Painting of the Nine Immortals - Chapter 167

Chapter 167
"Young fella, you can go, but you must leave your head . "


A wildly patronizing voice rang throughout the air . Ling Xian stopped in his tracks and browsed around .
In the near distance, a young man in blue appeared in his path . The man looked to be around 20 years old and rather handsome . But his gaze was icy and deadly . He observed Ling Xian as if a hunted animal was awaiting his doom .
This man was a follower of the Third Prince, second son of the Deputy of Chang An, known in the area as "the Little Deputy" . His father’s territory was located near Sunset City . Therefore, he arrived first on the scene as the news of Ling Xian’s deeds reached him . He had wanted to seize this opportunity to show his loyalty to the Prince .
Ling Xian had already left Sunset City before he managed to arrive . But fortunately, just as he was about to leave, Ling Xian returned a second time . The man thus followed him here to the Trade Convention and waited for the opportunity to ambush him .
"Someone’s already begging to die . . . "
Ling Xian shook his head and responded as he slowed ascended into the air, "My head is quite priceless . You might not get it so easily . "
"How stupid, you think killing a piece of the Prince’s soul is quite the accomplishment? How foolish! The Third Prince’s powers are beyond this world . If he were here, he’d only need to lift a finger to crush you to dirt . " The young man in blue sneered mockingly, utterly unconcerned .
Of course, he had reasons to be this confident . At 20 years of age, he had already conquered the later stages of the foundational level . He was amongst the brightest and bravest of his generation in the Zhou Dynasty .
He did not fear Ling Xian in the slightest . In his mind, Ling Xian was a strong, worthy opponent and nothing else .
"Every other word is the Third Prince . You are quite the loyal puppy,"
Ling Xian spoke calmly, but underneath his breath, an ocean of anger was brewing . He knew this encounter was unavoidable . The Third Prince was onto him . He was only mildly surprised at how quickly one had shown up at his doorstep .
Not to mention this first opponent was not a weakling but a strong foundational challenger .
"A good puppy?"
A shroud of cloud fell over the handsome face of the man in blue . He replied coldly, "You bastard, how dare you? I’ll show you what it’s like in the real world!"


"Quite the contrary, you are the one asking for an untimely death . " Ling Xian was unfazed . "Your parents gave you life, why waste it so recklessly?"
The man in blue responded, equally unfazed, "Kid, give your tongue a break . Someone like you is totally unworthy of the Prince himself . I’ll take your head to him . "
"Try it if you must . " Ling Xian was undisturbed .
"Very well, kid, I urge you to go easy on yourself and surrender at once, or…" A murky dust stormed began to flare up around the man as he spoke . The earth rumbled .
"You’ll die the most painful death . "
Ling Xian frowned impatiently . He had never understood why people insisted on picking battles with him and why they were always certain of a victory . Was it the way he looked?
He broke into a faint chuckle at the thought of this . But suddenly, his killer instinct took over . Ling Xian did not intend to kill this man when he first blocked his path . But the man had gone too far . If he killed one cockroach, others perhaps would leave him alone from here on .
Indeed, the man in blue was no more than a mere cockroach in Ling Xian’s eyes . He was protected by his nerves of steel, carried by the belief that he was invincible .
"Little bastard, what do you say? Surrender? Perhaps if you put me in a good mood, I’ll skip the torture and give you a swift death . What do you think? Aren’t I merciful? Ha ha . " The man roared with laughter as he grew ever more revolting .
But Ling Xian responded with his usual level-headedness and composure . Merely grinning, he replied, "I’m perplexed about one thing . "
"Hmm?"
The man in blue broke his laughter and mocked, "Are you hoping to find out if there is indeed a hell waiting for us after death? Why worry about that? You’re dead anyway . "
"No, I am perplexed as to why this world is home to so many empty-headed idiots . "
Ling Xian shook his head slowly as he spoke the words . After pausing a moment, he continued, "Idiots like you . "
"You’re done for!"


The man in blue was enraged . His hair flared up around his face and a terrifying power cast over the sky . He screamed, "Bastard, come to die!"
"Had it been your master that said this to me, I wouldn’t be laughing myself to bed . But coming from a dog like you, that’s just hilarious!" Ling Xian sneered back at him and unleashed the Eyes of Execution at once . Magical Qi came rushing out of his pores and rendered the sky invisible .
"Little bastard, wait until I break every one of your bones . Let’s see how loudly you bark then!"

