The Throat Crushing Grasp had accompanied Bai Xiaochun from Qi Condensation into Foundation Establishment. He had used it in the Luochen Mountains and the Fallen Sword World, and had perfected it to the finest degree. Although it was a divine ability that came with the first volume of the Undying Codex, as he had proceeded with his cultivation of the Undying Heavenly King, it had become more and more explosive.
It had taken some effort on his part to hold back from using it. Back in the Blood Wasteland, there had been too many people watching him, so even during critical moments, he had suppressed the urge to use it, or other things like Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning or his Human Controlling Grand Magic.
After all, everyone knew that the Spirit Stream Sect focused on control magic, and if he used techniques or divine abilities based on such powers, his identity would likely have been exposed. It was the same with his Heavenspan Dharma Eye, which had, up to this point, remained closed.
There were even other things…. His turtle-wok and his wooden sword, as well as his other treasures which had received threefold spirit enhancements, had all remained hidden. But now… Bai Xiaochun was out of patience.
As he shouted out, the Throat Crushing Grasp appeared, and a truly bloodthirsty aura erupted out of Bai Xiaochun. In combination with the power of the Heavenly Demon Body, the Throat Crushing Grasp was at the level of being able to shake heaven and earth.
Rumbling sounds erupted as his right hand appeared in front of Xiao Qing, allowing the man’s two-fingered blood sword to close in. The gravitational force which suddenly appeared caused Xiao Qing’s face to fall.
He was convinced he must be mistaken, but for some reason, it seemed like Nightcrypt had suddenly changed into someone else.
Nightcrypt’s claw-like right hand emanated a terrifying aura that filled his heart with fear. Gasping at the sensation of deadly crisis, he lurched back, changing the direction of his blood sword to slash at Bai Xiaochun’s hand. His body twisted in bizarre fashion to avoid the attack.
In that instant, the blood sword formed by his two fingers made contact with Bai Xiaochun’s Throat Crushing Grasp. A sound rang out like metal scraping on metal, and Bai Xiaochun’s hand clamped down hard onto Xiao Qing’s fingers.
CRACK!
A shockwave spread out, and Xiao Qing let out a muffled grunt. As he spun backward, his entire right arm trembled. As for his two fingers, they were crushed into nonexistence!
Face flickering, Xiao Qing barked, ““Something’s off with Nightcrypt! Yang Hongwu, Zhang Yunshan, join forces and kill him!”
Instantly, Yang Hongwu and Zhang Yunshan took deep breaths, gritted their teeth, and attacked. Smoke swirled off of the burning incense, forming a blade! A treasured fan swished, creating an explosive wind that resembled a dragon!
Bai Xiaochun didn’t slow down for even a moment. Howling like a wild beast, he charged onward after Xiao Qing, his right hand clenching into a fist. As he punched out, the heavenly demon appeared, and thunderous rumbling filled the air.
As that happened, Bai Xiaochun’s left hand flickered with an incantation gesture, and he waved his finger at Yang Hongwu. Instantly, more than a dozen flying swords shot out of his bag of holding. Although they were garishly painted with different colors, it was still possible to see that each one had three silver designs on its surface.
All of them were treasures that Bai Xiaochun had performed spirit enhancements on, backed by the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivation base, and controlled by the Violet Qi Heavenspan Incantation. As soon as they appeared, Yang Hongwu’s expression flickered.
Even as rumbling sounds echoed out, Bai Xiaochun continued on without pause, turning his head in the other direction and uttering a single word!
“Cauldron!”
A violet cauldron suddenly appeared in front of Zhang Yunshan. It was covered with engravings of magical symbols, and emanated a violet glow and a majestic aura that seemed capable of shaking the heavens!
RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!
Booms rang out as Bai Xiaochun single-handedly fought all three opponents. Even as Xiao Qing’s face fell, Yang Hongwu’s smoke was pierced by the flying swords, and he himself let out a bloodcurdling scream as he flew backward, blood splashing out from numerous wounds.
Shockingly, even as he fell back, Bai Xiaochun advanced. Clearly, Yang Hongwu was the first person he planned to kill. Protomagnetic Wings sprouted out behind him, and with a single flutter, he flew forward with speed that vastly exceeded anything from before. It was almost like a teleportation, placing him right in front of Yang Hongwu. Then, his hand shot out as fast as lightning as he unleashed the Throat Crushing Grasp onto Yang Hongwu’s neck.
Screaming, Yang Hongwu went all out in an attempt to defend himself. However, he had lost the initiative. First was the flurry of flying swords, and then the burst of speed, and finally the Throat Crushing Grasp. His mind was in chaos, and despite all the experience he had engaging in magical combat, he simply couldn’t recover from his shock.
A cracking sound rang out as the thumb and index finger of Bai Xiaochun’s right hand smashed down onto Yang Hongwu’s neck, crushing it!
Yang Hongwu’s scream was cut short, and a look of complete incredulity could be seen in his eyes as they bulged in death.
Off to the side, Zhang Yunshan shrieked, “Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning. You’re… you’re not Nightcrypt!!”
Expression one of complete disbelief, he watched as Bai Xiaochun grabbed Yang Hongwu’s incense and then turned to face him.
Xiao Qing’s expression flickered, and his cultivation base surged as he prepared to block Bai Xiaochun. However, it was then that a large wok suddenly appeared in front of him. No matter what attacks Xiao Qing unleashed, the wok wouldn’t budge, and he was blocked before he could even take a half step.
