Chapter 246: Chapter 244: Annihilation Without Life
’Divine blood. Absorb it?’
’Did this trigger a new function of my peerless talent?’
Su Yu had originally been deeply wary of this uncanny drop of divine blood.
It felt a bit like the Blood God Stone he’d obtained after killing the Huyan Family’s Tributor. That stone had seemed to contain something akin to the will of a deity.
This drop of divine blood was likely even more dangerous, and ordinarily, he never would have dared to interact with it so rashly.
But now that his peerless talent was prompting him that he could absorb it, he had no more reservations.
’No need to overthink it. I’ll just absorb it and see what happens!’
’Absorb!’
With a single thought, Su Yu reached out and touched the uncanny drop of divine blood.
The moment he made contact, the divine blood surged over him with a SWISH, as if it had just found the perfect host.
Before Su Yu could even react, the divine blood had seeped into his body.
[Absorbing divine blood... Deconstructing... Erasing...]
[Divine Blood Absorption Successful]
He had imagined he would once again encounter a terrifying divine will, like the one in the Blood God Stone, but nothing of the sort happened.
The absorption was completed, plain and simple.
Then, a line of ink-wash characters appeared before his eyes, making Su Yu ecstatic.
[Breakthrough Point Progress +100%]
[Breakthrough Points]: 1 (Progress: 98%)
[Obtained Divine Art (Incomplete): Silent Annihilation (33% Unlocked)]
[Trait]: Annihilation. All things have a beginning and an end, and this art specializes in returning them to the void. When the will of annihilation descends, it forcibly strips away all "life force" and "spirituality." Those struck by it will feel their Qi and Blood fall silent as their flesh turns to gray, decaying rot, utterly severing all possibility of self-healing or regeneration. All is rendered void; only dead silence remains.
’A Divine Art?’
Su Yu stared at the prompt on his panel and gasped, an irrepressible fervor igniting in his eyes.
He had only ever seen fragments and mentions of it in books, but he knew that Divine Arts were abilities one could only possess after breaking through to the Divine Storage Realm.
Legend had it that the "Sea-Suppressing King"—one of the Four Pillars of the Great Xia Dynasty who guarded the East Sea Border—had once used a peerless Divine Art called the Sea-Overturning Seal. With a single punch, he had obliterated twelve of an enemy nation’s Sea-Suppressing Heavy-Armored Treasure Ships out of thin air!
In the aftermath of that punch, the seawater in a hundred-li radius violently receded, only to surge back boiling like magma. The residual power of the Divine Art ravaged the ocean’s surface for over a month before finally dissipating.
’That kind of world-shattering, reality-bending power... and I can now touch upon it ahead of schedule?’
Su Yu licked his dry lips, his heart racing with impatience to witness the terrifying might of Silent Annihilation for himself.
Judging by its name and description, this was undoubtedly a divine killing art that followed a path of extreme destruction!
Its trait of "forcibly stripping away life force and severing all self-healing" made it the perfect counter to those who relied on divine blood or powerful physiques for recovery!
Whether he infused that will of annihilation into his Demon Ape Mountain-Shaking Fist or channeled it through his saber arts, the resulting destructive power would be utterly astonishing!
’It’s a shame it’s still incomplete, barely 33% unlocked.’
’But it doesn’t matter!’
A murderous glint flashed in Su Yu’s eyes, yet the corners of his lips curled into a smirk. ’Since one drop of divine blood unlocked a third of it, I’ll just have to kill a few more of their senior deacons. I might just be able to complete the rest of the progress very soon!’
Besides, this divine blood had no side effects and a single drop provided a full 100% progress toward a Breakthrough Point! These weren’t evil cultists; they were walking, priceless treasure troves!
’I’ve really hit the jackpot on this trip.’
Calming his excitement, Su Yu leaped down into the deep pit and carefully searched through the ashen remains.
Aside from a dark red Black Lotus Token that proved the man’s identity as a senior deacon, the cultist had no other valuables on him.
Su Yu swept the few miscellaneous items into his storage ring with a hint of disdain, then his figure flashed as he turned and sped back toward the village.
...
「At the entrance of Wang Family Village.」
On the muddy street, Song Mirror and Zhao Tie had already bound and taken control of the remaining Black Lotus Sect members and the thoroughly intimidated, fanatical villagers.
Wang Yuechi was also helping nearby, maintaining order among the other villagers.
All three were anxiously staring toward the devastated ruins deeper in the village.
"SWISH!"
A tall, handsome figure appeared silently in their line of sight.
"Sir!"
Seeing that he was unharmed, the men’s tense nerves instantly relaxed, and they rushed forward, their faces alight with joy.
"Sir, the situation in Wang Family Village is completely under control! But... what about that cultist who fled?" Song Mirror asked tentatively, swallowing hard.
"Don’t worry, I killed him. We’ve scored a major victory."
"Hahahaha! You’re incredible, Sir! Following you, we brothers have earned a lifetime of bragging rights!" Song Mirror pumped his fist excitedly, feeling incredibly fortunate to be under Su Yu’s command.
Su Yu’s gaze swept over the scene.
In addition to the three Flesh Refining Realm deacons he had personally slain, Song Mirror and Zhao Tie had also bravely cut down seven or eight Black Lotus Death Warriors who had put up a final, desperate resistance. They had even managed to capture three or four of them alive, though they were heavily wounded.
Such a brilliant victory was a first for the Black Stone City Public Security Bureau. Not only was it the first time they had truly destroyed a high-level Black Lotus Sect stronghold, but it had also dealt a heavy blow to the cultists’ morale.
