Receive, Deflect, Release

Spirit stones!

Though the metal-cased object inside that pendant was tiny;

Wang Jixuan was certain he could not be mistaken!

The faint spiritual energy fluctuations within it could not be wrong!

That was a spirit stone, or something extremely similar to one!

It was just that the spiritual energy inside had been drained. When it was close to Zheng Shiduo's body, its fluctuations were concealed by the Mottled Qi Zheng Shiduo himself gave off.

Wang Jixuan restrained himself;

He desperately suppressed the urge to ask what the thing was.

His intuition told him this might be a Blade Beast Crystal Core!

Later, he only needed to casually ask Zheng Shiduo, or Ling Tong, who had extensive frontline experience.

As long as he got three of these things whose spiritual energy had not been exhausted, he could set up the simplest Three Talents Spirit Gathering Array, transform the energy within into spiritual qi, and greatly increase his cultivation speed for a short time!

If he could acquire enough of these things, the thin spiritual qi in the air would no longer trouble him!

He was re-cultivating now, so he lacked no insight or comprehension.

However, the higher a cultivator's realm, the more spiritual qi they required. Wang Jixuan had no idea how many spirit stones he would need...

"Mu Liang? Mu Liang?"

Zhou Zhengde waved a large hand before Wang Jixuan's face.

"Mm? What is it?"

"We should go," Zhou Zhengde said. "Ling Tong left us a route. We need to hide on the nearest floor, wait half an hour, then find Elevator No. 7 and head to the forty-fifth floor."

The three elite officers watched the screens on their arms and spoke rapidly.

"This is bad. Psionicists of unknown identity are converging on this fire escape. We may run into them."

"We have no confidence in facing Psionicists head-on."

"If necessary, we can surrender. We can help Captain Ling Tong's group draw their attention away. And with Captain Zhou here, the Psionicists won't dare kill us outright. No matter how crazy Kong Nu is, he won't dare directly provoke the Commander-in-Chief."

"Follow me. I know the way."

Wang Jixuan slung the metal case Zheng Shiduo had been carrying onto his back.

Zhou Zhengde immediately said, "Listen to Mu Liang. He's the guide."

The three officers, who had only just arrived at Fortress 76, nodded together. Their nerves were stretched taut as they each raised their weapons.

Two minutes later.

On the thirty-second floor of the fortress, someone kicked open an abandoned fire door. Several figures rushed in. Two advanced in quick crossing steps, one kneeling with a gun raised, another standing against the wall, watching every direction.

Wang Jixuan carried the large metal case on his back, gripped Zhou Zhengde's arm with his left hand, and held an Assault Rifle in his right as he strode forward like the wind.

His Spiritual Sense was pushed to its limit at this stage.

With himself as the center, nothing within a forty-meter radius could escape his perception.

"There is no danger nearby."

Wang Jixuan gave the reminder, tugged Zhou Zhengde along, and took the lead.

The three officers exchanged glances, each shrugged, and displayed their dissatisfaction with this unprofessional young man through helpless expressions before hurrying after him.

The five entered a Capillary Passage.

Because each fortress floor housed different types of factories and had different industrial, agricultural, and residential zoning, the placement of residential districts varied slightly.

But the overall layout of every floor was much the same: [Capillary Passage—Cross Intersection—Confluence Rotunda—Main Passage—Central Circular Garden].

The elevators were located in the same places on every floor.

Wang Jixuan led them continuously through the maze-like Capillary Passages, avoiding most cameras and the few residents moving about.

It was normal workday hours;

Everywhere was like school dormitories during class: quiet, empty, and generally tidy.

"Mu Liang, I can walk on my own. You don't need to keep pulling me."

Zhou Zhengde, being dragged along, spoke quickly.

Wang Jixuan nodded in agreement. The instant he released Zhou Zhengde, his left hand gave a light shake, and several nut caps flew from the cuff of his pale blue uniform.

He rushed past an intersection, turned around, and shot the nut caps from his palm.

