Chapter 1566: Chapter 929: Enemies Face to Face (Part 3)
Beside the puddle lies a rather dense dead forest, and at the edge of the forest are a few tent tops covered with camouflage nets.
Meanwhile, a figure sitting on a rock, wearing a full diving suit and with a bulky frame, seemed to sense something, struggled to stand up, and gazed into the mist, then a stiff silhouette emerged.
"Poison Man, your puppet corpse has returned." A somewhat sharp voice rang out, belonging to a tall, skinny fellow whose wet, messy hair drooped down, almost covering half of his face.
Because of the long hair concealing, one couldn’t see his eyes at all, even more bizarre was the extreme dissonance between his upper and lower body, disproportionate like hastily assembled pieces, terribly frightening.
"Keep it down, don’t disturb the captain’s rest." A particularly burly figure walked out from behind the rock, clad in a peculiarly styled crimson armor, with horn-like spikes on either side of the helmet, standing there exuding sheer deterrence.
The Japanese Apostle dubbed "Poison Man" was enveloped entirely in a suit resembling a diving suit, including his face, with no skin exposed, gingerly stepping towards the nearby poison puppet corpse, wanting to ascertain what transpired.
He lacked the capability for long-distance communication with the poison puppet, but proximity allowed him to inspect the recent events through the specially modified puppet.
Originally, this puppet was abandoned at the murder scene as bait, would self-destruct if anyone approached and touched it.
"Stone Beast, what’s going on?" The next second, the curtain of a tent was lifted, and out walked a figure.
This was a guy wearing a black ghost mask, speaking Chinese with heavily accented Japanese flavor.
The man wasn’t tall, nor especially burly; the conspicuous black case strapped to his back was almost as tall as his upper body.
"Captain, it’s Poison Man’s puppet corpse that’s returned, and Poison Man is reviewing it." Stone Beast let out a muffled voice, "Rest assured, we’re guarding outside."
Before the man nicknamed "Curse Blade" could respond, the eyes beneath the mask seemed to notice something, abruptly fixating on the ground, where a shallow puddle lay.
Almost in an instant, the water surface rippled, a figure leapt out with astonishing speed, swinging a swing at him.
In the nick of time, it was too late to fully evade; as captain, he exhibited swift reflexes, hastily pulling the case from his back, used as a defense intending to withstand the blow.
Yet Yang Xiao was quicker, sparing no effort this time, aiming for a decapitation; spiritual power was infused into the Ghost Bamboo Stick, delivering a strike bound to claim his life.
With a "bang," the strike shattered the black case, slamming into the bizarre statue concealed within, simultaneously striking the masked man’s right arm which failed to dodge, shattering bone and flesh instantly, disintegrating most of the right arm in mid-air.
The residual power swept over the man’s upper body, tearing through layers of skin and meat before forcefully hurling him away, while destroying the tent behind him.
Securing success with one strike, Yang Xiao’s personality certainly demanded finishing the job, yet as a chilling wind gusted past his head, he vanished instantly.
The next second, the place he previously stood seemed split by something, leaving an incredibly neat cleft on the ground.
Meanwhile, several individuals charged out from the mist: Jiang Qingluan, Nalan Shuo, and the Chamber of Commerce duo were all present, not wasting words, each choosing their opponent as per prior agreement.
"Enemy attack!!" A sharp shout erupted, voiced by the Half Ghost.
During his inspection with the Ghost Lantern, Yang Xiao noticed something off about the corpse; he had previously suffered due to this, pondering the poison puppets along the way, aided by Jiang Qingluan’s intel, deduced that only relatively intact corpses could be crafted into poison puppets.
At the scene lay four corpses, only one intact, moreover, beneath it pressed something—a clear bait.
Under his suggestion, Jiang Qingluan and Nalan Shuo realized the situation, accompanying him in staging an act.
Subsequent events confirmed his suspicions; not long after their departure, the corpse rose and began walking.
Yang Xiao and the others hadn’t gone far; after traveling some distance, they circled back via the Soul-Capturing Mirror and lay in wait nearby.
Originally intending to ambush "Poison Man," or other East Japan ninja, only to be surprised when the poison puppet stood up and moved, leading them to pursue to this campsite.
They quickly identified the camp’s occupants—Poison Man, Half Ghost, and Stone Beast—all had surfaced.
Yet Yang Xiao remained patient; seeking a fatal strike, these three weren’t sufficient; his target was the opponent’s core of strength—the "Shadow Spider" or "Curse Blade," with the latter, as captain, holding higher priority.
Thus upon "Curse Blade’s" emergence, Yang Xiao acted; the assault was relatively successful, though not outright killing him, still crippling an arm, heavily damaging his chest flesh—a grievous injury indeed.
Inflicting critical harm to the opposing strongest combatant, Yang Xiao found satisfaction in this outcome.
Granted, this fellow proved too tenacious; had it been any other among the three, Yang Xiao was confident in laying one flat.
Nonetheless, the encounter highlighted discrepancies; the intel was inaccurate—these guys were stronger than reported.
Poison Man certainly possessed Mid-stage Ghost Level prowess; Half Ghost and Stone Beast nearing High-level Ghost, while the captain Curse Blade, injured by one strike, exhibited even more terrifying High-level Ghost strength.
Truthfully, the Japanese Apostle team members uniformly enhanced by a half to one tier; their prolonged stay in the Secret Realm yielding terrifying growth, rivalling even Nightmare World experience, possibly exceeding.
Yet, the backlash they endured was severe; each showed varied degrees of petrification, notably Stone Beast whose right arm and part of his face were encased in stone, rendering him menacingly formidable.
Among the 5-person team, only the "Shadow Spider" nicknamed Japanese Woman remains unseen, but she’s indeed present; the attack targeting Yang Xiao had originated from her.
Finding her wasn’t challenging for Yang Xiao, given his possession of a spiritual magical artifact.
"Come out!" Yang Xiao withdrew the Human Bone Staff, striking a region to his left; the next second, space seemed to fold, expelled a silhouette.
A woman clad in black battle attire; upon sighting her, Yang Xiao immediately recognized her identity.
