A brilliant astral diagram flared beneath the feet of the five members of the Mountain Ghost faction, then snapped inward. The astral map fractured into five streaks of flowing light that channeled into five bamboo slips. Taboo-Free held up his slip and fixed his gaze upon its surface. The flowing luminescence sank inward, and a line of small characters rapidly emerged, flashing across his vision like slides, indelibly branding itself into the minds of the five people holding the bamboo slips:
“First Astral Slip: Supreme Good Fortune!
“Yuanshi Tianzun casts the Heart of the Forest. Once the gem returns to its place, all four arrays will be fully activated, the seal will engage, and the blood pool will be completely cut off. The Mountain Ghost faction will have no further opportunity to throw in the blood jade and will face certain defeat.
“Taboo-Free discerns the crisis, drawing the Blood Demon Bow to shoot at the Heart of the Forest in an attempt to stop the gem from returning to the array. His item possesses a tracking ability—a drawn bow never misses—and Taboo-Free is confident he can knock the gem off course.
“However, having witnessed the terrifying power of this item, Jiang Jingwei hurls a fireball and executes Fire Traveling, rashly intending to intercept the Blood Demon Arrow with her flesh and blood. At the crucial moment, I Alone Am Supreme, having thawed some of the ice and recovered his water-control abilities, erects a water wall, extinguishing Jiang Jingwei’s fireball.
“The Blood Demon Arrow successfully strikes the Heart of the Forest, preventing it from returning to the core of the array.”
As the slip’s text flashed across his mind, Taboo-Free pulled out the massive red bow without the slightest hesitation. Aiming at the Heart of the Forest hurtling toward the stone statue's palm, he drew the bow like a full moon.
*Twang!*
The arrow shrieked away, drawing a crimson line through the air.
Right then, a scorching fireball slammed in like an artillery shell, hurtling straight into the arrow’s unavoidable trajectory.
The fireball came from Jiang Jingwei. Blessed with extraordinary combat instincts, the instant Taboo-Free had produced the great bow, she realized his objective. Her physical reflexes outpaced her thoughts, and she whipped the fireball forward.
Immediately after, crimson flames surged around Jiang Jingwei’s body, enveloping her.
As if anticipating this exact move, the moment Jiang Jingwei threw the fireball, I Alone Am Supreme held aloft the Water God Seal. Directly along the fireball’s flight path, he raised a wall of water.
With a series of sizzling hisses, before the fireball could even explode, it was snuffed out, churning up thick plumes of steam.
The flames on Jiang Jingwei flared, but deprived of a medium for Fire Traveling, they burned for nothing and quickly dissipated.
*Ding!*
The arrow forged of concentrated blood struck the lush green gem squarely, knocking it spinning away at an angle.
It all unfolded so fast, so abruptly. Taboo-Free and I Alone Am Supreme acted as though they had rehearsed it thousands of times—no need to think, no need to observe—halting the Heart of the Forest’s return with flawless coordination.
Only at that moment did Yuanshi Tianzun, Guan Ya, and the others finally react. Even Jiang Jingwei’s thoughts were still caught on executing Fire Traveling to intercept the arrow.
The enemies seemed to have foreseen the future.
Yes—they had truly foreseen the future.
The item Taboo-Free and his four companions were using was called the Five Astral Slips. It was a rule-based item blending the class characteristics of a Starlord with those of a foreign profession, granting the power of future divination.
More precisely, the item could sift through countless branching paths of the future to select the route most advantageous to its users. By following the instructions inscribed on the slips, the users could ensure events unfolded in perfect alignment with their own expectations.
The future revealed by the Five Astral Slips could neither be disrupted nor altered.
This item came from the Dark Night Rose and was a vital asset intended to kill Yuanshi Tianzun.
Using it carried two costs. First: the first four slips were slips of supreme good fortune that favored the users, while the final slip was one of utter calamity.
In other words, the users had to eliminate their enemies within the first four slips; otherwise, they would suffer a terrible backlash.
Second: when using the item, no more than fifteen people could be present at the scene.
The explanation provided by the Dark Night Rose was that more people meant more tangled karmic threads and greater variables in the future; past fifteen, the Five Astral Slips could no longer accurately calculate the trajectory of events.
That was why the Mountain Ghost faction had not employed this item during the ambush in the Labyrinth Forest, as the number of people had already exceeded the limit back then.
