Chapter 676 - 209: The Battle Begins

After a few moments of screaming, their bodies began to radiate an aura of decay.

Then, they lowered their heads, their expressions turning wooden.

If it weren’t for the life force still emanating from them, one might have mistaken them for corpses.

The members of the Observatory drew their Weapons, ready for battle. A grave expression appeared on every face.

Shen Bai scanned his surroundings but found nothing out of the ordinary.

Even under the full scope of his Void-breaking Red Eye, he saw no sign of any enemies.

"What’s going on?"

Witnessing this unfold, Shen Bai turned to Ding Quan beside him and asked.

He had only asked instinctively, but to his surprise, Ding Quan’s grave expression held a flicker of realization, as if he actually knew what was happening.

Shen Bai took note of his reaction.

’I asked the right person,’ Shen Bai thought.

Before Shen Bai could say another word, Ding Quan spoke cautiously, providing an answer.

"Lord Shen, this seems to be a new invention from the Xinhua Academy. They call it the Heart Inquiry Technique."

"The Heart Inquiry Technique? What is that?" Shen Bai asked.

Ding Quan explained, "The Heart Inquiry Technique forces one into a state of questioning the heart through power. It’s not an illusion, but something that exists between reality and falsehood. Within this state, a person of equal power appears. This person, in both strength and technique, is identical to us—a copy, so to speak."

"A copy?"

Shen Bai raised an eyebrow. "So, we have to fight copies of ourselves? This Heart Inquiry Technique is certainly interesting."

It wasn’t surprising that Ding Quan knew about this.

After all, the major powers were deeply intertwined and had spies everywhere.

If the Observatory couldn’t even gather this kind of intelligence, how could it possibly fight the Demonic Forces?

Although Ding Quan’s explanation of the Heart Inquiry Technique was simple and clear, Shen Bai still didn’t know what would happen next.

Ding Quan continued, "The Heart Inquiry Technique requires people of resolute body and mind to activate. These soldiers before us are all battle-hardened and steadfast, making them better suited for this than ordinary Cultivators."

"Though they lack great power, their collective mental fortitude is enough to fuel the Heart Inquiry Technique. Lord Shen, you must be careful."

"It’s said that the enemies created by the Heart Inquiry Technique, despite possessing all our same abilities, are much harder to defeat."

"Why?" Shen Bai asked.

The dark clouds in the sky continued to gather.

While he and Ding Quan spoke, Shen Bai had tried unleashing several blasts of Sword Qi, but to no effect.

It was just as Ding Quan had said; they would probably have to break the Heart Inquiry Technique itself.

Ding Quan continued, "The reason we are human is because we have humanity."

"With humanity, even when we attack, we’re unable to perform at our absolute peak. But without humanity, every single move is executed to its absolute limit."

It was a difficult concept to explain, but it was the truth.

Shen Bai only needed to know the outcome. He wasn’t concerned with the principles behind it.

The result was clear: the Heart Inquiry Technique created copies that were stronger than the originals.

At this thought, a flicker of anticipation rose within Shen Bai.

But just then, something struck Shen Bai as not quite right.

’If that’s true, why did they use a feint to divide our forces?’

The Heart Inquiry Technique creates copies of its targets.

By that logic, it wouldn’t matter how many members of the Observatory showed up; they would all be neutralized by the technique.

’So why did the enemy trick me into bringing fewer people?’

The more Shen Bai thought about it, the more he felt that something was off.

Just then, the anomaly appeared.

A figure materialized in mid-air, its form shifting from blurry to clear.

Following the appearance of this first figure, more and more people materialized in the air beside it.

At the same time, the dark clouds in the sky finally coalesced into a distinct shape.

It was a colossal character for "Question," so vast it blotted out the sky, its edges reaching beyond sight.

Wen Jing looked at Shen Bai and laughed. "You finally fell for it, Lord Shen. Today, we’ve come to invite you to your death."

Shen Bai didn’t recognize the man, but he could see the madness in his eyes and knew he must be a member of the Xinhua Academy.

The Gold Token at his waist was especially conspicuous, marking his status.

After speaking, Wen Jing seemed to read Shen Bai’s thoughts. Like a victor, he continued arrogantly.

"Lord Shen, you must be wondering why we’d bother splitting your Observatory forces in two when we have the Heart Inquiry Technique."

"It’s quite simple, really. The Heart Inquiry Technique cannot handle that many people at once."

"Besides, we want more than just your life, Lord Shen. We want the complete annihilation of the Observatory in Lingyun Dao, the death of the Marquis of Ren De and Zhang Dao Ling, and for all of Lingyun Dao to become a city of the dead."