Chapter 1189: Killing Brocade Marquis

“Saber that splits the sea, spear that overturns the river, sword that chills the firmament, halberd that defeats all, and hook that inflicts eternal parting…”

If he was anyone else, they would have died from their injuries already. However, Ye Qing smiled as if he couldn’t feel his injuries. “Most impressive, marquis. May I know what art it is that you’re using?”

“This is the Blue Demon Eight Ultimates.”

Zhao Changming release the bronze hook he was holding, and it automatically flew over to his back and sheathed itself. Then, a savage-looking axe entered his grip.

The axe seemed incredibly heavy. Zhao Changming had to drag it across the ground, and as it cut through the soil, the earth underneath broke apart as if it couldn’t handle the weight.

“You’re not bad yourself. Almost no one below the Half-Sage stage has ever withstood the third technique of my Blue Demon Eight Ultimates and survived, and you’re still alive after taking five. Be proud.”

“By the way, your cultivation art hails from the ancient Earthly Sovereign, doesn’t it? Did the Earthly Sovereign Bell pass it to you?”

Ye Qing did not answer the question.

“It’s fine if you don’t answer. Both the cultivation art and the Earthly Sovereign Bell will enter my possession after you’re dead anyway.”

“You seem very certain that you can kill me,” Ye Qing remarked curiously.

“Hahaha… look at the state of you. What on earth makes you think that you can stand against me?” Zhao Changming laughed.

“Haha! I can see that you’re underestimating me!”

Ye Qing chuckled. “Okay. I’ll get a little more serious starting now.”

As if on cue, Ye Qing’s injuries immediately started healing at a visible rate.

“The arrogance!”

That was what he said, but Zhao Changming’s pupils contracted a little. The hook swing was infused with the meaning of parting, and it was as anomalous as it was terrifying. Not only could Parting pierce astral qi and Strange Artifacts like they did not exist, those injured by it would find that their wounds were healing very, very slowly, if at all. For those who couldn’t heal their injuries, their condition would continuously worsen until they died.

However, Ye Qing’s injuries weren’t just healing. They were healing

rapidly

.

It had taken Zhao Changming a considerable amount of effort to finally deal a good amount of damage to Ye Qing. Naturally, he wasn’t going to just sit by and allow Ye Qing to recover. So, Zhao Changming grabbed his axe with both hands and swung.

The axe swing split the clear qi and the murky qi into two like during the dawn of a new world. Hence, it was named, “Beginning.”

Even before the axe descended, everything within three hundred meters of the man was cleaved in half. However, Ye Qing did not try to dodge the formidable strike. He simply smiled a strange smile and raised his right hand forward.

As he reached out, he began to grow taller, and the profound light surrounding him began to shrink into his person. It formed wonderful patterns on his skin that looked like rings of mountains, meandering rivers, and endless seas. At the same time, his eyes turned into pitch black canvases where yin and yang cycled, and the sun and moon shone.

His body was the earth, and his eyes the heavens. Right here and now, all of the world’s dark yellow resided inside his heart.

“Earthly Sovereign True Body”

When Ye Qing’s arm was stretched completely, and his fingers were fully open, a tremendous surge of energy washed out in every direction.

Zhao Changming’s eyes widened in disbelief when Ye Qing caught the supposedly unstoppable axe swing that mimicked the beginning of the world with his bare hands.

“Impossible!”

Zhao Changming’s pupils contracted into pins as he pushed his axe with all his might. The dragons and serpents on Blue Demon flailed wildly, and giant cracks spread out continuously from the earth beneath his feet.

Despite this, the axe did not budge an inch.

Ye Qing did not seem tall, big, or oppressive to his senses. However, he felt as untouchable as the sky, and as immovable as the earth itself.

The next moment, Ye Qing tightened his grip and broke the axe like glass. Then, he took a step forward and punched.

Alarm bells immediately rang in Zhao Changming’s head. It informed him that he would

die

if he took the attack head on. So, he heeded his instincts and grew a pair of bronze wings that took him three hundred meters from the center of the battlefield in one flap.

