Chapter 381: Chapter 258: Flying Knife Divine Skill, Thievery Divine Skill (Part 3)

Swish!

As Qin Yuesheng tossed it, the flying knife shot forward swiftly, and just as it was about to hit a tree, it suddenly curved in mid-air, weaving an S-shape around five large trees before finally pinning itself to the trunk of the sixth tree.

If you got close enough, you’d see that seventeen flies were hanging on the back of the knife, all split in half, with only a thin layer of skin barely clinging to the blade.

This level of skill and precision in throwing knives is nothing short of miraculous.

Just relying on this Flying Knife Divine Skill, Qin Yuesheng could easily make a name for himself on the world stage.

However, this wasn’t the true power of the Flying Knife Divine Skill. In that throw just now, Qin Yuesheng had not used his Inner Strength. Then, he took out a second flying knife, infused it with Inner Strength, and threw it once more.

In an instant, the flying knife shot out like a rainbow across the sun, its speed so fast that if Qin Yuesheng hadn’t used the Biluo Eye to track it, even he wouldn’t be able to see the knife’s shadow.

Swish!

In the blink of an eye, the flying knife traversed over a hundred miles, piercing a lizard lying on a rock in a distant barren mountain, then carried the lizard forward to pin it onto the surface of a giant boulder.

Moments later, the lizard exploded violently, unable to withstand Qin Yuesheng’s Inner Strength, bursting into a mass of bloody flesh.

After witnessing this, Qin Yuesheng quickly closed his eyes. Being able to see something over a hundred miles away was too great a strain on his eyes, almost unbearable.

If he dared to look for a few more moments, Qin Yuesheng knew that his eyes might start bleeding uncontrollably again.

"The power over such a distance is formidable. If I were to use the Flying Knife Divine Skill at close range, even a master at the Tenth Layer of the Internal Power Realm would have to taste what it’s like to be on the brink of death," Qin Yuesheng said with a smile, casually picking up a piece of gold ingot.

The remaining All-Purpose Essence, Qin Yuesheng didn’t use it to fuse with sword techniques; instead, he directly enhanced his theft skills to the Divine Skill level, turning them into Theft Divine Skill.

Throughout history, though theft is considered lowly and contemptible, one must admit that it is indeed a high-level and exquisite art.

The uninitiated, entry-level thieves don’t count.

The true art of theft involves dexterity, meticulousness, quick eyes and hands, and stability.

A skilled thief can make you question your life with just a pair of hands, not even knowing when the things on your body disappeared.

Qin Yuesheng had once heard a story about the King of Thieves in Jiangnan.

It is said that there was a basin of water with three gold ingots at the bottom. When this King of Thieves reached in to grab them, he pulled out the gold ingots without causing even a ripple on the surface of the water, which remained as calm as a mirror, demonstrating his remarkable skill.

However, later the King of Thieves, due to a mishap, had one of his fingers chopped off by an enemy, after which he retired from his life of crime and disappeared into the world, and no one could trace his whereabouts.

Qin Yuesheng looked at his own hands, feeling an itch to try them. Although he possessed the Theft Divine Skill, it was pointless if there was no one to test the skill’s true power.

"After staying in Meteor Mountain for a few days, it’s time to go back." Qin Yuesheng said, casually tossing the gold ingot in his hand, and with a childish spirit, he slid down from the top of the gold mountain.

Along the way, numerous gold and silver ingots rolled down the mountain due to loosening, triggering a small collapse of the gold mountain.

As he left the mansion and put away the Mountain Ghost Pearl, Qin Yuesheng set off towards the direction outside Meteor Mountain, beginning his journey.

...

Cao Mengda was originally a military officer, who had led the Great Tang’s army to defeat the barbarians in the far south, earning himself some military merits.

However, he lacked culture, and his words and actions consistently revealed his nature as a simple brute to others.

Five years ago, seeing the power of the Ten Regular Attendants growing in Chang’an, Cao Mengda had a crooked idea. He went personally to Chang’an to meet An Dianlian and offered his family heirloom, the ’Qilin Scarlet Robe’.

