lpffa Chapter 961 - 816: Chaotic Syllables
Chapter 961 - 816: Chaotic Syllables
Upon learning that Shi Chun has killed Luo Que, Yan Zhili found it difficult not to be shocked.
Logically speaking, with so many Nanshan forces aiding, if he couldn't win, he should have been able to escape, right?
Rumor had it that Shi Chun was already on the brink of collapse but was stirred into courage when Luo Que came to take advantage of his plight, resulting in a hysterical counterattack aided by the "Soul-breaking Bell" that led to Luo Que's demise, leaving Yan Zhili speechless.
He didn't even know what to say about Luo Que, who had already been severely injured and fled, only to return for a profit and inadvertently set himself up for death.
Shi Chun, now seemingly harried, has been trapped by the Qiankun Sect's array.
The target is already trapped, so how could he continue to put on the guise of "supporting Nanshan"?
If he acted forcefully, it wouldn't be supporting; it would be directly turning against Nanshan, undermining the guise of cooperation entirely.
With the target trapped in front and unable to escape, Yan Zhili wasn't in a hurry to decide but instead took out the Mother-child Talisman to consult with Commander Wei Mo.
Meanwhile, the Nanshan Commander Ming Chaofeng, upon hearing the shocking news of Luo Que's demise, inhaled sharply in disbelief, his face turning pale as he staggered back two steps, supported by Pu Gong, whose face was equally grim.
"How could this happen..." Ming Chaofeng muttered to himself, then suddenly grasped his junior brother Pu Gong's arm and questioned, "She was severely injured, and to help her escape, we mustered this hundred thousand-strong force, yet she has escaped. Why did she return, why is it so?"
Pu Gong was equally puzzled, unsure how to respond, and feebly suggested, "We'll have to seek a detailed confession for specifics."
The tone was pale and powerless.
Both knew that Luo Que's death meant the Nanshan Team lost their deterrence against strong opponents, a deterrence more crucial than direct confrontations.
Of the others on the high platform, some hung their heads, while others sighed softly.
A moment of dispiritedness did not discourage Ming Chaofeng, who soon gathered his spirits and addressed the crowd, "We still have a chance to win. Capturing Shi Chun and finding those four thousand tokens, combined with ours, piecing together some more shouldn't be difficult, and achieving the seventy-five hundred tokens shouldn't be too hard. Capturing Shi Chun, we can find my junior brother Li Hongjiu, who may still be able to fight, given both Feng Yin and Yan Zhili have been defeated by him before."
This reasoning was indeed logical, and with no other options, the group resolved to focus efforts in this direction. Pu Gong urgently contacted the Qiankun Sect disciples, ordering them to set aside personal grievances and ensure Shi Chun's capture alive.
Luo Que's death was merely an unexpected aside for the West Niu and East Victory Command Centers, and indeed, more of a gloating opportunity — Shi Chun's downfall before securing one less formidable enemy was certainly a cause for relief.
As for the Heavenly Court Command Center, led by the anxious Manxi faction, the news brought no joy. Shi Chun's desperate, clever move did not free him from peril, instead plunging him into even greater danger.
It was evident that even West Niu and East Victory's forces were forcefully intervening, having previously passively allowed later Heavenly Court forces to clash with Nanshan. Now, they decisively exerted force, intercepting subsequent Heavenly Court reinforcements and denying any chance to rescue Shi Chun.
The casualty rate among Heavenly Court forces began a rapid climb...
Deep within the Extreme Abyss, several figures stealthily moved, one being the seasoned infiltrator Chang Shifei.
The few accompanying him were sent by Lan She for this rendezvous, already having briefed Chang Shifei on the intentions, currently holding a pathfinding map to guide Chang Shifei towards Shi Chun's previous hiding place, aiming for those two thousand-plus tokens.
Suddenly, rumbling sounds emanated from the cliff face above, prompting the group to swiftly press themselves against the rock wall.
Soon, rocks tumbled down, followed closely by a torrent pouring down.
The group looked upwards in bewilderment; it was not the first occurrence along the way.
One asked in surprise, "Why does it keep falling? With such a large body of water not dispersed, reaching here, what sort of battle is going on above?"
Chang Shifei spoke out, "Ignore it; hurry and move on. The other parties are likely already heading over, and Shi Chun's stronger allies have already left; don't let others reap the benefits."
"Mr. Chang, I'm concerned that falling rocks might damage the landmarks on the map, leading to getting lost, which would be troublesome."
"Stop babbling, keep moving."
The group pressed forward silently for a time until the rumbling resumed.
They halted simultaneously, one remarked, "The sound's coming from ahead, no, it's not the sound of debris; it's fighting."
"The others have already arrived; not far now, they're just ahead, quick!" urged Chang Shifei as the group hastily pressed on.
Where the fighting noise grew silent, Li Hongjiu hovered in the air, grasping someone and interrogating, "Speak, how did you find this place?"
Beside the stone cave, Shen Moming protruded his head to gaze at the others' bodies falling into the dark depths.
The captured one spilled information like spilling beans from a bamboo tube, recounting all he knew; unfortunately, he was merely a runner, unaware of the map's origin.
"How could they have a map leading here?" Li Hongjiu turned his head to look at Shen Moming.
Shen Moming was silent, mentally reviewing Chen Wuji's party, sighed, and said, "This place isn't safe, Lord Jiu, let's relocate."