However, Zhao Changming quickly realized in shock and horror that Ye Qing was still in front of him. He would continue to flap his wings in an attempt to shake off Ye Qing, but no matter which direction he traveled, no matter how far he went, and no matter how hard he tried to juke Ye Qing, Ye Qing would always reappear right in front of him as if he never moved in the first place.

He could only watch in helplessness as the punch finally landed on his chest.

The dragons and serpents flailing above Blue Demon were annihilated instantly. Next, the armor itself split apart as if it could not bear the sharpness of Ye Qing’s fist. Finally, the punch landed squarely on Zhao Changming’s Bronze Demon Body.

THANG!!!

The clang of metal was so loud that it resounded throughout heaven and earth. Zhao Changming let out a muffled groan as the fist dug several inches into his body.

At first glance, the punch did little damage. After all, it looked like it had only dented Zhao Changming’s body a little. However, Zhao Changming knew that it was anything but.

Blue Demon might be a Disaster-class Strange Artifact now, but it used to be an Ancient-class Strange Artifact. As a suit of armor, Blue Demon’s greatest quality was its imperviousness. Usually, no one below the Half-Sage stage could even dream of leaving any kind of mark on its body.

In reality, Ye Qing’s fist hadn’t just punched through Blue Demon, it had shattered Zhao Changming’s internal organs and scattered his energies as well. Because of this, he could not resist even if he wanted to.

He could only watch in horror and helplessness as Ye Qing leisurely pulled back his fist a second time and punched.

BANG!

Ye Qing’s second punch passed through the gap between Blue Demon unerringly and landed exactly on the fist mark on Zhao Changming’s chest, causing it to deepen a couple more inches. The young man would follow up the hit with a third strike, a fourth strike, a fifth strike…

Ye Qing’s punches descended on Zhao Changming like a rain, and each punch landed unerringly on the fist mark. On the other hand, Zhao Changming simply stood there like a stake, neither dodging nor blocking the attack[1]. It looked very confusing from an outsider’s perspective.

At the beginning, it looked like the upper hand was firmly in Zhao Changming’s hand. Then, the tables suddenly flipped around, and Ye Qing became the attacker instead.

Ye Qing’s attacks looked quite unimpressive, however. Compared to Zhao Changming’s gorgeous and destructive techniques earlier, his punches might as well be mosquito bites. To call it unimpressive would be an understatement as it looked like Zhao Changming couldn’t even be bothered to dodge it. Surely it was completely useless?

The next moment, the onlookers’s eyes widened like saucers.

When Ye Qing landed his final punch, Blue Demon abruptly broke into several pieces, and Zhao Changming’s vitality began nosediving.

Not only that, what sounded like a thunderstorm was rumbling rapidly inside Zhao Changming’s body. It grew louder and louder as cracks appeared across his Bronze Demon Body.

As the cracks widened, it became clear that there was nothing inside Zhao Changming’s torso; not even a drop of blood. There could only be one explanation. Ye Qing’s fist intent had utterly annihilated his insides.

“Im… possible!”

Zhao Chagming’s eyes widened just as much as he slowly and painstakingly tried to reach for the remaining weapons behind his back. Unfortunately, he did not even manage to lift his hand over his shoulder before it fell limply by his side, and his consciousness faded into black.

“Too bad you didn’t get to unleash the final two techniques of the Blue Demon Eight Ultimates, huh?”

Ye Qing withdrew his fists and chuckled.

Zhao Changming slowly dropped to the ground. The second his body made contact with the earth, it abruptly deflated like a balloon until only a human skin was like.

The second Zhao Changming died, the bronze fragments on the ground flew into the air, gathered unto themselves, and formed a set of bronze armor.

It was none other than Blue Demon.

First, Blue Demon flew over to Zhao Changming’s corpse. The dragons and serpents on the armor then stretched out and consumed the body.

After consuming Zhao Changming’s body and growing a little stronger, it then flew over to Ye Qing, clasped his hands together, and dropped to one knee.

It was acting almost like it was a human.

1. Standing here. I realize. You are just like me. Trying to make history~ ☜