The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 626 - 357 11
Bai Songhan is a Talisman Master, not particularly skilled in close combat; how could he evade such a sharp sword strike, fueled by Xing Da’s full fury?
Indeed, Bai Songhan did not evade it—this lightning-quick sword strike slashed directly through his waist. Xing Da always favored cutting his enemies in half at the waist because the tormented victim would not die immediately but instead endure excruciating pain for a quite a while before succumbing to death. The record holder, having been dealt this punishment by Xing Da, writhed and screamed on the ground for two hours before bleeding out and dying.
However, there was no satisfaction on Xing Da’s face, but rather even more rage. He was all too familiar with the sensation of the Spirit Sword piercing a body; this strike felt as light as if cutting through air—where was the sensation of slicing through flesh? Slowly, Bai Songhan’s figure began to fade away into thin air.
It was but an illusion! This crafty old man’s True Body had hidden itself at some point, only leaving an illusion in the center of the arena, deceiving everyone’s eyes and ears.
If by now someone still had not realized that a trap had been set against them, they would be hopelessly dim-witted. Amid Xing Da’s heavy breathing, the man in the brocade robe curled his lips in self-mockery. His complexion was inexplicably flushed; then, he straightened his body and said icily, "Come out, how much longer do you intend to hide?"
A line of people slowly emerged from the woods.
At the forefront was a man with a handsome and spirited appearance, his red robes billowing, his eyes shining with vivacious amusement—who else could it be but Miluo?
"Big brother, to hunt such a dangerous scourge, why not call me to join you? As the proverb goes, ’When brothers unite, their strength can cut through metal.’
He looked down at Young Master Qingji, who was half-sitting on the ground. This half-brother of his shared the same striking Blood Jade Eyes.
Young Master Qingji let out a faint sigh, saying, "You weren’t injured at all; the one attacked by the Plague Demon earlier wasn’t you." This was a declarative statement, not a question. He had received reports from his spies that Miluo was injured in a skirmish with the Plague Demon, that his life or death was uncertain, and he reckoned that Miluo’s subordinates had no time to spare for others, which is why he had confidently proceeded to strike at the Plague Demon.
But intelligence, after all, relies on others’ eyes and ears. If he had been on the scene in person, perhaps he would have spotted Miluo’s trick, what a pity indeed.
Miluo, with half-closed eyes and a smile, said, "If Miluo wasn’t injured, how could big brother be so bold and assured in dealing with the Plague Demon?"
Qingji snorted coldly: "You played your cards well, letting me deal with it so that you could reap the benefits like a fisherman."
Miluo clicked his tongue, shaking his head, "My dear brother, how can you still not understand? If I wanted to kill the Plague Demon, I would certainly not have let it escape from my grasp just now." He articulated slowly, "From the beginning, my target has been you, not some Plague Demon."
He said softly, "We talked just a few days ago, about how as a younger brother, I must repay big brother’s earnest affection with a spring of gratitude, and surprisingly, the opportunity came this quickly."
He had deliberately leaked the news of the Plague Demon a few hours ahead of time to the spies Qingji had planted among his subordinates, preventing him from making thorough preparations. Otherwise, to deal with an innate spirit monster like the Plague Demon, the reliance would be less on top Sword Dao experts like Xing Da and Xing Er and more on unique and talented individuals like Bai Songhan. Qingji had been lamenting that this capture was too rushed, yet in reality, that was the only way it could be.
In the skirmish with the Plague Demon, Miluo had intentionally commanded his substitute to feign injury and fall to the ground. Even the direction of the Plague Demon’s final escape had been orchestrated by him. Having been battle-tested, he was well-versed in the tactic of "surrounding three and letting one go," during which the Plague Demon hastily chose the direction with the fewest people to flee—that direction pointed straight to where Young Master Qingji was.
He wanted to force Qingji to make a move.
Miluo’s information about the Plague Demon was far more comprehensive than Qingji’s, acutely aware of the creature’s difficulty to subdue. To kill a thousand enemies and to self-inflict eight hundred wounds—with the hurriedly summoned forces of Qingji, even if they defeated this spirit monster that had survived for over ten thousand years, the price paid would be severe.
The current situation was indeed to Miluo’s satisfaction. Qingji’s hastily assembled men were almost all dead, leaving only Xing Da and an unknown lackey at the scene, and this older brother of his, whose cultivation was nothing extraordinary, now had merely the strength of an Early-stage Divinity Transformation.
Every step of his strategy had taken effect. At this moment, could there be a more perfect ending?
Incredulously, Qingji looked into the set of Blood Jade Eyes identical to his own, only now realizing the intense narrowness and killing aura were almost identical: "You... you want to kill me? You dare to kill me? Aren’t you afraid of the old man... "