Before his voice fell, the man in blue launched himself towards Ling Xian . Within moments, his right hand was within striking distance . As the hand came down on Ling Xian, the earth could be felt cowering in fear .
"I return you this warning word for word . "
Ling Xian did not stir but simply raised a hand and smashed dead on to the incoming blow . In an instant, the air exploded .
"Hommmm!"
Two hands collided, sending a giant, invisible wave of unstoppable forces in every direction .
Colors drained from the face of the man in blue . His body fell backward haplessly . Something inside him had cracked open . He looked up at Ling Xian, who failed to move an inch in defending this strike, and his face was overcome by horror .
His right hand shook uncontrollably, drops of blood seeped through his knuckles .
One round!
And he was already injured!
He had severely underestimated the power of his opponent’s bodily strength . But an injury in the first round… he was a young deputy, the best of the best of his generation . He had never been injured in battle!
Shock and disbelief consumed him, betrayed by his words . "What strength! You… you practice the Qi of the flesh!"
"This knowledge comes too late for you . "
Ling Xian gazed at him without mercy . He no longer wanted to waste time . It was time to end this . Redirecting all his Qi into his right foot, Ling Xian aimed at the man’s temple and unleashed his deadly stomp .
"You dare block my way with your child powers? What a fool!"
Hommmmm!
Magical aura flared up into the sky . Mountaintops came crashing down towards earth as crevasses swallowed trees and rocks .
"Goddamit!"
The man’s pupils dilated as he tried desperately to remain calm and deflect this deadly strike . The time had come to showcase his most powerful weapon . As he began, the space between him and Ling Xian turned translucent, saturated with colorful glows which turned into seven circular shields which protected his earthly flesh .
The Motionless Shadow of Light!
A shield borne out of light years of earthly minerals and heavenly Qi, this technique was unique to the man’s family, never before penetrated .
This technique had saved his father from certain deaths on the battlefield and gave him the unlikeliest of victories, cementing their fame .
The name Chang An was synonymous with the Shadow of Light . As long as the Shadow of Light was lit, the territory of Chang An was secure .
This technique had also saved his father from countless assassination attempts, handing him victory over victory against enemies from all sides . It was the undisputed champion of all defensive techniques known to men .
More powerful even than the defenses of the royal palace .
The moment he unleashed it, the man in blue sighed in relief . He was certain he had escaped an otherwise certain and gruesome death .
Hommmm!
The giant foot landed squarely on top of its target . Yet aside from the enormous and deafening commotion around them, the target had successfully deflected this attack .
"This defensive technique is powerful indeed . Wonder if it is better or worse compared to the Armor of the Royal Spirit . "
Ling Xian pondered to himself but was not overly concerned . Compared to his other abilities, this trick of the flesh was amongst his weakest . He had countless other options .
"Ha ha, little bastard, you see this now? You’d be dreaming if you think you could ever penetrate my shield . Ha ha ha . . . "
Seeing that Ling Xian failed to break his defense, the man in blue finally breathed in relief . Returning to his arrogant self, he snickered again, "Little bastard, come break me if you can!"
"Your turtle shell is pretty sturdy . "
Ling Xian returned a smile, his foot still lingering over the man’s head . He continued, "Why must I break you? The feeling of standing over you is pretty exhilarating . If you like living under my foot, I won’t complain . "
"You!"
The man in blue roared with fury as he realized how humiliating he must have appeared hiding inside a bright turtle shell under the step of his opponent . His face turned bright red . He swore loudly, "Goddamit, you f*cking bastard, I’ll kill you!"
"Kill me . You must come out of turtle shell first . " Ling Xian grinned as he stomped on the shield again . The shield remained intact . But upon feeling the forces of this second strike, the man’s face turned pale again .
"Motherf*cker, Hand of the Harvested Stars!"
The man hollered . Wrestling against his own might, he summoned another force of defensive . The air stirred violently against a dust storm of apocalyptical portions . From this gray chaos emerged a giant palm that slammed down towards Ling Xian .
"Hmmm!"
Ling Xian sneered . Flapping his giant wings, tiny blades shot out of the feathers and stabbed the hand from all sides . In an instant, the hand vanished . Then, Ling Xian stepped away from the man’s shell as a blood-stained sword materialized behind him . The man’s fate was sealed .
"I no longer want to waste time here, it’s time that you die . "
Ling Xian uttered these words softly as the blood stained sword lit up against the dark sky . Aiming the tip of its blade directly at the heart of its target, the sword pierced through the air .