Infinite terror invades all heavens

Li Shuaixi and Ming Yanwei both took a half step back, staring at Xiao Jiuming in shock.

The original dark fighting spirit was profound and gloomy, carrying a kind of silent and resolute power that devoured everything.

At this moment, a dark red began to seep out from the dark background, a dark red like dried, congealed blood, heavy, viscous, and full of the smell of rust and death.

Illusions that shifted and changed faintly appeared within the fighting spirit.

Shattered mountains and rivers, burning cities, weeping people, the iron hooves of foreign powers...

These illusions are not clear and complete images, but rather like fragments of a broken dream, flashing by in the dark red battle aura, yet they are continuous, together forming a heavy and suffocating hell on earth.

Xiao Jiuming's own eyes were also undergoing a dramatic change.

The initial grief and anger, like oil thrown into a raging fire, were ignited and catalyzed, eventually transforming into a near-mad and pure killing intent!

"The nine provinces of China have given me life, and I have no way to repay them..." His voice seemed to come from the depths of the underworld, and every word carried the taste of iron and blood.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

The word "kill" was repeated seven times, each one more piercing and resolute than the last.

When the seventh "kill" character falls.

"Boom—!!!"

The embodiment of intent and will! A dark red pillar of light tore a visible, distorted ripple through the night sky before dawn, as if even space itself was trembling at this killing intent!

Li Shuaixi and Ming Yanwei had to circulate their energy to protect themselves in order to stand firm against this terrifying aura.

No longer is it about being alone in hell, but about a broken country, a living hell, and the extreme intent of killing to stop killing and blood for blood!

After a long while, the dark red pillar of light that shot into the sky slowly receded, and the illusions of shattered mountains and rivers, burning cities, and weeping people gradually faded away, eventually merging into Xiao Jiuming's body and disappearing.

Xiao Jiuming opened his eyes, his gaze now calm, but beneath that calm lay a chilling glint. He looked at Li Shuaixi and Ming Yanwei, his voice regaining its usual composure, yet now carrying an undeniable firmness:

"After Chu Xuan completes his mission, I want to walk around this land alone. I want to do what I can in my own way."

Li Shuaixi and Ming Yanwei exchanged a glance, showing no surprise or attempt to dissuade them; both wore expressions of "I knew it."

"I lost." Li Shuaixi suddenly sighed, took out a small cloth bag from his pocket and threw it to Ming Yanwei, "One hundred reward points, I'll transfer them to you when we get back."

Ming Yanwei took the bag, a smug smile playing on her lips: "What did I tell you? There's no need for intuition at all. How could someone who has mastered a technique like Hellwalking not be moved by this situation?"

Xiao Jiuming was stunned, looking at his two teammates in front of him, and for a moment he couldn't react, "You... you're betting on my reaction?"

"Otherwise what?" Li Shuaixi shrugged. "After Chu Xuan told us to set off, Ming Yanwei made a bet with me, saying that once you got here you would definitely say you wanted to act alone. I said you wouldn't be that impulsive, but... sigh, my secret stash of money."

Xiao Jiuming was speechless for a moment. He looked at Li Shuaixi, then at Ming Yanwei, who had a smile on her lips and looked as if she had known this all along. He felt complicated emotions.

On the one hand, I felt it was absurd that my teammate would bet on my own emotional journey; on the other hand, I felt a strange sense of comfort.

They understand.

They even anticipated it.

Ming Yanwei dropped her languid expression and said seriously, "However, I also want to do something on this land. So," she looked at Li Shuaixi, "we need to complete Chu Xuan's mission as soon as possible and end this chaotic era quickly."

Li Shuaixi took out a food pouch and handed it to Xiao Jiuming, saying with a hint of emotion, "Chu Xuan asked me to give this to you. He had already guessed that you would do this, so he prepared something in advance."

Xiao Jiuming took the Devouring Pouch, probed it with his spiritual power, and was immediately stunned.

The food sac contained hundreds of palm-sized metal devices, simple in design but sturdy in structure. Each device was equipped with a basic operating interface and a speaker. In addition, there were a large number of packaged batteries, spare parts, various high-yield, drought-resistant, and pest-resistant grain and vegetable seeds, and a detailed user manual.

