Destroy the Night Hawk

"Mu Liang, don't charge!"

Zhou Zhengde's shout cut off abruptly.

Wang Jixuan, charging forward with a car door on his shoulder, was blasted backward.

The Adamantine Talisman and Blood Stopping Talisman lit up at the same time. Wang Jixuan reacted swiftly enough that the instant he landed, he kicked off the ground hard, twisted, and shot straight into the drainage ditch on the other side of the main road. He pressed himself against the side closest to the sniper, using the terrain to stay alive.

Bang!

A sniper round struck beside Wang Jixuan's foot, missing his right foot by less than half an inch.

Wang Jixuan raised his right hand in a Sword Finger and quickly tapped the wound on his left shoulder.

Even with the Adamantine Talisman's protection and the car door reducing the impact, the bullet had still punched through his left shoulder, blowing away a chunk of flesh behind it.

The Blood Stopping Talisman had truly worked.

A piercing pain struck him.

He gritted his teeth, curling himself as tightly as possible into the foul-smelling mud as he glared at the car door across the ditch, one corner of it punched through.

It looked so thick and heavy. Why was it so fragile?

Wang Jixuan looked toward Zhou Zhengde's hiding place.

Bang!

Another shot rang out, adding another hole to the fuel tank area of the car Zhou Zhengde was leaning against.

It was nearly shot to pieces.

The distant sniper was rapidly changing magazines.

"Mu Liang!"

Zhou Zhengde shouted toward the front at the top of his lungs:

"Don't move! You can't outrun his reaction speed! If they can get their hands on a sniper rifle like that, they can definitely get night-vision goggles and thermal imaging! Just hide there! Wait for the Silver Party to send reinforcements!"

Wang Jixuan did not answer. He squeezed his eyes shut, enduring the intense pain in his body and the tremors in his Dao heart.

This Daoist miscalculated.

Though it was because he did not understand the materials of these things well enough, he had now lost his chance to approach and eliminate the enemy.

After all, this Dao body of his had only just entered the Qi Refining Realm.

The Black Fire Gang had not given him more time to cultivate.

The sniper rifle rang out again, still targeting the fuel tank of the vehicle over there.

The lives of Zhou Zhengde and those Silver Party thugs had entered a countdown.

If they left the cover of the vehicle, they would immediately be sniped. If they stayed near it, the enemy would eventually blow up the fuel tank.

It was a nearly unsolvable death trap.

What else can this Daoist do? Such ingenious contraptions are immensely powerful. If this Daoist had a Core Formation Realm Dao body, perhaps I could withstand them head-on, but they are truly beyond what I can contend with right now.

In the end, I have cultivated for too little time.

Could this Second Life really end here...

For no reason, Wang Jixuan felt a sense of helplessness. The agonizing pain in his body faded into the background, but scenes began to emerge within his Dao heart.

They were the Inner Demons he had not dared recall during these past twenty-odd days, stirred awake by his current helplessness.

His heavenly tribulation;

His failed heavenly tribulation.

"Mu Liang! Don't move!"

Zhou Zhengde's booming shout reached Lan Yuzai's ears in the bathroom of the hotel suite.

Lan Yuzai froze. He did not know where the strength or impulse came from, but he covered his injured face and shakily pushed himself to his feet, walking to the window to look outside.

The sniper shot made him flinch. Within the darkness of the block across the street, he vaguely saw a faint muzzle flash.

What was going on?

The boss had gone to save someone and gotten himself into trouble?

Lan Yuzai's Adam's apple bobbed several times. He turned to run, but stopped after only two steps. Raising a hand to touch the paper talisman on his face, Wang Jixuan's gaze flashed through his mind.

Damn it!

He had finally managed to find himself an awesome big brother!

Suddenly, members of the Silver Party shouted from the street below, "Does anyone over there have flares? Light up that sniper's position!"

An answer echoed from afar:

"Who the hell keeps that kind of thing stocked on their own turf for no reason?!"

Lan Yuzai thought of something. His fish-like eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as his breathing turned ragged and he searched through the dark room.

Flashlights!

They had bought several high-powered flashlights before coming down!

At maximum power, they could only last a few minutes. In long-range mode, they could shine very far and had an instant-flash function. In floodlight mode, they could illuminate a large area ahead.

