Chapter 1274: A Last-Minute Compact
It was the ever-aloof Lone Peak Shen who could not help but blurt out, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
Turbid Shadow Lin vigilantly made sure of his surroundings before murmuring in shock, “Xia Fei, I know you’re really smart, but that does not mean you know what we’re thinking.”
Xia Fei did not think so, and he lit another cigarette while saying nonchalantly, “It’s been a long time since you two became famous here in the Alpha Universe, and you’ve been part of the Neophyte Dragoon team for a very long time. You must be feeling uneasy, right? You can tell that Furball has been intentionally suppressing its rank, not for any other reason but because you yourselves are also being suppressed!”
“Senior Shen is fine, with his hale and hearty physique, but things aren’t as good for Senior Lin. Your constant coughing, seemingly to be in poor health, is nothing but an illusion. In truth, you’re much stronger than Senior Shen! Not being able to demonstrate the great strength you possess because of the suppression, your current condition is a result of being stifled!”
Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin were startled. They eyed XIa Fei with suspicion. Lone Peak Shen had an arrogant personality, and was without one eye. He appeared to be very vicious on the outside, but everyone had thought he was stronger than his companion Lone Peak Turbid Shadow. Unfortunately, it was everyone else who was wrong about that; The stronger individual here was Turbid Shadow Lin! It was the sickly and pale-faced scholar!
This was their secret, yet Xia Fei had managed to see through their charade!
Turbid Shadow Lin opened his mouth, looking like he was about to deny it, only for Xia Fei to interrupt him by continuing, “Gentlemen, please let me finish first. I had been wondering about this since our initial encounter on Spirit Mountain. I had clearly informed Soza about the truth of the situation and that I needed helpers, yet all he sent were the two of you. Even Qiu Xingbang was only informed at the last minute.
“That indubitably signified how much he trusted the two of you! Where would such faith come from?! I observed you two carefully on Spirit Mountain, and I discovered that not only were the two of you first-rate experts in combat, but your actions were even more impressive! I’m a speedster, someone who has grasped the most difficult ability of speed! I was definitely not mistaken when I saw just how outstanding your physical agility was, and I shall not lie to you, I was originally an a.s.sa.s.sin, too! Though I do not often use a.s.sa.s.sination techniques, my understanding of them isn’t any worse than veterans in the field.
“Every move you two made was no doubt beyond your claimed level, and you both discovered that my strength is greater than what you originally imagined to be, so you stayed your hand. Otherwise, had all of us combined our strengths during that battle, we would most definitely have won an even more glorious victory!”
Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin exchanged glances. Xia Fei’s words shocked them both. This was a secret, a major secret, but Xia Fei had actually figured it out!
“Indeed, if I wasn’t being suppressed here in Alpha, I ought to already be a level 2 Annihilator-tier warrior,” Turbid Shadow Lin confirmed, his hands behind his back.
“I’m a level 1 Annihilator,” Lone Peak Shen affirmed as well.
Turbid Shadow Lin chuckled, “Despite our levels being suppressed, you can’t say we are disloyal. Who wouldn’t have a bit of forbearance or expect complications if they could reach our current stage.”
Xia Fei exhaled a smoke ring and wondered out loud, “There was another incident that happened on Spirit Mountain that day. When the battle was over, neither of you stayed behind and left just like that. That was when I felt that something must be bothering you two.
“Meeting here today again, it’s obvious you’re searching for clues, just like me. This isn’t because of instructions that the Annihilation Universe has given you, otherwise you two wouldn’t have discussed killing me, which would prevent me from reporting back to the Annihilators that both of you are acting on your own.
“Fortunately, that mysterious white shadow suddenly appeared when we jumped into the waterfall. That disrupted your arrangement to kill me off as we fell, but Senior Shen still acted despite that. Such a large AoE attack like Ten Ton Mountains was not used simply against that shadow, but you also planned to heavily injure me.
“But I am a speedster, after all, so I had no problem evading it. It’s just too bad I failed to catch that white shadow as a result, and it got away.
