I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 511: Paradise Bird in the End

The thought had barely formed when the Massive Strength Golden Cicada in the sky suddenly plummeted like a kite with a severed string, crashing directly onto the ground. At this moment, the Samadhi True Fire that had been scorching it internally now began to burn on its exterior.

"How is this possible... How could this be..." Dharma World Honored’s eyes widened, unable to believe what he was seeing. The Massive Strength Golden Cicada was, after all, second only to the Diamond Golden Cicada in strength.

Years ago, his Grandmaster had used the Massive Strength Golden Cicada to kill three superheroes from White Eagle Country. But just now, it was killed by a single, gentle thrust of Wang Lan’s sword?

PFFT— Another mouthful of blood spurted out, and Sir’s complexion changed dramatically.

He had never believed Wang Lan’s strength was truly as mythical as the legends claimed—that despite being merely at the Galaxy Stage, he possessed the combat power of a Half-step Star Soul. What a bloody joke! The Galaxy Stage was the Galaxy Stage. If Star Martial Art levels didn’t count, what was the point of establishing them in the first place? Why had he himself always been suppressed by Sony? Even possessing the Diamond Golden Cicada, capable of instantly killing a Titled Strongman, he lacked the courage to even challenge Sony. Wasn’t it precisely because Sony was a Star Soul Realm master? That was rank suppression! Wang Lan was merely at the Galaxy Stage. That was why, despite repeated warnings from the Wings of Paradise, he, Sir, had never paid them any mind. He simply couldn’t believe that someone at the Galaxy Stage could threaten him—a cultivator at the peak of the Star Sea Stage who also possessed the divine Golden Cicadas. But just now, with that instantaneous strike, Sir felt as if he’d plunged into an icy abyss. Wang Lan had killed the Massive Strength Golden Cicada with just a gentle stroke of his sword? Really?

Wang Lan’s figure appeared beside Master Chenghai. Seeing that the State Preceptor had reverted to his human form, Wang Lan casually tossed a Life Halo his way.

"Are you okay?"

"I’m fine. He’s the main culprit behind the Cloud Sea space massacre!" Chenghai said, pointing at Dharma World Honored with agitation. "He must not be allowed to escape!"

SWOOSH— A figure descended from the sky. Enveloped in what seemed like a watery mist, Yu Ruoyun landed beside Wang Lan, her aura instantly locking onto the seven people present.

"Oh? So you’re Wang Lan?" a man, cloaked like a Ninja, slowly drew the katana from his back. He took a step forward and challenged.

Wang Lan mused, "Your attire... it seems strangely familiar..."

"My teacher died at your hands. Today, I will avenge him!" the middle-aged man declared, holding his katana horizontally before him as killing intent seethed and billowed around him.

"Your teacher? Which one?" Wang Lan asked.

"Sonic, Sony! Wang Lan, remember my name! I am Ni—"

SWISH—

A streak of light flashed past and vanished in an instant. Everyone tensed and took a step back. Wang Lan’s speed was too fast; "meteoric" was no longer enough to describe it. In that moment, it was as if he had executed a Space Jump.

The crowd merely saw a blur before Wang Lan’s figure appeared behind the man in black. A deep blue, eerie light rippled on Wang Lan’s Zanpakuto.

The man in black stared with bloodshot eyes, struggling to turn his head. In that fleeting moment, he hadn’t seen a thing, nor had he had time to react. He only knew that once Wang Lan took that step and delivered that strike, his life was over.

A line of blood appeared at his waist, and blood GURGLED from the cut. Wang Lan’s strike had sliced him in two at the waist. But... I didn’t even get to say my full name... I hadn’t finished... My name is Nick...

Wang Lan had struck instantaneously, killing an early-stage Star Sea Stage expert in a single move. This didn’t just shock Dharma World Honored; it stunned all the Paradise Bird experts present.

Only then did everyone truly understand why the Wings of Paradise had been unwilling to join forces with them. The Wings of Paradise had known all along that they were no match for Wang Lan. His strength was too terrifying, too dreadful. Number one on Paradise Bird’s kill list? So what! The reward might be great, the glory enormous, but damn it, you had to be alive to claim it! How could such a hefty reward be easy to obtain?

