Chapter 341: They’re Humans Too?
“How is this possible?”
Fan Yaoguang and the others looked at the long sword hanging high in the sky like a great sun, each of them unable to believe their own eyes.
Directly using qi and blood to control external objects was something not only Blood Condensation Realm martial artists could do, but Bone Forging Realm martial artists as well. However, achieving precise control was very difficult. For a Blood Condensation Realm martial artist, splitting their qi and blood into dozens of strands was already not easy; hundreds of strands was simply a fantasy, let alone thousands.
At this level of control, not to mention Blood Condensation Realm martial artists, even Heavenly Human Realm grandmasters whose brains had undergone quenching would already be unbelievably skilled if they could control one thousand strands of qi and blood at the same time.
To control three thousand long swords simultaneously was something that even Heavenly Human Realm grandmasters like Fan Yaoguang and Ke Xueli could not understand how Ye Qinglu managed.
However, Fan Yaoguang and the others did not know that Ye Qinglu was not using qi and blood directly to control the long swords, but was using internal force transformed from qi and blood to control them. This was even more difficult than using qi and blood alone, and the power was far greater.
“Did big sis really master it?” Yi Ye Fu Yun looked at the three thousand long swords, his face also filled with surprise.
Although Ye Qinglu had been promoted to the Blood Condensation Realm and could control many more long swords, she could only manage over one thousand, with fine control at the level of one thousand.
To finely control three thousand long swords was simply impossible.
So Ye Qinglu and Qian Ren E Gui had researched a new method for handling such a huge number of swords: linking internal force. By using one strand of internal force to connect multiple long swords, a single strand of internal force could control several swords.
Although this raised the requirements for controlling each individual strand of internal force, it greatly reduced the total number of strands needed.
After these days, it was clear that Ye Qinglu had mastered this control method.
“Condense!”
In midair, Ye Qinglu pointed with one hand toward the sky, and in an instant, a gigantic phantom over two hundred meters tall appeared around her. The phantom had over a hundred arms, like the legendary thousand-armed bodhisattva.
“Go!”
Ye Qinglu swept a glance over the abnormal army on all sides and drew her hand through the air.
In an instant, the hundred-armed phantom unleashed a flurry of lightning-laced punches at the three thousand long swords. Almost at the same moment, three thousand scorching beams scattered from midair in all directions.
Only then did the besieging abnormal army react, going all out to block, especially the five Heavenly Human Realm grandmasters. The phantoms they formed all exceeded two hundred meters, and Sequence Transcendent Martial Skills were unleashed accordingly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The roaring sounds spread across the sky, and several kilometers around were turned into wasteland under the impact.
Not until the thunderous roar ended and the smoke and dust dispersed did even the battle-hardened players feel utterly shocked. As for Fan Yaoguang and the other crew members, they were dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long time.
The previously surrounding green mountains and waters, the peaks and ravines, within visible range had all turned into desert. The land was riddled with holes, sunken dozens of meters, making the place where everyone had originally stood become high ground.
As for the more than three thousand abnormals who had been besieging them, aside from the few hundred standing near the five Heavenly Human Realm abnormals, the rest had all been pierced through, collapsing in heaps, dead beyond doubt.
The five Heavenly Human Realm abnormals glanced at one another, their gazes toward Ye Qinglu turning much colder, and almost at the same time they launched attacks at her.
The five Heavenly Human Realm abnormals attacked, some with slashes, some with blasts. Their moves were simple, but the power was immense. Especially under the blessing of Heavenly Human Realm grandmaster qi and blood, the power of their martial skills rose by an entire level, far beyond what ordinary Sequence Transcendent Martial Skills of the Third Level could compare to.
“Not good!”
Seeing this, Fan Yaoguang also manifested a phantom over two hundred meters tall and hurriedly attacked to block.
A joint strike from five Heavenly Human Realm beings, especially when one of them was at the Heavenly Human Realm Advanced Level, was something that even he, wearing the latest battle armor and defending with all his might, could not guarantee to withstand without severe injury. For a Blood Condensation Realm martial artist, it would definitely mean certain death.
In midair, the slash from the Heavenly Human Realm Advanced Level abnormal was deflected by Fan Yaoguang’s attack. Among the attacks from the other four Heavenly Human Realm abnormals, the one from the Heavenly Human Realm mid-stage abnormal was neutralized by the clash with the thousand long swords controlled by Ye Qinglu. The remaining three Heavenly Human Realm abnormals’ attacks all landed on Ye Qinglu.
Ye Qinglu was blasted to the ground like a cannonball. Not only did the strike carve out a pit dozens of meters deep, but the attacks of the three Heavenly Human Realm abnormals also left several rift valleys stretching for kilometers from the pit.
“Damn it! This is bad.”
Fan Yaoguang frowned tightly, filled with self-reproach.
Originally, he should have ordered his deputy Ke Xueli at once so that the two of them could jointly block the Heavenly Human Realm Advanced Level and mid-stage abnormals. Given the strength Ye Qinglu had displayed, restraining the other three early Heavenly Human Realm abnormals was not a big problem, and they could have fought this abnormal army head-on.
