Chapter 121: The Aftermath

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The Master of the Stop-Killing Palace, upon seeing this woman appear in the underground bar, had a drastic change in expression, and she crushed the glass in her hand with a "crack."

"Stop-Killing Palace Master? When did she target me? I have never had any dealings with people from the Stop-Killing Palace," Li Xianzong said in shock, automatically recalling information about the Stop-Killing Palace Master.

A musician by profession, suspected to be at the pinnacle of the Saint realm, who had calmly escaped from the siege at the Xiahou family not long ago and was currently wanted.

"Tian Shu, what's the deal with the Chu family massacre? It seems like she came specifically to find you," Li Xianzong quietly slipped his hand into his pocket, gripping a piece of chalk.

"Li Xianzong, you've damn near killed me!" Tian Lingling's face turned ashen, as soon as he heard the words "Chu family massacre," he knew this woman had come for him, and Li Xianzong had unknowingly been targeted by her, leading her to this place.

"Kid, I'll be responsible for keeping her occupied later, you find a way to escape," Tian Lingling, despite wanting to smash Li Xianzong's head in, made a rational decision.

He was a Level 5 Mist Master, with the combat power of an evil profession, capable of going toe-to-toe with a Level 6 lawful profession.

Although the Stop-Killing Palace Master was at the pinnacle of the Saint realm and he couldn't beat her, he could still hold her off for a while.

Moreover, there were still two or three dozen evil professions here, each with twisted personalities but formidable combat abilities.

At this moment, the thugs in the underground bar had not yet reacted.

A few men near the stairs whistled lasciviously, joking, "Little sister, dressed so beautifully for a night out? Oh, this dress is lovely, looks just like an ancient noblewoman."

"Noblewoman, lift your dress up and let us see, little brothers."

Laughter erupted, as they thought the girl in the ancient-style red dress had come to the underground bar for entertainment like them.

The Stop-Killing Palace Master turned to look at the man who made the suggestive comment.

In the next moment, a thin red thread whizzed through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

The lecherous smile froze on the man's face, and then his head slowly slid off his neck.

The red thread coiled around his head, rolling down the stairs, leaving a trail of blood, and stopped at the Stop-Killing Palace Master's feet.

She lifted her fair and delicate foot, stepping on the head, and giggled, "Does my hemline look nice?"

The underground bar fell into an eerie silence.

Where did this lunatic come from? This sadistic laughter, this ruthless character, was even more bloodthirsty than an enchantress, more twisted than an illusionist.

Tian Lingling shouted, "Everyone, be careful, she's the Stop-Killing Palace Master, a musician at the pinnacle of the Saint realm. Let's work together to take her down."

All of them stood up with a clatter, staring gravely at the woman in the red dress at the top of the stairs.

A few men and women also stopped what they were doing, the woman releasing the man she was embracing, they weren't even wearing any clothes, hastily assuming a defensive posture.

It turns out this crazy woman was the Stop-Killing Palace Master, no wonder. As native practitioners of Songhai, they naturally knew the reputation of the Stop-Killing Palace Master, who was one of the top experts among the elder-level practitioners.

"Damn it, Tian Lingling, I came here to spend money, not to find death."

"Don't be afraid, this woman dares to come here, we can overwhelm her with numbers. Below the level of a Master, she won't escape alive."

"Tian Lingling is also a Saint, with our support, she won't be able to handle us, just a crazy woman."

The Stop-Killing Palace Master bent down, her palm smeared with blood from the severed head, lightly wiped it on her silver mask, revealing a hauntingly beautiful face.

In the next moment, countless slender red threads extended from behind her, resembling a cluster of blooming red flowers, yet also resembling twisted and dreadful tentacles.

A bartender grabbed a shotgun from a drawer in the bar counter and tossed it to Tian Lingling, who stood in front of the bar. He raised the shotgun and aimed it at the Stop-Killing Palace Master, pulling the trigger.

"Bang!"

The muzzle sprayed gun smoke as the shotgun pellets covered the stairwell.

The powerful buckshot was easily deflected by the thin red threads.

This shot signaled the start of the chaos. The evil practitioners near the private booths drew their guns, those with weapons grabbed their weapons, and those without resorted to their skills and hand-to-hand combat.

