Chapter 686: Chapter 360: Jade Girl’s Tactics, General Envoy Slain Again, Dawn Accompanies, Annihilation in a Snap!
The battle has yet to begin, and the heart is already timid. The Flower Cage Sect can be likened to street ruffians, mastering a few sinister and risky moves, walking the path of opportunism, unable to achieve greatness, and lacking a coherent system. The World Clan Sons receive esteemed teachers’ instructions from a young age, strengthened by medicated baths, and practice with experts. The difference is evident.
Everyone inhaled sharply, feeling a chill within. Zhang Kaixuan said, "If we encounter Nangong Xuanming, how do we deal with him?" The elders pondered for a moment, and Zhou Zhengde said, "First, trap him with the array. If the situation becomes critical and the array is not yet formed, suddenly encountering this person, we will resist him with three person’s efforts. It’s unlikely we would be defeated in an instant."
Then they observed Elder "Liu Yu", stripping the brocade clothing, revealing the inside: gifted by Bian Bianyun. There was no trace of injuries on his body, leaving the elders puzzled, unable to fathom why he died.
Qiao Zhengqi appeared lost in thought, suddenly exclaiming, "This is the Seven-Day Soul-Shaking Voice!"
The elders immediately inquired, and he said, "I remember Elder Liu Yu practiced the ’Big Belly Yuan Skill’, wrapped in thick fat, capable of resisting ordinary martial arts, naturally equivalent to wearing heavy armor. This martial art is quite formidable, capable of protecting one’s life at critical moments, but it renders the body obtusely fat. Yet now, his body is withered like dry firewood, clearly killed by the Bian Family."
"The Seven-Day Soul-Shaking Voice, its sound penetrates without a trace, infiltrates the body, and is hard to dissolve. It resonates within, causing the surrounding bones to tremble. Played through another’s body, it creates immortal tunes, tormenting the enemy to death. One dies by one’s own hand, yet also by the enemy’s hand. Extremely formidable."
"On the first day, one becomes mentally disoriented; no big deal yet. On the second day, insatiable hunger ensues, devouring everything, eating meat and vegetables doesn’t satisfy hunger, leading to consuming bark, jade, and other hard substances to fill the stomach. On the third day, the body begins to lose weight, and qi power fades. On the fourth day, the whole body aches, unable to move, as the Soul-Shaking Voice has been playing in the body for a while, vibrating the bones for several days, causing fractures and joints to suffer beyond repair. The fifth and sixth days bring daily nightmares, teetering on the brink of death. By the seventh day, there’s no turning back, and one dies in complete misery."
"If... if my guess is correct, we should cut open his knee to observe. If the flesh is rotten and the bones are broken, then it’s undoubtedly the Seven-Day Soul-Shaking Voice!"
Zhou Zhengde immediately slashed with a knife, cutting open the flesh, revealing the bones. Indeed, at the joints, the bones were decayed and broken. Observing Liu Yu’s body, gaunt and hollow-eyed, cheeks sunken, he must have suffered tremendous torment before death. One couldn’t help feeling cold, mourning like a rabbit beside a dead fox, with indescribable sorrow.
An elder cursed, "Bah! They are genuinely vicious, killing without a care, how can they be so ruthless." Han Zisha trembled, "Even if they are reputable, how can their methods be so insidiously evil? How... how..."
Ye Cheng sighed, "Dealing with extraordinary people requires extraordinary means. We are not good people ourselves, how dare we expect them to uphold virtue and compassion. Their attack this time is fierce, truly a rare deadly situation! The enemy shows signs of annihilation!"
Wang Shouxin asked, "If one encounters such a move, how can it be defended?" Han Zisha said, "This move I can easily neutralize. I’ve practiced ’Whispering Wave Palm’, which can expel the Soul-Shaking Voice through the palm technique. But if faced with it and one move is resolved, yet another isn’t, one might still lose their life."
The elders were silent for a moment, heavy-hearted. Li Xian thought, "This Soul-Shaking Voice is also difficult for me to resolve. If I encounter it, I must be extremely cautious of Bian Bianyun. Know yourself and your enemy, a hundred battles, a hundred victories, this saying is indeed correct. If I were unaware of this, suddenly encountering it, I would undoubtedly suffer."
Then observing the remaining corpses, each met different fates. If not dead in one move, then they endured suffering leading to death. One Elder Luo, killed by a single palm strike, had his organs instantly turned to powder, displaying proficiency in ’Shock Palm’, a basic martial art, killing a Third Realm Martial Artist, showing its fearsome power. His death was extremely tragic. Another Elder Li, unscathed externally, nothing wrong internally. Only after opening the abdomen did they realize the organs were rearranged, the heart as the stomach, the lungs as the kidneys... In heroic despair, there was no turning back, helplessly awaiting death.
The more the elders looked, the more frightened they became, the more they quaked in fear, each asking themselves: If these methods were applied to me, could I resolve them? The answer for all was ’no’. Initially, it was to "know the enemy and yourself", devising pre-emptive strategies, but first, their resolve was crushed. Unknowingly, it was already late at night, the sky dark and overcast, a light rain falling, hands and feet cold, the hall like a stifling coffin, stench of death in the air.
When they saw Jin Shichang’s corpse, his body was intact, organs entire, without any abnormality, leaving them unable to glean the cause of death. Ten or more elders pooled collective wisdom, puzzled about what method Zhao Ranran used. Zhou Zhengde, trembling, said, "This girl’s ability surpasses others by far. Others’ moves, be they treacherous, domineering, or cunning, we can discern a thing or two, even if we can’t resolve them, at least we don’t die mysteriously. Yet she... she’s exceptionally mysterious. If encountered, one can only accept unfortunate fate."
Li Xian, with sharp vision, observed closely, indeed seeing some clues. Jin Shichang was killed by a needle, the wound at the throat. The woman’s move was extremely fast; Jin Shichang was dead before he realized it. However, the needle mark was very slight, disappearing into the flesh after penetration, Zhao Ranran deliberately intended this, clearly to intimidate the Flower Thief, crushing their spirit. Li Xian was amazed, thinking, "If my speculation is right, this girl condenses water into needles, killing in an instant. The water dissipates upon entering the body, hence extremely difficult to detect. This technique is exceedingly formidable, the Third Realm Martial Artist Jin Shichang, dying by her hand like this."
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In the blink of an eye, it was the sixth day. The elders lived in fear, not daring to sleep. The bodies of their peers lay in the hall, unburied. The Water Altar was shrouded in continuous rain, falling all night, making the roads muddy and slippery, casting a gloom over their hearts. In the first half of the day, the elders still harbored a glimmer of hope.
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