Chapter 144: Soaring Karma Points
Chapter 144: Soaring Karma Points
Ye Rong did not confront the Ghost-devouring Taoist head-on. That approach would have been extremely unwise.
The Seven Treasures of Hundred Venoms in the Green Robe Ancestor’s hands were naturally top-grade Ninth Rank items, capable of unleashing earth-shattering power. The Hundred Poisons Frost Scissors held by the Ghost-devouring Taoist Taoist clearly wasn’t of such a tier, yet it was still exceptionally formidable, a fact easily seen from its prior performance.
The Azure Glint Flying Needles and Liuli Jeweled Umbrella belonging to brothers Yue Zu and Dai Pao certainly weren’t low-tier items either, yet they had been effortlessly snapped and ruined by the Hundred Poisons Frost Scissors. Repairing and reusing them would likely be difficult; this wasn’t just minor damage like a chipped flying sword.
A single death like this could almost permanently drop the strength of these Wutai brothers by a whole tier.
His own flying swords were only Fifth Rank. Ye Rong had no reason to test whether they could withstand the sharpness of the Hundred Poisons Frost Scissors. Besides, such an unusual weapon clearly shared the same properties as the Azure Blue Flying Hook used by Long Wushuang during the Sect Minor Competition – it could damage opponents’ flying swords and magical treasures, and it seemed even more potent.
Furthermore, he had a better way to deal with the Ghost-devouring Taoist.
He shouted a brief message in the Team Channel, telling his teammates to keep focusing on the Heishui Xuanshe; the rest, he’d handle—
Threads of water vapor rose from his Green Dragon Ornate Feather Robe as he activated its attached spell, Water Flows Ever Eastward.
Rouge tears keep men drunk; When will they return? Life’s regrets are endless, like waters flowing ever east.
A mournful, resentful female voice echoed eerily. “Life’s regrets are endless, like waters flowing ever eastward.” Once the spell was invoked, within a hundred zhang, everything became a vast water domain. Moreover, in this aquatic environment – the ideal setting for Water Flows Ever Eastward – the spell’s effects, attack power, and duration were all doubled.
Within the towering, surging water world, Ye Rong created his own vast watery domain. All twelve Baiman Mountain disciples were trapped within it. A faint smile of satisfaction appeared on his face.
Karma points giveaway! Equipment loot grab!
Now, officially beginning!
The attack power of Water Flows Ever Eastward itself was 300-300. In this aquatic environment, it directly became 600-600. With a mere thought, water snakes, turtles, dragons, and various aquatic beasts coalesced incessantly, roaring as they surged out. Tens of thousands of water jets and crushing waves also attacked every Baiman Mountain disciple.
It looked like a River God venting his thunderous rage, intent on utterly destroying everything.
Ye Rong avoided fighting the Ghost-devouring Taoist directly. Instead, relying on his far superior Sword Flight Speed underwater, he specifically targeted the others. Even with flight-speed enhancing treasure like the Hundred Venoms Asura Banner, the Taoist couldn’t catch up.
How likely was it that every other Baiman disciple possessed some extraordinary treasure? Surviving within the three hundred zhang domain created by Water Flows Ever Eastward was already an immense struggle; sudden attacks finished them off easily.
“Ah!”
A tall, skinny Baiman disciple was engulfed by a streak of frosty light, instantly dissolving into particles. Only a dull gray demonic pearl remained where he stood. Without even looking back, Ye Rong’s Kasyapa’s Thousand Hands technique shot out, snatching the pearl. Behind him, the enraged Ghost-devouring Taoist desperately urged the Hundred Venoms Asura Banner in pursuit.
System Notification: Demon Path Player slain. Gained 3800 Karma Points.
“Nice! Getting Karma Points from killing Demonic Path Players is way faster than grinding monsters! Kill a hundred, and unlocking my Nine Glazed Golden Lamp won’t be far off!”
Ye Rong made a sharp turn. Casting Snow blasted forth while the Seven Avian Feather Fan, mid-flight, suddenly disassembled into its seven separate parts. After a round of bombardment, the fan reassembled into the Fifth-Rank Feather Fan, accompanied by a surge of Chongxu Sword Qi.
Dead! Dead! Dead!
His Seven Avian Divine Light shield took a direct hit from the Hundred Poisons Frost Scissors, its Defense Value instantly halved. The violent impact sent him flying backwards. Yet, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.
This strike had been a trade: injury for kills. He’d just eliminated three Baiman disciples.
Gained 3900 Karma Points! Gained 4100 Karma Points! Gained 4400 Karma Points!
The rapid succession of System Notifications made his Karma Points skyrocket like a rocket. Had they fought elsewhere, one-on-one, defeating any of these Baiman Mountain disciples would have demanded his full effort and been immensely difficult.
But here, in the aquatic environment, Water Flows Ever Eastward’s doubled attack power unleashed its maximum lethality. These disciples were already pushed to their limits, exhausting all their focus just resisting the endless waves, crushing water jets, and summoned water beasts. Ye Rong merely needed to add the slightest external force to swiftly claim their lives.
Slaying a Demonic Path Player granted Karma Points equivalent to one hundred times their Level. It was practically an express route to amassing Karma.
This rule, set by the System, was also a lure. Even without the inherent conflict between paths, the Karma Points bounty meant a Righteous Path player couldn’t simply ignore Demonic Path players near them.
However, this calculation required both parties to be above Level 30, and the Level difference between them couldn’t exceed ten levels. Otherwise, the reward amount would follow a different, lesser formula. This prevented abuses like players hiring low-level Demonic Path volunteers to be endlessly slain for easy Karma farming.
