A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Chapter 404 Severing One's Own Bonds, Where is Justice?

Once Li Shuwen's inconspicuousness-reducing spell wore off, the investigators finally realized what was going on.

"Damn! I forgot about that! Let's take care of the guy with glasses first!"

"Right, right, right! To catch the thief, catch the king first! Hit that summoner!"

Several people who were nearby yelled and turned to rush towards Li Shuwen.

But before they could even take a few steps—

"Ugh—!"

A black and red blur, accompanied by a gust of wind carrying a bloody scent, suddenly appeared between them and Li Shuwen.

The fake Ji Zuodao's two scarlet eyes were fixed on these unlucky guys who wanted to cut into the back row, and the ink-wash spine sword in his hand hummed and trembled.

The meaning couldn't be clearer:

Touch him? You'll have to get past me first.

"Damn it! This thing even has priority attack logic?!"

"There's no way around it!"

Those who wanted to cut into the back row were struck by that terrifying killing intent, and their feet seemed to be rooted to the spot, so they didn't dare to move forward any further.

Xiang Yun's face was so dark it looked like it was about to drip water.

A direct confrontation? That Ji Zuodao guy could slap several people away with one blow. How are we supposed to fight him head-on?

Are we just going to stand by and watch?

The word "admit defeat" simply doesn't exist in Xiang Yun's dictionary!

"Don't panic! Stay calm!"

Xiang Yun let out a low growl, forcing himself to calm down, his eyes fixed on the fake Ji Zuodao's every move.

The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed.

Not right.

This fake body is strong and fierce, but if you look closely... damn, why does it feel a bit dazed?

The attacks are fierce and the speed is fast, but it's just the same few moves over and over again.

Straight to the point, swinging, smashing, ramming, slamming...

There's a real pattern!

Just like the big boss in a game, its attacks have a wind-up animation and its moves have warning signs!

"There's a chance!"

Xiang Yun's eyes lit up, and half of the despair in her heart vanished with a "plop".

"Follow my orders!"

Xiang Yun took a deep breath, suppressing his surging blood and qi, and his voice boomed through the valley:

"Ten people per group! Spread out! Don't engage head-on! Use hit-and-run tactics! Figure out his attack patterns!"

Although the remaining investigators were still apprehensive, Xiang Yun's calm command at least gave them a sense of security.

Gritting their teeth, they followed Xiang Yun's instructions, forming groups of ten to deal with the fake Ji Zuodao.

You know what, once we spread out and started fighting, the pressure really did decrease a lot.

Although the fake body was fierce, it had no intelligence after all, and its attack patterns were limited. Once it used up its three basic attacks, it had to start all over again.

While giving instructions, Xiang Yun kept a close eye on every movement of the fake body, his mind racing.

"Left punch followed by right swing, there's a 0.3-second stun!"

"There will be a brief pause, about half a second, at the end of the charge!"

"Ultimate move... oh, it's that black and red energy burst, it has a wind-up animation! Your chest will light up briefly first!"

The more he looked, the clearer it became, and the "Illustrated Manual of Fake Princess's Left-Handed Techniques" in his mind grew thicker and thicker.

"Now! Groups one and two, go! Attack his lower body! Force him to lift his leg!"

"Groups three and four, harass from the side! Group five, prepare to provide backup!"

Xiang Yun's commands became increasingly precise and timely.

The investigators are working together more and more smoothly. Although the situation is still dangerous and someone gets scratched from time to time, at least they are no longer the ones being beaten up.

Several times, he even narrowly escaped the devastating burst of that ultimate attack.

The fake Himezudo seemed to be getting a little annoyed by these "slippery mudfish," and her attacks became increasingly ferocious, but her patterns became more fixed.

"We've figured it out! We've figured it out completely!"

Xiang Yun fiercely wiped the blood and sweat from his face, his eyes flashing with astonishing light.

"Everyone! Listen to my countdown!"

