Chapter 145: Battle with Gu Qi

Ahead, a black-clad youth walked slowly. His face had shed its childishness; having experienced great ups and downs, the fury on his face was now unmistakable, plastered across his features.

Gazing at the youth who had always been composed, his current rage caused Hong Xue's cold face to freeze slightly. Her slender eyelashes trembled minutely, her emotions exceedingly complex.

“How could you be so foolish? This is clearly a trap—can’t you see?” Anyone with sense would realize that a person of unfathomable strength was trying to lure Yang Tian to his death. Hong Xue had never expected Yang Tian to come.

Now that he had come, Hong Xue’s feelings were unusually complicated, and much of her resentment toward him had dissipated.

“Brother Yang Tian, there’s a big bad guy who wants to kill you—run!” Hong Ying looked at Yang Tian’s face, her pretty features filled with anxiety as she struggled desperately against the chains binding her body.

“Shut up, you little brat!” Wang Mo’s face darkened as he barked at her. His gloomy gaze fixed on Yang Tian. Ever since Hong Ying had parted from Yang Tian, she often mentioned him, which made Wang Mo extremely displeased.

“Traitor!” Upon hearing this, Hong Xue’s face turned cold. She sneered at Wang Mo’s furious expression.

“Fine, a traitor. Do you think Yang Tian will live through today? From now on, you’ll serve me obediently.” Clenching his fists, Wang Mo suppressed his rage and said grimly.

Yang Tian’s gentle gaze fell upon the two women. When he noticed their bodies bound by a golden chain, a hint of murderous madness flickered in his eyes.

“Yang Tian, I’m beginning to appreciate you now.” Gu Qi slowly stood up, his cold gaze fixed on Yang Tian. He clenched his fist slightly and suddenly let out a faint laugh.

“I’m beginning to appreciate the deeds of your Ancient Sacred Ground. I feel ashamed for you—attacking two girls. But this truly lives up to your reputation. I salute you.” Cupping his hands, Yang Tian smiled.

“Crackle!” A trace of ferocity crossed Gu Qi’s face. He clenched his fist and said grimly, “Will you come with us willingly, or shall I take you back by force?”

“You?” Yang Tian glanced at Gu Qi, then looked up at the sky and said with a faint smile, “Old bastard, don’t you dare face me? You skulking dog!”

As Yang Tian’s voice fell, the void trembled. Gu Ba’s figure emerged from the void, his gloomy gaze sweeping over Yang Tian as he said coldly, “Sharp-tongued little beast, today I’ll skin you alive.”

“Old bastard, I’m ashamed for you. Using two girls to threaten me—do you think you’re worthy of taking my life?” Yang Tian’s cold gaze fell on Gu Ba as he sneered.

“Little beast, you’re counting on the soul body inside you, aren’t you? I wonder how many more attacks like that day it can launch?” Gu Ba suppressed his fury, his wary gaze sweeping over Yang Tian.

He dared to come alone and speak so boldly—he must have some backing. Gu Ba dared not be careless.

“Enough to kill you.” Shrugging, Yang Tian said calmly, “I never thought that an elder of the esteemed Ancient Sacred Ground would have something to fear. It seems your efforts weren’t in vain…”

“Little beast!” Gu Ba’s face turned harsh as he slowly stepped forward. At the same time, a fierce gust of wind suddenly surged from his clenched fist behind his back.

“Die!” Gu Ba grinned ferociously, throwing a punch. The wind howled as it smashed toward Yang Tian’s body.

“Pfft…” Abruptly, Gu Ba’s body stiffened. Wisps of black qi emerged on his chest, and his surging aura suddenly weakened.

“Pfft, pfft…” His face instantly flushed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

“What’s happening?” Gu Qi and the others’ faces changed drastically. They stared in disbelief at Gu Ba spitting blood. Without any warning, he had been attacked—how was that possible?

“Bastard!” Gu Ba roared in agony, suppressing the excruciating pain. Yang Xiao’s attack was extremely strange. A trace of root cause remained in Gu Ba’s body, and today it had been triggered, causing injury.

“Whoosh!” Suddenly, Yang Xiao’s soul body appeared in the sky, holding a cyan seal. His vast aura surged forth, distorting the void and creating a massive force field around him.