“This is…” Xiao Jiuming raised his head and looked at Li Shuaixi with a question in his eyes.

"The knowledge disseminator designed by Chu Xuan," Li Shuaixi explained with mixed feelings about Chu Xuan's terrifying planning ability. "It's easy to operate, durable, waterproof, and drop-proof. It has a built-in language recognition and translation module that automatically matches the corresponding dialect pronunciation based on the language of the people around you."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "The content stored inside includes basic hygiene knowledge, common injury and illness treatment methods, simple medical supplies making guidelines, high-yield crop planting techniques, water purification methods, and disaster prevention and self-rescue key points, totaling seventeen major categories and more than three hundred specific pieces of knowledge. The system will automatically select the most suitable content to play based on the environment, climate, and resources of your area."

Xiao Jiuming gripped the Devouring Pouch tightly and remained silent for a long time.

In an era where knowledge is monopolized, most people don't even know how to read, and a minor illness or injury can take a life, these things are more precious than gold.

They cannot save the country, but they may save some people who would otherwise die from famine, disease, or ignorance.

Xiao Jiuming remained silent for a long time.

"Thank you," he finally spoke, his voice low but exceptionally clear. He knew who he should thank.

Li Shuaixi waved his hand: "Don't thank me, I'm just someone who handed things over. If you want to thank someone, thank Chu Xuan. Although that guy's way of thinking often makes people shudder, I have to admit that he is indeed very thorough in his considerations."

He paused, then muttered to himself, "Sometimes I really don't know if he's just too rational, or... actually understands human nature better than we think?"

He took out the crystal pendant and began to perform divination, "The location of the Eye of Shangri-La... the exact location of the Shanghai Museum... and that warlord General Yang..." he murmured, his brow slightly glowing.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, looked at Ming Yanwei, and asked in a questioning tone, "Is this the right direction? No matter what, we have to find that warlord surnamed Yang and get the things before we can proceed to the next step."

Ming Yanwei closed her eyes, her sixth sense fully activated. A few seconds later, she pointed northeast: "Over there. About eighty kilometers away, there's a strong sense of 'variability.' It should be him."

“Okay.” Li Shuaixi put away the pendant and looked at Xiao Jiuming. “Let’s go complete the mission first. After that… whatever you want to do, we’ll try our best to cooperate.”

Xiao Jiuming nodded, carefully put away the Devouring Pouch, took one last look at the city of suffering in the distance that was gradually taking shape in the dawn light, and then turned and boarded the aircraft.

The hatch closed and the engine started.

The silver-gray aircraft silently took off and sped off in the northeast, disappearing into the gradually brightening sky.

On the ground, the reed beds returned to silence, with only the rustling sound of the wind whispering tales of the land's endless suffering and waiting—waiting for change, waiting for dawn.

It's almost bright.

…………

Inside the manor, Wang Yi stood by the window, watching the first rays of dawn appear on the eastern horizon.

The shadow behind her stood quietly, while Mei had already returned to the mansion and was adjusting the energy cycle of the elemental pool.

Wang Yi toyed with the Poké Ball that had been transformed from the Ten Thousand Soul Banner in his hand. Inside the ball, Crystal Lake was calm and still, and Jason, Fred, Mirror Ghost, Deceptive Ghost, and Chu Renmei were sleeping at the bottom of the lake.

“Chu Xuan has already laid out his pieces,” he muttered to himself, “and the Indian team has also made their moves.”

"Next... it's time for a fight."

Outside the window, Cairo awakens in the morning light, and millions begin their new day, completely unaware that they are standing at the intersection of two enormous chess games.

Chapter 89 Attack and Another Point (Part 1)

Before the first rays of dawn pierced the horizon in the desert, the abandoned city in the southeast corner of Cairo was still shrouded in the deep darkness of night.

The seven members of the Central Continent Team appeared silently like ghosts on the roof of a partially collapsed three-story building 300 meters away from the Indian Continent Team's stronghold. From here, the disguised three-story stone house where the Indian Continent Team was hiding could be clearly seen. The exterior looked dilapidated, but Zhan Lan's mental scan had already revealed that the interior had been modernized.

