RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT!
He emptied one submachine gun magazine and immediately slapped in another. A weapon like this didn't require precise Aiming, only suppressive fire. Su Zhou wasn't particularly fast at reloading, but the members of the Holy Snake Spirit Prayer Association were in no state to dodge anyway.
In a semi-enclosed underground cavern, an explosion's shockwave would rebound several times, creating an implosion effect. If it had been any more powerful, an ordinary person's internal organs would have been ruptured by the concussion, and it wouldn't have been surprising if the entire cave had collapsed.
But even as it was, the damage from the shrapnel of four grenades had been maximized. After Su Zhou fired two bursts, there were barely any living people left moving inside the cavern. In less than half a minute, dozens of members of the Extraordinary Organization had been wiped out.
'It's over that easily? They're a little weak.'
However, Su Zhou, who had thought the problem was solved, suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold rise in his heart. A premonition of extreme danger emanated from the very center of the Prayer Hall.
BUZZ! With a tremor, a gloomy green light emerged from the dust cloud, forming a hemispherical shield that enveloped the altar. It spun continuously, and the wind it generated blew the dust away. He could see that the massive phantom of the ouroboros still remained, not having dissipated despite the deaths of numerous Chanters.
Behind the altar, the Bedouin Leader held the Snake Bone Magic Staff, chanting a Secret Spell to sustain the shield and protect the entire altar. His face was incredibly grim, and flames of hatred practically burned in his eyes, making him wish he could devour the little Asian brat before him alive.
However, the calm and composure honed by years of experience kept him from flying into a rage, even though the assault on the Orbit's site meant decades of development had been undone in an instant. The Bedouin Leader snorted coldly and continued chanting. He raised the Snake Bone Staff high in his right hand and held the Holy Spirit Secret Seal to his chest with his left. He was ignoring everything else, determined to continue the Void Orbit!
'It doesn't matter if everyone dies. As long as the Elixir of Immortality descends, the Holy Snake Spirit Prayer Association will have the capital to make an absolute comeback in the New Era!'
"That old bastard!"
Seeing something as obvious as the Spirit Light Shield, a clear display of Extraordinary Power, Su Zhou froze for a moment. But upon realizing the Bedouin Leader was still continuing the Orbit, he immediately raised his submachine gun, ready to keep firing.
Whatever the principle behind the Spirit Light Shield, maintaining it definitely had to be draining the old man's power. In that case, he just had to keep attacking! As long as he didn't stop, his opponent would sooner or later have to split his focus to deal with him.
But could the Bedouin Leader and the others really have not thought of that?
Just as Su Zhou was about to resume shooting, he suddenly felt an incredibly solid malice begin to gather in mid-air. His Spiritual Energy, which allowed him to see Spirit Bodies with the naked eye, was warning him, making him shudder in alarm.
Following the guidance of his Spiritual Energy, Su Zhou decisively looked up and to the side, his pupils contracting.
He could see blood gushing from the corpses of the Holy Snake Spirit Prayer Association members who had died from the explosion, shrapnel, and gunfire. The blood was now boiling silently, transforming into wisps of serpentine, bloody mist. These blood-snakes moved as if they were alive, coiling and spiraling rapidly in mid-air before shooting toward him!
Without hesitation, Su Zhou did a forward roll to dodge the first few blood-snakes. But the ones that followed had a tracking ability. Left with no choice, he had to keep rolling and dodging, forced deeper into the hall. He grabbed the corpse of a Holy Snake Spirit Prayer Association member and used it to block the rest of the pursuing blood-snakes.
The blood-snakes had no physical impact when they struck the corpse, but Su Zhou felt the body's weight suddenly lighten. A thick liquid dripped down as the corpse's flesh and blood dissolved, corroded away until only white bones remained in his hands.
"Hah!"
But before he could even register the power of the Magic, he heard the sound of rushing wind from the side! With a furious roar, a tall figure leaped up from a pile of corpses. The cold glint of a blade flashed in his hand as he lunged at Su Zhou!
It was the man named Sukra, the one from Zhu Country who was either of the Brahma Sect or Kshatriya!
He was tall, and his previously calm and indifferent expression was now a mask of ferocious rage, like a Furious Vajra. Without a word, he took a step and launched himself into the air. Spiritual Qi-enhanced leg muscles allowed him to cross a dozen meters as if by Instant Teleportation, and then he brought his sword down in a slash!