"three!"

The investigators perked up, pricked up their ears, and gripped their tools tightly.

"two!"

At this moment, the fake Ji Zuodao had just finished a combo and his body was in a stiff state.

"one!"

"Now—!"

Xiang Yun roared in fury!

"One group! A feint attack from the front! Draw attention!"

"Group two, group three, group four! Attack from both sides! Hit his joints!"

"Five groups! Go around behind him! Lock him by the neck! Pin him to the ground!"

Orders must be obeyed without question!

Five groups, about fifty people, started up instantly, like precisely meshed gears!

After a fierce struggle, the fake Ji Zuodao was forcefully tackled to the ground. He struggled frantically, and black and red energy waves kept erupting, causing the investigator who was lying on top of him to spit out blood.

But nobody let go!

Everyone had red eyes, clinging to him and pressing him down!

"Now! Xiang Yun!"

Someone roared.

Xiang Yun was already poised to strike, the iron spear in his hand emitting a deep hum, and a point of cold light at the tip of the spear condensed to its fullest extent.

He looked at the fake Ji Zuodao on the ground, struggling frantically but with wide-open openings due to being tightly locked up, and a resolute look flashed in his eyes.

This shot must hit! We must break through his core!

"Break—for me!!!"

Xiang Yun let out a long howl that pierced through the clouds and shattered rocks. He followed the spear and transformed into a streak of black light that tore through the air, stabbing fiercely towards the heart of the fake Ji Zuodao!

"puff--!"

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The frantic struggle of the fake Himezuka suddenly froze.

The turbulent black and red ink on his body faded and dissipated rapidly, like the receding tide.

The light in those chilling crimson eyes gradually faded.

finally--

"Buzz..."

With a soft sound, the fake Ji Zuodao transformed into countless shimmering fragments of black and red spiritual light, like weary birds returning to their forests, and all of them flew back into the open book "Ji Ping Mei" in Li Shuwen's hand.

The valley was deathly silent.

All that remained were the heavy, bellows-like breathing and a few suppressed groans of pain.

The investigators who had been on top of the fake Ji Zuodao collapsed to the side, panting heavily. Their bodies and faces were covered in blood, but their eyes shone with an eerie light.

Won?

Did...they really fight?

Xiang Yun, with his spear hanging from his back, knelt on one knee, panting heavily. But as he looked at the vanished fake Ji Zuodao and his equally disheveled but bright-eyed companions around him, an indescribable surge of emotion welled up in his heart.

"Haha...hahaha!"

He couldn't help but chuckle softly, the laughter growing louder and more unrestrained.

"We won! Damn, we really won!"

"So what if you're at the Spirit Palace Realm? So what if you're berserk? We still took you down!"

"Brother Xiang is awesome! His command is phenomenal!"

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the surviving investigators came to their senses and erupted in wild cheers of relief.

Although they lost two more brothers and everyone was injured, they managed to defeat Ji Zuodao, a numerical spirit palace realm cultivator, through teamwork and intelligence!

That's awesome, enough to brag about for ten years!

All eyes turned intently and fervently to Li Shuwen on the sidelines.

If they can eliminate him again, at least they won't have suffered such a crushing defeat this time!

At least they managed to "conquer" one of Jinghai's top generals!

Li Shuwen adjusted his glasses, his eyes calmly scanning the excited, eager faces behind the lenses.

His face showed no surprise whatsoever; he remained as refined and scholarly as ever.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes that said, "You better just admit defeat!"—

He slowly and deliberately reached out and gently stroked the book "Ji Ping Mei".

The pages turned on their own without any wind, flipping to a particular page with a rustling sound.

hum!

A flash of inspiration!

Two solid, ink-scented streaks of light shot out from the pages of the book with a "whoosh" and landed on the ground.

The aura expands, takes shape, solidifies...

They transformed into two figures that were all too familiar to them.

