The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 1081 - No Room for Clemency, Reuniting with Tantai Xuan

As Qing Shui was getting closer and closer, a group of Blood Wolf Vultures charges towards him. Qing Shui on the other hand, calmly took out his Big Dipper Sword and casually swept it. He instantly killed one in one sweep, sometimes he would kill several.

There were quite a lot of Blood Wolf Vultures that leaped towards Qing Shui. But due to the fact that their body size were quite huge, only about ten managed to come into direct contact with Qing Shui. Qing Shui currently possessed a strength worth almost six hundred thousand stars even without his Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation, if he triggered the 20% chance to double his attack damage, then he would his attack strength to nearly a million and two hundred thousand stars worth of strength.

The group of Blood Wolf Vultures in front was unable to inflict any damage on Qing Shui. After more than a hundred of them were defeated by Qing Shui, the Blood Wolf Vultures retreated. However, instead of retreating back fully, they still surrounded the purple robed man and his companions.

Woo woo……

The Blood Wolf Vulture was a really greedy and bloodthirsty Demonic beast. Qing Shui didn't go after them. On the contrary, he only stayed back and watched the struggling purple robed man and his companions.

Woo woo……

Among the Blood Wolf Vulture, there was one that was slightly bigger than average. Unlike the rest of the Blood Wolf Vulture that had black head, it's entire body was colored bloody red. Qing Shui could tell right away that it was the king of the group of Blood Wolf Vulture. If they intended to defeat the group of Blood Wolf Vulture, they would have to go after the Blood Wolf Vulture King.

But Qing Shui didn't really want to do that. He was never interested in the group's survival. Since the beginning, Qing Shui had never thought of fighting him. The Violet Dragon Mountain was just an existence that represented the hidden strength of Northern Sacred Lu Continent. He wasn't really afraid of them, it's just that after leaving the five continents, his women and members of the Qing Clan would remain behind, hence, it would be best if they just quietly disappeared within the Ancient Ruins.

Even if they suspected it was Qing Shui's doing, they did not have the evidence to prove it was him. This was an opportunity that Qing Shui would not waste. Without getting his hands dirty, he was still able to achieve his goal. If not for the group of Blood Wolf Vultures, Qing Shui would still act on his own accord make sure they could not leave the Ancient Ruins.

"Sir, we're from Violet Dragon Mountain. Please lend us a hand, we will definitely reward you handsomely." An old man told Qing Shui. He sounded a bit rushing when he said it.

Qing Shui didn't say anything. Instead, he only looked at the halo of the formation that was about to crumble in silent and the gloomy purple robed man. While he was doing that, the purple robed man was also looking back right at him.

"Sir, please lend us a hand. Previously, it was our fault to be blinded by our pride. The mistress from Beiming Clan was only a concubine of our young master. Previously, it was us who have offended you, please overlook it." Another elderly man said quickly when he saw Qing Shui remaining silent.

Qing Shui wasn't really surprised. A lot of people would do things that they usually wouldn't do at the time when their life was threatened. Who would want to bow down and bend their knees to others? Nevertheless, there are countless people doing it every day all for survival purpose.

Qing Shui continued smiling and remained silent while looking at the purple robed man. As he looked at the gloomy face of the man, he could already tell that this man took his pride really seriously. Trying to convince him to say something like this would be even harder than ascending up heaven itself. Hence, he looked at the man in silent, which made his intention clear, he wanted to hear him say it.

Previously, the elderly men were trying their best to say it on his behalf. Despite being sly foxes that have lived a long age, they weren't able to interpret Qing Shui's intention. The reason why they kept on rushing to say it was all in hope to get Qing Shui to sympathize with them. Alternatively, it was also because they thought that after hearing them said it, the purple robed man might also change his mind and follow suit . This was a psychological effect.

"Young master, please say something. A man knows when to quit and when to stand on his ground." An old man beside the purple robed man who has been silent the whole time said gently.

