Based on this, Ling Sha judged the man to be at least around twenty-five years old.
Compared to her sixty-odd years, that age truly made him a little brother.
But to reach the level of a high-ranked Dou Shi at such an age was already a rare genius among the humans of the surrounding empires!
If such a genius were not to die prematurely, he would certainly be able to cultivate to the Dou Wang realm in the future!
Yet she never, ever expected the person spying on them to be so young!
Looking at that incomparably handsome and youthful face, he was definitely no older than twenty!
A human high-ranked Dou Shi in his teens!
What did that even mean?!
In all her life, Ling Sha had never seen such a terrifying human genius!
Although she was loath to admit it, Ling Sha knew that this person's talent was likely comparable to their Snake-People Race's Queen Medusa, perhaps even a notch higher!
And what did that imply?
It meant that in the future, this opponent had a chance of breaking through that celestial barrier!
Even if the probability was not high!
This was enough to shock Ling Sha and give rise to the thought of snuffing him out!
The reason was simple: she had already offended this human by pursuing him earlier.
Furthermore, he had managed to block a Dou Technique she had unleashed with fifty percent of her power, despite only being a high-ranked Dou Shi.
Such combat strength was no less than that of an ordinary one-star Dou Ling!
Such a terrifying hidden threat!
Ling Sha was not about to gamble on whether he would hold a grudge and come seeking trouble for the Snake-People Race after reaching an extremely high cultivation level.
It was better to cut the weed out by the root!
Zhou Changqing did not reply, for he could already feel her intense killing intent.
At a time like this, what was there to say?
It was time to fight!
"Hoo..."
"Rushing Thunder Steps!"
"Nine Slashes of Raging Thunder!"
In the next instant, a suit of Dou Qi armor interwoven with gold and silver light materialized on Zhou Changqing's body, and he transformed into a streak of lightning, charging toward Ling Sha!
Dou Qi surged madly into his heavy sword, connecting with the tier-three intermediate-grade lightning attribute Monster Core embedded within. Under the combined energy of the Monster Core and his lightning attribute Dou Qi flowing through the weapon's circuits, the heavy sword blazed with lightning, appearing like a divine sword of judgment forged from thunder itself!
In a flash, Zhou Changqing closed to within a meter of Ling Sha, his heavy sword dancing amidst arcs of lightning as he slashed toward her!
As one of the leaders of a major Snake-People tribe, Ling Sha's combat experience was naturally profound.
She circulated her Dou Qi, her entire body glowing with a violet-blue sheen. With a simple side-step, she dodged the heavy sword, then gathered Dou Qi in her right hand. It solidified, covering her fist in what looked like real snake scales, and she punched toward Zhou Changqing's head!
What she hadn't expected was for Zhou Changqing's left hand to rise at that moment, shining with a golden light!
"Mountain-Sundering Fist!"
"Bang!"
The two fists collided with a tremendous thud. A torrent of Dou Qi, mixed with immense physical force, exploded in the air, blasting the very atmosphere apart and sending out ripples of shockwaves!
The powerful impact from the blow sent them both staggering back—Ling Sha took three steps, while Zhou Changqing took six!
Shock once again filled Ling Sha's eyes!
Although she had underestimated Zhou Changqing in that last punch and hadn't used her full strength, combined with her surprise at the sheer power of his fist, she had only been pushed back three steps while hastily dispersing the force.
But she was a high-ranked Dou Ling!
Using seventy percent of her strength, she had only managed to gain a slight upper hand against a high-ranked Dou Shi!
She knew that seventy percent of her power was comparable to that of a four or five-star Dou Ling!
Most importantly, the young man before her was a dual attribute user of gold and lightning?
No wonder his Dou Qi armor was a mix of gold and silver!
"What kind of little monster is this?!"
While Ling Sha was shocked, Zhou Changqing's heart felt heavy!
The Dou Technique he had just used was one of his three Xuan Class Low-Rank techniques, which he had acquired in Reservoir City two months after arriving.
Mountain-Sundering Fist!
It was a Xuan Class Low-Rank gold attribute Dou Technique. Once mastered, it could unleash the offensive and defensive power of gold attribute Dou Qi, making it easy to slice through metal, shatter stone, and crack monuments.
If one could master it to the great completion stage, its combined offensive and defensive power would be no less than any Xuan Class Mid-Rank Dou Technique!
If used by a Dou Huang, it could truly possess the power to sunder mountains!
And with Zhou Changqing's current strength as a seven-star Dou Shi, coupled with a physical body comparable to a Dou Ling's, his execution of the technique was powerful enough to demolish a tall building!
Yet such terrifying power had only forced his opponent back three steps!
It was a testament to just how formidable the woman before him was!
Though his mood was somber, Zhou Changqing had not given up the fight.
After retreating five steps, he dispelled the remaining impact force and slashed with his heavy sword once more!
Nine Slashes of Raging Thunder.
This was also a Xuan Class Low-Rank Dou Technique, specifically for heavy weapons. It was divided into nine slashes, each as mighty as a thunderclap and as swift as a lightning bolt.
At the great completion stage, one could execute nine consecutive slashes, each one heavier than the last. The ninth slash's power was comparable to a peak Xuan Class Mid-Rank Dou Technique!
Facing the heavy sword that came slashing with crackling lightning, Ling Sha no longer underestimated him. Unleashing her full power, she drove her Dou Qi to form a shield wall of serpentine scales in front of her!
"Tzzzz!"
The heavy sword struck the shield wall, sending electric arcs crawling across its surface. The blade bit three inches deep into the shield!
"A Monster Core Armament?!"
Seeing this, Ling Sha was taken aback. She immediately recalled a type of weapon that had become incredibly popular in Reservoir City over the past half-year!
