Chapter 159
Chapter 159
As soon as Luo Fu stood up, he had already used the Taoist School's Heavenly Gang Five Thunder.
The Taoist School's Heavenly Gang Five Thunder at its basic level was Nine Schools Arts. Under Heavenly Mechanism Arts, Heavenly Gang Five Thunder was subdivided into five types, with Golden Thunder being one of them.
The strongest among them was called Heavenly Gang Earth Fiend Thunder.
Five thunder talismans circled around Luo Fu's body, guarding different directions respectively. While protecting him within, they also gathered the power of different elements, summoning purple lightning that shot straight into the sky.
The purple lightning was destroying the surrounding Five Elements Energy while using the omnipresent Five Elements Energy to flash forward, instantly appearing behind Hu Gui from the far corner of the deep pit.
Caught between the Taoist School's Heavenly Gang Earth Fiend Thunder and the Legalist School's Thunder Punishment, Hu Gui decisively abandoned his attack on Zhang Xiangyun and rapidly retreated. His evasion speed was so fast that Thunder Punishment couldn't catch up, but the fluctuating Five Elements Energy allowed the purple lightning to follow like a shadow, pursuing relentlessly.
The purple lightning's assault was too fast, giving Hu Gui no opportunity to cast techniques at all.
The highest realm of the Taoist School's Heavenly Gang Five Thunder.
This kid was clearly sealed by Seven Consciousness Tower, unable to use Five Elements Energy.
As Hu Gui dodged the purple lightning, he glanced toward Luo Fu's direction from the corner of his eye. How had he managed to do this?
When the Heavenly Gang Earth Fiend Thunder flashed past the sword spirit, it also burned streaks of charred black marks on the giant skeletal sword spirit's body. Li Jin Shuang looked up. The Taoist School's strongest Heavenly Gang Five Thunder could destroy all existences materialized by Five Elements Energy.
For Hu Gui, the Taoist School's Heavenly Gang Earth Fiend Thunder was extremely dangerous.
It could strike the soul directly without harming the physical body, causing fatal damage.
Situ Jin looked at the purple lightning that almost filled the entire space above the deep pit, like vast purple mist with occasional powerful lightning flashing through.
That kid Luo Fu actually knew Heavenly Gang Earth Fiend Thunder?
Situ Jin was full of surprise, while Zhang Xiangyun beside him showed a slight change in expression. Others weren't clear, but he knew Luo Fu had used Lan Corpse.
For Luo Fu to use Lan Corpse in this situation, forcibly breaking through Seven Consciousness Tower's seal, then unleashing Heavenly Gang Earth Fiend Thunder.
Zhang Xiangyun feared Luo Fu's body would be severely overtaxed.
It would be even worse if this outsider and Situ Jin detected the Lan Corpse.
Zhang Xiangyun took a deep breath and reformed his array while Hu Gui was being repelled, preparing for a quick decisive battle.
"What are you still standing around for?" Zhang Xiangyun shouted at Li Jin Shuang and Situ Jin.
Purple lightning rampaged overhead, forcing Hu Gui into a corner and blocking his movements. Each appearance involved three to five purple lightning strikes together. No matter how capable Hu Gui was, he couldn't avoid being injured once or twice, leaving lightning marks on his hands.
Luo Fu's momentum had greatly increased now. Zhang Xiangyun had to pursue while the advantage lasted. He knew Luo Fu's burst was only temporary, and it would be difficult once Hu Gui weathered it.
However, Situ Jin and Li Jin Shuang couldn't coordinate.
Li Jin Shuang even had to protect her sword spirit, preventing it from entering the battle.
When Situ Jin tried to approach Hu Gui, he was nearly struck by purple lightning rushing down from above. He hastily retreated several meters and said irritably: "Has Luo Fu gone mad? How can we fight when this Heavenly Gang Earth Fiend Thunder doesn't distinguish between friend and foe?"
It wasn't just the Heavenly Gang Earth Fiend Thunder that didn't distinguish between friend and foe on the battlefield, there was also Li Jin Shuang's sword spirit.
Being attacked by Heavenly Gang Earth Fiend Thunder, the sword spirit was also very displeased. The materialized long swords on the skeletal hands flew out spinning rapidly toward Luo Fu's direction.
Several sword energies struck Luo Fu, making him stagger, with even heavier malevolent energy between his brows and bloodshot eyes.
Zhang Xiangyun felt a headache watching this. Just as he was about to speak up to stop Li Jin Shuang, he heard her say indifferently: "I still can't control the sword spirit."
Situ Jin, who was dodging both purple lightning and sword energy, thought to himself that he could clearly see that.
