Inside the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley.
The battle wasn't over yet, but at this moment, most people had stopped fighting after seeing Old Heavenly Master and the others cease their attacks.
In fact, by this point, most of the fights had already been decided, except for those where the combatants were relatively equally matched or had strong self-preservation abilities.
And in times like these, no one holds back.
To lose meant death.
For example, the battle between Lu Ci, Wang Ai, and Qu Tong.
Qu Tong's combat power was unexpectedly formidable, unbelievably strong.
She hadn't reached the peak, but her cultivation was no less than Wang Ai's or Lu Ci's.
She was originally a maid arranged by Lu Ci for Duanmu Ying. Although younger than Wang Ai and Lu Ci, there wasn't a significant age gap.
If Dual Hand hadn't been geared towards self-recovery and wasn't adept at killing, perhaps Wang Ai and Lu Ci would already be dead.
But even so, Lu Ci was severely injured, and Wang Ai was lying on the ground, neck twisted, lifeless.
For Qu Tong, while Wang Ai and Lu Ci were on the same level, the former was easier to deal with and more necessary to focus fire on first.
Duanmu Ying and Lu Ci had a deep-seated enmity, and Qu Tong, as Duanmu Ying's successor, naturally inherited this hatred. However, it was ultimately not as deeply ingrained as it was for Duanmu Ying herself.
Not to mention, in a team fight, the first target is always the support.
The Wang Family's Divine Coating technique was renowned, a famous support ability in the community. In a fight, if you didn't deal with this support first, the enemy's difficulty would multiply.
Qu Tong, relying on Dual Hand's super recovery ability, endured the biting attacks from Wang Ai and Lu Ci. Like Wolverine, she completely incapacitated Wang Ai.
Both Spirit Control and Summoning and Divine Coating were powerful, but they were mage-type skills. Although Wang Ai's combat skills were good, and with Lu Ci assisting, they could handle most situations. In fact, if peak-level experts didn't specifically target them, this combination should have been invincible.
But unfortunately, an accident happened.
Perhaps it wasn't an accident, because the trouble originated from that little fox, Zhang Chulan.
It might have been deliberate because Wang Ai and Lu Ci had once interrogated him about Qi Body Origin, or it could have been a spontaneous adjustment by the experts from Quansheng.
In any case, they failed to stop the Corpse Demon.
After Tu Junfang received assistance from Yuan Shixiao, a Quansheng swordsman from Flowing Cloud Sword, and Handan'er, whose spiritual orifices were opened by Qu Tong, he successfully broke free from Feng Baobao, Zhang Chulan, and Ma Xianhong, and intercepted Lu Ci.
Even though his raw power was a notch below Lu Ci's, the Three Corpses technique of the Anlu Three Demons Sect, mastered by Tu Junfang, had a restraining effect on most Anomalous Humans. The only exceptions were those Daoist masters who cultivated both body and spirit, who could temporarily suppress their own three corpses of greed, anger, and delusion with the Heart Purifying Divine Incantation.
And the greed in old Lu Ci and Wang Ai was so immense it was practically overflowing.
With Tu Junfang's assistance, plus Qu Tong, who possessed first-tier strength below the peak and infinite recovery, Lu Ci and Wang Ai's defeat was not unjust.
On other battlefields, Ding Daoan suffered serious injuries, Feng Zhenghao lost an eye and two powerful spiritual entities, and Na Ruhuo lost an arm, but at that cost, he pulverized the upper half of Wang Guoping's body.
Zhang Chulan was in the best condition. That kid was exceptionally cunning, only fighting battles he was confident in. After shaking off Tu Junfang, he led Feng Baobao and Ma Xianhong, weaving through the many experts of Quansheng and the Yao Xing Society. He then linked up with Wang Ye, who was also diligently preserving his strength. The four joined forces.
Relying on Feng Baobao's keen perception, Ma Xianhong's array of defensive Magic Tools, and Wang Ye's Chaotic Golden Cage for last-minute saves, these four somehow only sustained minor injuries in the end.
As for the others who died, there were quite a few.
The Nadou Tong Temporary Worker Old Meng, Jia Family Village's Old Master Jia, and Tangmen Elder Zhang Wang all died.
Most of Quansheng's Yuan Tao, Shen Chong, Dou Mei, Handan'er, and Liao Tietou, and Yao Xing Society's Jiang Liu, Bi Youlong, and others, were killed.
Old Meng and several high-ranking national security and military experts died while besieging Bi Youlong.
This formidable individual, who came from Nadou Tong's frontline field unit and rose to a high position on Nadou Tong's Board of Directors through military achievements and Qu Tong's machinations, possessed combat power not inferior to the Ten Elders and was extremely experienced in battle. Yet, he was someone the higher-ups had ordered to be eliminated.
