Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cai's eyes lit up even brighter. It nodded its little head vigorously and then enjoyed its fire lotus seed feast with even greater joy.

Chapter 64 Skill - Execution!

Withdrawing his gaze from Xiao Cai, Su Baichen's soul stirred, and he stepped into that familiar system space once again.

The system space was still a chaotic and empty scene, with countless points of light floating in the darkness like stars. Each point of light represented a treasure obtained last night—there were high-level combat skill scrolls that shimmered with a dark blue light, rare and precious materials containing pure spiritual energy, and several ancient magical artifacts engraved with complex patterns.

If these treasures were placed in the outside world, each one would be enough to cause a bloodbath, attracting countless cultivators to flock to them.

But at this moment, Su Baichen merely glanced at them and then ignored them without lingering in his eyes.

In the center of this ocean of light, a dazzling golden light stands out. The light is not blinding, but it carries a chilling sharpness, as if it could cut through everything in the world.

Su Baichen's gaze was fixed on that spot, and his pace quickened unconsciously as he walked towards the golden light.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the golden light enveloping the object was not a physical treasure, but rather a skill mark flowing with mysterious runes.

Above the mark, two ancient and powerful characters shone brightly—"Slay!"

[Skill Name: Execution]

[Skill Type: Non-targeting skill (can be activated freely)]

[Skill Description: This skill can be activated when the opponent's health falls below 10% of their maximum health, forcibly executing the target. The skill effect will cause fatal damage to both the soul and body, and this execution damage ignores all forms of defense, immunity, and block effects, with no possibility of countermeasures.]

[Skill Cost: None (No energy such as battle qi or soul power is required to activate)]

When the complete information on the skill panel was presented to Su Baichen again, his breath hitched, his pupils contracted sharply, and only two words remained in his mind—divine skill!

This is absolutely a divine skill for murder, arson, and eliminating all traces of evil!

Suppressing his overwhelming joy, Su Baichen's fingertips trembled slightly as he traced the golden mark, and countless battle scenes flashed through his mind.

He had experienced quite a few battles, especially when he clashed with those ruthless and cunning guys from the Soul Hall, where every step was fraught with danger.

He knew all too well how formidable the enemies of those top powers were—they were often deeply entrenched, possessing trump cards and backup plans that could turn the tide of battle in life-or-death situations, or even achieve a stunning counterattack.

Those so-called trump cards and backup plans are never just for show.

For those proud and arrogant strong individuals, they would never easily resort to their most powerful methods unless absolutely necessary.

But when faced with a life-or-death situation, they will inevitably reveal all their cards without reservation.

These methods often carry a world-destroying power, either an instantaneous burst of terrifying power, an ultimate defensive shield, or a bizarre secret technique that can transfer the soul and allow one to escape by self-destruction.

Su Baichen has seen too many examples of people losing because they underestimated their opponent's next move.

There was once a renowned Dou Zun powerhouse who, while chasing a severely wounded enemy expert, was about to die when the opponent suddenly pulled out a jade tablet, severely injuring him and ultimately causing him to lose all his cultivation.

There was also an elder from a reclusive sect who, during a siege against a traitor, was instantly killed after the traitor used a family secret technique to burn his life essence to gain a momentary Dou Sheng-level combat power. Such cases are countless on the Dou Qi Continent.

The enemy's backup plan is often to first place themselves in an absolutely safe defensive position before launching a fatal counterattack.

Ordinary attacks, no matter how powerful, are unlikely to penetrate that defense that erupts before death.

However, the skill "Slay" has the most domineering characteristic—it ignores any defense!

Su Baichen smiled broadly, inwardly shouting: Those so-called defensive methods are a joke in the face of "Slaying"!

What kind of high-level defensive combat technique is this!

What ancient protective magic weapon!

What kind of protective shield is formed by burning essence and blood!

None of it matters! This skill completely ignores all defenses. No matter how strong your defenses are or how bizarre your methods are, once the trigger condition is met, there is only one way out: death!

Even more terrifying is that this skill causes fatal damage to both the soul and the body.

Su Baichen instantly thought of Yao Chen. Back then, Yao Chen was betrayed by Han Feng and hunted down by the Soul Palace. He eventually self-destructed his body to escape into his storage ring with his remnant soul, where he lingered on for several years.

