Chapter 2866: Kneel Down
The Hundred Forest Society's attempt to avenge their companions had failed, and instead they had lost several of their own. As for the targets they wanted to kill, Xu Huo and the short old man were completely unharmed.
Of course, being besieged by so many people was still very taxing for the short old man, so when both sides separated to occupy different buildings as cover, he came over to Xu Huo's side, trying to persuade Wang Xin and the others to cooperate with him.
The Sparrow naturally refused, "Wasn't that person from the Hundred Forest Society killed by you? If I cooperate with you, I'm afraid I'll inexplicably break the rules too."
The short old man narrowed his eyes, "Little girl, I have no enmity with you, yet you keep targeting me."
"On the train, it was you who poisoned those dozen-plus players, and in the end, I was the one who helped you. I won't mention that you should remember my assistance, but repaying kindness with such enmity—don't you feel guilty?"
Poisoning over a dozen A-rank players sounded like a fantasy. There were only so many ways to administer poison; it was normal for one or two people to fail to guard against it, but poisoning over a dozen people simultaneously on a train was truly horrifying.
Wang Xin and the others involuntarily distanced themselves from the Sparrow.
"Get your facts straight," the Sparrow said coldly. "I didn't poison them. They were already poisoned themselves. I only offered them a possibility of detoxification. They bought the antidote themselves and took it themselves. The toxicity changed and they died—what does that have to do with me?"
"I've always said that sanctimonious people like you are the most detestable. You talk better than anyone, but nothing good ever comes to those who associate with you."
"Your spiritual power is so strong. Who else but you could make others voluntarily break the rules?"
"How could that be?" The short old man looked at Xu Huo. "Isn't he also a Mental Evolver?"
This was quite unexpected, as Xu Huo had always displayed Spatial Evolution power.
"You came on the same train, in the same car. If you hadn't gotten some idea of his background, would you dare to ask him for help?" The old man said meaningfully. "Or are you trying to mislead others with this method?"
Xu Huo finally turned around, looking at him and asking, "What is your purpose in coming here?"
The short old man seemed not to understand his meaning and didn't answer, but his expression clearly showed he didn't comprehend.
"Forget it." In the span of a single sentence, Xu Huo had lost interest in pressing further. He added, "Your Mental Evolution looks quite interesting."
The short old man sensed the provocation in his words and gave a faint, ambiguous smile. "More than one person has said that to me before."
Xu Huo caught his subtext. "And they all died at your hands later, right?"
The old man laughed outright. "They all committed suicide."
"The last Mental Evolver I saw who liked making people commit suicide was Dou Shengnan." Xu Huo also smiled. The next second, he flashed in front of the old man, but instead of attacking him, he raised his hand and tapped a concentrated mass of spatial power that suddenly appeared on the wall beside them. A spatial portal opened, and as he leaned into it, he added, "I'd like to see who's stronger—you or Dou Shengnan."
The old man was very confident in himself and followed without hesitation.
"Arranging a fight so naturally?" Yue Yan'er made a witty remark.
But Wang Xin and the others, as well as the Hundred Forest Society members, remained silent and didn't try to follow. Through the previous exchange, they all realized that these two were definitely powerhouses among A-ranks. Rather than joining the excitement, they preferred to see both sides suffer heavy losses—ideally killing each other.
Mutual destruction was clearly impossible; neither Xu Huo nor the short old man had that intention.
As soon as they stepped into another layer of space, the latter's spiritual world unfolded. Spiritual power covered the entire instance site. The short old man seemed to instantly create countless doppelgangers—in front of Xu Huo, at the end of the corridor, on other floors, even outside the windows. These figures were indistinguishable from reality, each one exceptionally lifelike.
It was difficult to tell them apart with the naked eye. The short old man was also highly skilled in this regard. Even for players with keen senses who weren't Mental Evolvers, they could usually identify the main body by the strength of the power. This was even more true for fellow Mental Evolvers. But the short old man seemed to have a shell of spiritual power wrapped around him. The power intensity on each figure was equivalent, all appearing weak, making it impossible to discern where he actually was.
This was a delicate craft.
But any power, when strong enough, could interfere with others. No matter how many doppelgangers he created, Xu Huo could control spatial power and indiscriminately kill these shadows. One of them would inevitably be unkillable.
Perhaps not expecting that Xu Huo could instantly break through his painstakingly created doppelgangers, the short old man dodged under the attack of the Space Blade while simultaneously releasing multiple miniature jamming devices. With the spatial power obstruction removed, he tried to end the fight quickly. Spiritual materializations surged from all directions, twisting like a storm, trapping Xu Huo within.
Xu Huo turned to follow the short old man's movement. As he walked, white spiritual power flowed out, forming a sphere that wrapped around his body. Within a few steps, the white materialization pushed away all the black materializations, driving them back along the corridor floor and walls.
Both sides' spiritual powers materialized into physical combat, but compared to the short old man's all-out effort, Xu Huo appeared much more relaxed. He strolled along the corridor as if taking a leisurely walk, then followed the stairs downward, as if chasing or simply shifting the battlefield.
The instance site was within the short old man's spiritual world, while Xu Huo's spiritual power only encompassed the few meters around him as he moved. It seemed as if he was suppressed and unable to expand his own spiritual world.
But it wasn't until he reached the ground floor and entered the open courtyard that the short old man realized something was wrong. If his spiritual world was so restricted that it couldn't expand, then Xu Huo shouldn't be acting so calmly. He should be in great pain from the mental suppression!
His reaction wasn't slow, but the instance site was too small, and the distance between them wasn't far. When Xu Huo maximized the release of his "Mirror Space," the previously lively old man instantly froze in place. His expression twisted uncontrollably, his entire body convulsing in agony.
The fact that he hadn't collapsed directly from the overwhelming spiritual pressure meant he had some skill.
After appreciating the other's suffering, Xu Huo's expression turned cold, and he issued his first command:
"Kneel down."
The short old man's eyes suddenly bulged, but under the intense struggle of spiritual power, he couldn't resist. Even if his reason forbade it, his brain still accepted the command. His knees bent, and he knelt to the ground!
The stone floor let out a "thud." The old man struggled to lift his head, his features twisted and deformed from the effort. He glared furiously at Xu Huo, but couldn't stand up. He could only watch as this young man walked up to him, slightly bent down, and asked:
"Who sent you here?"