Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty) - Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 842
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Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 842

AST 1107 – You Want To Be A Rider…… Primordial Flame Explosion

Qing Shui stopped. When the Nine Continents Mountain exploded on the 'Golden Ni Lion', more than half of the people were instantly killed in the explosion without leaving even a trace behind. There were actually more than a few hundred Martial Emperors among them……

The remaining ones here included those who had performed the Spirit Transmission earlier. Each and every one of them seemed mentally exhausted at this very moment. Their faces were ashen. They had lost. Losing meant that their lives were no longer in their own control. Their life or death was now completely at the whim of others.

Only about 300 people were left among more than 500 people. The explosion of Qing Shui's Nine Continents Mountain on the Golden Ni Lion had eliminated about 200 cultivators and all of them were of Martial Emperor grade. On top of that, they were the more powerful ones among these 500 people.

Qing Shui put away the Nine Continents Mountain before walking slowly over to the old men across from him. Only three of them remained. Although the leading old man, who was dressed in the silver robe embroidered with a golden lion, seemed mentally exhausted, he was still alive.

"Old man, I'm sorry that you all have been defeated!" Qing Shui wasn't smiling and wasn't smug either. He looked as if he had done something very normal. It was as if he had already expected this kind of outcome.

In fact, this outcome was really within Qing Shui's expectation. However, this was nothing worth him being smug about.

The old man rose slowly. He seemed exhausted but had a very calm expression on his face. He was even wearing a faint smile on his face. "I have said this before. I have no regrets even if only these old bones of mine are left here today. It's been so many years. A young man like you that is as brilliant as a firework is very rarely seen, even in the other four continents. There's nothing to be regretful about being your stepping stone."

"Old man, I admire your spirit. I believe that you are sincere. Do you have anything you want to say? As long as it's nothing too crazy, I can agree to it," Qing Shui told the old man indifferently.

At first, Qing Shui was thinking of exterminating them. But after reconsidering about it, it didn't seem to be the best option. The Beitang Clan was going to be destroyed anyway. By then, the master of the Lion King's Ridge would be replaced and everything was going to change.

"Young man, do you think I can not be crazy with my request at a moment like this? But since you have offered, I will say what I want to say. Otherwise, I will miss my chance to do so since I'll be dead later." The old man smiled bitterly.

"Please go on."

"The Lion King's Ridge has a very powerful background. Of course, you are very powerful too. However, if you have used your full strength today, then you won't be able to shake the Lion King's Ridge up. Other than that, I wish that you will let them go. Their cultivation hasn't been easy and they have a very long time to live ahead of them. If you can let them go, I will let them part with the Lion King's Ridge and leave here or follow you." The old man spoke very slowly. His eyebrows were knitted tightly together.

The rest were silent. Each and every one of them had a very grim look on their face!

"The three of us will end our own lives here, for the sake of paving your path ahead!" The old man looked at Qing Shui and spoke once again.

"Old man, can you answer me one question?" Qing Shui pondered for a moment before asking.

"What is it? At this point of time, I will tell you everything as long as I know, regardless of whether it should be spoken of or not."

"How is the Beitang Clan?" Qing Shui looked at the old man, without blinking.

"The Beitang Clan used to be a very powerful and very accomplished clan. However, they haven't actually been better over these few years. They are declining every generation. Even so, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Besides, they still have some old men to rely on for protection," the old man answered slowly.

"I understand. I can only say that the Beitang Clan needs to be exterminated. I can spare the rest and all of you old men don't have to die either. I will not make things difficult for you. After I have exterminated the Beitang Clan, you all may vote among yourselves again. You get what I mean, right?" Qing Shui said slowly to the old man.

"Understood. This old man, Du Yannian and every one of our 300 remaining men would like to express our grat.i.tude to you, sir," the old man said earnestly.

Qing Shui smiled. Old man of their age were most concerned with some of their future generations. They had a reputation of their own. Judging from this old man strength alone, his clan members were definitely no commoners in the Northern Sacred Country. This old man was making his position known to him.