The Stop-Killing Palace Master raised her long and slender white neck, and from her throat burst forth a beautiful and melodious song.

As the song echoed, the minds of the thugs in the underground bar were momentarily entranced, their murderous intent waned, fear was quelled, and their mental states became surprisingly tranquil.

Musicians had three main abilities: hypnotism, soothing, and inspiration. Senior musicians could achieve more refined manipulations, such as enhancing the emotions conveyed by a song to induce corresponding feelings in their listeners.

The greater the variety of songs they knew, the more versatile their abilities.

In the lull where everyone lost their fighting spirit and felt comforted, the red threads behind the Stop-Killing Palace Master shot out, splitting into two parts—one attacked the evil practitioners near the private booths, and the other targeted Tian Lingling and Li Xianzong in front of the bar.

Squish, squish, squish.

Six or seven people were instantly pierced through their heads and hearts by the red threads, dying silently.

A illusionist let out a high-pitched scream before dying.

Her voice couldn't compete with the Stop-Killing Palace Master's singing, but it was like a small pebble causing ripples. Tian Lingling, who was struggling to resist the song, was suddenly jolted, and with the help of the illusionist's mental shock, he broke free from the song's influence.

Li Xianzong woke up abruptly and, without thinking, summoned a filthy and foul-smelling coat and draped it over himself.

He closed his eyes and muttered, "Can't hit me, can't hit me."

The incoming red threads pierced through Li Xianzong's abdomen, thighs, and arms, but strangely, the attacks aimed at his head and heart parted ways, some heading toward the ceiling and others falling to the ground.

He was using the third ability of the Saint-level item—Blessing! Curses and Fortune Reduction were definitely ineffective against the Stop-Killing Palace Master, so he opted to improve his own luck.

"Hiss."

Li Xianzong winced in pain as his skin twitched.

On the other side, Tian Lingling remained steadfast. His muscles swelled, tearing through his outer clothing. With a "shh" sound, two ethereal, less solid arms emerged from his shoulder blades, one holding a long blade and the other a short one.

The long and short blades swung, slicing through the red threads that were attacking.

The red threads fell lightly to the ground like a rain of blood.

Tian Lingling was about to engage in close combat with the Stop-Killing Palace Master when he saw the woman in the red dress at the stairwell lift her fair and slender wrist and snap her fingers.

"Snap!"

The severed red threads came back to life, entangling Tian Lingling like tentacles, binding him layer by layer.

The red threads continued to constrict and tighten, slowly cutting into the skin of the Level 5 Mist Master, causing blood to flow from the fine wounds.

"Master?"

Tian Lingling's face finally changed.

Level 5 Mist Masters possessed a signature skill—Iron Head, Iron Arms.

This skill established the dominance of the Enchantress in close combat. Tian Lingling was extremely confident in his defense, even against a Level 6 lawful profession at the pinnacle of the Saint realm, he believed it would be difficult to break through his defenses.

However, as soon as they clashed, his proud steel-like body was penetrated by the Stop-Killing Palace Master's red threads.

When did she become a Master? The massacre instance hadn't even begun yet.

A Master? Li Xianzong's heart trembled as he quickly distanced himself from Tian Lingling and fled to a corner of the underground bar. At the same time, he retrieved the chalk from his pocket.

Her real target is Tian Lingling, not me. As long as Tian Lingling can keep this madwoman busy, I can escape.

The twisted and crisscrossing patterns on Tian Lingling's head weren't tattoos but rather a manifestation of the enhanced Enchantress powers after reaching the Saint stage. In the Transcendent stage of the Enchantress, the runes were hidden in the eyes, and as they reached the Saint stage, the runes would gradually spread throughout the body.

At the Dominator stage, Enchantress runes covered the entire body, and lower-level practitioners would go mad with just a single glance, falling under their enchantment.

"Kill her at any cost," Tian Lingling's voice was low and ethereal.

Suddenly, the surviving evil practitioners near the private booths, their eyes bloodshot, rushed recklessly toward the Stop-Killing Palace Master, ignoring everything else.