Several thugs skipping work to smoke gave muffled groans and collapsed limply. Bruises appeared on their necks as they fell into brief unconsciousness.

Zhou Zhengde took out a communicator and searched repeatedly. "Should I contact the Security Team captain on the thirty-second floor? Strange. They should have discovered us by now."

"Maybe they are deliberately watching the show," Wang Jixuan said. "We cannot determine Kong Nu's influence over these people as Biological Affairs Minister. To ordinary people, the 13th Institute is an enormous force."

"Fine."

Zhou Zhengde muttered softly.

"Could it be that the threat I posed to Kong Nu made him decide to launch a Psionic Rampage? A last stand?"

The female officer said, "I don't quite understand it either. Kong Nu is directly opposing the War Zone Command and the D5 Commander-in-Chief. What does he have to rely on?"

"What he has to rely on is this," Ling Tong's voice came through the earpiece. "A T511 Stealth Transport left the Arctic region where the Psionic Capital is located three minutes ago. It is expected to arrive at the Ancient Basin in three hours."

Zhou Zhengde raised an eyebrow slightly. "So the Psionic Capital chose to protect Kong Nu?"

Wang Jixuan asked, "The Psionic Capital?"

"Psionicist headquarters."

"Three Psionicists have entered the floor you are on," Ling Tong said. "I am sharing their positions with you in real time. Stay concealed. You may surrender to them at an appropriate moment. Leave everything else to me."

Buzz.

Ling Tong ended the long-distance call, and the device strapped to one officer's arm began flashing.

"They're behind us! One of them is moving incredibly fast! He came through the fire escape!"

"Damn it! Why would Psionicists listen to Kong Nu?"

"People in charge like Kong Nu seem to be able to directly control the life and death of the Psionicists stationed here... Who is giving orders?"

Zhou Zhengde stepped forward.

"I am," Wang Jixuan said calmly, his gaze sweeping across the area. "Set up an ambush nearby. Deal with the target behind us first. Once fighting starts, the others will rapidly converge here. We can use the elevators to move quickly across floors."

The three officers hesitated slightly.

Daoist Wang tossed up a nut cap and suddenly thrust out his palm.

Smack!

The nut cap embedded itself in the metal wall.

The three officers nodded together.

"Understood!"

He is fast. His aura is not particularly strong.

In the dim Capillary Passage, Wang Jixuan crouched behind a bench at the end of the passage, looking as though he were resting with his eyes closed.

Zhou Zhengde sat on the bench with the tombstone-shaped Alloy Box standing before him. It was said to withstand a direct Rocket Launcher strike. Naturally, Zhou Zhengde, directly facing the Capillary Passage, had already drawn the attention of the tracker coming from behind.

The three officers each took up their posts. One guarded their retreat route, while two hid behind cover in the rotunda. Their crossfire point was set at the exit of the Capillary Passage.

The tracker's figure entered Zhou Zhengde's field of vision.

In the passage's dim light, the tracker could be seen to be a nearly two-meter-tall man with a somewhat thin build, holding a pistol in his left hand.

A D-Class Psionicist.

Wang Jixuan made an accurate judgment.

A pair of serpent-like vertical pupils drifted through the shadows, quietly watching Zhou Zhengde.

"Target found. It is Zhou Zhengde. You do not need to come over."

The Psionicist spoke into the Button Intercom on his collar, then slowly pressed forward.

He said calmly:

"Captain Zhou, Minister Kong wants to have another peaceful talk with you.

"He instructed us not to kill you directly. Tell your subordinates on either side not to make futile resistance. I am not one of those garbage Psionicists who only know how to enjoy themselves in the fortress."

"Wow," Zhou Zhengde said with a smile. "He clearly also said he wanted to kill me."

"You showed yourself voluntarily to cover for another group, right?"

The D-Class Psionicist sneered. He was now less than twenty meters from Zhou Zhengde.

He said slowly:

"Your every move has been under our watch. We prepared two plans, one in the Upper City and one in the Lower City.