"Old Man Haotong…"

"All you need to do is to rest and recuperate. Besides, I'm guessing that news of you all not stopping me will travel to those people's ears very soon. Help me find a person who is suitable to take over the Lion King's Ridge. It's best if that person is one of your people," Qing Shui explained

The three old men' expressions changed but they still gave him a nod!

At the wave of his hand, Qing Shui summoned the Golden Scaled Dragon Elephant. He nodded at the few old men before he helped the few ladies up the Golden Scaled Dragon Elephant and flew in the northern direction. This battle had allowed Qing Shui to get to know quite a number of existences. The five continents definitely had terrifying existences among them.

Other than that, the beasts that those people had tamed earlier were ineffective against cultivators like himself. After all, not even Yiye Jiange's Seven-headed Crystal Beast was effective against him, let alone their demonic beasts which were far more inferior to the Seven-headed Crystal Beast.

Although they were greater in number, most of their demonic beasts were simply not enough to kill Qing Shui in a flash. Only the few old men had more powerful tamed demonic beasts but there was still a great disparity between their strength and Qing Shui's strength. The things that truly made the Lion King's Ridge powerful were their formations and battle techniques. Of course, their tamed beasts also contributed to this but only as part of the overall strength. When it comes to dealing with peak or extremely powerful cultivators, those tamed beasts were nothing but mere decorations. However, the Lion King's Ridge definitely had formidable tamed beasts, such as the Golden Ni Lion, which also worried Qing Shui.

"Qing Shui, can you not kill so many people next time? Our main target is only the Beitang Clan from back then." Yiye Jiange told Qing Shui who was beside her when they were riding on the Golden Scaled Dragon Elephant.

"Alright, I shall listen to you. Didn't you see how many people I've spared today?" Qing Shui laughed.

"I was so worried!" Yiye Jiange gave Qing Shui a serious look.

She stared at Qing Shui with her eyes that were as gorgeous as the universe, as if trying to read his mind or the feelings in his heart.

Qing Shui reached out and pinched her straight and jade-like nose. It was as fair as a white jade and as beautiful as a piece of art. He almost felt like planting a kiss on it. "Alright, I know what you are worried about. Rest a.s.sured, everything will go well. When that time comes, you will have to do what you have promised me," he laughed.

"What have I promised you……?" Yiye Jiange was slightly perplexed.

"On the night of our wedding, you promised me that you'll take the initiative and strip yourself for me. You said that you want to be on top of me and be the rider……"

Qing Shui chuckled softly beside Yiye Jiange's ear.

"Pervert. You b.a.s.t.a.r.d…… "

Yiye Jiange pushed Qing Shui away and instantly fled with a flaming red face.

Di Qing and the few ladies smiled while walking towards Yiye Jiange, as if asking her something. They also threw some strange glances at Qing Shui from time to time, making him feel a little uncomfortable.

They flew continuously over half a country. This was the most silent period Qing Shui had ever experienced. The defeat of those 500 Martial Emperors must had caused many of them to refrain from striking out at Qing Shui. There were no signs of any of them.

In the skies above the Northern Sacred Country's northern city gate!

There were already about fifty old men standing there. All these old men were dressed in silver colored robes, with the same image of a golden lion embroidered on them. It seemed like Du Yannian was considered the most powerful being among the Lion King's Ridge.

The fifty old men stood in the midair as they watched the party that had come riding on the Golden Scaled Dragon Elephant with great interest. They simply couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that the party who had defeated the Lion King's Ridge was this band of young people.

"Old sirs, you all must have waited for a long while here. It is really an honor for me." Qing Shui cupped his hand in respectful greeting while he soared into the sky from the back of Golden Scaled Elephant and stood in the midair, across the fifty old men with some distance between them.

"It's no bother. It's shocking to know that Du Yannian and the rest didn't manage to stop you all."