The Stop-Killing Palace Master raised her arm and swung forcefully. The dense red threads, like a fountain, swept across the entire area.

Ping, ping, pong, a cacophony of sounds rang out. Chair backs were severed, the bar counter had fine cracks, tables split in half with even and clean cuts, and the evil practitioners' bodies were torn into pieces, heads flew, and torsos were cleaved in two.

Li Xianzong, relying on his Blessing, managed to evade most of the attacks, but suddenly felt a stinging pain on his neck as a thin hair-like red thread grazed it.

He clutched his neck, staggered backward, and blood spurted from between his fingers.

"Blood, I need blood," Li Xianzong's eyes scanned aimlessly, and he caught sight of a dying evil practitioner a few meters away, his upper and lower bodies separated, writhing in agony without immediately dying.

He stumbled toward his target.

At this moment, Tian Lingling took the opportunity to cut through the entangled red threads and escaped towards the back door of the bar. In the process, he grabbed an old black ceramic jar from his inventory and smashed it on the ground.

Suddenly, the space was filled with layered and distorted illusions.

The Mistress of the Stop-Killing Palace's body disintegrated suddenly, turning into a red torrent that rushed into the illusions, chasing after Tian Lingling.

Li Xianzong seized the opportunity and drew a butterfly knife, thrusting it into the heart of one of the evil practitioners. The bloodthirst of the Bewitching Fiend's passive ability was activated, and Li Xianzong's eyes glowed crimson as he absorbed the opponent's essence, slowly healing the wound on his neck.

Next, he disregarded the horrifying and twisted illusions around him, quickly crouched down, and drew a circle on the ground.

A yellowish light screen descended, enveloping him, and he disappeared from view.

Back door of the bar.

On the ground here lay scattered arms, legs, torsos, and hot organs mixed with flowing blood.

The Mistress of the Stop-Killing Palace, barefoot and carrying Tian Lingling's head, began to piece together his body bit by bit.

Then, she put on a black cloak oozing an eerie aura. In an instant, her pupils were filled with a thick, viscous power that connected to the spirits within the remains.

"Tian Lingling, Di Lingling, tell me, twenty-one years ago, which Heavenly King led the massacre of the Chu family, and where are the Chu family's rule-type artifacts located?" She muttered these words several times, swallowing the spirits down in one gulp.

Official forum:

#Li Xianzong Attacks Pingtai Hospital, Targeting Primordial Celestial#

Today at noon, a post surged to the top of the official forum, marked in red and pinned.

"According to information from a reliable senior in the Taiyi Sect, today's attack on Songhai's Pingtai Hospital was a meticulously planned hunt by Bishop Li Xianzong of the Holy Army targeting Primordial Celestial.

"Luckily, although Primordial Celestial suffered serious injuries, he managed to survive. Based on this incident, we can analyze the two sides' power gap. According to the senior from the Taiyi Sect, a thick fog covered the interior of the hospital, which dissipated in just two minutes.

"But when the colleagues from the Songhai branch found Primordial Celestial, he was already on the brink of death. This shows that Li Xianzong is extremely powerful, and we must not underestimate him."

"This attack has initiated the trial for evil professions. We urge colleagues from all branches to be vigilant for potential ambushes in the coming days.

"As for the aftermath of Primordial Celestial and Li Xianzong, this post will continue to be updated. Please stay tuned."

During this period, official practitioners from all regions were on high alert, but so far, things remained relatively calm in various areas. As mentioned in the post, Li Xianzong's terrifying actions had set the stage for the evil camp's trials.

In the coming days, evil professions from various regions would undoubtedly spring into action, hunting down their selected targets.

Forum comments:

- "Looks like Primordial Celestial can't even handle Li Xianzong, but he couldn't even last two minutes. I didn't expect that."

- "Primordial Celestial still lacks some depth. He's strong in the Superhuman stage, but compared to the real elites, there's still quite a gap. This conflict has given us a rough idea of his level."

- "To be safe, I think Primordial Celestial should lay low and avoid trouble for now."

- "For sure, I think Primordial Celestial should hide for a while, let the storm pass."

- "No need to hide; just go all out to capture Li Xianzong and claim the bounty."

In the forum, official practitioners from various regions actively participated in discussions.