Trembling, Lan Yuzai dug out two unused flashlights, turned one on and covered its light with his hand. He grabbed the other two flashlights they had used while coming downstairs, then used the nylon cord tied around his belt to bind all four together. In a frantic rush, he adjusted their directions until all four switches faced outward.

Then Lan Yuzai crept to the window, hiding behind the wall as even his breathing began to tremble.

He felt like he had gone completely insane!

At first, he had wanted to trick Mu Liang into going to the forty-ninth floor;

Then, for some inexplicable reason, he had abandoned that idea. He had thought that if he could learn the finger-flicking technique, he could dominate the thirteenth floor, where guns were forbidden;

And now, he was actually going to help this boss deal with the Black Fire Gang!

If the Black Fire Gang found out... as long as he did not show his face, it would be fine, right? He would only shine the light once! What could happen from just one flash?

"I'm fucking insane! Insane!"

He gritted his teeth, cursed fiercely, and leaned his left eye toward the window to observe. He saw that faint muzzle flash again.

Lan Yuzai raised the four activated flashlights in his left hand, aiming directly at the area where the muzzle flash had appeared!

He shouted hoarsely, "There! He's there! I lit him up!"

Bang!

The light was abruptly cut off!

On the street, Zhou Zhengde had just risen, but before he could set up his rifle, he immediately crouched back down.

Inside the room, Lan Yuzai lay on his back on the floor, his left arm severed cleanly at the elbow;

Blood sprayed across the wall.

The bundle of flashlights was still clenched in his left hand, but that hand had landed two meters away.

More than half of his left forearm had been blown away, and one flashlight had been destroyed by the violent impact.

Lan Yuzai let out a miserable howl. Pain and terror mingled together, twisting his body relentlessly as he wailed like a madman.

"Ah! My arm! Boss! Boss, my arm is gone! Ah—save me!"

On the street, Zhou Zhengde squeezed his eyes shut as blood continued to pour from his abdomen.

Outside the drainage ditch, Wang Jixuan lay in a pool of blood, staring blankly at the rock wall only several dozen meters high.

Lan Yuzai's cries carried through the darkness.

Wang Jixuan's eyelids trembled faintly. He suddenly shuddered and forcibly recited the Calm Mind Incantation, trying to drive away the obstruction in his Dao heart.

He had to do something.

He absolutely could not sit around and wait to die!

"Supreme Star, Adaptable Without Pause. Clear Wisdom, Peaceful Mind."

Within a pillar of purple-black lightning, a proud Daoist stood covered in blood, while his broken sword dangled limply at his side...

"Supreme Star, Adaptable Without Pause. Clear Wisdom, Peaceful Mind."

Endless darkness surged toward him. The agony of his body being scattered by the lightning tribulation lingered for a long time, while his remnant soul drifted through the darkness, unaware of where it was headed...

"Supreme Star, Adaptable Without Pause! Clear Wisdom, Peaceful Mind!"

Ji Xuan...

Sect Leader?

Sect Leader Martial Uncle?

Ji Xuan, I do not believe you are ready to face the heavenly tribulation.

Reporting to Sect Leader, this disciple has reached the great completion of Dao Realm. How could I possibly be unable to face the heavenly tribulation?

Because you are not yet yourself... Or rather, you do not yet know who you are. Ji Xuan, you are a perfect Daoist, but not a complete living being. You have spent so long in Secluded Cultivation in the mountains that you have only stepped outside the sect gates twice. You enjoy the praise and amazement of your fellow disciples. You only like doing things within your control. Your cultivation has gone too smoothly. You have never experienced failure, limits, or hardship. Yet the power of a heavenly tribulation is determined by a Daoist's limits. It requires you to surpass your own limits. It is the thing cultivators have the least control over. You think you are ready, but you are not properly prepared.

Sect Leader, I will carefully regulate every strand of spiritual power.

That is merely technique. What I am speaking of is here.

My Dao heart? This disciple believes his Dao heart is sufficiently steadfast.

Have you ever considered what you would do, or what kind of person you would be, if you were a mortal?

This disciple has never considered it. This disciple is wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao and has no other wish! I am willing to face the tribulation with this body! Even if I die, I will have no regrets!

Ji Xuan... You are the smartest and most gifted disciple I have ever seen. It is only that my Dao Realm is now beneath yours, so I cannot presume to lecture you on cultivation. But if you trust me as your Sect Leader, seal your cultivation and experience the mortal world. Only ten years. Ten years will be enough!

