Chapter 23: Ling Qingshu Breaks Through
Xu Yang continued to smile as he said, "Because you'll all be dead soon."
Hearing this, the five Golden Core-stage cultivators were immediately furious.
"You damn Qi Condensation-stage cultivator, speaking with such arrogance! If you want to die, just say so!"
"After I deal with this beast, I'll make sure to kill you," one of them said, casting a lecherous glance at Ling Qingshu and Yu Sanniang behind Xu Yang. His eyes gleamed with lust.
"Heh, these two women are quite the catch. Looks like we're in for some fun, brothers."
The five Golden Core cultivators grinned more and more lasciviously.
Swish. Ling Qingshu drew her sword, her face dark with rage as she gritted her teeth and said, "Disgusting scoundrels, watch me kill you!"
Xu Yang shook his head and stopped her.
"Forget it. Don't waste your energy. They won't live much longer."
Xu Yang found it amusing. Everyone assumed he was a mere Qi Condensation-stage cultivator, which he was—except he was at the 9,999th layer of Qi Condensation.
"I advise you to try to escape while you can. If you stay here, you'll die a horrible death."
Xu Yang noticed that the Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard's blue eyes had slowly turned blood-red.
The Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard was already itching to attack. These Golden Core-stage cultivators wouldn't survive for more than a minute.
Just as the five Golden Core cultivators were about to speak, they suddenly saw the Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard blur into motion, lunging at them.
Its speed was incredible. In the blink of an eye, it was beside one of them.
With a swipe of its sharp claws, it tore through the Golden Core cultivator's stomach.
The cultivator didn't even have time to scream before his Golden Core shattered, and he died.
In the next instant, his body shriveled into a dried corpse.
The other cultivators froze in shock, and by the time they realized what was happening, the Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard was already upon them.
"Help!" they screamed in terror.
Blood spurted as the Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard moved through them as if they were nothing, and under its sharp claws, none of the Golden Core cultivators stood a chance.
In moments, the five Golden Core cultivators were dead.
Just then, Xu Yang swiftly drew his sword and thrust it at the Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard.
The Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard had a unique trait: if killed within a minute after consuming a cultivator's essence blood, its demon core would contain medicinal power ten times stronger than usual.
However, within that same minute, the Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard's combat power would also increase several times due to the energy it had just absorbed.
"Extreme Fate Sword!" Xu Yang shouted. The sword's tip glowed with a red halo, emitting a piercing sound as it shot forward, rippling the very air.
Yu Sanniang, watching from behind, turned pale at the sight of the powerful attack. She couldn't help but compare herself and conclude that if she were the target of this strike, there would be no chance of resisting—it would mean certain death.
The Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard opened its jaws wide, and a blood-red beast core shot out at high speed!
As the beast core flew toward him, a fierce wind accompanied it, and in the blink of an eye, it collided with Xu Yang's sword.
Xu Yang sneered.
The beast core was the most essential part of a demon beast—more important, even, than its brain.
Some powerful beasts, after their physical bodies die, can rely on their beast cores to resurrect.
But now, the Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard actually spat out its beast core to fight Xu Yang, showing how terrifying Xu Yang is.
Seeing the Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard spit out its beast core, Xu Yang was in no hurry. He sheathed his sword and reached out toward the core.
Yu Sanniang's eyelid twitched when she saw it—grabbing a beast core barehanded??
Does Xu Yang have a death wish?
A beast core isn't some fragile egg; on the contrary, it's the strongest part of a beast. The attacks of some beast cores are extraordinarily deadly and bizarre.
Sure enough, the moment Xu Yang's hand touched the beast core, a burst of white chill emanated from it, enveloping Xu Yang's entire body.
Crack, crack, crack…
The white chill instantly solidified, turning into ice, and Xu Yang was transformed into a crystal-clear ice figure.
"Ancestor Xu!" Ling Qingshu couldn't help but scream as she saw Xu Yang like that.
Tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes—could it be that the invincible ancestor had actually met his end here today?
"What's there to cry about? Stay calm." From within the tightly sealed ice block, a cracking sound echoed as the ice loosened.
Boom…
Then, the ice block instantly exploded, with white fragments scattering across the sky like a mist.
Xu Yang walked out, surrounded by a halo created by the mist and sunlight, looking like a war god!
Ling Qingshu let out a sigh of relief. Xu Yang walked up to her, smiling, and playfully tapped her petite nose.
"What, don't you trust your ancestor?"
At this moment, the once ferocious beast was now standing still, eyes dull.
Moments ago, Xu Yang had forcibly severed the Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard's connection to its core.
Without its core, the Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard perished instantly.
"Wait, eat this now; it'll be useless after a minute. Later, I'll pick the Ice Soul Snow Lotus and refine a pill for you to take."
Xu Yang held out the beast core to Ling Qingshu.
The core was no longer blood-red but had turned into a translucent crystal-like sphere, shining beautifully in the sunlight.
Not only did the beast core look stunning, but it also emitted an alluring fragrance that made one want to swallow it in one gulp.
Ling Qingshu hesitated, frowning.
Can a beast core be eaten? She wasn't aware of that.
But the ancestor's words were law to her—she would follow his instructions unconditionally, even if he told her to end her life immediately.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the core and swallowed it.
Boom…
The next moment, a surge of immensely powerful spiritual energy flooded Ling Qingshu's body.
Unable to control such violent spiritual energy, Ling Qingshu spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Steady yourself, raise your cultivation," Xu Yang said calmly, placing his right hand on Ling Qingshu's shoulder. A soft, white spiritual energy flowed into her body, helping her stabilize the raging energy within.
Ling Qingshu looked at Xu Yang gratefully. This spiritual energy, unstable, could be deadly poison, but if stabilized, it would become a peerless elixir to raise one's cultivation.
She mobilized all the spiritual energy she could and began to push toward a breakthrough.
After a moment, with a cracking sound, Ling Qingshu's cultivation rose from the first stage of the Golden Core Stage to the third stage.
It's known that after a practitioner reaches the Golden Core Stage, each incremental stage is incredibly challenging.
Some martial artists, despite reaching the Golden Core Stage at a young age, are ultimately confined to the first stage their whole lives, never progressing further.
But now, in only a quarter of an hour, Xu Yang had boosted Ling Qingshu's cultivation from the first to the third stage.
An entire level jump! If others were to find out, their jaws would drop in shock.
Yu Sanniang, who had witnessed it all, was completely stunned.
The Bloodthirsty Evil Leopard, which had instantly killed five Golden Core Stage practitioners, was slain by Xu Yang in a second.