The purple robed man grit his teeth and shot a glance at Qing Shui with his gloomy eyes. He gripped both of his fists tightly, so much so that his palm got wounded by his fingernails. From a young age, he always got whatever he wanted. He would never have thought that he would run into such an embarrassing situation. He tried his best to hold it in, but he still couldn't help but looked at Qing Shui with both his eyes.

For people from Supreme Aristocratic Clan, nothing comes more important than their face. Deep inside the purple robed man's heart, he'd rather throw away his life than throw away his pride. Otherwise in the future, he wouldn't be able to establish anything in the Continent. If today, he admitted his mistakes, it would only leave behind fears in him. This would drive him mad.

He was clear about what would happen. Qing Shui coldly looked on from the side. He was really unhappy with how highly the purple robed man took his pride. Nevertheless, if the purple robed man really did say something, Qing Shui would still not lend him a hand.

Sometimes, having too much sympathy would only result in one's loss. Depending on the situations, it might be a wiser choice sometimes to be bloodless. It's best stifle dangers in the cradle.

Peng!

The halo of the formation has been destroyed!

"Protect Young Master!" An old man screamed loudly.

"Mister, please lend us a hand. I swear on my life that I will give you something valuable in return……"

……

Qing Shui looked on as the man in purple robe tried his best to kill the Blood Wolf Vultures. Both of his eyes looked as if they're breathing out fire, it was as if he had been driven mad. His cultivation level was decent, almost at the same level as Qing Shui before he entered the Ancient Ruins. But now, it could be said that they had a huge gap in strength. If they're outside, even before entering the Ancient Ruins, Qing Shui could still have easily handled the purple robed man with his Spiritual Battle Technique.

Pu!

It was a short and depressing snort, an elder man's head got blown apart as a result from the attacks of the Blood Wolf Vulture. Yet until this moment, there were still a few elderly men around the man in purple robe trying to convince him to apologize to Qing Shui.

The man in purple robe on the other hand, he was madly massacring the Blood Wolf Vultures in the surrounding and didn't seem to give the least bit of concern to the words of the people around him. Both of his eyes looked bloody red. It might have been that he didn't want to sacrifice his pride, or he was thinking for his future, he was reluctant to admit fault, so much so that he hated Qing Shui more and more.

One died!

Yet another one died!

……

Up until the end when only the man in the purple robe was left, everything has been decided. Qing Shui still didn't act. Instead, he looked on at the man in purple robe who was driven crazy and felt absolutely nothing.

He didn't have the slightest sympathy for people like this. Everyone has to be responsible for whatever they did. Furthermore, Qing Shui himself was aware that this person would pose a threat to him alive.

Everything turned quiet. Qing Shui collected the Interspatial Silk Sachet scattered on the ground. Wars were the best time to collect loots. In fact, the fastest way to get rich was by killing people and stealing their loots. But of course, a gentleman knew to earn money the right way despite how much they loved it, even if it was about killing people, they should still only kill those that were meant to die.

Almost twenty days of the one month time limit had passed. Occasionally, other people who entered the Ancient Ruins could be spotted. During this time, Qing Shui felt that he had already used up all his luck. Other than finding some medicinal herbs, he wasn't able to find anymore stuff.

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared and swiftly moved past Qing Shui. Qing Shui found it really familiar, but he only managed to see it momentarily. He instinctively rode on the Thunderous Beast and followed after it.

The silhouette has already passed through the tall mountain in front. Qing Shui also followed along and leaped towards the mountain. At the time when he arrived at the mountain, he realized that the silhouette was staring right back at him.

"Why are you following me?"

Qing Shui spotted the familiar body figure.

The woman wore a snow white plain cloth. She had a really slender and beautiful body. The aura which she exuded felt somewhat pure and holy.

Her pupils looked so pure and holy that it could drive one crazy. It looked really graceful, it was free from vulgarity and was accompanied by some sort of profound magnanimity to it.

