"The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter..."
Seeing this woman appear in the underground bar, Tian Lingling's expression changed drastically, and with a sharp crack, the glass in his hand shattered.
*The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter? When did she set her sights on me? I've never had any dealings with anyone from the Palace of Halting Slaughter...* Astonishment surfaced on Li Xianzong's face as information about the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter instinctively sprang to mind.
*Musician profession, suspected to be at the peak Saint stage. Not long ago, she retreated calmly from the Xiahou family's encirclement, and she's currently on the wanted list.*
"Uncle Tian, what was that about the extermination of the Chu family? She... seems to have come specifically for you?" Li Xianzong quietly slipped his hand into his pants pocket, gripping the chalk.
"Li Xianzong, you fucking got me killed!"
Tian Lingling's face was livid. The moment he heard the words "extermination of the Chu family," he knew this woman had come for him. Li Xianzong must have been targeted by her without realizing it, and she had followed the trail straight here.
"Kid, I'll hold her off in a moment. Find a way to get out first." Though Tian Lingling wanted nothing more than to smash Li Xianzong's head open, he still made the rational choice.
He was a Level 5 Mist Lord; given the combat prowess of evil professions, he could go toe-to-toe with a Level 6 orthodox profession.
Though the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter was at the peak Saint stage and he couldn't defeat her, entangling her for a short while would not be a problem.
Besides, there were twenty or thirty members of evil professions here, every one of them twisted in temperament yet formidable in combat.
At that moment, the thugs in the underground bar had not yet realized what was happening.
A few men near the staircase whistled suggestive tunes and bantered:
"Little sister, all dressed up so pretty to come out and play? Tsk, nice dress. Looks just like a noble lady from ancient times."
"Hey noble lady, lift that skirt and let your big brothers take a look."
Raucous laughter erupted all around. They assumed the girl in the vintage red dress was one of their own, just coming to the underground bar to unwind.
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter turned her head, looking at the man who had jeered at her.
The next instant, a crimson thread as fine as a hair lashed out, whistling through the air with a shrill shriek.
The man's lecherous grin froze on his face. Immediately after, his head slid slowly off his neck.
Wrapped around the head, the crimson thread dragged it rolling all the way toward the foot of the stairs, leaving a trail of blood until it rolled up right against the Palace Master's skirt.
She raised a fair, delicate foot, stepping on the face of the severed head, and giggled coquettishly. "Does my underskirt look good?"
The underground bar fell deathly silent in an instant.
*Where did this lunatic come from?*
That morbid laughter, that ruthless, decisive slaughter—it was more bloodthirsty than a Bewitching Demon, more perverse than an Illusionist.
Tian Lingling barked:
"Careful, everyone! She's the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, a Musician at the peak Saint stage! Let's join forces and kill her together!"
*Whoosh!* Everyone stood up, staring with grim expressions at the woman in red at the staircase.
Several couples ceased their activities; women unclasped their legs from around men's waists, and without even bothering to put on their clothes or pants, they hurriedly assumed combat stances.
*So this madwoman is the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter—no wonder...*
As native walkers of Songhai, they naturally knew her renowned name; she was one of the very top experts below the Elder level.
"Fuck you, Tian Lingling! I came here to spend money, not to die!"
"What's there to be afraid of? Since this woman dared come here, we can grind her down in a battle of attrition! Anyone below the Dominator level shouldn't dream of leaving alive!"
"Tian Lingling is a Saint too. With our support, why should we fear one crazy bitch?"
The Palace Master bent down, dipped her palm in a handful of blood from the head, and lightly smeared it over her silver mask, painting a hauntingly tragic face.
In the next second, countless fine red threads extended from behind her like a blooming red lotus, yet also like twisted, terrifying tentacles.
The bartender grabbed a shotgun from a drawer beneath the liquor cabinet and tossed it to Tian Lingling at the bar counter. Tian Lingling caught it, aimed at the Palace Master, and pulled the trigger.
*Bang!*
Gunsmoke belched from the barrel as a barrage of buckshot swept toward the staircase.
Yet the immensely powerful pellets were easily deflected by the hair-thin crimson cords.
That shot signaled the start of a melee. The evil walkers around the booths pulled out guns if they had guns, drew items if they had items, and those with neither relied on skills and close-quarters brawl.
The Palace Master raised her slender, snow-white neck, and a melodious, resonant song burst from her throat.
As the singing echoed, the minds of the thugs in the bar drifted into a brief trance. The killing intent in their hearts dissolved, their fear was soothed, and their mental state grew extraordinarily tranquil.
