Provocation at Their Doorstep (Continued)
"What's the next step? Find the entrance to the enemy base, sneak in, and rescue the hostages?"
Si Ming shook his head and said, "This method is too inefficient. First, Yuntian Mountain is a very large area, and finding the exact location of the base is a huge waste of time. Second, doing this exposes our weaknesses to the enemy, who will immediately think of using the hostages to threaten us. Based on my years of experience fighting kidnappers, the more you want to save people, the more you should act as if you don't care about the hostages. On the contrary, if the enemy sees through your intentions, the hostages' situation will only become more dangerous."
Chen Shimi chimed in, "Brother Si is right. It's just like war. On the battlefield, the more afraid of death you are and the more timid you are, the faster you die. The more fearless you are and the more you charge forward, the more likely you are to survive."
Si Huaruo said thoughtfully, "So, we should just swagger in, wielding kitchen knives and cutting power lines, leaving a trail of sparks and lightning in our wake?"
Chen Shimi said, "That's right, as long as we kill all the enemies, the hostages will be safe."
Si Ming rolled his eyes and said, "Nonsense. Real enemies aren't that slow-witted. Once they make a fuss, they'll react immediately. What they'll do then—whether they surround us, escape, or take hostages—is hard to predict precisely. Therefore, we must lead them into our rhythm."
Although it's often joked that the best assassination is to kill all the enemies, so that no one will know I was ever infiltrating, there are often many variables in reality. Besides, stealthy assassination is different from rescuing hostages. The former can be done roughly and recklessly, while the latter requires restraint.
Sensing the implication in Si Ming's words, Chen Shimi hurriedly asked, "Brother Si, do you have a brilliant plan?"
Si Ming stroked his non-existent beard, striking a strategist pose, and said, "We can use a feint attack. General Chen and I will create a great show of force to lure the enemy out, while Si Huaruo and Liu Qingqing will infiltrate the enemy's stronghold and investigate thoroughly. If we find any hostages, we will rescue them. If all the hostages have been rescued, or if there is no hope for them, we will send a signal, and I can then proceed with my plan to completely wipe out this place."
Liu Qingqing was a little confused. "What do you mean?"
Si Huaruo, as expected of someone who studied drama, had strong reading comprehension skills. She explained, "They set fires openly, while we stole in secret, just like pickpockets' usual tricks. One is open, the other is covert; the open one creates noise to attract attention, while the covert one takes advantage of the other to steal the bag."
"The meaning is similar, but we're rescuing people, not stealing. Even if we're stealing, it's righteous theft!" Si Ming was an action-oriented person, not a strategist. Too lazy to discuss the details further, he made the decision on the spot, "Alright, the tactics are settled. How to implement them depends on everyone's on-the-spot adaptability. Don't be bound by the established strategy; sticking to the old ways is wrong."
Liu Qingqing asked Si Huaruo, "What does this mean?"
"In other words, if an unexpected event occurs and the situation worsens, it's because we executed the plan incorrectly, failed to adapt to changing circumstances, and didn't take the right measures; the plan itself was sound."
Si Ming hurriedly said, "Over-interpreting is wrong. We should learn to deepen our understanding through practical actions. Okay, everyone, let's split up and get to work!" After saying that, he pulled Chen Shimi away in a hurry.
The two reached a hilltop, Chen Shimi asked, "They say we're going to make a big splash, but how exactly do we do that? How about we each take a hilltop and sing folk songs to each other?"
Si Ming's cheek twitched slightly. "Singing folk songs back and forth? How could you, with your delusions of grandeur, come up with something so undignified? Where does this leave the face of the Laozi Heavenly Martial Alliance Leader?"
"I already said, to protect the hostages' safety, we must first show them that we don't care about their safety, so let's blow up a layer of the ground first."
Having said that, he leaped into the air and used the techniques from the "Nine Shao Pitch-Setting Art" to spread his sound throughout the entire Yuntian Mountain.
"Listen up, Outer Dao of the Blood Abyss Sect! Fortune Hexi every thirty years. You dared to humiliate me with your annulment of the engagement back then, but Japan divine skills fully mastered, I will make you pay the price for your past arrogance!"
He stretched out his hands, each palm gathering a ball of light, and then threw them into the valley below. The next moment, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a small mushroom cloud rose slowly in the earth-shattering explosion. The nearby mountains trembled incessantly, and hundreds of tons of sand and dust flew into the sky, then fell back down, forming smog.
Without pausing, Si Ming threw the ball of light he had condensed in his other hand in different directions, triggering another earth-shaking explosion. While waiting for the explosion, he gathered energy in his free hand to condense another ball of light, then moved slightly forward and flew towards another mountain peak, dropping the ball of light in his hand.
Explosions rose and fell, one after another, booming incessantly, causing the earth to tremble. Just as Si Ming had said, he wanted to blow a layer off Yuntian Mountain. He used the Vacuum Zero-Energy Furnace to continuously absorb energy, replenish what he consumed, and dropped nuclear energy orbs to maintain the bombardment.
