Chapter 86: A Battle of Flesh

Zhou Qi swiftly attacked the Foundation Establishment fourth-level cultivator. Having witnessed what happened earlier on the battlefield, this cultivator was even more cautious. Though enveloped by the Bewitching Immortal Formation, he refused to stay in one place, and instead used a movement technique to appear in various spots.

Zhou Qi found himself with a headache—this was a moving target, making it difficult to hit. Techniques like "Return of Ten Thousand Swords" and "Fireball Spell" were powerful, but what use were they if they couldn’t land a blow? Zhou Qi tried launching a few attacks, but none could lock onto his foe. Observing silently, he realized the man’s movements had no discernible pattern. How was he supposed to hit a moving target?

Suddenly, a spell taught by the Fifth Star Scholar before the Five Sects Tournament flashed through Zhou Qi’s mind—Heaven-Splitting Sword, a strike that never missed, though it required the sacrifice of a trace of spiritual consciousness. Zhou Qi pondered briefly, then decided to end this quickly—the lost spiritual energy could be recovered with time.

He summoned the Heaven-Splitting Sword. A magnified Celestial Slayer Sword appeared, emanating a chilling, deep blue glow. Zhou Qi’s expression was calm and detached. He pointed with both hands, sending the sword flying. The sword vibrated, emitting a gentle hum, slicing through the air so keenly that the very atmosphere seemed ready to split apart. In a blink, it closed in on the cultivator.

Seeing a massive sword flying toward him, the man was startled and dared not linger. He swiftly dodged in another direction. Yet the sword, larger and faster, still pursued him relentlessly. He dodged again, but the sword remained fixed on his trail.

This is a mid-grade spiritual artifact—if it lands a hit, the consequences would be unthinkable. The cultivator grew anxious. The sword’s speed was increasing and was about to overtake his movement technique. At this rate, being caught was a matter of time.

Enough, survival comes first, he thought grimly. No longer fleeing, he gritted his teeth with visible pain and pulled out a small jade-green sword from his robes. “Must I really use a low-grade spiritual weapon?”

With the massive sword closing in, the man immediately tossed out the green sword, forming hand seals: “Radiant Blaze, Fall of a Thousand Mechanisms!” Instantly, the little green sword expanded frenziedly until it stood wide and tall before him, forming a sword-shield.

With a resounding crash, swirling patterns burst forth as the Celestial Slayer Sword smashed into the sword-shield.

Zhou Qi gave a small exclamation of surprise. The Celestial Slayer Sword hadn’t shattered the opponent’s low-grade spiritual weapon. Without delay, he dashed toward the cultivator. As Zhou Qi reached for his sword, a sudden jolt ran through the web of his thumb—the cultivator had hefted the sword-shield and swung it fiercely at him. Zhou Qi twisted and rolled aside to dodge. Then, with his right fist, he struck the green sword-shield, which finally exploded, forcing the cultivator back a full pace.

The man let out a sinister laugh, but under the effect of the formation, no sound emerged. He appeared possessed, his whole body shaking as muscles and bones swelled, popping and crackling like beans in a hot pan, his upper body bare.

So, he was a body cultivator too. Seeing his opponent abandon magic for brute force, Zhou Qi also put aside the Celestial Slayer Sword. A contest of pure physical strength—now that was interesting.

The cultivator charged at Zhou Qi, wielding fists the size of sandbags, cutting off every avenue of retreat. Surrounded by the shadow of those massive fists, Zhou Qi decided to test his own body. He abandoned his movement technique, clenched his fists, and hurled them at the approaching opponent.

Their fists collided, the air trembling from the impact. Zhou Qi stood firm, while the Foundation Establishment fourth-level cultivator’s fist shattered inch by inch, the tremendous force flinging him away.

Hurriedly, the cultivator scrambled to his feet, swinging his other fist at Zhou Qi’s head. Zhou Qi, stepping with the Thunder Step technique, flashed behind him and punched the man’s back. The blow felt like striking iron—his own fist ached.

Assaulted from behind, the cultivator’s fist, meant for Zhou Qi’s head, swung backward instead. Startled, Zhou Qi ignored the pain and struck the man’s elbow, breaking it.

Overwhelmed by pain, the cultivator finally snapped out of his maddened state. As a Foundation Establishment fourth-level cultivator, abandoning spiritual power for a test of flesh against this opponent was folly. Now, with his spiritual weapon destroyed and his body outmatched, he realized he had one last move left since his foe dared to show himself. Quickly, he retreated.

He formed hand seals, muttering incantations. A phantom of a great bell rose above his head, spinning and growing more solid, while his complexion grew ashen. Clearly, like the previous Foundation Establishment fifth-level cultivator, this move came at a heavy cost.

Finally, the bell solidified. Sensing its might, Zhou Qi dared not take the blow head-on. In a flash, he vanished using the Thunder Step technique.

The cultivator, having just formed the bell, realized Zhou Qi had disappeared. In a fit of rage, he spat out a mouthful of blood, finally understanding Zhou Qi’s earlier frustration.

Spells were powerful, yes, but what good were they if the enemy was gone? Staggering to his feet, he summoned the great bell above his head and smashed it down where Zhou Qi had previously stood.

The ground shattered and caved in from the impact, startling Zhou Qi. As expected, none of these cultivators were easy opponents—he definitely couldn’t have withstood that blow.

Having expended his strength, the cultivator was left depleted. Zhou Qi appeared behind him and struck him on the back of the head. The man could endure no more and fainted, whereupon Zhou Qi collected him into the Medicine Immortal’s Sanctuary.

With this Foundation Establishment fourth-level cultivator defeated, Zhou Qi didn’t immediately attack the fifth-level cultivator. Though the latter had lost his spiritual weapon, Zhou Qi knew he couldn’t take him down quickly. Instead, he focused on subduing the remaining first and second-level Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Trapped twice now by the Bewitching Immortal Formation, the group of cultivators grew tense at first, cautiously scanning their surroundings. But after a long time without attack, they relaxed again.

They had already resigned themselves: if the high-level cultivators inside killed Zhou Qi, all would be well. If even they couldn’t handle him, no amount of caution would help. They might as well give up!

This resignation made Zhou Qi’s task much easier—one punch for each, and he collected them all. By this point, of the more than thirty cultivators who had pursued Jiu’er, only the Foundation Establishment fifth-level cultivator remained outside the Medicine Immortal’s Sanctuary. Knowing the difficulty of capturing him, Zhou Qi abandoned the idea. Now that his forces were strong, it was more important to convert them to his side.

Inside the Medicine Immortal’s Sanctuary, Zhou Qi looked at the cultivators lying scattered about and could not help but rejoice—his staff would soon grow.

Although Xiao Hui, Xiao Qi, and Xiao Ti were all Foundation Establishment ninth-level cultivators, Zhou Qi never intended to release them to fight by his side. The three were already obsessed with the path of alchemy and might not obey his commands even if released. Moreover, they had agreed that after fifty years, he would let them go. Using soul-binding techniques would break his promise.

Besides, the three of them had already mastered refining third-grade pills. With a new recipe, they would likely adapt quickly. As veteran members, perhaps Zhou Qi could entrust them with teaching others the art of alchemy, he thought to himself.