This robe, made of rare blood silkworm threads, was incredibly lightweight and made whoever wore it reluctant to take it off, becoming infatuated with its allure.

By virtue of this item, Cao Mengda successfully gained An Dianlian’s favor, requesting that An position him as a major official in Jiangnan. At that time, the Ten Regular Attendants’ influence was not as insane as it is now, but arranging such matters was still within bounds.

Thus, Cao Mengda became the Governor of a city in Jiangnan.

Normally, someone like this, merely a general, would find the idea of rebellion unthinkable. But Cao Mengda knew to be content with his lot; being a city governor allowed him to enjoy wealth and status without the backstabbing, deceit, and political machinations of the higher echelons of court.

Truly speaking, high-ranking officials always watched by others lead less carefree lives compared to minor officials.

Under these circumstances, Cao Mengda encountered someone claiming to be the ’White Lotus Saint Envoy’.

The individual’s formidable power and mysterious, unpredictable Demon Technique compelled Cao Mengda, out of a will to survive, to join them and become a part of the White Lotus Celestial Sect, following their orders.

In return, the White Lotus Celestial Sect would support him in secret, providing a chance for him to take control of the Central Plains and vie for the throne of the world.

A little over a month ago, when the White Lotus Celestial Sect sent word ordering Cao Mengda to publicly declare his rebellion, he was deeply shocked. As a general, he knew that the army he cultivated over the past few years was nowhere near strong enough to rival the Great Tang. If the opposing force sent a powerful army to crush them, they wouldn’t last a day.

But intimidated by the White Lotus Celestial Sect, he had no choice but to fearfully start his rebellion.

Unexpectedly, on that very day, another thirty-five individuals across the nine provinces of the world simultaneously declared rebellion, announcing it to the world.

Everything appeared to be orchestrated by a hidden hand, making Cao Mengda shiver with cold dread.

Fortunately, things went smoothly. In just a month, Cao Mengda’s army completely occupied the western part of Jiangnan, but if he wanted to be the King of Jiangnan and take the Central Plains, he had to deal with his major enemies, Liu Xian and Wu Bao.

In a secret underground chamber of Cao Mengda’s residence.

On a silver lotus lampstand made of silver, a few white candles cast dim light. Not far from a wall, on a silver lotus seat sat a young girl in a white dress.

With delicate features and a composed elegance, she exuded an unapproachable, aloof aura.

Near the silver lotus seat, Cao Mengda, usually so imposing and dominating before others, was kneeling on the ground respectfully, head bowed, not daring to look directly at the girl in white.

"Any progress on the matter I instructed you to investigate?"

"White Saintess, regarding the Holy Envoy you mentioned, I deployed troops to scour every area around the Wujiang River, but found no trace, so I suspect the Holy Envoy might not be there."

The girl in white asked, "Did you dig three feet into the earth as I instructed?"

Cao Mengda nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I did, but still found nothing, not even a corpse."

The girl in white said, "It’s been so long, let’s drop the matter. Recall all your forces and concentrate on capturing the southern part of Jiangnan."

"White Saintess, Wu Bao is quite strange. Every assassin I sent for him has disappeared without a trace, presumably dead. A small-time governor couldn’t possibly have strong protectors, so I suspect someone is secretly supporting him too."

"What do you plan to do about it?"

"I request the Saintess to send some White Lotus experts from the sect to assist me. If I can’t kill Wu Bao, at least I can eliminate his competent subordinates. When he has no one left to rely on, conquering the southern part of Jiangnan will be only a matter of time."

The girl in white nodded, "Very well, I’ll request the sect to send another twenty Inner Power experts to you, for you to command as you see fit. But this must be done swiftly and cleanly; our Sect Leader is already dissatisfied with your progress."

Hearing this, cold sweat broke out on Cao Mengda’s face, and he quickly kowtowed, saying, "I understand, I understand. Within a month, I shall unify Jiangnan and take the Central Plains!"

Yet, when he looked up, the girl in white had already vanished from the silver lotus seat without a trace.