The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 640 - Old Demon Ba's Retaliation Before Death

Qing Shui aimed a Frosted Iron Ball at one of Old Demon Ba's calves, while another Frosted Iron Ball sealed off Old Demon Ba's escape route. Moreover, Old Madam Mo was also closing in with her killing move, preventing Old Demon Ba from moving forward.

Lady Duanmu and Di Xuan were closing in for an assault from both sides, which completely sealed off all his potential escape routes. His back route was already blocked by Qing Shui's Frosted Iron Ball and the other routes on the side and the front were blocked too. This way, Old Demon Ba would have no other choice but to get hit by one of Qing Shui's Frosted Iron Ball. This Hidden Weapon Technique was unavoidable anyway because of its versatile nature.

Even if Old Demon Ba tried to find an opening through Lady Duanmu's or Di Xuan's weaknesses, he would still be assaulted. If he chose to exploit Lady Duanmu's weakness, he would be rebuffed by Di Xuan's parry. But if he chose to exploit Di Xuan's weakness, he would be fully assaulted by Lady Duanmu, as well as by Old Madam Mo's attack.

Old Demon Ba prepared himself as he clenched his teeth to face the attack from Old Madam Mo's Diamond Scepter!

The fight seemed to have been going on for quite a while, but it actually all happened in a few moments!

Bang!

Old Madam Mo was forced backwards by the impact from Old Demon Ba. However, his shoulder was hit by Lady Duanmu's 'Flowing Cloud Attack', which crippled his arm in the process. The Frosted Iron Ball also broke Old Demon Ba's calf.

However, Di Xuan's attack completely missed Old Demon Ba!

After that, everyone landed on the ground. Old Demon Ba was now stained in red. He knew that he had ended up like this because of that young man - he knew Qing Shui had intentionally cut off all his means of retreat. Qing Shui had orchestrated the Frosted Iron Balls to force him to the pits of death with no way out. Old Demon Ba had to pay the price for falling for Qing Shui's plan.

The climax was over, Old Demon Ba's death was already guaranteed. Qing Shui stood nearby in a cautious stance, he didn't dare to put his guard down. The stronger the opponent was, the higher the chances of them retaliating during their final moments before death. He speculated that Old Demon Ba would return the 'favor' a few times stronger than all of them combined.

Qing Shui held his two Frosted Iron Balls tightly in his hands, while Old Madam Mo adjusted her stance as she gripped her Diamond Scepter firmly. She then rushed towards Old Demon Ba, intending to finish him off. Lady Duanmu and Di Xuan had also adjusted their stances and went straight for Old Demon Ba once again.

In this kind of situation, Old Demon Ba could only retreat backwards. Otherwise, he would be inflicted with a few more heavy wounds, which would seal the deal to his imminent death.

However, if he were to retreat backwards, the young man behind him would definitely shoot the haunting Frosted Iron Balls at him. With his wounded condition, it would be impossible to evade Qing Shui's attack and the incoming assaults by the three people in front of him at the same time.

Old Demon Ba anticipated the assault with a flash of dejection in his eyes. However, there was something else within his expression - a loathsome hatred and a vicious intent. As the three of them were about to land their attacks on Old Demon Ba, his black broken blade suddenly struck towards the furthest attacker - Lady Duanmu, without any warning.

No one saw it coming.

The black broken blade burned with a thick black flame before it plunged itself against Lady Duanmu with the speed of light. They could only see a quick flash before it pierced Lady Duanmu, stabbing a hole in her body.

The broken blade was initially aimed at Lady Duanmu's heart, but when it was less than half a meter from plunging into her heart, a faint white halo suddenly appeared on her chest. The blade was prevented from going through her heart.

However, it was too late. Although the halo had forcibly diverted the broken blade, the blade still inadvertently plunged straight down to her abdomen area, creating a gaping hole in her stomach. At the same time, Old Demon Ba had given up resisting the incoming assault and allowed Old Madam Mo and Di Xuan to finish him off, killing him on the spot.

Qing Shui's Frosted Iron Balls fell to the ground!

"Mother!"

Duanmu Lingshuang cried out to Lady Duanmu who was on the verge of crashing to the ground. She quickly rushed towards the scene as fast as she could with her Ice Crane from afar.

