The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 1590 - Victory, How About Sharing Your Man?

Everything happened in an instant. The Silver Battle King Crab curled up swiftly to protect his abdomen and folded his four sturdy legs. Even the weapons in his four arms were concealed under his body.

Bang, clank!

Though the Silver Battle King Crab was able to block the attack of the Nine Continents Mountain and the Thorn of Earth, Qing Shui's might had increased, so the power of Nine Continents Mountain was not to be underestimated. The Silver Battle King Crab was shoved back by a few dozen meters.

The several dozens of meters couldn't be considered a retreat, for it was only normal to fly back upon impact of an attack. However, the strike had also made Qing Shui realize that the Silver Battle King Crab was not much of a threat to himself.

The Silver Battle King Crab was upset by the attack. The sudden reduction of speed felt as if he was wading through a mire. This could prove fatal especially when up against a powerful warrior.

That wasn't all. Considering his heavy consumption of strength for battle, the 20% reduction had a substantial impact and almost drove him to tears. Sometimes, it wasn't simply death that one feared, it was dying a cowardly death.

If he died in this way... if he was killed in this way, then it really wasn't much of a difference from that.

Ancient Battle Blood!

The Silver Battle King Crab's body glowed white as rings after rings of energy emitted from him. Apart from the Emperor's Qi and Art of Pursuing, any other negative effects on him diminished with the glow. Even the Art of Pursuing only affected him to a normal extent now, but Qing Shui could sense that his weakened state would return in about fifteen minutes.

Still, even this was enough to surprise Qing Shui. The Ancient Battle Blood was powerful indeed; now the Silver Battle King Crab was only under a reduction of 30% in its usual speed, and 20% in its usual might—an improvement from before.

The Emperor's Qi was still as obnoxious as ever. There wasn't anyone who could handle it thus far and it could reduce 20% of his opponent's strength in all cases.

The Silver Battle King Crab watched Qing Shui in horror. The Ancient Battle Blood could last for fifteen minutes and cancel out most negative effects. It could heal him, and even his strength would be increased while under this condition. Only a number of exceptionally stubborn effects wouldn't be cancelled out completely.

He had never encountered this before. Typically, the Ancient Battle Blood would be able to dispel everything and he would be able to end the battle in those fifteen minutes. When he summoned the Ancient Battle Blood, he was no longer afraid of toxins or any other negative conditions, including normal battle techniques and the like. This was the exceptional power of this skill.

Although he was in horror, he knew that the only chance he had to kill Qing Shui was now. If fifteen minutes passed before then, the only chance he would have would be at losing. He's was part of the ancient battle crab bloodline. He couldn't afford to lose to this person. He represented the Sunset Palace in this fight, and so he could only win, but he knew the young man in front of him would be a hard nut to crack.

Ancient Whirlwind Slash!

The Silver Battle King Crab was not holding back anymore. The sound of the blade emitted a zig-zag trajectory towards Qing Shui. The gigantic body whirred towards Qing Shui like a whirlwind.

The four swivelling weapons stirred up three out of five elements, with a phantom shrouding Qing Shui.

This was the Silver Battle King Crab's Sure Kill Heavenly Technique. It could lock onto its target despite burning more strength. The technique could pursue its target until the point of its exhaustion.

Qing Shui held onto his Golden Battle Halberd and struck with his Nine Stances of the Ancient Divine Battle Technique.

The Golden Battle Halberd's attack was the sharpest. Even though it might not be the most powerful, it was the best at stirring up the five elements. Qing Shui's might was pretty decent now, and the power of the strike he unleashed was at the maximum.

Crash!

The Golden Battle Halberd produced a huge silhouette of a golden spear, carrying the imagery trace of a sharp arrow as it penetrated through the Silver Battle King Crab's phantom, bringing about a series of loud crashes.

Qing Shui stumbled back from the tremors. Still he was glad that there wasn't any discomfort in his body, which was now stronger than he had expected. The capability of the Jade Kirin Dragon Vessel was truly terrifying.

Qing Shui's endurance was equally alarming as well and didn't require much consumption of energy. Hence, Qing Shui always had stamina to continue fighting, never stopping his onslaught of attacks…

The Silver Battle King Crab fell back repeatedly. His body hadn't sustained any critical injuries but he felt a surge in his Qi and blood. The fact that even his Sure Kill Heavenly Technique had been blocked had lowered his confidence greatly.

A sense of crisis hit him like never before. He couldn't think about the consequences of failure, nor did he want to die. He wouldn't be able to die in peace in this manner. Fifteen minutes… If he couldn't defeat Qing Shui in those fifteen minutes, then the hope of victory would be slim.

On the contrary, Qing Shui grew even more confident after the attack. Those who are brave felt invincible, and with his strong defense, Qing Shui could exhibit his abilities without reservations. Even though his attacks weren't that powerful, they weren't that weak either. With just his Formations, Halos and his Golden Battle Halberd, his attack would be impressive enough.

Nine Palace Steps!

Nine Stances of the Ancient Divine Battle Technique, Tyrannical Sweep!

The Golden Battle Halberd's steady blow disrupted the attacks from the Silver Battle King Crab, forcing the other party to either endure or dodge Qing Shui's strikes.