Every mid-year and year-end, the forum was always the liveliest, but also the heaviest. Today's hero could become tomorrow's victim due to the attacks by evil professions.

Regarding Li Xianzong's high-profile attack, official practitioners from various regions were angry but also helpless, as it was not within their jurisdiction. At most, they could offer suggestions, advising Primordial Celestial to lay low for now. Revenge could wait, and in a few days, Li Xianzong might be killed in a siege.

In the Songhai branch, other area's official practitioners firmly declared that they would hunt down Li Xianzong.

Complaints were also made about the incompetence of the official practitioners in the Kangyang district.

Underground black market:

The Fist King led a few team members, patrolling his territory to maintain order.

The Ling Realm practitioners from Songhai didn't seem intimidated by the inter-camp conflict; on the contrary, they frequented the black market more often.

One member of the team spoke to the Fist King with a low voice, glancing frequently at the gambling tables, "Boss, the odds for Primordial Celestial and Li Xianzong have already reached 1:20. You just finished your meeting today; you should have some information. What do you think about me betting on him to win?"

The Fist King glanced at him, "You can bet on 'a draw,' but don't bet on Primordial Celestial winning."

His other henchmen instantly understood what he meant. The information on the forum seemed to be accurate.

In the deep night, at the Hua Yu Hotel:

In the presidential suite, Xie Lingxi sat by the balcony, furrowing her brows as she repeatedly refreshed the Five Elements Alliance's official forum.

Her female assistant stood by, reporting, "I've inquired with the Second Team in the Kangyang District. Primordial Celestial is recuperating at home and is not in critical condition. However, when the official practitioners found him, he was on the brink of death."

"Miss, if you care about Primordial Celestial, why don't you call and ask him yourself?"

Xie Lingxi replied irritably, "You've never been in love, so I won't bother explaining."

Her assistant was not pleased, feeling slighted.

Xie Lingxi sighed and said, "If the posts aren't exaggerating, the gap between Primordial Brother and Li Xianzong is indeed significant. Sigh, he's in danger this time; he should lay low."

The assistant commented, "But he's still a remarkable talent, nurtured by the Holy Army. He's an elite in the Superhuman stage."

Xie Lingxi closed her laptop and looked at her assistant, saying, "My father told me to observe Primordial Brother more closely before, but now that this has happened, he hasn't contacted me. Well, he must have found you privately today. What did he say?"

The assistant hesitated for a moment before honestly responding, "He didn't say much, the Family Head instructed me to maintain vigilance, keep an eye on you during this time, and avoid contact with Primordial Celestial. I suppose he wants to see if he can survive."

"Understood, investing cautiously is essential, and he has always been this way." Xie Lingxi pursed  her lips.

"But I have my own style."

She picked up her phone and playfully sent a voice message, "Primordial Brother, can you come to the hotel tomorrow? I'd like to invite you for dinner."

In the bedroom, Zhang Yuanqing lay on the bed with his eyes closed, focusing his mental energy within to nourish Little Nuisance. He looked somewhat fatigued, as if recovering from a severe illness.

Even though Night Roaming God possessed a vigorous life force, complete recovery would take a couple more days.

As he nurtured Little Nuisance, Zhang Yuanqing also replayed the battle from earlier in the day in his mind, over and over again.

"No matter how I approach it, I have no chance of winning. Red Dancing Shoes isn't with me, and there's a level difference. Using Red Veil to scare him away is the lowest-risk option."

"But I only have one use of Red Veil left, and Li Xianzong has a 'Teleport' item. If he attacks me again one or two more times, I'm done for."

"I must reach Level 3 as soon as possible."

Defeated by Li Xianzong, Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but feel disheartened. Even though there was a level gap between them, he was in a similar age group, and both were in the Superhuman stage. Comforting himself with the notion that he had recently become a Primordial Celestial was somewhat self-deceptive.

Today, not only did he suffer serious injuries, but Little Nuisance also came close to death.

He knew he had to take revenge, but when he considered the power gap between them, he felt somewhat demoralized and powerless.

At this moment, he heard light footsteps outside the door.

Just from the footsteps, he knew that it was his little aunt.

(End of this chapter)

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