A refined and polite old man stepped forward from the crowd of old men. He had a medium-build and was quite lean. The robe he was dressed in brought out an air of n.o.bility and Integrity around him.

"How may I address you, old man?" Qing Shui asked with a smile.

"Name is only but a form of address. Everyone calls me Beitang Demon," the old man chuckled.

"So you are from the Beitang Clan." Qing Shui's tone of voice changed slightly.

"Haha, that's right. At least half of the people here are from the Beitang Clan. Why? Are you afraid?" Beitang Moren never once broke his gaze on Qing Shui.

"That would mean that all of you were also involved in the incident with the Yiye Clan from back then?" Qing Shui asked calmly.

"Why bother asking these questions? Do you think that a reconciliation is still possible between all of you, the Beitang Clan and the Lion King's Ridge? Young Master Beitang was probably killed by all of you in the Ancient Ruins, right?" Beitang Demon had a faint smile on his face while saying all this.

Qing Shui didn't expect this refined old man, who even had the air of n.o.bility and unquestionable integrity around him, could turn into a demon in the blink of an eye. The smile on his face had practically destroyed all his earlier impressions on Qing Shui.

He now understood why everyone called him the Beitang Demon!

"That's right. It's been too long, it's about time for things come to an end."

Qing Shui waved his hand as soon as he finished speaking. The Nine Continents Mountain became bigger and appeared above him. He then used the Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation and raised the Qi Force in his entire body to its peak.

GO!

The Nine Continents Mountain charged towards the people across them in lightning speed as soon as Qing Shui's Sword of Sixth Wave landed on it!

Lion King's Spirit!

The fifty old men across from them immediately lifted their arms. A wave of dark red Qi Force directly collided head on with the Nine Continents Mountain, knocking it back.

Qing Shui smiled. He knew that he had no chance of winning if he solely relied on the Nine Continents Mountain!

Roc’s Might!

Tens of Descending Heavens Talismans were sent out at the wave of his hand!

Fiery Golden Eyes!

Although the Fiery Golden Eyes lacked in control, his spirit energy was formidable now so he was treating this as an opportunity to practice it. The Descending Heavens Talismans could somewhat weaken them, but the other talismans were pretty much useless on these kind of strengths.

Emperor's Qi!

After weakening them with the Emperor's Qi, Qing Shui disregarded the look of shock on their faces and launched the Nine Continents Mountain once again, followed by a powerful stomp of his foot.

Mighty Elephant Stomp!

Although the Mighty Elephant Stomp was not as effective in damage now, it still had another powerful effect. There was a certain probability in stunning the target.

Petal Rain Under the Skies!

The Coldsteel Bead in Qing Shui's hand was launched out. All this happened within a split moment. Qing Shui's figure flashed!

Nine Palace Steps Great Reversal.

Primordial Flames Explosion!

A gigantic gray colored fireball charged into the crowd across from them, with an enormous wave of destructive aura. It then exploded when it charged out from within the scattered crowd.

Boom!

Although the Primordial Flame Explosion was powerful, it required some time. Qing Shui had used this to destroy his opponents' plan in setting up a formation.

Nine Palace Steps!

Energetic Primordial Flame Dragons were unleashed from both of his hands!

Demon Binding Ropes!

Primordial Flame Whip!

Bam!

In the mere s.p.a.ce of two breaths, more than half of the fifty people were dead. When Qing Shui found out that most of the people here were from the Beitang Clan, he decided to ma.s.sacre them all at lightning speed. It was so fast that they didn't even have the chance to get into any formations.

Most would only be instantly killed by Qing Shui's mighty spirit energy's attack, not to mention that the strength of his opponents had also been weakened by quite a lot.

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AST 1108 – Full Out Ma.s.sacre, The Rage of Beitang Yingji

The remaining ones gathered together quickly and released their own demonic beasts in the next moment. About 20 of them released close to a hundred demonic beasts of various sizes and colors.

Qing Shui flicked his hand and called out his demonic beasts as well. If these people wished for a playground, he wouldn’t mind giving them something worthwhile to play with.

