Chapter 160
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Retreat (5)
The three of them came to an abrupt halt.
They could go no further. The cave exit was so close—one burst of lightness skill would let them breathe fresh air... Yet even staring at the perfectly round mouth of the cave, like a copper coin, they couldn't move forward.
"Damn it all!"
Hanbi's face twisted in fury.
The figure blocking their path... was a white-haired old man. No telling how old he was, but he looked ragged, barely able to stand.
The old man didn't even seem able to lift a sword.
He wasn't a martial artist. He knew nothing of combat. He clutched his sword like a walking stick... but his terrified eyes, trembling legs, and blue lips told the full story.
To Vanguard or Hanbi, he wasn't even worth a single exchange.
"Ugh... ugh..."
The old man chattered his teeth in fear. He seemed to sense his own fate.
"What the hell! You think we can't brush aside one pathetic old fart like this? What kind of bullshit is this?!"
Hanbi bellowed.
"Quiet down."
Vanguard said calmly.
"Will you cut him down?"
He was asking Four Thousand Four.
They'd handed a sword to someone not worth a single exchange, not even a martial artist, and told him to block their way. And these were ruthless killers, assassins among assassins.
To escape the cave, all it would take was a flick of the wrist.
"Hmph!"
Four Thousand Four could only grunt.
The intent behind the Heavenly Annihilation Division shoving this near-death old man in their path was all too clear.
First, to see if they could really cut down someone like this.
It was a test of compassion.
A true assassin who killed people like swatting flies would strike without hesitation.
But anyone with even a shred of righteousness—or even the slightest sense of basic humanity—couldn't do it.
Second, this old man placed before them was someone's hostage.
In other words, someone had staked their life to save him.
If the three cut him down, they'd make an eternal enemy of that someone.
Third, the old man was a threat.
Cut him down, and another hostage would appear. Then a second, third, fourth... endlessly. All powerless folk who couldn't even hold a sword, like this old man.
A cruel game daring them to cut them all down.
They couldn't cut down the old man. If they did, they'd have to abandon their humanity and swing the killer's blade to the end.
They couldn't cut him down.
Four Thousand Four stared piercingly at the trembling old man and spoke.
"Will acupoint sealing work?"
He was asking Vanguard.
"You think it will? Heh! We call bait like that old man 'dead objects.' Meaning, they're already as good as dead. Whether they die, get sealed, or are left intact, the leftovers have no value."
"He dies?"
"Has to, doesn't he."
"Ever used dead objects before?"
"No. But... knowing how to make good use of them is one of the arts of killing. Can't say much about it. Our only choice left is whether to fall for this ploy or not."
"Heh! Enough. This is as far as we go."
Clunk!
Four Thousand Four tossed his sword aside.
"Huh? You're just gonna give up like that?"
Hanbi stared at him in shock.
"Why not think it over again? We're enemies of the Five Lords anyway. In this situation, killing the old man or not makes no difference."
"It does. A big difference."
Four Thousand Four shook his head.
"I see. A big difference indeed."
Vanguard got it right away.
Dying on a mission, or dying to a Five Lords assassin, could even be a kind of release. A freedom from bondage. But killing a hostage changes everything. From then on, they'd be bloodshot-eyed foes. Demons gnashing to tear off the leash.
True, they'd become enemies of the Five Lords under the Heavenly Commander—but the level of pressure was worlds apart.
Still, death was death, no matter what.
When dying, pressure didn't matter. Whether fighting desperately or sloppily, it was all the same. One slash from any blade, and you're gone.
"Yeah. Looks like this is the end."
Vanguard dropped his sword too.
Four Thousand Four dropped his sword, and Vanguard did the same. But their reasons for doing so were entirely different.
'If we're gonna die anyway... no need to make the bastards shed blood tears.'
'Iron Wall Bridge, Dark Water Barrier... Sandstorm Formation and Savage Heat Burst are missing. Someone pulled them out on purpose. If they wanted us dead, we'd be dead already. We won't die.'
Four Thousand Four didn't explain the mechanisms in the cave.
If he'd spilled every trap formation that came to mind, Vanguard and Hanbi would've given up on life entirely.
The cave wasn't a place for humans to survive.
There were things in the world called sure-kill formations. The path they'd taken was one such array. And it was far more vicious than the alternate route Zhuge Susu had taught him.
Getting into the outer perimeter had been too easy.
Even after entering the cave, the pressure had been calibrated exactly to what three people could handle.
Sword Sage, Daoist Lead, Illusion Demons?
On the surface, their appearance should've meant instant death. That's the logical assumption. Yet they'd broken through. The enemy had slipped up.
Really? What if someone had perfectly gauged Four Thousand Four's Shadowless Steps?
Sending the Sword Sage and Daoist Lead could've been a test.
The Dark Water Barrier fit the same pattern.
Curiously, Four Thousand Four had held back both White Phase Ant Aura and Blood Demon Aura. The two ant swarms had melted and been absorbed. And those energies now surged through his meridians vigorously.
Both White Phase Ant Aura and Blood Demon Aura were acting as spirit medicines.
But that wasn't the truth. Even in death, the White Phase Ant Aura and Blood Demon Aura were fighting. Their opposing energies chased each other's tails relentlessly, like two snakes circling in a ring.
