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Chapter 434 Ink Cut (Three-in-One)

On the official road between Luocheng and Champa, there is a necessary passage called "Tuobei Pass".

During the Jiaozhi Dynasty, this was a large post station; now it is a town.

The official road runs east-west through the town, and there is an inn at each end of the town.

The house at the west end, about half a mile from the town, was newly built a few years ago and has a large area and new facilities.

A group of guests arrived yesterday afternoon and booked an entire courtyard behind the inn.

These people clearly belonged to someone of high status, so the shopkeeper didn't ask them anything and made up his mind not to say anything if anyone inquired about them.

I only earn my rent.

After Bai Huahun settled here, he never left the house.

He was accompanied by three low-ranking soldiers and a squad of twelve headmen.

The vanguard soldiers were the elite of the elite, each one a member of the lowest rank.

The twelve men were divided into six groups and secretly lay in ambush near the official road outside the town. Xu Yuan would definitely pass through this road whenever he returned to Champa.

They waited all day, but Xu Yuan was nowhere to be seen.

Undeterred, they diligently continued their covert surveillance of passersby the next day.

In the late afternoon of the second day, a group of people came from the official road.

From afar, one could see the distinctive official robes of the Purification Bureau worn by these people.

The two immediately divided the tasks: one stayed behind to keep watch, while the other returned to the inn to report.

Upon hearing the news, the three fifth-rate individuals all showed excitement: "They've finally arrived!"

Bai Huahun remained calm: "No rush, let's see if they stay in town or continue on their way."

Twenty-seven li ahead lies a small county town.

As expected, the Exorcism Division's team passed through the county town and even sped up, apparently intending to spend the night there.

Bai Huahun ordered: "Follow up!"

Everyone acted immediately, throwing a ten-tael silver ingot onto the counter and rushing out of the inn without waiting for their change.

The innkeeper, a man of wide experience, thought to himself: Something's about to go wrong!

……

After traveling more than ten miles out of town, it was getting dark, and the three low-ranking officials and the headmen were starting to get impatient.

Bai Huahun then said in a deep voice, "Let's move!"

In the little over a day, the three fifth-rate individuals had already made ample preparations.

He Jingchuan is a practitioner of Dharma cultivation, but what he cultivates is "thoughts".

This technique has been passed down from the first to the fourth level within the demon-slaying army.

As the name suggests, this method requires one to conjure up everything out of thin air.

When the demon-slaying army attacks cities and strongholds and quells rebellions, there are often several magic cultivators who cultivate "ideas" on the front lines.

With a single thought, an earthen wall could rise straight up to the city wall.

But this method is actually quite "awkward".

It emphasizes the need to "dare to think and act," but also stresses that one should not "act on a whim."

Although this method is based on pure imagination, one still needs to have a clear understanding of the causes and consequences, basic principles, and so on before it can be implemented.

For example, to raise an earthen wall under the city, one must imagine the earth rippling like water, and then the soil converging from both sides towards the center.

As the amount of soil raised is equal to the amount of soil removed on both sides, the deep trenches on both sides will be exposed.

The so-called "daring to think and act" means that if you come up with a good idea, don't think it's exaggerated or "impossible," but try your best to improve the idea.

Instead of acting on a whim, it means there must be a "complete process".

If you cannot visualize the entire process completely, this method cannot be effective.

For example, you might want to extract fifty pounds of gunpowder from the earth.

If you don't know what things in the earth can be used to make gunpowder, you can't think of the complete process, and naturally, this method cannot be implemented.

As soon as He Jingchuan had his "idea", the gravel and soil on the official road quickly bulged up, and the road surface under Xu Yuan and the others' feet shook like a blanket.

The captains screamed in panic and fell off their horses one after another.

And then the road surface rolled up again, burying them underground!
The other two were fifth-rate individuals. One was a martial arts practitioner, standing over 12 feet tall, with muscles all over his body resembling an iron ball.

He let out a low growl, his arms seemingly drawing an invisible bow.

Boom!
The air trembled, and an invisible arrow shot out!

Military Secret: Shoot the Sun!
The other was a craftsman, who waved his hand and scattered a large handful of "iron caltrops".

These barbed wire spikes, once they landed on the road, transformed into a swarm of "iron worms."

With a whooshing and creaking sound, they burrowed into the ground, moving incredibly fast towards the captains whose "ideas" were buried deep within He Jingchuan's territory!
These iron insects are all works of fifth-rate craftsmen; when scattered, they form a swarm, but when put together, they become a divine weapon.

Once they find them, they can easily bite through the skulls of all the captains.