The Six-Headed Demonic Spider, Thunderous Beast, Fire Bird and the rest appeared in an instant to greet the incoming demonic beasts. Qing Shui turned to the ladies and Little Fatty before relaying his instructions to them: "I will leave these demonic beasts to you all. Leave the humans to me. Be careful when you face them. Luan Luan, call out your demonic beasts and harness the bond between yourself and your beasts."

He hadn’t expected that the opponents would call out such a huge number of demonic beasts to aid them. Each old man should possess four to five demonic beasts at most – a number that would scarcely deemed as 'too much'. These demonic beasts would not possess power as high as ten thousand stars. Of course, there would be demonic beasts that exceeded that number – albeit only slightly. At the end of the day, the laws of heaven and earth would play a vital role and limit the powers of the stronger ones.

"Alright!"

Luan Luan said contentedly and proceeded to summon all of her demonic beasts on the scene. Of course, those that were considered weak were not summoned. Yiye Jiange and the other ladies summoned their respective demonic beasts as well, before forming a formation together.

Qing Shui had thoughts about giving them intense training as he was en route to the battlefield. He wanted to make a demonstration earlier but decided that the ladies' powers were a little bit weak to go against the likes of the Lion King's Ridge. Because of that, he kept waiting for the right moment because he knew that a sect like the Lion King's Ridge was known for taming demonic beasts and that they would certainly call upon the a.s.sistance of their demonic beasts to create a formation. Should that moment come, he would allow the ladies to make their moves as a way to test their strength in a real battle.

Qing Shui did not take out the Soulshake Bell because his opponents weren't worth his effort to use the invaluable artifact. He was confident that he would finish the deed soon enough if his opponents consisted of only a hundred or more demonic beasts.

With the unleas.h.i.+ng of the Nine Continents Mountain, a loud sound was heard. In an instant, a number of demonic beasts that were coming his way were split in two and died in the process. Qing Shui left his Six-Headed Demonic Spider and Thunderous Beast to aid the ladies with their formation after he had dealt with the opponents charging toward him.

Qing Shui didn't plan on restraining his strength against these people, which was why he was fast and efficient as he went on a killing spree. His spiritual sense had also become increasingly powerful as he was able to sense the impressive spiritual power of his opponents surrounding him from afar. He knew they were the capable ones who were tasked to guard the Ancient Great Formation or at least those from the hidden sects and forces.

And because of that reason, Qing Shui took some caution so that he would not expose his most powerful ability to his opponents. He wanted to attempt to put a slow death unto the Lion King's Ridge without utilizing all of his power and that would include the Beitang Clan as well.

Beitang Clan was the most influential and powerful existence in the Lion King's Ridge. Incidentally, the clan head was also the lord of the Lion King's Ridge. Qing Shui had already set his current goal to kill every last member of the Beitang Clan. But because the head clan of Beitang Clan was affiliated with the Lion King's Ridge, he had no choice but to face opposition from the Lion King's Ridge as well.

Qing Shui was well aware that the Lion King's Ridge was an enormous sect. Even though the Beitang Clan was considered the voice of law, the second – and third – powerful forces were definitely in their grasp as well. Du Yannian was still in control of every movement the Beitang Clan made, essentially controlling their resources and forcing them to depend on him to the point that they were his slaves. This sort of situation sounded bleak yet was considered extremely dangerous to most people as Beitang Clan had the support of a higher power behind their backs.

Lion King's Roar!

Qing Shui used the technique he had gotten from the Lion King's Ridge at a terrifying level, through the use of his immensely powerful spiritual energy. The sound waves emitted by the technique were quite substantial and continued to push down against his opponents.

Primordial Flame Whips, Dragon Transcends the Sky!

Qing Shui casually flicked his right hand and conjured a grey colored flame python the thickness of an adult's thigh that went straight toward the group of old men in front of him.

And the leader of this group was none other than Beitang Demon!

He was still alive after his position was switched by Qing Shui earlier!

