Chapter 197: Immortal and Demon Fuse, the Beast Talisman Transforms

The streams of yin wind were like physical tethers, forcing Qin Haoxuan to condense a Heaven-Cleaving Slash to break through them. As a result, his agile movements became slightly sluggish, and he barely managed to dodge the giant bear’s pounce.

BOOM!

The Talisman Beast’s paw slammed into the spot where Qin Haoxuan had just been standing, sending countless clouds of dust into the air. The soldiers standing relatively close felt the ground shift beneath their feet, nearly getting knocked over by the tremor.

Although the bear’s body was huge, its speed was not slow. After its first strike missed, it did not turn around but instead swept its rear leg in a circle, crashing directly towards Qin Haoxuan.

Qin Haoxuan leaped back, cursing inwardly. That old fellow was controlling the Talisman Beast from a distance. Even if his spiritual sense attack hit him, he wouldn’t have time to get in close and finish him off.

The giant bear was nimble, and for the first time, Qin Haoxuan felt a pressure even greater than when he had fought Yan Dong. Life and death… were separated by a single thread. If not for the strengthening of his body by the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art, how could he have dodged in time? But if he just kept dodging like this, he would eventually lose and die.

In the rear, Su Wu grew extremely anxious, sighing with emotion that the old were indeed the most cunning. He called a messenger to his side, ready to give the order to retreat at any moment. If Qin Haoxuan were to be defeated, their side’s morale would surely plummet to rock bottom, and they would be routed in a direct confrontation.

After exchanging a few more blows with the Talisman Beast, Qin Haoxuan was beginning to feel the strain. But Hao Xiu gave him no respite, immediately directing the beast to pounce on him again before he could even catch his breath. Just as he had dodged, and before he had even regained his footing, he was surprised by how agile the creature was under Hao Xiu’s control. It was too late to dodge; his only option was to meet it head-on.

He said in a low voice to Xing, who was still in armor form, “This is it!”

Qin Haoxuan circulated the Sea-Gathering Art. The spiritual energy in his body surged and roared like a澎湃sea, and he condensed all of it into his Heaven-Cleaving Slash. Originally, the blade qi of the slash was only ten feet long and deep yellow, but now, as he poured all his energy into it, the sharp blade extended to a full thirty feet. He once again met the Talisman Beast’s fist.

BANG!

The blade of the Heaven-Cleaving Slash collided with the fist of the Talisman Beast. A violent surge of spiritual energy swept out, creating a fierce gust of wind and a deafening muffled boom. The very earth seemed to tremble, and the warhorses of both armies neighed and whinnied in a frenzy of unease. The sound of thousands of horses kicking their hooves restlessly filled the battlefield, raising a cloud of dust that stretched for dozens of li. The sight was grand, but the most spectacular scene was the area around the man and the beast. Within a thousand meters of them, spiritual energy raged, and astral winds a hundred zhang high kicked up a storm of flying sand and stones. The howl of the wind was like the wail of ghosts, a truly apocalyptic sight.

This scene left the hundred thousand-plus soldiers of both armies dumbfounded. Was this the power of a High Immortal? With a wave of their hand, a fierce wind would rise, as if the heavens were about to collapse. Although Su Wu was also shocked, he was more concerned with the outcome of the battle. If Qin Haoxuan was defeated, he would be finished…

In the dust cloud, Qin Haoxuan, who had just exchanged a blow with the Talisman Beast, was knocked back several steps, the qi and blood in his body churning. He was secretly amazed at how the beast had completely inherited the strength of a giant bear’s body. The force of that punch was terrifying, enough to shatter mountains and crack stones. If not for the combined effects of the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art and Guyun’s “help,” which had made his body many times stronger than an ordinary cultivator’s, and the protection of Xing’s armor form, which had absorbed part of the force, any other cultivator of his realm would have been turned into meat paste by that blow.

The Talisman Beast did not fare well either. Several new cracks appeared on its body, created by the combined force of Qin Haoxuan’s spiritual energy and brute strength.

The more Hao Xiu fought, the more his heart trembled. Just how many trump cards did this Fourth-Leaf disciple of the Taichu Sect have? His cultivation level was not high, but when he fought, he was a complete desperado. And his body was extremely resilient; even after taking a blow from his Talisman Beast, he was only pushed back a few steps and then would continue to fight as if nothing had happened. As its master, Hao Xiu knew better than anyone the power of his beast’s punch. How could a Fourth-Leaf cultivator’s body of flesh and blood possibly withstand it? Even with his own physical strength, it would be difficult for him to take such a blow.

Hao Xiu regrouped and once again commanded the beast to pounce. After a roar, its bear paw suddenly struck out, hitting Qin Haoxuan’s back with a whistling sound. For any other cultivator, that blow, which carried the force of ten thousand jun, would have left not even a pile of mush behind. But Qin Haoxuan, protected by Xing’s armor, was only knocked back two steps and was not injured.

He was fine, but Xing let out a pained cry. “Damn it, Old Qin, are you going to win or not? Let me turn into a hammer, and you can just smash this thing to pieces. How about it?”

