Chapter 845 - 200: The Lucid
Although the death curse is spreading everywhere, it also flows in roughly the same direction, wave after wave, never ceasing.
The war in Huazhou happened for a reason; there is a portal connecting Blue Star to the World of Heaven.
The two worlds are so close that the World of Heaven could establish such a portal through spatial rifts.
Back then, they left via this method as well.
So Seventeen wanted to destroy the portal and launched a massive attack on Chenhe in Huazhou.
In Seventeen’s view, the people of the World of Heaven and those wizards are no different—they are all invaders.
It’s just that it’s unclear why Chenxi and the National Council endorse them.
"Destroying the portal to the World of Heaven isn’t that simple," Lin Fuzhang said, "only by this method can the portal be destroyed, using a death curse formed by countless lives as the cost. Only then is there a chance to erode the portal."
Xu Kai said softly, the black longsword in his hand standing out like a lotus blooming in the night.
"When Wenwu gave me this sword, he said the people I kill would count as his, I just had to do my best."
This sword was left to him by Zhu Wenwu when he left, and it was left to him because he was the only one who could handle it.
It’s a sword filled with the aura of bloodshed, its murderous intent usually hidden but when revealed, it could even backlash on its bearer.
For an Extraordinary, this could be deadly, losing mental balance could result in losing control, spiraling into distortion, turning into a complete monster.
In this decade-spanning war, many under pressure lost control and turned into monsters, having to be executed by their own.
Yet his position unusually overcame this flaw, with an advantage too obvious compared to other Extraordinaries: absolute clarity!
A Ninth-tier Lucid One, Tier Eight Self practitioner.
In the Seventeenth, only a few knew his position and abilities, but those who knew were very surprised, thinking it special.
However, he found it normal, with no exceptional combat talent, nor any auxiliary ability to turn the tide.
Ordinariness seemed to be his byword, as unobtrusive as before.
That’s what he thought anyway.
"Wouldn’t this be too dangerous?" Zhu Xin Xue said again, also someone impulsive, but feeling this was a bit too much this time,
"We only came to look for Shimu, no need for this."
Xu Kai shook his head, sighing, "Since these people are to die, they shouldn’t die in vain. Chenhe’s people probably realized our intent and those people are likely here to preemptively kill civilians in the settlement to prevent more curses from forming."
Zhu Xin Xue showed a helpless expression, pointing east towards the highway’s direction:
"If I’m right, they should come from that way. We can set something up here first."
"Heh, I happen to have brought some good stuff."
She pulled out a small white disc from her chest, surrounded by transparent crystal tubes with blue liquid flowing inside.
This is an A6 landmine specifically targeting Extraordinaries, crafted from purifying dozens of Extraordinary Crystals, immensely powerful, covering tens of meters instantly.
Costly and difficult to produce, they are rare even in the Seventeenth, mainly due to low cost-effectiveness, as retained energy diminishes over time, and once fixed, they can’t be moved, possibly causing friendly fire.
However.
In Zhu Xin Xue’s hands, this mine could play a significant role, allowing her to predict the target’s path with high chance.
This counts as a foreknowledge ability, rare among Extraordinaries, with perhaps only one in millions possessing it.
Such people are often closely linked to the world, instinctively perceiving its rules, verifying them mutually, turning verifiable parts into intuition.
That’s roughly foreknowledge ability.
So, she could place this lethal mine on the enemy’s path, causing maximal damage.
"They’ll loop around from the west along this highway since the woods on the right are full of one-eyed wolves, estimated to arrive in just over ten minutes."
"I’ll try the landmine, if it works, fine; if not, we’ll leave, no need to force it, it’s just us two here after all."
Zhu Xin Xue threw the mine on the ground, and it began spinning on its own, drilling into the earth until completely hidden.
Three such mines were placed, forming a triangle, completely sealing this section; any passersby would be covered by the explosion.
Soon, a sizable army appeared on the road, marching in formation quickly, roughly three hundred people.
"Remember our orders, not to massacre, but to prevent the cursed ones from moving in our direction."
A cold-faced woman said to those around her,
"This curse is tough, and we haven’t found a way to deal with it, so anyone accidentally cursed must be immediately executed by those nearby to prevent spreading."
"Also, mind destroying the bodies," she emphasized again, expression shifting, leaving others unable to discern her thoughts.
She was the mid-level squad leader of Chenhe, "Nightingale," commanding this mission fully.
Soon after, a team member asked in a low voice: "This doesn’t seem to prevent the curse’s spread though. If the curse can proliferate in corpses, those dead will surely birth more death curses."
"Nightingale" glanced sideways at him and explained: "That’s beyond our mission’s scope, there’ll be others to handle it, we’re just to execute our orders."
She was the only one aware of the specifics of the plan, though she only knew a part, the part they needed to execute.
War is like chess, one side makes a move, and the other thinks up a counter.
Chenhe quickly perceived these death curse’s intentions, responding as swiftly, albeit clumsily, yet any approach could be effective.
While they traveled on the road, a red flame flashed before them, followed by dozens of scorching white lights sweeping from underground.
Explosions, flames, and energy slashes near akin to blades.
"Scatter, it’s A6!"
"Nightingale" reacted immediately, shouting, then rolled to the side, promptly engulfed by all-encompassing flames.
She apparently wasn’t encountering it for the first time, having survived previously, its terrifying nature deeply etched in her mind.
Though a landmine, it cuts bodies like a blade into segments, not immediately lethal, but with immense pain, blood drain, dying amidst others’ screams.
Even Extraordinaires with strong defenses might not withstand this mine’s slicing.
This was their oversight, who expected Seventeen people would lay an A6 mine here.
Moreover, that person seemed to know their route.
Many died, and others lay on the ground with severed limbs continually screaming, yet their swift reaction prevented further casualties.