However, this time, Qing Shui would soon end his life. The Primordial Flame Dragon brought an immense pressure toward his opponents as it let out a resounding roar under the provision of his powerful spiritual energy. Beitang Demon looked on with fear as the fiery dragon approached fast, while the others remained still as if they had forgotten how to move as they watched Beitang Demon be devoured by the flaming dragon…

These old men weren't weak, per se but it was Qing Shui's berserk power that caused them to lose their will to resist against him. If they were to continue using their formation to resist, they might be able to defend themselves for a bit longer. However, the disparity of their power was too great – it was as if a bunch of little children were trying to go against a burly adult…

Total Annihilation!

The humongous Primordial Flame Dragon swooped down toward the opposition force, blasting a path in an explosive manner. The damaging spiritual power of 100,000 stars was considered overkill for these men. Moreover, this was the first time that Qing Shui did not use the Buddha's Eye Formation to maximize the potential of his spiritual power. In fact, he was able to unleash the spiritual power of more than 130,000 stars in the absence of such formation……

All the while the Primordial Flame Dragon was maneuvering explosively, the Nine Continents Mountain continued to strike down on his foes. Qing Shui's spiritual energy consumption left about half or more capacity

The ladies had also struck down a lot of enemies in a violent fas.h.i.+on quite comparable to Qing Shui's. Even though they had managed to incapacitate the countless demonic beasts charging toward them, they weren’t as calm as they could be when the fight first started. Fortunately, they were able to stabilize their composure once they had warmed up from their initial kills.

None of their foes were left alive, not even the majority, whose members hailed from the Beitang Clan. Currently, Qing Shui stood at one side and observed the ladies warding off their opponents one by one.

The Seven-Headed Crystal Beast was the strongest amongst the allied beasts. Not only did the beast gain a considerable amount of spiritual power after its seventh head emerged, it had also enhanced its physical defense to a terrifying level. Because of that, only the Seven-Headed Crystal Beast was capable of performing swift kills toward the opponents.

Most of the ladies were wielding their Violet Jade Swords, with Little Fatty wielding his cudgel to defend himself. Lin Zhanhan was essentially surrounded in the middle by his allies without contributing to the fight. His powers were not enough to ward off the opposition forces. His demonic beast, the Shadow Demonic Panther, was excluded from the fight too. It was tasked to protect its master by staying close to him instead.

Qing Shui watched on as Luan Luan's nimble figure shuffled from one demonic beast to another continuously while letting out weird noises. There were only a handful of her demonic beasts left on the field. She and her companion demonic beasts were essentially the power backbone as they continued to face dozens of enemies in front of them.

Yiye Jiange and the Seven-Headed Crystal Beast were circling around the field, a.s.sisting those who needed their help…

Qing Shui smiled as he watched them killing the enemies' demonic beasts in succession through teamwork. The ladies should experience this type of battle more often as their ability to grasp their talents was impeccable. Besides, they were already powerful in their own fields, thus they were able to control the situation without a hitch.

The only problem lay within their lack of training. They might encounter some opportunity to do so in the future, but he realized that they had to be extra careful. People only have one life, after all. Qing Shui wouldn't be able to cope with the truth should anything dreadful happened to them.

It was until the moment that Wenren Wushuang cut down the last demonic beast that they realized Qing Shui was watching them. They flashed their smiles at him, relis.h.i.+ng in happiness that they were able to share the battlefield with him.

Qing Shui turned to the surroundings and observed quietly. He was shocked for a moment when he sensed a strong aura coming from one side, so he continued to observe before turning toward the other direction to sense any more danger.

"Let's go and rest. Tomorrow we will go to the Lion King's Ridge!" Qing Shui didn't plan to leave here so soon. He wanted to stay for at least another day.

"Alright!"

He led the ladies as they called back their demonic beasts toward the slope. The corpses of his opponents will be taken care of by their subordinates eventually. Some of them were already left as ashes on the ground. Even their Interspatial Silk Sachets were destroyed for the most part.