He was, after all, an enemy spy who had ascended to a high position within Nadou Tong, knowing too many secrets of the company, and even of the country. He had to be eliminated.
"Old Heavenly Master, I'll leave Old Man Lu to your care. As for this demoness, I'll handle her."
Qingshui glanced at Zhou Sheng and Gu Jiting, then at Lu Jin, who was being beaten and was almost breaking through to the third stage of Reverse Growth, and said to Zhang Zhiwei.
"Then you go deal with her," Old Heavenly Master said, looking at Qu Tong, who was staring at them with murderous intent, and waved his hand.
Anyway, Professor Zhuo was just a clone wearing high-tech Magic Tools here, so there was no fear of anything going wrong.
Even if something did happen, Old Heavenly Master was confident he could protect him.
"This time, I miscalculated. Great Luo Insight is so mysterious and unpredictable, impossible to guard against, yet you could block Mr. Gu. I also underestimated Old Heavenly Master's strength. I didn't expect that even Senior Zhou Sheng would not be Old Heavenly Master's match. If not for that, this time, I should have turned the tide."
Qu Tong, knowing her fate was sealed, looked at Qingshui with unwillingness, clenching her fists.
"A loss is a loss. 'If' is just 'if'. You did so many things, perhaps for a reason, forced to do so. But right and wrong in this world are relative. You shouldn't have let Chai Yan attack me in Biyou Village back then. If not for that, why would you be thinking of turning the tide in this desperate situation now?"
Qingshui walked slowly towards Qu Tong, holding his long sword upside down. The blue-glowing eyes on his Platinum Armor helmet stared coldly at Qu Tong.
This woman was cunning, capable, and resourceful. She had inherited Duanmu Ying's legacy, and her abilities were truly disgusting. Her threat was simply too great.
If Qingshui hadn't been here, according to the original, normal timeline, who knows what catastrophe might have occurred.
In fact, even with Qingshui, only about half of the people who entered this Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley remained.
The sixty or seventy people who died were many prominent figures in the Anomalous Human World. All things considered, it was quite a number.
Qu Tong's eyes flickered. She didn't make a move, but stared at Qingshui for a long time.
"Professor Zhuo, you're right. Should I say I was blind back then, or that my foresight was too good? In the two years since your sudden rise, the development of your strength and influence has far exceeded my expectations.
I've calculated so much, and while I underestimated the Old Heavenly Master and your strength, before I met you, I really hadn't miscalculated much. Even if there were some deviations, things were developing in the direction I wanted. But ever since I stumbled because of you, I've repeatedly suffered setbacks.
Recklessly provoking an unparalleled genius like yourself, someone who appears once in a millennium, was indeed a foolish move on my part, made in carelessness, leading to a complete defeat. But I want to know, from the perspective of a wise person like you, if I hadn't provoked you, would I have had a chance to succeed?"
I haven't read the script for what happens next, how would I know if you could succeed?
Why don't you find a fearless sorcerer and have them go into the inner scene to calculate it?!
Half of my research achievements are ripped off from Tony Stark and Lex Luthor, and the rest are copied from Batman, Mr. Freeze, and Dr. Banner. How would I have that kind of ability?
Forget it, I'll just make something up.
Qingshui was silent for a few seconds, seemingly deep in thought, but in reality, he was checking the lines displayed by Bai Ze, the AI built into his armor.
"It's hard to say, but if you were to do what you wanted, chaos would be inevitable. And the entire Anomalous Human World, as well as the country, are unwilling to see chaos. After all, the domestic situation is different from abroad; with the abilities of Anomalous Humans, they can always earn a decent income in this stable society.
This means you would face immense resistance. In the early stages, with Dual Hand, you could control many people, but the further you went, the greater the resistance you'd encounter. Not to mention the Old Heavenly Master and Old Master Lu, how many of those other masters would be as easily controlled by you as Wang Guoping and Bi Youlong?
Among those truly high-ranking individuals in this country, those who dictate the rise and fall of the nation, which one doesn't have masters protecting them? They could ascend to such high positions—whether they did good or bad—but to hold their positions firmly, who among them isn't a person of resolute mind?
Your Dual Hand probably wouldn't easily affect these people, so you'd only be able to target their families. But ultimately, power isn't with the families. You'd just be going in circles; you'd still have to act against those people, and you'd quickly be discovered by professional masters, alerting them.
And with the power of the state apparatus, if they were willing to put in the effort to investigate, even if they couldn't uncover the truth, they could still invite sorcerers to calculate. With your intelligence network, you should know that Zhongnanhai has supreme sorcerers stationed there, along with various precious top-tier Magic Tools assisting them. You would be found out sooner or later.