“You little brat, it’s you or me now!”
The Ghost-devouring Taoist’s eyes seemed about to spit fire. His hatred for Ye Rong had already surpassed even that for Blood Colored Poppy. In just that short time, two more Baiman disciples had fallen.
At this stage of the operation, the losses were catastrophic. Even if they managed to slaughter Blood Colored Poppy’s entire group, it wouldn’t come close to offsetting their own losses.
The crux was that these subordinates were all Baiman elites. Everyone dying once, coupled with dropping some equipment, represented a significant, lasting decrease in strength. It could even affect his standing within Baiman Mountain.
The Ghost-devouring Taoist channeled power into his Hundred Venoms Asura Banner repeatedly. This Seventh-tier Magic Treasure, though an imitation and inferior to the genuine Seven Treasures of Hundred Venoms, still possessed multiple functions: killing, defense, flight, and transport.
Fortunately, he had forged this banner himself. It required an exceptionally low equipment level, allowing him to use it.
The poisonous cloud atop the Hundred Venoms Asura Banner had shrunk from several mu in size to a dense, concentrated orb of green light only several zhang wide. Though much smaller, it was radically more potent and concentrated; the poison cloud’s lethality had multiplied immensely.
“This punk’s Sword Flight Speed is insane! Need more methods to catch him!”
Lifting his left hand, five fine, dark-green venomous threads shot from the Taoist’s fingers, carrying a sickly sweet scent, hinting at deadly poison.
The threads coiled around Ye Rong. Even his Seven Avian Divine Light flickered, stained green, and his speed was dramatically reduced.
Ye Rong slashed frantically at the threads with Casting Snow. They proved incredibly elastic and resilient. It took several sword strokes to sever a single strand. By the time he cut them all, the delay was enough for the Ghost-devouring Taoist to catch up.
He rapidly switched equipment. Casting Snow vanished, replaced by the Self-Restraint Sword. Immediately, he activated the attached technique – Restrain Oneself and Restore Propriety – two glowing orbs materialized above his shoulders.
“Anyway, when dealing with those Baiman disciples, raw attack power didn’t matter much. Just disrupting their focus for a second, adding extra hassle, was enough to break their concentration, letting the crushing waves and water beasts tear them apart. This Self-Restraint Sword is perfectly sufficient; no worries about insufficient attack damage here!”
With the constant restoration from Restrain Oneself and Restore Propriety, Ye Rong possessed unshakable support. The pursuer behind him became insignificant.
The Hundred Venoms Asura Banner, worthy of its prestige among the Seven Treasures of Hundred Venoms, proved impervious to his three hundred zhang water domain. Endless waves, jets, and summoned beasts charged it, only to be effortlessly swept aside by the orb of toxic cloud.
Since he couldn’t kill this Eldest Senior Brother of Baiman Mountain immediately anyway, Ye Rong turned his full attention to the remaining disciples.
He darted and weaved relentlessly. When one set of Seven Avian Divine Light shield shattered, he equipped another – he had a total of three Seven Avian Feather Fans in his Universe Pouch. Losses in Qi and Blood Energy were inconsequential; Restrain Oneself and Restore Propriety provided constant restoration. He simply focused on seizing every moment to deal death blows.
After a dozen minutes of guerilla tactics, three more lives added to Ye Rong’s tally, sending their owners back to the Resurrection Point.
Now, aside from the Ghost-devouring Taoist, only one Baiman disciple remained. This one was shielded by a swirling, multicolored cloud that emitted terrifying cold, freezing the surrounding water to ice.
Clearly, the shield had limited range. It only protected the immediate area around the disciple, who couldn’t move.
“Crap! That shimmering cloud acts suspiciously like another of the legendary Seven Treasures of Hundred Venoms – the Hundred Poison Cold Light Barrier! Probably a lower Rank imitation, not comparable to the Ghost-devouring Taoist’s Hundred Venoms Asura Banner. Otherwise, it could have frozen my entire three hundred zhang water domain into one gigantic ice block!”
Ye Rong’s repeated attacks proved ineffective against the disciple, inevitably sparking keen interest in that radiant cloud.
“Crap! Crap! Crap! Another guy flaunting some awesome equipment to piss me off! Still gotta die!”
Ye Rong swiftly switched back to Casting Snow and Black Phoenix. The effects of Seven Avian Divine Light and Restrain Oneself and Restore Propriety vanished. Both swords shot out simultaneously as his strongest strike hammered towards the lone Baiman disciple.
The combined might unleashed by two Fifth-Rank Flying Swords was naturally worlds apart from the weak pokes of his earlier Fourth-Rank weapon. Twin lights – one black, one white – blasted a large hole through the shimmering cloud shield, striking the disciple. His body disintegrated into countless sparkling fragments that dissipated in the air.
System Notification: Demon Path Player slain. Gained 4500 Karma Points!
Ye Rong employed an innate Qi capture technique. A single grasp retrieved the swirling cloud. One look at it had him grinning from ear to ear.
Hundred Poison Cold Light Barrier – Fifth-Rank Magic Treasure: Crafted by melting myriad toxic substances with Ten-thousand-year Cold Iron. When not in use, it appears as a swirl of glowing cloud. When activated, its size shifts with its Rank. Entities ensnared by it find their Qi and Blood instantly freezing, turning to clear fluid and dying. Defense Value: 2500. Requires Level 40.
“So, you were acting as the delivery captain all along, eh? Totally misjudged you…”