“Later, Senior Lin saw the look of surprise on my face when I inspected the corpses and at that time realized that I was just like the two of you, not here at the instructions of the Annihilation Universe. I have also come here on my own accord, which was why the two of you changed your minds. When you spoke to me about Furball, it was all just to check me out and dispel your lingering doubts about me.”
Insane!
No matter how Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin looked at Xia Fei, it was like he was a demonic existence! That keen observational skill and astute a.n.a.lytical capability could even calculate what they were thinking!
Xia Fei naturally could tell that the two of them were being suppressed because he had studied pharmacology before! He knew that Turbid Shadow Lin was weak due to the backlash being generated from being too strong! He naturally also knew that the two of them planned to join hands and kill him under the waterfall, because Xia Fei still had his eye technique: Origin of Heaven!
Versatility had never been a burden, and it was handy during critical moments!
Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin were absolutely speechless. Frowning, their lips parted.
Turbid Shadow Lin let out a mirthless laugh. “I must admit, your mind is very impressive, but with how thorough you’ve explained everything, aren’t you afraid the two of us would now really seek to kill you?”
Xia Fei retorted calmly, “What do you think? If I could see through it and state it plainly like this, would I not have my own hidden cards up my sleeves, as well?”
Turbid Shadow Lin covered his forehead with his hand and laughed, “True! Given how logical you are, you probably already know that our bodies are terrified of the fiendish energy that you possess, which would stoke the fire in our hearts and ultimately set it on fire.”
Xia Fei smiled, the corners of his lips pitching into that strange arch, and said softly, “Believe me when I say, I have more than ten thousand ways to cripple the two of you, and none of them rely on fiendish energy.”
Without even realizing it, Xia Fei found himself in another round of confrontations. Turbid Shadow Lin was a cautious individual as well, and tried probing to find out just how many secrets Xia Fei had hidden on him, but Xia Fei calmly warded him away.
Radix was dumbfounded, watching all this from the sidelines. The truth was often cruel, and even after Xia Fei had helped Lone Peak Turbid Shadow the other day, all it took was a blink of an eye for them to almost turn into enemies, just like that!
Suddenly, Radix had the thought of wanting to bury himself in a hole. If he faced a similar situation as Xia Fei had, he probably would have died by now.
Turbid Shadow Lin exhaled a long, low sigh. Reality had proven that he was no match for Xia Fei, but conversely it made him feel more at ease. Lone Peak Shen was repeatedly scratching his head beside him. He was nowhere as smart as Turbid Shadow Lin, and was sharing the same thoughts Radix had right now.
“I shouldn’t really say you’re really clever, because you’re far more intelligent than what I had imagined,” Turbid Shadow Lin said as he sat down on the ground. “I won’t deny it, we brothers indeed don’t trust the Annihilators, and the two of us have been ostracized quite a bit these last few years. We have no issues working our b.u.t.ts off for their cause, but they can’t possibly just leave the two of us here in Alpha, working desperately year after year!”
“That’s because you two aren’t affiliated with the Destiny or Holy Light Dragoons,” Xia Fei answered softly.
Turbid Shadow Lin was startled once again, but he soon let out a bitter laugh. After so many shocks in a row, he was no longer that shocked anymore. Turbid Shadow Lin nodded, “Indeed, we are just Neophytes affiliated with the Dark Moon Dragoons. In the Annihilation Universe’s hierarchy, aside from the legitimate Destiny and Holy Light Dragoons, Devil Shadow and Dark Moon are considered off-brand warriors. Fortunately, the situation with the Darkmoons is still much better than you Devil Shadows.”
Xia Fei remarked coldly, “Now is not the time for us to argue who’s better than whom. I have a feeling that we’ve already been abandoned by the Annihilation Universe.”
“Proof!” Turbid Shadow Lin asked, his eyes flashed.
“I’ve already reported what I’ve gathered of this situation to those above, that the Dark Spiritualists had raised large storage areas of energy. I have no idea if they are planning to induce some cosmic big bang or whatever, but I am certain of the might of the energy! No matter what, it is nothing good seeing how urgently they’ve gathered so much energy.
