by <unknown>
Lastly, and most importantly, Li Yao had just been assaulted by Hellsword half a day ago.
When one entered the Nascent Soul Stage, be they Cultivators or Immortal Cultivators, they would all become perfectionists more or less and hate not finishing what they had started. At least, that was so for Li Yao.
The target whom he failed to kill was now waltzing about in broad daylight right before his nose again. Li Yao believed that such humiliation and temptation would be too much even for a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator.
Hellsword, the prey that ran loose a moment ago now feeds itself to your mouth. Will you take action or not?
Li Yao thought through the thirteen traps that he had devised before and made sure they were the best he could do for now. He nodded his head in satisfaction, then—
CRACK!
He took off the crystal processor distributed by the command center and, browsing through the key information for the last time, crushed the crystal processor.
The crystal processor immediately exploded and turned into dust.
Li Yao cut off all communication with other Cultivators and became all by himself again.
Although the crystal processor could provide him with a lot of valuable information, other people might have been able to track and lock onto him through methods such as 'hot spot sensation' and 'telepathic thought mining' as long as he was within the coverage of the Spiritual Nexus.
Right now, Li Yao was almost sure that the Immortal Cultivators had infiltrated the world of Cultivators on a deep and large scale.
He found it impossible to tell whether those behind the Spiritual Nexus were Cultivators or Immortal Cultivators.
Therefore, he decided to believe in nobody and rely solely on himself!
A man and a sword were enough to roam the universe!
The real strength of the Immortal Cultivators is much lower than that of Cultivators, but since they are hiding in the darkness, they can always make plans, set up traps, or launch assaults without any concern. When the Cultivators form a large troop ready to strike them, they can always dismiss themselves and vanish into thin air.
Darkness is their most powerful magical equipment!
But now, I have such magical equipment, too!
The Cultivators are in the light while the Immortal Cultivators are in the darkness, but I will sink into places that are darker than darkness. I will strike the Immortal Cultivators just like how they strike the Cultivators!
Li Yao closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The air was stinky, mixed with the scent of gunpowder and rust. It smelt both cold and sweet and reminded him of the days long, long ago in the magical equipment graveyard when he stared at formidable enemies from the dark corners of the trashes with the sharp blades made of wasted iron in his hand.
No. Not enemies.
They were food.
The Vulture's food.
Licking his lips that had fractured because of his excitement, Li Yao smiled and walked out of the alley.
It was not until he was ten footsteps away that the three devils that were frozen in midair resumed the ability to move around.
They were dazed for a moment and were about to lunge out again, but they were torn into thousands of shreds within a breath before they had the chance to scream.
Li Yao waved his hands as if he had just slapped three flies.
…
In an underground parking lot at the center of the city, hundreds of shuttles were packed to the brim with shuddering citizens.
The atmosphere was very intense. Many people wanted to cry, but they feared that the devils outside might notice them so could only bite their hands, trying to control their emotions.
A dirty old man was squatting in a corner. His white hair was messy and stained with dry leaves and mud.
He was wearing a coat that was riddled with holes, and he did not move for a long time. There was no telling whether he was alive or not.
Such devastated old men were everywhere after the arrival of the extraterrestrial devils.
But nobody knew that he was in fact 'Hellsword' Zhuang Ziyou, a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator!
Behind the scared face, deep inside his grey, brown eyes, there was nothing but tranquility and indifference. Beneath his coat, he triggered a lackluster light beam without alarming anyone and learned the latest status of the battle through his spies outside.
Hiu!
A tiny sound of air being break apart pierced into his ears.
Hellsword sniffed, knowing that a hostile Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator had just flown past him on a flying sword.
But so what?
He had compressed his capability to the minimum with the Soul Converging Technique. Unless the ten or so Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators surrounded the parking lot and examined the refugees one by one, there was no way that he would be found.
The terrible wound on his waist was temporarily sealed, and his shattered liver was stuck together by his spiritual energy, which stopped his combat ability from further declining.
After he took a few pills, his spiritual energy and soul power had recovered a lot, enough for him to fight new battles.
After successfully slaying two Core Formation Stage Cultivators, seventeen Building Foundation Stage Cultivators, and countless Refinement Cultivators and having a head-on clash with another Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, he would say that it was not a bad result at all.
This place was 3.4 kilometers away from the nearest secret base of the Temple of Immortals.
Inside the secret base, there were fully-equipped med bays and deep sleep capsules. His combat ability would be restored to above 95% within three hours.
But Hellsword was still waiting for an opportunity.
Several Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were doggedly searching for him everywhere. He would be seeking death if he revealed himself.
After all, the wounds on his body were not fatal. He could just wait there patiently. As a lone wolf, he was always patient, and he knew the power of darkness best.
In a moment, reports of his subordinates came over.
"Master Elder, two members of the 'Eight Blades of Black Spider' exposed themselves on purpose and attracted the attention of all the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. Also, on the West Lake District, another secret altar has been activated and is drawing a lot of devils close. It is estimated that many Cultivators will go there!