Nine Continents Mountain!

The good thing about mental attacks was that they moved as one willed. As long as one had consciousness, mental attacks were usable. The consumption of strength was negligible and without backfire. This was the treasured advantage of the Nine Continents Mountain.

Qing Shui couldn't be bothered with summoning the Dragon Slaying Beast either. It would be such a waste if he didn't use this sandbag to its full extent, showering it in attacks. The amount of killing techniques he could use was as endless as the waves in the Yangtze River.

At this moment, Qing Shui was incomparably relaxed, like he was able to do as he pleased.

While Qing Shui was enjoying the moment, the Silver Battle King Crab was tired of withstanding his blows. The huge body was sustaining injuries in quick succession. There were more than a few times when Qing Shui's attack had even pierced holes through his remaining weapons.

While his weapons were not divine artefacts, they were still of legendary grade. It was now that he truly realized the astounding strength of the young man. However, like drowning amidst huge waves, there was not turning back for him now.

The Silver Battle King Crab was from an ancient battle bloodline; even with his combat skills and endurance, he was still pushed to the extent that he had ran out of breath. Even his strength didn't seemed to be able to catch up with the battle; all four arms and four legs were sore.

How long had it been since he last felt this way? This time, he was already beaten to this state even before the fifteen minutes were up.

He knew that the battle was over too quickly and with his passivity, the exhaustion of strength had greatly increased too. Under the effect of the Ancient Battle Blood, the consumption was thrice the usual rate.

Qing Shui had never battled with such pleasure and even though he took quite a beating in the midst of it, he inflicted more damage in comparison. He was practically unscathed from the attacks he endured, but the injuries on the Silver Battle King Crab were apparent. Not fatal, but still soaked in blood.

The longer he fought, the more courageous Qing Shui got, as though he didn't have the word exhaustion in his dictionary. That wasn't all. The more he fought, the easier it got for him as well, and he could feel his strength increase as the minutes passed.

The people of the Sea King's Palace were cheering loudly and ceaselessly.

"Not only does the Guardian of our Sea King's Palace have the most potential, he is also the strongest. How powerful must he be to defeat the Silver Battle King Crab of the Sunset Palace at such a young age!"

"Exactly! It seems like the Sea King's Palace will rise soon."

"Guardian Qing Shui belongs to the Second Palace Mistress, and only she is a compatible match to this young man."

"What are you talking about? It should be Qing Shui who's a compatible match to our Second Palace Mistress."

"That's right, and the First Palace Mistress isn't inferior to the Second Palace Mistress either. It's only that she didn't have the Immortal Aura. I heard First Palace Mistress fancies Guardian Qing Shui too."

"We better not discuss this. Whether she fancies him or not isn't something we should concern ourselves with. All we need to do is stay loyal to the Sea King's Palace, and work hard for the Sea King's Palace. Only when it's strong can we safeguard our lives and kins."

"That's right, I was born in the Sea King's Palace and I'll stay here as a ghost even after I die."

……

On the other hand, the Sunset Palace was dispirited. Even with the crowd of people that gathered, no one uttered a single sound. They seemed to be in disbelief that their Silver Battle King Crab—the strong warrior that they respected so much—was this badly defeated. With the aggravation, they would love to be able to rush forward and knock Qing Shui down.

"Come back, you're defeated. Let's go back!"

An elegant voice sounded and Qing Shui could identify it straight away. It was the Mistress of Sunset Palace.

The Silver Battle King Crab stopped all his movements at the sound of the voice. Although reluctant, rather dying than staying alive like this, he still respected his Palace Mistress. Whatever his Palace Mistress wanted him to do, he would do without a frown or with any objections. All he ever had was given by the Mistress of Sunset Palace, and it was her who saved his life before as well.

Naturally, Qing Shui stopped too.

"We'll withdraw in fifteen minutes. We'll forget about this matter, but if you refuse to accept, you can discuss this with me at the Sunset Palace." The woman didn't speak any more after.

Qing Shui didn't reply either. He knew that this was an excuse for the woman to retreat. Although the Silver Battle King Crab had managed to keep his own life, he still bore a great burden. Even so, it would be hard for him to improve his cultivation any further, so there wasn't much of a sacrifice.

Qing Shui returned without a word. At the end of the battle, the two women returned to the tent, deep in conversation about his fight.

"How strong are you? It seems like we've found a treasure this time." A smile decorated Muyun Qingge's beautiful face.

"I told you, I can take a beating, but I'm really not all that strong. Am I really a treasure?" With a smile, Qing Shui looked towards Yiye Jiange.

Desolation flitted across Muyun Qingge's eyes, but she still managed a grin. "You're Jiange's treasure. She has changed a lot since your arrival. If this goes on, that insatiable spark in her will be buried by you."

Muyun Qingge was definitely brave in saying those words, as even Yiye Jiange didn't have the words to retort. With a flushed face and an annoyed glance towards Muyun Qingge, she retorted. "I told you it's time to find a man."

"How about sharing your man?" Muyun Qingge said with a giggle. She had said it as a joke, but that was how humans were. The worse they were at cracking such an obvious joke, the more likely they actually meant something by it.