Chapter 100: The Killing

A streak of light, like a star, struck Meng Qi, but it was as if it had hit a phantom, passing straight through and embedding itself in the wall opposite the ruined temple.

Iron blossoms bloomed, their five petals resembling orchids—exquisite yet bewitchingly alluring. Within ten feet of the wall, mosquitoes, ants, and other insects silently dropped dead. Several sand rats tumbled out, their legs stiffened, perishing instantly. Their fur had completely fallen off, leaving their bald bodies exposed—a sight that sent chills down one’s spine.

They had never even come into contact with the Tang flower, remaining several feet away. Yet after the Tang flower bloomed, they still perished!

This sight left Chen Xiao and Luo You with dry throats, unable to swallow. If it had been them nearby, they likely would have shared the same fate. What a terrifying hidden weapon!

Yet the strangest thing was, within a range of one zhang, why had the poison expert misfired her hidden weapon, letting it pass a full three cun away from Master Zhen Ding? Could it be that she had poor eyesight, or issues with her other senses?

Hong Xiu had launched the Tang flower, but it had struck a phantom. Realizing something was wrong, she prepared to throw another object from her other hand.

But Meng Qi, charging forward like an unstoppable war chariot, had already “crushed” his way to her side. His mind immersed in utter serenity, a dark crimson blade of light flashed, and the red dust billowed up like smoke from a cooking fire.

Warm sunlight bathed his body. The pain of learning poison and controlling poisonous insects surged through Hong Xiu’s heart. Every wound on her body, every moment of weakness, recorded the unbearable past.

Because she herself had suffered and lost peace, she made others suffer too. Those who died by her hand had all endured the torment of poison coursing through their bodies!

This numb repetition, if pain was ignored, actually brought a strange kind of tranquility—until that day, when that person approached her, peace vanished, and she fell into the red dust.

Young lady, greetings. I am Yun Tingfeng.

Hmm, I am Tang Hongxiu—not the “xiu” of elegance, but the “xiu” of sleeves.

Pain surged through her body, and Hong Xiu awoke, but it was already too late. Scorching heat burned into her heart and lungs.

Blood sprayed from her mouth, blurring her vision. Tang Hong Xiu fell down unwillingly. I still have so many hidden weapons and poisons, why didn’t I get a chance to use them?

And more importantly, why are you fine?

Meng Qi slashed once, then immediately leapt back a few steps, raising his left hand. A golden insect was already dead.

“You’re wondering why it didn’t work?” Meng Qi looked at Tang Hong Xiu’s desperate, resentful, and confused eyes and softly asked.

Hong Xiu gurgled from her throat. Yes, it could bite through the Fifth Gate Golden Bell Shield!

A faint smile appeared on Meng Qi’s lips. He clenched his left hand, and with a crack, the insect was crushed into pulp. He whispered to Tang Hong Xiu, “Crunchy.”

Tang Hong Xiu’s eyes widened, dying with regret.

I’m not an idiot. I wouldn’t recklessly test your poison insects using my own Golden Bell Shield. The reason I charged forward fearlessly was because I had practiced the Phantom Transformation Art and, after entering the Awakened Stage, gained a vague sixth sense. If any poison insects capable of threatening me appeared, I could sense them and wouldn’t confuse them with ordinary insects.

Of course, it was also your fault for having too few of these insects. If you had released more, even if I could sense them, I would have been overwhelmed and forced to retreat temporarily.

“Eliminated the Tang Hong Xiu, a cycle warrior from the Evil Sect. Each person gains one hundred Virtue Points.”

This time, the Six Gates Cycle Master’s prompt directly echoed in their minds.

Chen Xiao and Luo You stood with mouths slightly open, staring at Meng Qi’s back in shock. He had actually killed that poison expert so easily?

Earlier, Master Zhen Ding had seemed like a white elephant, charging forward, unstoppable!

And that slash of his—indescribable, filled with strange worldly temptations, breathtakingly beautiful!

