Considering the scale of the Departure Sect's power, it was unlikely that they had come here in small groups for Spirit Stones. After all, they had already sacrificed themselves to their mission.
They had come here for a mission, and the mission given to them by the sect was … to obtain the shedded lizard with a sliver of divinity!
Therefore, as soon as they saw the shedded lizard, the eight members of the Church of the Way rose to their feet. Killing intent exploded out from them, and the ripples of the great circle of Qi Condensation emanated from them as they shot toward the basin.
They were so fast that they closed in on the basin in an instant.
What was even more shocking was that although there were eight of them, they moved as one. Even their steps were perfect. They were like eight sharp blades stabbing toward the basin.
Some of the rogue cultivators in front of them had no time to dodge. The moment they touched them, they were like plants in a flood, instantly destroyed.
The Sea Ghost Sect's valiance caused the Sea Ghost cultivators who had been staring at them to reveal a cold glint in their eyes.
When they had fought over the two mid stage Foundation Establishment shedded lizard, the sea ghosts had only sent out ten people. Seven or eight of them had remained behind. Now, they charged out at the same time, all of them at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.
That was especially true of the burly man with the devilish face on his chest. His aura surpassed that of the others, and there was even a hint of Foundation Establishment in him.
The two sides instantly began to fight in the basin. Rumbling sounds echoed out, and Xu Qing's eyes flashed coldly. His Cultivation base erupted as he also charged forward.
Although the shedded lizard had been taken by old man Banquan Lu, Xu Qing didn't care too much about it, unless he didn't want to return to the Seven Blood Eyes.
Otherwise, if he returned and wanted to take his share, then … he would make the old man spit it out with interest.
That was why Xu Qing ignored them. He didn't even say a word. He closed in on the area where the Departure Sect and the sea ghosts were fighting. His hands clenched into fists, and his Qi and blood began to circulate.
The shadow behind him was unprecedentedly clear. Its large body was covered in cracks, and it seemed to contain the red light of magma.
Xu Qing also had a berserk aura that surpassed the Qi Condensation stage. As he closed in, his two punches contained power that surpassed the Qi Condensation stage.
Rumbling sounds echoed!
One punch from the Departure Sect, the other from the sea ghosts.
Xu Qing hadn't attacked yet, but now, he was going all out, unleashing all of his battle prowess. Intense rumbling sounds filled the basin, and even a tempest sprang up.
Within the storm, the Sea Ghost Sect's members' expressions changed. The eight members of the Departure Sect also retreated and looked at Xu Qing.
"You're courting death!"
"Seven Blood Pupils …"
Almost at the same time, the Departure Sect and the Sea Ghost Organization attacked at the same time. As they fought against each other, they spared some energy to suppress Xu Qing. They didn't allow him to snatch the three divine lizard molts floating in the center of the crowd.
However, Xu Qing's savagery was completely revealed at this moment.
Since he had grown up in the slums and experienced scavenger camps, he was no stranger to robbery.
At this moment, Xu Qing's eyes were filled with ferocity. With a wave of his hand, droplets of water formed around him and shot out in all directions.
As the water droplets shot out like rain, Xu Qing's body slammed into a Sea Ghost. As the cracking sounds were drowned out by the explosion, the dagger in his hand had already cut open the Sea Ghost's body, causing warm blood to spray out.
Without pausing for a moment, Xu Qing shot backward, his fist slamming into the chest of a Cultivator from the Church of the Way. Cracking sounds could be heard.
As his killing intent erupted, his daoist robe was dyed red by blood and his handsome face was extremely cold.
After killing two people in a row, Xu Qing didn't hesitate at all. His left hand formed a seal and the sword shadow behind him roared. The water droplets that shot out in all directions turned into oil and began to burn on their own.
From a distance, it looked like countless rockets had shot out in all directions.
Under the flames, everyone's shadows scattered across the ground like a group of demons. No one noticed that there was a shadow moving through the chaos toward the lizard molts.
While the flames were spreading, Xu Qing suddenly retreated. The moment he retreated, a shadow suddenly leaped up from the ground beside the three lizard sloughs that the crowd had surrounded and prevented others from fighting for. It swept towards the three lizard sloughs.
At the same time, the space beside the lizard molts distorted and old man Banquan Lu's figure strangely appeared. His eyes were filled with fanaticism as he used the chaos caused by Xu Qing's flames to grab the three lizard molts.
However, he was a step too late and was swept away by the shadow.
"Damn it!"
The old man grabbed nothing and quickly retreated. When the others noticed what was happening, they were furious. They stopped chasing Xu Qing and charged toward the old man.
Xu Qing's expression was the same as ever. He took advantage of this opportunity to quickly retreat. He also secretly put away the lizard molts that the shadow had swept over him and rushed down the mountain.
Just as he was about to leave the basin, the old man, who was being chased by the others, suddenly let out a roar.
"I didn't take them. I only have this bag of holding. Look carefully!"
With that, old man Banquan Lu took out his bag of holding and tossed it toward Xu Qing.
"Brat, everything is in there. Take good care of it."