"Right now, there are no traces of hostile Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators in the 15.5 square kilometers around you. Besides, due to the chaos of spiritual energy and the mayhem that the devils caused, the hostile Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators' search range has been minimized. They will not be able to find you from ten kilometers away!"
Hellsword smiled casually. "You've all been troubled. Ask the Eight Blades of Black Spider to tread lightly. Right now, we are still seriously outnumbered on the battlefield, and we will be dead for sure if a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator catches up!
"Bear our goal in mind. We are not fighting the battle to win, and it's impossible for us to win. As long as we spread horror among the ordinary people and diminish the strength of the Cultivators as best as we can, it will be good enough!
"Protecting yourselves is the top priority. Striking the enemy is secondary. If the situation is not right, retreat immediately and do not be headstrong!
"After all, we have planted the seed of terror in the hearts of ordinary people and low-level Cultivators, and we have achieved the purpose of the battle. Now that the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators are all arriving, and the extraterrestrial devils are gradually being cleared, it's time we move on to the next phase and prepare our retreat."
His subordinate nodded. "That's very wise of you, Master Zhuang."
Hellsword coughed hard and stood on his feet slowly, leaning against the wall. He went to the deeper part of the parking lot, ready to return to the secret base.
Right then, a new message on the light beam attracted his att
ention.
"Sand Scorpion, the best warrior of the six tribes of Iron Plateau, has shown up alone!"
Chapter 700: Assassination and Assassination |
Hellsword's facial expression remained absolutely unchanged. He asked his subordinate, "Where did he show up? Is it a trap? Are there any Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators near him?"
"It doesn't seem like a trap," his subordinate replied. "We have basically locked onto all the hostile Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators that have entered the battlefield. The summoning of extraterrestrial devils in the West Lake District is the largest one in our plan. Most of the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators' have directed their attention to it.
"Meanwhile, Sand Scorpion is going in the opposite way of all the hostile Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. He seems to have burst into fury and is on a killing spree without a destination!
"The key information has been transmitted to your crystal processor via the 'dark net'!"
Communication was of paramount importance for space pirates during a hunt. In order to not be monitored by the Spiritual Nexus of the Cultivators, they had gradually developed certain technology to establish a temporary network on a battlefield during their thousands of years of struggle.
The temporary networks were unpredictable and hard to capture. They boasted strong anti-jamming abilities, too, and were also known as the dark net.
The light beam in front of Hellsword's eyes was changing its content at a frequency of ten slides per second. His eyeballs were flickering up and down nonstop as if a vibration rune array had been installed in them.
Five seconds later, Hellsword narrowed his eyes and issued his command.
"Ghost Sting, Grey Fox ,and Thorny Shadow, stop your assassination immediately."
Hellsword then gave his orders to those three members of the Eight Blades of Black Spider. "Sand Scorpion has shown up. He is an important target who is of the highest value relative to his capability.
"Before, he was hiding in Flying Star University where there are a lot of experts. It was quite difficult to deal with him. Our previous assassinations all failed. Even a Core Formation Stage Cultivator on our side was compromised.
"It will be best if we take the guy down before our retreat!
"Ghost Sting and Grey Fox, your task is not to assassinate him but to cruise and stay on alert in the ten square kilometers around him. As long as there are signs that the hostile Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators are going toward Sand Scorpion—remember, so much as signs—abandon the assassination immediately and retreat in separate directions.
"Thorny Shadow, you will do the job!
"Although Sand Scorpion is not weak, he is still wearing a beginner-level crystal suit. There's no evidence that he is an expert in crystal suits. Therefore, his capability must have declined a lot!"
On the light beam, a man whose face was covered in black fog nodded. "Understood, Master Zhuang!"
Pausing for a moment, he asked again, somewhat in hesitation, "Sand Scorpion slew the Mountain King. Do you not want to take him down in person?"
Hellsword coughed for a moment. Then he smiled and said, "I'm seriously wounded right now, and I need to take a rest in the base. You can claim the credit."
Hellsword cut off the communication. On the light beam, he saw the three assassins of the Eight Blades of Black Spider in the Core Formation Stage rush at Sand Scorpion's location.
Hellsword smiled and walked out of the darkness, too.
He did not move toward the secret base but snuck toward the direction of Sand Scorpion.
…
Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!
On a blood-drenched street, amid the burning debris of the city, Li Yao, wearing the Gold Wolf Battlesuit, was on a rampage with one super anti-ship saber more than two meters long in each hand.
Such a terrifying weapon was designed for super muscular Cultivators. It was said that it could chop the plate of small starships in half, which said volumes of its formidability!
That was not all of it. Around Li Yao, sixteen Floating Six-barrel Vulcan Machine Guns were moving everywhere, unleashing a storm of burning bullets!
Two sabers and sixteen guns drove almost a thousand squeaking devils away.