Just as Meng Qi was about to examine Tang Hongxiu’s corpse for any residual poisons or concealed weapons to guard against An Guoxie, suddenly, from her belt, chest, back, socks, sleeves, hem, and other parts, one revolting venomous creature after another emerged—tiny snakes, insects, densely packed, sending shivers down one’s spine.

After emerging, they hesitated for a moment, then turned to bite Tang Hong Xiu’s corpse. Surrounding snakes, spiders, and mosquitoes also turned against her, instantly engulfing Tang Hong Xiu.

Meng Qi was about to endure the disgust and drive them away when suddenly, the poisonous snakes, spiders, toads, and insects all fell over dead. One after another. Soon, Tang Hong Xiu’s body was surrounded by the corpses of poisonous creatures, leaving only her skeleton and tattered clothes, along with many corroded hidden weapons.

“People who use poison to control insects are truly terrifying…” Meng Qi exhaled lightly and picked up a branch to poke around in Tang Hong Xiu’s remaining clothes, looking for anything useful.

Just then, the Six Gates Cycle Master’s voice sounded again: “Xiadandan has been killed by an Evil Sect cycle warrior. Each person loses one hundred Virtue Points.”

Meng Qi inhaled sharply, realizing that this time, the enemy was likely launching a full-scale attack.

…

Clouds and mist obscured vision, muffling sound. Their attacks were all deflected by swirling halos. The two Evil Sect envoys felt fear rising in their hearts, already considering escape.

Suddenly, the surrounding soil and gravel burst upward, flying fiercely toward the two envoys like powerful bows and crossbows, brimming with killing intent.

Confronted with such an intense barrage, the two envoys found it nearly impossible to evade. Particularly the one adept in earth escape had no means to flee. He managed to parry some of the attacks, but the rest struck him with a sharp hiss. His body was instantly riddled like a beehive, blood spurting from numerous wounds.

Sunlight flickered. The other person used the momentum to vanish, disappearing from sight, barely avoiding most of the soil and gravel attack, only hit in a few places, blood flowing.

But at that moment, a peculiar crimson-gold long sword, emitting a majestic and solemn aura, gracefully and beautifully arrived like flowing water or drifting smoke, precisely blocking the envoy’s escape route.

Oppressed by this aura, the envoy panicked. The sword pierced straight through his heart.

After easily eliminating the two assassins, Qi Zhengyan stroked the blood on his dragon-patterned crimson-gold sword, a rare smile appearing on his usually expressionless face.

The “Hun Tian Mirror” truly was extraordinary!

These two assassins had unique martial arts. Despite only being at the early Awakened Stage, they could harness natural forces. Against others, they would have caused chaos, and opponents might not even touch their shadows. But his “Hun Tian Mirror” emphasized the connection between heaven and man from the very beginning, using exotic energies in the world to cultivate. It was a supreme martial art that harnessed the power of heaven, nature, and all things—how could they compare?

The first layer of “Hun Tian Mirror” was “Baiyunyan,” where smoke and mist boiled, obscuring vision. The second layer was “Meixiadang,” where halos danced, redirecting force and stunning the senses. The third layer was “Tukunlun,” splitting earth and shattering stone, raising minerals and sand to attack enemies.

“No wonder it costs so many Virtue Points!” Qi Zhengyan had not yet mastered “Tukunlun” during his last solo mission, only testing out “Baiyunyan” and “Meixiadang” slightly. This real combat battle made him even more excited about this supreme martial art.

However, recalling the words in the “Hun Tian Mirror” manual—easy to begin but progressively harder to advance—which demanded talent, comprehension, effort, and focus, Qi Zhengyan’s heart grew slightly heavy. The thought that he still hadn’t mastered the “Phantom Transformation Art” even after half a year cast a shadow over his mind. Fortunately, he could later receive direct灌体 from the Six Gates Cycle Master or perhaps exchange for auxiliary martial arts that enhanced talent and comprehension to aid his cultivation.

(Note: “灌体” is left untranslated as it appears to be a specialized term, possibly referring to a unique cultivation method. If a specific translation is preferred, please provide context.)

“Eliminated the Tang Hong Xiu, a cycle warrior from the Evil Sect. Each person gains one hundred Virtue Points.”