“We’ve witnessed what happened here today for ourselves too. I am ninety percent confident that this Yggdragon corpse has been stolen by the Dark Spiritualists! According to what I know, there’s an art in the Annihilation Universe that allows the resurrection of dead beasts, perhaps even allowing a rea.s.sembly of their body! If Water Dragon Roar were to really undergo this process, it would surely be calamitous to the Alpha Universe, but the people from Annihilation might not necessarily care for the death of those below!” Xia Fei relayed somberly.
“Is that why you wish to stop the Dark Spiritualists and save this universe? Why is it that I feel like I’m listening to the plot of a movie!” Turbid Shadow Lin found it hilarious and shook his head.
“I don’t care if others live or die. Even if the universe gets wiped out, what has that got to do with me?!” Xia Fei scoffed. “I only wish to ensure my people are fine, and that’s all. That is why I want to know just what exactly the Dark Spiritualists are up to!”
“Then what do you need us to do?” Turbid Shadow Lin asked.
“Very simple: information! As the most mysterious organization among the Nineteen States of Windcloud and the moles the Annihilation Universe has installed in Alpha Universe, there’s no way the two of you do not have your own information network. That is why I hope that you will spread your net. Since you were able to quickly uncover that something had gone wrong here in Jadewater City, the two of you also ought to know where the Dark Spiritualists are at, and what they are up to,” Xia Fei said.
“And if we don’t agree…” Turbid Shadow Lin got up and smiled.
“Do you think either of you have a choice?” Xia Fei shot back.
The atmosphere grew very tense. The lower level Xia Fei was actually threatening Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin!
This was a threat, and was by no means just talk! Xia Fei’s battle with Ling Boyu had already proven Xia Fei was someone with the strength of an Annihilator, despite not having the cultivation of one!
Furthermore, Xia Fei had an even more important tool on his belt: Knowledge!
Knowledge was power, and this saying was being fully brought into play today! Xia Fei had studied Serpent Swallowing Whale, and was a Spiritualist of Healing! He knew very well what and where the weak points of Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin were, and he even had the confidence that he could cause their brain regions to collapse within a second!
That was especially true for Turbid Shadow Lin, whose long-term suppression had caused his energy to reach a critical point. Xia Fei needed to trigger that one node and someone would have to prepare a burial for the man!
While healing was by no means a way to kill, as long as someone used the methods of healing to kill, they would definitely result in death!
“Okay! Keep your Bixia Bead open. I’ll inform you whenever something crops up,” Turbid Shadow Lin declared loudly.
“It’s a deal!” Xia Fei turned and strode away, saying, “Though this had been a last-minute compact between us, but from the strength of both our parties, it is not impossible for us to turn the tables just yet! Plus, I need to remind you, the situation might very well be far more brutal than what you expect.”
*Whoos.h.!.+*
—
The speedy Xia Fei left without a trace after his last sentence. Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin looked at one another and let out a long sigh.
“That young man is very impressive, to have calculated so far ahead,” Lone Peak Shen finally spoke up after being silent for a long time.
Turbid Shadow Lin nodded, “Truly, he is rather amazing. It’s said that the Devil Shadow Dragoons specifically chose mavericks that excel in stratagems, so I’m not at all surprised that Xia Fei managed to join them. However, he might not be aware that the Devil Shadow Dragoons no longer have a serial number.”
After saying all that, even Lone Peak Shen relaxed quite a lot. What’s the use of a Dragoon that has no serial number? As long as he could last through this stage, make it to the Annihilation Universe, and join the Darkmoon Dragoons, he would still end up being a head taller than Xia Fei!
Neither of these men noticed that there had been a mark left above their heads. A white marker! A bat-shaped marker!
It was the same as the insignia Xia Fei had found in the Broken Wing Sky Devil’s tomb!
Compared to the Dark Spiritualists, this was the true unknown threat! A real crisis!
That was why Xia Fei had made the only choice he could make, and made a temporary alliance with Lone Peak Turbid Shadow! It was to deal with the real threat!