Chapter – 168 - Trapping-Killer Array

Zenoba frowned as he watched his disciple stumbling through the thick bushes, making his way towards him. Even at a distance, the scarlet blood soaking his clothes and the deep wounds across his chest, abdomen and head. Even though he could sense the wound wasn't life threatening, he was bleeding to badly.

Zenoba was still debating on whether to go closer to his disciple or not. On one hand he wanted to know what had happened, and where were the others. But the blood splattering everywhere made his disgusted. He was particularly finicky about getting dirty. He was very proficient in mind control especially because he hated getting blood and dirt on his clothes and body. Mind control could destroy a person completely and without shedding any blood.

As he was thinking, Ganombi tottered while trying to grasp onto a thick root near him. But he failed to hold on and fell heavily on the ground. Realising that his disciple wasn't going to be able to make his way to him, and might even faint before saying anything, Zenoba frowned in disdain while moving forward.

He could probably enter his disciple's mind, but this one had always been too uncomfortable and guarded, making it difficult for him to achieve anything smoothly. And if he forced too much, he could make his disciple retarded. No....Ganombi was still useful, and he didn't wish to get rid of him this soon.

Keeping a distance, Zenoba gathered his cloak close to his body as he knelt down. Ganombi's face looked very pale, streams of sweat running down his face and neck, and he seemed to be muttering something under his breath. At first the boy didn't even react to his Masters call. When he did, his voice was too low and broken.

Zenoba breathed out in exasperation. He looked around. There was no energy of the other disciples in the vicinity. Either they had moved too far away....or they were dead. Zenoba frowned. How could a single Foundation Laying cultivator and a commoner kill over ten Foundation Laying cultivators?!

Zenoba bent down, leaning closer to Ganombi's mouth. He wasn't going to make a decision till he knew what exactly had happened within the forest.

"Tool...she has.....tool.....special tool..."

Zenoba frowned more in exasperation. It was exactly the same as last time. Just what kind of a tool did this girl have which could take down over ten Foundation Laying cultivators at once?! He licked his lips unconsciously, as his eyes squinted to narrow slits. No matter what it was....it had definitely caught his attention. Seemed like he needed to take action himself. Once he had the girl, the tool would belong to him automatically.

Of course....what he would do to that girl....a dark smile slowly grew on his face and his eyes glinted with a malicious light. If she had come willingly, he would have tried to be kind to her. But now.....he was going to have his fun breaking this brat physically, mentally, emotionally...and then he would burn away her very soul!

"All the disciples are hurt...they ambushed us.....me too.....Master....I could not....."

He glanced at Ganombi who seemed to have fainted due to blood loss. Turning his head, he noticed that the older man accompanying the two kids had disappeared. Ganombi's return must have alerted him. Never mind. He was a stage lower than him, and with his Mental Ability, he was going to break down his mind before killing him off. Since they were friends of that girl, he would torture and kill them before her eyes, before dragging her back to his sect.

Zenoba was in a highly excited mood, and the various thoughts running through his mind made him distracted, or he might have noticed the light silver powder wrapped in deep purple light slowly seeping in through skin.

The very fine dust was almost untraceable due to the purple energy, and entered through the pores, wherever there were no clothes covering his skin. Neck, hands, legs...silently, unnoticed, the dust immersed itself into the body, blending into the blood and instantly spreading out throughout the body, to every part.

Zenoba only paused for a bit to think about whether to follow and complete this task or not. The boy could cultivate, and the older man must have also reached their side by now. Moreover that girl too had some strange tool.

But he was but deep down his anger was rising. He couldn't take this insult. He was a Sect Leader. How could he fall at the hands of a mere commoner woman! Moreover that woman had not only escaped him again and again, but she also dared to hurt his disciples every single time! What respect and authority could he retain after being humiliated by her once again!

The more he thought, the more angry he felt, his anger slowly overtaking his common sense and emotional stability. If he had been normal, he probably would have wondered what was wrong with him. But in his current heightened state of excitement and anger, he couldn't sense anything wrong with him.

He failed to see the abnormal way his emotions were spiraling out of his control. He was slowly moving into berserk mode.