Li Hongjiu paused before tapping a finger to shatter the captive's forehead, releasing him to fall into the darkness.
Just as he was about to turn and leave with Shen Moming, a stream of light shot over, a Sandal Gold Flame Energy passed over their heads.
Soon after, a light laugh came through, "Li Hongjiu, we met in the early years, there's no need to avoid an old acquaintance in such haste."
Li Hongjiu turned back, Shen Moming quickly dashed back into the cave and peeked out.
Soon, Chang Shifei appeared with a few people.
Seeing the visitors, Li Hongjiu thought for a moment and replied, "Chang Shifei of the Chang Family, the twelfth son."
Chang Shifei gave a thumbs-up and smilingly praised, "Mr. Li, you have a good memory. Let's not waste words in such a place. The two to three thousand tokens concentrated by the Heavenly Court Team are with you, aren't they? Since we know each other, just hand over the tokens to me, and you can go your way, I won't make it difficult for you."
As the captives said before, Li Hongjiu subconsciously glanced at Shen Moming, roughly understanding the reason why this person stayed here, and faintly replied, "Aren't you satisfied with the over a thousand tokens on you?"
It was just learned from the captives that Chang Shifei, carrying a large number of tokens, fled into the Extreme Abyss after being hunted all the way.
Chang Shifei sighed, "Why ask knowingly, Mr. Li. You know the skills of the Chang Family, if not for Su Jikuan having learned Divine Skills, even ten of him together wouldn't be my match. You're hiding here because your old wounds haven't healed; I hope you won't make it difficult for me, Mr. Li."
Li Hongjiu shook his head, "I don't have the tokens you want on me."
He was speaking the truth.
But Chang Shifei's face darkened completely, "I'll say it again, don't make it difficult for me."
This time it wasn't just words, his body was glowing, a halo like a purple cloud drifted like silk, dreamlike and surreal, the person in the center seemed like a descending deity.
Seeing this, Li Hongjiu remained silent, then slowly raised his hand, opened his five fingers, and enveloped the opposing group, surprisingly closing his eyes. A faintly fluctuating energy emanated from his palm, enveloping the group across.
Chang Shifei, having taken precautionary measures, warned again, "Will you give them to me or not?"
With his eyes closed, Li Hongjiu tilted his head slightly, seemingly in deep thought, muttering, "Still missing something, something barely intervening, short…" He suddenly opened his eyes and decisively uttered two words, "Sound!"
Chang Shifei was puzzled, "What?"
Li Hongjiu's lips moved slightly, muttering chaotic syllables as if reciting a Sanskrit mantra, "Jieye Namkarluo..."
After being poisoned with 'Demon Dew' before, he became deeply aware of the mystery of this poison balancing between reality and illusion, especially after being repeatedly tortured by it, he vaguely touched on some points of intervention.
He had been contemplating how the sufferings of the demons were extracted and transferred to others, always exploring the mysteries between reality and illusion.
Just before the group in front disturbed him, while meditating cross-legged, he indeed realized something but didn't fully grasp it, always feeling there was a thin layer of barrier. The arrival of Chang Shifei's group triggered a sudden idea, wanting to try experiencing it for real.
The key that he couldn't grasp for a long time was triggered at this moment, realizing it was missing a medium from virtual to reality.
What would be the medium between reality and illusion? He immediately thought of sound, so he used sound as the conversion medium.
The chaotic syllables he recited were not random, but based on feeling, what kind of tone could mobilize it, that was what sound he produced.
Once this sound was uttered, Chang Shifei's group first appeared puzzled, not knowing what demon he was chanting, soon their expressions quickly changed, faces turning stiff, then all showing pain, or rather despair, and the glow on Chang Shifei vanished instantly.
Hiding in the cave, Shen Moming was not in the direction of Li Hongjiu's encasing grip, full of astonishment and confusion, not understanding what was going on before his eyes, nor what incantation Li Hongjiu was muttering.
Just as Chang Shifei and others clutched their heads, overwhelmed by pain and losing control, falling, Li Hongjiu's other hand swept through the air, a previously embedded sword on the cliff wall suddenly shot out through the air, flipping towards that group.
A streak of sword light flipped through, five heads flew off one after another, five sprays of blood, including Chang Shifei.
Those who met him, Li Hongjiu, here, none would be left alive.
Still the same point, his hiding here and not helping the Nanshan Team must not be known by outsiders.
The flying sword fell into the abyss along with the five heads.
The five bodies didn't fall as Li Hongjiu swept them into the cave with a wave from a distance. The previous captives had already confessed that Chang Shifei had over a thousand tokens on him, throwing them away seemed inappropriate, intending to conduct a body search later.
However, he wasn't in a hurry to search the bodies, swinging away Chang Shifei and others' corpses, while his other hand reached out into the void again.
Just now, when feeling between reality and illusion, he sensed something else, this cold stone had other palpable living emotions.
A gust brought a swirl of dust into his palm, among them, dozens of strange little bugs.
Dozens of strange little bugs caught in painful struggle.
Not knowing the reason, and not seeing any clues, Li Hongjiu blew them away with a breath, then stepped into the cave to search Chang Shifei's body.
In another cave, at the same time as those little bugs convulsed violently in pain, Du Wulang, who had been kept alive by someone using the Life Crossing Technique, suddenly let out a shriek and collapsed, clutching his head, rolling on the ground.