Chapter 39: Killing Liu Qing!

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Killing Liu Qing!

Liu Qing looked at Ji Zhixing with a smile on his face. "Ji Zhixing, at such close range, with my speed, there’s no way you can escape into the water. Hand over that piece of Hematite you took from the secret realm now. I can pretend none of this ever happened," he said slowly.

Ji Zhixing’s heart skipped a beat when he saw him.

He quickly glanced behind Liu Qing but didn’t see Gu Zheng or the others. "How did he find me?" he wondered. "Is he alone?"

His heart pounded like a drum, but he quickly suppressed the panic.

"He came alone," Ji Zhixing thought, calming down. "If he had brought Gu Zheng and the others, he wouldn’t have stepped out by himself. He wants to keep the Hematite all to himself."

He didn’t speak. He shifted his feet, slowly backing away toward the lake.

Liu Qing’s face darkened. "You still haven’t given up?"

He took a threatening step forward and lowered his voice. "You’re just a Cultivator who fused with a Tier One gene, and you think you can run from me? I advise you to be smart—hand over the Hematite, and I’ll let you go. Otherwise..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, but the threat in his tone was obvious. Ji Zhixing didn’t stop, continuing to back away.

Liu Qing’s expression grew uglier by the second. He didn’t want to fight. Even though he was much stronger than Ji Zhixing—having fused with the gene of a Tier Three Six-Eared Wind Dog, which gave him speed and reflexes far superior to the boy’s—he couldn’t silence him before taking him down.

That was exactly what he was afraid of. If Ji Zhixing screamed and drew Gu Zheng and the others over, he would have to share the Hematite with them.

"I left that piece of Red Iron Ore underwater," Ji Zhixing suddenly said, his tone calm.

Liu Qing froze for a moment, then laughed in exasperation. "Do you take me for a fool? Trying to bluff me like that?"

He walked toward Ji Zhixing at a leisurely pace, his steps relaxed, like a cat toying with a mouse, though he was ready to strike at any moment.

"A lie like that might fool a three-year-old." He closed in step by step until he could clearly see the expression on Ji Zhixing’s face. "Once I take you down, let’s see if you’re still so stubborn."

Anger simmered in Liu Qing’s heart. Although his pace still appeared unhurried, the muscles in his thighs were already quietly tensing up.

One step. Two steps. Three steps.

Suddenly, the sand beneath his feet shifted.

Liu Qing looked down, his pupils shrinking violently. The sandy ground beneath him seemed to come alive, spinning rapidly to form a giant vortex. His feet sank in instantly. The sand acted like countless hands, gripping his legs in a death grip and dragging him down.

"What the hell!" he yelled, a mix of shock and fury. He struggled desperately, but the harder he fought, the faster he sank.

From beneath the sand vortex, a massive grayish-brown figure surged out. Its segmented body wrapped around his legs, tightening coil by coil. The Vortex Sand Worm opened its tooth-filled maw, letting out a sharp HISS.

"A Vortex Sand Worm? You beast!" Shocked and enraged, Liu Qing manifested a short knife out of thin air and hacked madly at the Sand Worm’s body coiled around him.

The blade flashed, slashing open cracks in the Sand Worm’s carapace and causing murky, sand-yellow blood to spray out. The creature recoiled in pain and abruptly tightened its grip. The sickening CRACK of Liu Qing’s legs resounded as he let out a miserable shriek, nearly dropping the knife in his hand.

"Die!"

Ji Zhixing’s eyes lit up. He charged forward, gripping his rod with both hands. He poured all his physical strength, Genetic Source energy, and his Army-Breaking Will into this single strike.

Indomitable Strike!

He used every ounce of his strength in this swing. The long Yellow Stone Rod howled through the air, smashing viciously toward Liu Qing’s head.

Liu Qing’s face went deathly pale. He could only throw up one arm to barely block his head.

BAM!

The rod smashed into his arm, accompanied by the distinct sound of bones snapping. The weapon’s momentum didn’t waver in the slightest as it crashed into his head with a dull thud. Liu Qing’s body instantly stiffened, and he was pitched forward by the impact.

The Sand Worm seized the opportunity to tighten its grip, dragging him further down.

"I can’t let him die in the Sand Worm’s mouth," Ji Zhixing’s thoughts raced. "When he dies, the items in his Genetic Furnace will burst out. If the Sand Worm swallows them, they’ll be gone."

