Provocation at Their Doorstep

Recalling the battle just now, Si Ming asked, "Under normal circumstances, the soul is protected by the body. If the body is intact, the soul will not be injured. But in a situation like just now, what if the opponent uses the Ghostly Evil Seal, which ignores the physical body's defenses? What are some good ways to resist it?"

Feng Liancheng pondered, "This... it seems there's no better way than to strengthen the soul. However, Alliance Leader, there's no need to worry. Although the Ghostly Evil Seal ignores the physical body and strikes directly at the soul, the damage it causes is very limited. It's just that the human soul is very delicate, so even a small injury will cause intense pain. In reality, the injury you suffer is no different from a scraped finger. After resting for a while, it will naturally heal."

The so-called "refining essence into qi, refining Spirit Transformation into spirit" means that the body inherently has the function of nourishing the soul. Under normal circumstances, if the soul is injured, it can recover after a few days of rest without any aftereffects. The main function of the Ghostly Evil Seal is to interfere with the opponent's mental state in battle and accumulate advantages for oneself, rather than to determine the outcome of the battle. Of course, being hit head-on by the Ghostly Evil Seal's ultimate move, "Ghostly Evil Wards Off Demons," will still cause serious injury to the soul.

Si Ming sighed, "I thought my defense system was impregnable, but I didn't expect there to be such an obvious loophole. It ignores the physical body and attacks the soul directly. There is such a shameless martial art in the world. Hmm... I'll have to look for martial arts that can Spirit Transformation in the future."

Suddenly, Liu Qingqing spoke up, "Actually, as long as you don't get hit, it's fine."

"..."

"In a normal fight, even if it's not a move that directly targets the soul, but just ordinary martial arts, you should try to avoid being hit, right? Why should you consider the problem from the perspective of being hit?"

"..."

"In reality, the Ghostly Evil Seal must hit the body to take effect, right? So, we can simply block it with a weapon, or use our True Qi to separate it. At the very least, we can use Sword Qi or a fist strike from a distance to force the opponent back and prevent them from getting close."

"Enough, enough, please stop talking."

Si Ming, who prided himself on being a seasoned warrior, felt that his dignity as a martial artist was about to be completely shattered. He was actually outmaneuvered by Liu Qingqing, who had little practical experience, with such a simple point. She completely disgraced the Sick Young Master who claimed to know countless martial arts principles.

Upon closer reflection, martial arts heroes are inherently agile and fragile, with low health and high attack power. In battles of the same level, a single blow can often result in severe injury and vomiting blood. The correct fighting style is to utilize agile movements and the Movement Method of using the opponent's force against them to avoid being hit. For the average person, there is little difference between being hit by a Mighty Vajra Palm and being hit by a Ghostly Evil Seal; the former might even cause more serious injury. Someone like him, relying on physical defense and ignoring the opponent's attacks, engaging in head-on confrontations, is an anomaly in martial arts.

Moreover, this battle was hampered by a lack of intelligence. If they had known about this move earlier and summoned the Angry Buddha statue sooner, how could the opponent have had a chance to touch him?

In terms of effectiveness, the Ghostly Evil Seal is undoubtedly designed to deal with enemies who are tough, slow-moving, and have thick armor. Although Si Ming has thick armor, he is not slow-moving. As long as he changes his tactics, he will not be afraid of the threat of martial arts like the Ghostly Evil Seal.

"... However, tactics are tactics, and strategy is strategy. We should make up for our weaknesses. The Ghostly Evil Seal does work when you're in close contact, but who can guarantee that there won't be Technique Method that work from a distance? Tactics are ultimately just external things; true strength comes from within." Si Ming said firmly, waving his fist.

Liu Qingqing asked, "The truth?"

"Ruthlessness is the romance of a true man; dodging and weaving is the fighting style of a sissy."

When Si Ming said those words, he had completely forgotten about his past self who had desperately practiced soft skills.

Of course, knowing how to use something but not using it is different from not knowing how to use it and having nothing to use it for. Si Ming's hypothetical enemy was never a weakling like the Blood Abyss Sect Protector, but a powerful enemy like the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King. When encountering such an unparalleled expert, it is basically impossible not to be caught off guard. At that time, you can't accuse others of being despicable. It is your own problem if you have weaknesses and don't make up for them. The correct fighting attitude is to relentlessly target the weaknesses of your opponent.

While everyone was talking, Duan Jinsu finished his soul-searching. Instead of kicking the man in red while he was down and shattering his soul, he sent him into the Youming as a reward for the man's confession.

"We've found the address; it's on Yuntian Mountain, about two hundred miles from here. What does the Alliance Leader plan to do?"

"Of course we should go immediately to punish the wicked and uphold justice, to act on behalf of Heaven! How could we let these scum pollute the air? But Daoist, your injuries are serious, so you shouldn't go. I have a task for you and your disciples. Originally, I came here with my friends, but we encountered an accident on the way and got separated from them."

"Could the friend the leader speaks of be a Ming Cult of the Ming Cult behind him?"

"Ming Cult?" Si Ming slapped his forehead, immediately recalling that there seemed to be such a setting back then, although he had just made it up to fool others. "Ah, right, it's Ming Cult disciples, so try to contact the members of the Heavenly Martial Alliance and have them issue a mission to find the friends who came with me."

