Besides Yan Qinghe coming to observe, Ning Yuexi also appeared discreetly, her face covered. After listening to the verdict, her expression was complex. She found Yan Qinghe and said, "Elder Yan, I can't speak for the others, but I know Wei Zichu quite well. She's just a naive and innocent young woman. Isn't life imprisonnt too harsh?"
Yan Qinghe smiled faintly. "Since she is Long Tianji's woman, she must bear the consequences. One can't just enjoy the benefits and avoid the drawbacks."
Ning Yuexi gave a bitter smile. "By that logic, wouldn't I also be..."
"Young Ning, I know your situation," Yan Qinghe said soothingly. "From beginning to end, you were never willing to be his woman; you were forced! I heard you were even secretly trying to find a way to poison Long Tianji. Doesn't that prove you're not on his side? So rest assured, you won't be held accountable."
Despite his words, Ning Yuexi's heart was still heavy. She exchanged a look across the distance with Wei Zichu, who was being escorted into a vehicle. Seeing Wei Zichu's tear-streaked face made her feel even more pained, but she was helpless.
"I refuse to just sit here and wait for death! You're the ones who forced my hand!" Zhao Xinghe suddenly roared, his face flushing an unhealthy crimson.
CRACK!
He forcefully snapped his handcuffs and lunged toward Yan Qinghe.
"Didn't they already inject him? Why can he still use his strength?"
"Stop him!"
"How dare you!"
As the crowd cried out in shock and anger, Yan Qinghe's bodyguards moved in unison to block the attack.
"Get out of my way!" Zhao Xinghe roared, his True Qi erupting violently as he fought with all his might. He knew that capturing Yan Qinghe was his only glimr of hope.
Ning Yuexi's eyes flickered. I actually have several types of poison on . I could spray them right in Zhao Xinghe's face.
But she hesitated.
Although she didn't act, Elder Yan's bodyguards were not to be trifled with. Their coordinated defense prevented Zhao Xinghe from succeeding. The repelled Zhao Xinghe was then surrounded by a group of elite soldiers with guns raised.
"Still daring to put up a futile resistance? Your cris are utterly heinous! All units, on my command, execute him on the spot!"
"Execute Wei Shanhe as well! There's no need to waste any more ti!"
"Yes, sir!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A volley of gunshots erupted. Zhao Xinghe's body was riddled with holes, turning him into a bloody figure in an instant. Wei Shanhe's pupils constricted as he saw he was next.
"No!" Wei Zichu shrieked, utterly devastated, her eyes looking as if they would tear from their sockets.
Gunshots rang out again!
But the bullets froze in mid-air, then clattered one by one to the ground.
"Huh?"
"What is this?"
"What's happening?!"
Everyone stared in astonishnt. Then, a figure appeared out of thin air.
"Quite a lively scene. Truly, a lively scene."
"Who... How can it be you? Impossible, absolutely impossible! You were clearly captured by the Minor Commander..." Yan Qinghe gasped, sucking in a cold breath. He watched as Lin Tang, wearing Long Tianji's face and a circlet on his head, walked toward him step by step.
His scalp tingled. Clinging to a desperate hope, he asked, "Are you... that entity?"
He fervently wished that the Long Tianji before him was the one already possessed by the Mystical Lady.
Alas, he was destined for disappointnt.
"Yan Qinghe, who do you think I should be?" Lin Tang's voice was frigid as he seized him by the neck.
"Insolence!"
"Release Elder Yan at once..."
Before the bodyguards could make a move, they were sent flying backward, spewing blood. The elite soldiers started to take aim.
"Everyone, stop! Stop right now!" Yan Qinghe, realizing he could still speak, shouted frantically. He then forced an apologetic smile at Lin Tang. "It's a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding! Please, give a chance to explain."
He shot a aningful glance at Ning Yuexi, hoping she would put in a good word for him. Ning Yuexi had been in a daze ever since Lin Tang appeared. Snapping back to her senses, she sighed inwardly and said, "Long Tianji, don't be rash..."
