Chapter 173: Three Great Fate Patterns

When the sky leaked, Xu Yuan had already used this fate pattern to withstand the Forbidden Secret of Hidden Listening, and only dared to act once he was certain.

Xu Yuan guided the fire in his belly to his ears.

Hoo—

Within the flames, the dense network of blood vessels and that blood blister were instantly burned to ash.

Xu Yuan yanked off the red-wood and brass earplug.

From within this craft object, dozens of black hooks like insect legs emerged, tearing at Xu Yuan's ear and refusing to let go!

This craft object was becoming somewhat uncontrollable.

Xu Yuan spun his sword pill, slicing the earplug into seven or eight pieces!

In the courtyard, a sharp shout suddenly rang out: "Who goes there?!"

This commotion had already alerted the people inside.

Xu Yuan waved his hand; Shi Bading was the first to soar into the air, performing a hawk's somersault over the courtyard wall, then crashing down into the yard with a thud.

The instant he landed, he swung his great sword violently.

A three-zhang-long gray-white sword shadow shot out with a swish, passing straight through the body of the tofu seller.

Wu Mi: The Sword-in-Box Qi!

The tofu seller didn't even have time to scream; the two halves of the corpse fell apart, and internal organs and fresh blood splashed all over the ground!

The face he wore convulsed violently; the blood vessels behind it quickly burrowed into the flesh, instantly sucking the two halves of the corpse dry into mummies!

Not even the soul managed to escape.

Di Youzhi and Mao Dabin each led their men to flank from both sides, surrounding the entire courtyard.

Yu Yunhang kicked the door open and jumped inside with Lang Xiao Ba:

"The Purification Bureau is conducting an investigation!"

Xu Yuan still had a moment to spare; he used medicinal pills to treat the wound on his ear before finally stepping inside as the last one.

Looking again at "Qin Taichen," Xu Yuan could see he was a Craft Cultivator.

"This face is truly miraculous; not only can it disguise one's appearance as another person, but it can even mimic that person's 'fate'!"

Xu Yuan nodded in approval: "Is this the senior's Fate Technique?"

The Black Donkey stared fiercely at Xu Yuan: "Eight Directions Injury Sha? No wonder the Fourth couldn't resist tearing the face off; it turns out your fate pattern was at work!

But what does your other fate pattern, 'Bai Wu Jin Ji,' mean? I have never heard of it."

Moreover, he clearly saw the "Eight Directions Injury Sha," but could not comprehend this "Bai Wu Jin Ji."

Xu Yuan would not explain; he merely observed the Black Donkey's fate pattern.

Xu Yuan found only three fate patterns.

That meant this Black Donkey was merely a Seventh-Rank Fate Cultivator, so this skin was not a "Fate Technique."

The Fourth beside him pulled a cylinder from his sleeve, with a string attached to the back. He aimed the cylinder at Shi Bading and pulled the string:

Hoo—

A jet of flame shot out three zhang!

The Fourth tossed the cylinder aside; a rustling sound erupted from behind him, his clothes tore, and two strange devices extended from both sides of his shoulders.

Whoosh!

A thin line shot from the device on the left, wrapping around a large tree dozens of zhang away, then rapidly pulled the Fourth toward it.

From the device on the right, another thin line shot out, wrapping around the Black Donkey, intending to take him along as well.

Shi Bading's body vanished from the spot.

The terrifying flame struck nothing.

A Seventh-Rank Wu Xiu moves extremely fast; shifting half a zhang sideways to dodge the flame, he immediately swung his sword again.

"Sword-in-Box Qi" was unleashed once more, flying to sever the thin line wrapped around the tree.

An old eagle flew in from somewhere, coincidentally landing exactly on the path of the "Sword-in-Box Qi."

With a pained cry, the eagle was split in half.

But the "Sword-in-Box Qi" was blocked by this strike; the Fourth had already carried the Black Donkey past, so the Qi failed to cut the line, slicing past behind them and cleaving the tofu-grinding stone mill in two.

One half of the mill flew high into the air.

Xu Yuan's sword pill arrived just in time, aiming to pierce the Fourth's back, but with a hiss, it stabbed into the half of the millstone!

