A Single Thought

Spiritual sense was different from spiritual consciousness;

Spiritual consciousness was like invisible tentacles extended from the primordial soul, probing heaven and earth;

Spiritual sense was more like intuition—vague and difficult to describe directly. A cultivator's spiritual sense was generally tied to their own comprehension, as though it were 'a warning from the Dao.'

Therefore, when his spiritual sense faintly stirred, Wang Jixuan would not ignore it, nor could he.

He watched the countdown before him, considering where his plan might have gone wrong.

The plan was not actually complicated.

First, knock Xing Tian unconscious, leaving the other side without their scheming old bastard to make decisions;

Then, nuke Zone One and directly put them under life-or-death pressure. The energy produced by the nuclear blast could effectively damage the entire Secret Base. The S-Class and A-Class Psionicists in the other zones might survive, but they would most likely panic;

Even if they did not panic, it did not matter. Wang Jixuan had already decided to use the Remnant Soul of Blade Beast as material, refine demonic energy, infect the Psionicists, and force them outside.

Once they rushed out, his side could lie in wait for them. And if they fled, they would definitely bring Fifth Spiritual Practitioner's Stone Slab Wall with them, and most likely Xing Tian and that S-Class Material as well...

There should not have been any problem with this plan.

Then why was his spiritual sense stirring?

Once the nuclear bomb exploded, the Snow Mountain Base would also be hit, causing large numbers of Ordinary Soldiers to die or be injured. Would the resulting karmic burden be counted against him, the one who planted the bomb?

But...

Did karma really exist?

Wang Jixuan had actually been pondering this question for some time.

In This Realm, he had seen many things absent from the Cultivation World: evil people ran rampant while the Heavenly Dao did nothing; beast demons brought Chaotic Times, yet heavenly soldiers never appeared.

What heavenly soldiers were there?

And where was this supposed justice?

Hmph, why am I having such extreme thoughts?

Wang Jixuan sighed inwardly, suppressed those chaotic thoughts, and continued running through the passageway, watching the countdown ahead.

Seven minutes remained.

Wang Jixuan returned to his starting point, swiftly formed hand seals with both hands, and used Earth Escape to precisely return to Peony's side.

Peony clearly Breathed a Sigh of Relief and gave Wang Jixuan a thumbs-up.

"Sir, you really are a little genius at sneak attacks."

"Could you leave out the 'little'?"

That Black Butterfly flew through the layers of earth, once again trying to land on Wang Jixuan's shoulder.

Daoist Wang gently reminded her, "You're actually pretty heavy too."

Poof.

The butterfly turned into that young woman and calmly stood before Wang Jixuan.

She frowned at him. "And then? You did all this just to set off one big bomb? Shouldn't we be charging in and fighting them head-on?"

"Why fight head-on when we have nuclear weapons?"

Wang Jixuan asked with a smile, then said:

"Let's move a little farther away."

Peony reminded him, "Sir, every squad has reached its target position."

"Mm, good. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll wait for the countdown." Wang Jixuan raised his Left Hand, and a panel popped out from his arm, displaying dozens of flashing Light Spots.

Those were the remote-controlled bombs he had planted.

Three minutes remained.

Wang Jixuan led Peony back to the edge of Rainbow Town, ensuring that he could observe the activity inside with Spiritual Sense without having to cast any additional spells.

With the nuclear bomb exploding within the mountain, it was basically impossible for it to destroy too much of the mountain itself. The energy could not spread widely either, and their armor all had electromagnetic pulse shields.

Number Five, the Spiritual Practitioner who had been watching the show, remained nearby, occasionally Staring At Wang Jixuan.

Wang Jixuan's Spiritual Sense had been watching those people the entire time.

In his view, the most interesting thing at this moment was none other than the myriad faces of life before the nuclear blast.

The ordinary Research Personnel, low-level Psionicists, and Ordinary Soldiers handling logistics, unaware of what had happened earlier, continued with their respective daily routines;

Not everyone was chasing desire. Many Ordinary People had chosen relatively normal lives.

Meanwhile, the higher-ups who knew what had happened before were all anxious.

Taisheng Steel had ordered the three S-Class Psionicists not to retreat for the time being. He would send reinforcements.

Although the three Psionicists were somewhat disappointed, they still followed orders. They gathered their squads, had Xing Tian's subordinates take Xing Tian into the Spiritual Practitioner's stone chamber, while they protected the Research Personnel.

