Chapter 83: Deadly Move

The crowd erupted into chaos, astonished beyond measure. Everyone knew that although the Bronze Roc lacked the iron-hard body of Iron Mountain, it was by no means a creature that could be easily slain by a mere spiritual sword. How could it have been shot dead so effortlessly by Jiuling?

Zhuge Junior frowned deeply. He propped up the Bronze Roc's corpse, then slapped its back with both hands, sending a surge of spiritual energy into the body. Suddenly, a faint sound was heard, and a needle, as thin as a cow's hair and made of silver, shot out from the Bronze Roc's foot.

Were it not for Zhuge Junior's keen mind, no one would have known what had killed the Bronze Roc. He gazed at the silver needle with a chill in his heart. Not only did his instincts recoil, but even his inner energy felt a trace of coldness—the result of his own spiritual power clashing with the needle within the corpse. If he hadn't cultivated a fiery, yang-strength spiritual energy, he might not have survived to uncover this truth.

“The Profound Shadow Bloodbreaking Needle!” Zhuge Junior cried out in alarm, his words startling Jia Er beside him. Jia Er stared at him incredulously, as if asking, “Are you sure?”

Sweat beaded on Zhuge Junior's brow as he thought to himself: If this person possesses such a weapon for self-defense, then today no one would escape unscathed. He nodded to Jia Er of the Chengguan Sect and said, “Back when my master joined forces to besiege the Nine Great Demon Gods, he was killed by this very hidden weapon. How could I not recognize it?”

Jia Er drew in a sharp breath. His gaze shifted from the Profound Shadow Bloodbreaking Needle to Jiuling, who was locked in fierce combat with three gang leaders in the field. He murmured, “How could a disciple of Cloudsky Sect be connected to the Blood Demon? How is this to be explained?”

Zhuge Junior wiped away the cold sweat and steadied his heart. “Second Master, let’s not concern ourselves with such matters. At our level, how can we fathom what these so-called righteous sects are truly up to? Today, let’s resolve ourselves: even if the Blood Demon stands before us, we must deal with this swiftly. Otherwise, not just us—Old Master Ouyang himself will have suffered a complete defeat. The Heartless Order will become a laughingstock, and we’ll never be able to show our faces in Guihai City again. Do you remember the haughty look in Hu Feng’s eyes?”

Jia Er recalled the meteoric rise of Hu Feng, the wielder of the Xuanyuan Sword, in recent years. His heart hardened. “Zhuge, tell me what to do. I’ll follow your lead.”

Zhuge Junior sneered, “Second Master, have you forgotten what your Chengguan Sect is best at? Once it’s unleashed, not only the Blood Demon—even if the Nine Heavenly Demon Gods appear, what have we to fear?”

Jia Er hadn’t expected Zhuge Junior to be so ruthless. He thought to himself, The Ten-Thousand Spears Formation is Guihai City’s ultimate defense. To use it against a mere spiritual cultivator today—if Old City Master Guihai Xin finds out, I’ll be finished, unable to survive in Guihai City even if I escape death.

Seeing Jia Er’s hesitation, Zhuge Junior immediately understood and cursed him silently. He whispered, “Second Master, to deal with this one, a Hundred Spears Formation is more than sufficient.”

Jia Er finally grasped the idea. Yes, the Ten-Thousand Spears Formation is a grand ritual in which a thousand cultivators channel their spiritual energy to fire Guihai City’s custom spiritual spears, creating an unstoppable force that slays gods and smites buddhas. But today, with only three to five dozen needed, the Hundred Spears Formation would suffice to execute the target.

With that thought, Jia Er waved his hand. A hall master stepped forward, received whispered instructions, nodded repeatedly, and vanished in an instant. Jia Er now smiled at Zhuge Junior. “Zhuge, as long as we can hold this brat for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, I guarantee he’ll be utterly destroyed, and the prestige of Cloudsky Sect wiped clean!”

Zhuge Junior, reassured, felt a surge of pride.

Meanwhile, Jiuling in the formation had hoped to use the Profound Shadow Bloodbreaking Needle to carve a bloody path to escape, but he hadn’t anticipated that the so-called Zhuge Junior, a master in his own right, would instantly see through his plan and react, encircling him tightly. Though Jiuling’s triple array bursts could temporarily stave off danger, as his spiritual power waned over time, unforeseen calamity might strike. He discreetly touched the Profound Shadow Bloodbreaking Needles in his robe. He dared not use them lightly; these treasures were bound to the fate of an important figure—and besides, he had only six.

Anxiety gnawed at him. Across the field, Beggar Chicken, noticing Jiuling’s hesitation, raised his rooster-like voice: “This brat’s done for! Brothers, let’s go at him together!” He knew nothing of Zhuge Junior's earlier conversation, nor the power of the Profound Shadow Bloodbreaking Needle in Jiuling’s hand. Seeing the opportunity, he charged ahead recklessly.

The skies above Guihai City’s outskirts swirled with chaotic spiritual energy, a riot of colors. Jiuling had already deployed a green Transforming Array, enveloping himself to resist the barrage of spiritual swords. Ji Bo, the leader of the Three Gathering Gang, was also a cultivator skilled in arrays. Though his skill couldn’t compare to the Lu family of Heyang, he knew a few tricks. Seeing Jiuling switch from offense to defense, he became excited. “Brothers, break his array! Aim for the green spots! Once his array falls, he’ll be defenseless!”

At Ji Bo’s call, the attackers immediately shifted focus, directing their spiritual energy at the Transforming Array. Jiuling was thrown into disarray—when they attacked him directly, he could use his array to respond, maintaining his defense. But now, with his tactics exposed and everyone targeting his array, he was being driven to desperation. Fierce, cold light flashed in Jiuling’s eyes. He thought, In this situation, I can no longer play it safe. Secretly, he readied a Profound Shadow Bloodbreaking Needle to kill Ji Bo.

Just then, a sudden, clear voice rang out from the sky: “Villain, do not harm the disciples of Cloudsky Sect! Senior Brother Jiuling, don’t be afraid, Xin’er is here!” A flash of purple light streaked across the sky, a pair of jade feet swept over the crowd’s heads, and a vast surge of spiritual energy swept through the field.