Zenoba stood up and swiftly made his way through the thick bushes towards the path from which Ganombi had just come. As he made his way out into the small clearing beyond it, he paused to stare at the completely empty place with cautiousness. Because he couldn't trace any aura of any of the three people beyond this point!

Even in his angry state he could realize that something was wrong. Even with his high sense of Mental Powers, he couldn't even find a wisp of energy of any of them. Which was too suspicious. Did they also possess some special tool for hiding their aura?

He tried to curb his anger, trying to think his next step. Since he couldn't find any trace, it would be difficult to follow them. Moreover, except Ganombi, who was currently unconscious, all the rest of his disciples had disappeared. Should he return back to the main group and wait for another opportunity? Or should he return back to his sect and come back after finding some more powerful cultivators. He could also temporarily make a deal with some of the cultivators in the main group...but would he then have to share the girl with them?!.....He was not willing.

Zenoba was still pondering on what to do next when he sensed numerous strong streams of energy attacking him from all sides. There were too many, and they surrounded him, leaving no path of escape. Sensing the familiar energy of the young boy and the man accompanying that girl, his temper, which had been cooling down, instantly exploded.

"Hmph! You take me too lightly. Even if you add on the girl's energy tool, you three are still no match for me!"

A stream of greyish-blue energy wrapped itself around his body, and a translucent, plasma-like shell formed all around him. Every stream of energy which hit him, were instantly rebounded off this plasma shell towards the attacker. Moreover, this shell could even heighten the power and speed of the incoming energy streams.

Waves of green and yellow energy kept rebounding off the outer surface of the shell. The surrounding bushes were burning, even some of the smaller trees exploded. Unable to hide from the onslaught, Uncle Yaoi and Artreya had to come out of their hiding places.

Zenoba was stronger than both of them combined, and right now he had almost reached his berserk state. The two could only parry the attacks, struggling to escape the random shower of energy missiles.

They could only hope that Rihanna's method was going to work.

Uncle Yaoi and Artreya had attacked from two different directions. Zenoba was concentrating on both at the same time, hence he had placed himself at one place to be able to attack both with his mental ability.

Dark grey streams of energy mixed into his metal-fire energy missiles, targeting the minds of the two people. Since Uncle Yaoi and Artreya were both too focused on moving all around in order not to get hit by the missiles, they failed to keep a track of all the gray energy streams moving towards them. Some they managed to parry, but a few still evaded their senses and entered their mind.

For a moment both of the men felt their mind turning dark. Their body started turning sluggish, and they could barely control their movements anymore. A sinister and searing energy was trying to force its way inside their brains, and they felt as if their entire mind was about to explode.

Artreya being weaker, felt his body starting to convulse, and he could no longer remember who he was or what he was doing. Raising both hands he grabbed his head, wanting to tear it apart to ease the pain.

Uncle Yaoi was still trying to fight against the growing darkness. Already he couldn't see anything before him, and the energy missiles hit him relentlessly. Fighting against the dizziness and growing headache, he tried putting up an earth barrier.

Zenoba could feel the two people whose minds were slowly crumbling under his pressure. A maniacal sense of achievement gripped his heart, as his lips turned upwards into a mad smirk. Sensing the older man trying to build a barrier, he unleashed more grey energy, attacking his mind with renewed vigor.

"Girl!.....Where are you hiding? Come.....come and see how I squash the life out of your two friends! I will have you watch as I break apart their minds, rip out their souls and then burn them to dust. And then I will drag you back to my sect and use every piece of you to my satisfaction. Your body, your blood, your flesh....everything I will devour, and not even leave your bones behind! Come out and watch!! You should have come to me happily and been grateful when I gave the offer the first time! Now I will make you regret!"

"You should first have the power before you talk. Today will be the last day you exist in this world. And I will not leave you alive to even regret!"

A dazzling golden wave of energy flickered all around Zenoba, and a huge silver-gold energy sphere rapidly grew from the ground, completely enclosing him within it. And with the barrier forming all around him, his energy streams were instantly locked within the sphere, losing their connection with both the men who were still stumbling outside the golden orb.