Should I wait for them to come out before ambushing them? Or wait until their reinforcements arrive and blow them all up together?

Forget it. Delays invite change.

The countdown entered its final two minutes.

Wang Jixuan had no particularly precise plan. He was relying entirely on feeling, and he felt that the timing was about right. So he swiped across the Projection Screen before him.

He selected dozens of remote-controlled bombs at once and clicked to confirm three times in succession.

Three, two.

Boom!

An Explosion Sound came from underground, and the snow mountain trembled slightly.

Although Wang Jixuan's Spiritual Sense could no longer cover the entire Secret Base, Peony had already projected surveillance footage from every location.

Flames flickered throughout Zone One. Though the load-bearing pillars remained unscathed, large numbers of partition walls collapsed with a crash, leaving nearly a hundred dead or wounded.

The entire Secret Base instantly became chaotic.

"They've broken in! Someone has broken in!"

"The rail cars were all blown up! Even the backups were blown up!"

"Lower the blast doors!"

"Fuck! Why lower the blast doors? Move outside! Hurry! I don't want to stay in this damned place for another second!"

The three S-Class Psionicists had already been on edge, and now they truly lost their composure.

The Turtle Shell Base no longer gave them a sense of security. Instead, it gave them the terror of being trapped here and slowly walking toward death.

The three S-Class Psionicists briefly discussed things. At this moment, they did not dare rush outside recklessly...

"Peony?"

"Yes!"

Several Projection Screens appeared before Peony, streams of data rolling across them. As the Five Fingers of her Left Hand Opened, light flickered from her fingertips. The Secret Base, the Snow Mountain Base above it, Rainbow Town, nearby fortresses, and air-raid alarms all blared almost simultaneously!

On their radar panels, a huge wave of missiles—at least a hundred—were shooting toward the Snow Mountain Base from the direction of the D5 Comprehensive War Zone.

After receiving the news, the three S-Class Psionicists immediately began cursing loudly.

One of them clearly could not sit still. Fearing that these missiles might carry expensive bunker-busting warheads, he shouted for his squad to Rush Out, wanting to leave this place immediately.

Though the other two also wanted to move, they looked toward the bombed Zone One and the only passageway, Quietly Waiting on the surveillance feeds, and chose to wait for reinforcements.

They had not even seen the enemy, yet the building was already on the verge of collapse.

Wang Jixuan Quietly Waiting, watching the smoke-filled passageways of the Secret Base at the edge of his Spiritual Sense. The ticking of a mechanical countdown entered his ears.

Ten, nine...

Wu Man, Zheng Shiduo, Black Shell, and the others had all activated their shields to withstand the coming electromagnetic impact.

Six, five...

Wang Jixuan took a Deep Breath. Once this place exploded, a major battle would follow. They had to resolve the enemies here as quickly as possible.

Three, two...

Wang Jixuan withdrew his Spiritual Sense.

The last scene his Spiritual Sense Captured was a sun beginning to bloom.

That S-Class Psionicist had led his squad, a total of seven High-Tier Psionicists, into the passage between Zone Two and Zone One.

They were suddenly shoved forward by the blast wave rushing in from behind. In the next instant, a blazing white light appeared Before One's Eyes.

That light surged Like a Tsunami, incomparably dense and incomparably bright.

This squad could not make a single move. Their terrified faces melted under the heat, and the psionic energy within their bodies activated on its own, allowing them to live for an exceedingly brief moment longer. But completely unprepared and unable to fully make use of the psionic energy within them, they were erased by the rushing energy, leaving no trace of their existence in this world.

Rumble!

The snow mountain shook, and avalanches erupted on all sides.

Parts of the Secret Base below began to collapse.

Electronic equipment exploded all at once. The Gushing Out blast waves had nowhere to go, and the air inside the Secret Base was swiftly sucked out and drained away. Ordinary People and low-level Psionicists had no chance of survival.

They would not even have to wait to suffocate. The Ordinary People within the Secret Base had already died from the shock vibrations transmitted by the explosion.

The lights in the Snow Mountain Base above were extinguished one patch after another, while every electronic instrument fell silent.

High above, inside the stealth Transport Plane circling overhead.

Figures rose one after another, lowering their heads to watch the nuclear blast zone within the mountain displayed on the map.

A hint of madness appeared on Meng Jin's face, while the others looked uneasy.

