Chapter 242: Chapter 40 Do Not Discuss Killing
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Consciousness plunged into an illusory dreamscape, encircled by countless fragments of memories, like flickering lights and fleeting shadows, with illusory sounds echoing endlessly in my ears.
“Aim at the head and chest when you shoot! Yan Yu, what the hell are you shooting at?”
“I’m aiming!”
“Aim at your balls! You hit the target’s abdomen all over, wasting Impact Curse, do you know how much one Impact Curse costs? I said we need a quick kill! One shot to shatter the brain, to break the heart! If you hit the abdomen, you’re giving them time for emergency treatment, understand?”
“Understood!”
...
“Aim properly before you shoot! Damn, if Old Qiu were still here to see your crappy shooting, the coffin lid would pop open!”
“Instructor Min, Instructor Qiu… what happened to him?”
“Dead, that malicious attack in March, he foolishly gave his life to save a mother and daughter passing by the scene.”
“Was it done by an illegal cultivator?”
“Stop asking. Right now, it’s more important that you train your basics well. Once you’re on the battlefield, don’t die easily, it’s more important than anything…”
Important…
What exactly is most important? The things I antagonize, the things I pursue, the things I protect, the things I’ve let go of…
…It’s innumerable.
My consciousness rapidly surfaced from sleep, and Yan Yu slightly opened his eyes, feeling the terrain below swiftly receding beneath him.
Am I practicing Sword Control?
He instinctively reached behind him to adjust the spiritual energy storage device hanging at his waist, only to touch a soft pillow instead.
“Ah!” Xie Ruoxi screamed.
But luckily, Yan Yu’s reaction was quicker. The moment he realized something was wrong, he immediately let go and then understood he was caught up in the sword light with Xie Ruoxi.
“What’s wrong?” he asked blankly.
“You touched my…” Xie Ruoxi hesitated.
“No, I meant what’s the situation right now… Oh.” Yan Yu finally remembered.
Having lived two lives was problematic in this respect: there were some memories he didn’t actually want to keep, but unfortunately, he couldn’t just forget them either. They would occasionally surface unbidden, assailing his consciousness and causing momentary absent-mindedness, even self-forgetfulness.
“Sorry, I was half asleep just now,” Yan Yu belatedly said, “I remember now. Before we set out, you guys said I’d used up too much True Yuan due to the continuous training, so I should rest and meditate to recover, and you would lead the way by performing Sword Flight, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Xie Ruoxi nodded timidly, feeling somewhat irritated but then a little delighted to think that Yan Yu had actually apologized to her.
Yan Zhanlong actually apologized to me! Is apologizing not meant to be… well, common sense?
No no no, Xiaoxi, don’t let the second dimension cloud your mind! Anyhow, I forgave him already, forgiving him is enough, right~ After all, I am a kind and gentle magical girl.
Yan Yu, however, was unaware of the bizarre ideas spinning in her whimsical little head, and silently watched the scenery below.
To fight killing with killing was never a good path, never was it so.
But I no longer have any other path to take.
Yan Yu closed his eyes once again.
“Old Yan, we’ve arrived,” Liu Longtao’s voice transmitted to him.
“Mm,” Yan Yu replied with closed eyes, “Ruoxi, let me down.”
“Oh, okay.” Xie Ruoxi quickly unravelled the sword light, allowing the team captain to descend.
Yan Yu opened his eyes mid-air and communicated to the girls via transmission:
“I forgot to mention the Gilia bears earlier, let me add that.”
“The vital spots are the head and chest. Destroy the brain and heart with the Flying Sword for a fatal blow; there’s no need for anything else.”
Suddenly, within the night sky, the brilliance of Huang Tingjian’s sword light exploded to several times its original size, dazzling and astonishing!
At the central junction of the city area, several untransformed Gilia people leaned against a jeep, smoking and staying up late while casually chatting:
“It’s our Mysterious Realm, so why should we cede it to those Onmyoji?”
“They’re exchanging help in fighting witches, it’s pretty normal.”
“What’s there to fear about witches? I’ve casually killed a couple before.”
“Witches aren’t scary, but what about the cultivators? Have you heard of Yan Zhanlong?”
“Never heard of them. Stop kidding around. ‘Zhanlong’ as in beheading a dragon, have you ever seen a dragon in this world?”
“`
“I’ve never seen the dragon of the East or the dragon of the West,” he sneered, “I’ve only got one big dragon between my legs, which leaves the witches crying for their daddies and mamas, heh heh…”
His voice had yet to fall when his perspective suddenly soared upwards.
What is this…
His final gaze landed, and he saw his headless body topple to the ground, while his companions were still clueless about what had happened…
Was that a cultivator?
Yan Yu, who had dropped amidst the crowd from the sword light, glanced indifferently at him and reversed his hand to conjure another sword technique.
