Rise to God with Life Skill Professions-Chapter 405 - 395: The Mastermind Reveals Themselves
At this moment, Qin An attacked alongside the illusory shadow formed by the stone replica, putting the woman in a perilous situation.
A trace of panic flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an icy calmness.
She suddenly extended her palm, striking the illusory shadow conjured by the stone replica.
The terrifying array technique coiled around her palm, colliding fiercely with the shadow’s fist.
On the other side, the giant shadow lifted a massive axe, crashing against Qin An’s palm.
Qin An was once again sent flying, but this time, he landed steadily on the ground.
In contrast, the illusory shadow summoned by the stone replica rapidly dissipated.
Yet, it didn’t take long before it reformed swiftly.
This is the formidable aspect of the stone replica, unable to be killed and unconditionally using Qin An’s abilities, only dissipating when time runs out.
Qin An said calmly, "It seems that multitasking greatly weakens your array abilities."
The woman sneered, "You’ve got some skills, kid. But do you really think it’s over?"
She understood the real meaning behind using the stone replica to attack; Qin An wanted an extra helper to inhibit her control over the giant shadow formed by the array.
But nowadays, everyone has secret techniques.
As a pseudo-god capable of challenging true dragons, even with her power greatly diminished, her foundation remained.
She made a gesture with her fingers, and the terrifying shadow began to shrink, transforming into streams of evil qi that burrowed into her body.
Her originally damaged lower body quickly regenerated, extending two long, white legs.
However, this lower half, though beautiful, did not quite match the woman’s upper body.
The woman sneered, "Using secret techniques to temporarily restore my body, the cost is worth it."
The secret technique she used relied on the array to regenerate her lower half, allowing her to fight agilely.
It couldn’t heal her wounds or elevate her realm, but being able to fight flexibly was a significant advantage.
Of course, the cost was high.
If she can’t kill Qin An, her injuries might worsen, potentially taking a very long time to recover.
Qin An spoke calmly, "Indeed, any master in this world carries their own depths."
He wasn’t worried at all.
Even though he used the stone replica, he still wanted to see if he could battle this woman.
If not, he still had the substitute needle, fully ready to leverage its properties to escape.
Of course, that would be a last resort.
He would never use it until there were no other options.
"Arrogant!" The woman sneered, swiftly attacking Qin An, "Let me see if your mouth can still talk after I take your head."
With that, she was already in front of Qin An.
The array congealed on her right palm, forming a terrifying vortex of evil qi, as if it could devour everything.
Qin An, unhurried, burned ten more demon senses.
Simultaneously, his heart stirred, and he directed the shadow to unleash the Seven-Star Blood-Burning Demon-Sealing Hand, aiming at the woman’s back.
The woman sneered, swinging her left hand.
With a double-handed strike, she faced off against Qin An and the shadow.
"Boom!"
A terrifying explosion resounded.
In the next instant, the woman sensed something was wrong.
Qin An had quietly retreated a step during the confrontation with her.
Although he hadn’t unleashed the Blood Burning Secret Skill to its fullest, he also wasn’t injured.
Meanwhile, the shadow attacked with full force, seemingly tireless, without any thought of defense.
"Boy, why don’t you dare face me head-on!" The woman stepped forward.
In the blink of an eye, she discovered that Qin An’s figure had already vanished,
As she prepared to turn and pursue, she found her lower body wasn’t very agile.
Shock appeared on the woman’s face.
At this moment, Qin An’s voice slowly came through.
"I also know array techniques. While your secret technique is good, it excels only in close-range movements. If faced with large-scale evasion, you won’t catch up."
The array technique is truly an excellent secret technique, regenerating the woman’s lower half.
But this lower half ultimately wasn’t hers, thus there remained a barrier in its control.
Qin An sighed with emotion.
If anyone else had been in his place, they might not have lived to see this woman’s second form, falling to the giant shadow.
A hint of anger surfaced on the woman’s face: "Shameless!"
She turned her body, preparing to pursue once again.
The shadow, however, blocked her path, preventing any further advance.
The woman pressed down with a palm, dispersing the shadow, intending to continue her pursuit of Qin An.
But before she could reach Qin An, the shadow reformed, sticking to her like a persistent pest.
A trace of irritation crossed the woman’s face as she dispersed the shadow once again.
Yet in the blink of an eye, the shadow coalesced once more.
This is the terrifying power of the stone replica.
Its unkillable nature made the shadow a relentless pest-like existence.
A hint of panic appeared on the woman’s face.
She understood what Qin An intended to do.
Having lived through these ages, she possessed acute perception; it only took a thought to grasp Qin An’s intent.
"You intend to exhaust me, then find the right opportunity to deal with me?"
Just as she spoke, Qin An’s calm gaze answered her question.
This silent response chilled her more than if Qin An had proclaimed it himself.
Staring at her own legs, for the first time in her life, she felt fear—a fear more profound than when she fought those two true dragons.
Back then, she knew she wouldn’t die; now, she very well could.
As she pondered this, the shadow attacked her again.
The shadow summoned by the stone replica used a cost-free fighting style, leaving the woman in a bind.
On the other side, Qin An utilized a superior body technique to evade her attacks.
Every time her attack landed on Qin An, Qin An would dodge her sharp edge.
But the phantom behind her was fearless.
The two formed a stark contrast.
As time passed, the woman felt her legs become immensely fatigued, the originally fair and full legs shriveled instantly, like an old tree about to die.
