The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

"Old dog, what are you laughing at?"

The indifferent words rang out, and everyone looked on in utter shock.

Above the sea, the young man in white looked as composed as ever, showing no sign of fatigue. In fact, his aura had only grown stronger. Ice-blue flames billowed around him, and the sea beneath his feet had frozen into a thick sheet of ice, giving him a solid place to stand.

’What is going on? He took a direct palm strike from an Extraordinary Martial Artist and survived? He doesn’t even look hurt. If anything, he looks more vigorous than before.’

"Sir is alright! That’s wonderful."

Seeing this, the Dancing Girls on the Profound Vessel let out a collective sigh of relief. A moment ago, when Qin Ya was sent flying by Yann Xing, it was as if their world had come crashing down.

"How are you unscathed!" Yann Xing roared, his face contorted in a savage scowl.

"Heh. You think you can take my life? You’re dreaming."

Qin Ya jeered. Suddenly, Yann Xing seemed to realize something. Staring at Qin Ya, he said coldly, "You have a piece of Defensive Profound Soldiers on you, and it’s a high grade. To block my palm strike, that Profound Soldier must be at least Eighth-Grade Level!"

’That’s it,’ Yann Xing thought. ’If he has a Defensive Profound Soldier, that would explain how he’s fought me for this long and come out unscathed.’

"Looks like you have quite a few treasures on you."

Qin Ya gave a cool smile. ’Scenic Landscapes truly lives up to its name as a Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact. With my current Cultivation, it was effortless to activate it and block Yann Xing’s palm strike.’

’It was only because of Scenic Landscapes that I dared to fight Yann Xing so brazenly—dared to comprehend the Ice and Fire Mysteries in the middle of our battle.’

"Heh. And you think you can take them?"

Noticing the flash of greed in Yann Xing’s eyes, Qin Ya gave a cool smile.

The moment he finished speaking, Qin Ya’s figure blurred. He unleashed the Chasing Wind and Shadow Technique, moving like a fleeting shadow, so fast he seemed to break the very boundaries of space. In the blink of an eye, he was before Yann Xing. He sank into his stance, clenched his fist as Ice Flame billowed around it, and slammed it into Yann Xing’s chest.

BOOM! Yann Xing was sent flying.

The Ice Flame clung to him, carving a long line of ice across the sea’s surface as he flew. Yann Xing stabilized himself and erupted with red Flame, trying to dispel the Ice Flame.

But the Ice Flame was like a stubborn poison; his own Flame had little effect against it.

"This Flame... it actually contains a complete Mystery!"

Yann Xing cried out. Recalling how Qin Ya had been trying to comprehend the Mystery mid-battle, his face went pale with shock. "You succeeded... You actually succeeded!"

"That’s right. Thanks to you, I have now comprehended the complete Ice and Fire Mysteries," Qin Ya said. "To show my gratitude, I’ll make your death a quick one."

The moment he spoke, he charged again. The Ice Flame coiled around his longspear, writhing like a Fire Serpent and radiating an ultimate cold. Yann Xing knew this one spear strike would be enough to take his life. He couldn’t understand how a Celestial Essence Realm Martial Artist could possess such combat power, or how an Extraordinary like himself could be forced into such a pathetic state.

But none of that mattered now. All he wanted was to survive.

Just as the longspear was about to strike, Yann Xing abruptly dropped to his knees in mid-air. Lowering his head, he yelled, "Please spare my life, Sir! I know I was wrong..."

"Please spare my life, Sir! I know I was wrong..."

Yann Xing’s desperate cry, shouted with all his might, echoed for miles. The onlookers were aghast; every single person was stunned by the scene unfolding before them.

’An Extraordinary Martial Artist, beaten to the point of kneeling and begging for mercy from a Celestial Essence Warrior!’

"Holy crap, that kid actually won."

"Haha, that son of a bitch Yann Xing is actually begging for mercy! He must have lost all face now. This is so satisfying! So, so satisfying."

"Begging for mercy? Heh, just what you’d expect from Yann Xing. The man’s shamelessness is second to none."

...

Qin Ya halted his spear’s advance. He glanced down at Yann Xing and said indifferently, "Begging for mercy? You think that’s enough to escape death?"

"Please spare me, Sir! I am willing to compensate you for your losses."

"Compensation? Now that’s interesting." A small smile played on Qin Ya’s lips. "If that’s the case, then hand over your Storage Ring."

"Sir, please accept it."

Not daring to hesitate, Yann Xing took out a Storage Ring and handed it to Qin Ya.

Qin Ya took the Storage Ring and scanned its contents with his consciousness.

"Hm. The things in here are worth far more than your life," Qin Ya said with a cool smile. He tossed it into his own Storage Ring, then turned to leave.

"Thank you for sparing my life, Sir."

Yann Xing kowtowed his thanks, the very picture of subservience.

Suddenly, a sinister, venomous glint flashed in his eyes. He drew a long, fiery-red needle from his sleeve. SWOOSH! The red needle streaked through the air, a barely perceptible gleam of light aimed straight for the back of Qin Ya’s head.

"Die, you brat!"

Yann Xing muttered viciously. ’This fiery-red needle is a Profound Soldier I acquired by chance. It’s Eighth-Grade. Useless in a direct fight, but perfect for a sneak attack. Not even Eighth-Grade Defensive Profound Soldiers can block it.’

’I’ve lost count of how many Martial Artists with higher Cultivation than me I’ve assassinated with this needle. I owe much of my current standing to it.’

The needle moved without a sound, reaching the back of Qin Ya’s head in the blink of an eye.

"Haha..." Yann Xing couldn’t help but roar with laughter.

Then, a streak of ice-blue fire flashed past. The laughter died in his throat. Head separated from body. Not a single drop of blood spilled, as the wound on Yann Xing’s neck was instantly sealed by a layer of Frost. PLOP. PLOP. Yann Xing’s head and torso sank into the sea, one after the other. The Extraordinary Martial Artist had fallen.

"A leopard can’t change its spots." Qin Ya stood, spear in hand, and snorted coldly.

As for the long needle that Yann Xing had revered as a Supreme Treasure, it was now being casually toyed with in Qin Ya’s hand. The needle was indeed extraordinary, capable of piercing Eighth-Grade Defensive Profound Soldiers and even posing a threat to Ninth-Grade Profound Soldiers. But before a Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact, it was nothing but a joke.

Even a "pseudo" Spiritual Artifact was on a completely different level from Profound Soldiers.

"He killed Yann Xing?"

"Heh. The man got what he deserved."

...

Qin Ya returned to the Profound Vessel, and the Dancing Girls immediately crowded around him.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Are you injured anywhere?"

"Sir, you’re amazing! You actually defeated an Extraordinary Martial Artist."

...

Faced with the flurry of questions from the Dancing Girls, Qin Ya just smiled faintly. "I’m fine. How about you all? Have you finished procuring all the supplies?"

Qingxu stepped forward. "Replying to you, Sir, all the supplies have been gathered."

"Then let’s be on our way," Qin Ya said calmly.

He formed a seal with his hands, activating a Spell to drive the Profound Vessel, which carried him and the Dancing Girls away into the distance.

The crowd on the small island watched the Profound Vessel depart as the faint, pleasant sound of a zither drifted to their ears. A look of lingering awe remained in their eyes.

The battle today would be forever seared into their minds.

Soon after, a frenzy of discussion swept across the small island. From the lofty Extraordinary Martial Artists down to the humble street peddlers, everyone was talking about the battle that had taken place that day.

A Celestial Essence Warrior had killed an Extraordinary Martial Artist with absolute, crushing dominance.