Chapter 100: The Manhunt
A star-like flash of light hit Meng Qi but it was as if it had hit an illusion. The flash of light penetrated through him and rammed into the wall of the dilapidated temple.
The iron flower was in full bloom with five petals, resembling a lovely and seductive orchid. Within the three meters of the wall, mosquitoes and ants quietly fell to their deaths. Several gerbils rolled off the wall and died on their backs, with all their hair completely gone. It was an eerie sight.
Those animals and insects never touched the Tang Flower, but they still died when the flower blossomed.
Chen Xiao and Luo You felt their throats were too dry to even swallow. If they were close to the wall, they would have doubtlessly died. What a gruesome concealed weapon!
But the oddest thing was the poison expert had used her concealed weapon when Master Zhen Ding was three meters away from the flower. Was there something wrong with her eyes or other organs?
Tang Flower was intended for its target but hit only an illusion. Hong Xiu whispered that something was wrong, something in her other hand going to be flung.
As if he was a chariot breaking through all obstacles, Meng Qi had inched close to her. His mind was in peace and his dark red blade was glowing amidst the swirling mortal dust and secular smoke.
She felt the warmth of suns.h.i.+ne over her and her mind became overwhelmed with the sorrow of studying poison and training venomous insects. Her painful past was marked in every wound and every weakness of her body.
Due to her inconsolable sorrow, she wanted others to suffer the same pain. Those she killed also suffered the same pain from poisoning.
She mulled over these sorrows numbly. If she ignored her pain, she actually felt a special kind of serenity. This was until the day that person came to her side. Since then, she completely abandoned tranquility and fell in love with that person.
“Nice to meet you, young lady. I’m Yun Tingfeng,” the man had said to her.
“I’m Tang Hongxiu. The character ‘Xiu’ in my name doesn’t refer to the ‘Xiu’ in elegance, but rather of the word sleeve,” she had replied.
The intensity of the pain sobered Hongxiu but it was all too late. A burning sensation seeped into her heart.
She spewed blood from her mouth and darkness obscured her sight. Though unwilling, she fell to the floor. She still had so many concealed weapons and poisons. Why was she not given the chance to use them?
And why was he fine?
Meng Qi’s strike was right on target. He jumped backward immediately after and raised his left hand, killing a golden worm.
“I suppose you want to know why it’s not working,” said Meng Qi, looking at her desperate and puzzled expression.
Tang Hongxiu spoke loudly, “Yes. It’s something that can bite through the Golden Bell s.h.i.+eld in the fifth round!”
A smile appeared on Meng Qi’s smile and he crushed the bug with his powerful left hand, squas.h.i.+ng it into mud at once. He quietly said, “It’s crisp!”
Tang Hongxiu died with her eyes open, never resolving her grievances in life.
Meng Qi was not an idiot who will use his Golden Bell s.h.i.+eld to test Tang Hongxiu’s venomous insects without consideration. He only dared to rampage because he had practiced the Transformation Strategy and had developed a faint sixth sense after entering the Enlightenment period. Thus, he could feel the existence of venomous insects that could threaten him and will not confuse them with the common kind.
Of course, it was also Tang Hongxiu’s mistake for not releasing enough venomous insects. Even if he could detect them, he would still feel at a loss if there were more of them. He would have to first avoid the insects if that was the case.
“Everyone will be awarded 100 Karma points for team killing the Samsara traveler, Tang Hongxiu of the Devil Cult.”
For this task, hints from Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms directly reverberated in their minds.
Chen Xiao and Luo You stared at the back of Meng Qi with their mouth slightly open. He actually killed the poison expert with such ease…
Earlier, Master Zhen Ding had charged ahead like the unstoppable rampage of a white elephant.
And his strike was beyond description. It was amazing and full of odd human temptations!
Meng Qi was just about to examine if there was any hidden poisons and concealed weapons on Tang Hongxiu when venomous creatures scurried from inside her belt, bosom, back, socks, sleeves, and skirt. The small snakes and insects dotted her body, making a nauseating sight.
When those creatures appeared, they hesitated for a moment before ravaging Tang Hongxiu’s corpse. The insects around her were also affected by countercharge and joined in. Very soon, all the insects had overwhelmed her.
Meng Qi was going to put up with his nausea and drive out those insects when they died one after another. Soon there were venomous corpses lying beside Tang Hongxiu, who was only a skeleton, ragged clothes, and many corroded concealed weapons.
“People who use venomous insects are so scary… ” Sighing, Meng Qi found a branch to poke Tang Hongxiu’s residual clothes to see if he can find anything useful.
Just then, the voice of Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms reverberated in his mind.
“Xia Dandan was team killed by the Samsara travelers of the Devil Cult. 100 Karma points are deducted from each person.”
Meng Qi inhaled a cold intake of air, understanding that their enemies were launching a full-frontal attack from all sides this time.
…
Their eyes were shrouded in the thick mist around them and their own attacks were rebounded by that spiral of light. The two messengers of the Devil Cult were gripped by fear and were compelled by their urge to run.
Suddenly, the surrounding soil and gravel surged up to the sky, hitting the two messengers like they were murderous crossbows.
The attacks were so intensive that the two could not avoid them, especially the Earth-blending expert. He slapped some of the attacks away with his hands, only to be hit by the rest of attacks. His body eventually became a honeycomb with blood spouting from every crevice.
Seeing an opportunity, the other escaped with a flash of sunlight. He had barely avoided most of the attacks and only suffered a few bleeding wounds.
Just then, a scarlet gold sword carved in a unique pattern and exuded a majestic aura blocked the messenger’s path.