They hated these technologically based weapons with immense power that they could not control.

"Nuclear bomb?"

"Judging by the power, it was a tactical warhead detonated inside a mountain cavity... Fuck! The signals from one of our squads vanished at the same time!"

"It's fine. That squad belongs directly to the Six Elders."

"Are you an idiot? They're still our people, aren't they? We're the Judgment Group!"

Meng Jin Raised Hand to signal everyone to be quiet. He stared at the map for a while, and before the nuclear shockwave had even slowed, fresh scan data arrived.

"Commander, the avalanche has not affected the Snow Mountain Base."

"Zone One in the Secret Base below has collapsed. The one-way passages Before and After Zone One have been blocked. S-Class Mitsui Zheng and his squad accidentally entered the nuclear blast's core zone, and their signals vanished immediately."

"Only a little over sixty biological signals remain inside. Our two squads are still alive. They should be able to blast open the mountain... The Awakened Sikou Wei and Luo Zhenzhen's squad have decided to abandon the research team. They are preparing to break out and enter that one-way rail line."

Meng Jin said slowly, "Sikou Wei is very strong. Opening the passage will not be a problem... What is Black Storm's target?"

"Fifth Spiritual Practitioner's Stone Slab Wall?"

"And Xing Tian," Meng Jin said calmly. "Iron Beak, use your ability to transmit a message to Sikou Wei. Tell him to bring Xing Tian with him. As long as he brings Xing Tian, Black Storm will appear. According to our profile analysis of his personality, Black Storm has a tendency to seek revenge."

"Got it, boss."

A Strong Man wearing a metal mask gently let out a breath, a layer of constantly rippling psionic energy spreading around him.

"The message has been sent. I also told them we're nearby, so the two of them should not panic. They should pretend to be desperate as they open a path outside. This is a good opportunity to win their loyalty."

"Mm. Well done."

Meng Jin said:

"We'll descend slowly. The moment we discover Black Storm, we strike. Every objective is based on capturing Black Storm. Understood?"

"Yes!"

Meng Jin stared intensely at the map before him, a somewhat sickly smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"Using a nuclear bomb to force them out, then using the one-way passage to snipe them directly... Turning the enemy's terrain advantage into a disadvantage... This guy's mind is pretty quick.

"Unfortunately, we're here."

Everyone smiled faintly.

At the Same Time.

"All units!"

Wang Jixuan shouted:

"Move into the designated positions and snipe every enemy! Peony, you're with me!"

Peony blinked.

Had the plan included them charging forward?

Wang Jixuan sprinted out in a single stride, Flying Low to the Ground underground. Even that Black Butterfly could barely keep up with his speed.

Peony moved at high frequency, brilliant flames Ejected from her back.

Wang Jixuan continuously closed the distance between himself and the Secret Base. The pills stored in his stomach were released from their restrictions one after another, and his Spiritual Sense spread out once more.

Zone One had been completely destroyed. Massive amounts of radioactive material had turned it into a huge molten cavern.

Zones Two and Four had been hit.

Hm? One Judgement Squad was missing a member? One S-Class Psionicist had disappeared too?

Large numbers of Ordinary People had died...

Wang Jixuan sighed inwardly but did not think too much about it.

This was still far less karmically burdensome than directly bombing the Snow Mountain Base.

He shifted his gaze to Zones Three and Four and found that only dozens of High-Tier Psionicists remained there. Quite a few B-Class and A-Class Psionicists were injured as well.

Because Wang Jixuan had suddenly attacked, half of them had not even had time to equip their armor.

And now, the members of those two Judgement Squads had begun moving. Shouting, "Break out!" "There's only a Way to Live outside!" and "Our captain can get everyone out!" they carried Xing Tian and the Stone Slab Wall, hurriedly preparing to charge outside.

Wang Jixuan was Stunned for a Moment at the sight.

Ah, so he did not even need to use demonic energy?

Something was wrong. The way these people thought was a little strange.

A nuclear blast had occurred in Zone One, which connected to the exit. That nuclear blast zone still had intense radiation, and every area had completely collapsed. Yet instead of thinking of continuing to hide, they were about to charge outside immediately?

Wang Jixuan Raised Hand to signal Peony to stop. He crouched down to think calmly, using his Spiritual Sense to investigate every area.

At the other end of the passageway, Black Shell had already led the Peak Maid Group, along with Wu Man and the others, preparing to carry out a sniper ambush.

