[Vol. 6] Chapter 200: No Laughing, Let Me Laugh First
Violet and Le Qiaoqiao were surrounded.
This was clearly a premeditated ambush.
The attackers must have intended to sneak in silently, but they failed to notice the warning traps Le Qiaoqiao had set around the camp. When one of the traps was triggered, they hastily tried to cover it up by disturbing a bird’s nest to divert attention. Their plan was to strike when Violet and Le Qiaoqiao were distracted and let their guard down.
It was obvious, though, that this backup plan was amateurish. Anyone with even a bit of experience would see through it. This was nothing more than dumb luck working in their favor.
“It’s not something sinister… it’s humans. Feels like there are quite a few of them. They must be participants too. They’ve gathered fast… maybe they’re using some special method?”
Violet glanced around at the dark, empty expanse of forest. She flexed her wrists, producing a few faint “crack” sounds, as if she were slightly disappointed. Meanwhile, the thief girl beside her, Le Qiaoqiao, looked nervous and fearful, seemingly ready to panic before the fight had even begun.
“W-What do we do? Should we run? We should run, right? Before they get closer…”
“If you run now, you’ll be playing right into their hands. Isn’t that something even a thief should understand?”
Violet gave the so-called thief a strange look, realizing she might have overestimated her. Le Qiaoqiao had decent skills, but her mentality was a problem. She couldn’t perform well in a fight.
Come to think of it, she had only managed to shoot a single warning arrow before quickly deciding to retreat when it failed. No wonder she’s so quick to back down. Is she just a half-baked thief? Am I the one who’s actually the hired help here...?
Well, whatever. Violet hadn’t planned to rely on her for the fight anyway.
She patted Le Qiaoqiao on the shoulder and gestured for her to find a place to hide and adapt to the situation as it unfolded. Then, Violet pulled out the [Eternal Scepter of the World's Heart] and swept its tip in a wide arc.
“Come out already. It’s late, and we don’t have all night. There’s so many of you. Are you really scared of just two ‘weak’ girls?”
“Ha, you don’t look weak at all.”
From the shadowy depths of the forest, about a dozen figures emerged one by one. Armed with weapons, they closed in from all directions, encircling the two women.
Their gazes, laced with a strange and unsettling air, swept over Violet, making her frown slightly.
"Bandits and murderers dare to participate in the [Four Saints' Immortal Selection Ceremony]?"
The man leading the group, who had a hideous scar running across his right eye and was the one who had responded to Violet's taunt earlier, seemed a little surprised by her words. He looked at her curiously and asked, "How do you know that's what we do? Heard of us before?"
The black-haired girl shook her head with a blank expression.
"My social circle doesn’t include bottom-feeding criminals. It’s just that your stench is so strong. Other than bandits who rob and kill, I can’t think of any other possibility."
"Stench?"
Perplexed by her seemingly nonsensical remark, the bandit leader tilted his head in confusion.
"What nonsense are you spouting… Never mind. Let’s deal with you first. With the methods my brothers and I have, there’s no way you won’t talk. And look at you, delicate and fresh as a spring flower. What a ‘product’. We’ve hit the jackpot with you two. This is going to be fun."
“Heh heh heh…”
The bandit leader licked his dry lips as his men exchanged sinister, twisted grins. It was clear that their "methods" weren’t exactly honorable.
Suddenly, the leader raised his large blade and shouted, "Take down the little black-haired girl first!"
As soon as his command rang out, something unexpected happened. From the seemingly inconspicuous treetops above, an area that had been overlooked by everyone, a large cloud of powder suddenly fell, scattering downward!
"Watch out!"
Although Le Qiaoqiao had seemed shaky earlier, her quick reflexes now showed their worth. She immediately shouted a warning and, without hesitation, tried to grab Violet and pull her out of the falling powder’s range.
The priestess stood her ground, unaffected by the thief girl's attempt to pull her away. Violet raised her staff, and with a wave of magic, a fierce wind roared outward, dispersing the mysterious powder completely. Le Qiaoqiao, who had been tensed and ready to act, froze for a moment in surprise.
“I’ll handle things here. You go deal with that one.”
“Huh...? Oh!”