Li Yao's crazy laughter leaked out of the gaps of the Gold Wolf Battlesuit. The flames of spiritual energy around him were fluctuating wildly, not steady at all.
All signs suggested that he was delirious!
From the dark windows on the high buildings nearby, three sniper rifles secretly protruded out and locked onto him.
When the bullets of the sixteen Floating Six-barrel Vulcan Machine Guns ran out, the last devil was ripped apart, and Li Yao was the most relaxed, the three sniper rifles were triggered at the same time!
Two black bullets and a rushing electric arc dashed to his front from three different angles instantly!
Li Yao seemed to have grown eyes on the back of his head. He was long prepared for the attack. His body blinked weirdly, and two bullets passed through his shadows, collided, and exploded!
The electric arc hit precisely on Li Yao's breastplate.
Li Yao did not shake at all even though the electric arcs were covering his body. He stowed the sixteen guns into his Cosmos Ring as quickly as a lightning, while he turned into a streak of brightness and leapt forward in zigzags to avoid the snipers, sprinting for the turn of the street.
Huala!
When he reached the corner of the street, four melee-combat crystal suits suddenly appeared from the debris, the collapsed buildings, and the wells.
Two heavy crystal suits that looked like shields lunged close and tried to stall him without worrying about the damage sustained while the other two light crystal suits stabbed two sharp daggers at the gaps below the abdomen of the Gold Wolf Battlesuit, one from the left and one from the right.
Li Yao roared. The wolf head embedded on the breastplate of the Gold Wolf Battlesuit suddenly opened its mouth. A cluster of spiritual energy, which had been stored for a long time, rushed out and left a shocking giant hole in the chest of the first heavy crystal suit!
Meanwhile, he shook his left hand. The lengthy saber broke into pieces and rained upon the assassin on the left side.
There was a short sword about half a meter long in Li Yao's hand!
A sword in a saber. As it turned out, the anti-ship saber was merely a sheath that contained a deadly weapon!
The shorter the distance of a battle was, the more dangerous it would be. The assassin had drawn close to Li Yao, and it was difficult to wield the anti-ship saber at such a distance.
However, it was the perfect range of attack for a short sword.
The attention of the assassin was distracted by the pieces of the broken saber. When he was back to himself, he felt his chest turn cold. The short sword pierced deep into his heart and exploded brutally after a 'beep' sound!
Crystal bombs were planted inside the short sword that would be triggered as soon as it entered a body. Although it could only be used once, it was definitely a sordid and deadly weapon!
The entire stomach of the assassin together with the left side of his chest were blown to smithereens!
Within a breath, both assassins had been killed.
The remaining two assassins were dazed for a moment, not knowing what to do.
Li Yao sneered and leapt forward, preparing to execute the two of them.
However, from the shadows of the two assassins, the two dead bodies, and even Li Yao himself, weird phantoms suddenly dashed out.
It seemed that their shadows were all alive. They formed sharp venomous stings and pierced at the vital parts on Li Yao's body!
Li Yao was caught unprepared by the attack. He dodged three stings, but the other two still stabbed into his flesh. He grunted miserably.
The five phantoms condensed in midair into a crystal suit that was almost pure black.
The crystal suit was made of special light-absorption materials. Everybody's vision was blurred and could not see
the details of the crystal suit. It looked like a black sketch.
The two stings that stabbed into the gaps of the Gold Wolf Battlesuit were thin daggers that extended out of the arms of the black crystal suit.
That was the performance of 'Thorny Shadow', a top assassin of Black Spider Tower and one of the Eight Blades of Black Spider!
Li Yao seemed to be in agony. The wolf head in front of his breastplate opened its bloody mouth again and launched a dazzling cannonball of spiritual energy. Simultaneously, he waved the other saber of his, raising a tornado.
However, before the aura of the blade passed through the black crystal suit, it had split into almost ten shadows and dispersed.
The shadow blades were retreated, and two arrows of blood immediately jetted out of the wounds!
Li Yao changed from attack to defense very quickly. Seeing that he had missed the target, he turned around and ran away without hesitating.
He did not flee to the street but crashed through the wall of a building.
Against the surging spiritual energy, the walls made of bricks, stones, and rebars were no better than toilet paper.
Five shadows converged into one again. Thorny Shadow sneered and chased after him.
The Gold Wolf Battlesuit destroyed one wall after another as Li Yao fled hastily in the labyrinth-like buildings.
The black crystal suit blinked about, sometimes appearing in midair, sometimes appearing in the darkness. It ran after the prey neither fast nor slowly, like a haunting ghost.
The distance between the two parties was gradually reduced.
Huala!
Suddenly, there was nothing but brightness in front of the Gold Wolf Battlesuit. Li Yao had crashed out of the building from the other side and entered a new street!
Thorny Shadow was overjoyed and accelerated to his maximum speed!
Within that moment—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In the building behind Li Yao, countless oriented crystal bombs that he had planted in advance were detonated. Hundreds of furious flames burst out and wreathed Thorny Shadow.