Vanguard and Hanbi had absorbed White Phase Ant Aura too, but nothing like that happened to them. Theirs faithfully served only as spirit medicine.
This difference becomes stark when facing Righteous Heavenly Annihilation.
Vanguard and Hanbi fight it head-on. Righteous Heavenly Annihilation is just a poison, unrelated to White Phase Ant Aura. Even if born from its toxic fumes, it's a whole different category.
For them, it's either perfectly repelling Righteous Heavenly Annihilation or being completely consumed by it.
Four Thousand Four was different.
The White Phase Ant Aura permeating his body was busy fighting the Blood Demon Aura, leaving no time for Righteous Heavenly Annihilation. Same for the Blood Demon Aura—no spare capacity to push back.
As the two auras swirled, the Righteous Heavenly Annihilation poison slipped in unnoticed.
Four Thousand Four was poisoned by Righteous Heavenly Annihilation.
It was just enveloped by the auras, unable to show its toxicity—but he was truly poisoned.
That was the Righteous Heavenly Annihilation poison mist he'd emitted in the Dark Water Barrier.
If someone knew this... it meant they knew the Dark Water Barrier couldn't kill Four Thousand Four. So they could test him with confidence.
The presumed Sandstorm Formation and Savage Heat Burst in the cave were entirely different beasts. If even one had triggered, survival was impossible.
The attacks had been precisely measured.
Vanguard walked up to the old man, snatched his sword, and sat him down to the side.
"First one to survive becoming Heavenly Annihilation Division bait. Heh!"
Snap! Snap! Snap!
A sound utterly out of place in the blood-soaked cave... the rustle of skirts dragging along.
A woman approached, carrying a tea tray.
"They must've scattered Soul-Maze Powder. Any way to stay conscious?"
"None."
"Tch! Where the hell are they dragging us...?"
Hanbi grumbled.
"Don't worry. Won't be the Nineteen Hells."
"You... that was a joke, right? Don't make jokes from now on. Not funny at all."
"Fine, real joke then. If we live, see you later."
"That one's a bit funny."
As they bantered, the woman drew near.
"Have some tea."
Her voice was crystalline, like jade beads rolling.
Her face was an elegant oval, brows softly arched like willow leaves. Her eyes sparkled clear and bright, nose perfectly straight.
A stunning beauty.
"Where are you from, lady?"
Vanguard said, taking a teacup.
"Hohoho! A red moon hangs in the sky, yet you don't recognize it. Hohoho!"
The woman laughed flirtatiously.
Instantly, Vanguard and Hanbi paled, bowing deeply in salute.
"Greetings... Seventeenth Generation Five Lords Vanguard..."
"Hohoho! Still calling yourself Seventeenth Generation Five Lords? While pointing your sword at headquarters?"
Her tone turned stern.
Still, Vanguard couldn't straighten up. Nor refute. Veins bulging on his forehead, eyes wide... like a cow awaiting slaughter. But soon he stood tall. The bewilderment in his eyes was gone.
"You're right. We've already drawn blades on the Heavenly Annihilation Division. But we can't ignore our old superior. Please accept our bow as such."
"Vanguard, you plan to point your sword at me?"
"Already have."
"Then stab."
"We've drawn, but lack the skill to thrust. Take our lives."
"Drink first."
Slurp!
Vanguard downed the tea in one gulp before anyone could stop him.
"You?"
She turned to Hanbi.
"Right!"
Hanbi did the same, cradling the cup high and draining it instantly. No room for choice. And then,
Thud! Thud!
Both collapsed like rotten logs, almost simultaneously.
As Vanguard had guessed, the tea held Soul-Maze Powder. To induce unconsciousness.
The woman didn't even glance at the fallen pair. She stared piercingly at Four Thousand Four. Intently. Then, in that same jade-bead voice, she spoke slowly.
"Old Husk, Bluebeard, Broken Blade, Red Moon, Beauty Face. Know what that means?"
"No idea."
"The five current strongest in the martial world. Beauty Face is Beauty Face Little Killer. Met him, right?"
"Yes."
"Hohoho! Suspecting Beauty Face Little Killer? Too weak for one of the Five Absolutes? Hohoho! Don't suspect. He's definitely one of them."
"No suspicion."
"Really?"
"No reason to lie."
"Just like the rumors. Using honorifics with everyone. Extreme ones, too—grating to hear. So, guess who I am?"
"You mentioned the red moon, so... Red Moon?"
"Right. Red Moon. That's me."
The woman lifted the teapot and poured into a cup.
Trickle!
Clear amber tea filled it.
Staring at the amber liquid, she said,
"The bad news? Old Husk, Bluebeard, Broken Blade, Red Moon, Beauty Face... and now Shadowless joins them. We're thinning the ranks, yet one more piles on. Thoughts?"
She offered the cup as she spoke.
Four Thousand Four couldn't take it.
Whoosh!
Killing intent bloomed around the cup. Razor-sharp ice flowers unfurled. A sword wall rose. Sharp enough to sever his wrist if he reached out.
The woman calling herself Red Moon looked utterly relaxed. Not even using martial arts. Yet Four Thousand Four couldn't breathe. The entire cave brimmed with killing intent.
"Hah!"
Four Thousand Four sucked in a deep breath.