Instantaneous Diamond Evasion!

Qing Shui swiftly jumped down from his Diamond Gigantic Elephant and rushed to Lady Duanmu's side. He was just in time to catch her before she fell. Quickly, Qing Shui tapped onto countless meridian points on her chest area.

At that moment, Qing Shui had already lost count after tapping her chest area a number of times. Although Lady Duanmu was already covered in blood, Qing Shui refused to jump into blind conclusions because of that. He feared he would lose control if he was faced with the reality that she wouldn't be able to live any longer.

"Mother……."

Just then, Duanmu Lingshuang appeared on the opposite side of Qing Shui and gently held Lady Duanmu in her arms. Her eyes were gushing with tears, drenching the blue veil that covered her face. She kept on crying loudly in pain as she clenched her arms around her mother's body.

Lady Duanmu looked at her daughter with a calm expression as she held Duanmu Lingshuang's hands. Despite the serene look on her face, her complexion was as white as paper. Strangely, she looked mournfully beautiful with the contrast of her red-stained dress and her pale complexion.

There was a timeless beauty in her dignified manner. Her beauty wasn't that of a bewitching woman. Instead, it was a graceful aura that could only be found in a mature woman such as herself.

"Qing Shui, please save my mother. Please help me in any way you can!" Duanmu Lingshuang hastily gripped onto Qing Shui with one hand as she pleaded in distress. She could only focus on saving her mother, she didn't care if she was pulling onto Qing Shui's hand or any other person's hands.

"Lady Duanmu got hurt because of my affairs with Old Demon Ba. I will try my best to save her, so let's not waste any time and mend her wounds now." Qing Shui knew that time was of the essence because of the severity of Lady Duanmu's wounds.

"Okay, I will go with you. I can assist you and take good care of her." Duanmu Lingshuang looked at Qing Shui with worried eyes.

"Just trust me, please go back to the Di Residence with everyone first."

Duanmu Lingshuang nodded her head in agreement.

Qing Shui then turned his head towards Old Madam Mo and Di Xuan, giving them a parting gesture. He picked up Lady Duanmu straightaway and hopped onto his Fire Bird, soaring to a faraway area with a fast speed. The place he intended to go was an area that could be considered as the land of the Bell Spirit in the mountain valley. He had discovered the place unexpectedly with Old Madam Mo on their journey to the Di Residence.

"Madam, how do you feel?" asked Qing Shui softly as he held onto Lady Duanmu. Her condition was becoming worse by the second.

Lady Duanmu opened her eyes halfway and looked at the young man holding her in his arms. It had been years since her husband had passed away and since then she never had any interactions with other men. Not only was she held by a man today, she even had her chest tapped countless times by his fingers…..

"I feel sleepy. My head feels heavy." Lady Duanmu said in a calm tone.

Qing Shui took out a Golden Needle and disinfected it with the Primordial Flames. He then poked the needle at the Lumbar Yang Pass located on the midline of her lower back near the spinal area.

After a moment of pain around the acupuncture point, she could feel a slightly cooling air entering her body. She could also feel a chilling sensation on her entire spine and the sensation of pain was greatly reduced as well.

Qing Shui kept holding her in his arms while putting pressure on the area around the Lingtai Acupoint.

Doing so allowed his Ancient Strengthening Technique to seep into her body steadily.

"How do you feel now?" Qing Shui left the wound untouched for now. The wound had already stopped bleeding, albeit temporarily by sealing the severed blood vessels. However, it would be bad for the body if he kept her blood vessels sealed for a long period of time.

"I feel much better. But Qing Shui, tell me, will I die?" asked Lady Duanmu as she stared into Qing Shui's eyes weakly.

"Do you want the truth or the lie?" Qing Shui didn't want to hide the truth from this mature elegant lady.

"The truth!"

"You will not die. This wound can be healed." Qing Shui gave her a smile.

"What's the point of giving me the option? I don't believe you. Normally, the truth would be the opposite." Lady Duanmu laughed as she shook her head.