After Bai Huahun gave the order, he immediately activated his "Mountain Firestorm"!
We must unleash our full power and strike with absolute certainty, giving Xu Yuan no chance whatsoever.

On the demon-slaying army side, everyone's morale suddenly increased by 50%!

He can perform at 30% above his usual level.

Suddenly, everyone felt an unwavering confidence in their victory, banishing all distracting thoughts!
……

Asmru was right next to Xu Yuan when the road suddenly rippled. He was a fifth-tier professional, but he wasn't good at head-on combat, and he fell off his horse.

Although he wasn't buried underground like a regular captain, he still looked quite disheveled.

Asmru had a vague feeling that something was wrong; everything happening before his eyes was not the same as the plot he had written!
He hurriedly took out his draft notebook, opened it, and was immediately dumbfounded:

The "story" he wrote, apart from the beginning where Bai Huahun was unwilling to accept defeat and made a desperate attempt to ambush Xu Yuan again, had become very blurry in the later parts of the text, and it gradually faded until it disappeared!
"Indeed, it's similar to Xu's skills!"

"However, his interference with my skills is not as strong."

Xu Yuan's action was suppression, while Bai Huahun's was interference.

In the blink of an eye, the "sun-shooting" arrow was right in front of them.

Xu Yuan unfolded a folding fan.

Snapped--

They disappeared without a trace.

The arrow shot down the sun, whistling past and creating a gust of wind that distorted the air. It flew hundreds of feet away and disappeared without a trace.

But the martial artist had keen senses and immediately detected Xu Yuan's location.

He drew back the "big bow" once more, turned the direction, and aimed at Xu Yuan, who had just appeared a dozen feet away.

Boom!
Another arrow came flying.

But Xu Yuanren left, leaving behind a box in the same spot.

The box opened automatically, and countless fishing hooks and lines flew out from it.

Then it fell to the ground, and each hook caught an iron worm.

They pulled all the iron worms out from under the ground.

The iron worms struggled fiercely, but the "treasure box" acted like an incredibly skilled angler, sometimes letting the fishing line out and sometimes tightening it, controlling the iron worms so they couldn't escape.

The craftsman exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! A fourth-rate piece of work!"

He was only a fifth-rate craftsman, and when facing fourth-rate craftsmen, he was not only powerless to fight back, but was also severely suppressed.

Unfortunately, these iron worms were among his most prized creations, and he absolutely could not afford to discard them.

He focused all his energy on controlling the iron worm, and for a moment he couldn't care about anything else.

After Wu Xiu fired the second arrow, he immediately drew his bow and fired the third arrow with a "bang".

Two arrows in quick succession.

With a wave of his arms, Wu Xiu seemed to throw away the "great bow," and then patted his left shoulder, and a set of heavy armor appeared out of thin air on his body.

He suddenly stretched his hands forward, and with a clang, two millstone-sized blades appeared in his hands!
He charged toward Xu Yuan with a thunderous roar, leaving two-inch-deep footprints in his wake.

"Buzzing—"

The blade wheel spun rapidly, and behind him appeared a gigantic, three-zhang-tall demonic spirit with bloodshot eyes and fangs, a sight that terrified anyone.

This is his second secret martial arts technique: Deceptive Staff Holding!
The great evil spirit spread its arms, seemingly enveloping and protecting, overlapping with the arms of the martial arts practitioner.

Wu Xiu's arms suddenly grew three times thicker.

With a loud boom, two fierce balls of ghost fire ignited on the huge blade wheel in his hand.

In the demon-slaying army, he was tasked with "charging into battle".

The blade wheel in his hand had shredded countless corpses and souls.

Two consecutive "sun-shooting" attacks arrived in front of Xu Yuan, but this time Xu Yuan neither dodged nor avoided them, and instead opened his mouth and released a sword pellet.

The sword pellet can change shape in countless ways under Xu Yuan's control.

Suddenly it transformed into a protective mirror for the heart.

"when!"

The first arrow struck the breastplate precisely.

The invisible arrow exploded—it was as if a firework had been lit in front of Xu Yuan. After the invisible arrow was blasted apart, it scattered all over the sky, emitting colorful streams of light.

The breastplate remained completely still.

The second arrow, "Shooting the Sun," followed immediately.

"when!"

With another loud bang, the second arrow exploded as well.

This time, the protective mirror failed to stay steady and flew behind Xu Yuan.

Just as the protective mirror flew to within seven feet of Xu Yuan's back, another whistling sound of arrows rang out!

"when!"

The protective mirror blocked another invisible arrow!
The first arrow, at some unknown time, changed direction and ambushed Xu Yuan from behind!