The Snow Mountain Base had begun dispatching armed troops, but several Half-Human Mechs had been waiting for a long time and directly bombarded the armed troops' vehicles with Micro-Missiles.

The D2 Comprehensive War Zone had also become lively because of this nuclear blast, but troop movements from every side were slow.

It was obvious: they would help whoever won.

Wang Jixuan's Spiritual Sense could cover all the Blade Beast Crystal Cores stored within the Secret Base. However, This Group of Psionicists had already carried Number Five's Stone Slab Wall and were moving Xing Tian outside...

The demonic energy could indeed be spared.

"Peony, head to the front. Black Shell Instructor overloading himself might not be enough to handle that Awakened S-Class Psionicist. Go help them. Tell them not to hold back their firepower—just wipe out these bastards. The narrow terrain can be blown apart directly, and Fifth Spiritual Practitioner's Stone Slab Wall will not fear those attacks."

"What about you, sir?"

Wang Jixuan fell silent. He was hesitating too.

His primary goal was to kill Xing Tian. Staying behind to make "sinister sneak attacks" would make that goal easier to achieve...

The puppet controlled by the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner watched Wang Jixuan with calm interest from the side.

She had already decided that Wang Jixuan had won this game.

In both his methods and his strategy, This Guy utterly crushed Xing Tian, who had once tried to scheme against her. He was perfectly suited to become her new Spokesperson.

As for those three old geezers in Psionic Capital, along with the other two old geezers wandering outside—what they thought... what the hell did it have to do with her?

She only liked controlling the strong.

Let alone the fact that This Guy had far too many secrets. That made Weier'aimina Tuk extremely excited.

The Fifth Spiritual Practitioner knew what Wang Jixuan was hesitating over and asked leisurely, "And you, Young man?"

Wang Jixuan laughed helplessly. "Forget it. You're enough for the sniping work. I've only just returned... My psionic power is only equivalent to that of a B+ or A- Psionicist, and my flying sword isn't finished yet. There's not much point in participating in battle head-on. I'm going to save someone."

"Save someone?" Peony was somewhat confused, then suddenly remembered something.

This Group of Psionicists had ignored Dragonfly Aunt!

At that moment, Wang Jixuan could clearly perceive with his spiritual sense that Dragonfly Aunt was lying on a bed in the stone chamber of Area Four. Already injured, she had fallen unconscious. The earlier explosion had destroyed the oxygen system there and pushed aside the original air. Her face had turned dark purple, and she was beginning to suffocate.

Psionicists did not have an Inner Heavenly Cycle. If their brains were deprived of oxygen for even slightly too long, they would be unable to endure it and would die.

Wang Jixuan formed seals with both hands again and said in a low voice, "Peony, Xing Tian is yours!"

"Okay! Rest assured, Commander! Peony runs on nuclear power, you know. This is electricity with a berserk attribute!"

At that moment, the two S-Class Psionicists had already blasted through the collapsed section, leading Dozens of Psionicists across the radiation zone and toward the one-way passage.

At least twenty B-Class Psionicists were severely injured directly by the radiation. Only half could use psionic power to protect themselves and make it intact into the passage, while the two S-Class Psionicists continued to Pave the Way.

Black Shell led its main force charging through the passage while setting up a firepower defense. Their fire-control radar had already Locked Onto This Group of Psionicists.

This was a clash between technology and psionic power. When enemies met on a narrow path, firepower reigned supreme.

Wang Jixuan took a sharp breath.

Earth Escape!

This time, he headed straight for Area Four. The spiritual power in his body was rapidly drained away, but that area was already safe, and he could recover his spiritual power there afterward.

Wang Jixuan passed perfectly by This Group of Psionicists, while the Pitch Black Butterfly followed him like a shadow.

Just then!

The Energy Reaction of the X Armor racing through the passage below was projected onto the three-dimensional map inside the Stealth Transport Plane circling overhead.

"Captain! We've Captured the X Armor signal at D5! The person wearing the armor has a B+ Psionic Reaction, matching Black Storm's psionic growth range! We can confirm that it's Black Storm!"

"Good!"

A smile appeared at the corner of Meng Jin's mouth. "Lock onto him. Descend!"

In the passage below, Zheng Shiduo lowered his head and sneezed.

Old Zheng glanced at the gray-black armor around him... Although he was the weakest here, his X Armor was a genuine show-off armor. It was damn stylish.