Deep in the mountains of Miao Territory.
A small mountain village seemed forgotten by time, shrouded in thin mist all day long, with peaceful wisps of cooking smoke rising above it. It looked like a pure land on earth.
But that pristine exterior was like an apple rotten at its core-nothing more than a carefully painted facade. The Medicine Immortal Society had entrenched itself here, and all that tranquility served to conceal the nauseating truth within.
Especially the layer of colorful mist around the village. Dreamlike at first glance, its drifting colors sent a chill through anyone who looked closely, making their hair stand on end.
It looked brimming with life, yet was actually steeped in death. That eerie, contradictory dissonance was deeply unsettling.
"Looks like this is the Medicine Immortal Society's base."
Shading his eyes with a hand, Ma Xianhong smacked his lips as he surveyed the small village not far away.
At that moment, on the village outskirts.
Large numbers of Everywhere Access operatives in white protective suits were closing in on the village from every direction.
The specially made talismans they wore emitted a gentle glow, keeping out the vast majority of the Gu Poison.
Yet among that crowd of white protective suits, Ma Xianhong stood out glaringly in his white robes. Since his perception-disrupting artifact was still working, however, no one found it strange.
They merely thought their colleague's tremendous skill clearly gave him tremendous nerve.
Whoosh-
With a sharp whistle through the air, a dark green arrow shot toward Ma Xianhong amid the crowd.
It looked like an arrow, but was actually a Gu Arrow formed from countless tiny green Gu Worms. Even the weeds on the ground seemed to wither slightly wherever it passed.
This was no stray shot. The Medicine Immortal Society member standing guard outside had done it deliberately.
Fuck, out of all those people in protective suits I can see, that one flashy bastard isn't wearing one. Who else could he be but their leader?
What left him utterly dumbfounded, however, was that the full-force attack he had launched in ambush was stopped thirty feet away from Ma Xianhong.
Bang!
Ma Xianhong merely shrugged without budging and tossed out a Little Green Bottle. The instant it struck the Gu Arrow, its aura surged higher and higher before it exploded. Dense life energy roiled outward, transforming into a devastating blast.
Gu Poison was still poison, and no poison was impossible to neutralize. Although he knew how to detoxify poisons and refine pills, and Xiao Yan and Han Li were both experts in that field, Ma Xianhong still felt that dealing with it directly through life force was more convenient.
I'll just refine artifacts packed with life force, throw them out, and blow them up. That's all there is to it.
Not only will I dissolve every last bit of your poison and stuff your Gu Worms until they burst, I'll blast you into ashes too.
That commotion seemed to announce the outbreak of battle on the village's western side. With a broad wave from Ma Xianhong, who had somehow become this team's leader, the temporary workers charged forward, each displaying their own abilities. Every last Medicine Immortal Society lookout was taken down without the slightest suspense.
Unlike the other three teams, who slipped into the village quietly, taking out every scout without firing a shot before brazenly launching their attacks inside,
Ma Xianhong's entirely undisguised retaliation after being attacked made concealing the commotion impossible. Battle was on the verge of erupting, and Ma Xianhong's response was that this was simply how stealth worked.
Wasn't the point of stealth to eliminate everyone on the other side?
As long as everyone on the other side was eliminated, it was a perfect stealth operation.
As for whether his recklessness might increase casualties among the others...
Ma Xianhong scoffed at that.
What a joke! Who the hell are you looking down on?!
His qi could cover every Everywhere Access employee. Using Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements, he had upgraded all their protective suits and even added a last-gasp feedback effect that activated just before they broke. Fuck, he had already countered the enemy this hard. If they could still get hurt...
Go home, kid. Go home. You're not cut out for this. If you can't even play a free win, you might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes.
Against those evil heretics, of course he had to cut loose as much as possible! When else would he get such ideal conditions to let loose? Aside from fighting cults, only fighting Quanzhen offered this sort of opportunity.
As Ma Xianhong's offensive erupted, several other corners of the mountain village began booming as well.
"You dare invade the territory of the Gu God's people! You deserve ten thousand deaths! Let me offer your head to the great Gu God!"