Qing Shui wanted desperately to let Lady Duanmu consume some of the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus from the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, but if he could hold off from using the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus until the moment was right, he would do that for the time being. Otherwise, the growth rate of the Thunderous Beast would be greatly affected without the presence of the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus. However, if the situation required Lady Duanmu to eat it, he would have to do that.

"Qing Shui, can you promise me one thing?" Lady Duanmu looked at Qing Shui and asked softly.

Qing Shui could only force a smile at Lady Duanmu. He knew what she was going to ask him to do, but he still promised anyway: "Please say it, madam. I will promise you anything as long as I am capable of doing it."

"Really?"

"Really!"

"No going back on your own words?"

"No going back on my own words!"

"If I die, can you take care of Lingshuang for me? Please take her with you." Lady Duanmu placed both her hands on Qing Shui's head as she pleaded.

Her delicate face was about three inches away from Qing Shui, so he could feel a light fragrant air softly touching his face. It was hard to describe, but it was a comfortable feeling.

Qing Shui knew exactly what she meant by 'taking care' of Lingshuang. Sadly, he had no interest in that cold icy woman whatsoever, so by making that promise to Lady Duanmu, he was essentially digging his own grave. No one knew how long it would take to melt that icy demeanor of her daughter and to be frank, he would rather not waste a lot of time to do that.

Shi Qingzhuang was another cold beauty, but she was a bit different to Duanmu Lingshuang. The reason he tried very hard to melt her icy demeanor and used the same way to propose to her was so that she could be by his side. This was because the two of them were always entangled with each other from the beginning. In addition to the development of their relationship through sex, Qing Shui was even more adamant that she should never find another man other than himself.

During that time, he only had her by his side, which was why he liked her very much. But it was different for Duanmu Lingshuang's case. Now he already had quite a number of wives, so he didn't even think of taking Duanmu Lingshuang as his additional wife. He also gave up on flirting with other women, even if that woman was a beauty from the Portraits of Beauty. Qing Shui would feel terrible for Canghai Mingyue and the other ladies if he tried to do so.

"Madam, you will not die. Please believe me." Qing Shui smiled. He didn't make a direct promise to her.

"So you don't want to help me?"

Lady Duanmu had a desolate expression when she looked at Qing Shui. Their faces were a fist apart, which was why Qing Shui could clearly see her jade-like skin on her cheeks. He couldn't tell how old she was by her youthful appearance, but looking at how delicate her skin was, he couldn't help but feel more attracted to Lady Duanmu than her own daughter. Her beauty and graceful attitude were the accumulated products of her glorious years of charms. A young woman would never be able to compare to that.

"If you promise me one thing, I will make that promise to you." Qing Shui retained his smiles while circulating the Ancient Strengthening Technique through the Lingtai Acupoint into her body.

"What is it? Tell me, and I will promise you as long as I am capable." At this point, Yu Ruyan had nothing to lose, so she naturally agreed to Qing Shui's condition.

"Do not give up on your treatment. No matter what happens, you must always try your hardest to live. Do not give up on life, and most importantly, do not try to take your own life. You must also cooperate with me during your treatment. So whatever happens, remember that you are doing it for your daughter's sake. No one could love your daughter more than you do. If you live on, your daughter will be the happiest woman in the world." said Qing Shui calmly.

Yu Ruyan was shocked by his words for a brief moment before she nodded her head and said: "I promise you! Thank you!"

Within a few moments, Qing Shui was able to find that natural stalactite cave from the back of his Fire Bird. As they were closing on to the cave, he could sense a wave of Spiritual Qi flowing from the inside. Qing Shui picked up Yu Ruyan and slowly descended to the ground.

This area was a naturally formed mountain valley, with densely packed plants. However, the trees growing in this area were considerably short. However, that did not affect the idyllic scenery formed from the fragrant flowers and freely flying birds.

He strongly felt like he had left the mortal world and descended onto an immortal plain. He looked at the woman in his arms and imagined that he would be living a happy life if she was the love of his life.

"Were you thinking of your wife?" Yu Ruyan smirked while looking at Qing Shui.

"No!"

"Your expression tell me otherwise you know."

Qing Shui remained silent. He couldn't prove that kind of thing to her, because it proving it was impossible from the beginning. Moreover, there was no meaning to it even if he could prove such things to Yu Ruyan.

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