But now that Ye Qinglu was presumed dead, even if he and Ke Xueli could hold off the Heavenly Human Realm Advanced Level and mid-stage abnormals, the others no longer had the power to deal with the three early Heavenly Human Realm abnormals.
Meanwhile, the five Heavenly Human Realm abnormals in the sky once again showed smiles as they all looked at Fan Yaoguang, the only Heavenly Human Realm High Stage Grandmaster present. Their eyes were filled with an unusual excitement, as if they were seeing a once-in-a-millennium delicacy, and they could not help but lick their lips.
However, just as the five Heavenly Human Realm abnormals were about to take further action, the sound of falling rubble from the meteorite crater drew the attention of Fan Yaoguang and the others, including the five Heavenly Human Realm abnormals, toward the pit.
“Is she unharmed?”
Fan Yaoguang was stunned as he watched Ye Qinglu slowly walk out from the pile of broken rocks.
The attacks of three early Heavenly Human Realm grandmasters would inflict serious injuries on him even in the latest battle armor. Relying on a grandmaster’s recovery power, it would still take time to heal, and injuries like severed limbs would take days to fully recover.
But Ye Qinglu was not even lightly injured. At most, her skin was scraped in a few places, with some bruises on her body, and even those were visibly healing.
“It really hurt. Looks like I need to practice more Body Strengthening Secret Techniques from now on and reach Third Level Perfection as soon as possible.” Ye Qinglu patted the dust off her clothes, looked at the three early Heavenly Human Realm abnormals in midair, and raised a finger.
In an instant, three sword lotuses formed in the sky, each composed of over a thousand long swords, and the hundred-armed phantom struck directly at them.
Boom!
The three sword lotuses erupted, firing a thousand beams of light at the three early Heavenly Human Realm abnormals. The beams converged into a single point, their power so great that even space itself seemed twisted.
The three early Heavenly Human Realm abnormals blocked immediately, but even with grandmaster qi and blood blessing their Sequence Transcendent Martial Skills, they only held on for a moment before being pierced through by the light.
The three early Heavenly Human Realm abnormals were severely injured on the spot. Some lost arms or legs, some had half their abdomen blown open. Though they would not die thanks to the life force of grandmasters and could recover in a few days, their combat power was greatly reduced.
“A Blood Condensation Realm martial artist actually has power approaching the Heavenly Human Realm Advanced Level?” Fan Yaoguang could not help clicking his tongue as he looked at the three early Heavenly Human Realm abnormals who had been heavily injured in an instant.
In the Sky Dome Shelter, a Blood Condensation Realm expert capable of fighting an early Heavenly Human Realm grandmaster was a peerless genius seen perhaps once in a decade.
A Blood Condensation Realm martial artist gravely injuring three early Heavenly Human Realm grandmasters with a single move had never appeared even in the history of the Sky Dome Shelter.
However, before Fan Yaoguang and the crew could finish being shocked, they saw the dozens of Bone Forging Realm members of the Azure Sky Defense Group. One by one, their auras surged, their clothes and hair billowed without wind, and their bodies were wrapped in energy. Although they were not as stunning as Ye Qinglu, when gathered together, their combined energy made the earth tremble.
“Move out! Do not let a single one of those abnormals escape!” Yi Ye Fu Yun gave the order directly.
With Yi Ye Fu Yun’s shout, the dozens of Azure Sky Defense Group members charged at the hundreds of Blood Condensation Realm abnormals without the slightest hesitation, as if what stood before them were not hundreds of Blood Condensation Realm enemies, but mere ants by the roadside.
“All members of the Dawn, hear my order: cooperate with the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall and exterminate these abnormals together!” Fan Yaoguang had to quickly clear out these abnormals. If they escaped and summoned more, there would be no chance to flee.
With the three early Heavenly Human Realm abnormals heavily wounded, this was the perfect opportunity to counterattack.
But just after Fan Yaoguang issued his order, the Azure Sky Defense Group members already locked in battle with the abnormals left him and the others stunned.
The dozens from the Azure Sky Defense Group moved through the hundreds of Blood Condensation Realm abnormals as if no one were there. They completely disregarded the attacks of Blood Condensation Realm Advanced Level abnormals, trading blows directly, taking a hit while delivering one that heavily injured a Blood Condensation Realm Advanced Level abnormal. They fought by exchanging injury for life.
Like meat grinders, the dozens of them slaughtered the hundreds of Blood Condensation Realm abnormals. These abnormals were not only unable to kill them, they could not even inflict serious injuries. It was an utterly one-sided battle.
For a moment, Fan Yaoguang and the others could not help but wonder whether Ye Qinglu and the others before them were really of the human race.
That a Blood Condensation Realm martial artist like Ye Qinglu could transform and unleash earth-shattering combat power might be explained by the existence of geniuses that defied common sense. But that every Bone Forging Realm martial artist in the Azure Sky Defense Group could transform and crush Blood Condensation Realm abnormals was beyond the explanation of mere talent; it was as if they were not the same species.