The same had applied to the clash at the Mountain God Temple.
Otherwise, Taboo-Free would have decisively used the Five Astral Slips back in the Labyrinth Forest to strangle Yuanshi Tianzun, that mortal threat, in the cradle.
Killing him would have meant half the quest of this killing trial was already won.
With him dead, how could the ragtag rabble of the Mountain God faction ever stand against them?
Still, it was not too late now.
As the Heart of the Forest tumbled away into the distance, Hongwei raised her bamboo slip, fixing her gaze upon its surface. The visions of the future flashed through the minds of the five like slides composed of written text:
“Second Astral Slip: Supreme Good Fortune!
“Watching the Heart of the Forest get knocked away, Yuanshi Tianzun directs his spirit servant to contest it. His spirit servant possesses strength surpassing the Transcendent stage and serves as one of his greatest reliances. Fortunately, Hongwei’s Soul-Seizing Soul-Captivating Mirror directly counters spirit servants. She shines the mirror’s light onto the Heart of the Forest, freezing Yuanshi Tianzun’s spirit servant.
“Zhao Chenghuang executes Night Touring, silently closing in on the Heart of the Forest in an attempt to seize this quest item. Night Touring deceives everyone’s eyes, but I Alone Am Supreme commands the river to kick up surging waves, leaving him nowhere to hide.
“Taboo-Free seizes the opportunity, drawing his bow to fire two arrows in succession, severely wounding Zhao Chenghuang. The Heart of the Forest tumbles to the ground, only to be snatched away by a little spirit servant adept at Treasure Seeking. Seeing this, A-Yi spreads his wings in hot pursuit, but is intercepted by Yuanshi Tianzun, Guan Ya, and Zhao Chenghuang’s yin corpse.
“Dropout Fish seizes the moment to chase the Heart of the Forest, encountering Kou Beiyue’s obstruction, and the two plunge into relentless close combat.
“They have all fallen for a diversion. The little monsters nurtured by A-Yi cut off the little spirit servant’s path, successfully terrifying it to tears and seizing the gem.
“The crisis of the array activation is averted.”
The Ghost Bride quietly manifested, catching the tumbling Heart of the Forest. Just as she was about to carry the quest item back to her husband’s side, an amber beam of mirror light struck her squarely.
Hongwei seemed to have anticipated this very step.
The Ghost Bride froze stiff, suspended in midair.
The Heart of the Forest passed right through her form, continuing to tumble away.
At the same time Hongwei projected the mirror beam, I Alone Am Supreme manipulated the Water God Seal. From level ground, he swept up a tidal wave that rolled forward with overwhelming force. With a loud roar, the surge struck an unseen figure.
Almost simultaneously, Taboo-Free drew his bow in quick succession, loosing two arrows formed of concentrated blood that struck Zhao Chenghuang in the distance.
The latter grunted, his chest stained by blood mist. His clothes and skin rapidly festered, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, indicating serious internal injuries.
Zhao Chenghuang was left completely stunned by the attack.
*Clatter~*
The Heart of the Forest hit the ground, then immediately hovered a dozen centimeters upward, drifting rapidly toward the other end of the park.
At that exact moment, Dropout Fish darted forward with blade in hand to contest the Heart of the Forest. He lacked the ability to predict the future, but that did not stop him from making the right choice.
Seeing this, Kou Beiyue pounced forward like a leopard, driving Dropout Fish back with a sharp kick, and the two swiftly locked into a fierce melee.
*Buzz!*
Following the slip’s guidance, A-Yi steered his little monsters to flank the Heart of the Forest while spreading his wings to take flight, pursuing the little spirit servant skilled at Treasure Seeking.
True to the prediction, the moment he took to the air, he was immediately besieged by Guan Ya, Yuanshi Tianzun, and the level-4 yin corpse.
A-Yi calmly spat a plume of fiercely corrosive toxic mist while shifting his form to one whose skin was ringed like an earthworm’s. Relying on formidable vitality and self-healing, he tangled with—and absorbed beatings from—the three great experts.
Meanwhile, the three little monsters completed their flanking maneuver, encircling the Heart of the Forest.
The green gem drifted back and forth in midair, seemingly unsure of which direction to break through.
One of the little monsters hissed, baring its fangs. The green gem hitched, then dropped to the ground with a clatter.
