The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 1697 - Killing the Second Palace Lord

The Second Palace Lord began to lift up his head after a long while. He had already regained the former peace in his eyes, but with added unidentified emotions as well. Qing Shui couldn't detect the hatred or malice that were previously present in his eyes. Instead, he was able to see an unprecedented peace lingering from within.

Qing Shui was a bit perturbed by the unusual display of behavior. The surroundings were quiet and the air remained fresh as always. The tremor from before had already decontaminated the flow of water around the surroundings.

Qing Shui continued to stare at the Second Palace Lord as the thought of Qin Hanye surfaced in his mind. He couldn't be sure that she would be the same Qin Hanye that he knew several years ago. Based on the current circumstances, he surmised that she wouldn't have changed that much from how she was before.

The Second Palace Lord had now lost half of his arm and his weapon. Likewise, he looked at Qing Shui coldly and slowly lifted up a weapon on his right arm to point at him.

Qing Shui didn't expect him to make the first move even in this kind of situation. However, it wasn't surprising to him. At this level, some actions could not be measured by conventional means anymore.

Besides the two of them here, there was no one else in the area. The reason the Second Palace Lord blocked Qing Shui in this place was most likely due to his intention of killing him. The more secluded the area was, the better. He knew that he would have to get rid of this man if he wanted to have Qing Hanye for himself, just so she could forget about him completely.

The Second Palace Lord began to make his move!

His movement in that sudden moment shocked Qing Shui, because the stream of a shadow had formed around the Second Palace Lord. This shadow was a demonic beast with a wolf body and a dragon head. He could see it clearly, yet this was definitely a shadow—a realistic shadow.

The Dragonwolf shadow wasn't that big, merely the height of three adult humans. The shadow was extremely substantial and grim, with only the half of its front legs somewhat obscure. Nonetheless, they were still visible.

The shadow charged toward Qing Shui in a blink of an eye while viciously drawing out its giant front claws.

Sizzle!

A black hole then swiftly appeared in the sky. The sharp attack had exuded a compelling aura that felt as if one could be torn apart any time soon.

Qing Shui lit up as he realized that the force this Dragonwolf shadow had struck was the combined energy of the force of Heavenly Dao, Origin Qi, and spirit energy.

A smile curved on Qing Shui's lips as he swept his Golden Battle Halberd to attack as well.

Bang bang bang!

A vacuum of space quickly appeared in the surroundings. The monstrous explosion had destroyed everything in its place.

Qing Shui did not move backwards and managed to counter against his opponent's attack, while pushing him back. He was now aware that the shadow of the Dragonwolf was the Second Palace Lord's greatest trump card. If Qing Shui wasn't able to control this type of energy, he would just be beaten blindly by it.

However, it was different this time. The Second Palace Lord was already cornered by Qing Shui.

Given that the Second Palace Lord was pushed back, during the short moment when the shadow of the Dragonwolf stopped, Qing Shui did not hesitate further and quickly charged toward his opponent.

Bang bang…..

After a few moves, the Second Palace Lord had already been returned to his human form. He was trembling, with blood dripping all over his body. His dejected eyes were focused on Qing Shui. If he wasn't able to defeat his opponent with the Dragonwolf Shadow, then there was no doubt in his mind that he would definitely die today.

The wounds on his arms were not mild. It was because of his injuries that his strength was affected. He had also been severely wounded after he had fought in the battle earlier.

Qing Shui wielded the Golden Battle Halberd and slowly walked toward the Second Palace Lord. However, the Second Palace Lord was the one who spoke first.

"Qing Hanye is yours. I won't fight with you anymore."

Qing Shui looked at the Second Palace Lord with a frown creased on his forehead. He didn't like hearing words coming out from the Second Palace Lord's mouth and he didn't particularly like seeing his face either. This kind of behavior didn't seem to make him a man at all.

"I will not fight her for the Eastern Peak Dragonwolf Palace anymore. Just let me go!" the Second Palace Lord continued with a calm demeanor.