Musicians could transmit emotions through song to influence listeners.
Mainstream Musicians possessed three primary abilities: Hypnosis, Soothing, and Inspiration.
Veteran Musicians, however, could perform far more delicate operations—for instance, using a specific song to amplify the emotions contained within the melody and lyrics, inducing corresponding feelings in those who listened.
The greater their variety of songs, the more versatile their methods.
In the lull where everyone lost their fighting spirit and was pacified, the crimson threads behind the Palace Master shot forward, splitting into two waves: one assailed the evil walkers by the booths, while the other attacked Tian Lingling and Li Xianzong at the bar.
*Thud, thud, thud...*
On the spot, six or seven people had their heads or hearts pierced by the red threads, dying without making a sound.
Right before dying, an Illusionist let out a shrill scream.
Her voice was no match for the Palace Master's singing, but like a pebble tossed into water, it stirred ripples. Tian Lingling, who had been struggling against the song, shuddered; utilizing the Illusionist's psychic tremor, he broke free from the song's hold.
Li Xianzong snapped awake abruptly. Without a second thought, he summoned a filthy, foul-smelling overcoat and draped it over himself.
Closing his eyes, he chanted under his breath, "Can't hit me, can't hit me..."
The oncoming red threads pierced Li Xianzong's lower abdomen, thighs, and arms, but the strikes aimed at his head, heart, and other vital spots veered off bizarrely—some struck the ceiling, others hit the floor.
He was using the third ability of this Saint-grade item: Fortune Blessing!
Curse and Fortune Diminishment would definitely fail to shake the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, so he simply chose to improve his own luck.
"Hiss..."
Li Xianzong's face twitched with agony.
On the other side, Tian Lingling stood firm. His muscles bulged, tearing through his outer clothes with a rip as two illusory, semi-solid arms sprouted from his shoulder blades. One hand gripped a long saber, the other a short blade.
Swinging the long and short blades in tandem, he slashed through the incoming red threads.
The red threads drifted to the floor like red rain.
Just as Tian Lingling prepared to charge forward with dual blades for close combat, he saw the red-dressed woman at the staircase raise a fair, slender wrist and snap her fingers.
*Snap!*
The severed threads sprang back to life, wrapping around Tian Lingling like tentacles in layer upon layer of bindings.
The threads continually contracted and tightened, cutting bit by bit into the Level 5 Mist Lord's skin as blood seeped from slit-like wounds.
"A Dominator?"
Tian Lingling's expression finally transformed.
Level 5 Mist Lords possessed a signature skill: Bronze Head and Iron Arms.
This skill cemented the Bewitching Demons' reign as overlords in melee combat. Tian Lingling was supremely confident in his defenses, believing that even an orthodox profession at the peak Saint stage couldn't easily pierce his guard.
Yet at the very first clash, his proud body of iron had been breached by her red threads.
*When did she become a Dominator? The killing dungeon hasn't even started yet...*
*A Dominator?* Li Xianzong's heart trembled. He quickly put distance between himself and Tian Lingling, fleeing toward a corner of the underground bar while fishing out the chalk from his pants pocket.
*Her true target is Tian Lingling, not me. As long as Tian Lingling can hold off this madwoman, I can escape...*
Across Tian Lingling's bald head, the crisscrossing, twisted markings glowed with a dark sheen. The light formed a vortex that twisted the mind, spawning visual and auditory hallucinations.
The patterns on Tian Lingling's head were not tattoos, but the manifestation of bewitching power upgraded: at the Transcendent stage, a Bewitching Demon's runes were concealed within the eyes; once they reached the Saint stage, the runes gradually spread across the body.
By the Dominator Realm, bewitching runes covered the entire body, and low-level walkers would succumb to delirium and bewitchment from a single glance.
"Kill her! Kill her at any cost!" Tian Lingling's voice sounded low and ethereal.
Instantly, the surviving evil walkers by the booths turned crimson-eyed, charging toward the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter with reckless abandon.
The Palace Master raised her arm and swept it forcefully. Dense clusters of red threads erupted like a geyser, lashing across the room in wild contortions.
A cacophony of clatter and crash echoed as chair backs were severed, the bar counter was sliced into fine splinters, and tables were halved with flush cuts. The bodies of the evil walkers were dismembered—heads flew, torsos were severed at the waist, and limbs were sheared apart...
Relying on Fortune Blessing, Li Xianzong avoided most of the attacks, but a sharp sting suddenly hit his neck as a hair-thin red thread grazed past.
