Chapter 7374
Harvest
Only two people guarded the entrance, dressed in neatly starched ancient warrior uniforms with a slight bulge at the waist. Their strides were measured and precise, and their eyes were sharp as hawks, scanning the area without the slightest slackening... Clearly, they were elite warriors in disguise.
Xiao Chen did not slow down at all and walked straight toward the tightly closed vermilion gate.
The guard on the left immediately raised his hand to signal a halt, his right hand already subtly reaching for his weapon under his ribs, and said in a deep voice, "Private property, no entry at night, please return..."
The conversation abruptly ended.
Because Xiao Chen was already standing in front of him like a ghost, so close that he could see the horror in his pupils.
The guard didn't even catch the other person's trajectory as they crossed more than ten meters. He instinctively reached for his gun, but suddenly felt a chill as if a line of ice had sliced across his neck.
The next second, the world spun around, and consciousness instantly sank into boundless darkness.
His companion met the exact same fate; the two collapsed to the ground almost simultaneously, with only a thin, almost invisible red line on their necks… The central nervous system connection was precisely severed, killing them instantly, yet not a drop of blood was spilled, as if they had never existed.
Xiao Chen didn't even spare a glance for the fallen guard; his gaze was fixed on the heavy, solid wood-clad steel gate. He slowly raised his right hand, fingers spread, and placed it lightly on the door.
There was no deafening noise, no flying sawdust.
In the center of the gate, at about the height of a person, the molecular structure of the metal and wood seemed to be disintegrated by an invisible force, instantly turning into fine gray-black powder that fluttered down, outlining a regular circular passage in the air.
Before the fine powder could even land, it was swept away by an invisible current and dispersed without leaving a sound.
Inside the gate was a spacious courtyard, paved with white sand and dotted with strange rocks. It was a typical dry landscape garden, yet it exuded an indescribable chill.
At this moment, the courtyard was brightly lit, and dozens of figures suddenly emerged from the shadows of the corridor, behind the artificial rocks, and from the corners of the palace. Their movements were as swift as cheetahs, and they landed silently, instantly forming a semi-encirclement around Xiao Chen.
Their clothing varied, some were samurai attire, others were black tactical gear, but their eyes were equally sharp as knives, and their aura was as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.
The weapons in their hands were a diverse array: ancient swords gleamed with a cold light, firearms were equipped with silencers, and poisoned hidden weapons were concealed in their sleeves. Faint energy fluctuations also lingered around them... Clearly, they were the core security force of Jiyin Island, having undergone countless joint attack drills.
The leader was a bald old man with sunken cheeks and a sinister, snake-like gaze. He held a string of dark purple prayer beads in his hand, each bead inlaid with tiny specks of light, exuding a chilling aura as it swirled.
He stared intently at Xiao Chen, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Who dares to trespass into the forbidden area of Extreme Yin Island? State your name, and I may leave you with a whole corpse!"
Xiao Chen's gaze swept indifferently over the crowd that had gathered, as if he were both counting them and assessing the insignificant obstacles. He did not respond to the old man's question, but simply took a slow step forward.
This step was like shattering the last vestiges of calm in the air, instantly triggering the attack.
"Enemy attack! Kill without mercy!" the bald old man shouted, and the prayer beads in his hand suddenly burst into a blinding purple light. A twisted mental shockwave surged towards Xiao Chen like a tide, trying to disturb his mind.
At the same time, dozens of people around them launched an attack!
Blades flashed like lightning, energy beams shot like thunder, and poisoned darts swarmed in from all directions, sealing off all escape routes. The attacks were seamlessly linked, clearly a deadly formation that had been practiced hundreds of times.
Xiao Chen didn't draw any decent weapon from beginning to end, nor did he make any unnecessary movements. He simply slowly raised his left wrist. A flash of light appeared on his wrist, so faint as to be almost imperceptible.
The next second, a semi-transparent light blue force field suddenly unfolded around him, about three meters in diameter, with delicate water-like patterns rippling on its surface, like a slowly blooming ice-blue water lily.
All the overwhelming attacks that came down...
Whether it's a gleaming sword or a whistling bullet, or a powerful energy attack carrying malevolent energy, everything loses its speed the moment it touches this pale blue force field, as if it were a mud ox sinking into the sea.
The energy rapidly decayed and dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually hovering eerily at the edge of the force field, trembling slightly, unable to advance even an inch further.
Even more bizarrely, the purple mental shockwave emitted by the bald old man's prayer beads was deflected and spun back towards the members of the Extreme Yin Island who were charging at the forefront after hitting the force field.
The men groaned, clutched their heads, and staggered backward, their faces deathly pale. They had clearly suffered a backlash from the mental attack of their own people, their souls damaged.
"A domain?!" The bald old man's pupils constricted sharply, and he exclaimed in shock. For the first time, the sinister look in his eyes faded, replaced by pure horror. "Impossible! This is the highest realm of martial arts that only exists in legends... Just who are you?!"
The words of surprise and doubt were still hanging in the air when Xiao Chen made his move.
He didn't unleash thunderous speed, nor did he employ any flashy moves. He simply spread his right hand slightly, as if playing invisible piano keys in the void, his fingertips lightly tapping continuously.
With each click, a thorn as thin as a hair, gleaming with a faint silver light, shoots out, so fast that it is almost impossible to see with the naked eye.
These thorns, shimmering with a faint silver light, seemed to possess their own consciousness, weaving nimbly through the air, ignoring the parries of swords and the obstruction of energy, locking onto their targets with unparalleled precision, and piercing the vital organs of the surrounding enemies, such as their brows, throats, and hearts.
"Chichichi..."
A series of faint, penetrating sounds rang out, like spring rain pattering on withered leaves, accompanied by muffled groans and heavy thuds as people collapsed to the ground.
Those struck by thorns either instantly stiffen and fall to the ground, their pupils dilate, and their vital signs drop to zero in an instant; or they are completely drained of strength, limp on the ground, and do not even have the strength to lift a finger.
Their defensive equipment and protective energy were as fragile as paper in the face of these strange, silvery thorns, offering no resistance whatsoever.
This was not a battle at all, but a one-sided, silent harvesting of lives.
Xiao Chen strolled leisurely through the courtyard, as if taking a leisurely walk. With each slight tremor of his fingertips, an elite member of the Extreme Yin Island fell to the ground, unable to even utter a complete scream.
More and more figures fell on the white sand of the courtyard, their crimson blood slowly seeping out and intertwining with the white sand, creating a cruel and glaring pattern.
In less than two minutes, the noise completely subsided.
Besides Xiao Chen, the only other person still standing in the courtyard was the bald old man. Half of the dark purple prayer beads in his hand were broken, the remaining beads were dull and lifeless, his face was bloodless, and there was a shocking bloodstain at the corner of his mouth.
He had just exerted all his mental energy to unleash the strongest attack on the prayer beads, only to have it shattered head-on by a slightly thicker silver thread casually flicked out by Xiao Chen. (End of Chapter)