The sudden appearance of this person made everyone’s expressions shift. They sensed that the soul body’s might was extremely strong, rivaling a War King. Moreover, the cyan seal in his hand looked familiar.

“This… this is the Azure Dragon Seal!” After scanning the cyan seal, Gu Qi’s face showed shock. Every dao artifact of the Ancient Li Clan was unique, each containing the soul body of a Sacred Ground powerhouse. Even if others obtained it, they dared not use it.

“So it was you causing trouble a while ago!” Gu Ba’s eyes were filled with ferocity. The soul within the Azure Dragon Seal had been destroyed, but they hadn’t found out how.

Every dao artifact was extremely precious in the Ancient Sacred Ground. Last time, Gu Mo and the others were sent on an important mission; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been granted dao artifacts.

“Sorry, we’ll gladly accept your Ancient Sacred Ground’s dao artifact.” Yang Tian glanced around with a slightly mocking look and said with a faint smile. If he knew he also had a Golden Dragon Seal, he wondered what expression he’d make.

“Good… good…” Gu Ba was utterly enraged, his body radiating murderous aura. A small red sword appeared in his hand, shimmering with divine light, exuding a sharp edge.

Whoosh! The long sword in Gu Ba’s hand swung abruptly, sending a dozen-zhang-long sword qi slicing through the air. The dazzling sword light was immensely powerful, instantly appearing before Yang Xiao.

“Scram!” Yang Xiao sneered. The cyan seal in his hand trembled, and he lifted the zhang-tall dao artifact, smashing it against the sword qi.

Clang! Clang! The void rang with metallic clashes. Sparks flew from the cyan seal as it shattered the dozen-zhang sword qi completely.

Whoosh! Yang Xiao’s figure flickered like a ghost, appearing before Gu Ba. He lifted the cyan seal and smashed it down directly at Gu Ba’s head.

Yang Xiao was extremely fast, constantly moving around Gu Ba, swinging the great cyan seal repeatedly, shattering large swaths of the void.

"Yang Tian, it's time we settled our accounts." Gu Qi's gaze shifted, his cold, sharp eyes sweeping over Yang Tian. Facing Yang Tian, he was fully confident he could defeat him.

"You're not qualified yet." A corner of his mouth curled up, and a fighting spirit rose within Yang Tian. His essence, energy, and spirit reached their peak, surging like a rainbow of blood and qi. A subtle aura quietly blossomed, enveloping the heavens and earth.

"Die!" Gu Qi roared angrily, strands of sound waves spreading out like a sudden blow to the head, surging toward every part of Yang Tian's body.

Ding ding! Yang Tian remained unmoved. Xiao Bai poked out its head, the purple-gold bell around its neck shaking the void. The empty space ahead suddenly exploded with a roar, and this region of space rippled slightly.

"What the hell is that?" Seeing this, Gu Qi's pupils contracted slightly. The sound wave martial technique he had just unleashed was blocked by the little beast in Yang Tian's arms.

"This is definitely a rare beast of heaven and earth—it can wield artifacts!" Gu Qi stared for a few moments, his eyes burning with fervor. Only beasts that had developed intelligence could do such a thing.

And how could this little beast's strength be that of a spirit beast? Yet it could activate treasures—it was definitely a rare beast. Gu Qi's heart grew even more fervent, and a hint of greed appeared in his eyes.

"Yang Tian, you really do surprise me. I'll gladly accept this little beast." Gu Qi's face was full of smiles, as if Yang Tian were already in his grasp, toyed with at his leisure.

"Idiot..." The man with a face full of idiocy stared at Gu Qi. No wonder he was the one who had dug pits all night. Then Yang Tian patted Xiao Bai's body.

Swish! Xiao Bai's figure instantly vanished from Yang Tian's arms and dashed toward Hong Ying at an extremely fast speed, like a phantom.

"Stop it, and don't hurt my pet!" Gu Qi waved his hand, and several men behind him immediately chased after Xiao Bai's body.

Whoosh! Yang Tian's figure suddenly flickered, appearing directly in front of Gu Qi. His inner energy surged out as he threw a punch.