“The Indian team currently has seven people inside the base.” Wang Yi obtained the intelligence by detecting the sound through the crystal and said, “Shiva Ganten, Blackjack, Agrava, Scheherazade, Muhammad, Manavia, and Ram. The location of Arot is uncertain. He may be on a mission outside, or he may have returned but is lurking in the mirror space.”

"According to the intelligence stolen by Freddy, the Indian team consists of the following members:"

The captain of the Indian team, Shiva Ganten, is a practitioner of Buddhist techniques and exhibits characteristics of a blood Buddha, suggesting that he may also be skilled in magical abilities.

Blackjack is a Heroic Spirit enhancement system based on the concepts of disease, plague, and doctor, specializing in area-of-effect curses and corrosive abilities;

Agrava, an Indian ascetic, possessed supernatural powers similar to the eight supernatural abilities of Buddhism, which were achieved through Indian ascetic practices.

Yukina, a psychic;

Muhammad, T1000 mechanical modification enhancer, technology-side enhancer;

Imani, with dual physical and bloodline enhancements, one of which is suspected to be Hulk blood, is mentally deficient and prone to going berserk and losing control.

Arot, an assassin-type warrior, is skilled in Mirror Space travel and creating clones; his current location is unknown.

Lamb, a psychic power user, possesses his own psychic weapon and can switch between different forms to combine for offense and defense.

Manavia, a user of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, has been marked by Crystal Lake.

Wang Yi paused, then added, "Manavia is in very poor condition. The curse mark from Crystal Lake continues to erode her body. Agrava is using some kind of secret method to help suppress it, but the effect is limited. She is now the most obvious weakness of the Indian team."

Zheng Zha crouched on the edge of the rooftop, his eyes flashing crimson in the darkness, a ferocious smile spreading across his lips: "Let's start with her."

"Proceed according to plan." Chu Xuan's voice came from the team channel. He was in charge of the rear manor, coordinating the overall situation through the monitoring network that spanned Cairo. "Zheng Zha, Wang Zongchao, and Zhu Peng, surround the Indian team's stronghold from three directions. Wang Yi, summon Jason at any time to eliminate the Indian team's veteran, Manavia. Zero will provide long-range suppression and pinpoint attacks. Zhan Lan will continue to maintain mental shielding. After the attack begins, use mental interference to blind the enemy's mental users."

"Understood," everyone responded.

Wang Yi remained in Mei's mansion, holding the mutated Poké Ball of the Myriad Souls Banner in his left hand. The crystal lake inside the ball was calm and still, and Jason, Freddy, and other "residents" were already on standby.

"Shadow, stay by Mei's side and protect her and Zhan Lan's safety," Wang Yi said. "Mei, keep the mansion area under minimal deployment and be prepared to deal with any sudden situations."

"Yes, Master." Shadow replied briefly, and a faint blue light of radiant energy began to circulate around his body.

Mei nodded slightly, and a semi-circular shield with a radius of five meters quietly unfolded from the pale golden mansion area beneath her feet, enveloping Ying, Zhan Lan, and herself within it.

Zheng Zha, Wang Zongchao, and Zhu Peng exchanged a glance and jumped off the roof at the same time.

Their movements were as light as cats, landing silently, and they immediately split into three directions to encircle the Indian team's stronghold.

Zheng Zha went to the front, Wang Zongchao went around to the left flank, and Zhu Peng went around to the right rear.

Wang Yi, Zero, and Shadow remained at the high ground. Zero had already set up his signature weapon, the barrel of which gleamed with a dark light, and activated his Byakugan to lock onto the direction of the Indian team's stronghold.

Wang Yi monitored the entire battlefield through the vision shared by Mei's exploration crystal ball. Inside the crystal ball, the points of light representing life were clearly visible, with two of them entwined with a faint black aura—the manifestation of the Crystal Lake curse mark.

"Ready to take position," Zheng Zha's voice rang out in the team channel.

"Ready to take your positions." Wang Zongchao.

"Ready in position." Zhu Peng.

Wang Yi took a deep breath, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "Then... the hunt begins."

With a thought, he detonated the Crystal Lake Mark within Manavia's body!

Almost at the same moment, inside the Indian team's base.

Shiva Ganden sat cross-legged in the center of the secret chamber, his body surrounded by a slow flow of crimson Buddhist light as he adjusted his state. Suddenly, he abruptly opened his eyes, his expression changing drastically!