Seeing Violet pointing up toward the treetops, Le Qiaoqiao quickly understood. She leaped into the dense canopy above, disappearing into the shadowy layers of branches.
Violet turned her attention back to the surrounding enemies. More than a dozen of them with hardened, vicious expressions closing in. Tightening her grip on her staff, she didn’t make the first move right away.
These weren’t ordinary bandits or common criminals. Their coordinated actions and expertise suggested they were seasoned outlaws who specialized in ambushes and violence.
Ever since Violet had absorbed the divinity left by [Dawn] at the [Heaven-Opening Sect] ruins, she had begun noticing strange changes in her perception.
At some point, she discovered she could physically see something that shouldn’t have been visible. The [soul], a faint, glowing silhouette inside every person. She could also see intangible entities, like malicious spirits or phantom-like beings, as though she’d gained the ability to see beyond the veil of reality, much like a supernatural third eye. The world around her had become richer and more vivid in ways she couldn’t have imagined.
While similar results could be achieved using SP, being able to see these things directly with her eyes was far more convenient. This new ability, seemingly tied to her role as a [Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden], also came with another intriguing perk:
The ability to "see" the color of someone’s soul.
Of course, this “seeing” wasn’t literal sight but rather an abstract perception. For instance, Violet could instantly identify these people as bandits because of the thick aura of hostility and the faint metallic tang of blood that lingered around them.
Based on her recent experiences, only individuals with a history of heinous acts, murder, cruelty, or other atrocities, carried such a distinct aura.
One or two people with such an aura could be a coincidence. But more than a dozen, all gathered together, highly skilled in ambush tactics, and bold enough to attack other contestants in the dead of night? That left little room for doubt about their nature.
From above, the sounds of a fierce struggle soon erupted, clashing blades and rustling branches. It seemed Le Qiaoqiao had already located the hidden attacker in the treetops and engaged them in combat.
Meanwhile, the main battlefield below wasn’t idle either.
“Attack!”
The bandit leader barked the command, and the group surged toward Violet, weapons raised.
With a thunderous shout from the scar-faced man, the dozen or so assassins quickened their pace, breaking into a full sprint straight toward the lone black-haired girl.
*Boom!!!*
Violet spun on her heel and delivered a powerful kick to the chest of the lead bandit. The immense force, astonishingly strong despite her petite frame, sent the man hurtling backward like a cannonball. He crashed through several thick trees with an audible shockwave, accompanied by a burst of visible air pressure. Without so much as a scream, he vanished into the forest depths.
There was no doubt. Unless he had mastered some supreme defensive technique like the so-called “Golden Bell Shield” from the [Shocking God Sect], and to a profound degree, he wouldn’t be coming back alive.
However, Violet’s seemingly reckless kick had left her completely exposed to the surrounding enemies. The remaining bandits, instead of hesitating or retreating at the sight of their comrade’s fate, charged forward with a dozen long blades, slashing down at her from every angle.
Despite their earlier comments about her being “good product” or something to “play with,” the moment they realized how formidable she was, they didn’t hesitate to unleash lethal force. Their ferocity, like that of desperate men with nothing to lose, was chilling.
*Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash!*
Over ten sharp blades fell simultaneously, aiming at all of Violet’s vital points. The bandits’ faces twisted into cruel smirks, their minds already savoring the imagined sight of this delicate girl’s warm blood gushing out and splattering over them.
But after a brief silence, their expressions collectively shifted to shock.
To their horror, the blades that struck her seemingly fragile white robe didn’t tear through the fabric or even graze her skin. Instead, they stopped dead, as though hitting an impenetrable hide. A moment later, a surge of immense power erupted from her body, reversing the force into their weapons.
*Boom, boom, boom, boom!*
The assassins were thrown back like ragdolls, flying in all directions and crashing into the forest with explosive force. Birds scattered into the sky amid the deafening noise, and then everything fell silent once more.
Violet, still standing in the same spot, finally lowered her leg from her dramatic kick. With an air of calm, she tapped the ground lightly with her staff, swaying gently. Her indifferent gaze fell on the sole survivor, the scar-faced man, who was now trembling with fear.
Her lips curled into a faint, teasing smile.
“Well? Pretty impressive ‘product’, don’t you think? Still having fun?”