The sachets that were still unharmed were looted away by Qing Shui and the ladies. They settled down in an inn not far from the brutal battlefield. The inn would not dare to turn them away even if the owner was affiliated with the Lion King's Ridge.

……

Lion King Mountain, Lion King's Ridge!

Beitang Clan!

"Big brother, Demon and the others have been killed!" Amongst the audience in a large living room, an old man exclaimed as he faced the elder one in the middle of the room.

The elder one in the middle had a burly physique, yet not as exaggeratedly tall as most burly men were. Despite this, he would always give an impression as a towering man. That seemed to be an appropriate description for him as he was also the current head of the Beitang Clan, as well as the current lord of the Lion King's Ridge – Beitang Yingji!

He didn't seem particularly old as his hair was mixed between white and black. He had a stern face and eyes as deadly as a vulture. Those eyes were overbearing and gloomy, which made many unable to tell what he was really thinking in his head.

His robes were silver, yet different from the silver that many had donned on their clothing. This silver was deeper in color but brighter. The golden lion embroidered on his robes was even more dazzling and flashy.

"His next target is the Lion King's Ridge. If they manage to storm into the Lion King's Ridge, then our Beitang Clan will lose all dignity to control everything." Beitang Yingji said in a calm yet powerful tone.

"Where did Yiye Clan find someone as powerful and as young as this guy? I feel like this matter is getting more difficult by the minute. We can't allow the Yi Clan to take us as fools. They will always be in the second place, not the first." Another old man walked up to them and spoke with anger. No one could tell if he was angry at Qing Shui or the Yi Clan.

"If I'm correct, there will be fewer allies standing beside the Beitang Clan at this moment, especially for this matter. If the Beitang Clan is unable to solve this matter conclusively, then the end result will be severe. Even if there are members from the Supreme Elder Group who support Beitang Clan, there will be others who will side with Yi Clan or the other clans. In other words, we must eliminate this young man quickly. Only then will we be able to breathe easier." Beitang Yingji lifted his head and spoke at the old men below him before surveying the others in the room.

"Big brother, we still don't know what terrifying treasure this kid could possibly have based on the reports. We didn't think of him as a threat before. So now what? The young master and his men are now dead because of him."

"Don't mention that fool ever again. If he wasn't that soft-hearted back then, that brat wouldn't be able to run away and we wouldn't need to face such an ordeal at this time. This is the severe result of not pulling the roots of those we weeded. He will definitely annihilate our Beitang Clan and no one will be spared. Of course, he will destroy the Lion King's Ridge too," Beitang Yingji growled furiously.

"My lord, that kid has no idea of the complexity of the situation. Our Beitang Clan is capable of destroying anyone regardless of who they are. I will kill him now," said a scrawny old man with a flattering smile.

"Beitang Guang, since you've volunteered yourself, then you shall have my order to destroy that kid. If you can't bring back his head, then prepare to bring your own head to me. Now scram!" Beitang Yingji yelled after listening to Beitang Ying's babbling.

Beitang Guang left the living room with a pale face. When he initially announced that he would kill Qing Shui, he wasn't really serious. He had been showing his loyalty by showering flatteries to Beitang Yingji but it seemed that he had gone too far with his flattery today.

The Yin Clan!

"Head clan, this is the best chance we've got. I wonder, how far that kid can torment the Beitang Clan?" A refined old man stood at the edge of a pond as he spoke to a lesser old man right next to him.

"Mengyuan, what do you think? Is Qing Shui a genius or a fool?" The lesser old man turned to look at the refined old man beside him with a strained tone. Despite being younger than the refined old man, he was still finely aged, albeit slightly younger in appearance than his old companion.

"For a man at such a young age to reach this kind of standard, I would naturally say he's a genius. He's a prodigy, even," the lesser old man chuckled.

"There we have it. Beitang Clan has brought malice upon themselves. We don't need to do anything else. Only when the time is right, will we show ourselves and take control of everything into our hands."

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