Bang! Gu Qi's figure spun abruptly, striking out a palm from a distance. A azure light shot forth, shredding the fist technique in the void.

Yang Tian's aura climbed steadily. A dazzling silver light instantly enveloped his body. At that moment, arcs of lightning leaped out, and his entire aura surged dramatically.

"So he can indeed refine the lightning tribulation!" Looking at Yang Tian's body, greed flickered in Gu Qi's eyes. His figure suddenly shook, and several fierce palm winds slashed toward him.

Bang! Bang! Yang Tian clenched his fist, and a surge of power burst forth. He punched out like an indestructible iron spear, directly shattering several palm winds.

Yang Tian's figure flickered, and his entire body became a deadly weapon—hands, fists, elbows, legs—attacking wildly like a storm.

Gu Qi's face turned slightly pale. This fierce wind was extremely terrifying; Yang Tian's physical strength was no longer comparable to that of ordinary people, and each gust of wind tore through the vacuum.

"Sister, do you think Brother Yang Tian can win?" Looking at the figures fighting ahead, a storm had already formed, with silver light surging within, stirring up dust and smoke.

"Don't worry, your Brother Yang Tian will drive the bad guys away." Hong Xue rubbed Hong Ying's head and smiled sweetly, her gaze fixed entirely on the figures battling ahead.

A small snow-white beast moved among three figures, and the clear sound of silver bells occasionally exploded, causing the profound artifacts in their hands to tremble and fly about.

The expressions of the three were very ugly. Apart from one person who had a half-finished Dao artifact, the other two had already lost a peak profound artifact, shattered by the sound waves.

The origin of the purple-gold bell around Xiao Bai's neck was very mysterious. Even Yang Xiao, with his discerning eye, could not determine its grade, but its compatibility with Xiao Bai was extremely high.

"Ao wu..." Xiao Bai let out a roar, its big eyes flashing with ferocity. Its body leaped suddenly, the purple-gold bell clearing the way ahead, directly striking at one of the disciples.

Bang bang! In the field, figures interweaved, and the surrounding rocks continuously exploded. Yang Tian's long black hair danced wildly, his eyes like lightning. Over time, starlight began to burst from his silver-white body.

The more Gu Qi fought, the more alarmed he became. Yang Tian's physical body was too terrifying, and the blood energy driven within him was also extremely fierce. The moment his own blood energy touched Yang Tian's body, it was directly scattered.

"This little beast." Gu Qi clenched his fists, the blood energy in his body surging continuously. A bright blue light gathered on his fist, and as the energy swelled, the vacuum around him twisted.

"Ancient Mountain-Breaking Fist!" With a deep shout, Gu Qi's body suddenly pressed into Yang Tian, and his fierce blood energy burst forth. The surrounding vacuum was directly torn open, smashing fiercely toward Yang Tian's head.

"Earth-Shaking Seal!" Yang Tian sneered. The small red seal behind him instantly rotated through the void. As he formed the final seal, the entire small red seal began to tremble.

Now that Yang Tian was fully executing the Earth-Shaking Seal, it was far beyond what it had been before. Comparable to a Star-tier martial skill, he could now exert some of its power.

Bang bang! The vacuum exploded. Two brilliant beams of light clashed together, tearing sound bursts frequently erupting, and the vacuum for dozens of zhang around collapsed.

Both bodies were knocked back by the residual force. Yang Tian retreated dozens of steps, the cracks spreading rapidly under his feet, and his blood energy rippled throughout his body.

At the point of collision, a gully over ten zhang long was exposed to the eyes of Hong Ying and the others, who both gasped. They knew very well that Yang Tian, at the Martial Artist realm, could fight a Tongxuan expert for so long.

"Yang Tian, you have thoroughly angered me. Die!" Gu Qi roared in fury, his entire aura suddenly surging several times, his cold gaze fixed on Yang Tian.

"It seems I need to finish him quickly." Yang Tian glanced at the shadows battling in the void. Although the power within was invisible, he knew in his heart that the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for Yang Xiao.

"Heh!" Yang Tian let out a light shout. A river of blood energy instantly floated above his head, with drumming resounding, wind howling and raging, thunder surging, and starlight shining—an extremely powerful phenomenon manifested.