Chapter 96 — Old Sentiments
劍問蒼天 · Page 1 of 6
Qin Wujiu's gaze shifted, passing over Fa Cheng and the other three one by one. With his discerning eye, he could naturally tell that all four were outstanding talents; judging by true cultivation alone, he feared he would gain no advantage against any of them.
It was only that the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect had always cultivated by unorthodox means, with no end of strange techniques—or one might say crooked paths. At this moment Qin Wujiu controlled that vast swarm of Dead Marsh Giant Ants, and with countless venomous creatures upon his person besides, he felt no fear at all. His expression remained as calm as ever; if anything, judging by the scene, he still held a decided upper hand.
Zeng Shuyan had always been quick-witted, yet even he could not help but feel a splitting headache now, staring at wave upon wave of hideous Dead Marsh Giant Ants as the stench of blood assailed his nostrils. Lowering his voice to the three beside him, he said, "What do we do now—flee or fight?"
Li Xun frowned but said nothing. In truth, by his usual temperament, he would never have been willing to retreat at this moment. It was only that in the fierce battle just past against the Dead Marsh Giant Ants, though he alone had slain over a hundred of them, the terrifying force of those endless, countless monsters surging forward all at once had left him shaken to the core.
Fa Cheng pondered in silence. Suddenly Lin Jinghong spoke: "I say we can fight. I reckon these Dead Marsh Giant Ants are not reared by anyone, but are being controlled by this demonic sect villain through some sorcery. So long as we tie him down, we can win in a single battle."
Fa Cheng nodded. "What Junior Brother Lin says makes sense. You two—"
Zeng Shuyan considered for a moment. "Junior Brother Lin is right. And besides, for the four of us to flee in disarray before a single man—that would be far too shameful."
As the eyes of the three turned toward Li Xun, he—the most outstanding talent the Burning Cloud Valley had produced in recent years, and always proud—would have gone straight at Qin Wujiu from the first had the man not summoned countless giant ants from who knew where. Now, faced with the gazes of the other three, how could he bear to lose face? He said decisively, "We fight!"
Fa Cheng nodded at once, then said in a low voice, "We will split into two groups presently. Senior Brother Li and Senior Brother Zeng, I must trouble you to hold off these giant ants at the side for a time, while Junior Brother Lin and I attack Qin Wujiu together. How does that sound?"
The three nodded together.
While they conferred there, Qin Wujiu, standing at the outer edge, was also racing through thoughts. He had just driven the giant ants to surround Li Xun, but Li Xun's cultivation was higher than he had expected—with his own strength alone, the man had killed nearly a hundred of those thick-skinned, hard-boned, highly venomous giant ants. And the other three in the field looked to be of no low cultivation either, especially that Fa Cheng of the Brahma Sound Temple, whose fame had grown great these past years.
Setting all else aside, just look at the Prajna Heart Circle before him—faintly imbued with the mighty power of Buddhist demon-subduing, it actually made the Dead Marsh Giant Ants instinctively draw away from that golden ring of light even without his command. Such cultivation was truly no small matter.
He was just vexing himself over how to deal with these four when suddenly a whistling cry rose ahead. A flash of golden light, and the Prajna Heart Circle withdrew—the four had actually lunged at him together, while the giant ants nearby fell into a commotion.