Chapter 80

Qin Xianyu had a rough estimate of his own abilities. With the secret sword technique and the Cicada Wing Step, he could compensate for his shortcomings and leverage his strengths. He believed that with his current level of true qi cultivation, he was no less than an expert with eight-inch internal strength. However, he had never truly faced such a martial arts master, so he couldn't be entirely sure.

Wu Ya claimed to have joined a immortal sect. Perhaps, besides his poison techniques, he had also learned a few tricks from the sect, so he couldn't be treated like an ordinary internal strength practitioner. Qin Xianyu needed to be more cautious.

Qin Xianyu gripped his long sword, his eyes serious.

"For these past few years, I've been making poisons and cultivating insects every day, practicing how to control them. At first, it was interesting, but later it became monotonous and dull," Wu Ya said with a gloomy demeanor, chuckling. "Although mastering poison techniques has made my poisoning methods profound and bizarre, even causing the death of a great martial arts master, it is rather boring. Today, encountering someone like you who hasn't condensed the Earthly Calamity, it's a good opportunity to vent the frustration of the past two years. I want to see what skills you cultivators have."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xianyu calmly replied, "I've heard that after true qi condenses the Earthly Calamity, it surpasses internal strength, and many immortal techniques can be used at the Earthly Calamity stage. You dare not challenge those cultivators at the Earthly Calamity stage and only dare to bully those at the Qi Cultivation stage. But today, I will show you that even true qi that hasn't condensed the Earthly Calamity is not inferior to internal strength. I, a cultivator at the Qi Cultivation stage, can still surpass you, an expert with nearly eight-inch internal strength."

"Then let's see!"

As Wu Ya spoke, his body spread out, his gray-black robe flaring like wings.

He leaped up and pounced down.

Like an eagle spreading its wings, diving to catch prey.

He was incredibly fast, and most people would find it hard to react.

However, Qin Xianyu's eyes narrowed, and Wu Ya seemed to slow down.

"This guy started attacking before he finished speaking, taking the initiative. This is almost the same as an ambush. It makes sense, after all, he is a martial arts expert with eight-inch internal strength, having gone through countless battles. If it were an ordinary cultivator at the Qi Cultivation stage, they would likely be killed before they could react."

Qin Xianyu's feet trembled, like the wings of a cicada, and his body turned into a wisp of smoke and wind.

Wu Ya's pounce missed, and his palms struck a tree.

With a loud crack, the tree, as thick as a thigh, was broken in half, the top part falling to the ground, raising dust.

"How about that?" Wu Ya pointed at the broken tree, laughing coldly. "Your true qi cultivation is not low, but without a weapon, can you break such a piece of green wood?"

He looked at Qin Xianyu, his contempt obvious.

"This guy is a madman; how could the immortal sect even accept him?" Qin Xianyu could see that Wu Ya's contempt was not just for him but for all cultivators at the Qi Cultivation stage. He thought to himself, "I've heard that cultivating insects and refining poisons are extremely evil and cruel, not the righteous path. Those who indulge in such side paths often become isolated. Could it be that his cultivation of insect techniques has changed his nature, making him so cold and deep?"

After learning about the existence of cultivators, Wu Ya endured great hardships and finally joined an immortal sect. The one who accepted him was one of the most powerful immortals in the Great Virtue Holy Dynasty. However, this immortal said that Wu Ya lacked the talent for cultivation and should focus on insect techniques.

At first, the mysterious and unpredictable nature of insect techniques brought Wu Ya joy. When he used insects to kill a great martial arts master, his joy reached its peak. Later, he discovered that insect techniques were not beneficial for his own cultivation and even had some negative effects.

From then on, his heart was no longer at peace.

Cultivators at the Earthly Calamity stage, with true qi that had condensed the Earthly Calamity, were extremely powerful, far surpassing those with internal strength. Moreover, they could use immortal techniques, transcending the mundane. Wu Ya knew he couldn't compare to those at the Earthly Calamity stage, but cultivators at the Qi Cultivation stage, with gentle true qi that hadn't condensed the Earthly Calamity, were not as strong as those with internal strength. Thus, he harbored a deep resentment towards cultivators at the Qi Cultivation stage.

He despised cultivators but knew he was inferior to those at the Earthly Calamity stage. When he discovered that ordinary cultivators at the Qi Cultivation stage were not as strong as martial arts experts, he gradually looked down on cultivators who hadn't reached the Earthly Calamity stage.

Wu Ya laughed coldly, "When I capture you, I will slowly torture and humiliate you."

He raised his hand, which seemed to have a faint luster.

"Breaking a tree with bare hands, I can't match you in that," Qin Xianyu glanced at the broken tree and said calmly, "But defeating you is not difficult."

Qin Xianyu swung his sword, saying calmly, "Since you've made the first move, now it's my turn."

The young Taoist, using the Cicada Wing Step, instantly appeared in front of Wu Ya and slashed down with his sword.

Wu Ya sneered, gathering his internal strength in his hand, and tried to block the sword with his bare hand.

How could flesh and blood withstand a metal blade?

Even a great martial arts master wouldn't dare to be so arrogant.