As the messenger panicked under the pressure of the aura, the sword had already pierced through his heart.
Qi Zhengyan stroked the fresh blood on his Golden Dragon Stripe Sword. Having killed two a.s.sa.s.sins with ease, a rare faint smile appeared on his so-called dead person’s face.
The magic of the Book of the Chaos was indeed extraordinary!
The two a.s.sa.s.sins had special kungfu. Even though they had just entered the level of Enlightenment, they could use nature to their advantage. Any other person would have panicked and would not be able to even find their shadows. But Qi Zhengyan had cultivated his Book of the Chaos with an emphasis on the Telepath with Heaven ability. He cultivated himself with the help of varieties of energies in the universe, which was a magic kungfu by means of forces of the universe, nature and all objects. How could the two a.s.sa.s.sins rival him?
The first level of Book of the Chaos, White Cloud Smoke, was capable of shrouding enemies with a thick mist. The second was Rosy Afterglow Swing, capable of stripping enemies off their strength with swirling red clouds. The third was Kunlun Crush, capable of splitting the earth and intensely hitting enemies with crushed rocks.
“No wonder it’s worth so many Karma points!” Qi Zhengyan had yet to complete the level of Kunlun Crush when he did his solo mission the last time, only the first two. Thus he had looked forward to using the third level in this fight.
Then he remembered a line from the Book of the Chaos. It read: It’s easy to start but difficult to continue. Body potential, comprehension, diligence, and devotion are all indispensable for cultivation.” He felt dejected when he remembered he had not achieved anything in his cultivation of the Transformation Strategy. It was a good thing that he could ask Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms to directly imbue his body. Perhaps he could exchange the auxiliary kungfu to improve his body potential and comprehension.
“Everyone will be awarded 100 Karma points for team killing Tang Hongxiu, a Samsara traveler of the Devil Cult.”
“Xia Dandan was team killed by Samsara travelers of the Devil Cult. 100 Karma points are deducted from everyone.”
Hearing these two pieces of news, Qi Zhengyan looked up, staring at the place where sandstorm was brewing. His expression was grim as usual.
…
In the culvert, the light from the match was lit up the nearby terrain.
Zhang Yuanshan and the hiding Shadow Kill did not move as if they were playing a game called whereby the first person who moves will die.
Patience was what determined if this would be an a.s.sa.s.sination or a counter-a.s.sa.s.sination!
Just then, the voice of Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms reverberated in their minds. The announcement of the deaths of Tang Hongxiu and Xia Dandan disappeared before long.
Zhang Yuanshan and Shadow Kill were both surprised to hear this but the latter quickly came to himself. He brandished his dirk, prepared to launch a critical strike.
He suddenly felt drained of energy and experienced breathing difficulties and dizziness. With a thud, he collapsed on the ground.
How could this be?
How did he get poisoned?
Shadow Kill was pondering these questions in a daze and faintly saw Fu Zhenzhen turning the match over. A tiny candle was hidden behind it, burning slowly.
Darkness came over his eyes and he could no longer see. He did not know his lack of vision was due to the candle and match getting snuffed out or if he had gone blind.
But this did not matter. As he breathed, he became completely unconscious.
“Everyone will be awarded 100 Karma points for team killing Tang Hongxiu, a Samsara traveler of the Devil Cult.”
After swallowing the antidote, Zhang Yuanshan looked at Ying Sha whose face had a faint smile. He sighed and said, “Seven-hearts malus begonia is indeed colorless and tasteless and difficult to detect.”
Fu Zhenzhen took a few steps forward and saw that the sandstorm was still raging outside the culvert. Worried, she said, “They’re still under attack. Should we go help them now?”
“You stay here and I’ll go. I more or less remember where Junior Sister Jiang, Junior Brother Zhen Ding, and Luo Shengyi are.” Zhang Yuanshan was unwilling to send the rather weak Fu Zhenzhen to risk herself in the sandstorm.
Fu Shenzhen opened her mouth as if she wanted to argue and go with him. In the end, she said, “Yuanshan, you have to be careful.”
If she went with him, in a situation where she could see not far ahead, she would not be able to demonstrate her ability with poisons. She will only make things difficult for Zhang Yuanshan. Knowing this, she restrained her urge to go all out with her teammates.
…
The death of Tang Hongxiu and Xia Dandan reverberated in the hearts of Luo Shengyi and Yun Tingfeng at the same time. Due to the fact that Tang Hongxiu was the first to die between the two, Yun Tingfeng’s first reaction was hesitation. Then came annoyance, sorrow, surprise, and other burning feelings.
Noticing his opponent’s unusual expression. Luo Shengyi who had been relying on his genuine Qi and inner force found an opportunity. Blocking with his left fist, he thrust his right fist, loosening his hold on Yun Tinfeng’s fist. Taking advantage of the favorable turn of events, he continued to go on the offense and defense and looked for a turning point.
Having lost his inner force, a restless Yun Tingfeng was forced to take a step back again and again. He clenched his hands tightly, defending against Luo Shengyi with great difficulty.
If he had another half an hour, he would have obtained inner force and gained a great advantage to overwhelm Luo Shengyi completely.
At the same time, Luo Shengyi finally learned of Xia Dandan’s death and his expression changed. He momentarily stopped, feeling an inexplicable sadness. He decided to increase the distance between his opponent and himself and put on the defensive posture. He had lost much inner force and might not be capable of defeating Yun Tingfeng.
Yun Tingfeng was about to attack again when Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms announced Shadow Kill’s death. He struggled for a moment before he stared into Luo Shengyi’s eyes. He then slowly withdrew and disappeared in the stormy and endless desert.
Inaccurate information had caused all these deaths!