He took a deep breath and swung his rod again.

Sweeping Strike!

This strike hit Liu Qing in the waist, launching his entire body horizontally out of the sand vortex. Liu Qing rolled twice on the ground before coming to a stop, face up and completely motionless.

Within the sand vortex, the Vortex Sand Worm reared up like a cobra. Its grayish-brown carapace was covered in knife wounds, and its murky blood dripped incessantly. Its eyeless sockets locked dead onto Ji Zhixing. Its maw opened and closed, emitting a threatening HISS.

Ji Zhixing didn’t look at it. Gripping the rod with both hands, he took a step forward and brought it down once more. This strike smashed directly onto Liu Qing’s head, splattering blood. Liu Qing’s body twitched once and then fell completely still.

Ji Zhixing leaned on his rod, gasping for air, his heart hammering like a drum.

"I killed someone." He stared at Liu Qing’s corpse on the ground, a wave of complex emotions welling up inside him.

But strangely, he didn’t feel afraid.

"They wanted to kill me. Killing him was totally justified," Ji Zhixing thought, a sense of clarity washing over him instead. "This is just how the world of Genetic Cultivators works. If I didn’t kill him today, I’d be the one dead."

He took a deep breath, suppressing his chaotic thoughts.

Just then, several clusters of light suddenly emerged from Liu Qing’s corpse. With a flash, a few items appeared out of thin air next to the body: a small jade bottle containing a milky white liquid that emitted a faint luster, two bottles of Source Energy Genetic Potion, and over twenty Genetic Source Stones. The short knife Liu Qing had just used was also next to the pile, its blade still stained with the Sand Worm’s murky blood.

"He actually dropped items..." Ji Zhixing’s heart stirred.

He had heard that when a Genetic Cultivator died, some of the items stored in their Genetic Furnace would burst out. The rest would enter the spatial turbulence as the Genetic Furnace collapsed, disappearing forever.

"I’m pretty lucky to get this much," he thought.

He quickly scanned the items, took two steps forward, and dragged Liu Qing’s body, forcefully throwing it in front of the Vortex Sand Worm.

"HISS!" The Sand Worm immediately coiled around it, dragging Liu Qing’s corpse deep into the sand.

Seeing this, Ji Zhixing didn’t hesitate. He stored all the items on the ground directly into his Genetic Furnace, including the short knife and the small jade bottle.

After doing this, he gripped his Yellow Stone Rod and swung it rapidly, sweeping up sand and gravel to brush the bloodstains over to where the Vortex Sand Worm had been, completely covering up all traces of the fight. He backed away while swinging the rod, sweeping away his own footprints in the process. He moved quickly. In just over a dozen seconds, this patch of sand was restored to its original state, showing no signs of anything unusual.

With everything done, Ji Zhixing turned and dove into the lake, swimming off into the distance while hugging the rocks at the bottom. The Frog Pendant’s ability allowed him to be as agile and free in the water as a fish. In a short time, he had swum a very long distance.

Meanwhile, Gu Zheng and the others were waiting by the shore.

"Why isn’t Liu Qing back yet?" the young man holding the Elf Bow muttered impatiently.

Gu Zheng frowned. He was just about to speak when a short, wretched scream suddenly echoed from afar. The voice wasn’t loud, and it cut off abruptly, as if the person had been choked.

"That was Liu Qing!" The group exchanged glances, their expressions changing simultaneously.

Without a word, Gu Zheng turned and sprinted toward the source of the sound. The others followed closely behind. They rushed through the bushes, bypassed a giant boulder, and soon arrived at a shoal on the edge of the island.

The shoal was completely empty. There was no Liu Qing and no signs of a struggle. There was only a calm stretch of sand and a few crooked trees hanging over the water.

"Where is he?" the young man with the Elf Bow asked, looking around.

Gu Zheng remained silent, his gaze sweeping over the sand. The sand was very smooth, with no apparent abnormalities. But he still felt like something was off.

"Liu Qing!" he called out.

No response.

Gu Zheng’s face darkened. He walked to the edge of the sand, crouched down, and carefully inspected the ground. The sand was clean. There was absolutely nothing.

In the lake, Ji Zhixing glanced back toward Lake Heart Island, faintly able to see several figures moving about.

"I wonder if they can guess it was me," he thought.