Qing Shui was shocked by his words. When he first saw the Second Palace Lord earlier, he thought that a talented man such as himself would not be one to give up that easily. Qing Shui had an impression that he would be a person who was willing to die rather than surrender himself. Yet, he didn't expect this the Second Palace Lord to concede defeat this easily.

Instead of expressing his opinion directly, Qing Shui continued to approach the Second Palace Lord. It wasn't necessary to drive a person to the edge, however. Initially, Qing Shui had planned to kill him, but now he was unsure as he pondered whether he should insist on killing him or not.

Qing Shui didn't intend on killing someone in this sort of situation. He really had a hard time taking his life, as he would feel uncomfortable killing this person through this way. However, there might be problems in the future if he decided not to pull the roots after cutting the weed.

Qing Shui kept looking at him in order to see the hatred and malice in his eyes. As long as he was able to see any of those emotions, he could have easily killed him off. However, there were none of those in his eyes.

Qing Shui curled a smile on his face. Without any hesitation, he took his Golden Battle Halberd in his hand and pierced through the Second Palace Lord's heart.

The calmer this man was, the more suspicious it was, especially during this sort of situation. Because of that, Qing Shui did not hesitate to kill him off. Everything would end once he had died.

The Second Palace Lord gazed at Qing Shui with bewilderment. Even until the point he died, he did not close his eyes. Based on his understanding toward Qing Shui, he shouldn't have died. If he wasn't dead, he would have a chance to exact revenge in the future. Unfortunately….

Qing Shui didn't revel in the death of the the Second Palace Lord too much when he saw him falling over. With one swipe, Qing Shui disposed the corpse by dissipating it in water.

After standing on the same spot for a long time, Qing Shui then returned to the Sunset Sea King Palace. He didn't go back to the Eastern Peak Dragonwolf Palace, for the Second Palace Lord was already dead. He believed that Qing Hanye would be able to have control of the Eastern Peak Dragonwolf Palace in her hands very soon. If that was the case, then even if there was a small breach, it would be crucial to the development in the future.

When he went back to the Sunset Sea King Palace, he saw a laid-back Yiye Jiange reading a book inside a pavilion near the pond at the courtyard. Her beautiful silhouette and her demeanor seemed to fit completely within the realms of Heaven and Earth. This was a harmonious and superb scenery.

When she heard Qing Shui's footsteps approaching, Yiye Jiange turned her head to look at him. Seeing an understanding smile granted to her by Qing Shui, she gave him a look that could overthrow nations.

Unconsciously, Qing Shui put on the happiest smile on his face. His emotions were easily influenced by Yiye Jiange's state of mind.

"Good boy. Were you naughty?" Qing Shui knelt beside Yiye Jiange and pressed half of his face at her slight stomach bump.

"Who did you fight with again?" Yiye Jiange asked softly. Even though Qing Shui had changed his clothes, she was able to sense that he had fought with someone. Perhaps this was an intuition of hers.

"The Second Palace Lord of Dragonwolf Palace. He is gone forever." Qing Shui calmly replied. His voice did not waver in the slightest.

Yiye Jiange raised her head and gently caressed Qing Shui's head. Her fingers slipped into his hair. She did not say anything else. Both of them enjoyed the silence for the moment.

"I don't know when I will be able to settle down. I yearn for stability, but it seems getting peace isn't that easy." Yiye Jiange let out a quiet sigh.

In Qing Shui's heart, Yiye Jiange was a pure and otherworldly woman. Yet because she was such a woman, she could never escape some of her mortal battles, no matter how hard she tried.

"Trust me. You will get some peace, and soon at that." Qing Shui was unsure despite saying those words. He also knew that Yiye Jiange was extremely worried about the battle because of her pregnancy at the moment.

"I am already very content about my life. No matter what, I am very happy. The only thing I fear is that I might have troubled this little guy." Yiye Jiange smiled and shook her head. At this exact moment, she was so holy and pure. Qing Shui was dazed and stunned by her demeanor.