At this moment, Si Ming alone was equivalent to a bomber pilot. Although he could not use the Blazing Yang Battle Art to absorb solar energy due to the sunset, causing his True Qi to be consumed faster than it could be replenished, it would not be exhausted for a while.
Feeling the incessant tremors of the earth, Chen Shimi murmured, "They said they were afraid of affecting the hostages and didn't want to destroy the enemy along with the base. Does this mean they really intend to show mercy?"
Si Ming truly showed mercy; otherwise, he would have used the Earth-Piercing Annihilation Tyrant Wave to drive the light sphere underground before it exploded, instead of just exploding on the surface as he did now. Generally, if the enemy's base is hidden deep enough, there shouldn't be any danger.
Such blatant provocation is something that cannot be tolerated unless the enemy is entirely a coward.
"Stop!"
Without hesitation, two streaks of blood-red light flew out from a cave and rushed towards Si Ming in mid-air. Although they shouted for him to stop, their attack did not stop at all. In fact, when they were close to 100 meters away, they accelerated and attacked his vitals from two directions.
However, Si Ming was not about to fall for such tricks. He raised his hand and unleashed a Blazing Sun Heavenly Saber, slashing at one of the streaks of blood.
The two collided, Blazing Sun Heavenly Saber was shattered. Just as the bloody light was about to continue shooting towards Si Ming, it suddenly let out a scream. The bloody light shattered, revealing the figure of an old man. His skin seemed to be corroded by strong acid, making a "sizzling" sound. His whole body trembled and he let out painful howls.
"Vice Sect Master!"
Upon seeing this, the other streak of blood-red light was startled and dared not continue attacking Si Ming. Instead, a middle-aged man with white hair appeared and turned to catch the old man.
"Hmm, this is the Vice Sect Master. He can't even withstand a casual attack from me. He's too weak! Could he be a good-for-nothing who caused the original Vice Sect Master to rise to power, or is he just taking advantage of his age and waiting for the right opportunity to take the position? I didn't expect the Blood Abyss Sect to be so respectful of the elderly and kind to the young?"
The True Yang Vermilion Blaze Saber is True Qi, without involving physical strength. Its power depends entirely on cultivation level. Si Ming's cultivation level is at most the twelfth level of the Heavenly Internal Cultivation, and he had previously consumed a large amount of True Qi. This move would be easily countered by any ordinary first-rate expert in the martial world, even if it wasn't Spirit Transformation Grandmaster. Unexpectedly, his opponent was defeated, which ruined Si Ming's plan to feign weakness and then unleash divine power to counterattack when his opponent got close.
The white-haired man had intended to use his internal energy to heal the vice sect leader, but upon contact, he himself was also corroded. He quickly withdrew his hand, then took out a gourd, opened it, and made a Method Formula. A stream of blood gushed out and covered the old man's body, neutralizing the foreign internal True Qi. After working for quite a while, he finally stopped the corrosion on the old man's body.
He turned to look at Si Ming, and said with some fear, "What kind of Internal Cultivation do you practice that is so vicious?"
Si Ming chuckled, "Your Blood Abyss Sect is infamous, utterly wicked, and heartless. What right do you have to accuse others of being malicious? Besides, my Internal Cultivation is upright and righteous, cleansing evil and purifying impurities—it's the nemesis of you Outer Dao!"
The white-haired man said in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you? Our Blood Abyss Sect has never been engaged to anyone, so how can there be talk of annulment? You must have mistaken me for someone else."
The old man, catching his breath, said, "If any disciple of our sect has offended you in the past, just point out the person, and we will hand them over to you for your disposal."
Despite being a ruthless cult that kills without blinking an eye, they are surprisingly easy to talk to, polite, and submissive. Of course, Si Ming knows the reason very well. He probably could point out anyone at random and the other party would hand them over without hesitation, just to get rid of him.
No, this guy is a vice sect leader, with his stronghold behind him and countless helpers. There's no reason he should be afraid of me, this unwelcome guest, before the fight has even officially started. Even if he was startled by my Blazing Sun Heavenly Saber, the outcome will only be known after the actual battle. To surrender so easily—aren't you afraid of the Blood Abyss Sect's reputation? Aren't you worried about losing your position as vice sect leader when you get back?
A thought flashed through Si Ming's mind, and he suddenly realized a possibility: perhaps the other party had something very urgent to attend to, which was why he was in such a hurry to get rid of him, and was even willing to back down and lose face for it.
Since this is what the enemy wants, then we must not give them what they want. Besides, we came here to cause trouble in the first place, so there is no reason for us to give up easily. So we put on a villainous face.
"Shut up, you two good-for-nothings! You have no right to talk to me. Call your boss out here!"
With a furious roar, Si Ming swung his hands and unleashed the Thousand Blades Scorching the Plains, sending hundreds of fiery blades slashing through the air.
Knowing the Anomalies nature of their opponent's True Qi, neither the white-haired man nor the old man dared to touch the Flame Blade, hastily transforming into streaks of blood to dodge.
"You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! You deserve to die!"
The old man's brows furrowed with rage. He waved his hand, summoning a red banner that swayed and summoned numerous blood-red vultures, which, filled with intense resentment, pounced on Si Ming.
"Is this what they call a magic Law Treasure?"