Qin Xianyu noticed a layer of jade-like luster on Wu Ya's hand, either from some cultivation technique or a treasure.

Wu Ya thought to himself, "I have the Jade Withered Hand, which is impervious to blades. As for this little Taoist, whose cultivation is not as high as mine, he only cultivates true qi and hasn't strengthened his body. How much strength can he have? Once I grab this sword and restrain him, I will cripple him!"

As the sword fell, Wu Ya used his palm to intercept it.

The moment the blade touched his palm, Wu Ya's face changed.

A tremendous force came from the sword.

The Jade Withered Hand, personally refined by the first immortal of Dragon Tiger Mountain, was impervious to even divine weapons. However, the force from the sword was astonishing.

Wu Ya's palm sank, and his internal strength dissipated.

With a crack, his arm bone broke.

The sword continued its descent, and Wu Ya, unable to withstand the force, was thrown back two zhang, landing on the ground.

"How is this possible?"

"His true qi cultivation is clearly not as deep as my internal strength. Given that internal strength is superior to true qi, I should have won. How could I lose?"

Wu Ya was shocked, forgetting the pain in his arm, filled with horror.

To lose in a direct confrontation?

This meant that the little Taoist, in terms of strength alone, had the upper hand. If you add the smoke-like, wind-like movement, Wu Ya was already at a disadvantage. This made him, who was full of confidence, both angry and disbelieving.

"They say that cultivators who haven't condensed the Earthly Calamity are just beginners, not as strong as martial arts experts, and that internal strength is superior to true qi."

"All of it is a lie!"

Wu Ya leaped up, his gray-black robe flaring like wings, and pounced down, full of resentment.

Qin Xianyu gripped his sword, ready to strike.

Suddenly, Qin Xianyu smelled a pungent coldness coming from his shoulder.

"Killing intent?"

Qin Xianyu used the Cicada Wing Step to move three zhang sideways and looked back. Wu Ya had stopped, and a flying insect had landed where Qin Xianyu had been.

"He pretended to be angry and resentful, just to draw attention and let the poisonous insect sting me?" Qin Xianyu thought, "But he doesn't know that I can sense killing intent, so his poisonous insect can't harm me."

The poisonous insect missed, and a hint of regret flashed in Wu Ya's eyes. However, his angry demeanor had subsided, and he now looked cold and gloomy. His eyes narrowed, and his demeanor changed completely from his previous ferocity.

Wu Ya stood still, and the centipedes, rats, ants, and other insects passed by him but did not dare to approach.

These hundreds of poisonous insects and pests filled the forest, making one's hair stand on end.

But for Qin Xianyu, there was no mortal danger.

Watching Qin Xianyu's unpredictable movements, he sometimes used his sword to smash stones into pieces and scatter them.

The scattered stones hit the flying insects, and those that fell to the ground injured the centipedes and rats.

These poisonous insects and pests, while sufficient to deal with ordinary people and even martial arts experts, were only a minor inconvenience to a Taoist whose movements were like smoke and wind, which even flying insects couldn't keep up with.

But Wu Ya remained calm. He took out a black bag covered with complex patterns, making one dizzy.

"Using gas to control insects is a common skill for insect cultivators, but it is clearly insufficient against martial arts experts with externalized internal strength."

Wu Ya stood with his hands behind his back and said slowly, "I once used insect techniques to kill a great martial arts master, not with these minor skills, but with genuine insect techniques. Today, I will show you the true insects I cultivated over several years, personally guided by the Dragon Tiger Immortal."

True insects were not ordinary pests.

Qin Xianyu sensed the implications and felt a chill.

Wu Ya swallowed a pill, and instantly, a foul smell emanated from his body, making one want to vomit. Then, he slapped the black bag hard.

A buzzing sound came from the bag.

Wu Ya slapped it again.

The bag buzzed loudly, a cacophony of sounds.

He slapped it a third time.

When the third slap landed, the bag buzzed like a muffled thunder.

Wu Ya loosened the string and opened the bag.

A loud buzzing sound erupted, and a black cloud of bees emerged.

These were black bees!

As the black bees flew out of the bag, they circled in the air once, and all the ordinary flying insects in the sky died, being eaten by the black bees. The centipedes and rats on the ground scattered, hiding in holes and crawling into the grass.

The black bees, like a black cloud, hovered in the air. The next moment, they sensed the blood flow of Qin Xianyu and Wu Ya.

Wu Ya's body emitted a foul smell, and the black bees did not dare to approach him.

Thus, all the black bees rushed towards Qin Xianyu.

They surged forward.

Qin Xianyu's body trembled, and a strange sensation arose in his blood, causing his true qi to vibrate.

As his true qi vibrated, the black bees, which had been like a black cloud, suddenly paused. The leading bees fell, and the thousands of bees behind them did not dare to approach.

Around Qin Xianyu, many black bees fell, and the remaining bees were in a panic, flying around in the air, trying to escape from the little Taoist.

Wu Ya's body trembled, and he exclaimed, "How is this possible?"

PS: I spent three hours in front of the computer, writing three hundred words, truly decadent... But after finishing half a chapter, I got into the flow, and the next chapter should be smoother.

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