Wu Xiu was clearly taken aback.

His trickery has harmed countless people.

But Xu Yuan saw through it easily.

After blocking three arrows, the sword pellet flew back to Xu Yuan, transforming from the protective mirror into a short sword.

"A mere trick, nothing but a laughing stock," Xu Yuan scoffed.

Before the words were even finished, the sword pellet vanished.

The speed was too fast for ordinary eyesight to detect.

However, even martial arts practitioners can only see it, and even then, they can only see it with difficulty.

In the martial arts practitioner's "eyes," the flying sword left a thin, long trail, without any fancy moves, simply heading straight for his face.

Take the fastest speed and the shortest distance!

Wu Xiu roared and crossed the blades in his hands in front of him to block.

The "Ghostly Staff" behind him also showed a furious expression, and with a whoosh, it blocked the martial artist's path.

Wu Xiu refused to believe it. As a fellow fifth-rate martial artist, why would I be afraid to fight you head-on?

Martial arts practitioners should have a natural advantage in this regard.

Over the past two days, Bai Huahun has repeatedly recounted all the information he has gathered about Xu Yuan to his subordinates.

Everyone knows that Xu Yuan is not only a cultivator of life, but also a fifth-rate alchemist and a sixth-rate cultivator of magic.

Backed by highly skilled craftsmen, it possesses several extremely powerful artifacts.

They even knew that Xu Yuan's method was "business law" and that he also possessed some divine cultivation techniques.

Regarding his crafts, we know that he made folding fans, dirty nets, bells with long thorns, etc.

It can be said that all the methods Xu Yuan has ever demonstrated have been collected.

The armor on Wu Xiu's body and the blade wheel in his hand were both fifth-rate craftsmen's work.

The "weight" was so heavy that he could no longer weigh down any other crafts.

But with just these two items, Wu Xiu was confident that he could suppress Xu Yuan in terms of martial prowess.

In terms of strength, who can compare to a martial arts practitioner?

The first to be affected was the martial artist's "Strange Reincarnation," a three-zhang-tall demonic spirit blocking his path. As the sword pellet pierced through, the martial artist was immediately engulfed in a vortex of viscous yin energy.

The great evil spirit's chest turned into a pool of yin energy and mud!
It strongly contaminates the sword pellet.

But before the evil spirit could even revel in its triumph, it spewed a burst of fire from the sword pellet.

boom!
The great demon let out a miserable scream and was completely set ablaze.

What a living person looks like when set on fire is exactly what a monstrous ghost looks like now.

Xu Yuan scoffed, "A reckless and crude brute!"

You used "deceptive tactics" to deal with a cultivator?
The sword pellet continued to shoot towards the martial artist, quickly entangled with the blade wheel.

"Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding..."

The dense, crisp sounds were like a sudden downpour! The sword pellets flashed and flickered in the blade wheel, and blades were cut off one by one, falling off the blade wheel and embedding themselves diagonally into the ground at the martial arts practitioner's feet.

Which is stronger, a fifth-rate craftsman's work or a fifth-rate sword pellet? It's obvious.

If it were a fifth-rate craftsmanship made by a stepmother, Xu Yuan might not have had the confidence.

But Xu Yuan showed no fear of those around him.

"Ah—" Wu Xiu was shocked. If the blade wheel didn't work, then the armor... probably wouldn't work either.

He hurriedly retreated, even faster than when he had rushed forward.

We are willing to follow Bai Huahun, but we don't want to risk our lives for him.

But how could he possibly dodge the speed of the Golden Ball?

laugh--

As Wu Xiu was still retreating, he saw the sword pellet once again draw out a thin line, which had already landed on his chest.

He looked down and saw a small sword stuck in the chest of the heavy armor!
The fifth-rate "Charging Giant Armor" was as fragile as paper in front of the sword pellet.

Eighth-rate martial artists are "clad in iron armor," seventh-rate martial artists have "copper skin and iron bones," and sixth-rate martial artists have "copper walls and iron ramparts"!
Even fifth-rate martial arts practitioners possess superior physical strength.

The martial arts practitioner's skin and flesh clamped down on the sword pellet.

Not a single drop of blood seeped out.

Wu Xiu looked at the two blade wheels in his hands; the blades were all broken, leaving only two iron wheels.

He dropped the iron wheel, roared, and grabbed the small sword at his chest with both hands.

Xu Yuan couldn't help but shake his head: "Foolish!"

A burst of fifth-rate "belly fire" erupted from the sword pellet.

The fire seeped into the wound, scorching the martial artist's skin and flesh.

At the same time, the flying sword began to spin at high speed.