She tried to use her red dress to cover, not letting her current state be noticed by Qin An.
Looking at the newly formed phantom again, the woman suddenly said, "Take what you got and quickly get out of this palace, I won’t hold it against you!"
Her words carried a tone of impatience, pretending as if she didn’t want to waste time here.
She intended to deceive Qin An, to make him leave the palace first.
But before she finished her words, a hint of teasing smile flashed in Qin An’s eyes.
The woman caught that smile, and the anxiety in her heart visibly increased.
Qin An suddenly said, "I almost forgot, I also understand arrays."
Upon hearing this, the woman’s face turned deathly pale.
Qin An continued, "The energy of your array is rapidly disappearing, indicating you’re nearing your limit. If the secret technique reaches its limit, your legs will completely turn to ash, only your upper body remains, you won’t be a match for me."
There was a mocking smile in Qin An’s eyes.
The woman’s heart was increasingly filled with fear.
She suddenly roared and charged straight at Qin An.
She knew very well that her situation had been exposed, and Qin An would never let her go.
But before she could charge far, Qin An’s figure disappeared again.
"Trash, incompetent trash!" The woman cursed while fighting the phantom: "Shameless coward, if you have the guts, come out and fight me like a true hero!"
"Hero? I never considered myself a hero." Qin An smiled slightly, resting his long blade on the ground, in a leisurely manner: "I always thought I was just an ordinary person, so when dealing with you, there’s no need for a fair duel, after all, you are at Unity Realm."
"Bastard! Beast! Trash!" The woman continued cursing, as if she didn’t listen to a word Qin An said.
Trying to incite Qin An to fight her head-on after being angered.
Being who he was, even while talking, Qin An sought weaknesses in the woman’s stance, not provoked by her words.
Time elapsed, roughly the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
The side hall had become a complete ruin.
Except for the surrounding walls unchanged, every step-able place was reduced to rubble.
At this moment, amidst the ruins, only the woman’s upper body lay on the ground, her eyes vacant and confused.
The time for the secret technique was up, her legs had long disappeared.
Planning to channel the previous giant phantom again, unexpectedly, before she could, Qin An seemed to have grasped her only flaw and launched a relentless attack.
If she weren’t already at Unity Realm, with ample battle experience, she possibly would’ve perished in that instant.
Even dodging, Qin An and the phantom’s assaults were like a tidal wave, mercilessly crashing upon her.
Under such fierce attacks, she couldn’t even muster the giant phantom before falling.
A bowl-size hole was on her chest.
If not for her being at Unity Realm, she’d likely have died by now.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal striking announced.
Qin An, holding the Cold Star, approached the woman, pointing the blade at her neck.
The woman stared at the straight blade in front of her neck, tracing it to Qin An’s face.
"My husband is a man of supreme cultivation, if you kill me, he’ll certainly perceive it, and no one in Xunyang Prefecture can bear it!"
At this point, the woman could only resort to threats, more despair flooding her eyes.
Because she saw the murderous intent and unmistakable coldness in Qin An’s eyes.
He aimed to erase her life entirely.
"No, don’t kill me, I will give you the Divine Soul Refining Body Skill, teach you how to cultivate, make you the strongest in Xunyang Prefecture, I could even ask my husband to find you a divine soul."
Her words ended abruptly because the straight blade pierced into her red lips and emerged from the back of her head.
The Seven-Colored True Essence surged, instantly obliterating the woman entirely.
"Why is there nothing?"
Looking at the empty ground, Qin An furrowed his brow.
Logically, killing a Pseudo-God would yield a pseudo-consciousness, yet no such thing appeared after the woman at Unity Realm’s demise, puzzling Qin An.
Squinting his eyes slightly, Qin An searched around, confirming nothing was left, the strangeness deepening.
Then, the side hall began to tremble violently at a visible rate.
Layers of yellow sand fell from the ceiling.
Seeing this anomaly, Qin An immediately knew the Yellow Sand Hall was going to collapse.
After a quick contemplation, Qin An didn’t linger, and using the Seven Stars Dragon Roar Shadow Step, he retraced his path and evacuated.
No obstacles along the way, Qin An soon emerged amidst vast sand dunes.
By now, the endless yellow sand had entirely vanished; as Qin An’s feet touched the sand dunes, an enormous sinkhole formed behind him amid extensive dune collapse.
Watching the massive sinkhole formed from the collapse of the Yellow Sand Hall, Qin An’s brows furrowed deeper.
Something felt wrong.
There should’ve been something left from the woman’s death.
Could it be she didn’t truly perish?
As Qin An pondered, the anomaly manifested.
The previously calm desert suddenly roared with yellow sand.
Sand gathered in the air, forming an image composed entirely of yellow sand.
In the image, sat a black-robed Pseudo-God.
The black-robed Pseudo-God cradled a smooth sphere.
Seeing this, Qin An’s expression became enlightened.
In the Yellow Sand Hall, he glimpsed shades of past events, certain that the black-robed Pseudo-God was undoubtedly the mastermind.
With deep affection, the black-robed Pseudo-God gazed at the sphere in hand and said gently, "I placed your body there, leaving only a remnant soul, hoping you’d recover, but it failed still."
The sphere shuddered faintly, as if responding to the black-robed Pseudo-God.
The black-robed Pseudo-God raised his head, and his gaze seemed to traverse space, locking onto Qin An.
"Your head can remain on your neck for now, it won’t be long before I personally claim it."