Run…
He desperately wanted to cry out to his companions, but no words could be summoned; his consciousness swiftly plunged into the profound darkness.
Yan Yu led the way into the city center street entrance, similarly catching the eye of those still in sword flight, instantly provoking a wave of attention.
“Holy shit, Yan’s losing it!” Liu Longtao blurted out instinctively, “Going for the kill secure!”
Before his words could drop, Yan Yu had already swiftly retreated, and the surrounding Giliya people were just starting to react, beginning to transform into bear people. Suddenly, the Huang Tingjian’s sword light pierced through a nearby car.
The fuel tank exploded!
The shockwave flipped the bear people on the ground, while Yan Yu closed in on one of them like lightning.
Foot stomp!
The Wood Bending Charm-augmented foot stomp instantly crushed the opponent’s ribs, and the protected heart was smashed to pieces.
The Huang Tingjian simultaneously executed a ferocious spin slice, decapitating another bear person—The heavy sword had a natural advantage against these tank-type Transcendents.
In the blink of an eye, only one of the four Giliya bear people remained… The last one scrambled to his feet, already in robust bear form, fleeing desperately towards the distance, completely bereft of the courage to continue fighting.
Liu Longtao and the others landed from their sword light, just in time to see Yan Yu snap his fingers; the Huang Tingjian ferociously chased down the fleeing soldier, bursting his head open.
“Yan’s killing them so fast,” Liu Longtao complained, “We might as well leave this whole area for you to handle!”
“You guys hold this area down,” Yan Yu wasn’t in the mood to banter with him, “The witches will be here soon.”
The Amur witches could also fly, but their steed was a broom, slower than the cultivators’ sword flight, and since they flew low, they were easy targets for gunshot injuries and casualties. Therefore, it was crucial for Lord Master’s team to initiate the situation, drawing the main force of the enemy army in the city to them, so the witches could descend to join the fight.
“Alright, we’ve got it,” Liu Longtao agreed.
“Be careful, Team Leader Yan,” Ye Jun also cautioned.
A perfectly normal remark, yet Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun started whispering secretly via transmitted voices:
“Hey, why did Ye Jun say ‘be careful’ especially to Yan Yu?”
“Last time Team Leader Yan mentioned Ye Jun on a call with our captain! Maybe there’s something between them…”
“Stop talking nonsense,” Ye Jun’s transmitted voice suddenly interjected, “Both battlefronts are outnumbered here. We have my Xuan Guang Ruler for defense on our side, while they lack such measures—that’s why it was merely a friendly reminder.”
“Ye Jun,” Guo Feiyun hurriedly defended, “I was discussing with him what to have for dinner tonight, didn’t bring up you and Yan Zhanlong at all.”
“Heh, I hope so,” Ye Jun didn’t believe them, but since they refused to admit it, she simply let the matter slide and dropped it.
Yan Yu led his six team members back into sword flight, heading towards the Eastern Lagoon where the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was.
“Everybody turn on your cameras and do the lens calibration,” Yan Yu instructed.
So everyone took out their cameras, carefully placing them on their chests.
This battle was not to be broadcast publicly, but for military intelligence analysis by the Privy Council.
The reason was the strict and ruthless confidentiality rules of the Yin Yang Bureau, which resulted in scarce information on the Onmyoji’s side. The only intelligence they had was from the previous battle by the Dragon Soar Team in Ezo, where they discovered the life-saving technique of using paper dolls as substitutes—a practice that made the Privy Council particularly vigilant and concerned, urgently necessitating further intelligence gathering.
“Does something seem to upset you?” Chen Lingyun asked Yan Yu directly while doing the camera calibration.
“Indeed,” Su Yunjin also expressed concern, “Team Leader, your aura seems a bit low. Do you need to rest a bit?”
“No need, there’s no time,” Yan Yu put away his lingering thoughts, shaking his head to decline, “We need to kill them all quickly… Is the calibration done?”
“Done,” the girls responded in unison.
“Zhenhai Team reporting!” Yan Yu pressed a button on the side of the camera, directing his sight and Divine Sense into the distance, declaring briskly, “My unit is about to reach the Mysterious Realm!”
“Privy Council… received,” the built-in satellite communicator within the camera returned with a distinctly crackling and hoarse voice amidst the static noise—not entirely clear due to unknown signal interference, but adding a measure of solemnity and reverence, “Privy Council… hereby authorizes Zhenhai Team, during this overseas operation…”
“…to prioritize taking down enemy leaders and seizing their banners… Team Leader Yan Yu is granted authority for wartime decisions…”
“…Involving all matters… regardless of nationality, identity, numbers, whether they surrender… not protected by international conventions, if necessary…”
“…Kill without discussion.”