The white scarf covered up almost all of her face, leaving only both of her pupils, which even Qing Shui himself was entranced to, exposed. She was a woman whom people already found exceptionally beautiful before they even saw her entire face. What's more beautiful about her was the aura which she exuded and the feeling that she gave to others.

Tantai Xuan!

"No wonder I find the body figure somewhat familiar, it's Miss Tantai." Qing Shui summoned back the Thunderous Beast and greeted her with a smile.

The reason why Qing Shui found her a bit familiar was due to the Portrait of Beauty which he acquired not long ago. The woman drawn on the portrait was none other than her. It could also be said that her charm as well as her appearance in the portrait was totally identical to that of her in real life.

"You are?" Tantai Xuan looked at Qing Shui in suspicion.

Qing Shui felt that this was the first time when he felt this offended. Considering that Tantai Xuan didn't seem to be pretending, she seemed to really not recognize Qing Shui. He had no choice but to say helplessly: "My name is Qing Shui, I have been to your house before. And I have seen Miss Tantai once too."

"I remember now, grandpa seems to have a really good impression of you. I'm sorry, I didn't manage to recall it previously." Tantai Xuan explained embarrassingly.

"It's nothing, it's normal, I never expected Miss Tantai to remember me either. I feel really happy to be able to see you here." Qing Shui actually meant what he said. The reason why he said this somehow had to do with her strength.

The woman was able to achieve four hundred thousand stars worth of strength when she was in the Ancient Ruins. At the time when Qing Shui was in Southern Viewing Continent, she must have seen Qing Shui as a small fry based on his strength then. That was why he found it perfectly normal that she didn't remember him.

Qing Shui felt really puzzled after sensing Tantai Xuan's strength. He felt that even the people from Tantai Clan might not have an idea about the true extent of her strength. As he dwelled deeper into his thought, the more he found her mysterious.

In comparison, Tantai Xuan was even more shocked than Qing Shui, it's just that she didn't express it out, the reason being that at the moment, she couldn't tell for sure how strong Qing Shui was.

"Sir, you must be kidding. I'm also really happy to be able to see you again."

Tantai Xuan's voice resembled the voice of nuns who were chanting buddha's scripture in temple. It had a pure and holy charm to it.

"You must have only came here after the Ancient Ruins opened!" Qing Shui said after a few thoughts.

"Yeah, I arrived here on the second day the Ancient Ruins opened. At that time, there were already very few people coming into the ruins. However, there were quite a lot of them who stayed outside. You came here from the deepest part of the ruins." Tantai Xuan nodded her head as she explained. After that, she looked at Qing Shui in suspicion.

"It's not that far away, I do not dare to delve any deeper into it as I'm afraid I may not be able to make it back out. Did you come alone?"

"Yeah, I only rushed here after receiving informations about it. This place is a bit far away from Southern Viewing Continent. The people from my clan were already unable to make it in time."

"We don't have much time left. Miss Tantai, how long are you planning to stay here for?" Qing Shui felt that if he didn't have the Nine Continents Step Effect here, he would need to ride on his mount to rush back towards the exit.

"I found a Ten Thousand Years Demonic Lotus nearby. It's really important to me. I am planning to leave only after I take the Demonic Lotus." Tantai Xuan explained after thinking for a while.

As Qing Shui saw her expression, he already knew that the Ten Thousand Years Demonic Lotus wasn't something that could be easily acquired. She must have most likely attempted to get it a few times but with no success.

"Do you need my help? If we don't rush back now, we wouldn't be able to get out in time." Qing Shui said with a serious tone.

"Near the Ten Thousand Years Demonic Lotus, there is a Five Elements Water Jiao King that is a lot more powerful than myself. I have tried countless times to get the lotus but all attempts only ended in failure. I don't feel good giving up on it at a time like this." Tantai Xuan let out a sigh.

"Do you know roughly how strong the Five Elements Water Jiao King is?" Qing Shui didn't rush to promise anything.