Although she didn't often visit Reservoir City, she had heard of the reputation of this kind of armament.
A single set of tier-three low-grade Monster Core Armaments could allow a Dou Zhe capable of wielding Dou Qi to temporarily possess the strength to contend with a low-ranked Dou Shi!
Its amplification of a low-ranked Dou Shi's power was multiplied several times over!
This showed just how powerful such weapons were!
Such a terrifying weapon, the likes of which she had never heard of before, was something that even a Dou Ling expert like her could hardly fail to notice!
After all, if one could acquire a large number of these weapons, they could form a powerful army where every soldier was comparable to a Dou Shi!
Unfortunately, these armaments were exceedingly rare; only three sets had ever appeared in Reservoir City.
Of course, their scarcity was one thing, but the demand for tier-three Monster Core Armaments had reached an incredible high, even surpassing that of some ordinary fourth-grade medicinal pills!
After all, even for a peak Dou Shi, this armament could boost their combat power by about fifty percent!
Thus, the terrifying power boost it gave to Dou Shis was enough to make any one of them go mad for it!
Only such a weapon could cut three inches into her Serpentine Shield when she was defending with her full strength!
Ling Sha hadn't expected this young man to possess one of these rare Monster Core Armaments, and one that wasn't any of the three sets that had circulated in Reservoir City.
But Ling Sha didn't dwell on it. Perhaps the boy had simply had his own fortuitous encounter.
Regardless, today, this young man must die!
"Boom!"
The terrifying Dou Qi of a high-ranked Dou Ling erupted from Ling Sha's body, kicking up a violent gale!
Even though Zhou Changqing was prepared, he was still blown back several steps by the furious storm of Dou Qi!
"Little brother, big sister has run out of patience to play with you. Just lie down and be good!"
Ling Sha sneered, then her hands formed a series of seals as she began to execute her strongest Dou Technique!
In that instant, the Dou Qi that had been spreading outwards seemed to answer a summons, flowing back and gathering above her head!
In just a moment.
The Dou Qi condensed into a small, violet-blue snake about a foot long!
This little snake was different from the massive energy serpents from before. Though small, it was incredibly lifelike!
Zhou Changqing could even see the glistening sheen on its scales!
Furthermore, the Dou Qi around this small snake was so condensed that it distorted the very air, creating an effect like warped space!
It radiated an extremely terrifying aura that made it hard to breathe!
Danger!
Danger!
Danger!
Zhou Changqing's soul trembled as his keen intuition screamed warnings of extreme peril!
This made his expression change drastically!
To have this kind of feeling meant that this violet-blue snake was something he absolutely could not block!
"This is a f*cking Xuan Class High-Rank Dou Technique, isn't it!"
Zhou Changqing cursed inwardly!
But he had no time to interrupt her!
She had cast the Dou Technique far too quickly, which clearly meant she had cultivated it to an extremely profound level, possibly even to the great completion stage!
Just as Ling Sha was about to launch her attack and annihilate Zhou Changqing, in that life-or-death moment!
"Wait! I have something to say!"
Zhou Changqing dropped his heavy sword at his feet and spread his hands open, signaling his surrender!
There was no way he could win this fight.
This woman was at least a mid-ranked Dou Ling, and with that bone-chilling Dou Technique, how could he possibly fight back?
He was only a seven-star Dou Shi!
Being able to fight above his rank against an initial-stage Dou Ling was already a testament to his strength, so there was no shame in being unable to defeat this opponent.
But to save his own skin, Zhou Changqing decided to struggle just a little bit more.
"Hmm?"
Ling Sha's eyes narrowed, wondering what kind of trick the young man was trying to pull.
However, seeing as he was exceptionally handsome, the most dashing human she had ever laid eyes on, she decided to give him a chance to say his last words and temporarily halted her attack.
Of course, the small snake did not disperse. It remained coiled, like a real viper, aimed at Zhou Changqing and ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment!
"Little brother, do you have any last words? Big sister isn't an entirely cold-blooded snake-person. I can give you a chance. Speak, and then you can be on your way!"
A smile hung on her lips as Ling Sha's beautiful eyes blinked coquettishly.
My f*cking thanks to you!
Dark lines appeared on Zhou Changqing's forehead. He took a deep breath, forced a smile, and pointed to the heavy sword on the ground. "I wonder if big sister has heard of Monster Core Armaments?"
"Oh? Of course I have. What? Are you planning to offer me your tier-three Monster Core weapon to have me spare you?"
Ling Sha glanced at the heavy sword on the ground and said with a playful smile.
Zhou Changqing shook his head. "Big sister misunderstands. Even if I did that, you still wouldn't let me go, would you?"
Ling Sha raised a delicate eyebrow, her smile unwavering, but her meaning was perfectly clear.
"I know it's difficult to ask you to let me go, but what if I told you that this Monster Core Armament came from my own hands? And that the armaments that appeared in Reservoir City were also forged by me personally?" Zhou Changqing continued, his expression feigning a growing sense of pride.
Hearing this, Ling Sha was stunned for a moment, then felt a sense of absurdity. She looked at Zhou Changqing with contempt.
This human boy was truly shameless. He was willing to spin such a ridiculous lie just to save his life.
Did he take her for a fool?
She acknowledged that his cultivation talent was extremely high, and his combat strength was impressive.
But to have reached such a realm at his age was already an incredible feat. How could he possibly have had the time to hone his forging skills, let alone create powerful equipment like Monster Core Armaments?
I won't drop this! I won't drop this! I won't drop this!
Important things must be said three times!
If I don't update one day, I've definitely taken a day off.
If I update late one day, I definitely have writer's block.