Asmru was hiding behind the "treasure chest".

The lid of the box was lifted up, completely blocking him out.

Asmru held the pen, his mind flowing with inspiration, and quickly wrote on the manuscript paper:

That powerful warrior fought against Lord Xu, but how could he possibly be a match for Lord Xu?

In an instant, the flying sword pierced his chest, and terrifying flames scorched his internal organs...

Wu Xiu suddenly felt that his strength had weakened by three points for some reason. The flying sword in his chest quickly pierced through him and then passed through his back in the blink of an eye.

Flames poured into his chest like molten liquid.

A fifth-rate martial arts practitioner, yet possessing incredibly powerful internal organs.

However, even he couldn't withstand the internal fire in the stomach of a fifth-rate person.

Wu Xiu's eyes glared like copper bells, and he stood there motionless.

Bai Huahun's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

Something is wrong!

I have already used all kinds of fate elements, especially the "Mountain Fiery Mist"!
Why are there no results?

The artisans were tied down, and the martial artists were killed in battle!

Why didn't a situation that was favorable to me occur?
Bai Huahun vaguely sensed that the power of fate was constantly flashing on Xu Yuan's body.

Fate is in conflict with fate.

There is a certain type of destiny that balances one's "heavenly favor" destiny.

It seems to be a destiny related to "heaven".

There is another type that misled people into believing in the "Four Correct Self-Esteems".

However, Bai Huahun was never able to discern the crucial aspect of Xu Yuan's destiny.

"What on earth is it?!"

Bai Huahun reached out and slipped his hand behind the guqin, once again casting the "Victory Slow" spell on himself.

If any unforeseen circumstances arise, this destiny can buy you some buffer time.

The fact that this destiny has been activated indicates that the Painter Soul no longer has confidence.

There are concerns that an "unexpected" event might occur in this battle of life cultivation.

He turned his head to look at He Jingchuan.

On the contrary, He Jingchuan remained calm and composed, his deep eyes fixed on Xu Yuan's back.

On the ground, the captains who had been buried underground by the previous "law" had all crawled out.

The official road was in complete chaos, with piles of debris on the road surface, but He Jingchuan did not continue the spell he had just performed.

These captains were not his targets.

He has a new "idea"!
Xu Yuan raised his hand, and the sword pellet flew back.

At the same time, Pi Dan flew out and enveloped Lang Xiaoba behind him.

In a panic, Lang Xiaoba drew his sword and lunged at Lord Xu in front of him!

In Lang Xiaoba's eyes, the Lord Xu in front of him suddenly turned into a three-faced, four-armed evil spirit covered with pitch-black scales!

Pidan wrapped himself up and took him inside, knife and all.

Immediately afterward, the two captains beside Lang Xiaoba also suddenly looked terrified—they had also seen the same scene, but before they could do anything, Pidan opened his mouth and took the two of them in as well.

Then the giant skin that Pidan had transformed into shook and flung the three of them out again.

Pidan blocked out "thoughts," and the three of them quickly regained their normal "vision."

This is another way of using He Jingchuan's "idea".

What Lang Xiaoba saw was what He Jingchuan "wanted" him to see.

Even at the "fourth level," one can perform this technique with even greater skill, as if forcibly inserting certain "ideas" into the target's mind.

But He Jingchuan couldn't do it yet.

Xu Yuan had been secretly keeping an eye on He Jingchuan.

Xu Yuan sensed something was wrong when he saw that the guy's gaze was fixed on his back.

Xu Yuan sensed Lang Xiaoba's movement immediately.

But the next moment, Xu Yuan felt his thoughts become chaotic.

Some "ideas" seem to be trying to get into my head and disrupt my thoughts.

He Jingchuan couldn't achieve that level of mastery, but he could still disrupt Xu Yuan's thinking with his own.

He Jingchuan finally created such an opportunity, and with great effort, he squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Hurry up and do it..."

Bai Huahun made a decisive move and slapped the guqin in his hand.

The scene behind the guqin suddenly appeared.

call--

There is another "scene" that overlaps with the official road in front of us.

The Jiaozhi princess in the guqin painting has descended with all her vengeful spirits!
The once beautiful princess of Jiaozhi immediately transformed into a monstrous demon with a blue face and fangs upon her appearance.

His underlings are all third-rate or eighth-rate.

The princess of Jiaozhi was already a fifth-rate person!
Without that guqin, Bai Huahun wouldn't have been able to suppress this ghost princess.

After the scenes overlap, the palace garden where the Princess of Jiaozhi lived appears. The originally very elegant garden appears gloomy and eerie, with a cold wind sweeping through, ghosts howling, and a chill seeping into one's bones!
Bai Huahun shouted, "Kill this man, and I'll set you free! I mean what I say!"

