Chapter 361: The Beginning of a Nightmare

As they said, when cornered, even a dog would leap over a wall.

The Jialington Group had spared no cost to deal with him. They even revealed such a massive secret base.

Wang Sheng could not help but feel a strange sense of respect. He intended to repay them in equal measure.

After slipping into the base unnoticed, he clung to the mountain wall and waited. He still hadn't released his spiritual perception, yet with a mental command, the entire structure inside the mountain still appeared in his mind, with him at the center.

The images were not as detailed as paintings. The people only appeared as silhouettes, too, but he could immediately gauge their strength.

On the left side of the mountain wall was a ventilation shaft. Following it would lead him deeper into the base.

Considering the hangars and armories below were heavily guarded, breaking in by force would be the most stupid plan. He'd only expose himself once he had destroyed the nuclear warheads. Unless he encountered an ancient vampire prince or someone equally powerful and was confident of taking them out in one blow, he would stay hidden.

The experts of the Dark Faction were gathered above, most likely in a meeting. Wang Sheng grew lively as one bold idea after another flitted through his mind.

Detonating the nuclear warheads inside the mountain would annihilate all of them, wouldn't it?

His lips twitched. He quickly buried the thought, deciding to take things one step at a time.

If only he had learned how to dismantle or reconfigure a nuclear device in high school. Unfortunately, he wasn't in a science fiction film where someone could just hammer on a keyboard and solve thousands of lines of code in minutes.

The detonation system of such a weapon had to be flawless. To use the enemy's nuclear warheads against them was unrealistic.

The shaft was narrow. Wang Sheng had to suck in his gut and squeeze in headfirst before he finally managed to slip inside and begin his exploration of the vast mountain structure.

Jialington's bases were known for their weapons research laboratories. Still, the scale and scope of this one made the laboratory under Sakura Island look like a village office compared to a company's headquarters.

He crawled through the ducts for more than ten minutes, finding the storage site of two devilish swords and a powerful, elderly woman meditating alone. Though tempted to make a move several times, he successfully restrained himself.

Wang Sheng also saw the demon-masked man from the video. A powerful killing intent within him, but he forced it down.

The man was only as strong as an early Golden Core Realm cultivator. Despite seeming somewhat similar to the Daoists', he followed a different cultivation system. Wang Sheng was almost certain that the man was a remnant of the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect.

Well aware that impatience in small matters could disrupt the bigger picture, he kept searching for the nuclear warheads. In a remote part of the base, he slipped out of the ducts. Thanks to Yaoyun and the invisibility talisman, he easily bypassed guards and surveillance. He even walked directly past cultivators at times, yet they still appeared none the wiser.

Ten more minutes passed. Thirty minutes had passed since he infiltrated the base, yet he still hadn't found what he was looking for. It wasn't all for naught, though. He had identified most of the strong combatants, discovered hidden exits, and glimpsed many of Jialington's secret weapons.

Unfortunately, the longer this dragged on, the greater the chance of Shi Qianzhang and the others being exposed. He had to find a way to obtain exact intel on the nuclear warheads. The language barrier was making it difficult, though. Everyone spoke in a foreign language, each with its own accent. Even if he overheard a keyword, he wouldn't even notice it.

"

Why not capture a few and interrogate them?

" Yaoyun telepathically asked.

Wang Sheng frowned slightly. "

That would be no different from exposing myself.

"

"

I have a technique that may be worth trying...

"

While leaning against the wall and listening carefully, he came up with an idea. "

Can you find where the non-cultivators are gathered, preferably a resting place?

"

"

There are several rooms for mortals to sleep in just up ahead. About half of them are occupied.

"

Wang Sheng's eyes shone. "

Considering it's the middle of the night, it's only normal for them to be asleep. Look for older ones with thinning hair and special treatment. They'll probably be in single rooms. The higher their status in the Jialington Group, the better.

"

Yaoyun laughed softly and soon plotted a path for him.

Wang Sheng stayed close to the walls as he quickly made his way over to their target. Instead of barging in recklessly, he avoided surveillance and guards whenever possible. He also constantly checked the effect of his talisman.

A few minutes later, he slipped into the luxurious quarters of the base and locked onto a snoring elderly man with white hair. Using Spiritless, he silently cut through the alloy walls. He had already examined them carefully; they were just sturdy metal plates.

Wang Sheng slipped inside and sealed the cut seamlessly. He then looked around the spacious suite before entering the bedroom, finding the old man on the bed.

