Chapter 27: Ethereal Aura

He could feel the valley teeming with killing formations. It was clear that Qin Changsheng hadn't been unable to escape; he had truly intended to stay and kill him.

"Brother Chen An, neither of us is an idiot. You should understand that since I waited for you here, it wasn't just to let you kill me." Qin Changsheng shook his head, looking at Chen An with a mocking expression. "After these past few days of pursuit, I've realized one thing: your so-called sinister arts are truly useless against me. So, you can go ahead and die."

Boom!

As Qin Changsheng finished speaking, a terrifying aura erupted from his body, surging straight into the clouds. The power of this aura felt as if it could shake the very heavens and earth, causing Chen An to gasp for breath.

"This... this is..." Chen An stared at Qin Changsheng in horror, his eyes filled with disbelief. He sensed that the aura emanating from Qin Changsheng had transcended the Nascent Soul realm, reaching a height he could never hope to touch. Was this... the power of an Immortal?

Countless wisps of celestial energy radiated from Qin Changsheng's body! At that moment, his Immortal Pupils opened wide! A pair of cold, immortal eyes, gazing down upon all living things, fixed directly on the youth in the Daoist robe. The youth felt as if he were being targeted by an ancient, ferocious beast. An intense crisis of life and death suddenly surged within him! His peachwood sword, as if sensing a terrifying presence, began to tremble violently, as if it had encountered its natural predator.

"Ancient Immortal Pupils? This is impossible! How could you be this strong?" Chen An roared, unable to accept the reality before him.

"You've realized it too late!" Qin Changsheng said calmly, as if discussing something trivial. His aura continued to climb, seemingly without limit. He suddenly drew his sword. His cultivation of 1,100 layers of Qi Refining was fully imbued into his heavy sword, while his lifeblood burned! He knew that mere intimidation would hardly drive the youth away; he had to strike a blow—a unique, peerless strike—to make the youth truly feel fear. To do this, he had to burn enough of his own vitality. The Longevity Stele was never short of vitality; this was a sacrificial secret art he had recently learned. At 1,100 layers of Qi Refining, combined with burning his vitality, his strength was formidable—even capable of killing a Golden Core cultivator in an instant! Coupled with his Immortal Pupils, which could discern every weakness, this strike would be devastating.

"No! This is impossible! I don't believe it! Are you bluffing me?" Chen An roared crazily, finding it all absurd.

"Now, do you have any other tricks? Use them if you have them, otherwise, you won't get another chance." Qin Changsheng looked at Chen An and said flatly, as if he had already pronounced his death sentence. He finished gathering his strength and charged toward Chen An.

"Peachwood sword, ten thousand ghosts obey my command, strike!" Chen An formed a seal, and the eerie peachwood sword appeared once more in his hand, hacking viciously at Qin Changsheng. This strike contained all his strength and murderous intent, as if it could sever the heavens and earth. Yet, Qin Changsheng was undaunted. With the Longevity Stele fused into his entire body, his defense was maxed out. He sneered coldly and swung his heavy sword!

"Break!"

Boom!

Qin Changsheng’s Immortal Pupils found the weakest point in the youth's strike. His heavy sword descended, unstoppable. In an instant, the youth's attack was shattered. Qin Changsheng’s sword bypassed all defenses and struck directly at the youth's head. The speed was blinding, and the power exceeded even Qin Changsheng's own expectations; he had clearly underestimated the might of his 1,100 layers of Qi Refining.

Swish!

The sword fell. The youth could only frantically channel his energy to defend. He realized that all the power he had unleashed against Qin Changsheng had struck the man, only to be ignored as Qin Changsheng took the hits head-on. Meanwhile, Qin Changsheng’s blow had already breached his defenses. Avoiding the head, the blade landed squarely on his chest.

Crack!

The youth's ribs shattered, and he was sent flying backward. Qin Changsheng, sword in hand, prepared to strike again, while Nangong Ruoxi, who had been waiting on the sidelines, seized the opportunity. She activated a killing formation, condensing a phoenix that dived toward the retreating youth.

Whoosh!

The youth deflected all of Nangong Ruoxi's attacks, but a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips. "Fine, fine, fine! I will remember this battle today. Brother Changsheng... we shall meet again." Terrified, the youth crushed a life-saving jade talisman and fled!

Seeing that the youth had truly fallen for the ruse, Qin Changsheng dropped his sword and collapsed to the ground, limp. "Thank goodness he was scared off. That was incredibly difficult." He gasped for air, his hair turning completely snow-white in an instant... He had burned too much vitality, too many years of his lifespan. He now had less than three years left to live.

Nangong Ruoxi looked at Qin Changsheng with a complex expression. "Is it possible, perhaps, that you actually beat him away, rather than scaring him away?" She had seen it clearly; the celestial energy on Qin Changsheng's body didn't look like a disguise. The only things Qin Changsheng had truly been faking were her Nascent Soul aura and the Immortal Spiritual Root; his terrifying effects were real, and his true Qi Refining stage had never been hidden. Or rather... he really was in the Qi Refining stage, he just happened to be refining celestial energy.

Nangong Ruoxi finally understood. She grasped why Qin Changsheng could reach 1,100 layers of Qi Refining and why he couldn't form a Foundation. Celestial energy was superior to spiritual energy, but because he lacked the Laws—the soul of power—his Qi was not the energy of an Immortal. Without the driving force of the Laws, the power he could exert was limited. Qin Changsheng was a novice who didn't understand the distinction, and it seemed no one had ever told him.

Thinking of this, Nangong Ruoxi found the situation absurd.

"Are you joking? I could beat him?" Qin Changsheng rolled his eyes, breathing heavily. "If he came back now, he’d kick my head around like a ball, believe me?"

"I don't believe you!" Nangong Ruoxi said, caught between laughter and tears. "Qin Changsheng, have you ever wondered why you could easily kill the peak Golden Core cultivator Long Chen, or why you could extinguish Chen An's Soul-Devouring strike with a single glance?" She felt it was necessary for this guy to recognize his own strength; otherwise, running away at the first sight of trouble would never do.

"Luck? Or maybe my strategy was just too successful?" Qin Changsheng watched her warily. "What did you discover?" He wondered if Nangong Ruoxi had found out about his Longevity Stele. If so, he would have to silence her.

"You are indeed in the Qi Refining stage, but your 'Qi' isn't spiritual energy; it's celestial energy... And the reason you can't form a Foundation is that you're using ordinary methods. You can't successfully use spiritual-based Foundation methods on celestial energy," Nangong Ruoxi said softly.

Upon hearing this, Qin Changsheng was left completely stunned. "I'm new to cultivation, don't lie to me."

"..."