If the person chasing Yao Lao had possessed the "Slay" skill, and activated it the instant Yao Lao's life force dropped below 10%, even if Yao Lao self-destructed, his remnant soul would have been directly slain, leaving him with absolutely no chance of escape.

On the Dou Qi Continent, there are many bizarre methods of resurrection. Those powerful families and sects with deep foundations often prepare substitute puppets or possess bodies for their core disciples. Once the original body perishes, as long as the soul remains, they can be resurrected through these means.

However, "Slaying" directly targets both the soul and the body, destroying the body and annihilating the soul, leaving not even a trace of remnant soul behind. No matter how many substitutes or bodies there are, it will be of no use.

It's important to understand that methods of cultivating the soul are extremely rare on the Dou Qi Continent. Apart from the Soul Clan members who are proficient in soul techniques and a few reclusive experts who specialize in cultivating soul power, the soul defenses of the vast majority of cultivators are extremely weak.

Once the soul suffers severe damage, it is essentially equivalent to death. The double fatal effect of "Slaying" precisely seizes the lifeline of all cultivators, completely severing the possibility of the opponent's resurrection.

"This is too powerful! This skill is practically tailor-made for me!" Su Baichen couldn't help but clench his fist, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

During his dealings with the Soul Palace, Su Baichen always felt like he was walking on thin ice.

The people of the Soul Palace are all treacherous and ruthless. No one knows if there is a sixth member among them, or how many strange trump cards they are hiding.

In every battle, Su Baichen would try his best to use the puppets to go forward while he hid in the back to control them, fearing that the Soul Hall's henchmen might use a secret technique to perish together with him before they died, posing a fatal threat to him.

Even with an absolute advantage, he dared not be careless in the slightest. He had to end the battle cleanly and decisively, without any hesitation, for fear that things might get complicated and he might be tricked by the opponent's counter-strategy.

But now, with the divine skill "Slay," everything is different.

In future battles against the Soul Palace, as long as the opponent's life force is reduced to less than 10%, the "Execution" skill can be activated directly. No matter what conspiracies or tricks they have, no matter what trump cards or backup plans they have, they can all be annihilated with a single sword strike, leaving no worries whatsoever.

This not only greatly enhanced Su Baichen's combat power, but also gave him more confidence and resources to fight against the Soul Palace.

Facing those enemies and people with trump cards who once made him wary, he can finally truly eliminate them completely.

Chapter 65 Calamity Poison Body - Little Fairy Doctor

However, while the skill is excellent, it's also very expensive.

Su Baichen still remembers that when he first discovered this skill in the system shop last night, he was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

He checked the skill description several times, afraid he might have misread it. Once he confirmed that "Execute" truly possessed the terrifying effect of ignoring defense and delivering double the lethality, he immediately made up his mind—no matter the cost, he had to obtain this divine skill!

Good things naturally come with good prices, and this is perfectly exemplified in the case of "Slay".

To exchange for this divine skill, Su Baichen used up 60% of all the gold coins he had collected from various forces the night before!

It should be noted that the amount of those gold coins was enormous, enough to support the expenses of a medium-sized power in the Northwest Continent for decades.

Moreover, this was redeemed under a system discount.

Thinking that if I missed this discount, I would have to spend all my gold coins to redeem "Slaying".

Thinking of this, Su Baichen couldn't help but twitch his lips, feeling a pang of heartache.

Those gold coins were painstakingly collected by him, one by one, outside; each one embodied his hard work.

Taking out 60% at once felt like cutting off a piece of his flesh, making him feel pain all over his body.

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; this deal was worth it!" Su Baichen took a deep breath, suppressing the pain in his heart.

Compared to the huge gains from "Slaying," the lost gold coins were insignificant.

With this divine skill, his safety on his cultivation path will be greatly enhanced, and he will be able to face the pursuit of the Soul Palace with greater composure.

Perhaps with this divine skill, he can clear away obstacles on his path even faster and reach the Dou Di realm sooner.

Su Baichen reached out, his fingertips touching the golden skill mark. Instantly, the mark transformed into a stream of light, flowing into his body along his fingertips.

A powerful yet pure energy flowed through his meridians, eventually converging deep within his soul to form a mysterious rune.

At this moment, Su Baichen clearly felt that he had completely mastered the "Slay" skill.

