Everlasting

 

“Good news? What is it?” Everyone cast puzzled looks at Chen Feng. They did not understand what Chen Feng meant. According to Chen Feng’s earlier discovery, the power within this outpost was very strong, far stronger compared to them. Forget a straight-up fight, even a sneak attack would not succeed. Besides, assassins were better at stealth and sneak attacks than others.

“He he. Although there are a lot of assassins in this outpost, there are no Human Immortals here,” Chen Feng said with a chuckle.

“No Human Immortals!” Their eyes quickly lit up.

“This is indeed good news.”

The power of a Human Immortal was simply too strong. Even though they had managed to kill off a Human Immortal earlier, they were still feeling a lingering sense of fear towards the Human Immortal. A Human Immortal assassin was an existence capable of killing all of them, under normal circumstances, anyways.

“Let’s discuss what to do.” Chen Feng held the Blood Mustering Bead in his hand. If the Blood Mustering Bead was not broken, he was confident that he could attack the assassins from afar. However, it was damaged. Not only would his move fail to kill them, it would alarm them instead.

“We do need a good plan.” Wen Shaoxiu nodded his head.

They grew silent and began pondering. For a long time, no one spoke up. It was clear that, although these fellows were good at fighting and killing, coming up with schemes was not their forte.

“Why don’t we go with the same strategy as last time? We’ll set up magic arrays around them and use the magic arrays to attack them.” Li Shilong was the first to speak up.

“The magic arrays are a necessity. However, even after using the magic arrays, we will likely be incapable of killing them all. Moreover, we will likely end up with some casualties on our side as well. The power of this outpost has exceeded the power of the previous outpost.” 

“It will be very hard for us to execute sneak attacks against them. They are all the elites amongst assassins. They are much better than us in that regards.”

“If we are to attack, we’ll have to catch them by surprise. Additionally, we must kill them while they are still in a state of surprise. If our first wave of attacks fails and they counter attack, we will be in deep trouble.”

“How about using poison? Even if we cannot poison them to death, this move can still take away their combat power.”

“Using poison is indeed a good idea. However, we don’t have any good poison on us. More importantly, the average poison is mostly ineffective against cultivators at our level. It will be easily discovered and we’ll end up alarming them instead.”

“I suggest setting up even more magic arrays. What if the eight of us set up the Eight Trigrams Sword Array? We’ll utilize the sword array to kill them one by one.”

“Utilizing arrays is a good idea, but there is an issue. Our sect’s Eight Trigrams Sword Array can display an astonishing level of power. With a high level of mastery, it will not be an issue for us to kill these assassins by using the sword array. However, we are incapable of doing that. Li Shilong may have no issues in setting it up, but the rest of us? It requires a high level of cooperation and tacit understanding. In order to accomplish that, we need time. Unfortunately, we happen to be lacking time.”

“Yes, the longer we wait, the more likely the assassins here will find out about us.”

“Why don’t we return to the sect and find a few more of our fellow brothers and sisters for this?”

“No. Doing that will create too much of a stir. Besides, if news of this gets leaked, we’ll lose face as well.”

“The way I see it, we should just attack. Kill a few of the assassins and just retreat.”

“No. We only have two choices. First, we don’t attack at all. Second, we attack and wipe them all out.”

Although the cultivators from Heavenly Sword Faction were usually valiant, resolute and audacious, they weren’t arrogantly foolish. They would not march to their deaths. Wen Shaoxiu and the others continued to think of a plan.

However, after discussing the issue for a long time, they were still incapable of coming up with a good plan. Chen Feng felt frustrated and he empowered the Blood Mustering Bead to spy on the assassins again.

“Eh, something is happening!” Chen Feng suddenly said.

“Something happened? What is it? Did they discover us already?” They were all surprised.

“Wu Huai’s team of three has entered this city. Additionally, they are heading towards Killer Palace’s outpost,” Chen Feng said solemnly.

“What? Wu Huai’s team is here as well? Are they connected to Killer Palace? Right, I was wondering why we would end up meeting those three earlier. In other words, the three of them were heading to the outpost that we wiped out.”

“Brother Chen, try to get a better look at the situation. It’ll be even better if we can figure out what Wu Huai’s team is doing here.”

“Not a problem. I’ll check it out,” Chen Feng said. The Blood Mustering Bead in his hand spun slowly and Chen Feng’s divine sense enveloped the courtyard again.

It was not just their actions, Chen Feng could even hear their voices and breaths with clarity.

Every move made by Wu Huai and the other two was completely under Chen Feng’s scrutinizing senses.

“Wu Huai seems to be very familiar with the assassins. They are talking happily with each other. Clearly, this is not their first meeting,” Chen Feng said.

“I remember now. I believe Wu Huai’s cousin is an assassin in Killer Palace. Additionally, he is also a Human Immortal assassin. Wu Huai’s family is very strong. That is the reason why Wu Huai can be so arrogant all the time,” Wen Shaoxiu suddenly said.

“Hurry, listen to what they are saying,” Li Shilong interjected.

“They are talking about some irrelevant matters. They made an agreement to go explore a danger zone to find something known as the Thousand Gold Vine. By the way, the assassin that Wu Huai is talking to is called Wu Liang. He is also from the same family as Wu Huai,” Chen Feng informed them of everything he heard.