Enraged, Shi Bading roared, stomped his feet leaving two deep pits, and launched himself forward like an explosion.

Holding his great sword high above his head, he chased after the Fourth, ready to bring the blade down.

But by this moment, the Fourth and the Black Donkey had already soared into the air, reaching the outside of the courtyard wall.

Mao Dabin, stationed outside the wall to block them, immediately raised his firelock and, with great confidence, fired three shots at them overhead!

Mao Dabin was also a Craft Cultivator, but he was a "New Artisan."

This "Three-Eye Gun" was crafted by his own hands, even more exquisite than the one Xu Yuan had previously owned.

However, these three shots deviated, all heading toward the pursuing Shi Bading!

Shi Bading let out a strange cry and, relying on the "Copper Skin and Iron Bones" of a Seventh-Rank Wu Xiu, tanked the three shots!

The "Copper Skin" was breached, leaving three round blood holes on his body!

With a surge of strength, Shi Bading squeezed the three bullets out of the blood holes and angrily shouted: "Mao Dabin, what are you doing?!"

Mao Dabin was also stunned: the inaccuracy of firelocks was common knowledge.

But a firelock he crafted himself, with bullets he personally polished and poisoned, should not have such a massive deviation.

Wait!

Mao Dabin suddenly remembered: I poisoned these bullets!

Shi Bading watched helplessly as he forced the bullet out; from the three bloody holes, the flowing fresh blood turned purple-black, and he couldn't help but curse again: "Mao Dabin, you dog-born bastard, so ruthless!"

Mao Dabin tossed a porcelain bottle in: "My lord, please take this to counter the poison. Your subordinate will go pursue the criminal."

Inside and outside the courtyard, everyone in the Purification Bureau frowned repeatedly.

They had clearly surrounded the human traffickers and held a dominant advantage; how had it turned into such a chaotic mess in an instant?

Xu Yuan frowned deeply, having already seen the three fate patterns on the black donkey:

The first: "Chickens and Dogs Sacrificed to Heaven."

All living beings nearby could be turned into sacrificial offerings to exchange for fortune with some existence in the void.

The closer the relationship, the stronger the fortune.

The second: "A Thousand Faces in the Mortal World."

Become whoever you pretend to be, inheriting everything of the person you impersonate.

As long as one is in the mortal world, it is like a drop of water hidden in the sea of people.

The third: "Beasts as the Dao."

If one does not act as a human, one can resort to any means necessary.

All abilities are greatly enhanced.

"No wonder a respectable Seventh-Rank Fate Cultivator did not cultivate diligently in those great clans, but instead fell to the state of fleeing for his life on the Jianghu."

Xu Yuan himself was a Fate Cultivator and understood that this "Chickens and Dogs Sacrificed to Heaven" was likely the first fate pattern automatically awakened after the black donkey's Fate Cultivator entered the path.

This fate pattern meant that no faction would be willing to cultivate him.

When truly at a critical moment, this fellow would definitely sacrifice everyone around him directly!

And the combination of "Chickens and Dogs Sacrificed to Heaven" and "Beasts as the Dao" made his luck unbelievably good.

"This fellow is truly ruthless to himself; for this fate pattern, he directly disguised himself as a donkey!"

"But who did he sacrifice for this 'Chickens and Dogs Sacrificed to Heaven'? Just Old Four alone is probably insufficient to reach such a level."

Not only Xu Yuan, but everyone in the Purification Bureau had already seen clearly: Old Four's seven orifices were all beginning to bleed!

His whole body trembled, and he could no longer control his own Craft Objects.

Old Four had not been injured until now.

He had, of course, been sacrificed by the black donkey.

Watching Old Four reach his limit, the black donkey suddenly stuck out its tongue.

A small knife was curled on the tongue, which skillfully sliced across Old Four's face!

Old Four's facial skin was peeled off and draped over the black donkey's face.

Countless scarlet flesh tendrils connected the human face and the donkey face.

All of Old Four's Craft Objects automatically transferred onto the black donkey.

A faceless body, from which everything had been stolen, crashed to the ground with a thud.

(End of this chapter)