He can activate this skill at will; as long as the triggering conditions are met, he can deliver a fatal blow with a thought.

He closed his eyes, carefully feeling the new power within his body, and the smile on his lips grew even wider.

With the "Slaying" skill, coupled with his own strength and the system's assistance, he felt much more confident in the Dou Qi Continent.

Whether it's the Soul Palace's pursuit or provocations from other forces, he is confident he can handle it calmly.

"Soul Palace, and those enemies lurking in the shadows, just you wait." A sharp glint flashed in Su Baichen's eyes: "From now on, no one will be able to play any last-ditch counterattack tricks in front of me."

"Once I push you to the brink, all that awaits you is the annihilation of your soul and body!"

.........

The feeling of being filled with power after receiving "Slaying" in the system space was unforgettable for Su Baichen.

When he logged out of the system space, the first thing he saw was Xiao Cai, who was curled up in the corner and fast asleep.

After eating and drinking its fill, this colorful little snake always drifts off to sleep carefree, its belly rising and falling gently with its breath.

"Ah, I really envy you. All you do is eat, drink, and sleep." Su Baichen sighed softly, but a hint of doting affection unconsciously showed in his eyes.

He walked over to Xiao Cai, gently covered her with a thin blanket, and whispered, "If I could, I'd also like to find a rich woman to live off."

However, Su Baichen knew that in this dog-eat-dog world of Dou Qi, without strength, even survival was a problem, let alone a comfortable life. He quickly composed himself and began to tally up yesterday's gains.

With a thought, Su Baichen's consciousness once again sank into the system space.

This is a hazy white world, with several objects emitting different lights floating in the center.

The scrolls of combat skills were neatly arranged to one side: five low-level Earth-rank combat skills emitted a blue light, two mid-level Earth-rank combat skills shimmered with a purple halo, and one high-level Earth-rank combat skill was shrouded in red light.

These scrolls are covered with ancient runes, and faint energy fluctuations emanate from them. If they were to circulate to the outside world, they would be enough to arouse the competition of many powerful people.

Rare and precious medicinal herbs: one grade eight medicinal herb, two grade seven medicinal herbs beside it, and quite a few other grade seven or lower medicinal herbs. These herbs can be used to refine some elixirs.

Magical artifacts: two defensive magical artifacts (jade pendants), two offensive magical artifacts, one a short sword and the other a longbow, their blades gleaming coldly, and two exploratory magical artifacts, one shaped like a compass and the other like an eye, all exuding a mysterious aura.

Finally, there are some pills to aid in one's cultivation.

"The harvest was pretty good." Su Baichen nodded in satisfaction.

These resources are enough to support his cultivation for some time to come, and can also provide a lot of help to his disciples.

After tallying his spoils, Su Baichen exited the system space and began to seriously consider his next plan. Now that the matter with the snake-people was settled, it was time to plan his next move.

"Go find Qinglin?" He rejected the idea as soon as it popped into his head. "No, no, no, she's probably not even born yet, we can't even take her in."

However, when it comes to geniuses in the Northwest Continent, another figure immediately comes to mind for Su Baichen—Little Fairy Doctor. This girl, who possesses the Calamity Poison Physique, has such great potential that it would tempt anyone who knows the inside story.

"The Calamity Poison Body, a congenital constitution that awakens after consuming poison. It can become stronger simply by consuming poison, and it's quite easy to raise." Su Baichen rubbed his chin, his eyes gleaming. "In the early stages, you can feed it some low-level poisons, and in the mid-stage, you can raise the quality of the poisons. In the late stage, once its strength has increased, let it handle things on its own."

The Calamity Poison Body is an extremely special constitution. Its possessor can rapidly increase their strength by consuming poison, but this constitution also has a fatal flaw—when the toxins accumulate to a certain level, they will erupt and turn against their owner. However, Su Baichen is not too worried about this, since there is a solution to this problem in the original work, and he also has the system as his greatest reliance.

"So it would be against all reason not to take in such a genius, and the guilt in my heart would be unbearable if I didn't," Su Baichen muttered to himself, as if making excuses for his behavior of "collecting" genius disciples.

He carefully calculated the time; Little Fairy Doctor should have been born by now. If we use Xiao Yan's age as a reference, she'd be about two or three years old, right near Qingshan Town. Now couldn't be more opportune to visit her.