"No matter how formidable the people you hired are, they cannot withstand an ambush and siege by three C-Class Psionicists and nine D-Class Psionicists.

"That Mechanical Body should not be here in the first place. Clearly, Minister Kong concealed some things from us, but that is not for me to consider... Are we fighting? If so, I may kill everyone except you."

The Psionicist revealed a savage grin, his vertical pupils suddenly twitching.

He lunged forward, his body shooting ahead like an arrow released from its bow. In an instant, a pale blue film covered his body!

Military Short-Term Shield!

The two concealed officers immediately opened fire. The Assault Rifles spat continuous muzzle flashes. The shield around the Psionicist could only last five seconds, but five seconds was enough for him to seize Zhou Zhengde!

Zhou Zhengde clutched his head and curled up behind the Alloy Box.

Wang Jixuan sprang up and drove his left fist forward!

The Adamantine Talisman and Divine Power Talisman on his left arm lit up at once. Two Bone-Piercing Nails were pinched between his fingers!

The Psionicist had not sensed Wang Jixuan's aura at all. Shock appeared on his face. Having already leaped forward, he could not alter his momentum. In that flash of lightning, he activated all his abilities through his abundant Combat Experience.

The Psionicist's already scale-covered right hand instantly swelled by a full circle as it reached for Wang Jixuan's fist.

Brute force rushed straight at him. It was not wise to meet it head-on.

Wang Jixuan's fist suddenly turned "soft." At the moment it touched the opponent's right hand, Wang Jixuan led with his left hand, lightly tapped with his knuckles, and instantly diverted the Psionicist's right arm. His rushing body tilted aside, and bewilderment filled his widened eyes.

In Daoist Wang's Cultivation World, only low-level cultivators occasionally practiced such hand-to-hand techniques.

Now, with spiritual qi limiting him and preventing him from entering the Spirit Gathering Realm, Daoist Wang had recently learned some of these minor techniques in his spare time.

Wang Jixuan opened his left hand and casually tossed the two Bone-Piercing Nails away. His seemingly weak fingers hooked the Psionicist's elbow as his body completed a turn with the momentum.

Qi followed the Two Principles, creation formed Tai Chi.

The charging Psionicist actually accelerated as though he had found leverage in midair. His body flipped over the bench, leaving him head down and feet up as his back hurtled toward the rotunda wall several meters away.

A Qi-Condensed Tai Chi Phantom drifted past Wang Jixuan.

With a light tap of his toes, he pursued the Psionicist's thrown body.

The Psionicist barely raised the pistol in his left hand. Before he could fire, he slammed hard into the rotunda wall with a dull crash.

That was how spell duels worked;

One had to adapt to the terrain and timing, make full use of one's qi, find the opponent's weaknesses, and fully unleash the power of one's artifacts.

Click.

The muzzle of a 5.8-millimeter small-caliber Sniper Rifle pressed against the Psionicist's forehead.

"This complies with some fortress cleanup protocol."

Wang Jixuan reported seriously and pulled the trigger with his right hand.

Bang!

Wang Jixuan calmly picked up the Button Intercom from the corpse's collar. The moment he brought it close, he heard the voices inside.

"He's at Crocodile's location!"

"Something happened to Crocodile! His Pulse Signal is gone! We told him not to go in alone! The E-Class Psionicist beside Zhou Zhengde is dangerous!"

"Quick! Surround them! Do not kill Zhou Zhengde. Kill everyone else!"

An E-Class Psionicist?

Who?

Several black lines appeared across Wang Jixuan's forehead. He turned and rushed back to Zhou Zhengde, hoisted Ling Tong's Alloy Box onto his back, and slightly opened his left hand, drawing the two Bone-Piercing Nails back into his palm.

He tossed the Button Intercom to the female officer running over, then charged into the retreat route with the Sniper Rifle in his arms.

"We need to run faster."

After giving it careful thought, Wang Jixuan turned and threw out several Divine Movement Talismans.