บท 254: Carelesness

The final of the Four Saints of Sarkic Cults, Sienna, once known as Sarn, stands for poison, secrecy, deceit, and darkness. When she could take no more of her master's mistreatment as a domestic servant, she slaughtered his entire family with poison, a noose, and a blade.

While she waited for her execution, she was imprisoned and initially encountered Saarn. She has been secretly working for the Sarkic Cults ever since Saarn saved her, and she has even developed an intelligence network.

This time, her subordinates were the ones who first learned about the GOC's and Foundation's activities. Zhang Jue first believed that the saint known as the "Viper" was a young girl because he was unfamiliar with the Sarkuc Cults and had only heard of the alleged Four Saints of Flesh Lust.

He only noticed a few discrepancies in Smith's account: she was the only person pleasantly strolling down the street while everyone else was praying; if they were not naive, they would see that something was obviously wrong.

The young child, whose true name was Sarn, didn't even flinch when Zhang Jue caught her in the act. Instead, she smiled glumly while raising the corners of her mouth.

"I originally, didn't want to kill you guys." She gave a ghostly smile, "But now, it seems like there's no way out."

As soon as her words fell, Zhang Jue narrowed his eyes as an unsettling sense of foreboding haunted him. "Kenneth, pull back!"

Zhang Jue shouted into the intercom. "Advisor Zhang, why-"

Kenneth couldn't complete his question as Sarn abruptly vanished from view. Sarn abruptly vanished, as if by magic, in the center of the field, surrounded by dozens of MTF squads, a number of searchlights, and in full view of everyone.

"Where is she now? Watch out!" Kenneth yelled.

His squad members started vigilantly scanning the area for the small woman. Even though it was late at night, the searchlights illuminated the region and it appeared as though Sarn could disappear into the ground, her entire body dissipating.

"Advisor Zhang, she-"

Just before he connected with Zhang Jue on the walkie-talkie, Kenneth experienced a chill down his spine. He instinctively turned around, only to find a snake spitting its letters just a few steps behind him.

The snake was little and covered in a black and white pattern. The snake bowed up and spewed its letters when it realized Kenneth had discovered himself. Kenneth felt like fleeing and had a horrible chill in his chest. He ignored Zhang Jue's advice to leave as soon as possible, thus it was already too late.

The snake shot pretty swiftly toward Kenneth. It had a small, anti-bow-shaped mouth that opened very widely. Kenneth could clearly see the razor-sharp teeth advancing for his throat. The MTF squad's leader Kenneth, whose reaction cannot be characterized as quick, nearly immediately lifted his arm and took defense.

A deadly snake, for example, won't listen to your arguments, and if the appropriate serum is not administered promptly after being bitten, the condition will quickly deteriorate.

Swish. The blade cutting through the air made that sound.

Kenneth removed his arm. Zhang Jue, who was carrying a lengthy, black sword, was somehow already in front of him. Under the moonlight and searchlight, the blade glinted with a chilly light. Kenneth was aware that Advisor Zhang would have likely been over if he hadn't arrived in time.

When Zhang Jue waved his long sword a few times and said, "Kenneth, you and your team members should retreat first, I'll play with her."

Zhang Jue would have withdrawn as soon as the order was given, without even posing a single question, if Will Smith had been there. But Kenneth wasn't Zhang Jue's immediate subordinate, and this was his first interaction with him, so he wasn't yet accustomed to his mannerisms.

One of those persons who could be slack and never work was Zhang Jue. Who the hell would want to be fighting and murdering on the front lines if he could be a big man behind the scenes? However, the adversary in front of us is too powerful; after all, he is one of the four saints of meat lust, thus this face must still be revealed.

Kenneth could only acknowledge that the strength gap between the opponent and the rest of the team was too vast after taking a glimpse at the viper that Zhang Jue's slash had severed.

I'm afraid the first thing they would have done if Advisor Zhang hadn't been there would have been to flee.

Kenneth waved his hand, "Everyone, alert each other and retreat with me!"

The members of the Yellow Warbler squad fled from this area of right and wrong while keeping their submachine guns at the ready. They turned around and returned to the tower above, where they reunited with Smith's Black Pearl team.

