Although Xiao Xuanye could fly, making it impossible for the mist released by the Soul Hooking Envoys to cover him, he faced an awkward problem: his energy was limited. When he realized his internal reserves were about to run out and desperately needed replenishing, he glanced down. The five Soul Hooking Envoys were still waving their banners, relentlessly pursuing him.
"Damn it, what should I do?" he muttered. He didn't want to follow in the footsteps of Long Tianji or Number Seven.
Suddenly, Guo Jufeng sent him a ssage, telling him to head toward the eerie cave. It turned out that the Soul Hooking Envoys' secret technique for banishing enemies to another dinsion, while seemingly terrifying, actually had a solution. As long as there were enough people spread out and interfering with them simultaneously, the technique would fail. This thod had also been provided by Lin Xincheng.
"Right, so that's how it works!" Xiao Xuanye's eyes lit up, and he imdiately changed direction.
"Hmm? Is he heading for the eerie cave?"
"Good. We were heading there next, anyway."
"Are we not eating people anymore?"
"All you think about is eating! So many of our brothers have died, and you still have an appetite?"
The five Soul Hooking Envoys were infuriated. This trip to the mortal realm had resulted in heavy losses for their squad. Chasing Xiao Xuanye was now more about venting their frustration and displacing their anger.
Before long, they arrived one after another at the Yin-Xu Valley. Xiao Xuanye had already landed among the crowd, which had ford a defensive line facing the five Soul Hooking Envoys.
"Huh?" The Soul Hooking Envoys froze, their expressions turning even uglier.
"Our teleportation technique has been countered!"
"Hmph, do you think we have no other ans of attack besides teleportation?"
Just as they were about to change tactics, Lin Xincheng mustered his courage and stepped forward. "Esteed Envoys, may I have a word?"
His posture was exceedingly deferential and respectful. He first introduced himself as being from the Heavenly Person Academy and then pleaded with them to quell their anger. He said that as long as peace between the Underworld and the human world could be maintained, they were willing to et any and all of their demands.
"This—" The five envoys exchanged glances, their eyes darting about. Since these guys are so servile, why should we be polite?
"You have one day. Bring us 1,000 boys and girls under the age of three as an offering."
"Furthermore, we require large quantities of Mithril and refined gold—100 pounds of each."
"And prepare one million tons of grain and deliver it to Luofu City!"
"Better yet, just cede the entire Luofu City to us as compensation..."
Hearing these demands, the faces of Xiao Xuanye, Guo Jufeng, and the others turned grim. Lin Xincheng also groaned internally, saying appeasingly, "Esteed Envoys, could you perhaps make demands that are not quite so harsh? Mithril and refined gold are incredibly rare. Where could we possibly gather 100 pounds of each?"
Ni Xiuyun also shook her head repeatedly. "Young boys and girls are out of the question! We are human beings..."
"Bastards!"
"Didn't you just say you could et any demand?"
"Are you toying with us?"
"Hmph! Just wait for our Underworld army to slaughter your cities! We're leaving!" The five Underworld Envoys sneered, turning haughtily to leave.
"Hey? Wait! Let's talk this out! Everything is negotiable!" Lin Xincheng cried, trying to stop them. Seeing that they wouldn't listen, he steeled himself, dropped to his knees with a thud, and swallowed his pride. "Could you grant us more ti? It's truly impossible to et these demands in one day."
"Then you have ten days," one of them said after the five huddled together and whispered for a mont.
"Thank you, esteed envoys!" Lin Xincheng breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wait a minute!" Ning Yuexi could no longer bear it. "Headmaster Lin, have you lost your mind? They're demanding we offer them children! It's a monstrous request, and you're actually agreeing to it? Where do you plan on getting all those children?"
"Shut up! Do you have any right to speak here?" Lin Xincheng's face darkened as he shot back angrily. "I'm doing this for the greater good! As long as we can maintain world peace, what are a few sacrifices? We'll contact so orphanages or have families draw lots. All of humanity will rember their contribution."
Ning Yuexi trembled uncontrollably. "Mr. Xiao, Mr. Guo, do you agree with this?"
"This..."
"One mont. We need to report this and ask for instructions." Guo Jufeng imdiately began calling Yan Qinghe.
When Yan Qinghe learned of the conditions set by the Underworld Envoys, he considered them carefully. Ten days? By that ti, the one from the Yaochi Heavenly Palace should have been awakened. There ought to be a way to resolve the Underworld threat then. In that case, stalling and placating them seems like a sound strategy.
"Agree to their terms!"
"Ah?"
"Did you not hear clearly?"
"I heard! I heard you loud and clear!" Guo Jufeng took a deep breath, ended the call, and relayed Yan Qinghe's decision with a grave expression.
She was utterly disappointed. Her heart turned to ice as her worldview completely shattered. "You shaless cowards! You're even worse than Long Tianji!"
SLAP!
Ni Xiuyun struck her hard across the face. "Ning Yuexi! You've gone too far!"
"Eh, this woman..."
"Her constitution also seems..."
"Haha, to think that besides that wench Shen Youling, we'd find another one!"
