Chapter 382: Phantom Step, Turning Defeat into Victory
Su Jingzhen forcibly suppressed the surging blood qi within him.
His eyes were fixed on the seven Golden Core cultivators before him.
The blood qi in his Surging Spring acupoints erupted once more.
It flowed through the Netherworld Ghost Technique’s pathways.
The valley wasn’t small, but it wasn’t huge either.
With each step, he covered four or five zhang, which was enough for him to maneuver with ease.
But Su Jingzhen didn’t stop.
He moved rapidly through the irregular valley.
Seeing this, the seven Golden Core cultivators were puzzled.
Their brows furrowed in confusion.Because at this time they found that it was becoming increasingly difficult for their spiritual consciousness to lock onto Su Jingzhen.
“What a fast speed!
Everyone, please be more careful to avoid being attacked by him.”
“We should use all our tricks now.
If we don’t eliminate him, we would feel uneasy.”
“That’s right, this is still Evil Moon Sect’s territory.
If we drag this out, we might all be in danger today.
If we attract the attention of the Evil Moon Sect, even the Five Immortals might struggle to handle it.”
“…”
The seven exchanged worried glances, their expressions turning serious.
Their auras intensified once more.
With a flick of their hands, seven powerful attacks, accompanied by dozens of potent talismans, surged towards Su Jingzhen’s location.
But Su Jingzhen remained calm and collected.
He wasn’t flustered by the impending onslaught.
His footsteps continued to move freely within the valley.
Just now, he had a strange feeling.
He felt like he was on the verge of something.
“Boom boom boom…”
In the next instant, the seven attacks, along with the dozens of powerful talismans, exploded within ten zhang of Su Jingzhen.
The violent energy raged outwards.
Su Jingzhen’s body was once again caught in the blast.
The energy slammed into him, sending him flying backwards.
He crashed against the valley wall, blood spraying from his mouth. His aura weakened considerably.
But before the seven Golden Core cultivators could gather their strength for a second attack, Su Jingzhen was already back on his feet.
His eyes shone with an intense light, a feeling of invincibility surged within him.
Seeing him like this, the seven Golden Core cultivators grew increasingly nervous.
They were clearly in control, completely suppressing Su Jingzhen.
Yet, they felt as if they were on the verge of death themselves.
“Keep going!
Eliminate him! I have a bad feeling about this guy!”
The old man in the late Golden Core stage shouted coldly again.
The others didn’t speak, but simply nodded in agreement.
Their auras intensified once more, reaching their peak.
Another wave of attacks surged towards Su Jingzhen.
The next moment, they saw Su Jingzhen’s figure vanish under their onslaught, as if dissolving into thin air.
“Hahaha… I’ve done it!”
But before they could celebrate, Su Jingzhen’s voice echoed through the valley.
He laughed with a sound filled with arrogance.
Their gazes followed the sound and their expressions contorted into shock.
For they had realized that the violent energy they unleashed had only shattered a mere afterimage of Su Jingzhen.
The Netherworld Ghost Technique, Phantom Step!
This meant that Su Jingzhen’s mastery of The Netherworld Ghost Technique had reached a new level, and surpassed the threshold.
If he could create three or more afterimages, he would truly be a master.
He had successfully created one without using the Bloodthirst boost, a feat he had never achieved before.
This single step, which would have normally required him to open the Guanyuan acupoint and further enhance his Body Refinement Cultivation, had been accomplished under immense pressure and injury.
“A… an afterimage!”
“What kind of speed is that to create an afterimage?”
“Be careful, his technique seems to have broken through. Don’t let him get close!”
“…”
Su Jingzhen’s appearance of an afterimage had a devastating impact on the seven Golden Core cultivators.
Su Jingzhen, a Flesh Body Golden Embryo cultivator, was already terrifyingly powerful in his previous outburst.
Now that he could create an afterimage, the threat level had increased exponentially.
Among the seven, three were Golden Core early-stage, two were Golden Core mid-stage, and two were Golden Core late-stage.
The three early-stage cultivators exchanged glances, their hearts filled with trepidation.
They were the weakest of the group, and while they still had a sliver of luck, their survival ultimately depended on their strength.
Even if they eventually killed Su Jingzhen, the difficulty would have increased by more than one level.
It meant the cost they would have to pay would be much greater.
They knew deep down that continuing to fight Su Jingzhen would likely result in their deaths.
Choosing to retreat now might offer a better chance of survival.
Su Jingzhen himself hadn’t realized that simply successfully performing the Phantom Step had already shattered the unity of the seven cultivators.
From this moment on, he was already in an unassailable position.
He knew very well that being able to create a Phantom Step without relying on the Bloodthirst boost gave him the confidence to escape even if he faced the five immortals on the mountaintop.
At least, the attacks of these cultivators at the same level would be difficult to land on him.