“Wu Liang? I have never heard of him. However, Wu Huai’s family can already be considered a first-rate family. Additionally, the Wu Family has a close connection with Killer Palace. It is said that one of the founding members of Killer Palace is a member of the Wu Family. The Wu Family would usually send the elites of their junior generation to train with Killer Palace. Some would directly become assassins of Killer Palace,” Wen Shaoxiu said.

“The way I see it, nothing good can come from Wu Huai’s appearance here. Who knows? He might tell them what we did earlier,” Situ Nan said.

“Don’t be a crow’s mouth,” Liu Quan quickly said [1].

“Brother Situ Nan is not being a crow’s mouth. Wu Huai has already informed them about the attack on the outpost. They even betrayed our identities to them.” Chen Feng’s face suddenly turned dark.

“What, he really informed them? The damn mutt! He dares betray even a fellow disciple!” Wen Shaoxiu was so enraged that he smashed his fist against the ground. Instantly, cracks spread out across the ground.

“That son of a bitch! He is serving the interest of others. We must beat him up real good this time,” Situ Nan swore as well.

“He is not exactly serving the interest of others. Do not forget, the Wu Family and Killer Palace are closely connected. Who knows? Maybe he had trained with them before.”

“What do we do now? Now that they already know about us, they will surely be on guard against us. It will be even more difficult for us to attack them.”

“Kill! We’ll kill Wu Huai and the other two as well!”

“They are already prepared for us. I will go set up the magic array now to trap them first.” Li Shilong stood up.

“I’ll go set up my array as well.” Jian Zhiqiu said.

“Hold up. Guys, I have a method that we can try.” Chen Feng suddenly spoke up.

“Oh? Brother Chen, what is your suggestion?” Wen Shaoxiu was quick to ask.

Chen Feng considered for a moment before saying, “I have only just thought of it and I am unable to guarantee how effective it can be. This Dao artefact of mine is called the Blood Mustering Bead. It can devour blood essence. However, my cultivation base is not high enough. So, I am incapable of stirring forth all of its power. Thus, I will need your help.”

“How?” Wen Shaoxiu anxiously asked.

“It is very simple, leave an open wound on their bodies,” Chen Feng said.

“If that’s how it is, we can give it a shot. However, how confident are you with this plan?” Wen Shaoxiu said after a moment’s consideration.

Chen Feng pondered for a moment before answering, “Around 50 %. I have not utilized this secret technique against a half-step Human Immortal before.”

Truth be told, Chen Feng himself was feeling helpless. He could see it. While Wen Shaoxiu’s team was good at fighting, coming up with a good plan here was impossible for them. Additionally, the longer they wait, the worse it would be for them. Unless, of course, if they chose to give up on attacking this outpost.

Naturally, Chen Feng was unwilling to do that. This was a good opportunity to kill off the assassins from Killer Palace. He cannot miss out on it. Moreover, Wen Shaoxiu and the others have already gotten involved with this. In order to avoid future troubles, they should do their best to eliminate this issue by pulling out the roots.

Thus, Chen Feng thought of using the Blood Mustering Bead. He knew that in order to bring out the Blood Mustering Bead’s strongest power, he would first need to practice the Sacred-tier Bloody Netherguide Art. However, thanks to the blood-coloured talisman that Tower crafted, Chen Feng had been able to control the Blood Mustering Bead. Due to that, he had not spent too much time practicing the Bloody Netherguide Art. He had only browsed through the technique.

At the same time, Chen Feng had also practiced the Demonic Heavengorging Art and the Heavengulping Absorption Technique. Due to that, Chen Feng began thinking. He believed that using those techniques in tandem would be somewhat effective.

This was a gamble. If the Blood Mustering Bead could not display the level of power he expected, Wen Shaoxiu and the others would fall into dire straits. However, Chen Feng had also made up his mind. If that were to happen, he would not hesitate to reveal the Longevity Tower in order to ensure their safety.

“We should weigh this again. This is a very risky plan,” Chen Feng said.

“What do you all think?” Wen Shaoxiu glanced at the others. This was not something that any one of them could decide. Thus, he had to get their opinions.

“Let’s do it!” Situ Nan was the first to speak up.

“If we give up just because it’s risky, how can we continue as cultivators in the future?” Liu Quan said as well.

“I agree. This is an opportunity. Although it is somewhat dangerous, we are cultivators. Making our way through life and death is what we do,” Jian Luobo said.

“Let’s do it! I cannot hold myself back anymore!” Ma Tianfang shouted as well.

“All right. Since everyone agrees, Li Shilong, Jian Zhiqiu, hurry up and go set up the magic arrays. Once the magic arrays are set up, the five of us will charge in. The rest will depend on the three of you,” Wen Shaoxiu said with a serious tone.

Sou! Sou!

Li Shilong and Jian Zhiqiu nodded and they immediately set off. Wen Shaoxiu and the others, on the other hand, sat down quietly as they regulated their rate of breathing. They calmed themselves down so as to be able to give it their all in the ensuing battle.

Chen Feng remained motionless, the Blood Mustering Bead slowly spinning on his palm. Chen Feng’s mind had entered the Longevity Tower.

Piles of spirit stones kept erupting, transforming into chaotic streams of spiritual energy, which flew about within the Longevity Tower. Next, the Longevity Tower shook slightly and a pillar of light enveloped Chen Feng.

Chen Feng was utilizing the Longevity Tower’s power to change the laws of time. He wanted to get some practice before meeting the enemy. Thus, he used the Longevity Tower to create more time for him to practice the Bloody Netherguide Art before the battle began.

 1 Be a crow’s mouth. Saying things that bring bad luck. ↩