"Leave two to cover our retreat! We’re pulling out!" Dharma World Honored ordered in a low, urgent voice. The moment the words left his mouth, his figure flickered, preparing to dash away. As for the two remaining Golden Cicadas? Forget them. How could Golden Cicadas be more important than his own life?

But just as Dharma World Honored prepared to flee, a water curtain suddenly materialized behind him. Within it, Yu Ruoyun’s figure appeared, like a reflection in a mirror. More water curtains rose one after another, completely sealing off his and his subordinates’ escape route.

"Charge through!" Sir shouted, hesitating only for a moment before accelerating again. A white-clad Star Sea Stage expert was designated to spearhead the breakthrough, to test Yu Ruoyun’s strength. Wang Lan was already so monstrously strong; surely this woman couldn’t be that abnormal too, right?

But in reality, Yu Ruoyun’s strength was perhaps even more monstrous than Wang Lan’s. Almost at the exact instant the white-clad expert from India reached the water curtain, Yu Ruoyun stepped out from it. The water curtain behind her instantly transformed into Sword Qi that flowed like a current.

With a light flick of her hand, the Sword Qi blossomed, showering down on Sir and his men like a sky full of raindrops. Sir hastily summoned the Seven-talented Golden Cicada, which transformed into a shield before him, while the others all brought their unique skills to bear, unleashing various defensive Star Martial Skills.

PITTER-PATTER— A sound like rain on banana leaves arose as the volley of attacks passed.

Sir cautiously lifted his head from behind the shield. He was about to command the Seven-talented Golden Cicada to revert to its original form when he found the Golden Cicada in his hand unresponsive. Instantly, the connection to the Seven-talented Golden Cicada within his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness was severed, and he violently spewed out a mouthful of blood.

Yu Ruoyun’s technique was a Water Attribute spell recorded in "Supreme Goodness Like Water." It carried the power of Law, something an ordinary Star Sea Stage Star Martial Warrior simply couldn’t withstand. Even if the Seven-talented Golden Cicada could transform into thousands of forms, it still had a limit to what it could endure.

The Massive Strength Golden Cicada had been as fragile as paper beneath the Sunlight Sword Soul, breached with a gentle poke. Naturally, the Seven-talented Golden Cicada’s defenses couldn’t withstand an esoteric strike from "Supreme Goodness Like Water" either.

Sir’s surprise hadn’t yet faded when an even more terrifying scene unfolded. The two men who had followed him in the breakout attempt had deployed Earth Attribute and Crystal-system defenses. Yu Ruoyun’s attack was over, so why were these two just standing there, stock-still and unmoving?

Suddenly, both men’s bodies shuddered in unison, then collapsed to the ground under Sir’s horrified gaze. Blood GUSHED from their foreheads. A closer look revealed their bodies were riddled with holes, battered like sieves. Yu Ruoyun’s attack... they should have dodged it.

Even the most potent attack is useless if it doesn’t hit. But trying to block that? That was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. The tough Crystal-system defenses couldn’t withstand the ’Rain and Dew Sword Qi,’ and naturally, the Earth Attribute defenses couldn’t either.

With a casual wave of her hand, Yu Ruoyun had killed two Star Sea Stage experts. And now, as Wang Lan’s Zanpakuto decapitated two more Star Sea Stage experts who had been behind Sir, he realized with horror that he was the only one left.

Only one Golden Cicada left for him. But the enemy? There were still three of them, plus two Golden Cicadas of their own.

BZZZ—

Suddenly, a droning buzz filled the air. Wang Lan now stood within fifty meters of Dharma World Honored. And Dharma World Honored’s last Golden Cicada could devour anything within that fifty-meter radius.

Dharma World Honored’s expression twisted instantly. "Die—!"

A devouring power suddenly enveloped Wang Lan, and the space around him instantly compressed. Wang Lan flew straight towards the maw of the Devour Golden Cicada, on the verge of being swallowed.

SHIIING— A streak of sword light tore through space. Wang Lan’s slash left an afterimage in the void, and the Devour Golden Cicada’s suction force vanished instantly.

It’s a blessing to have a big appetite, but only if your stomach can handle it.

"Got any more tricks?" Wang Lan asked, smirking coldly at Dharma World Honored. As his words landed, THWACK! The Devour Golden Cicada split into two halves and fell before Dharma World Honored.