"Hand her over! We'll take her!" the Underworld Envoys exclaid, their faces lit with delighted surprise after examining Ning Yuexi.
Lin Xincheng, assuming they were simply lusting after her beauty, imdiately offered her up. "Please, take her as you wish!" With that, he forcefully pushed Ning Yuexi toward them.
The Underworld Envoys chuckled sinisterly and reached for her with their claws.
Ning Yuexi's mind went blank. Am I about to be violated right here? Or torn apart and eaten? Am I going to die? Long Tianji, oh, Long Tianji, I still don't even know who you are or what you look like...
「Deep inside the eerie cave.」
Lin Tang's Divine Sense swept through Number Seven's body, repeatedly activating the Soul Searching Technique. Hmm? Why isn't it working? he wondered, perplexed.
"AHHHH—" Number Seven roared in his mind, gripped by a sense of impending doom. Then, to his own shock, he realized he was completely unhard.
In the darkness, the two faced each other, the atmosphere growing slightly awkward. Then, Number Seven began to laugh inwardly. I'm already dead! I don't have a soul, so what the hell are you searching for?!
Lin Tang had a flash of realization. Oh, right... Hmph, you think that ans I can't do anything to you? Did you think I hadn't noticed that your weakness is your heart?
He reached out and forcibly tore out Number Seven's jade-like heart. Instantly, as if a battery had been ripped from a toy, Number Seven's expression froze, and his aura vanished completely. He had beco a corpse once more.
Lin Tang covered the heart with his True Qi, scouring it inside and out. The runes inside the heart flashed, frantically resisting his True Qi. The two forces wore each other down in a battle of attrition. Fortunately, Lin Tang's True Qi was a boundless river, while the runes in the heart were like water without a source. As one waned, the other waxed. Gradually, the runes fizzled out, completely refined by Lin Tang's True Qi.
Wow, to think soone could integrate the Cultivation Puppet Technique, Corpse Refining Technique, Artifact Refining Technique, and the school of Martial Arts Power... The sage who created this thod was truly a genius. How profound, how fascinating!
Under the microscopic inspection of his Divine Sense, Lin Tang was like a scientist who had discovered a groundbreaking piece of technology, eager to imrse himself in studying it.
"Heavenly King Long, Heavenly King Long? Where did you go? Please don't leave ..." Shen Youling, terrified by Lin Tang's long absence, began to call out to him, her voice choked with sobs.
Lin Tang snapped back to reality. He stored Number Seven's body and heart separately in his Storage Ring. Once he had thoroughly studied them, he could place the heart back inside, allowing him to control the puppet for his own use. The assistance of a Martial Saint would be incredibly helpful to him right now. At the very least, the puppet could protect Shen Youling when he wasn't around. Normally, a Storage Ring couldn't hold living beings; they would simply suffocate inside. But since Number Seven was currently just a corpse, he could be stored without any issue.
"Alright, don't be afraid. I'll get you out of here!" Lin Tang said, stepping forward. He tucked her under his arm.
WHOOSH!
In a matter of breaths, he flew out of the eerie cave and into the sunlight, just in ti to see an Underworld Envoy grabbing for Ning Yuexi's arm. Ning Yuexi stood with her eyes closed, resigned to her fate.
"Hmph!" Lin Tang fired a beam of True Qi from a distance, instantly killing another envoy.
"Who was that?"
"Damn it! Wasn't Long Tianji already exiled?"
"How is this possible?"
The crowd was stunned into silence once again. In their daze, Lin Tang killed two more. The last two envoys ca to their senses and, utterly terror-stricken, fled in opposite directions.
"You think you can escape?" Lin Tang teleported behind one of them. Just as the envoy's body began to fade into mist, his head hit the ground. When his body reappeared several hundred ters away, blood was already spraying everywhere.
Lin Tang then went after the final one.
"No!" Lin Xincheng let out a high, eunuch-like shriek.
Lin Tang, who had just grabbed the Underworld creature by the neck, turned his head. "What's wrong?"
"You! You! You!" Lin Xincheng was seething with rage. "Long Tianji, do you have any idea what you've done? You've caused a catastrophe! We had just managed to calm them down, and you ruined everything! It's over! All of humanity is going to suffer because of you! You are a sinner to all mankind! You deserve a thousand deaths!"
Shi Xiangnan, gripping his twin maces, joined the chorus of condemnation. "You good-for-nothing who only makes things worse! Let go of the envoy this instant and kneel to beg for forgiveness! Do you really want to see the mortal realm drown in a river of blood?"
The last Underworld Envoy, who had been trembling in fear and expecting to die, saw his chance. His eyes lit up and he quickly yelled, "If I don't return to the Underworld within three days, His Majesty, our Ghost King, will assu our entire squad has been annihilated! He will lead a massive army to slaughter the human world! You're all dood! If you know what's good for you, release now! And if you offer up 10,000 young boys and girls for to consu, I might consider putting in a good word for you! Otherwise..."
"Did you hear him? Long Tianji, release him at once!"
"Ten thousand boys and girls? No problem, no problem!"
Ni Xiuyun turned on Ning Yuexi. "Are you mute?! Make your man obey!"
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