Chapter 109: Half a Step into the Earthly Gauntlet
Li Qi stepped forward toward the two men, his sword flying naturally unsheathing and hovering in midair behind him.
A murderous aura surged forth!
With the opponent’s sword drawn, Qin Feng and Zhan Bai naturally would not wait to be slaughtered. The two stood side by side, ever vigilant of the flying sword. Since they were both disciples of Shu Sword Mountain, they had a certain understanding of each other. The cultivation of Shu Sword Mountain masters was entirely focused on their flying swords; even those at the Earth Gang level were no exception. As long as one kept a close eye on his flying sword, victory was not difficult.
Thus, the attention of both parties was wholly fixed on each other’s flying sword.
Li Qi was no ordinary man either. Though Qin Feng and Zhan Bai were at a slightly lower realm, the aura they exuded was peculiar, especially that youth named Qin Feng, who stirred a strange unease within Li Qi.
Neither side moved; only a faint breeze gently brushed past the three locked in confrontation.
At that moment, a sharp glint exploded in Li Qi’s eyes. The flying sword that had been hovering above his head vanished in an instant!
A wind sword—shadowless and trace-free!
It moved only with the wind; where the wind went, the sword fell!
The next moment, two eerie arcs of wind-edged swords slashed down directly behind Qin Feng and Zhan Bai.
Zhan Bai remained still; only Qin Feng moved.
As Qin Feng located the disappearance of the flying sword, he immediately summoned the Demon Blood Qi Coffin, placing it behind the two of them. The twin arcs of wind swords struck the coffin with metallic clashes. In the next instant, the flying sword reappeared above Li Qi’s head.
Neither Qin Feng nor Zhan Bai’s expressions changed much, but Li Qi’s heart trembled violently!
He knew exactly how fast that strike had been. Even an Earth Gang strongman, caught unprepared, could not have taken it unscathed.
This sneak attack had never failed him before!
Yet today, it faltered before an Earth Gang level youth? And most crucially, his inferior-grade mystical flying sword’s blade had been nicked twice. Flying swords possessed spirits aligned with their master’s mind, so Li Qi was immediately aware of the damage.
His shock was immense.
Qin Feng, though expressionless, secretly sweat in his heart. That strike was only barely intercepted because he had used his powerful divine sense to track the sword’s movement. Predicting it would strike behind them, he acted first. Had he been even a fraction slower, both he and Zhan Bai would have lost their heads.
There was literally nowhere to dodge—it had to be taken head-on.
Moreover, without the Demon Blood Qi Coffin, no mystical artifact could have withstood this assault. The only outcome would have been decapitation.
This was but a probing attack; Earth Gang strongmen were indeed extraordinary!
Qin Feng glanced sideways at Zhan Bai.
That brother was confident enough to be certain he could take the blow.
Zhan Bai smiled and nodded at him, clearly admiring Qin Feng’s performance.
Qin Feng was speechless.
Their calm, carefree expressions only infuriated Li Qi.
Earth Gang strongmen were proud—being disregarded by two Earth Gang level youths was a great insult. His eyes sharpened, and he clasped his hands before his chest, forming a special hand seal.
The flying sword spun rapidly in midair…
This rotation was unusual; it did not circle Li Qi’s body but twirled rapidly on its own axis, growing faster and faster.
Time seemed to freeze; all that could be heard was the sound of wind!
Suddenly, within several yards around Li Qi, the surrounding airflow began spinning swiftly in one direction.
Sand and stones whipped up, and the wind grew fierce…
A windstorm, a great gale!
As the airflow spun violently, the entire lakeside edge swirled around Li Qi’s flying sword, forming a colossal wind dragon!
The wind dragon roared!
This enormous tornado of wind, brimming with destructive power, surged wildly toward Qin Feng and Zhan Bai, shaking the earth and mountains in an instant!
What formidable momentum!
Coldly eyeing the towering wind dragon, Qin Feng and Zhan Bai wore solemn expressions. This time, Qin Feng held back, while Zhan Bai stepped forward into the battle circle.
Zhan Bai stood like a sword, fixated on the towering tornado.
His fighting spirit surged!
The Supreme Profound Eight Extremes Sword appeared, black runes flowing over Zhan Bai’s body. When a mysterious sword character emerged on his brow, his aura instantly soared to an extraordinary level—strange yet only slightly below that of an ordinary Earth Gang cultivator.
Half-step Earth Gang!
It should be noted that Zhan Bai’s true cultivation was merely the seventh rank of the Human Gang realm.
To surpass a realm in combat and reach such a height was no easy feat.
He evidently employed a special secret technique to instantly elevate his strength.
As his aura rose, a gigantic sky-piercing sword tinged with a faint blood-red hue grew larger before him.