Zhang Jue was the sole one left in front of the launch well gate at this point. Sarn initially intended to disable the nuclear rocket in order to stop it from endangering her master, but as Zhang Jue identified him, he was left with "no choice" but to defend himself.

One could argue that he was compelled to respond by killing. Sarn, one of the Four Saints of Lust for Flesh, is not well known because the majority of witnesses to her strikes have passed away.

She could have easily decimated the entire site by herself, though, if Zhang Jue hadn't been present. If one were to consider the combat prowess of the other three Saints, one might definitely estimate her degree of strength.

After giving this some thought, Zhang Jue had to descend on his own. In an effort to find Sarn, the searchlights were still scouring the area. Zhang Jue was aware that they couldn't see it with their natural eyes, though. Sarn was known for its stealth and cunning, and since it was pitch-black, surrounded by grass, and had poor sight, they had both the time and the location.

Zhang Jue recalled Chen Xiao's suggestions.

"Attacking individuals comes after attacking the heart during a conflict between two sides. Only by accurately identifying which of your opponent's moves are feints and which are the actual kill moves will you be able to see the moves and finish them off in one blow!"

"So, Chen Xiao, how can I recognize feints from other techniques made by my opponent?"

"Your heart will be put to the test right now, not your sight."

Old Man Chen had passed away, his lessons were still fresh in his mind. Zhang Jue performed an unexpected action in front of the crowd. He averted his gaze.

...

Zhang Jue shut his eyes and felt the grass and breeze around him with his body. A little snake jumped out from behind his left side and lunged directly at his left hand, startling him. While he was observing the conflict from above, Kenneth's heart leaped into his throat.

Zhang Jue could make out the snake's motions in the shadows. He swung his sword sideways and split the snake in half. Two more snakes climbed into the air before the throng could sigh in relief.

Zhang Jue again split the two snakes in half, albeit it appeared as though he had eyes behind him. Thus, it appeared as though the grass at Zhang Jue's feet was a snake nest as more and more snakes began to assault him. However, Zhang Jue kept his eyes closed while tracing an invisible border around his body with his long knife.

A snake would cross this line, and the sword would sever its head. He moved with ease and spontaneity, much like a master of the martial arts.

Kenneth turned to face Zhang Jue as he felt a flash of appreciation well up inside him. Had Advisor Zhang not shown up, he likely wouldn't have known how to die and probably wouldn't have finished the task.

Zhang Jue was aware of his surroundings. The grass and trees around him seemed to be imprinted in his consciousness even though his eyes were closed. Although he wasn't actually exhausted after fighting those fearsome deadly snakes, it appeared that he was.

He had only one goal throughout his entire journey, and that was to locate Sarn. The gap between the two parties is clearly not too great considering that she was able to persuade the viper to attack her.

The snakes' attack did not at all lessen and actually continued to intensify. Zhang Jue severed the venomous snakes, and when he did, they instantly transformed into a strange-looking black smoke.

However, Zhang Jue's defense was likewise impenetrable, thus it appeared as though the two sides could circle for some time. But the subsequent event made everyone tense up for him.

A little snake emerged from the dirt beneath his feet, out of sight of everyone. It moved up to Zhang Jue's feet in a calm motion, unlike other venomous snakes that would have attacked his neck and arms.

The small snake was getting ready to lay its mouth before anyone could detect it because it had already crawled up his calf and opened its mouth. Zhang Jue also noticed it and raised his sword to quickly slice off its head.

However, it was this one that broke in support of him. Zhang Jue's rhythm was successfully disturbed when several vipers advanced. He started to back away in defeat.

"Let's go down and support Advisor Zhang, Captain Smith!"

Since the beginning of the war, Smith had been observing icily. He was just as worried as Kenneth, but he was more accustomed to Zhang Jue's manner.

"Until Advisor Zhang gives the order, I won't do anything." Smith added, "I hope you do the same."

Smith had complete faith in Zhang Jue's power, thus he ventured to utter such comments. Zhang Jue admired him in part because of his way of making decisions. Smith was correct, and as Kenneth saw him, he knew it.

They surely wouldn't last a minute if they collapsed. Advisor Zhang was facing the nuclear silo, making it difficult for him to use heavy weapons beneath the cast. Kenneth continued to display signs of anxiety, so Smith continued.