"Shut up!" Lin Tang glared at her before turning his cold gaze back to Yan Qinghe. "You talk. I'm listening."
Yan Qinghe wore a helpless expression. "You know that the Yaochi Heavenly Palace and the Underworld are mortal enemies, and they have always seen it as their mission to save all of humanity. Under those circumstances, they issued a decree ordering us to cooperate in your capture. We had no choice but to obey."
"Heh," Lin Tang sneered. "Then what about them? Why sentence them to death and life imprisonnt?"
"That... that was also at the request of the Yaochi Heavenly Palace..."
SLAP!
Lin Tang backhanded him, knocking out half his dentures. "Do you take for a fool? Do you think I'm that easy to deceive?"
Rage burned in Yan Qinghe's heart, but he dared not show it. He had no choice; one must bow to circumstances. "Alright, alright, I admit defeat. I'm willing to offer you compensation. Please, let go," he pleaded, raising his hands in surrender.
"What could you possibly compensate with? It's not money, is it?"
"Of course not! Didn't you forcibly take a portion of Breath Soil from Xiao Xuanye's body? It seems that sort of thing is very useful to you. To be honest, the Yaochi Heavenly Palace gave us several similar treasures. If you let this matter drop, I'll give them to you."
"Oh? You're the one who said it. I didn't force you," Lin Tang said, his grip loosening. He didn't actually care if Zhao Xinghe and the others lived or died, and Wei Zichu hadn't suffered any real harm. Therefore, acquiring several treasures comparable to Breath Soil in exchange for sparing Yan Qinghe's life was a very worthwhile trade.
"And them?"
"Since it was a misunderstanding, they are, of course, released without charge."
At Yan Qinghe's command, Wei Zichu, Wei Shanhe, and the others were all set free.
"Uncle Long!" Wei Zichu threw herself into Lin Tang's arms, laughing through her tears. "It's so good to see you're okay!"
Lin Tang patted her back and comforted her for a mont before walking over to Zhao Xinghe's body.
"Long... Long..." Zhao Xinghe was like a fish washed ashore, his mouth gaping as he struggled to breathe. He stared intently at Lin Tang, his heart filled with despair, resigned to dying with his eyes open—
"Who gave you permission to die? Get up!" Lin Tang made a grasping motion toward him, and all the bullets shot out from his body.
The next mont, he was enveloped in Spiritual Energy.
Spring Breeze and Rain Technique!
Everyone was dumbfounded once again, their jaws on the floor. They watched as the bullet holes in Zhao Xinghe's body healed one by one. His ashen skin regained its color, and his life force returned with vigor. He actually stood up!
I'm... alive again?! Zhao Xinghe himself was completely baffled, finding it impossible to believe.
"Is this a healing art? No, no, it can't be... This is unbelievable!" Ning Yuexi murmured to herself.
"Uncle Long, you're so damn aweso!" Wei Zichu squealed, jumping up to plant a loud kiss on Lin Tang's cheek.
Yan Qinghe said nothing, but he was growing more wary and fearful. He had co to a profound realization. Long Tianji has grown stronger and is now even harder to kill! He can repair any wound, no matter how severe. How terrifying is that?
Lin Tang patted Yan Qinghe's shoulder, leaving behind an imprint that would allow him to be tracked. He urged him to deliver the goods within half a day, then took Wei Zichu's hand and prepared to leave.
He never gave Ning Yuexi a second glance, which made her face flush red then turn pale.
Suddenly, her gaze fixed on the sky and she blurted out, "What is that?"
Everyone looked up to see a seven-colored rainbow arching across the sky, stretching from the horizon to directly overhead like a bridge. The clouds parted to either side like a phalanx of honor guards. A carriage flew toward them, creaking as it ca. The horses pulling it were not real animals but constructs gleaming with a tallic luster.
"Holy shit!"
