Chapter 842 - 197: Relentless
He knew Su Changxing was trying to provoke him earlier, and with their level of power as cultivators, any random move could likely attract the Heavenly Dao’s attention.
For a moment just now, he almost fell for it, mostly because he couldn’t determine if Su Changxing would really act. Any lapse in caution, and if Su Changxing did make a move, he might not have time to respond.
"I wasn’t fooling you. I originally planned to kill you, but after thinking it over, it doesn’t seem worth it." Su Changxing said earnestly,
"Why don’t you leave this world on your own, and I won’t pursue previous matters?"
The white-bearded old man, hearing Su Changxing’s offer, also showed a serious expression: "That won’t do. Our purpose is to return, and although you’re powerful, you can’t stop us alone."
"Moreover, consider there are no real conflicts of interest between us. We can completely coexist in this world."
This statement was a concession of sorts, acknowledging Su Changxing’s strength, suggesting they maintain the status quo, each guarding their own territory.
This seemed like a rather good choice.
Without a second thought, Su Changxing replied, "Do you think that’s possible? Let’s do this: tell me the reason why you must come."
"Even if you might have been from here once, now you are not. I think there’s no real reason to return unless there’s a special cause."
He was genuinely negotiating with them, believing there ought to be room for discussion among humans.
But things often don’t go as hoped.
"Don’t overestimate yourself!" The white-bearded old man said coldly, "It’s merely that we don’t see it worth such a great cost."
"Besides, what I, Hu Huai’an, have done is with a clear conscience; this matter benefits both sides."
Su Changxing’s mouth curled into an exaggerated smile, appearing cold, as he said calmly, "I don’t care about any benefits, with that, it seems we can’t come to an agreement."
He looked at the other party sinisterly, as if looking at a dead man; since they couldn’t negotiate, they were enemies.
Enemies should be dealt with using every possible means.
However, he wouldn’t choose to act directly; attracting the attention of that "Antivirus Software" from above wouldn’t be worthwhile either.
The white-bearded old man chuckled inexplicably, then turned and left, walking confidently, seeming not worried at all about Su Changxing stopping him:
"The outcome of this war was predetermined long ago, not something you can change, remnant."
"Though I admire you, I never agree with your methods, they’re foolish. The rules of the world have always been, the good remain, the bad are cast away."
The white mist in the sky gradually faded, and the figure of the white-bearded old man disappeared within it. This war seemed to temporarily calm down due to such a turn.
...
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
"Don’t kill me, don’t kill me!"
A sword disciple, full of blood, dragged his broken body quickly backward, looking back at the rapidly approaching monster.
The monster had only one arm left, crawling quickly forward on the ground, making a piercing scraping sound.
Even with its legs and one arm severed, the monster still intended to kill him. Such terror is beyond words.
In the Illusion Mist, though they were not the targeted ones, they were still affected, yet this monster seemed unaffected, continually attacking them, killing them one by one.
More importantly, her body was too hard; even thousands of attacks couldn’t kill her, all means seemed weak before her.
Zhou An watched this scene from afar, also dumbstruck: "So fierce, is this a robot? No idea where Brother Su brought her from."
He initially thought Hua san wouldn’t be too strong, just block a bit, but didn’t expect she would forcibly kill over a dozen sword disciples one by one, without any tactics, brute force.
Toward the end, these sword disciples grew afraid and began to flee.
Zhou An, while Hua san fought against these sword disciples, hid at the back, occasionally using Flying Saber for sneak attacks, not necessarily effective, but it increased these disciples’ psychological pressure, forcing them to constantly defend against Zhou An’s attacks, otherwise they might be killed if careless.
The bloody sword disciple looked around and found he was the only one left alive. Facing the monster ahead, he decided on one final struggle.
Just then, the crawling monster suddenly stopped, slumped down without movement.
It seemed to have exhausted its last ounce of power.
Finally, it couldn’t continue!
Just as a glimmer of joy flashed in the sword disciple’s heart, he saw a sword light flash before him. With the sound of flesh ripping apart, a rusty Longsword pierced through his back, penetrating his chest, tearing through his body.
"Demon!"
He turned back and cursed at Zhou An, who had somehow appeared beside him.
Zhou An’s slightly plump face revealed a sneaky smile, he stepped forward and pulled out the Longsword, the sword disciple’s body withered, skin turning gray-brown and shrunken, as if drained of moisture, then fell heavily to the ground, splitting open from the chest.
"We’ve fought for so long, don’t you know what kind of person I am. You all seem a bit wooden-headed, too stiff, even in fighting."
He couldn’t help but complain, though the strength of these sword disciples was strong, every one of them seemed molded from the same mold, rigid, even their movements and expressions similar.
This was like the same person owning different bodies, appearing eerie at first glance.
The sword disciple unsurprisingly died from the Decaying Sword Intent, the body completely dead, with no chance of survival.
It was an exceptionally cruel way to die, and Zhou An actually didn’t want to kill this way. It’s just that whoever he struck would end up like this.
It felt more like a curse.
Initially, he felt uneasy about it, but over time he’d grown accustomed to it.
"What about her?"
Zhou An looked at Hua san, paralyzed like a corpse on the ground, considered for a moment, then went to pick up each of her limbs and bundled them all up to take away.
Su Changxing hadn’t returned after leaving, but nothing else happened either.
Zhou An carried Hua san’s body on his shoulder, running eastwards, more important tasks awaited, as the war was far from over.
"Stop staring at me, it’s eerie." Zhou An noticed Hua san gazing blankly at him, couldn’t resist saying.
Hua san turned her head and asked, "Where’s Master?"
Zhou An thought for a while and said, "He’s busy; we’re going elsewhere first."
Hua san pondered a moment, calmly asked, "Where to?"
"It’s going to kill, I’ll put you somewhere safe later. Can your body still recover?" Zhou An asked.
Hua san shook her head and said, "I need someone to reattach me."
Zhou An raised his eyebrows, full of curiosity and said, "So, are you a robot?"
"Probably a puppet."
"I don’t know how to reattach your body, we’ll have to wait for Brother Su; he always knows a lot."
Then, Zhou An placed Hua san’s body and limbs under a ruin.
A few days ago, this ruin was a functioning town, flattened in the war, leaving just ruins and bones.
Zhou An stood up, smiling broadly: "You stay here, if I survive I’ll come find you, otherwise you’ll have to wait for Brother Su to come find you."
"I told him your location."
His smile was warm, unlike his cold demeanor during killing.
Hua san asked Zhou An, "So you’ll die?"
"Not necessarily, but it’s possible. You’re tough, even in this state you’re fine, humans are indeed more fragile." Zhou An said self-deprecatingly, hoisting the rusty Longsword on his shoulder, then running toward the distant fire-light.