Clutching his neck, he staggered backward as blood surged between his fingers.
"Blood... I need blood..." Li Xianzong's eyes darted frantically. A few meters away, an evil walker severed into upper and lower halves was writhing in agony, not yet dead.
He staggered toward his target.
Meanwhile, Tian Lingling seized the chance to sever the threads binding him and bolted toward the bar's back door. In the process, he yanked a worn black clay jar from his inventory and smashed it onto the ground.
In an instant, layers of distorted illusions filled the space.
The Palace Master's body suddenly disintegrated, turning into a crimson torrent that surged into the illusions to pursue Tian Lingling.
Having found his opening, Li Xianzong immediately drew his butterfly knife and stabbed it into the evil walker's heart.
A Bewitching Demon's bloodthirsty passive activated. A scarlet light gleamed in Li Xianzong's pupils as he relentlessly siphoned the man's essence blood, gradually healing the wound on his neck.
Then, paying no heed to the terrifying, warped illusions around him, he swiftly crouched down and drew a circle around himself.
A dim yellow light curtain descended, enveloping him as he vanished.
***
At the bar's back door.
Arms, thighs, and torsos lay scattered across the ground here, steaming internal organs spilling out amidst flowing blood.
Barefoot on the bloodstains, the Palace Master carried Tian Lingling's severed head, piecing his torso back together bit by bit.
Then, she draped a black cloak exuding Yin energy over herself. In an instant, a thick, pitch-black power surged within her pupils as she communed with the spirit body inside the mangled corpse.
"Tian Lingling, Di Lingling, tell me... twenty-one years ago, which Heavenly King led the massacre of the Chu family? Where is the Chu family's rule-based item?..."
She muttered her mystical incantation several times, then swallowed the spirit body in a single gulp.
***
Official Forum.
#Li Xianzong Attacks Pingtai Hospital, Target: Yuanshi Tianzun#
At noon today, a post surged to the top of the official forum, pinned and highlighted in red.
"According to a reliable senior from the Taiyi Sect, today's attack on Pingtai Hospital in Songhai was a meticulously planned hunt by Li Xianzong of the Soldier Master Sect, targeting Yuanshi Tianzun.
"Fortunately, although Yuanshi Tianzun was gravely injured, he survived. From this incident, we can analyze the disparity in combat prowess between the two sides. According to that Taiyi Sect senior, barely two minutes elapsed from the time the dense fog enveloped the hospital to when it receded.
"Yet when colleagues from the Songhai Branch found Yuanshi Tianzun, his life was already hanging by a thread. This clearly shows that Li Xianzong's combat strength is exceedingly formidable and cannot be taken lightly.
"This attack has raised the curtain on the evil professions' trials. Colleagues across all branches, please remain vigilant against potential ambushes in the near future.
"As for what comes next between Yuanshi Tianzun and Li Xianzong, this post will be continuously updated. Please hit follow."
During this period, official walkers everywhere had been on high alert, though things had remained relatively calm until now. Just as the post stated, the terror incident engineered by Li Xianzong essentially served as the opening act for the evil faction's trials.
Next, evil professions across the country would undoubtedly take action upon catching wind of this, launching hunts against their chosen targets.
[Lairifangzhang: Even Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't beat Li Xianzong. But failing to last even two minutes—that I didn't expect.]
[Quri Kuduo: Yuanshi Tianzun still lacks foundation. While he's strong for the Transcendent stage, there's still quite a gap between him and the truly exceptional figures. This clash has given us a rough idea of his level.]
[Please Call Me Queen: Why aren't you two calling him "Tianzun" anymore? Don't boost others' morale while dampening our own! Yuanshi Tianzun has only been a Spirit Realm walker for a little over a month. Give him another six months, and he wouldn't necessarily lose to Li Xianzong.]
[George the Pig: I expected him to be targeted by evil organizations, just didn't expect it to be Li Xianzong. Hope he can weather this storm.]
[Jiang Yang: To be safe, I think Yuanshi Tianzun should lie low for now and stay out of the limelight.]
[Affectionate Jenny: Old Jiang's slacking habit is flaring up again. Why hide? Conduct a citywide manhunt for Li Xianzong, take him out, and collect the bounty!]
On the forum, official walkers from all regions actively chimed in, joining the discussion.
The middle and end of each year were always the liveliest times on the forum, but also the most somber; a colleague who earned merit today might be killed in an attack by evil professions tomorrow.
Regarding Li Xianzong's high-profile attack, official walkers across the country felt infuriated yet helpless.