One must strike while the iron is hot, or one's resolve will fade. This disciple fears that my heart for the Dao will be damaged, and I will then grow fearful. Sect Leader, I am going to prepare. The sect need not do anything more for me. Thank you for your kind intentions.

Ji Xuan! Ji Xuan! The affairs of the world cannot be controlled; only the self can be steadied! Immortals, immortals—if you wish to become an immortal, first become a person. For cultivation, you have even suppressed your own nature. You are now only a Daoist, only a Daoist! You truly are not ready, Ji Xuan... Sigh, so be it. I hope you can break through your limits, ascend, and become an immortal on the spot.

Wang Jixuan tightly closed his eyes, and the scenes within his heart rapidly scattered.

His lips quivered slightly as a bitter smile appeared on his face.

The Sect Leader had been right.

For cultivation, he had even forgotten who he was. He had not appeared when his parents died. He had failed as a son and never learned how to be a person.

The affairs of the world could not be controlled; only the self could be steadied.

The affairs of the world could not be controlled; only the self could be steadied!

It was as though two flames burst from Wang Jixuan's pupils. He slammed his right hand into the mud and flipped to his feet!

The talismans on his body were almost burning, while a pale red flame appeared between his brows!

Demon Star Annihilation Art!

Wang Jixuan darted forward close to the ground, abruptly accelerating until he moved so quickly that he almost left behind shifting afterimages.

Whoosh—

A bullet nearly streaked past his eyes.

The flames in Wang Jixuan's eyes trembled rapidly as his bones, muscles, and internal organs bore extreme pressure in an instant.

Not fast enough!

Still not fast enough!

Wang Jixuan stepped forward, weaving and dodging as his body moved ever faster. The low building he had once considered cover had already been thrown behind him!

Bang!

Wang Jixuan actually dodged to the left in advance!

He narrowly brushed past another bullet!

Elsewhere, Zhou Zhengde, who had been considering a strategy, suddenly heard someone beside him shout:

"He charged over!"

Zhou Zhengde looked up toward the third floor. A bright light source on the roof there was constantly swaying—it was the light from before!

That just now was!

"Rotten Fish! Light! Can you give me light?! Lan Yuzai!"

"Ah—"

Lan Yuzai had actually crawled back to the window. The faint glow wrapped around the stump of his left arm suddenly shattered!

The Blood Stopping Talisman's spiritual power had run out!

The pain intensified dozens of times over!

"I... am going to become awesome!"

He gritted his teeth and roared, lying there as he raised the bundled high-powered flashlights with his right hand and wildly swept them ahead!

On the main road below!

Zhou Zhengde held his breath, allowing the wound in his abdomen to tear open further. He stood, raised his rifle, steadily aimed at the low rooftop that appeared in flashes, narrowed his eyes, and pressed his lips tightly together!

On a rooftop two hundred and sixty-three meters away.

The sniper, calm to the point of seeming emotionless, instinctively aimed at the third-floor window of the small hotel building and pulled the trigger with perfect accuracy.

Bang!

Clang!

A bloom of blood exploded within Night Hawk's eight-power night-vision scope, and the wildly sweeping light source shattered.

Fine cracks appeared on the bulletproof glass before Night Hawk. He was mildly surprised by the shooting accuracy of the person firing a rifle from the street.

Fortunately, Night Hawk, a retired elite Special Operations Team member, possessed extremely rich battlefield survival experience. Though this had been a last-minute assignment, he had still brought enough defensive equipment.

For instance, the bulletproof glass shield in front of him.

Night Hawk instinctively shifted his muzzle, attempting to lock onto that Psionicist whose speed had suddenly surged.

That should have been a Psionicist...

That person's physical strength far exceeded normal human limits.

Hm? Where was he?

Night Hawk froze. His night-vision scope lost track of the other party. According to his calculations, the target should still have been some distance away...

Whoosh!

A black shadow suddenly flashed past the scope. Night Hawk almost instinctively pulled the trigger, but the shadow had already vanished!

He blankly looked up and saw the figure standing at his side. He saw the black gleam flickering in the other man's eyes, as well as the tiny flame burning on his forehead.

Swish, swish, swish!

With a series of afterimages, eight or nine paper talismans were instantly slapped onto Night Hawk's forehead.

Wang Jixuan brought his five fingers together and clenched his fist hard!

Explode for this Daoist!