Since being abducted, Shen Youling had been terrified. She feared her captors coveted her beauty and would do sothing horrifying to her, but fortunately, that didn't happen. They sohow procured a large, red bridal sedan chair and made her sit inside. Then they proceeded with gongs and drums, as if welcoming a bride. The music, however, was strangely mournful and desolate, creating a bizarre, eerie sensation that sent chills down her spine.
They traveled all the way from Jiangbei to Luofu City on foot. Whenever they encountered difficult terrain or places with no path, they wouldn't take a detour. Instead, they would produce flags adorned with skulls and ghouls, shaking them while chanting in a strange tone. A fog would then rise, and in the blink of an eye, they would cross a great distance.
Shen Youling lifted the curtain and saw this, trembling in fright. They can't be actual ghosts, can they? This is too terrifying!
「Luofu City.」
「The Wan Family's Grand Mansion.」
Cribs were lined up in rows, holding adorable, rosy-cheeked babies. So stared around curiously with their big, dark eyes. Others waved their arms and legs, giggling happily. A few, perhaps feeling uncomfortable or hungry, started wailing, and their cries set off the laughing infants until the room was filled with the sound of crying.
At this sight, the Soul Hooking Envoys began to drool. They imdiately removed their hooded masks, ready to feast.
How could Shen Youling stand by and watch?! "You can't do this! You're people too, how could you—"
"Get lost!" one of them snarled. "Keep babbling, and we'll eat you too!"
They pushed her away ruthlessly, sending her sprawling to the ground. Frantic, Shen Youling started to speak again, but then she saw their exposed skin. It resembled that of a lizard or crocodile—rough, cracked, and a dirty yellow color, with an incredibly thick, horny layer. Their facial structures also differed from normal humans; their jaws protruded significantly, making their mouths appear larger and revealing fearso fangs. Their eyes, like glass beads, emitted a faint yellow glow and were set far apart. They had no hair. Their overall appearance was incredibly ugly and frightening.
"Ugh—" Shen Youling's scalp tingled. No wonder they like to eat people. With looks like that, how could they be considered human? They're clearly monsters!
The Wan family, however, seed unfazed, showing no sign of fear. They bowed and scraped, groveling obsequiously. Wan Santong's son, Wan Renjie, was a lecherous man whose eyes had been fixed on Shen Youling from the mont she arrived. Seeing her disturb the creatures' al, he imdiately spoke up, "Esteed sirs, why not give this wench to for a while? I promise to tornt her until she's perfectly obedient."
With a lewd grin, he reached for Shen Youling, but she quickly dodged. Wan Renjie grew even more excited and was about to press on.
"You're aroused by such an ugly woman?" one of the creatures sneered. "You can't touch her yet. Wait until we've assessed her constitution! If she has the sa constitution as Xi nghan, she'll be of great use to us. If not, she's just trash. Then you can play with her however you want."
"Xi nghan?" Wan Santong was stunned. "Could you an the legendary woman from the great Xi Family in the capital, from over twenty years ago? I rember the entire Xi Family vanished overnight."
"Ha! Vanished? They were actually—"
"Shut up!" another one snapped. "Isn't all this delicious food enough to fill your mouths?"
"Ah, right, right. Cut the crap, let's eat!"
"HEH HEH HEH—" With that, they each grabbed an infant. They opened their cavernous mouths, ready to stuff the babies inside.
"No!!"
Faced with such a scene of inhuman cruelty, Shen Youling was powerless to resist or intervene. She could only turn her face away, unable to bear it, squeezing her eyes shut.
「In the city streets.」
"Wow, look! What's that?"
"Soone's flying! Is it a legendary bird-man?"
"What bird-man? That's obviously Superman!"
"Are they filming a movie?"
"Didn't you see that major official announcent? It said the top labs successfully developed a super-soldier!"
"This soldier is Xiao Xuanye, the pride of our nation, the invincible Director Xiao!"
"Holy cow, the one flying by really is Director Xiao!"
"Unbelievable!"
"He's absolutely invincible!"
Countless people watched in awe, their faces filled with admiration and worship. To think the nation's technology had advanced so far! With a hero like Director Xiao protecting them, their sense of security soared.
Then, soone noticed, "Hey, who's that flying behind Director Xiao?"
"A second super-soldier?"
"Does this an they can be mass-produced?"
"If we had thousands of super-soldiers... Hiss..."
The next mont, Lin Tang caught up to Xiao Xuanye. "Hand it over!"
"No way!" Xiao Xuanye's face turned green with regret. He never should have picked a fight with Long Tianji! Why on earth did he have to provoke him? Gritting his teeth, Xiao Xuanye twisted his body, forcefully changing direction and firing another blast at Lin Tang's face.
Lin Tang simply grabbed the incoming energy beam and crushed it in his hand before returning the favor.
BOOM!
Xiao Xuanye plumted to the ground like a teor, smashing through the roof of a large mansion and kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.
The bystanders, who had been lavishly praising him just monts before, fell silent as if gripped by the throat. What just happened? Why was that man attacking Director Xiao? And Director Xiao… how was he defeated so easily?!