On the left, a large black dog with glossy fur, a haughty look in its eyes, and an air of self-importance shook its head and snorted.

On the right, Ji Zuodao, tall and handsome with that familiar lazy and wicked smile on his lips, twisted his neck and moved his wrists.

The investigators: "..."

The cheers abruptly ceased.

The smile froze on her face.

The valley was so quiet again that only the wind could be heard.

"What the...fuck?"

One investigator's voice cracked eight octaves:

"Li Shuwen! You fucking...you fucking spell doesn't have a cooldown?!"

"CD?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shuwen adjusted his glasses and gave a slightly apologetic, refined smile.

"Yes, there are."

His tone was gentle, even carrying a hint of seriousness in discussing academic issues.

"The problem is, you guys were a bit slow just now."

"The CD time has been refreshed."

All investigators: "…………"

It refreshed?

It's been refreshed, God the hell!

Holy crap! Isn't this cheating?!

Xiang Yun was also stunned. He was panting heavily as he looked at the two "brand new" fakes, and then at the miserable state of everyone on his side who were injured and had exhausted their spiritual energy. A deep sense of powerlessness surged up again.

"Brother Xiang... what should we do?" a brother next to him asked in a weak voice.

Xiang Yun clenched his back teeth until his gums almost bled.

Not fighting? Admitting defeat?

So all the blood our brothers shed was for nothing? Did those two eliminated brothers sacrifice themselves in vain?

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, his eyes fixed on Li Shuwen, his mind racing.

"Don't be afraid!"

Xiang Yun roared, both to encourage his companions and to bolster his own morale.

"Remember how we won? Use your brain! Use your brain!"

"This time, let's try a different strategy!"

He stared intently at Li Shuwen, as if trying to etch the bespectacled boy's face into his mind.

"Make sure you remember Li Shuwen perfectly! Don't fall for his evil spells that affect your perception! That bastard is the real culprit!"

"This time, we'll split into two teams!"

"Team One, stick with me and keep these two fakes occupied! Same old tactics, hit-and-run, find the right patterns, but whatever you do, don't kill that fake dog! Got it!"

"The other team, pounce on Li Shuwen! Take him down, and these two imposters will be exposed!"

"Do you understand?!"

"clear!"

The remaining investigators mustered their strength and gripped their weapons tightly again.

Despite being tired and injured, Xiang Yun's clear command gave them a sense of direction again.

Yes, there's still a chance! Cut into the backline! Take down the summoner!

The fake Ji Zuodao slowly raised the white bone spine sword in his hand, the tip of the sword pointing diagonally at the ground.

The fake dog also lowered its body, letting out a threatening growl.

All the investigators tensed their muscles, slowed their breathing, and stared intently at the fake Ji Zuodao, silently reviewing the attack patterns they had just memorized, waiting for Xiang Yun's order to act according to the new plan.

then.

They saw it.

The fake Ji Zuodao suddenly swung his arm backward with an extremely strange amplitude.

The spine sword drew a pale arc in the air.

then.

"Pfft."

A soft sound.

The arrogant dog head of the fake Dog Master flew off with a thud.

The headless dog's body, along with its flying head, instantly disintegrated into countless rays of light, which whooshed back into the pages of the book in Li Shuwen's hand.

The fake Ji Zuo Dao slowly turned his head, and his eyes, which had been relatively normal before, were instantly stained crimson. The colors on his body began to spread and flow wildly, a mixture of black and red...

A familiar yet terrifyingly violent killing intent suddenly erupted!

"You bird thief! Give me back my dog—"

"My life is at stake!!!"

That hoarse, twisted roar echoed through the valley once more.

The investigators: "..."

Ji Zuo said: "..."

Dog Lord: "..."

Li Shuwen: "Hehe..."

Everyone except Li Shuwen was collectively petrified.

The brain completely shut down.

Holy crap?

Holy crap?!

Holy shit!!!