Yet Fan Yaoguang and the others did not know that the current Azure Sky Defense Group members were the most elite experts of the group. The other hundred-plus members who had previously ventured thousands of kilometers deep into the Forbidden Zone were long dead. Those who survived had all cultivated the Body Strengthening Secret Technique to Second Level Perfection, and their strength had reached the Bone Forging Realm Advanced Level Limit.
In transcendent state, their individual strength was enough to remain undefeated even against a Half-Step Heavenly Human, let alone deal with Blood Condensation Realm Advanced Level martial artists.
Very soon, after more than half of the Blood Condensation Realm abnormals had been killed, one early Heavenly Human Realm abnormal whose abdomen was half missing was forcibly slain by the combined efforts of Ye Qinglu and Yi Ye Fu Yun. The two abnormals at the Heavenly Human Realm Advanced Level and mid-stage, who had been fighting Fan Yaoguang and Ke Xueli, immediately turned and fled without a word, abandoning the other abnormals. The remaining abnormals, seeing this, also scattered and ran.
This scene took Fan Yaoguang and the others by surprise.
They had seen abnormal armies flee before, but never so cleanly. This was the first time.
Normally, when abnormal armies retreated, they would guide their forces in an orderly fashion toward other abnormal groups, continually increasing their numbers. To abandon everything and only care about their own lives like this was something even a captain like Fan Yaoguang had never seen.
However, on the way out of the Forbidden Zone following Yi Ye Fu Yun, Fan Yaoguang and the others finally understood why the abnormal army had fled so decisively.
From the edge of the Mountain of the Dead to more than a thousand kilometers deep into the Forbidden Zone, their detection instruments found only scattered abnormals and no large groups, as if some invisible barrier had blocked the abnormal armies thousands of kilometers away.
As for the land where abnormals could not set foot at all, it left Fan Yaoguang and the others in disbelief.
Since the Great Transfer event, in every place known to Fan Yaoguang and the others, abnormals had been everywhere. If not for a genius discovering a way to distinguish abnormals over a hundred years ago, there would never have been shelters where people could live.
Yet both the Mountain of the Dead and the Wushan Region where the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall’s headquarters, Chiyue Town, was located—according to Yi Ye Fu Yun—were places abnormals could not even step into. This was something Fan Yaoguang and the others had never seen or heard of.
“Captain, this is definitely the greatest discovery since the Great Transfer. The environment here may not be ideal, but there is no abnormal harassment and no need to worry about their corruption. If we can have the younger generation of our shelter all settle here to grow and improve in peace, our Sky Dome Shelter might, in just a few years, see its overall strength greatly increased, surpass other shelters and secure more Sacred Hall selection quotas.” Sitting inside the flying transport vehicle, Ke Xueli looked at the vast land outside the window and could not help speaking.
The crew members of the Dawn all nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with excitement.
They had originally thought that Yi Ye Fu Yun and these survivors must have been struggling to live in some tiny place. Given that they were all of the human race, they intended to help them and conduct some trade: acquiring resources from the East Seventh District while providing Yi Ye Fu Yun and the others with weapons and equipment to fight abnormals.
But they had not expected that the place where Yi Ye Fu Yun and the others lived was practically a pure land, and an immensely vast one at that.
It was more than enough not only to provide a temporary rest point for people like them, but even to host the entire population of the Sky Dome Shelter; it would barely make a dent.
However, moving everyone over was impossible. Although it was a pure land, the cultivation environment was too poor. At most, those below the Bone Forging Realm could come here and cultivate safely to the Bone Forging Realm without living in constant fear of corruption and being disposed of before reaching it, as was the case in the shelters.
If they could ensure the safe growth of their younger generation, it would mean an enormous improvement for any shelter. After all, fewer than one-fifth of those in the shelters could safely grow to adulthood. If all these people survived, the number of strong experts would increase dramatically.
There was more than one shelter in the Forbidden Zone, and for a shelter to endure, it had to be strong enough. To produce more Heavenly Human Realm experts, Sacred Hall selection quotas were crucial, but the number of quotas was limited, and the younger generation of each shelter had to compete for them.
If a shelter’s younger generation was strong and numerous, they would naturally seize more Sacred Hall quotas. Weaker shelters with fewer and less capable young people often failed to obtain even a single quota.
“I understand what you all mean.” Fan Yaoguang looked at the excited crowd and said with a smile, “Rest assured, I will definitely have a good talk with the hall master of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. On the way here, I have already observed that the technological level of this pure land is quite low. They do not even have basic ultra-long-range communication methods, and their weapons and battle armor are very outdated. Their cultivation standards may also be limited by environment and technology. I have heard that Heavenly Human Realm grandmasters here are extremely rare, so I am sure that hall master will be willing.”
Deputy Ke Xueli let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Although Fan Yaoguang was very strong, his way of doing things made people wary. Now that the Dawn had finally encountered such a great opportunity, failing to profit handsomely from the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall’s side would be an injustice to the sacrificed Dawn itself.
While Fan Yaoguang and the others on the Dawn discussed how to reap a great profit from these survivors, the two flying transport vehicles slowly came to a stop on the rooftop of the Crimson Moon Tower on Crimson Moon Mountain.