"Damn, here cos another one!" soone exclaid, pointing at Number Seven, who was bounding down the road.
"GET LOST!" Number Seven roared. He skewered a car with his arm and flung it forcefully. The car flew sideways like a bowling ball, crashing into a crowd of people and killing or injuring several. The remaining onlookers scattered, screaming and fleeing for their lives.
「Inside the mansion.」
Shen Youling had just closed her eyes when the deafening crash startled her, and her head snapped up.
"Hmm?" The Soul Hooking Envoys, who had been about to eat, all turned to look as well.
Amidst the swirling dust, Shen Youling could vaguely make out a figure descending from the sky. "Lin Tang, is that you? You finally ca to save ! Quick, save these innocent children!" she cried out, thinking it was him, her heart filled with joy. But as the dust settled and she got a better look, her joyful expression froze. "Godfather?!"
She quickly recovered. Sure enough, Lin Tang is unreliable. In the end, I have to count on my godfather!
"Godfather, quick, save the child—" she began to urge him.
But Xiao Xuanye didn't even spare her a glance. He scrambled to his feet and, without looking back, continued to run.
Shen Youling could only stare in confusion.
"So you're here!" The next mont, Lin Tang appeared in the room. He had been about to chase Xiao Xuanye, but the sight of his wife changed his mind. Without a second thought, he reached for her. Compared to a precious treasure that could enhance my cultivation, my wife is far more important!
"How dare you!"
"You dare steal our captive?"
"That demonic aura... you're Long Tianji?"
CLANG! The Soul Hooking Envoys imdiately dropped the infants and surrounded Lin Tang and Shen Youling.
Lin Tang's gaze swept across the room. He saw the infants wailing pitifully. Shen Youling, having recovered her wits, also pleaded with him to save the children. "Eating people? You hideous things... you all deserve to die!" Lin Tang's eyes narrowed, his expression turning ice-cold.
"What, you want to fight us?" one of them challenged. "Look closely. We are the direct descendants of the orthodox demons, possessing the most complete line of succession! It wasn't easy for you to achieve a breakthrough in your cultivation. If you want to advance further, you must rely on us!"
"Since you've walked the demonic path, you're one of us. What's the big deal about eating a few humans? Co, join us!"
"Why waste ti talking to him... Long Tianji, on your knees and pledge your allegiance, now!"
Seeing that Long Tianji intended to save them, Shen Youling had just breathed a sigh of relief. But hearing their words, her heart sank again. Damn it! So they're descendants of demons too, and they're holding his future cultivation path hostage. As long as Long Tianji wants to get stronger, he'll have to obey them...
"A bunch of trash," Lin Tang scoffed impatiently. He wrapped one arm around Shen Youling's waist and pointed forward with his other hand.
SWOOSH!
A blast of True Qi erupted, instantly piercing through one of the Soul Hooking Envoy's foreheads and killing it on the spot. In the blink of an eye, he had killed three more in the sa manner.
The remaining creatures finally reacted.
"How is he so strong?!"
"He's too fast!"
"What realm has he reached?"
"Damn you! AAGH!"
They howled in shock and rage, imdiately launching their counterattack. They shook the flags emblazoned with skulls and ghouls, chanting in sharp, bizarre tones. A thick mist instantly filled the room, carrying a chilling yin energy and the sound of wailing ghosts.
Ordinary people like Shen Youling, Wan Santong, and Wan Renjie, whose minds were weak, were imdiately affected. Hallucinations appeared before them. Their surroundings shifted from the grand mansion to the gloomy shores of the underworld's Yellow Springs. The light was dim and hazy as countless terrifying ghouls crawled from the waters. They stretched out bloody, rotting claws to tear out their hearts and livers, devouring them piece by piece while keeping them alive through the excruciating pain.
"Aaaah! Lord Envoys, we're your followers!"
"rcy, have rcy!"
Wan Santong and the others scread, rolling on the ground in agony. Though they weren't being physically hard, they began to vomit blood and convulse.
As Shen Youling endured the tornt, Lin Tang's sharp command cut through the chaos. "Wake up!"
The shout jolted her, and her vision cleared.
The next mont, Lin Tang killed several more Soul Hooking Envoys. The rest hurriedly fled outside.
"We never expected this Long Tianji to have beco such a force!"
"We were planning to capture him alive..."
"There's no choice now. We'll have to finish him!" one declared.
"Long Tianji, I act as Heaven's executioner and find you guilty! I sentence you to the Eighteen Levels of Hell!"
"To Hell! To Hell! To Hell!" they roared in unison.
Just as Number Seven leaped into the compound, the creatures shifted into a new formation. The flags in their hands linked together, and another wave of mist instantly materialized. Lin Tang and Shen Youling vanished. This was not an illusion. They were truly gone.
"Where did you send him?" Number Seven demanded with a frown.
"We told you, he's been cast into the Eighteen Levels of Hell... And who are you? Why are you a dead man?"
"Heh heh..." Number Seven let out a cold laugh. "Congratulations. You've succeeded in pissing off."
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