"Since you all speak thus, I'll dispense with beating around the bush."
General Pan Yong stated.
Suddenly, a screen of light emerged from the void.
On it appeared rows of text displaying the names and appearances of ten Evolvers.
"These ten Evolvers, based on myriad pieces of information, are those we deduced to be most likely to be Shisan's true identity," said General Pan Yong.
Other presences turned their attention toward the screen.
The ten Evolvers on the screen were all members of the Red Kun Lineage.
The last of them shockingly was a male member of the Tri-Eye Clan.
As for the first nine, they were Evolvers who had shown remarkable performance in the past Chikun Star Lord trials.
Primarily, they focused on Red Pattern Evolvers.
"General Pan Yong, just showing us these lists isn't of much use,"
"Indubitably, most of these Evolvers are hidden on Chikun Main Star, how can we get to them?"
"Even if we recklessly kill one, the others will surely become alerted, making it even harder to act,"
The other presences furrowed their brows, expressing their perplexity.
"There's no need for you to act."
General Pan Yong remained unflinching in his tone.
"One of our members, proficient in the Curse-Killing Skill, is willing to sacrifice a thousand years of life to execute it,"
General Pan Yong continued.
The Curse-Killing Skill involves a special application of the law of causality.
And the law of causality is extremely difficult to perceive, not to mention devising a secret technique based on it.
Moreover, the Curse-Killing Skill is greatly restrictive, requiring at least a gap of two Great Realms to execute, and each use consumes an immense amount of life span.
If not absolutely necessary, no powerful being would willingly perform the Curse-Killing Skill.
Of course, using the Curse-Killing Skill is far more complete than assassination. Regardless of the distance, as long as there is causality connected, one can curse directly.
"That sounds like a good plan."
"Direct Curse Killing will leave these ten Evolvers unable to react."
"Exactly, as of now, Shisan Peak Master is only at the Fifth Rank, not yet stepping into the Sixth Rank; executing a curse requires only a Seventh Rank, one capable in Curse Arts,"
"If we wait for him to ascend to the Sixth Rank, cursing him will require an Eighth Layer curse wielder to pay a significant price, which might still falter..."
The presences discussed among themselves for a while, concurring with General Pan Yong's approach.
With the potential that Shisan Peak Master has demonstrated, it's best to eliminate him before he reaches the Sixth Rank.
Once at the Sixth Rank, the vastness of heaven and sea enables many life-saving means making it uncertain that even an Eighth Layer curse wielder, willing to sacrifice thousands of years of life span, could succeed.
"I need you to contribute..."
General Pan Yong immediately began to discuss terms with the other presences.
In that starry sky, subtle spatial fluctuations began to ripple.
A humanoid being clad in scales stepped forward.
"This is the 'medium'."
With a thought from General Pan Yong, ten items appeared.
These ten items, gathered from the lives of the ten Evolvers listed, had been collected from planets they had inhabited by people sent by General Pan Yong.
Having come into contact with these ten Evolvers, they retained some of their essence.
The Curse-Killing Skill, mysterious and unpredictable, impervious to defense, still necessitates a 'medium' for execution.
From cause to effect.
From effect to lock the cause.
"Pan Yong, remember your promise."
The scale-clad humanoid intensely stared at General Pan Yong for a moment, then swallowed the ten 'medium' items in one gulp.
Invisible waves dispersed.
The scale-clad humanoid, as if suffering backlash, began to disintegrate.
General Pan Yong saw this and nodded slightly.
"Rest assured, after your death, your people will be treated well,"
General Pan Yong said, gazing at the gradually crumbling humanoid figure.
The scale-clad being, left with only a thousand years of life span, had volunteered for this mission to kill Shisan Peak Master, seeking to pave the way for his people with the remainder of his life.
For a scale-clad humanoid, the remaining thousand years was far from sufficient to advance further.
General Pan Yong looked towards the other presences.
Sacrificing a Seventh-Rank Peak, a rare practitioner of the Curse Arts, for a thousand years of life span in exchange for the lives of ten small fries at the Fourth and Fifth Ranks.
Absolute, profound loss.
But if among those ten, there is one who is Shisan Peak Master.
Then it's a win, not just a win, but a huge win.
The Tri-Eye Clan male ended his cultivation.
The Tri-Eye Clan male glanced below.
There, Fang Qing was hurrying away, clearly having matters to attend to.
The Tri-Eye Clan male found Fang Qing particularly distasteful not only because Fang Qing used to be a modest Silver Pattern, but also because he had expended considerable favors for his friend 'Lin Yuan', garnering a favorable image within the Red Kun Lineage.
"True powerhouses are solitary, needing no friends at all. Having friends only highlights one's own weakness."
The eyes of the Tri-Eye Clan male were resolute.
The Tri-Eye Clan male sighed lightly, making to rise.
An invisible fluctuation descended.
The Tri-Eye Clan male's eyes widened, the bloodline in his brow opening.
But it was all in vain; as the fluctuation spread, the soul of the Tri-Eye Clan male swiftly extinguished.
The other nine Evolvers mysteriously died.
Fang Qing sat in front of Lin Yuan, his face burning with indignation.
"Despicable Different Species, to use the Curse-Killing Skill…" Fang Qing blurted out the mysterious deaths of the Tri-Eye Clan male and the other nine Evolvers.