……
While the deep pit was in chaos, Yu Sui focused on hurrying along. Just as she was paying attention to Lin Chenghai's movements, she suddenly stopped and froze in place.
Strange Fire flickered, telling her there was someone ahead.
The path ahead was straight with no branches visible. The cool black Profound Stone walls didn't reduce the burning pain from Strange Fire at night either. Wall lamps cast shadows with their bright flames, and Yu Sui walked in the dark areas belonging to shadows using Instant Shadow Talismans.
Ahead was darkness not yet illuminated by bright fire. In that darkness, something seemed to be waiting for her.
The other party had already detected her presence.
Yu Sui sent a Five Elements Light Core forward. The wall lamps hanging on the walls had somehow been extinguished, causing the path ahead to be pitch black, yet she couldn't find anyone in this darkness.
In the spacious corridor, she couldn't detect the slightest fluctuation of Five Elements Energy. Even through the light cores, she saw no human figure, but Yu Sui still believed Strange Fire's reaction.
Because it had never been wrong.
There were only people Strange Fire couldn't detect, not detection errors.
Yu Sui prepared herself and stepped forward again, walking silently ahead.
Since she couldn't see them, they must be hiding.
If it were Mechanism School people, the other party would definitely attack first. If it were outsiders, they wouldn't go to such trouble.
Just as Yu Sui stepped into the dark part of the corridor, the person hiding in the darkness struck. The entire mass of black shadow ahead was moving, wrapping Yu Sui completely within it. Entering the vast darkness, the Instant Shadow Talisman also failed, exposing her figure.
This familiar Nine Schools Art made Yu Sui react immediately.
Shadow Swallow.
Yin-Yang School Heavenly Mechanism Art.
When Gu Qian and Wei Kun cooperated to kill Mei Liangyu in the Outer City, Xiang Feifei had used this technique to help hide.
Wrapped in darkness, Yu Sui's vision was impaired. She couldn't see the opponent's figure or movements at all, nor could she see the weapons they used. In that instant, Yu Sui sensed sword wind sweeping past her cheek, the subtle sound of fluttering clothes, and the cool blade sliding across the skin of her throat, cutting a thin, long bloody mark.
As the blade was about to advance a few more inches, Yu Sui raised her hand to block the sword. Blue-glowing thunder serpents released from her palm, and in the moment of brilliant light, Yu Sui saw a face flash by ahead.
Situ Ling Kui.
The Situ family's Second Grandmother, the sister of the current Grandmother Situ... or rather, a sister that Grandmother Situ had created herself.
Yu Sui's expression was momentarily strange. Could Mechanism School Puppet Arts Spirit Puppets actually use Yin-Yang School Nine Schools Arts?
Situ Ling Kui hid back in the darkness without launching another attack. A cold female voice asked: "Are you from the Wenyang family?"
Previously hidden in the Instant Shadow Talisman, though Situ Ling Kui had sensed someone's presence, she didn't know what they looked like. Now that she had struck and looked, she was surprised to discover this girl was wearing Wenyang family Mechanism School clothing.
Situ Ling Kui gave her a chance. Yu Sui quickly considered whether to acknowledge her identity or lie.
She finally decided not to answer. She was quite interested in the Situ family's Puppet Arts Spirit Puppets and prepared to strike to test them.
Situ Ling Kui didn't get an answer, but heard clear, crisp bell sounds ringing. Yu Sui's figure flashed and disappeared from her sight.
Other families' puppets were just wooden figures, but the Situ family's Spirit Puppets could not only speak and think, but also cultivate Nine Schools Arts. What difference was there between this and living people?
Yu Sui used Soul Capture on Situ Ling Kui, wanting to see whether Spirit Puppets created through Mechanism Arts could also be controlled, have their souls damaged, and whether they possessed their own Five Elements Light Cores.
If they had souls... then one really didn't know whether to praise the Situ family's Mechanism Arts as defying heaven.
Situ Ling Kui heard that momentary brief bell sound. The power of Soul Capture had already invaded her Five Elements Energy the instant the bell rang. Yu Sui didn't see Situ Ling Kui ignite protective energy.
But Situ Ling Kui quickly reacted. She turned her sword-gripping hand, pointing the sword tip downward to strike the ground with a loud crash. Five Elements Energy shook, forcibly driving back the power of Soul Capture.
At the same time, she used sword energy to locate Yu Sui's position. Situ Ling Kui backhanded her sword and turned to kill toward Yu Sui.
Yu Sui also held something back.
She crushed the Five Elements Light Core attached to Situ Ling Kui, and masterless energy spilled out, invading Situ Ling Kui's body.