Heeding Yaoyun's guidance, he pressed Spiritless's tip against the man's forehead. A stream of light entered, and Yaoyun began searching through the man's soul, making images appear in Wang Sheng's mind. Soon, he saw disturbing scenes that identified the old man as one of the Human Modification Project's joint initiators. He was undoubtedly important.

After half a minute, Wang Sheng withdrew Spiritless and stood silently beside the bed.

The Jialington Group did have two nuclear warheads. Dami's military had "gifted" them to the group as a trump card against the Heavenly Tribulation Wielder. Moreover, both had been delivered to the base just hours earlier.

From the old man's memory, Wang Sheng only found one of the nuclear warheads. It was mounted on the missile in Missile Silo Sixteen. However, he also learned the rough outline of their plan.

The first part matched what he had already guessed: the Dark Faction had taken hostages to lure him here. The moment he came to save them, they would welcome him with the embrace of nuclear fire. The base itself could withstand a million-ton blast. If one warhead failed to kill Wang Sheng, the Dark Faction experts hidden in the base would immediately try to finish him off at the foot of the mountain.

Afterward, they would hide once more to ambush the enraged cultivators of the Hua Republic. When they arrived, the second warhead would either kill or weaken them before the final confrontation. If the Dark Faction succeeded, the Hua Republic's cultivation world would be gravely wounded.

The Dark Faction would then move on to the next phase. They would frame the Hua Republic for using unconventional weapons, rallying as many neutral forces as possible into a full assault.

Wang Sheng snorted coldly. "

What do they think Daoists are? Idiots?

"

He was about to kill the old man when he remembered that the man could be linked to devices monitoring his condition. Hence, he instead used Spiritless to leave a strand of Pure Yang Enchanted Power on his forehead, allowing him to end the old man with a thought whenever he wished.

Missile Silo Sixteen...

Wang Sheng closed his eyes and concentrated. Spiritless glimmered faintly, and he soon located the shaft. He immediately retraced his steps and made his way to his target, swiftly and skillfully avoiding guards and cameras on the way.

He was determined. Even if his cover was blown, the nuclear warhead had to be destroyed immediately. However, when he was only two corridors away, he came across an unexpected delight: the demon-masked man of the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect was hurrying toward the launch facility with over a dozen men and women in camouflage suits.

It was a truly fortunate coincidence.

Wang Sheng slowed down, letting them go ahead. Once they reached the launch facility, he appeared at the entrance of another passage, still completely hidden.

He had a clear view of the busy people around the silo. Two began recording, and the demon-masked man smirked coldly. The nuclear warhead became the backdrop of their video.

Seconds later, the demon-masked man began speaking in the Hua Republic language. The words made Wang Sheng's lips twitch.

"You've run out of time, Wang Sheng. I'm truly disappointed in you. How could you call yourself a righteous cultivator when you've just abandoned thousands of the Hua Republic citizens? Is this the Great Dao you pursue? So be it. I shall now draw the first ten lucky people to bear witness to your cowardice."

The speech stopped, and the recording paused. It was as though they were only filming material.

Then, the demon-masked man cleared his throat and started another take.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"I have more than three thousand people here to keep me entertained. My patience has its limits, though. If you still refuse to show up, I may increase the number of lucky participants with each round.

"Does your Dao of the Sword allow you to be this cowardly, Wang Sheng? Where is the hot-blooded spirit you once showed when you forced your way into the Devil-Sealing Well and fought Rufeng to the death? I can't help but look down on the man you've become today."

Look down on me?

Wang Sheng was only ten meters away, yet he still chose to stay hidden and advance cautiously.

He merged with the shadows, silently awaiting the moment for the slaughter to begin.

***

In the small grove, Shi Qianzhang, still donning a wig for disguise, could no longer hold himself back. "It's been more than an hour already. Why hasn't he contacted us yet? Maybe Brother Sheng ran into trouble. Has anyone asked the investigation unit?"

"We've asked. There is still no news from the Aukuili Mountains. Fei Yu has seemingly vanished into thin air," Liu Yunzhi answered softly.

"We should prepare to move," Huai Jing said. "The one hour they gave us is nearly up."

Shi Qianzhang muttered, "Will they really start killing the hostages?"

"Most likely." Huai Jing sighed. The monk gazed up to the northern sky. He chanted Buddhist scriptures as he waited for the investigation unit's orders.