Chapter 134: Senior Brother, All’s Fair in War
Scarlet snow fluttered down, blocked by the bamboo hats atop the heads of the sword-wielding youth and the young woman. The two stood outside the bloody spirit wall, their composed demeanor and fearless gazes meeting the scrutiny of the bulging compound eyes.
As the owner of those eyes, Zuo Min felt an incredibly strange sense of dissonance from the pair. “Two cultivators at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, how can they be so calm in front of a Core Formation Stage demonic cultivator like me?”
Moreover, the youth had revealed her relationship with Wu You, knowing she had learned the art of gu poison from him, and had even claimed Wu You died by his hand. Zuo Min had heard rumors before that Wu You had died at the hands of a young cultivator possessing the Saint Emperor’s bloodline. Could this youth be that heir to the Saint Emperor? If so, his current composure in facing her would make some sense.
“Heh…” Zuo Min let out a cold laugh, finding the youth arrogant and conceited. Relying on the Saint Emperor’s bloodline to challenge a Core Formation Stage demonic cultivator like herself, wasn’t he looking down on her too much? Yes, the Saint Emperor Dragon Body was almost a natural enemy to a Core Formation Stage Gu Cultivator like her. But a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator couldn’t freely utilize that bloodline. In other words, the Saint Emperor’s bloodline was the youth’s trump card, and he had revealed it before even engaging in battle. This move was either arrogance or foolishness.
Zuo Min decided not to bother with them. They couldn’t get close to her anyway, and the spirit wall surrounding the plaza was enough to keep them out. Once the formation was complete, even with the Saint Emperor’s bloodline, the youth would only meet his end. The Crimson Refining Five Lotus Formation was a formation capable of killing a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Ye Anping, seeing that Zuo Min had no intention of removing the spirit wall to let them in, pouted and asked, “Senior Zuo, are you sure you want to ignore me?”
“Kid, I’ll give you a piece of advice. You should find a place to properly enjoy the last hour of your life. It wouldn’t hurt to leave some good memories.”
“In that case… I’m afraid this remnant scroll of the Xuan Yin Art in my hand will fall into someone else’s hands, perhaps your Senior Brother Zi Tiancheng?”
Upon hearing the words “Xuan Yin Art,” a flicker of surprise flashed in Zuo Min’s eyes. “Xuan Yin Art?”
“I told you, Wu You died by my hand. I obtained this remnant scroll of the Xuan Yin Art from his Storage Bag.” Ye Anping formed a sword finger with his hand and waved, directly taking out a golden page from his Storage Bag. He held it between his index and middle fingers, waved it around, and exuded an air of mockery. “Senior Zuo, don’t you want this thing? How about you remove this Blood Spirit Wall and fight us head-on? I’m very keen to test the mettle of a Core Formation Stage demonic cultivator like you.”
The moment Ye Anping finished speaking, Zuo Min, who was sitting in the center of the plaza, flicked her long sleeve. Countless black insects gushed out from her sleeve like a black mist. At first glance, these insects resembled mosquitoes, but their speed was astonishingly fast. In the span of a single breath, they traveled from the center of the plaza, fifty feet away, pierced through the bloody spirit wall, and arrived before Ye Anping.
Ye Anping’s eyes widened as if he had completely underestimated her capabilities. He attempted to dodge, but the insects were too fast, almost instantly engulfing his right hand, which was holding the golden page.
“Ah—!” Ye Anping cried out, immediately pulling his right hand out of the swarm. Although his hand was safely retracted, the golden page remained within the insects. Ye Anping retreated two steps, clutching his right hand and glaring at Zuo Min through gritted teeth. “You… a Core Formation Stage cultivator resorting to such despicable means!! If you have the guts, come out and fight us. What kind of hero hides behind a spirit wall?”
“Heh… All’s fair in war, kid.” The insect swarm, like a black mist, wrapped around the golden page and once again pierced through the bloody spirit wall, returning to Zuo Min’s side before gradually dissipating. Zuo Min raised her hand and held the golden page brought back by the insects between her index and middle fingers. However, as soon as her fingers clamped onto the page, she felt something was amiss. It wasn’t that the golden page was problematic; it was indeed real. But she felt as if she were holding a book with those two fingers. The thickness was extremely peculiar.
“Hmm?” Zuo Min flipped the page to examine its back and saw that at least thirty yellow talismans, adorned with diagrams of lightning magic, were pasted on the entire back of the page. “What?!”
Outside the bloody spirit wall, Ye Anping smiled slightly. With his right hand forming a sword finger, he held it before his chest and replied, “Senior Zuo, all’s fair in war, as you just taught me.”
Ye Anping’s brows furrowed as he activated the talismans on the back of the golden page.
*Boom—*
Instantly, thunder roared, and a white light filled the space within the spirit wall. Zuo Min’s screams echoed across the plaza.
“Ah—!!” Ye Anping’s expression was calm as he manipulated his spiritual sense, controlling the lightning summoned by the talismans to strike three vital points on Zuo Min’s left shoulder, chest, and abdomen. These lightning spells wouldn’t harm Zuo Min but would disrupt the spiritual energy within her. As one of the sub-eyes of the Crimson Refining Five Lotus Formation, she needed to channel her spiritual energy through the formation eye towards Li Feng. However, with her vital points disrupted, the spiritual energy surged in reverse. The spiritual energy that was supposed to be entering the Crimson Refining Five Lotus Formation now gathered in her sea of consciousness, pushed back by the formation itself.
*Huala Huala—*
The bloody spirit wall that had stood before Ye Anping cracked like glass, then gradually broke apart and dissipated. Ye Anping rotated his spirit sword halfway, then nodded slightly at his Junior Sister beside him. The two figures spun, vanishing instantly, leaving behind only two circular air waves. Feeling the spiritual energy surge in reverse, Zuo Min had no choice but to sever her connection to the formation eye. She was already bleeding from seven orifices; if she continued, her sea of consciousness would be crushed by the formation’s spiritual energy, leading to self-detonation.
“Ha… ha…” She raised her head and saw two sword shadows, one on each side, like a pair of scissors aiming to sever her head. Seeing this, Zuo Min immediately formed sword fingers with both hands, raised them, and waved. Her back clothes twitched.
*Ding—*
Sparks flew. A black-armored centipede emerged from her clothes, using its hardened carapace on its back to block the spirit swords of the two.
Upon seeing the black-armored centipede, Ye Anping clicked his tongue and commanded, “Tsk… Retreat three Chi!” The moment he gave the order, Pei Lianxue unhesitatingly backed away two steps, stopping at a distance of three Chi. At the same moment, the centipede wrapped around Zuo Min suddenly swung its long tail, equipped with sharp teeth, drawing a black arc of light around her. However, the arc only covered a three Chi radius around her, just grazing the chests of Ye Anping and Pei Lianxue without causing any harm.
“What?” Disbelief flashed in Zuo Min’s eyes. How did he know her gu centipede would strike beforehand? And how did he predict the three Chi range so accurately?