"The mark within Manavia has erupted!" he roared, his voice filled with barely suppressed rage. "Everyone, prepare for battle! The Central Continent Team is here!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening roar erupted outside the stronghold!

Zheng Zha raised his hands high, and blood energy gathered and swirled wildly in his palms! The air was churned by the violent energy, forming a blood-red tornado with a diameter of over ten meters! Inside the tornado, crimson blood flames burned and spread, dyeing the entire tornado a terrifying red-black!

"You scum from the Indian team!" Zheng Zha's wild voice pierced through the walls and exploded in the night sky, "Feel the passion of our Central Continent team! Blood Battle Technique: Fiery Tornado!"

He swung his arms forward with a sudden burst of energy!

The crimson and black fire tornado, like a roaring beast, swept towards the Indian team's stronghold, carrying with it a cloud of dust and destructive energy! Wherever it passed, the ground was plowed with deep trenches, and the ruins along the way were torn apart, rolled up, and burned like paper!

"Roar--!!!"

A superhuman roar erupted from within the stronghold!

A second-floor window shattered with a deafening roar, and a figure burst out like a cannonball crashing through the wall! It was a green-skinned giant, over two and a half meters tall, with muscles bulging and contorted! His skin was an unnatural dark green, his veins throbbing beneath his skin like earthworms, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was spewing out scorching white breath!

In his Hulk form, Imani completely lost his mind, driven only by primal rage and destructive urges. He didn't care where the attack came from; he simply followed the strongest energy fluctuations, roaring as he charged toward Zheng Zha's location! With each step, a deep footprint was left in the ground, the cracks spreading for several meters!

"Xue Nai! Control him!" Shiva Ganten's roar came from inside the stronghold, but it was too late.

The Hulk Imani, like a raging mammoth, crashed headlong into the edge of the blood-fire tornado created by Zheng Zha! The scorching blood flames burned his skin, making a hissing sound, but he seemed to feel no pain, only angrily swinging his huge fists, trying to tear everything in front of him apart!

Shiva Ganten, Blackjack, Agrava, Shenai, Muhammad, Ram, and others followed closely behind and rushed out of the stronghold.

Everyone's face was extremely grim. They hadn't expected the Central Continent Team to find their location so quickly and accurately, bypassing all the surrounding warning measures. The attack came so suddenly and fiercely!

Shiva Ganten immediately looked at Manavia at the back of the group. The Barrier-Barrier Fruit user was ashen-faced, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and her body was trembling slightly.

The curse mark on her calf was now emitting a dense black aura, which spread upwards like a living thing, corroding her flesh and energy circuits.

Agrava had one hand on her shoulder, continuously channeling the energy of the ascetic's longevity technique into her, fiercely battling against the curse's power and barely maintaining a balance.

"Lamb! Blackjack! You two stay here to protect Manavia!" Shiva Ganten commanded sternly. "The rest of you, follow me!"

However, no sooner had Shiva, Ganden, and the others left than another strange event occurred!

Inside the stronghold, ripples spread across a perfectly preserved full-length mirror, like the surface of water.

A ghostly dragon, entirely black with eerie purplish-red eyes, silently peeked half its body out of the mirror! It was none other than the poisonous dragon that Zhu Peng had acquired after devouring Giratina's essence blood and gaining the ability to travel through mirrors after his third Foundation Establishment stage!

The Poison Dragon's target is Manavia, who has temporarily lost her ability to move due to the outbreak of the curse!

"Watch out!" Lamb reacted instantly. He raised his hands, and the thirty-six silver metal parts floating in front of him instantly combined and transformed! Each of these parts was only the size of a walnut, with complex energy-conducting runes engraved on its surface. Under Lamb's telekinetic control, they flew and spliced ​​together as if they had a life of their own, and in the blink of an eye, they combined into a hexagonal silver giant shield with a diameter of two meters and a thickness of half a foot. The shield surface shimmered with a telekinetic glow like ripples on water!

"Guardian Wall!" Lamb shouted, and the giant shield stood firmly between the poison dragon and Manavia!

Almost simultaneously, Blackjack also moved. His wide black robe fluttered without wind, and a deep, obscure incantation emanated from beneath his bird-beak mask. He raised his right hand, which was gloved with black leather, and pushed his palm forward!