Panting heavily, Qin Haoxuan said in a low voice, “No! If you turn into a hammer and smash it, what if the other guy runs away? If he runs, he’ll definitely call for backup. And besides, your identity would be exposed. Once they spread the news that a Taichu disciple is working with a demon, I’m afraid we’ll both be hunted to death!”

Xing knew he was right and could only shut up. Fortunately, the Dragon Demon Golden Body had been cultivating all this time. The bear could only shake Old Qin’s qi and blood; it couldn’t possibly break through his armor transformation.

After two more direct clashes, more than a dozen cracks had appeared on the Talisman Beast’s body, the largest of which was a full finger’s width and a foot long.

Hao Xiu’s heart ached, but he was also shocked by Qin Haoxuan’s combat strength. Even a Tenth-Leaf cultivator would have been a sitting duck against his beast’s attacks. How could Qin Haoxuan, at only the Fourth-Leaf, be so formidable, even if he was from the Taichu Sect? Could he have some great treasure on him? And how does he have so much spiritual energy? Isn’t he tired? Why hasn’t he run out yet?

All sorts of questions filled Hao Xiu’s mind. As an experienced cultivator, he knew that a Fourth-Leaf junior’s spiritual energy should have been depleted long ago. What he didn’t know was that while the Immortal-Demon Seed did not grant an incredibly fast cultivation speed, its foundation was incomparably thick, and its combat endurance… was terrifying. A Purple Seed was said to be invincible at the same level because of its explosive power. The Immortal-Demon Seed could also achieve this, but not through explosive power, but through endurance. I may not be able to outrun you in a hundred meters, but then let’s run a thousand. A thousand isn’t enough? Then let’s run ten thousand. I’ll tire you to death!

“Damn it! I don’t believe you can last much longer! Your spiritual energy must be about to run dry!” Hao Xiu cursed as he commanded the beast to pounce again.

Run dry? Qin Haoxuan thought the other guy must be crazy. He didn’t feel the slightest bit of depletion. On the contrary, as the battle raged on, his spiritual energy seemed to be increasing. In the midst of this fierce fight, his cultivation also seemed to be growing, bit by bit, even faster than when he meditated.

He did not dodge. Instead, he stood his ground, took several steps forward to meet the bear, and condensed spiritual energy in both his fists, raising a Heaven-Cleaving Slash. The thirty-foot-long blade cut through the air with a sharp hiss. He met the beast’s fist and roared, “Open!”

The colliding spiritual energy exploded outwards, and the sky, which had just cleared slightly, was once again filled with yellow sand. Through the dust, Hao Xiu could see that the mere Fourth-Leaf Qin Haoxuan was like a god of war descended to the mortal realm. With a single punch, he had forced his Talisman Beast back several steps, and his own legs were sunk deep into the earth.

Although Hao Xiu was surprised by his powerful combat strength, he did not pause for a moment and commanded the pain-immune beast to pounce again. Qin Haoxuan let out a muffled roar, and with a spring, he pulled his legs from the earth and charged forward to meet the beast with another punch.

CRACK!

Qin Haoxuan’s qi and blood churned, and Xing let out a pained gasp, while several more cracks, each two feet long, appeared on the Talisman Beast’s body. The sandstorm around them grew even more intense, obscuring the sun and making it seem as if night had fallen.

After gaining a slight upper hand in two consecutive exchanges, Qin Haoxuan, having probed his opponent’s limits, decided to switch from passive to active. Although the bear was strong, after each clash, it would be weakened by the damage. And he, in the middle of battle, was actually improving with each blow. What was there to fear? Fight! Just fight!

He rushed forward and fiercely swung his Heaven-Cleaving Slash at the beast’s chest. The blade qi was like a rainbow, its pale-red edge as if stained with blood, emanating a heart-pounding aura. This strike, which contained all of his strength, opened a huge gash in the beast’s chest. Spiritual energy leaked out from its body, and it staggered.

When a Talisman Beast was injured, its master would also suffer a slight backlash. After the large gash was opened, Hao Xiu’s own qi and blood roiled, and his face turned a purplish-red.

Qin Haoxuan gave it no time to recover. He strode forward, and one Heaven-Cleaving Slash after another, as if they were free, rained down on the beast. One after another, the slashes landed, and cracks continued to appear on its body. It was forced back again and again, no longer as ferocious as before.

Having gained the upper hand, Qin Haoxuan thought to himself, Talisman Beasts are truly good things. A pile of paper talismans and the soul of an animal can actually become so powerful. My Heaven-Cleaving Slash can cut through iron like mud, yet I can’t sever this seemingly fragile beast in a single blow. It seems I’ll have to get a few of these for myself in the future.

Enraged by the repeated heavy blows, Hao Xiu endured the churning qi and blood in his body. “Damn it, you little bastard! You’re courting death! I’ll risk destroying this beast to kill you! Beast Talisman Transformation!”

He formed a spiritual seal and spat a mouthful of his true blood onto it. The cold light in the giant bear’s eyes intensified, and it let out a furious roar. Its body suddenly grew several feet taller, its form becoming even more massive.