At the same time, a fierce killing intent surged within him.
“To thank you for helping me to improve my skills.
Next, I will guarantee that this brick will not hit you on the head.
It will make your death look better.”
In the dim light, Su Jingzhen revealed a row of white teeth to the crowd.
His smile was incredibly kind.
But these words sent a chill down the spines of the seven cultivators.
They saw that Su Jingzhen was not joking.
The three Golden Core early-stage cultivators’ desire to retreat intensified.
“As before, bring out all your talismans, everything you can use.
We’ve reached this point, it’s either him or us.
No matter how fast he is, our spells will eventually hit him.
No matter how strong he is, he’s just a Flesh Body Golden Embryo cultivator.
As long as we can hit him a few times, he won’t be able to hold on.”
At this moment, the Golden Core late-stage elder was still encouraging those around him.
He then took the lead and threw the first punch.
With a flick of his hand seal, a fierce attack was launched towards Su Jingzhen.
The six people behind him no longer hesitated and unleashed their strongest spells once again.
Ice Arrow Technique, Fireball Technique, Meteorite Technique, Earth Spike Technique…
Mixed with Thunder Talismans, Spirit Sword Talismans, and Ice Burst Talismans…
A dazzling array of attacks, each with its own unique power, once again enveloped Su Jingzhen completely.
This time, the momentum was even more formidable.
The seven truly held nothing back.
The three Golden Core early-stage cultivators, after launching their attacks, glanced at each other, then tacitly retreated backward.
They didn’t even look to see if the spells they had just unleashed would have the desired effect, or if they could kill Su Jingzhen.
The three of them didn’t want to play anymore, and they couldn’t afford to.
“Shi Ming, what are you lot doing?”
Noticing the movement of the three, the Golden Core late-stage elder’s eyes showed a hint of confusion.
“Friend Mu, we three are withdrawing.
The benefits from killing Su Jingzhen will be divided among the four of you!”
Shi Ming, the Golden Core early-stage cultivator, chuckled lightly.
Then the three of them retreated faster and faster.
Seeing this scene, the faces of the others instantly turned grim.
Su Jingzhen’s movement techniques had reached a new level, which had already made things difficult for them.
Now, with three fewer people, it was even more difficult.
They all knew that if there were still seven of them, they might be able to kill Su Jingzhen at a great cost this time.
But now, even if the remaining four were the strongest, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Su Jingzhen.
“Boom boom boom!”
As everyone’s thoughts were racing, another explosion of energy echoed from where Su Jingzhen had been standing.
The powerful attacks slammed into the stone wall where Su Jingzhen had been standing, causing rocks to tumble down.
The valley trembled and collapsed constantly.
Su Jingzhen’s already half-hidden figure, blurred by the attacks, was torn to shreds.
But their hearts sank again.
Because they knew that it was just Su Jingzhen’s afterimage.
Now, it was too difficult for their attacks to hit Su Jingzhen.
“If you had all chosen to leave wisely from the beginning, you might have had a chance to survive.
But now, isn’t it too late?”
After Su Jingzhen’s afterimage was torn apart, everyone’s eyes frantically searched for his true form.
As for Shi Ming, the Golden Core early-stage cultivator, he hadn’t even had time to activate his flying artifact when he heard Su Jingzhen’s mocking voice in his ear.
His heart pounded with fear, but the talismans on his body had already been quickly used up during the previous round of attacks.
At this moment, even if he wanted to do something to resist, it was already too late.
He only felt a massive force he couldn’t withstand slam into his back.
In almost an instant, his internal organs were shattered by the force.
Su Jingzhen had kept his promise, not hitting the head.
He let their deaths look a little more dignified.
Shi Ming crashed heavily onto the ground, his eyes wide open, but his breath had completely ceased.
Su Jingzhen activated his Netherworld Ghost Technique again and took a Phantom Step, leaving an afterimage in his place, and in a blink of an eye, he was beside another Golden Core early-stage cultivator.
Su Jingzhen’s actions at this moment truly embodied the saying, “In all martial arts, the fastest is the strongest, and the unbreakable is the fastest.”
With three steps of Phantom Step, the three Golden Core early-stage cultivators were reduced to corpses lying on the ground.
Su Jingzhen then turned around, his gaze fixed on the remaining four Golden Core cultivators.
A playful smirk curled up on his lips.
Although he still had half his attention on the mountaintop, anticipating a sudden attack from the Five Immortals, he was confident that even if those five filthy creatures charged out at this moment, he could kill the four Golden Core cultivators in front of him and leave calmly.
However, he deliberately paused for ten breaths, but there was still no movement on the mountaintop.
This surprised him.
“Aren’t you going to make a move? Or are you so confident?
Then I won’t be polite to these four heads.”
Su Jingzhen muttered to himself again.
The killing intent on his body surged once more.