SWISH!
With just a flash of cold light, the submachine gun in Su Zhou's hands was sliced in two. Even the body armor and shirt on his chest were cut open, leaving a bloody line on his skin. If Su Zhou hadn't retreated fast enough, his head and ribs would have been sliced open as well!
As the leader of the Zhu Country branch of the Holy Snake Spirit Prayer Association, Sukra's strength was no less than that of the third-generation Bedouin Leader. But his Talent lay in Spiritual Martial Arts and personal Cultivation, not in activating the Orbit and drawing on the great power of the Void. That was why he could only take a secondary position. He was a true master of both Martial Arts and Spells!
He hadn't been seriously injured in the earlier explosion and gunfire, suffering only a small gash on his forehead that bled slightly. The faint pain only served to enhance his power, making the Snake Pattern Longsword in his hand swing faster and with more force.
Faced with such ferocious and relentless attacks, Su Zhou, armed with only a short blade for blocking, naturally found it difficult to parry. He dodged left and right, retreating constantly, but could never escape Sukra's attack range. He even failed to dodge one strike, and half of his left ear, along with a chunk of hair, vanished in a spray of blood, lopped off by the sword. The short blade in his right hand was also sent flying.
But just like the Bedouin Leader and Sukra, who could maintain precision in their attacks even while enraged, Su Zhou did not panic, despite being at a huge disadvantage, feeling the searing pain in his left ear, and the blood gushing out. In this moment, he grew even calmer, able to think more rationally about the situation.
'This is the only way.'
Having made his decision, Su Zhou raised his left arm to block. Cold steel flashed. Su Zhou's left wrist was half-severed, and his hand flew spinning through the air. At the same time, his metal watch shattered.
It was a sacrifice, like giving up a chariot to save the king. Though severely wounded, Su Zhou had used the hardness of his watch to momentarily blunt the sword's edge and the strength of his arm to deflect Sukra's attack. Seizing the opportunity, he retreated rapidly, seemingly intending to flee. But how could Sukra possibly give him that chance?!
"Hah!"
The man from Zhu Country exhaled, his spirit, Essence Qi, and focus becoming one as he summoned all his strength. He stomped his foot, and formless Spiritual Power mixed with Blood Qi surged within his body. A death warning began to scream wildly in Su Zhou's mind. At the same time, Sukra had transformed into a Gale, charging at full speed toward the detestable little thief before him!
In that same instant, Su Zhou also let out a sharp cry. He kicked off the ground, sending corpse after corpse flying toward Sukra. His constant retreat hadn't been to escape, but to find the right area and opportunity!
Heavy corpses flew toward Sukra, blocking his view like overturned tables. The man from Zhu Country's eyes narrowed. He swung his arm, slicing one corpse in half and batting another aside. The silver light of his blade flashed like a swift wind, horizontally bisecting two more corpses that came at him simultaneously. Even with his strength, he was now nearing exhaustion. But there was still one more corpse, kicked upright by Su Zhou, lunging toward him.
"Buying time!"
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Sukra hesitated for a fraction of a second. In the end, he chose not to retreat, nor did he use another wide swing to cleave through this final obstacle. The Martial Artist from Zhu Country thrust his sword forward directly, a shooting star of steel. After piercing through the last corpse-shield, the blade aimed for the space between Su Zhou's eyes!
But that single moment of hesitation led to his defeat!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunshots rang out, and the Martial Artist fell!
And the longsword, which had been about to pierce Su Zhou's forehead, froze in place.
In his right hand, a deadpan Su Zhou held a pistol. It was the gun he had taken from the male tour guide on the bus, and he had been carrying it in his pocket. In the heat of battle, he hadn't had time to draw it, which was why he had paid the price of his left hand to finally create an opening.
He had fired three consecutive shots, hitting Sukra in the left shoulder, the neck, and the mouth, shattering his teeth and upper jaw into a bloody pulp. After taking three bullets like that, even a newly Awakened Spiritual Martial Cultivator like Sukra was guaranteed to die.
"Heh heh... Didn't see that coming, did you?"
Gritting his teeth against the intense pain, Su Zhou said with a suppressed, trembling laugh, "I still had a gun!"