Reporting this major achievement would undoubtedly cause a huge stir within the Bureau.
Furthermore, according to Wang Yuechi, there was another sealed village nearby—Xu Family Village—which was very likely another hidden Black Lotus Sect outpost.
"Song Mirror, ride back to the guard post at once and report this! Mobilize a large force and send them to Xu Family Village. Also, have them send a team here to handle the clean-up!"
"Yes, Sir!"
...
「An hour later.」
Su Yu rode his horse back to the Golden Scale Guard garrison at the Public Security Bureau.
As soon as he pushed open the heavy wooden door to the Vice Commander’s office, Su Yu skillfully bolted it shut behind him.
Hearing the noise, Lin Wanzhu, who had been waiting behind her desk, snapped her head up.
Seeing Su Yu had returned, she shot him a flirtatious glance and pouted. "Back so soon? Did you come up empty-handed? A wasted trip?"
A roguish smile played on Su Yu’s lips, but he didn’t answer.
He strode behind the desk. As Lin Wanzhu watched with a nervous yet expectant gaze, he leaned in close. His warm breath tickled her lustrous, perfectly shaped earlobe as his deep, mellow voice sounded beside it:
"Senior Sister, I am pleased to report mission success. I not only destroyed a high-level Black Lotus Sect stronghold, but also personally slew three of their Flesh Refining Realm deacons. On top of that, I found a lead on another suspiciously sealed village: Xu Family Village."
"What?"
Lin Wanzhu’s pupils contracted, and her previously languid posture instantly went ramrod straight. She turned her head in disbelief, ignoring how close Su Yu’s face was to her own. "Ah Yu, intelligence of this magnitude is no laughing matter! Are you telling the truth?"
Su Yu smiled. "Senior Sister, would I joke about something like this?"
"It’s true! This is wonderful! A major accomplishment!"
Lin Wanzhu was so excited her chest heaved, her beautiful eyes shining with an unprecedented light. "Ah Yu! You truly never disappoint! Once this victory is reported, you’ll definitely be promoted to Vice Commander!"
"Since it’s such a major accomplishment..."
A flicker of anticipation crossed Su Yu’s eyes as his hands expertly wrapped around Lin Wanzhu’s soft, voluptuous body from behind. Through the thin fabric, he could clearly feel her astonishing firmness and breathtaking curves.
He lowered his head slightly, his gaze fixed on her rosy lips, as his hands traveled up from her slender waist, preparing to ascend the two majestic peaks above.
"My dear Senior Sister, now that your junior brother can take on more of your burdens, surely I deserve some kind of reward?"
Lin Wanzhu, who would normally have melted into a puddle in his arms from such teasing, shot up and forcibly broke free from his embrace.
"You little rogue! Even now, all you can think about is fooling around!"
As Lin Wanzhu frantically straightened her ruffled clothes, she strode decisively toward the door, her tone urgent. "Didn’t you just say there was another suspicious village, Xu Family Village? That’s a golden opportunity for the taking! We can’t let those cultists get wind of this and escape! You just finished a battle, so stay here at the garrison and rest. I’ll handle the rest!"
Before the words had even left her mouth, her figure blurred into an afterimage as she yanked open the door and rushed out.
Staring at the empty room, Su Yu raised his hands, feeling the lingering softness and warmth on his fingertips. A helpless expression crossed his face.
He sighed, then plopped down onto the still-warm chair, propping his crossed legs up on the desk and closing his eyes to rest.
In truth, he had already considered the situation at Xu Family Village.
The Black Lotus Sect cultists were extremely cunning and suspicious; they surely had some sort of secret method for reconnaissance.
With all the commotion at Wang Family Village, not to mention the signal flare, if Xu Family Village really was a stronghold, the cultists there would have already fled like startled birds, leaving nothing behind.
Su Yu recalled how the Cyan-Scaled Sea-Exploring Swallow had scouted Wang Family Village. If he hadn’t acted decisively and entered the village when he did, the enemy would have already detected him and fled.
It was only because they saw he had brought just two other men that they chose not to flee, deciding instead to try and kill them.
Still, having captured a few Black Lotus Guards alive this time, they might be able to follow the trail and pry some more valuable intelligence out of them.
The subsequent investigation concluded quickly. Just as Su Yu had predicted, the Black Lotus Sect cultists in Xu Family Village had long since vanished.
However, the search uncovered an even more horrifying and terrifying truth.
In both Wang Family Village and Xu Family Village, the Security Guards were shocked to discover vast numbers of sick people. Both villages had been suffering from an outbreak of a highly virulent plague!
The people in both villages had been on the verge of being wiped out, but then the Black Lotus Sect arrived, appearing like saviors.
They bestowed upon the dying villagers what they called "talisman water." After drinking it, the villagers’ pustules miraculously stopped festering, and the symptoms of the plague were forcibly suppressed!
In the eyes of the villagers, this power to bring people back from the brink of death was nothing short of a supreme miracle performed by a deity.
Soon, the entire villages began to worship the Black Lotus Sect with a mad fanaticism, even willing to take up their farming hoes and fight the Public Security Bureau’s men to the death.
Of course, the plague outbreak and its aftermath were a massive, troublesome mess.
Upon learning the news, Mansion Master Pang worked through the night to mobilize numerous physicians from within the city. He also dispatched heavy troops to completely lock down and quarantine Wang and Xu villages and the surrounding areas, determined to prevent the plague from spreading toward Black Stone City.
