## AST 1556 - Near Misses, Killing the Foe with Life and Death Needles

Bang!

The sound was as loud as the burst of an air pocket. The halo that Qing Shui used to strike back had blocked the merged phantom and just as soon caused them to vanish.

Qing Shui breathed a sigh of relief. In the nick of time, he had thought of using his Saintly Hands. He speculated that his saint powers weren’t that much inferior in comparison to Qin Qing’s, which was why he put in every possible effort at the very last moment—at least this should be enough to save his life!

Not only did he save himself, he was unharmed by the last and possibly strongest attack. On the contrary, he was wounded by the previous, less damaging strike.

Qing Shui looked critically injured but he knew that this injury was nothing in comparison to what could have been. When the glistening golden ray guarded him previously, it was exceptionally effective and managed to heal most of his injuries. Which was why Qing Shui’s injury couldn't be considered severe at all.

However, he was aggrieved. He didn’t expect such a powerful resistance that had even forced him into such discomposure.

He didn’t know that those two members from the Yue Clan were some of the strongest in their clan, and many had died under the hands of the Sword of Father and Son. Their attacks were also strange beyond words. It was a good thing Qing Shui was strong enough; if it had been anyone else, they wouldn’t have been able to dodge the continuous onslaught of Sure Kill Heavenly Techniques.

Qin Qing rushed to his side at this time and exhaled a breath when she saw that Qing Shui was unscathed. Furious, she brandished her sword and rushed towards the two men.

Qing Shui was afraid that Qin Qing might run into a mishap. After putting away his Golden Battle Halberd, he brought out his Life and Death Needles instead.

Fruit of Agility, Agility Pill!

Qing Shui’s speed increased drastically. He didn’t want to prolong this battle any longer; while he had an idea of how to counter the opponents, he still thought a swift end would be more beneficial. The reason for his foes’ strength laid in the weapons on their hands.

He moved when Qin Qing did, leaving an afterimage of his movement when he sprinted. Nine Palace Steps!

It was difficult to pinpoint Qing Shui’s strange movements. It was the first time Qing Shui had put in all he could muster in order to increase his speed to the peak. Right in front of their eyes, the Life and Death Needles in his hands pierced into one of his opponent’s Tianling Acupoint.

Before he died, the old man stretched his arm to smash Qing Shui’s skull, but he wasn’t aware that not many could match Qing Shui in a battle of fists. Qing Shui’s other hand was already anticipating the attack.

Cloud Hand!

A resounding bang rang out and the old man’s body flew backwards with an impact. Qing Shui kept the dagger that was on the old man just as the latter’s body fell.

The Sword of Father and Son relied on the coordination of both swords, and its users must be connected through their heart and soul, cherishing the same ideals. Only this way could the Sword of Father and Son unleash its full potential. If they were wielded by a genuine pair of father and son with compatible cultivation, then it was said that the power would be even more terrifying.

Qing Shui didn’t know whether his foes had been actual father and son, and it was the reason why they could inflict such damage upon Qing Shui. Even though they didn’t reach the peak of what the Sword of Father and Son was capable of, it was still to an alarming extent.

“Father!” The bewitching young man roared, his eyes were filled with rage. Anyone who witnessed the death of his own father would lose all sanity, and it was with this roar that Qing Shui realized they were actually related. It was no wonder they could put the swords into such amazing use.

Qing Shui was confident but the young man still had to die, and it wasn’t long before the young man did eventually die in his hands. When Qing Shui and Qin Qing battled together, he would subconsciously do most of the killing, seeing as he didn’t want too much blood on her hands. He didn’t understand why either, but he was afraid her hands would be sullied.

Qing Shui held the Sword of Father and Son. Anything could happen in the World of the Nine Continents; since the existence of Qing Shui in itself was an enigma, he could accept any sort of strange occurrence that happened.

Taking a glimpse at the Sword of Father and Son, it seemed to exude an evil aura. He placed them within the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal with plans of giving it away when he found a suitable pair. Otherwise, he thought it best to leave it there indefinitely.

The world was huge, but the people within it were far too few in comparison. All sorts of things could appear. With that in mind, Qing Shui thought God had treated him decently enough. There was no way God could favor just one person; everyone would get their own opportunities.

It was quiet atop the mountain, but commotion was blowing up at its bottom.

“The two weirdos from the Cai Clan have been killed and now, even the father and son from the Yue Clan were murdered—all these people were once a force to be reckoned with!”

“Yeah, but look at the state they have been reduced to!”

“That young man is injured. Do you think the battle will still continue today?”

“The Cai and Yue clans had both made attempts, there is no way that the Gu Clan would be left out of this now. Under usual circumstances, the Gu Clan will have to challenge as well.”

“Isn’t this a little like taking advantage of another's perilous state, though? Could they be taking turns to fight in order to tire them out?” There were still people who were worried about Qin King Manor.

“They would be happy to eliminate them even if they have to resort to taking advantage of accumulated damage by numbers. The Gu Clan will have to battle even if they don’t want to; there’s no way of backing down now.”

……

The next round was fast. Just as Qing Shui and Qin Qing finally had a moment to recover, two other people stepped up. This time, they were two old men.

Out of the three times, their contender’s age was getting older with every fight. Qin King Manor had sent Qing Shui and Qin Qing as a measure of deterrence. They thought the opponents would likewise be represented by the younger generation, or at the very most, be those in Qin Baifo’s generation. The circumstances were different now although it wasn’t at all strange—if they had sent their younger generation, they would be sending them to their deaths, but sending their older generation wouldn’t make a difference either.

The two old men were from the Gu Clan, with white hair and beard. However, in their eyes, Qing Shui could spot a trace of cautiousness, wariness and uneasiness.

They were both tall and big in stature, with large bones, short noses and wide mouths. Their thick eyebrows were also white, but that added to their vigor, and they had a pair of round eyes.

“Gu Clan, here to seek a match!” The words were from the old man on the left, wearing a sky blue robe.

“Qin King Manor grants this!”

Qing Shui didn’t have any desire to be courteous when dealing with these people. It was already impossible for either side to reconcile with each other, and were both looking for the balancing point. Qin King Manor had nothing to lose, only that it wasn’t feasible to kill them all. It was why the idea of deterrence came up; for Qin King Manor to strike fear in their hearts, to the point where they wouldn’t even think about taking advantage of Qin King Manor.

The two old men initiated the attack this time around, summoning their own beasts—two Golden Cloud Lions per person. The sight of those gigantic golden giants stepping on clouds beneath their feet was spectacular, and in no way less astounding than dragon-type beasts.

Qing Shui smiled at the beasts they summoned; the Golden Cloud Lions had the blood of the Golden Ni flowing in them. According to legend, the Golden Ni had dragon’s blood in it and so, Qing Shui decided to summon the Dragon Slaying Beast and the Hell Nightmare Beast.

Roar!

The Dragon Slaying Beast roared the moment it made its appearance and Qing Shui could he opponent’s Golden Cloud Lions quivering, reaffirming his suspicions.

The Dragon Slaying Beast could counter dragon types in battle and decrease the other beast’s might. If there was a great disparity in their strength though, then even the Dragon Slaying Beast wouldn’t be able to kill them off. Otherwise, it would definitely be able to eliminate the opposing dragon types.