Chapter 263: Golden Trait, Civil War God! |
[Year 69, 88 years old.]
[Extracting trait...]
[Extraction successful!]
[「Civil War God」 (Golden Legendary):
When you fight against your own people, you can see through their weaknesses and exploit them, amplifying the impact when those weaknesses are targeted.
Definition of 'your own people': Those of the same race as you (Humans), or those of a different race with whom you share a positive personal relationship (such as friends, lovers, mentors, etc. — passersby and enemies do not count).
A rotten apple is still a rotten apple. If my teammates don't listen to me, I'll give you two words: It's takeoff time!]
[Adjust trait?]
[Yes/No]
Chen Yi adjusted the trait with a smile.
[You have replaced 「Formation Master」 with 「Civil War God」.]
[Five Regions, Xiliang, Fanjia City.]
[On the dust-shrouded streets, people wrapped themselves in black dust-proof scarves, hurrying along with quick steps.]
[You and Zhen Pin walked here.]
[No matter how thick the dust, it could hardly penetrate within a meter of your bodies.]
"Old monk, are you sure Blood Moon's headquarters is here?"
[With Black Wind as your swift steed, traveling between the Five Regions and the Holy Lands was incredibly fast.]
[With your help, Zhen Pin had also gone to the Holy Lands, participating in the Saint-led cultivation support plan, where promising cultivators at the Peak of Spirit Condensation were aided in breaking through to the Martial King Realm.]
[Zhen Pin lived up to expectations. Without using a luminous resonance crystal, he succeeded in breaking through on his first try using the Ten-Person Method.]
[Even someone as talented as Long Yang had suffered a failure, luckily saved by a luminous resonance crystal so his realm didn't drop, breaking through on his second attempt shortly after.]
"Saint, after years of investigation and undercover work, extensive informant networks, and turning enemies, I can say with certainty that the infamous Blood Moon organization's core headquarters is located right here!"
[You helped Zhen Pin break through to the Martial King Realm, and he was deeply grateful.]
[Hearing you were investigating Blood Moon, he swore to dedicate the rest of his life to this single mission: to uncover Blood Moon for you.]
[Of course, he wasn't doing it alone.]
[Using your authority and connections, you provided him with ample manpower and resources.]
[Now, at last, results had materialized.]
[You only hoped that this time you had truly found Blood Moon's headquarters, allowing you to capture some core figures, use the Ten Thousand Souls Banner's Reformation ability to extract all intelligence, and ultimately dismantle the organization.]
[Unlike previous instances where you thought you'd found Blood Moon members or strongholds, only to discover they were just one of many rabbit holes, without capturing any important figures — just grunts who knew nothing about the organization's details.]
[Zhen Pin pointed at a mansion by the roadside.]
"It's right here."
[You looked up.]
"Tang Manor?"
"On the surface, it's the residence of the Tang family, local bullies of the city. In reality, the entire Tang family, old master and all, are high-ranking members of Blood Moon in disguise.
Blood Moon's assassin training, intelligence gathering, assassination mission assignments, organizational structure management, and personnel appointments — all take place here."
"Old monk, you've been quite thorough in your investigation. Must have put in a lot of effort."
"Thanks to the Saint's strong support. I couldn't have done it alone."
"I told you, don't call me 'Saint.' If you must, just call me 'handsome' or something."
"Handsome Saint, you have shown me great grace. I must address you respectfully."
"Fine, suit yourself."
[With that, you kicked open the tightly closed gates of the Tang Manor.]
"Open up! Free and Unfettered Holy Land is here to deliver warmth!!"
[Your Divine Sense had already covered the entire city, and no one's movements could escape your detection.]
[As you smashed through the door and shouted the words "Free and Unfettered Holy Land," five figures instantly shot into the air from the Tang Manor's backyard.]
"Five Martial Kings? Damn, this time we might have caught some big fish!"
[You let out a thunderous roar. The Pinnacle-level Stellar River Divine Art, executed with your Martial Saint Realm cultivation, unleashed powerful gravity control that warped the ground and buildings around you.]
[The five Martial Kings, as the targets of your martial technique, found themselves flying lower and lower.]
[With a single sweep of your eyes, 「Civil War God」 highlighted everyone's weaknesses for you.]
[For example, the bald middle-aged man on the left had a text bubble above his head visible only to you.]
[Weakness: Due to his ugly appearance, his wife had been having a long-term affair with their handsome neighbor. It wasn't until his son grew up with an exceptionally handsome face resembling the neighbor that he suspected something was off.
Simply saying loudly, "Why is your son more handsome than you?" would cause him to break down, heavily affecting his mental state.]
"Oh? That's the kind of weakness?"
[There were also more straightforward weaknesses.]
[For instance, the woman with graying hair on the right had a text bubble on her forehead that read:]
[Weakness: To break through to the Martial King Realm, she consumed "Thousand-Year Cold Ice," leaving her body susceptible to cold and vulnerable to fire-based attacks.]
[You noticed some people had multiple bubbles on their heads, meaning they had numerous weaknesses — at least one would work on them.]
[Against those weaker than you, 「Civil War God」 wasn't even necessary.]
[With a sweep of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, their souls were directly suppressed.]
[As they lost focus for an instant, you stepped into the Seven Divine Starry Steps, using eerie footwork and lightning-fast speed to land two unexpected, solid punches on each of them.]
[And your fists — they were Qilin Arms!]
[What flesh-and-blood body could withstand such pounding?]
[Those who reached the Martial King Realm all had some tricks up their sleeves.]
[But the desperate struggles of these five only delayed their deaths by a moment.]
[After killing them, you controlled the Ten Thousand Souls Banner to absorb all their souls.]
"Reformation!"
[The Ten Thousand Souls Banner yelled out.]
"I can't reform them! These souls are flawed!"
"What? There are souls even you can't handle?"
"These souls are artificially crafted, not genuine spirits."
"What? Souls can be crafted?"
[This was the first time you'd heard of such a thing.]
[Among Old Shen's Eighteen Paths, you had seen the Puppet Dao. This path could create puppets, one type being 'human puppets.']
[Masterful artisans could make them indistinguishable from real people.]
[But they weren't true living beings — just puppets controlled by their creators.]
[However, human puppets only involved crafting human-like bodies, not crafting souls!]
[How could the souls of these five Martial Kings also be artificial? How was that possible?]
[Even the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, the soul expert, found itself at the limits of its knowledge here.]
[It could only reform genuine souls. These things were fabricated by someone else — there was no concept of "reformation" for them.]
"Don't worry, pal. Let me see if I can read their memories..."
[The Ten Thousand Souls Banner tried again, borrowing some of your Martial Saint-level power for assistance.]
"Success! But... why are their memories so strange?"