402 Divination
Splatter!
Fresh blood sprayed out in a wide arc. Qin Huai withdrew his fists from the body in front of him, blood clinging to his hands. The old man’s eyes were still wide in shock as his lifeless body hit the ground with a loud thud.
“Ding! You have collected [Ancient Azure Illusion Scripture Essence], [Ancient Azure Illusion Scripture] experience points +3%!”
“Ding! You have collected [Grass Script Sword Qigong Essence (Dark Red)], [Grass Script Sword Qigong] experience points +400,000!”
Complex memories rushed into Qin Huai’s mind like a turbulent wave.
Moments later, he snapped back to reality and indifferently squatted down. Using the old man’s animal skin, he wiped off the blood from his body. Then, with a respectful nod towards the old man’s wide-eyed stare, he said, “Thank you for your gift.”
Qin Huai reached for the longsword that the old man had gripped tightly in his hand. He tugged hard, but the sword remained fixed. Finally, he had to cut off the old man’s fingers one by one to claim the sword.
He then found a hidden crevice in a tree to take shelter. The experience points he had gained couldn’t currently be converted to the ancient azure illusion scripture, so he transferred them to the divine power book of a thousand creations instead.
…
Elsewhere, in the level-one array, the old man of Wuji Mountain sat perched on a tree.
Opposite him, an older man held a wooden fish instrument, using a corpse as a makeshift seat. If Qin Huai were present, he would have recognized the corpse immediately — it was Shao Mo from the Blood Poison Gang.
Once a dominant force in the outer city, Shao Mo now met a pitiful end. His body was similar to Guo Ze’s, reduced to a mere husk, used as a seat by the unkempt elder.
The old man from Wuji Mountain scoffed. “You youngsters always assume you’re at an advantage, that you can escape this predicament… Little do you realize we were once just like you.”
“Once the truth is revealed, you too will become like us…” he continued, watching Shao Mo’s life force slowly drain from him under his oppressive foot.
“Otherwise, why would you be here alone?” The old man from Wuji Mountain didn’t hesitate to ridicule Shao Mo’s foolishness. Indeed, Shao Mo’s greed had led him here, hoping to uncover more secrets in the level-one array. His current state was the outcome of his ambitious pursuit.
The old man from the Thousand Divination Tower joined the conversation. “However, they managed to eliminate so many of our people at such a minor cost.” He slightly furrowed his brows. “This is a bit strange. According to our previous analysis, both sides should be evenly matched.”
“What are you implying?” the old man from Wuji Mountain demanded, his voice grave.
The duo was formidable — one a prodigy who had honed the king’s force and ascended to the visceral prefecture realm during his youth, and the other an expert from the Thousand Divination Tower, proficient in complex calculations and the rare destiny-seeking technique. Together, they’d suppressed countless gifted individuals in the bronze realm for a hundred years.
“These youngsters must be hiding a secret variable,” deduced the old man from the Thousand Divination Tower. His fingers traced patterns in the air, and a concentrated essence of blood gathered at his fingertips, pulsating rhythmically.
Puff!
Suddenly, his face flushed a deep red. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he splattered a large pool on the ground that slowly flowed toward him, forming an irregular pattern. Strangely, the blood stains on the grass took the shape of a human face, only revealing the upper half before the blood ceased to flow.
Observing this from a distance, the old man from Wuji Mountain walked over and shook his head as he studied the half-formed face. They exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting nothing discernible.
They had never seen this face before.
Standing up, the old man from the Thousand Divination Tower grabbed Shao Mo’s head and dragged him to the blood painting. “Tell me who this is, and I’ll give you a quick death.”
Shao Mo’s vacant eyes slowly focused on the bloody depiction, and he seemed taken aback. Yet, he remained silent.
The old man from the Thousand Divination Tower smirked malevolently. “I have a few torture methods used by the four gangs in the outer city. Care to give them a try?”
Shao Mo shivered. “His name is Zhou Cunzhong, a rogue cultivator,” he blurted out.
As one of the leaders of the Blood Poison Gang, he was well acquainted with the four gangs’ torture methods. Having originated from such gangs themselves, they would stop at nothing to extract information. Despite having no hope of survival now, he was unwilling to endure such torment again.
“Zhou Cunzhong, rogue cultivator… give us more details. The more specific, the better!” The old man from the Thousand Divination Tower placed two fingers on the back of Shao Mo’s head. Then, he squinted, his spirit needle technique enabled him to gauge whether a martial artist was lying by observing their blood essence fluctuations.
“He has a robust physique, on par with Fang Huo from Lion Spirit Mountain. His king’s force is white… it can turn your hair white. His punches carry immense power… That’s all…”
With a swift movement, the elder from the Thousand Divination Tower removed his fingers, abruptly piercing through Shao Mo’s head. Shao Mo died instantly.
“Could this Zhou Cunzhong actually be capable of killing us?” The old man from Wuji Mountain found it hard to believe.
“I can only ascertain that he’s the biggest variable. As you know, the more detailed the calculation, the greater the price.”
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