"You must put your faith in Advisor Zhang, Captain Kenneth. His strength is unquestionably much greater than what you believe it to be."

As Zhang Jue was being pushed into a certain corner, he abruptly pivoted his body and sliced down at a huge boulder nearby, appearing to substantiate Smith's comments.

Zhang Jue was holding a long sword that was an unidentified divine weapon and was able to use it to slice through a forty-meter-long astral wind.

But he was unable to. After years of practice, he discovered that his blade could only reach roughly two meters before losing its ability to kill. But this two-meter separation was plenty.

Zhang Jue had earlier struggled and fled in preparation for this. Sarn appeared to be commanding the vipers from atop this boulder, in his perception. Indeed, the boulder split in half after Zhang Jue's slash, and the vipers all vanished.

Zhang Jue opened his eyes in response to a muted grunt and saw Sarn covering what appeared to be an injured arm.

"Who in the world are you?" Since joining the Sarkic Cults and inheriting her master's power, Sarn frowned; she had never experienced such a severe injury.

Liking his lips, Zhang Jue grinned ferociously. "Are you curious? I prefer not to tell you."

...

Other than Sarn, Kenneth was the one who was most startled when Zhang Jue abruptly slashed at the boulder.

It wasn't until then that he understood that the original advisor Zhang's strategy was to locate the original body of the opposing side, as he had previously just exposed the enemy's weakness and purposefully sold a break to the other side.

As Will Smith and cousin Varengus noted, this consultant Zhang is not only physically strong but also has a delicate intellect. As a result, when they engaged in combat, success or defeat may occur at any time.

He peered over to the Smith seated next to him only to notice that the opposite side continued to appear composed, as if the consultant Zhang had made no changes that would go against his expectations. Even Advisor Zhang's soldiers are excellent, Kenneth moaned inwardly.

Kenneth was unaware of the reason behind it because Smith, who worked for Zhang Jue, was accustomed to situations of this nature, making him more stunned and numbed. He wouldn't be shocked even if someone revealed to him the following day that Advisor Zhang genuinely had more than twenty wives, twelve mistresses, and one hundred boys.

Some others found it difficult to understand why Zane wanted to fight Zhang Jue until he died and was just unaware of these minute issues when they saw this.

Shoot the man first, then go after the thief. Sarn is still aware of this after so many years of deceit and intrigue. She could tell Zhang Jue was their main support system.

There was no need to even bother; as long as Zhang Jue was murdered, the others would be vanquished without a struggle. At their level, they were unwilling to engage in combat with common minions, like Zhang Jue. However, Zhang Jue had fully outraged her this time.

"I'm going to kill you."

Sarn bowed her head slightly and fixed a somber gaze on Zhang Jue in the moonlight. These words were all the more heartbreaking coming from a teenage girl. Who knew Zhang Jue was impatiently waving his hand.

"Since I've entered this planet, I've heard this not a thousand times, but eight hundred times, so I'll get rid of you once."

Zhang Jue's provocative magic would have been of little help to someone like Sarn, but now that she was hurt, she appeared to have gone insane.

She clasped her hands and prayed, "Lord, grant me strength."

After Sarn had finished the spell, a red light that was beaming on her body had plummeted from the heavens.

Sarn's body grew dramatically in the moonlight, and in a matter of seconds, it changed from a small child into a monster. A huge serpent then materialized over the empty area in front of the launching well.

Zhang Jue gasped as he took in the scene in front of him.

"O' Great Snake, it looks like your pet has gone astray. Please come and bring it home."

Only having time to spit out such a phrase that no one else could understand, he shouted, "Smith! Kenneth! Take your men and get out! Get as far away as you can!"

The gigantic snake's tail swung out at Zhang Jue before his words could be heard. Zhang Jue was unable to avoid the massive snake's tail because of the extreme size disparity between the two sides.

Zhang Jue couldn't get under control as the snake's tail continued to drag, slamming him against the wall outside the launch shaft. The enormous serpent had already struck once and had no intention of allowing Zhang Jue a chance to respond.

Once more swinging its snake tail, it struck Zhang Jue. The nuclear silo was unable to survive such a strike due to its excessive force and crashed to the ground. On the other hand, Zhang Jue was buried beneath the debris, his life and demise unclear.