The Spirit Puppet's internal organs were complete. In her chest, there was also a jade bead filled with Five Elements Energy, full of power, but it wasn't a Nine Schools Arts practitioner's Five Elements Light Core.
The Five Elements Energy bursting from the broken core could still be manipulated by Yu Sui.
After the controlled masterless energy invaded the Spirit Puppet, Situ Ling Kui's attacking motion froze. The blade was already pointing at Yu Sui, and advancing a few more inches would add another bloody mark to her throat, but Situ Ling Kui couldn't continue.
Two forces were fighting within her body. If the Five Elements Energy inside her body clashed, she would be just a puppet unable to move.
Yu Sui didn't confront Situ Ling Kui directly. She used the Instant Shadow Talisman again, hiding in the shadows to observe.
Situ Ling Kui's face was expressionless, and the focus in her eyes disappeared as well. She lost her previous liveliness and gained some wooden dullness.
Normally, when light cores were crushed, the released Five Elements Energy would quickly disappear.
Now Yu Sui observed and discovered that the masterless energy remaining in the Spirit Puppet's body was still there, having long exceeded the time it would normally disappear. It remained very active, not decreasing but increasing.
Yu Sui stood in front of Situ Ling Kui and waved her hand in front of her unfocused, lightless eyes. Seeing no reaction from Situ Ling Kui, Yu Sui reached out to gently pinch her face. Still no reaction, so she pinched harder.
Situ Ling Kui let Yu Sui manipulate her however she wanted, as if she were "dead."
Yu Sui circled around Situ Ling Kui and began her speculation. The masterless energy was still in the Spirit Puppet's body, competing with that jade bead for power, or rather, the masterless energy coming from the light core was unilaterally plundering the jade bead's power.
Was it because the power maintaining the body was no longer pure that she couldn't move?
Yu Sui gently cupped Situ Ling Kui's face with both hands, feeling the cool warmth from her palms as she examined her skin texture. It was lustrous and smooth like jade, maintained better than many refined young ladies from aristocratic families in the imperial capital. It was so good it didn't seem naturally grown, but deliberately sculpted.
At a distance where their foreheads almost touched, Yu Sui could look directly into her eyes. At such close range, looking deep into her pupils, Yu Sui discovered tiny mechanism axles slowly rotating within.
Glowing gears turned slowly, as if lacking power and on the verge of stopping. Their light was weak, unable to illuminate these eyes.
The masterless energy that should have disappeared by now was "trapped" inside the Spirit Puppet's body.
Could it be related to the materials and methods used to create the Spirit Puppet?
Yu Sui developed a deep interest in the Spirit Puppet and didn't even have the heart to care about the situation at the deep pit. She stared at the Situ Ling Kui before her, studying her.
She patiently waited for the changes of masterless energy within the Spirit Puppet's body.
To see whether the masterless energy would devour the jade bead's power, or whether the jade bead inside the Spirit Puppet's body could ultimately turn the tables.
……
The battle at the deep pit didn't last very long.
Luo Fu couldn't persist for much longer, but Hu Gui didn't know this. He thought this kid was truly gifted and had something special about him. The Taoist School's Heavenly Gang Earth Fiend Thunder was quite powerful, and he already had several lightning marks on his body. Hu Gui didn't want to continue wasting time and energy here.
Soon Hu Gui decided to retreat.
The indiscriminate attacks from Heavenly Gang Earth Fiend Thunder and the sword spirit gave Hu Gui an opportunity. When he flashed into the deep pit, Zhang Xiangyun and Li Jin Shuang thought he was going to kill Luo Fu. Only Situ Jin saw through his intention: this person wants to steal my family's Spirit Puppets!
Hu Gui picked up the Spirit Puppet he had chosen earlier. His movement technique was strange and hard to track as he used Wind-Riding Techniques to climb the walls toward the dome above.
This was Situ Jin's first time here, but Hu Gui wasn't. When he climbed to the dome, he immediately activated a mechanism within. A hidden door in the stone wall opened, he swept inside, and the hidden door rotated and closed again.
Situ Jin below watched in stunned amazement.
How did he know about this too?
Was he one of the Mechanism School practitioners who built Northern Kun City?
Young Master Situ didn't believe this evil and used Wind-Riding Techniques to follow up, also climbing to the dome to search for the hidden door mechanism. After successfully opening the hidden door, he didn't hesitate to pursue.
Li Jin Shuang hesitated for a moment but didn't follow. Instead, she withdrew her sword spirit and looked toward Zhang Xiangyun and Luo Fu.