So by then…"
Qu Tong quietly took over the conversation:
"By then, I would still be unable to escape today's predicament. The army, national security, and Nadou Tong would still besiege me. One failure would lead to a second, and a third. Heavenly Master and the other supreme experts would still make their move… I understand. Thank you, Professor Zhuo, for your guidance. What I'm doing will not succeed.
The truly hopeful path is to integrate oneself closely with the country, like you have, to leverage the power of a great nation, to walk the grand path, and to become a recipient of much aid. Only then can great things be achieved."
Qu Tong suddenly lifted her lowered head and looked at Qingshui.
"Professor Zhuo, am I correct?"
"Your comprehension is good. Be more careful in your next life."
Qingshui nodded at Qu Tong, making it seem as if that was exactly what he meant.
"Then, Professor Zhuo, there's no need for you to dirty your hands. Let me take my own life."
Qu Tong sighed softly, closed her eyes, and was about to raise her hand to strike her own skull.
"That won't do."
Qingshui sliced off Qu Tong's palm with a single sword stroke.
"You calculate too much. I'm afraid you won't die completely and will cause more trouble."
Qu Tong's expression immediately turned cold. Qi energy rose from above her hand, regenerating her severed palm.
"It seems you're not willing to give me any chance at all. Aren't you afraid I'll fight to the death?"
"The fish will die, but the net… look around. Many fish have died, but the net is still strong."
Qingshui pointed around him at the Anomalous Human masters who had completely surrounded the area.
Feng Zhenghao, Na Ruhuo, Tong Hui, Guan Shihua, Huang Ninger, and several other powerful, influential figures were at the forefront.
The Old Heavenly Master even gave Qu Tong a peace sign.
Only Lu Jin, who had finally broken through the third level of Reverse Growth, was shouting and fighting fiercely with Ruan Feng.
"So many fish to accompany me in death, it's not a loss. But Professor Zhuo, do you think I'll meekly surrender?"
As her words fell, Qu Tong lunged towards Zhang Chulan and the others, who were hiding behind Feng Zhenghao.
Her only chance of survival now was to capture a hostage, to use as leverage to escape from here!
And among everyone present, the most precious was Zhang Chulan, the Old Heavenly Master's most cherished protégé!
"How dare you!"
"Presumptuous!"
"Evil sorceress, die!"
In an instant, Spirit Ghost Immortal, Qimen Dunjia Spells, and Empty Palm Force struck Qu Tong one after another.
Zhang Chulan realized the situation was bad and quickly activated Thunder VIP Mode, running towards the Old Heavenly Master.
"Grandmaster, save me!"
And before everyone else, thick bolts of lightning burst from the ground, striking Qu Tong.
Qingshui pressed his left hand to the ground, unleashing Bolts of Balthakk, and extended his right hand forward, throwing an Immortal Binding Net Magic Tool to envelop Qu Tong.
At the same time, the Old Heavenly Master's hair and beard flared, clearly enraged by Qu Tong's attempt to attack Zhang Chulan, and he pointed a finger at Qu Tong.
Seemingly endless Yang Five Thunders surged from the Old Heavenly Master's palm.
Qingshui's Shadow Clone still had to be mindful of the remaining Chakra in that clone and thus held back, but the heavenly lightning unleashed by the Old Heavenly Master with centuries of cultivation was even more violent and surging than Qingshui's Bolts of Balthakk.
"Ahhhhhh—!!!"
A scream tore from Qu Tong's throat. In the dazzling lightning, the clothes on her graceful body quickly turned to charcoal, and her body continuously disintegrated and reformed under the lightning.
She didn't want to die, so she kept using Dual Hand to restore her physical body, but in this situation, she was suffering worse than death, as if undergoing a slow, agonizing execution.
The Heavenly Master's Lightning Technique wasn't just any Lightning Technique; it truly had the power to damage the soul.
Even if Qu Tong's soul tried to escape, it couldn't evade the Yang Five Thunders unleashed by the Old Heavenly Master.
Meanwhile, Gu Jiting, sitting next to Zhou Sheng, watched the scene and let out a long sigh.
Another freak who could beat him.
"Don't worry about it. These two aren't normal. They're anomalies that only appear once every few hundred or even thousand years. Look at the one next to them; that's what's normal."
Zhou Sheng pointed a finger at Lu Jin, who, after breaking through to the third stage of Reverse Growth, had gone from getting beaten to fighting Ruan Feng to a standstill.
Old Master Lu was no longer the pitiful, absolute bottom-tier. He could now fight evenly with centenarian monsters like them, who had created the Eight Unique Skills. He was on the same level as them.
"Tsk, it still feels off," Gu Jiting grumbled, shaking his head.
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