Blood-colored qi wove through countless black runes crawling like tadpoles over the sword's blade.
One sword held the heavens, radiating overwhelming majesty!
Zhan Bai sought to confront the Earth Gang strongman head-on with sheer force.
This was the real Zhan Bai—the hero who wielded his sword to dominate the world!
Even if he had cultivated the Ghost Sword, what did it matter? As long as his heart remained unchanged, he was still Zhan Bai, the loyal brother Qin Feng dared to entrust his back to.
Ghost Sword Seven Seeks—Slash!
One stroke fell, shocking ghosts and gods!
The enormous sky-piercing sword directly met the roaring wind dragon, unleashing a tremendous explosion of energy where they clashed.
“Boom!”
The fierce gale howled, the immense shockwave violently shaking the ground. The entire surroundings dimmed under the force.
Zhan Bai spat a mouthful of blood, flying backward.
Qin Feng seized the moment, throwing a punch like a roaring tiger unleashed from its cage. Three thousand dragons’ power surged forth, enhanced by hardening and strength-multiplying divine arts, smashing toward the unstable Li Qi in the fray.
Body cultivators excelled in close-quarters combat—Qin Feng would not miss such an opportunity!
Li Qi was in a bad state. After a fierce clash with Zhan Bai, though slightly ahead, Zhan Bai’s flying sword was of such high quality that it fully unleashed his Ghost Sword technique. Li Qi sustained some recoil damage, blood surging wildly. Before he could steady himself, a shadow darted through the dust, a massive fist looming before him.
Li Qi was shocked. Sword cultivators’ power resided solely in their flying swords. To be caught so close was taboo!
Yet upon seeing it was Qin Feng, he secretly relaxed.
Qin Feng’s cultivation only reached the third rank of the Human Gang, far weaker than Zhan Bai, let alone himself at Earth Gang level.
Thus, Li Qi merely activated his mystical shield to defend.
In his view, Qin Feng’s strength was insufficient to break through his shield at such close range, and once recovered, a single sword strike would kill him.
Unfortunately, Li Qi underestimated Qin Feng!
The Tyrannosaurus Arm, Mighty Dragon Divine Strength!
Before touching the mystical shield, Qin Feng’s right arm grotesquely swelled, muscles bulging, veins protruding, thickening considerably.
The terrifying force behind his fist produced a sharp, explosive roar as it tore through the air.
Li Qi’s expression changed!
But it was too late.
The punch struck his mystical shield, denting it deeply. Though it did not shatter immediately, it was on the verge of collapse, liable to break at any moment.
He did not expect the Earth Gang mystical shield to be so resilient!
Qin Feng sighed lightly, maintaining the force on his fist. Flames suddenly burst forth where his fist met the shield. The flames were the final straw crushing the shield, which shattered with a sharp pop.
This fleeting moment bought Li Qi a little time.
He retreated swiftly.
After all, as an Earth Gang strongman, his agility and reflexes were far superior to those of a Human Gang cultivator. Otherwise, Qin Feng’s previous punch alone would have left him half-dead.
Failing with one punch, Qin Feng did not give up.
As Li Qi pulled back to create distance, Qin Feng threw out the Demon Blood Qi Coffin ahead. The coffin’s lid opened by itself, releasing a dark, evil aura that enveloped Li Qi, attempting to forcibly draw him inside.
Li Qi was aghast!
This mysterious coffin was no ordinary object; its malevolent aura terrified him. Being sucked inside meant certain death.
He fought desperately, expelling the black energy engulfing him.
This was due to Qin Feng’s insufficient cultivation; when facing a much higher-level enemy, he could not fully unleash the coffin’s formidable power.
Nonetheless, it still restrained Li Qi.
Qin Feng surged forward again, swinging his right arm to strike Li Qi once more.
This time, Li Qi truly feared for his life!
Damn it, utterly monstrous!
Qin Feng was now a humanoid Tyrannosaurus; a punch like that would leave anyone dead or maimed.
Li Qi was no ordinary man.
In a critical moment, he forced the restraining black energy into his left arm, controlling his flying sword with his will. A blade of wind sliced past, severing his left arm at the root.
Losing his left arm, Li Qi vanished in a flash, simultaneously controlling his flying sword to slash at Qin Feng.
The Demon Blood Qi Coffin absorbed Li Qi’s severed left arm, closing its lid and vanishing into thin air.
Qin Feng locked his divine sense on Li Qi’s flying sword but did not dodge. Instead, he halted his advance and reached out barehanded to grasp the sword.
Qin Feng was no fool.
He did this because he trusted Zhan Bai.
Sure enough, just as Li Qi fully focused on controlling the flying sword to strike Qin Feng, a sword shadow, ghostlike, suddenly appeared at Li Qi’s brow, piercing through him…