Losing one’s life takes but a moment.
Wan She, even until the complete loss of consciousness, did not know how she died.
That sword was too fast!
That move was too bizarre!
If heaven granted her another chance to choose, she swore she would never provoke this fiend again!
Ling Xiao was unaware of Wan She’s final thoughts. He took her storage ring and turned to leave.
The storage ring contained nothing valuable, just some ordinary pills.
It seemed many sects were prepared; even in death, they left nothing of worth to their killers.
But Ling Xiao did not care. He killed not for plunder, but because he had to.
…
Within the True Demon Forbidden Land, danger lurked everywhere.
These dangers were not only the ferocious beasts and terrifying traps.
In truth, most came from the participants themselves.
Ling Xiao killed because he had to.
But some killed without any reason.
Amid the ruined yet vast remnants of the True Demon Empire.
Killing intent spread.
Screams echoed continuously.
It seemed the shocking bloodlust reached the clouds.
“Madness! Li Youdao, that lunatic, is a killing demon!”
“Run! Why are you standing there? Meeting that maniac means certain death!”
“Yes, run! Hurry!”
“But we have no grudge with Li Youdao. Why does he kill?”
“Nonsense! That guy enjoys killing for fun. Stop thinking and keep up!”
Hearing the incessant screams, over a dozen warriors exclaimed as they fled into the distance. Even without seeing Li Youdao, their pores trembled with fear.
They ran desperately, some even using all their true essence.
Some resorted to martial techniques that risked self-harm.
Not to seize treasure or fight, but merely to escape.
“Heh heh heh, am I that terrifying?”
Yet escaping was ultimately futile.
Li Youdao’s figure appeared behind them. Without even moving, a jar’s shadow emerged at his back.
It was said that all venomous insects were crafted in such jars, earning them the name “Gu Nest.”
The Gu Nest martial soul could control venomous insects to kill enemies.
Disciples of the Gu King Sect might not excel in martial skills, but their use of venom was terrifying.
Li Youdao spoke a single sentence, and the dozen fleeing warriors turned ashen, then fell from the sky one by one.
Their corpses, still trembling on the ground, released centipedes less than an inch long.
“Gu Master of No Virtue” Li Youdao.
The title was not misplaced.
This man was not only terrifying but also ruthless.
With no grudge or intent to rob, he killed over a dozen warriors just for amusement.
In truth, these people lacked resolve.
Had they used the return scroll to leave the True Demon Forbidden Land immediately, they might have survived.
But they were unwilling to give up, and thus met a tragic end.
Meanwhile, in another place.
A secret chamber.
Inside was a chest, perhaps worn by time, revealing the shimmering Heart of the Ocean within.
Over a dozen pieces, which, if embedded in weapons or treasures, could produce the effect of a formation.
“Tang Jiu, what are you doing?”
Tang Jiu, who had been chatting and laughing, suddenly struck, killing two nearby warriors on the spot.
Tang Jiu smirked. “You lot, haven’t you heard of my reputation? I’m in a good mood today, so you can leave. These Heart of the Ocean gems are mine.”
As a core disciple of the Tang Sect, Tang Jiu did not kill indiscriminately like Li Youdao.
But he would kill for profit.
To him, the Heart of the Ocean was rare. Though these gems seemed only fit for embedding in fine treasures, they were still useful to him.
Until he reached the Heaven-Human Realm, they would serve him well.
The people in the chamber paled. They had laughed and talked with Tang Jiu along the way, thinking he was not as cruel as rumoured.
But that was because no treasure had appeared.
Once treasure emerged, Tang Jiu’s true nature was laid bare.
Though furious, they had only one choice: escape!
They knew Tang Jiu’s terror. Staying meant death.
“Oh, by the way, you’d better run fast. If I collect these ten Heart of the Ocean gems and you’re still within my attack range, sorry, my hands might itch.”
Li Youdao liked to play, but so did Tang Jiu.
Their games differed.
Li Youdao enjoyed the pain of his victims before death, finding it thrilling.
Tang Jiu loved manipulating others, relishing their helplessness.
Controlling life and death was, to Tang Jiu, utterly delightful.
“Go!”
Hearing Tang Jiu’s words, the people in the chamber did not hesitate. They knew staying meant death, but fleeing offered a chance at life.
Their speed was great, covering a hundred metres in a breath. The more skilled could manage two or three hundred.
Tang Jiu needed at least four or five breaths to collect the Heart of the Ocean. They could escape five or six hundred metres, perhaps seven or eight.
Most warriors’ attack range was not that vast.
So they believed they could safely escape Tang Jiu, and as for the Heart of the Ocean, there were other treasures in the vast True Demon Forbidden Land.
As Tang Jiu turned to collect the gems, a cruel, triumphant smile curled his lips.
Fools. Did they know of ancient nobles who released prisoners only to hunt them for sport?
One breath, the fastest were three hundred metres away.
Two breaths, the fastest reached seven hundred.
But then, Tang Jiu turned his head.
He had collected the Heart of the Ocean in just two breaths.
The fleeing warriors had not anticipated this.
They miscalculated, underestimating the Tang Sect’s unique “Thousand Gold Hand” technique.
Meant for training with hidden weapons, it was also incredibly swift for picking up items.
“You’re dead!”
Locking Fate Needle, Three Thousand Lives Taken!
With a cold smirk, Tang Jiu flicked his hands, and a dozen poison needles shot through the air.
The attack seemed ordinary but hid deadly intent.
The needles, barely visible, blended with the air’s fluctuations, unnoticed by the fleeing warriors.