The Jiaozhi princess's eyes flashed with ferocity, and she bared her fangs and claws, lunging at Xu Yuan from mid-air.

The craftsman was still outwitting the "treasure chest" when he suddenly let go, allowing the iron worms to be caught and brought back by the "treasure chest".

As soon as the iron worm entered the treasure chest, a series of rattling sounds came from the machine as it was crushed.

The craftsman flicked his sleeves toward Xu Yuan:
A set of "nine-linked rings" flew out from the left sleeve.

With a clang, it enveloped Xu Yuan in circles.

An inkwell flew out from the right sleeve.

The ink line creaked and spun, casting out a line of ink.

The ink line stretched out for several feet, leaving an ink mark on the ground after it fell.

The two captains and several horses were all drawn with ink lines.

Then their bodies were silently split in two along the ink line!

The ink line flew towards Xu Yuan, and the ink line was drawn out again, about to draw an ink mark on Xu Yuan's body as well.

Once the nine-linked rings trap Xu Yuan, he will have nowhere to escape.

And this ink line can be cut as long as a line is drawn!

The craftsman was reluctant to part with his "iron worm," seemingly held back by the treasure chest, but he was also very clear about his ultimate goal today.

Once the opportunity arose, he did not hesitate to abandon the iron worm in order to deliver a fatal blow to Xu Yuan.

The craftsman was still sneering in his heart: This box is a fourth-rate craftsman's work, yet he just left it aside, thinking he could restrain me.

Without a master to control it, the crafted object becomes sluggish, greatly reducing its power.

If it were Bai Huahun, he would definitely have realized something was wrong by now:

Yes, why would Xu Yuan give up such a powerful artifact for no reason?

Because the box contained leather.

It was Pilong who was secretly manipulating this artifact.

Xu Yuan was multitasking.

With a reel in of the boxfish line, all the iron worms were caught.

Then suddenly the front panel flipped open with a snap.

The craftsman glanced at it subconsciously and saw a pipe suddenly protruding from the box.

A bellows was attached to the back.

The bellows was pulled, and a gust of wind shot out from the pipe.

The wind blew right onto that ink line.

The ink line was blown backward by the wind.

Jiang Xiu let out a strange cry and hurriedly dodged, but He Jingchuan, who was beside him, didn't have time to dodge.

The ink line fell on He Jingchuan's body, and his left arm fell off his shoulder!
"what!"

He Jingchuan screamed and hurriedly covered his wound, but blood gushed out uncontrollably.

His interference with Xu Yuan disappeared.

The "Nine Linked Rings" had reached Xu Yuan's head and were falling down in circles.

But a rope suddenly shot up and went through the middle, then tied them together.

The nine-linked rings contracted rapidly, as did the animal sinew rope, binding them tightly together.

The craftsman realized his mistake and immediately regained control of the ink line. However, as soon as he released the ink line, the tube in the treasure box began to blow air.

Unfortunately, the wind was unusual; it blew so hard that the ink lines flew wildly and were completely out of control.

There was one time when it almost floated onto Bai Huahun.

However, the ink line was slowed down by some force in the air, giving Bai Huahun a chance to dodge.

"Victory is slow".

Calamity always comes a step late.

This startled Bai Huahun, who quickly distanced himself from Jiang Xiu by several feet.

Princess Jiaozhi also pounced on Xu Yuan's head, while her seven or eight Yin spirits followed along the ground, surrounding and attacking him.

Xu Yuan sneered and spat out a mouthful of water.

call--

Fire surged forth from his abdomen.

Lord Xu is least afraid of dealing with these vengeful spirits.

The fire within the abdomen naturally restrains these yin substances.

Princess Jiaozhi screamed and leaped into the air, but the vengeful spirits under her command could not escape and were all engulfed by the flames.

In an instant, it turned to ashes.

The princess of Cochinchina soared high into the air, only to crash into a net.

Like a moth drawn into a spider web.

Xu Yuan had already secretly laid out a net of evil, waiting for it high in the sky!
The Princess of Jiaozhi screamed repeatedly, but the more she struggled, the tighter the filthy net entangled her.

The fire in his belly rose high again, rolling towards the Princess of Jiaozhi.

Bai Huahun's eyes were gloomy. How could things have turned out like this?
Xu Yuan was only a fifth-rate fighter, and he was leading three fifth-rate fighters and a fifth-rate powerful ghost, which was equivalent to a four-on-one battle. He never gained the upper hand from beginning to end...

(End of this chapter)