A middle-aged woman surrounded by green Gu Poison leaped out of the village with a savage expression and lunged at Ma Xianhong.
Judging by the huge hole corroded into the ground, her poison was certainly no trifling thing. Unfortunately...
"Armor, assemble! Thunder Yatales!" Flicking aside his white robes, Ma Xianhong grinned brilliantly as golden light enveloped him. In the blink of an eye, a dazzling suit of golden exoskeletal armor encased his entire body.
He merely raised a hand and casually closed it. Vast qi transformed into golden thunder, forming an enormous palm that seized the cultist. Lightning flashed, and almost instantly, every Gu Worm on the middle-aged female cultist turned to drifting ash.
"Holy shit, that's so cool!"
"Holy shit, is that fucking Armor Hero or Kamen Rider?"
Watching Ma Xianhong fly into the air and rain down golden divine lightning that formed spears, pinning the cultists dead to the ground, the Everywhere Access employees below were utterly stunned. His spectacular movements looked like judgment delivered by a heavenly god.
Come on, man, aren't you drawn in a completely different art style from us?! ×N
"Thunder Half-Moon Slash! Lightning Whirlwind Cleave!"
His lips curled upward as he basked in the gazes and exclamations from below. Ma Xianhong activated his armor, and an endless torrent of power surged forth, forming a forty-meter cleaver that hacked through enemies like melons and vegetables.
The tremendous commotion on this side formed a stark contrast with Old Meng's position to the south.
So much so that nearly all the Medicine Immortal Society's forces concentrated on those two sides. There was no helping it: Ma Xianhong simply overwhelmed them with raw stats, while Old Meng countered their mechanics to the absolute extreme. One fought with sweeping, mighty blows, like a heavenly god descending to earth; the other was silent and unseen, like the grim reaper calling in their lives.
But as far as the Everywhere Access employees below were concerned, Ma Xianhong's side was still more satisfying. He had bestowed a lightning enchantment on practically everyone, and the handful he had really hit it off with had even received a few small Thieving Devourer Beasts from him to replenish their qi without end.
When it came to poaching talent.
Once this battle ended, Jiejiao would happily gain another N members.
Activating his armor once more, Ma Xianhong brought his hands together and fired an electromagnetic cannon, feeling thoroughly refreshed.
Just fucking do it!
With a thought, a pair of golden metal wings sprouted from his back. Ma Xianhong beat them once and dove into the village, the golden spear that came with his armor unstoppable in his hand.
His visor automatically scanned the village as Ma Xianhong cut his way toward the remaining Medicine Immortal Society members. His ultimate destination, however, was a secluded little house.
"What are y-ah!"
Casually striking dead the Medicine Immortal Society member who had jumped out with a bolt of lightning, Ma Xianhong withdrew his right hand, its five fingers spread. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes as he looked toward the shabby little house nearby.
The other Everywhere Access employees near him merely greeted him with cheerful smiles when they saw him there, then continued elsewhere to hunt down the Medicine Immortal Society's remnants.
"Brother Duanmu, we'll leave this place to you!"
"Holy shit, General, so this is where you were! We'll leave this place to you, then. We're going to keep hunting down those remnants!"
With such a powerhouse here, what was there to worry about? Almost everyone expressed the same sentiment. The Everywhere Access employees turned and left. Rather than linger in front of a powerhouse here, they might as well go earn some credit elsewhere.
"Sure. Be careful, everyone. I'll take care of this place, just like you said."
Waving, patting his chest, and giving several of them a thumbs-up to assure them he would handle things here, Ma Xianhong then looked toward the little house where Chen Duo was being kept. His expression turned peculiar.
If I remember right, the perception-disrupting artifact switched off not long after I put on the armor. So I've actually managed to become one of them?
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Shaking his head, Ma Xianhong stopped dwelling on it and swept his spear, striking dead several more Medicine Immortal Society members approaching this area. Then he swaggered toward the little courtyard holding Chen Duo.
What could he do? Those employees had entrusted Chen Duo to him, after all.
Before you continue