"Does the alliance leader have their portraits? Having portraits will prevent people from looking for the wrong person and will also prevent imposters from impersonating them."

"Forget about the portrait, he's not a wanted criminal. I can give you his name, though. Just say he's a distinguished guest and you must treat him well and not neglect him. As for anyone impersonating him... if the other party can bear the consequences, there's nothing wrong with letting them impersonate him." Si Ming was quite open-minded about this.

Since that was the case, Duan Jinsu did not try to persuade him any further. He found a map on the corpse of the masked man in black and marked the location of Yuntian Mountain on it.

Si Ming glanced at the map, memorized it, and then arranged for Yuezheng Yao to escort the master and disciple away.

"Why me? I also want to see what this so-called evil sect's lair really looks like."

"I'm responsible for destroying the Blood Abyss Sect's stronghold and can't be in two places at once. The others aren't as strong as you, so only your presence can guarantee our safety. Besides, didn't you say you wanted to gain more combat experience? Now is a good opportunity. The Blood Abyss Sect will definitely send more people to intercept and kill the Daoist Master and his disciples. You'll have plenty of opportunities to fight along the way."

"Why don't we get them to safety together first, and then turn around and wipe out the Blood Abyss Sect?"

"This way, the Blood Abyss Sect will get the news and be prepared. They might even move their base ahead of time. We can't give them time to react."

Si Ming could tell that Yuezheng Yao was severely insecure and seemed to have no experience traveling far from home on her own, which made her appear uneasy.

However, he did not soften his heart and try to keep her, because this would be more effective in training her. Besides, Yuezheng Yao had the cultivation level of Spirit Transformation cultivator, so her martial arts were completely guaranteed. It was others who feared her, not the other way around. In addition, she had the experienced Duan Jinsu to guide her, so her safety was not a problem.

Yuezheng Yao had at least served as the head of a clan. Although the Yuezheng Lineage was small and could not compare with the Water Mirror Si Clan, it was still better than those guys who dared to call themselves managers or presidents when they only had three or five employees. She was not lacking in martial arts or intelligence; what she lacked was confidence and the courage to cheer up.

The greatest gain from this trip to the Barbarian Continent is not for Yuezheng Yao to encounter any extraordinary adventures, but simply for her to be able to recover.

Chapter 547 Provocation at the Door

Yuntian Mountain is characterized by its jagged rocks and pervasive miasma. From a distance, it appears shrouded in a thin gray veil, offering no sense of hazy beauty but rather a feeling of loneliness and desolation.

"Be careful, this mist is poisonous," Si Huaruo warned, who was extremely sensitive to moisture. "It's a very potent corpse poison. Although it's diluted many times by the air, it's lingering in the valley and difficult to dissipate. The accumulated amount is also terrifying. Try to hold your breath using the Turtle Breath Technique."

Liu Qingqing said, "I have learned the Benevolent Healer's Purifying Dew Mantra, and I can help detoxify if necessary. Please tell me if you feel unwell."

With the Blazing Yang Dou Qi Si Ming. In fact, with his robust physique altered by nuclear radiation, he wouldn't need to worry about this minor poison even without the Blazing Yang Dou Qi.

Looking up, the withered grass rustled in the cold wind. All that met my eyes was withered grass. The setting sun dyed the mountains a withered yellow, and I could vaguely smell the stench of rotting corpses. An Anomalies cry of some kind of bird echoed intermittently in the mountains. Listening closely, it sounded like a woman's weeping.

Chen Shimi stood atop a towering boulder, gazing into the distance with a dazed look in his eyes and clenched hands. He said sorrowfully, "Countless lives struggle in agony under the shadow of darkness, the souls of the unjustly killed thrash about... Unforgivable! The murderer must be brought to justice!"

Si Ming squinted. "You dare to show off in front of the Heavenly Martial Alliance leader, a paragon of virtue throughout the ages? You truly don't know your place!" He cleared his throat and recited in a chanting tone. "Throughout the ages, how many wronged souls have lamented? Empty sorrow, the human world is boundless, teeming with grief. Blood-weeping flies laugh at the heavens, a lone sail's shadow is locked in white. The waning moon rises, a sudden, biting wind blows, scattering everything!"

Chen Shimi stood there stunned for a moment, opened his mouth, but ultimately dared not embarrass himself. He cupped his hands and said, "Brother Si Ming, you are truly talented. I humbly admit defeat."

Si Ming nodded in satisfaction and instructed, "When you write my name in the future, remember to leave a space as a sign of respect."

Si Huaruo said solemnly, "A tragedy involving the lives of 100,000 people should not be taken lightly; we should be serious about it."

Si Ming, "It's precisely because I've felt the cruel truth of this place that I'm deliberately using jokes to calm my nerves and avoid doing anything too impulsive. For example, right now I really want to use my ultimate move to unleash a devastating attack and destroy the enemy along with their base. However, if I do that, there might be hostages being held in the enemy's base, which could harm innocent people. So I have to remind myself to try to restrain my urge to kill."

"So that's how it is... I'm sorry, I doubted you two earlier." Si Huaruo looked guilty.

She didn't notice that Chen Shimi next to her had an "Oh, I see" look on his face.