“Xiadandan has been killed by an Evil Sect cycle warrior. Each person loses one hundred Virtue Points.”

Hearing these two messages, Qi Zhengyan lifted his head, gazing at the sandstorm-covered area, his expression unusually solemn.

…

Inside the culvert, firelight flickered, illuminating the nearby terrain.

Zhang Yuanshan and the hidden Shadow Killer remained motionless, locked in a stalemate, as if playing a game where whoever moved first lost.

Assassination versus counter-assassination was a test of patience!

At that moment, the Six Gates Cycle Master’s voice echoed in both their minds, announcing Tang Hong Xiu’s and Xiadandan’s deaths in quick succession.

Neither Zhang Yuanshan nor the Shadow Killer were wooden men; they couldn’t help but feel shocked upon hearing the news. However, the Shadow Killer, as an assassin, quickly regained composure, lifting his short sword, preparing to launch a fatal strike.

But at that moment, he felt a sudden weakness throughout his body, rapid breathing, dizziness, and with a thud, he collapsed limply to the ground.

How could this be?

How did I get poisoned?

The Shadow Killer thought groggily, vaguely seeing Fu Zhenzhen flipping over her fire starter, revealing a small candle hidden behind it, slowly burning.

Everything went black. The Shadow Killer could no longer see anything—whether the candle had been extinguished or his own eyes had failed him, it no longer mattered.

Inhaling deeply, he lost consciousness entirely.

“Eliminated the Shadow Killer, a cycle warrior from the Evil Sect. Each person gains one hundred Virtue Points.”

Zhang Yuanshan, who had taken an antidote, looked at the Shadow Killer’s faint smile and sighed, “The Seven Star Begonia truly has no color or scent, making it almost imperceptible.”

Fu Zhenzhen took a few steps forward, looking outside the culvert. Seeing the sandstorm hadn’t lessened, she worriedly said, “They’re under attack too. Should we go help?”

“You stay here and hide. I’ll go. I roughly remember where Senior Apprentice Sister Jiang, Junior Apprentice Brother Zhen Ding, and Luo Shengyi are.” Zhang Yuanshan didn’t want Fu Zhenzhen, whose close-combat abilities weren’t particularly strong, to risk the sandstorm.

Fu Zhenzhen opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to follow, but finally said, “Yuanshan, be careful.”

She knew that if she went with him, in a situation where she couldn’t see far, her strength in poison would be hard to utilize, and she would only slow Zhang Yuanshan down. Thus, she forcibly restrained her impulse to face danger together.

…

The news of Tang Hong Xiu’s and Xiadandan’s deaths also echoed in Luo Shengyi’s and Yun Tingfeng’s minds. Since Tang Hong Xiu died first, Yun Tingfeng was the first to be startled, his heart filled with regret, frustration, pain, and shock.

Sensing his unusual state, Luo Shengyi, who had been struggling to preserve his own internal energy, seized the opportunity. With his left fist blocking and his right fist vibrating, he deflected Yun Tingfeng’s hand wrapped around his fist. Then, instead of retreating, he advanced, delivering a punch—extremely rigid and powerful, attacking as defense, seeking a turning point.

Yun Tingfeng’s mind was unsettled, and he had lost the unexpected advantage of absorbing internal energy. Instantly, he was forced backward by Luo Shengyi’s punch, his palms moving as if sealing and closing, defending with great difficulty.

If only he had half an incense stick’s time, he could have gained a huge advantage in internal energy, leaving Luo Shengyi powerless to resist absorption.

At that moment, the news of Xiadandan’s death also arrived. Luo Shengyi’s expression changed, his attack paused, filled with grief. He simply leapt back, creating distance, assuming a defensive stance—he had already lost much internal energy and might no longer be Yun Tingfeng’s match.

Yun Tingfeng was about to attack again when the Six Gates Cycle Master also announced the death of the Shadow Killer. He hesitated slightly, looked into Luo Shengyi’s eyes, and then slowly retreated into the sandstorm, vanishing into the vast winds and sands.

Wrong intelligence kills people!