Fighting was definitely impossible. As for fleeing? There was no path to the heavens, no gate into the earth. Sir retreated step by step as Wang Lan advanced. But before he could take even three steps back, an intense threat struck him from behind. SWISH! His face instantly turned as white as a sheet.

Dharma World Honored was on the verge of mental collapse, and Master Chenghai felt much the same. Is this the disparity? Is this the naked, glaring disparity?

In Master Chenghai’s eyes, Dharma World Honored had brought six experts, any one of whom could have turned Vine Country upside down. The seven of them together could have swept through Vine Country as if it were completely undefended. If Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun hadn’t come, Dharma World Honored would have been an insurmountable problem for Vine Country. The final outcome would inevitably have been Dharma World Honored easily taking all the Golden Cicadas, with Vine Country unable to even touch a hair on their heads. But now? These seven experts, who seemed incomparably powerful and invincible in the eyes of Vine Country, had been instantly and cleanly eliminated by Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun. The two of them had killed six Star Sea Stage experts right under Master Chenghai’s nose! These were Star Sea Stage powerhouses, not some low-level Star Cloud Stage warriors! You two just waved your hands and killed them all? Aren’t you a bit too inhuman for that? Could this be the true Jade Country, the powerful Jade Country? Master Chenghai recalled all the friction between Vine Country and Jade Country over the years: disputes over border territories, issues with fishing boat jurisdictions, the throngs of Vine Country’s Star Martial Warriors smuggling themselves into Jade Country, only for Vine Country to turn around and vehemently accuse Jade Country of inciting its Star Martial Warriors to defect... Thinking back on those matters, it was truly a case of the ignorant knowing no fear. Before this moment, the State Preceptor had believed the disparity with Jade Country was merely one of numbers—a gap due solely to Jade Country’s larger population and Vine Country’s smaller one. But now, a cruel reality had been laid bare before Master Chenghai: in terms of numbers, Vine Country was fragile, and in terms of quality, it was just as vulnerable. If Jade Country wished, they could probably send a small team like Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun’s—not even many, perhaps just ten such individuals—and those ten could annihilate the entire Vine Country!

THUMP—

Suddenly, Dharma World Honored unexpectedly knelt, ramrod straight, to the ground. Even Wang Lan hadn’t anticipated this.

"Hero, spare my life!" Dharma World Honored kowtowed deeply, utterly shameless.

"I’ve seen the ruthlessness of the Demon Clan and witnessed the savagery of the Paradise Bird," Wang Lan said. "But someone like you, kneeling and begging for mercy so readily? This is a first for me. Are you sure you’re not trying to pull a fast one?"

"I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare!" Dharma World Honored replied. "Either of you possesses strength far superior to mine. In this situation, escape is impossible, and no one will come to rescue me. Since I don’t want to die, I can only beg you heroes to spare my life."

"The massacre in the southern sector of the Cloud Sea space—was that your doing?" Killing intent flared in Wang Lan’s eyes as he asked coldly.

"Hero, I was merely acting on orders! The higher-ups said El Nino was a once-in-a-century event, and it would be a great boon if we could use it to severely cripple Jade Country. I didn’t want to do it either! But if I didn’t obey, death was certain!"

"Hmph. Do you think Paradise Bird’s operations are that simple?" Wang Lan sneered. "With your level of strength, you must be considered high-ranking within Paradise Bird. If you don’t cough up some valuable intelligence, how can I possibly let you go?"

"I..." Sir’s expression changed dramatically, and large beads of cold sweat trickled down his face.

"Speak! What was the objective?" Wang Lan demanded.

"I’ll talk... I..."

BOOM—

A massive explosion erupted without warning. The instant Dharma World Honored uttered, "I’ll talk..." his head suddenly burst like a smashed watermelon. His headless corpse twitched briefly, then fell rigidly to the ground.

"It seems Paradise Bird truly is up to something sinister," Wang Lan commented. "The mental prohibitions they place on their members only detonate when they’re about to reveal secrets."

"Wait, Paradise Bird? You’re saying Dharma Great Master was one of them?" Master Chenghai’s eyes widened as he suddenly connected the dots, piecing together fragments of conversation into a truth that made his chest burn with fury. "You... you knew all along?"