"Is that... a god descending to earth?"
Having just witnessed Lin Tang's Sorcery of raising the dead, and now seeing this miraculous sight, everyone's worldview was shattered.
"The Grand Commander?!" Yan Qinghe squinted and saw a stunningly beautiful, mature woman sitting in the carriage. Dressed in lavish robes, she radiated an aura of authority. She piloted the carriage down from the sky and cut straight to the chase.
"Long Tianji, hand over the Minor Commander to , unhard, and I can let bygones be bygones."
Lin Tang had seen the Grand Commander's face through the Minor Commander's mories, so he knew who she was. His eyes road over her exquisite, voluptuous figure. Truly magnificent! She certainly fits my aesthetic.
Then he looked at the carriage. "You people at the Yaochi Heavenly Palace are truly extravagant! To think you'd use such precious, sacred Jianmu wood to build a carriage!" he said with a click of his tongue, almost drooling. In fact, any random splinter from that carriage could be refined into a top-quality Magic Artifact or talisman.
"Did you hear what I said?!" the Grand Commander asked coldly, feeling a deep loathing for him. His gaze was far too insolent, and he showed not a shred of respect for his betters.
"You want the Minor Commander back?" Lin Tang grinned mockingly. "Then kneel and beg for her!"
"Hmph!" The Grand Commander's expression grew even more glacial. "I originally intended to spare your life so we could unite against the Underworld. Since you insist on being so stubborn..."
She reached into the carriage and produced a bow and arrow, which she instantly drew into a full moon. Even though Yan Qinghe and the others were not in the arrow's line of fire, their scalps prickled uncontrollably, and a sense of impending doom washed over them. Their hearts seized up in a sharp, painful pang.
"Execute!" the Grand Commander cried out sharply.
The bowstring twanged. The arrow shot forth. It was as if space itself was torn and cleaved in two.
Even before she loosed the arrow, Lin Tang had already pushed Wei Zichu aside and flashed a hundred ters away. In the next instant, the arrowhead automatically turned in the air and appeared right before him.
"Bring it on!" Lin Tang drew a dragon with his left hand while his right unleashed a cyan torrent. He clapped his hands together. Dragon Soaring Through Crashing Waves!
The True Qi of the Supre True Dragon Technique and the vigor from the Life Creation Technique fused together like oil on a raging fire, erupting with a power far greater than the sum of their parts.
BOOM!!!
The trendous explosion sent a shockwave of pain through everyone's heads, temporarily deafening them. The ground shattered inch by inch as a crater dozens of ters wide sank into the earth. Buildings on both sides collapsed, and a powerful gale swept away vast clouds of dust and debris.
The furiously spinning arrow paused in mid-air for a single breath, then began to rotate again, pressing forward. Lin Tang continued to retreat while increasing his power output, but the distance between them kept shrinking.
The tip of the arrow was about to touch the space between his eyebrows and pierce through his skull.
Now you're finally dead for sure! Even with that freakish healing Demon Art of yours, there's no way you can recover from having your head blown off. You'll have to kick the bucket! Ah, Grand Commander, if only you had co to kill him sooner, you would have saved from taking that nasty slap... Yan Qinghe's swollen cheek was still throbbing with pain.
"This is bad!"
Seeing Lin Tang on the defensive and in imminent danger, Wei Zichu and the others felt their hearts leap into their throats again.
"Uncle Long, you can do it!"
"Heavenly King Long, hold on!"
Although they had witnessed Long Tianji's seemingly invincible power, the sudden appearance of the Grand Commander with her imposing presence made their confidence waver. If Long Tianji fell, their own fates would surely be grim.
"Execute!!!" The Grand Commander's face flushed as her aura surged once more. The tip of the arrow swelled to several tis its original size, its power intensifying.
WHIZ!
Like a laser beam, it shot forward and pierced straight through Lin Tang!
"Ahhh—" Zhao Xinghe and the others scread in unison, their spirits utterly broken.
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