Zhang Yuanqing jerked his head around to see Little Doubi wailing at the top of his lungs, flailing all four limbs as he scrambled toward him at lightning speed.
The Heart of the Forest had been seized in the grasp of a little gu beast.
Seeing this, A-Yi quickly shifted forms, unfurling his elytra to soar high into the air, bypassing Guan Ya and the yin corpse to rendezvous with the little gu beast.
Zhang Yuanqing, Guan Ya, and Zhao Chenghuang did not pursue, exchanging shocked glances instead.
Zhao Chenghuang drew a deep breath.
“Something’s wrong. It’s like they’ve calculated every single move we make. No matter what we do, they anticipate it beforehand.”
In disbelief, Guan Ya murmured, “Foreseeing the future?”
Zhang Yuanqing nodded grimly. “It seems so...”
None of them were fools. During the first clash, they had yet to grasp the full situation, but now that the second clash was over, they had seen through the Mountain Ghost faction’s secret.
“What do we do?” Guan Ya asked under her breath.
Zhao Chenghuang knit his brows, pondering for several seconds before saying, “This should be a Starlord’s ability, though not entirely. From what I know, Starlords possess a certain degree of future divination. Supposedly, at the highest level of cultivation, they can see the flow of destiny itself.
“However, that kind of foresight is vague—it predicts overarching trends and omens. If this is a rule-based item, there’s nothing we can do.”
Zhang Yuanqing said in realization, “Like fortune-telling?”
As he spoke, he could not help thinking of Xiahou Xin’s death.
Zhao Chenghuang shook his head, then nodded. “Something like that, but not quite. Once you become a Starlord yourself, you’ll naturally understand... assuming we can still advance to Saint.”
*Brother, that sounds awfully pessimistic...* Zhang Yuanqing’s heart felt heavy. After thinking it over, he said, “If we cast aside all stray thoughts and fight purely on instinct, can we prevent ourselves from being foreseen?”
Zhao Chenghuang glanced at him. “Foreseeing the future and reading minds are two completely different things.”
On the other side, I Alone Am Supreme held up his bamboo slip and saw the future:
“Third Astral Slip: Supreme Good Fortune!
“Realizing that the Mountain Ghost faction can anticipate the future, Yuanshi Tianzun, Zhao Chenghuang, and Guan Ya dare not act rashly. This is undoubtedly a prime opportunity to cast the blood jade.
“I Alone Am Supreme sprints toward the blood pool with the blood jade, attempting to summon the monster within. Seeing this, Yuanshi Tianzun targets him with the Yin Jade Doll. As a rule-based item, it cannot be dodged or blocked. I Alone Am Supreme fails to cast the blood jade, yet by utilizing the traits of a Water Ghost, he barely manages to contend with the Yin Jade Doll.
“Seeing his companion hindered, A-Yi flies toward the blood pool, preparing to throw the blood jade into it. Yuanshi Tianzun unleashes a large-scale illusion once again, but fortunately, A Good Subject Chooses His Master to Slay sees through the enemy’s trick and dispels the illusion with the Six Soul Banners.
“His repeated trick having failed, Yuanshi Tianzun employs the Yinyang Robe, using Fire Traveling to close the distance and trap A-Yi within an array. At this point, I Alone Am Supreme is suppressed by the Yin Jade Doll and cannot extinguish the flames; Yuanshi Tianzun succeeds, and A-Yi fails to cast the blood jade.
“Possessing the final piece of blood jade, Taboo-Free suffers a siege from Guan Ya, Zhao Chenghuang, and Jiang Jingwei. With no other choice, he tosses the blood jade to A Good Subject Chooses His Master to Slay, bidding him break through with it.
“A Good Subject Chooses His Master to Slay is immediately besieged by Zhao Chenghuang’s yin corpse and Yuanshi Tianzun’s spirit servant, his life hanging by a thread. However, the blood jade in his hand is an illusion—a phantom.
“Yuanshi Tianzun, normally meticulous to the extreme, makes a momentary oversight and forgets to apply Purification to his companions, causing no one to see through the illusion. In truth, the real blood jade was tossed to Hongwei.
“At this point, no one in the Mountain God faction can stop Hongwei. She successfully breaks through with the blood jade and casts it into the blood pool.
“The supreme existence from the unseen depths awakens!”
Chapter 279