After all, it wasn't within their jurisdiction.
At most, they could offer suggestions for Yuanshi Tianzun to lay low and weather the storm—a gentleman's revenge was never too late. Enduring for a moment would keep the waters calm; perhaps without him having to lift a finger, Li Xianzong would be killed in an encirclement in a few days.
Meanwhile, official walkers from other districts of the Songhai Branch vowed to hunt down Li Xianzong, their words laced with implicit complaints about the incompetence of the Kangyang District official walkers.
***
In the underground black market.
Quanwang led several team members on patrol through his territory to maintain order.
Songhai's Spirit Realm walkers were not rattled by the confrontation between the factions; on the contrary, they frequented the black market even more often.
For one thing, during this critical period, intelligence and information became exceptionally vital; for another, whenever such times arrived, the black market saw a surge in gambling.
Gambling was human nature's ingrained vice.
A team member beside Quanwang repeatedly cast glances toward the gambling tables and whispered:
"Boss, the odds on Yuanshi Tianzun and Li Xianzong have reached 1 to 20. You just got back from the meeting today, so you must have some intel, right? What do you think about betting on him to win?"
Quanwang glanced at him. "You can bet on a 'draw,' but don't bet on Yuanshi Tianzun winning."
The lackeys behind him instantly understood: the forum post spoke the truth.
***
Night hung heavy over Huayu Hotel.
In the presidential suite, Xie Lingxi sat by the balcony, brows furrowed as she refreshed the Five Elements Alliance official forum over and over again.
Her female assistant stood to the side, reporting:
"I've already inquired with Kangyang District Team Two. Yuanshi Tianzun is recuperating at home, and it's nothing too serious. However, I heard that when the official personnel found him, his life was hanging by a thread.
"Young Miss, if you're concerned about Yuanshi Tianzun, why don't you just call and ask him yourself?"
Xie Lingxi replied testily:
"You've never been in love, so I can't be bothered explaining it to you."
*Aren't you the same?* The female assistant felt indignant at being suddenly mocked.
Xie Lingxi lightly knitted her brows. "If the post isn't exaggerating, the gap between Brother Yuanshi and Li Xianzong really is huge. Sigh, he's in real danger this time. It'd be best for him to lay low."
The female assistant said, "He's someone groomed by the Soldier Master Sect, after all—a standout among the Transcendent stage."
Closing her laptop, Xie Lingxi looked toward her assistant and said:
"My dad told me before to observe Brother Yuanshi more. Now that this happened, he hasn't contacted me. Heh, he approached you in private today, didn't he? What did he say?"
The female assistant hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully, "He didn't say much. The Patriarch told me to maintain a wait-and-see approach, keep a close watch on you during this period, and prevent you from associating with Yuanshi Tianzun. Presumably, he wants to see whether he can survive this."
"Understood. Investments require caution—that's always been his style," Xie Lingxi said, curling her lips.
*But I have my own style.*
She grabbed her phone and sent a sweet, coquettish voice message: "Brother Yuanshi, could you come to the hotel tomorrow? I'd like to treat you to a nice meal."
***
In his bedroom, Zhang Yuanqing lay in bed with his eyes closed, resting. His mental power settled inward, channeling Lunar force to slowly nourish Little Doubi.
His complexion was somewhat listless, like someone just recovering from a serious illness.
Even with a Night Wanderer's robust vitality, it would take another two days to fully recover.
As he nurtured Little Doubi, he mentally reviewed the day's battle.
Reviewing it over and over again.
*No matter how I responded, I had zero chance of winning. The red dancing shoes weren't with me, and there was a level disparity. Using the red bridal veil directly to scare him off was the lowest-risk response.*
*But my red bridal veil only has one use left. On top of that, Li Xianzong has a 'teleportation' item, unlike Hengxing Wuji back then. If he attacks once or twice more, I'm a dead man.*
*I must advance to Level 3 as soon as possible...*
Having suffered a crushing defeat at Li Xianzong's hands, it was impossible not to feel discouraged. Although the other party was higher level, in terms of age they were close—peers—and both were in the Transcendent stage.
Comforting himself with the excuse that he had been a Spirit Realm walker for too short a time felt somewhat like self-deception.
Today, not only had he been severely injured, but Little Doubi had also nearly had his soul shattered.
This grudge had to be avenged. Yet considering the gap in combat prowess, Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of discouragement and helplessness.
Just then, light footsteps came from outside the door.
From the footsteps alone, he knew his aunt had arrived.
Chapter 119