Chapter 636 437: Qing Ji (2)

"At least I cultivated Fang Qingyuan. But what about you? The disciples you've taken are all useless. Has even one of them reached the Golden Core Realm? If it weren't for Uncle Di, you would've been overthrown long ago. And you still have the gall to criticize me."

Lechuan was 413 years old this year. Although Cultivators possessed techniques to retain their youth and didn't look completely decrepit, age was still age. Lechuan was gradually developing some of the mentalities of an old man.

Golden Core Cultivators had a lifespan of five hundred years. At his age, Lechuan was already in the later years for a Golden Core Cultivator. If you were to compare it to a one-hundred-year human lifespan, Lechuan would be eighty-one.

However, Golden Core Cultivators retained their powerful condition and strength until their final few years. On a normal day, judging by appearances alone, Lechuan still had the image of a shrewd, middle-aged scholar and Sect Leader.

After retorting to Di Qing, Lechuan fell silent for a few breaths, then sighed softly. "Time waits for no one. The scene of Zhao E Lian and I first entering the Southern Border is still fresh in my mind. To think that in the blink of an eye, more than a hundred years have passed. Zhao E Lian has vanished without a trace, his Golden Silk Silver-backed Manta Ray died in battle for him, and I... after struggling for half my life, I've grown old now too."

Lechuan's expression was a little desolate, with a hint of fear in his eyes. He was over 410 years old now. Even if he could live to the 500-year limit of a Golden Core Cultivator, he only had about eighty years left.

Besides, he wasn't confident that he could actually live to that 500-year limit.

Lechuan's words silenced Di Qing. He had called Lechuan old, but how much younger was he himself? He was already well into his three-hundreds.

Inside the large private room, for a moment, neither of them wanted to speak.

A moment later, as they watched Fang Qingyuan and Chunyu Hua sign the Life and Death Contract, Di Qing finally found something to talk about.

"Did you tell Fang Qingyuan the information about Chunyu Hua?"

Lechuan nodded slightly. "I found a Cultivator from Qimeng Mountain to pass on the message. I didn't let him know it was from me, lest he refuse. Besides, this sort of thing isn't exactly honorable. After all, Chunyu Hua is still a fellow sect member. Doing this is bound to be a taboo."

"Heh, and you just told me all this. Aren't you afraid the Chunyu Clan will come looking for trouble?"

Di Qing chuckled, rising to stand beside Lechuan. Before the blank wall, Fang Qingyuan and Chunyu Hua were performing the pre-duel exchange of courtesies.

"What the hell should I be afraid of him for? If he's got the guts, let him try to make my life even more miserable. I'm this old already, what's there to be afraid of? Whoever dares to provoke me, I'll bite them to death."

"Excellent! How domineering, Sect Leader Le!"

Di Qing clapped his hands and laughed loudly, but Lechuan's next words made him shut down completely.

"That includes you."

...

"Proceed!"

Even though neither man could stand the sight of the other and desperately wanted to smash the other's face in, the necessary pre-duel etiquette still had to be observed.

An honorable duel wasn't a brawl between street thugs, where they'd start fighting at the slightest disagreement. It had its own basic procedure, passed down for ten thousand years, that everyone generally had to follow.

But the procedure was also simplified, in keeping with the character of the Beast Taming Sect. When it came down to it, the rule was still: if you're not convinced, then fight.

"Proceed!"

Fang Qingyuan bowed in return. When he straightened up, a powerful fighting spirit shot to the heavens.

'Five Elements Undying Body of the Water God, full power!'

Beneath Fang Qingyuan's cyan Daoist robe, his body's surface was suddenly covered in protrusions like fine shark scales. This was a manifestation of him having cultivated the Water Element Technique of the Five Elements Undying Body to the Golden Core Realm.

Ever since he had cultivated the Five Elements Undying Body to the Golden Core Realm, Fang Qingyuan had rarely found opportunities to use this Body Refining Technique in his battles.

The only time was when he was entangled with that Bow-holding Nascent Soul; Fang Qingyuan had operated it at full power then. But even so, he hadn't dared to let a single one of its attacks touch him.

And as for his two subsequent Golden Core opponents—whether it was Yu Jing who wanted to snatch back the Taihao City-Breaking Bow, Meng Dian from Qimeng Mountain, or even that inexplicably appearing Blood Saber—they were all pushovers who went down in a few hits, unworthy of him using this Body Refining Technique.

Now, Fang Qingyuan activated his Five Elements Undying Body right from the start, not because he was wary of Chunyu Hua himself, but out of respect for the Talisman in his hand that held the power of a Nascent Soul.

At the Qi Cultivation Realm, the Five Elements Undying Body could negate around ten percent of magical damage. At the Foundation Establishment Realm, that figure was closer to twenty-three percent.