That short period of time was a moment of critical danger for Zhang Yunshan. Now that Bai Xiaochun had revealed himself, how could he possibly leave witnesses? He took another step, and the Protomagnetic Wings fluttered, giving him another burst of speed. He added to the momentum with the Mountain Shaking Bash, which also caused his fleshly body power to skyrocket past its previous levels.
Not only was he moving at incredible speed, he was drawing upon unimaginable power. If that were all there were to it, it might not be a big deal, but in addition to all that… he yet again used the Throat Crushing Grasp!
Two divine abilities from the Undying Codex were being used in unison, unleashing power so terrifying it was difficult to put into words. As he pierced through the air, his thumb and index finger began to slam together. Zhang Yunshan had no time to dodge, or even react. One second, Bai Xiaochun was some distance away, the next second he was right in front of him, his fingers clamping down onto his neck.
There wasn’t even a need for Bai Xiaochun to crush his fingers down violently. As soon as they touched Zhang Yunshan’s neck, his momentum and the power backing him sent Zhang Yunshan flying backward into the wall of the Ancient Blood Path.
BOOOOOOOOOMMM!
The entire path trembled as Bai Xiaochun’s hand crushed Zhang Yunshan’s neck and slammed him into the wall, sending cracks snaking out in all directions. As for Zhang Yunshan, his corpse was now crushed permanently into the wall!
At this point, Xiao Qing finally showed up, his hair disheveled, his eyes radiating madness.
“You’re Bai Xiaochun, aren’t you?!”
If by this point he couldn’t identify Bai Xiaochun by the techniques he was using, then he didn’t deserve to have lived this long. The Blood Stream Sect had long since performed a thorough investigation into Bai Xiaochun, and virtually all of the Foundation Establishment cultivators had heard stories about him.
Everyone knew about Bai Xiaochun’s signature magical techniques…. Of course… even if Xiao Qing couldn’t put the pieces together because of the Throat Crushing Grasp, Bai Xiaochun had used the Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning together with it! That made it more than obvious!
“Killing you will count as a big service for the sect!!” Xiao Qing now knew that Nightcrypt was Bai Xiaochun, but without evidence, simply reporting the matter would be pointless. Even if he tried to notify Xuemei and Song Junwan, it wouldn’t do any good. It was a moment of deadly crisis, and therefore, Xiao Qing didn’t hesitate to begin to crystallize his final spiritual sea. Shockingly, he was… attempting to reach Core Formation right here and now! If he succeeded, then he could kill Bai Xiaochun as easily as flipping over his hand.
Although there were certain risks involved, there was no time for delay. Bai Xiaochun filled him with a sense of complete and utter deadly crisis. After all, if Bai Xiaochun hit him with the same attack he had just used on Zhang Yunshan, then his chances of coming out alive were only about forty percent!
However, in the very moment that his spiritual sea began to crystallize, Bai Xiaochun’s Heaven-Dao aura erupted out, an aura which could suppress any and all types of Earthstring Foundation Establishment. Although Bai Xiaochun was only in mid Foundation Establishment, and couldn’t completely prevent Xiao Qing’s spiritual sea from crystallizing, he could cause waves to spring up in his spiritual sea, and reduce his Core Formation energy by thirty percent!
Even as he put pressure on Xiao Qing’s rising energy, a third eye opened on Bai Xiaochun’s forehead. It was none other than his Heavenspan Dharma Eye.
The violet eye opened, releasing indescribable power. It was as if… everything from the most majestic heavens to the deepest hells were nothing more than insects!
At the same time, the control power that Bai Xiaochun had been working on for years surged out from within his Heavenspan Dharma Eye, creating… something that couldn’t be defended against!
Even if Xiao Qing suddenly wanted to resort to calling out to Song Junwan and Xuemei, to tell them about Bai Xiaochun, the Heavenspan Dharma Eye dashed all such hopes to pieces!
RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!
Xiao Qing felt as though lightning were striking his mind. He began to shake visibly, his expression twisting, his tongue lagging out of his mouth. A muffled howl erupted from his mouth, and blue veins bulged out on his face and neck. Shockingly, he watched as his right hand suddenly began to move, completely beyond his own control. Terror shone in his eyes as his hand reached high up into the air and then rocketed down toward the top of his head!
“No…!”
Smash!
His palm crushed his head, sending blood and brain matter showering out in all directions. Xiao Qing died instantly, and his partially crystallized spiritual sea immediately collapsed.
A tremor ran through Bai Xiaochun, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Blood leaked out of his third eye, which began to close. A wave of exhaustion spread through him, and he even began to feel dizzy. Panting, he pulled his hand out of the wall, and out of Zhang Yunshan’s corpse.
A blank look could still be seen in Zhang Yunshan’s eyes as his head separated from his body and toppled to the ground!
Bai Xiaochun had used only a few dozen breaths of time to kill all three of his opponents.
However, it had taken a lot out of him. His face was ashen, but thankfully, he had spirit medicine that he could use to recover. He immediately consumed some pills, and yet, there was no time to sit down and meditate. Retrieving the turtle-wok, and taking the three bags of holding from the corpses of his enemies, he turned to look toward the end of the path. The wings on his back fluttered, and shot forward, leaving behind nothing but afterimages and sonic booms.