The old man was also a ruthless person. He knew that he wouldn't be able to convince the others with his words. At that moment, a boom came from his body. In front of everyone, he shamelessly tore all of his clothes to shreds, leaving only his underwear. After appearing half-naked in front of everyone, he spun in a circle to prove that he wasn't wearing anything.
Then, with a flash, he grabbed the huge snake that was watching from a distance and quickly fled down the mountain.
Although not many people believed him, there were still some who chased after him. Sea Ghost and the Sect of the Departure Sect were among them. However, the moment they got close to Xu Qing, the Cultivators from both sides suddenly changed directions and immediately attacked him.
"No matter how stealthy you are, it's useless. Others might not be able to sense the aura of the lizard molts, but to me, it's like a torch in the dark night!"
"Hand over the lizard molts!"
Both sides' magical techniques were astonishing, and their attacks were as fast as lightning.
Xu Qing suddenly retreated, avoiding the attacks of Sea Ghost and the Sect of the Departure Sect. Killing intent appeared in his eyes. He didn't care about the bag of holding the old man had thrown at him. He didn't believe that the old man would have anything good in there.
Besides, Xu Qing didn't expect to be able to hide this matter from the other Cultivators. It was just that the old man's attack just now gave him some hope.
But now that he had been discovered, Xu Qing wasn't going to be timid. Killing intent appeared in his eyes again. He quickly formed a seal with both hands and pushed it forward. Instantly, a blue talisman treasure appeared in front of him.
As spiritual energy poured into it, the talisman treasure activated and turned into a huge statue.
This statue looked like the symbol of a foreign race's god of death. It had three heads and six arms and emitted a cold aura of death. It suppressed the Sea Ghost and the Sect of the Departure Sect.
This treasure talisman had come from the dead Merfolk youth. Because it had only been used a few times, it contained a relatively complete Foundation Establishment attack. Instantly, the talisman treasures of the Departure Church and the Sea Ghosts began to shine as they fought back.
Amidst the rumbling, a huge shockwave spread out, causing both sides to retreat.
Although Xu Qing was strong, there were too many Cultivators here. Blood flowed out of the corner of his mouth. However, as the blood flowed out, the recovery power of the purple crystal instantly healed him.
However, his gaze became a bit deeper as he coldly stared at the surrounding crowd.
Under this gaze, Xu Qing licked his lips. The blood at the corner of his mouth was very fishy and familiar. It was as if he had returned to the slums, to the scavenger camp.
He didn't like complicated things. Now that he had the lizard molts and no one wanted him to leave, things became simple.
"I'll just have to kill them all," he murmured.
Even as Xu Qing murmured these words, his gaze caused the hearts of the surrounding cultivators to tremble.
They had seen ruthless people before, but the killing intent in the eyes of this young man with seven blood-red pupils caused many of the Cultivators' hearts to thump. However, the temptation of the divine lizard molts was too great. Most of the Cultivators didn't retreat.
Only a few rogue Cultivators and Outsiders who had watched Xu Qing attack from the beginning knew how ruthless he was. Therefore, they watched from a distance, not daring to approach. They were waiting for the right moment.
Among them was the Outsider in the straw raincoat, as well as the big man with the elephant trunk.
After a brief standoff, the first to attack was the Departure Sect. One of their members had died earlier, so the remaining seven attacked at the same time. Spears appeared in their hands, and their killing intent exploded as they charged toward Xu Qing with mountain-toppling, sea-draining force.
The Sea Ghost Cultivators moved as well, as did some of the rogue Cultivators and Outsiders.
However, it was at this moment that one of the Cultivators let out a miserable shriek. His body turned black, and he coughed up black blood as he collapsed to the ground.
"There's poison!"
There were quite a few Cultivators like this. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight of them began to bleed from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Everyone else was shaken. Xu Qing moved.
He moved with incredible speed, and in the blink of an eye, he closed in on the Departure Sect. He waved the dagger in his right hand to block the incoming spear. As he dodged the spear, the dagger left his hand and stabbed into the neck of the person next to him.
Blood spurted out. Xu Qing's right hand grabbed the leather pouch, and a black metal skewer appeared. Instead of retreating, he charged forward and began to fight with the Cultivators who were charging toward him.
Rumbling filled the air as the rapier reappeared. It roared, causing the sea of flames to spread out and Xu Qing's fleshly body to grow even more powerful.
In just a moment, the basin at the top of the mountain was filled with slaughter!
At the same time, the old man off in the distance finally managed to shake off his pursuers. He carried the snake over his shoulder and looked back. Suddenly, he cursed angrily.
"Stinking brat, so you were the one who took it!"
As he cursed, he moved even faster. The snake didn't want to give up, and it struggled as if it wanted to help. It emitted urgent gurgling sounds from its mouth.
The old man's eyes widened.
"That stinking brat is incomparably treacherous, you silly girl."
With that, he struck the snake with his palm and knocked it unconscious. Then, he carried it and fled. Soon, he reached the shore. There was no need for a boat; he simply jumped into the sea and fled.