiyuan as he instantly thrust a palm at Song Changsheng’s chest.

Without a glance, Song Changsheng threw a punch in return.

Fist and palm slammed together, just as in their previous exchange. This time, however, Song Changsheng was driven back a dozen steps, while Zhang Zhiyuan merely swayed slightly before regaining his footing.

It seemed Zhang Zhiyuan had the absolute upper hand, but he was secretly reeling. He could tell that Song Changsheng had used nothing but the pure strength of his Physical Body. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He’d put his all into that palm strike, yet he never expected his opponent would only be at a slight disadvantage.

’This man is terrifying,’ Zhang Zhiyuan thought, inwardly astonished. ’No wonder Chang Tianhua went to such lengths to plot his death. If he hadn’t been afflicted, we wouldn’t have stood a chance today.’

A slight flush rose on Song Changsheng’s face, but he quickly calmed himself. Kicking off the ground, he shot toward Chang Tianhua like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Even though he couldn’t currently use his Spiritual Power, the strength of his Physical Body was still formidable.

"You’re courting death." With a SNAP, Chang Tianhua flicked open his folding fan. A forceful wave sent a cloud of silver needles, fine as hairs, spraying outward.

Song Changsheng had seen this move long before. He channeled the qi and blood throughout his body, took a deep breath, and threw a savage punch.

The wind from the punch howled, scattering the poison-laced silver needles in every direction. Chang Tianhua’s face fell in alarm as he scrambled to cast a Magic spell.

Utterly fearless, Song Changsheng took the Magic spell head-on. He closed the distance in an instant, his palm bending into a claw as he moved to capture Chang Tianhua.

Just as he was about to succeed, the attacks from the black-robed man and Zhang Zhiyuan arrived. One brandished a greatsword, the other swung a giant axe, their power immense.

A flicker of regret showed in Song Changsheng’s eyes as he quickly retreated. His physique was comparable to a Magical Artifact, but not so tough that he could clash with their weapons head-on.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Dazzling Magic spells flew toward Song Changsheng, but he weaved and dodged, evading them with ease.

Suddenly, a jet-black chain shot out from behind him. Song Changsheng tried to dodge, but the chain stuck to him like a maggot on a corpse, relentlessly pursuing him.

Shocked and enraged, Song Changsheng furiously threw a punch.

Who would have thought the chain would be as nimble as a Spiritual Snake? It not only swerved to dodge his fist but also took the opportunity to wrap itself around his arm.

Song Changsheng was horrified. If he let this chain bind him, it would be all over. He frantically circulated his qi and blood, trying to shatter it.

But the more he struggled, the tighter the bizarre chain wrapped around him. A searing pain shot through his arm, and Song Changsheng felt as if it were about to snap.

"He’s caught in my [Demon-Binding Rope]! Finish him now!" the black-robed man rasped, his aura suddenly weakening as he slumped to the ground cross-legged.

"[Mountain Opening and Earth Splitting]!"

Zhang Zhiyuan raised his giant axe high, and it became enveloped in a dazzling light. For a moment, he seemed impossibly tall, like a giant capable of sundering the heavens and splitting the earth.

Constrained by the black-robed man’s [Demon-Binding Rope], Song Changsheng had no way to dodge this axe blow.

Just as he was about to rely on his [Substitute Paperman] to withstand the blow, he felt a warm current flow through his Meridians. The circulation of his Spiritual Power had suddenly returned to normal.

A sharp light erupted in Song Changsheng’s eyes. With a single thought, the bones throughout his body began to shimmer. The [Yin Yang Two Elements Formation] activated once more, and the black and white qi coalesced into a pair of shears that shot forward to meet the blow.

With a sharp CRACK, the giant axe in Zhang Zhiyuan’s hands was snipped in two before his horrified eyes, the pieces clattering to the ground.

With his Lifebound Spiritual Artifact destroyed, Zhang Zhiyuan suffered an immediate backlash. He sprayed a mouthful of blood, and his aura plummeted. The turn of events was so shocking that even Chang Tianhua was stunned into silence.

"You... What kind of Secret Technique is that?" Zhang Zhiyuan asked weakly, staring at Song Changsheng. Even now, he assumed it was some unknown Secret Technique.

"The kind that will take your life!" Song Changsheng’s tone was frigid. He sent a jolt of Spiritual Power through his body, and the black chain coiled around his arm shattered, link by link.

"Heh... heh... I’ve been utterly defeated." A look of acceptance washed over Zhang Zhiyuan’s face. He closed his eyes, quietly waiting for death.

With a flick of his finger, Song Changsheng sent a Water Arrow through the man’s head.

Zhang Zhiyuan, the most senior disciple of his generation in the Earth Fire Sect, had fallen.

Without sparing the corpse a glance, Song Changsheng strode toward the black-robed man. The man’s condition was now extremely poor, leaving him with no strength to resist.

Watching Song Changsheng approach, the black-robed man reached up and lowered his hood, revealing a face covered in scars. "To think you could still mount a counterattack under such circumstances," he said, his tone calm. "We were fairly defeated."

"You were the one who gave that idiot the idea, weren’t you? I must say, you’ve taught me a valuable lesson today. Tell me your name; I will remember it for the rest of my life."

This black-robed man had a knack for pushing him into desperate straits at the most critical moments. Even though they were enemies, Song Changsheng couldn’t help but admire him.

"Qiu Wenwei."

Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. ’So, he’s from the Qiu Clan,’ he thought. ’No wonder his Cultivation Technique and methods seemed so incompatible with the Earth Fire Sect.’