As for the Golden Core Realm... truth be told, Fang Qingyuan hadn't had sufficient time to cultivate his Five Elements Undying Body since breaking through.

Various miscellaneous matters had consumed his energy, and Fang Qingyuan had invested too little time in his Cultivation Techniques.

In addition, his cultivation had rapidly surged to the Fifth-Layer Golden Core. As a result, the various Cultivation Techniques that Fang Qingyuan had perfected in the Foundation Establishment Realm had actually fallen behind his own realm after he entered Golden Core.

Currently, his Golden Core Tier Five Elements Undying Body could only provide Fang Qingyuan with thirty-eight percent damage reduction. It had not yet reached the fifty percent of the Realm of Perfection.

But even a thirty-eight percent damage reduction was quite significant. Furthermore, his mastery over the Path of the Five Elements, derived from his Lifebound Talent, the Five-Colored Light, added another twenty percent reduction.

With these two combined, when a Water Magic spell hit Fang Qingyuan, the damage would first be blocked by his robe, then by his Spiritual Power Shield, and finally reduced by fifty-eight percent before it could actually touch his body.

And that wasn't even counting the powerful physique and vigorous vital energy and blood he had developed from practicing this Body Refining Technique. If you factored those in, a spell cast by an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator would have truly negligible power when it hit Fang Qingyuan.

The biggest difference between an arena match and an encounter in the wild was the limited space. Unless one had an Escape Technique, when Golden Core Realm Cultivators fought, relying on Body Techniques to dodge and maneuver was a dead end.

Often, the area of effect of a single spell could cover over a hundred meters. This space was sealed by an Array, making it impossible to fly into the sky or burrow into the ground. There was no room to dodge; one could only take the hit.

Moreover, because they were so close to each other, the induction of their auras was extremely fast. The moment Fang Qingyuan activated his Body Refining Technique, Chunyu Hua immediately sensed the subtle change in his aura.

"Futile!"

Chunyu Hua snorted coldly, confidently dismissing Fang Qingyuan's action. With a wave of his hand, a small flood dragon shot out from the Spirit Beast Bag at his waist. It grew as it flew, and in the blink of an eye, transformed into a massive beast over two hundred feet long.

This Cyan Flood Dragon's head was like that of a dragon. Its eyes were bright and full of spirit, like two dazzling pearls set within its skull. Its gaze seemed to crackle with cyan lightning, giving one a heart-stopping, soul-shaking feeling.

On top of its head grew a pair of sharp horns, gnarled like the roots of a thousand-year-old tree, revealing the power and wisdom accumulated over ages.

Its giant maw was slightly open, revealing terrifying fangs that silently proclaimed its might and power.

Its entire body was covered in scales as deep and green as jade, each one the size of a large bowl, shimmering with a cold and majestic light.

At this moment, the formless, intangible air where the Cyan Flood Dragon appeared seemed to turn as thick as water. It swam through the air as if underwater. As unseen currents surged, its scales glittered like stars, a sight both mysterious and shocking.

Even from a great distance, Fang Qingyuan could feel a suffocating vapor wash over him. The moment the Cyan Flood Dragon appeared, the arena, spanning dozens of acres, seemed to have transformed into the bottom of a miles-deep abyss.

'Does it have to be this exaggerated?' Although Fang Qingyuan had received intelligence on this Cyan Flood Dragon beforehand, seeing it with his own eyes still made him want to curse out loud.

'This is fucking late-stage Golden Core?'

'Or is it that, among those in the late-stage Golden Core Realm, a Cyan Flood Dragon, due to the inherent strength of its race, can take on ten other Water Element Demon Beasts of the same realm?'

'Looking at it this way, the Chunyu Clan really is the real deal.'

'This Cyan Flood Dragon's combat power, even if not equal to a Nascent Soul, isn't far off. It has all the standard features of a Nascent Soul Cultivator, including a Nascent Soul True Meaning Domain.'

Sensing the environment, which felt like the bottom of a miles-deep abyss filled with immense water pressure, Fang Qingyuan took a deep breath and pointed a finger at the Cyan Flood Dragon.

In the next breath, dragon blood sprayed through the air!

"ROAR!"

A painful dragon's cry rang out. A gaping, bowl-sized hole had been left in the Cyan Flood Dragon's lower jaw.

Unfortunately, Fang Qingyuan had aimed his Godslaying Needle at its brain, but the Cyan Flood Dragon's senses were sharp. It had raised its head to dodge, resulting in only a flesh wound to its lower jaw.

Only then did Chunyu Hua react. He touched the Jade Pendant at his waist, confirming it wasn't damaged, before roaring in fury:

"Qing Ji, tear him to shreds!"