A fierce battle broke out in Linjiang City, Hu Jiu sensed it almost immediately.
However, the battle lasted very short, ending in less than a minute.
Hu Jiu waited a moment, intending to contact Kaiyang to check on the condition of the man in black.
Have they caught that mysterious old man, Deng?
A line of writing appeared out of thin air on a strange square piece of white paper.
They didn't catch me, but I found you!
The appearance of another line of writing startled Hu Jiu; clearly, the person he was talking to at that moment was the old man in black robes.
What's going on?
Even with multiple high-ranking officials from the Big Dipper system involved, they couldn't take it down?
Why did that Supernatural piece of white paper used for communication end up in the other party's hands?
[Stop playing these riddles. Let's get straight to the point: Who are you? What's your purpose?] Hu Jiu went straight to the point.
"You may call me 'The Executor'," the man in black replied.
Executor? Whose Executor? What does it proxy for? Three questions flashed through Hu Jiu's mind in an instant, and he immediately asked them.
The Executor didn't reply, but instead wrote: [I know you retained memories from the previous playthrough. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but with so many restarts, some bugs are bound to remain.]
[But the variables you bring are far too great to Neglect.]
Upon seeing these two lines, Hu Jiu's pupils constricted sharply. What did it mean to 'retain the memories of the previous timeline'? Did it refer to his rebirth?
What does "too many restarts" mean?
Some extremely terrifying Fierce Ghosts can "reboot" within their own Ghost Domain. This reboot is somewhat like time reversal, but a more accurate description would be to reset all matter within the Ghost Domain back to a certain state in the past.
The "reboot" mentioned by the Executor was probably different from the reboot that Hu Jiu knew, and he had some guesses in his mind.
Then, new words appeared on the paper.
[Although you can use tricks and schemes to stop me from going to you, once I get serious, you have nowhere to escape!]
[However, if you agree to do some things for me, I can guarantee I won't bother you anymore, and I'll even cover for you. The other Executor won't bother you in the future either!]
There are other Executor?! Hu Jiu was somewhat surprised, suddenly feeling unsafe everywhere. He asked, "[What do you want me to do for you?]"
The Executor quickly made his request. "[First thing, give me the Divine Tree.]"
Hu Jiu was stunned for a second, then quickly realized that the Divine Tree must be the Bronze Ancient Tree. As the strongest Fierce Ghost he controlled, he had already merged with the ancient tree, and it was indeed possible to separate them by paying some price.
But... how could he possibly cut off his own arm and hand over his trump card to someone else?
Having mastered the Bronze Tree, one still has room to resist and maneuver; but once the Bronze Tree is lost, one is truly like a fish on a chopping board.
[I'm sorry, but your request is too much. I don't agree.] Hu Jiu refused directly.
Executor: [Disagree? Heh, it seems you don't understand your situation, or the consequences of refusing me! If you take the initiative, I'll leave you a way out; if you resist stubbornly, then I'll have to resort to force!]
Hearing him say that, Hu Jiu stopped being anxious and felt relieved.
As a villain with every vice imaginable, he put himself in the other person's shoes. If you want something, just take it by force. If you don't take it, it can only mean one thing—the other person is too strong, you can't win, or the price you have to pay is too high to bear.
Hu Jiu probed sarcastically. "[If you were so capable, you would have done it yourself long ago. Why would you need to come here and threaten me with your tiger skin?]"
Executor: [You will pay for your foolish words and actions in the future. I will make you...]
Bang--
Before the sentence was even finished, the Supernatural white paper used for writing exploded with tremendous force, right next to his face.
A simple explosion wouldn't harm the Executor much; the real crisis comes from what leaks out after the white paper explodes!
The tiny scraps of paper, sharp as the finest shards, unexpectedly pelted the Executor's face, instantly turning his skin, hidden beneath the black robe, a mottled mess of colors, as if he had been poisoned by the most potent toxin.
The Executor, regaining his senses, changed his expression drastically and used his Supernatural power to expel all the paper scraps embedded in his skin.
Unfortunately, the curse attached to the scraps of paper had already seeped in. He had already been injured when dealing with Kaiyang and the others, and the curse aggravated his injuries rapidly.
But the Executor's panic lasted only a few seconds before he quickly regained his composure, allowing the curse to spread within his body. His figure blurred for a moment, and the surrounding space became distorted.
"Well done! You dared to hurt me? You'll regret this!"
A cold wind swept by, Hu Jiu's figure appeared out of thin air on the street.
He strolled around the neighborhood nonchalantly for a while, and no one attacked him.
Then another Hu Jiu appeared. The first Hu Jiu was surprised for a moment, and before it could react, it suddenly disappeared.
Hu Jiu frowned as he carefully examined the surroundings. A battle between Ghost Tamers had just taken place here, and although brief, its impact was enormous.
The area within a hundred meters has been reduced to ruins. Innocent passersby were affected; some became corpses, while others were reduced to fools who could only chant "May Buddha have mercy," and their lives were nearing their end.
The space was filled with powerful Supernatural remnants. If an ordinary person stayed here for even a short while, they would probably die suddenly and inexplicably. Neither Kaiyang nor the Executor cared about the lives of ordinary people when the conflict occurred.
Logically, a responsible person should have sealed off and dealt with this post-war area as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, Hu Jiu wasn't entirely normal; when he was in a bad mood, he preferred to see others suffer.
Hu Jiu casually tossed the remaining Supernatural to random locations, then contacted Headquarters, informing them of the existence of the "Executor" and asking them to investigate.
Even though it's very likely that nothing will be found, the fact that Headquarters has taken action can itself trigger change, whether good or bad, which is better than doing nothing and passively taking a beating.
Meanwhile, in another remote corner of Linjiang City, Kaiyang was grimacing and clutching his chest, his face pale, the Buddhist light surrounding him flickering uncontrollably.
"They failed? Where did this monster come from?"
Upon receiving Hu Jiu's notification, he took action almost immediately; the ability to manipulate time was indeed extremely tempting.
But at this moment, Kaiyang finally realized what it meant to be "there are people better than you, and there is always something beyond your understanding." He thought the Beidou Organization was already the world's top, but he never expected to be proven wrong so easily.