"Safe travels."

As Song Changsheng walked past him, the black and white qi wrapped around his neck. In an instant, his head was severed from his body.

Chang Tianhua watched this unfold, his eyes wide with terror, his body trembling uncontrollably. He pointed a shaking finger at the approaching Song Changsheng and shouted, his voice a fragile mix of bluster and fear:

"You... You... Do you know what you’re doing?"

"Oh?"

"Those two... one was the most senior disciple of my sect, the other was one of the Qiu Brothers! How dare you kill them?"

"Heh. And so what?" Song Changsheng said, his voice calm. "I don’t bother those who don’t bother me. They came to kill me, so they had to be prepared for the possibility of being killed by me."

"You... Song Changsheng, stop this now! Just let me go, and I swear I won’t breathe a word of what happened today."

Hearing this, Song Changsheng stopped walking.

Chang Tianhua was inwardly overjoyed, thinking he had managed to persuade him. He quickly pressed his advantage, "If you let me go, we can let bygones be bygones. I’ll even ask my father to speak on your behalf. The whole matter with the Qiu Clan and Zhang Zhiyuan—it can all be forgotten."

His words were sincere, but his heart seethed with malice. ’Just let me get out of here,’ he thought, ’and I’ll make you wish you were dead!’

Song Changsheng looked at the once-arrogant, now-deferential Chang Tianhua, and a sudden smile broke the stoic calm of his face. The smile vanished in an instant, but it was enough to make every hair on Chang Tianhua’s body stand on end.

"Whether it was Zhang Zhiyuan or Qiu Wenwei, neither of them had any personal grudge against me. They didn’t have to die. But now, they have died by my hand. And until their final moments, neither of them begged for their lives.

But you, the mastermind behind all this, you expect to just walk away unscathed? Heh. Where in the world does such a wonderful thing happen?"

Song Changsheng’s words, thick with killing intent, sent a chill through Chang Tianhua, making him feel as if he’d been plunged into an ice cave.

Chang Tianhua blustered, trying to mask his terror, "You really dare to kill me? I’m the Young Master of the Earth Fire Sect! My father is Chang Wudao! If you kill me, he’ll never let you..."

Before he could finish, a bloody hole appeared in his forehead. The world spun before his eyes, and he collapsed onto the cold ground, lifeless.

"If I didn’t kill you, should I have just waited for you to try and kill me again?" Song Changsheng said coldly, looking down at Chang Tianhua’s wide, unseeing eyes.

After gathering everyone’s Qiankun Bags, he was about to dispose of the bodies when a faint blue necklace on Chang Tianhua’s neck caught his eye.

He reached out and removed it. The necklace was cold and heavy, radiating fluctuations of Water Spiritual Power. Song Changsheng’s brow twitched in sudden understanding. "So it’s a necklace made of [Jellyfish Refined Steel]," he murmured. "No wonder the Fire Qi I left inside his body didn’t work."

[Jellyfish Refined Steel] was an extremely rare Tier Two Water Attribute Spiritual Material, even more precious than the [Gui Water Gold Essence] he had previously acquired. It contained a trace of Cold Yin Qi, and wearing it was enough to suppress the wisp of Fire Qi he had left behind.

Chang Wudao had clearly spared no expense for his precious son, refining such a rare Tier Two Spiritual Material into a Tier One Spiritual Artifact just so it could be brought into the Secret Realm.

But now, it was all for Song Changsheng’s benefit. He had been looking for a Spiritual Material to re-refine his Treasure Gourd, and this [Jellyfish Refined Steel] was perfect for the job.

After casting a few [Fireball Technique] spells to reduce the corpses to ashes, Song Changsheng sat down cross-legged and began to treat his injuries.

He had been held up for so long that the contest for the [Stalactite Spiritual Liquid] was likely long over. There was no point in rushing there now. It was better to tend to his own wounds first...

Meanwhile, in the cave where the [Stalactite Spiritual Liquid] was found, the situation was just as Song Changsheng had guessed. The disciples from the Six Great Influences had already settled the outcome through a series of arena battles.

With several of the strongest contenders—Song Changsheng, Qiu Wenwei, and Zhang Zhiyuan—absent, the tournament was a spectacular and hard-fought battle.

From the Song Clan, Song Lutong and Song Chang’an; from the Yu Clan, Yu Xueqian; from the Wang Clan, Wang Qianqian; and from the Li Clan, Li Hengzong all shone brilliantly on the stage. It was clear that before long, their names would be known throughout Ling Province.

But the biggest dark horse among them was Song Lutong. With his fearless, reckless drive and powerful physique, he had managed to defeat all his rivals and claim the [Stalactite Spiritual Liquid].

Having obtained this prize, Song Lutong immediately went back to his cocky ways, deliberately swaggering in front of the disciples from the Earth Fire Sect and the Yu Clan. His expression was just begging for a punch.

"Hmph. It was just a lucky break. What’s he so proud of? If our Young Sect Leader and our senior disciple were here, there’d be no room for a brute like him to act so smug," a disciple from the Earth Fire Sect sneered.

"Speaking of which, where do you think they went? Did they really go to..." another asked in a low voice.

"What are you two babbling about?" The eldest disciple from the Earth Fire Sect shot them a glare, his voice sharp with displeasure.

The two of them flinched and immediately fell silent. But it was clear to anyone paying attention that the disappearances of these prominent figures were connected.

And as for what they had gone off to do, everyone knew the answer as clearly as if they were looking in a mirror...