Volume One: Intrigue and Deception in the Imperial Capital, Chapter 94: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

The Si Nan Main Family, Zhongyuan--

After a great battle, the Si Nan Main Family was severely damaged, with ruins everywhere. At a glance, there were unconscious Si Nan clansmen everywhere. The act of Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass uniting them into a whole had exhausted the strength of each of them.

"Lord Victor, hurry, your injury..."

"Don't worry about it for now!"

Ignoring his injuries, Victor limped toward where Si Nan Zheng landed.

The Cleon Family's vanguard was almost completely wiped out. The follow-up troops who saw the strange phenomenon rushed over immediately, and their eyes widened in shock when they saw the seriously wounded Victor. They quickly brought the unconscious people under control, and several people hurriedly caught up with Victor, wanting to treat his wounds.

"My lord, we saw a golden light coming from afar earlier, what exactly happened—"

"Is this any of your business?"

"I'm so sorry!"

Victor glared at them, immediately scaring away the tagalongs.

"Senior, what exactly happened?"

Victor glanced to the side and saw Don, who was wrapped in bandages, along with his sons and several high-ranking members of the family.

"It's you, Tang... Never mind, you guys should come and take a look too."

Blood kept flowing out, and the wound was so deep that bone was visible, but he seemed completely unaware, and just kept walking forward.

"That compass..."

It's all because of that compass!

If it weren't for Si Nan Zheng's health condition, Victor would definitely be dead today!

"... It must be a legendary Divine Artifact!"

Divine Artifact, Divine Artifact, an object that should only exist in myths and legends, was now appearing before his eyes.

It's right there in front of you!

From afar, I saw Si Nan Zheng's body, and beside it, a small, beautiful creature radiating dazzling golden light...

Standing before the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass, Victor was filled with excitement, and the others also looked on with rapt attention, completely absorbed in the sight.

Victor looked at the ever-changing golden patterns on the compass and reached out his hand—

"With this... my Cleon Family will..."

"Stop it, this is not something you deserve to own."

Without warning, a hoarse voice rang out behind them, filled with mockery!

"--who!?"

Victor was shocked. Even though he was seriously injured, his perception was still far superior to that of ordinary people. Someone had managed to approach him quietly without him noticing!

"Hey, don't be so menacing. I'm just here to pick up something," the newcomer shrugged. "Your Cleon Family has certainly done a good job. It wasn't for nothing that we sold you the Shielding Device."

He was a man who looked to be in his early thirties.

The man had silver hair and a mocking smile on his cold face; he wore a sharp white suit and white leather shoes, the collar open to reveal his collarbone and chest muscles; two chains hung from his waistband, seemingly some kind of decoration.

The key is his eyes.

At first glance, his eyes seemed unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, one would discover an eerie light emanating from the depths of his pupils. A single glance was enough to instill a strange unease, as if some calamity was about to befall one...

"Let me introduce myself first..."

It was a very hoarse sound, reminiscent of an old, worn-out radio. The man gave a slight bow, performing a very informal greeting.

"My name is Huang Huo,"

The man observed Victor's reaction, seemingly enjoying his astonished expression.

"It was to lure out Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass, the person who used and assisted your family's revival plan."

Only then did Victor take action.

"Flame Dragon!"

Releasing its last remaining power, a fire dragon roared and flew out, rushing straight towards Huang Huo!

Huang Huo looked at the fire dragon, smiled slightly, and reached out his hand.

"Let it crumble..."

There was no sound, no light, not even a fluctuation of spiritual energy.

The ferocious fire dragon instantly dissipated, vanishing into the void without leaving a single spark!

"What... did you do!?"

"It's just about 'breaking down' it."

Huang Huo moved forward, and his body underwent a strange change.

"Speaking of what I'm best at, it's destroying everything..."

The arms were stretched out, exceeding normal proportions.

"Matter Collapse into molecules, molecules break down into atoms, atoms break down into even smaller matter, and ultimately return to nothingness."

The skin turned an eerie pinkish-purple.

"A skill perfectly suited for combat, isn't it?"

Blue lines appeared on his body, like a tattoo.

Even so, I can only exert influence on the capital from the shadows.

Its face became long and pointed, its eyes became larger, and it emitted a fluorescent blue light.

"While it's not impossible to forcibly eliminate both Si Nan Changzheng and Victor Cleon, those two powerful figures, it would make it difficult to find out where the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass is hiding."

His lips twisted, revealing a wicked, split smile.

"That's why I'm using you as pawns!"

"Go to hell, you wicked creature!!!"

The Cleon Family members all took action, but Huang Huo merely waved his hands in response—

"Ghostly Calamity, Great Calamity Sacrifice"

Then, everything fell apart.

"Haoyue, can you still hold on?"

"It's alright, I still have some healing Spiritual Medicine."

Holding Haoyue in my arms, I quickly flew over house to house. After my previous rampage, I discovered that my injuries had miraculously healed. Could this be considered an unexpected surprise?

"But Xiao Ye, why can you transform?" Hao Yue asked, getting to the crucial point.

"God knows..."

I'm also puzzled. Is this one of Blood Fiend's abilities? But it doesn't seem quite right.

The key is those dark red runes...

Thinking back, when I first encountered that Blood Mist on Earth, it contained several dark red, sinister runes. At first, I thought they were just a part of the Blood Mist, but now I realize they probably weren't.

"Speaking of which, what exactly happened in the capital while I went berserk and you were seriously injured and unconscious...?"

In the capital city today, buildings are severely damaged everywhere, and the streets are filled with people fleeing the disaster.

"I don't know, but based on my intuition, something's probably happened to the Si Nan Family."

"Really?--Eh!?"

I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine, stopped on a rooftop, and looked in the direction of the Si Nan Family.

"What's wrong, Xiao Ye?"

"..."

Without warning, the blood in my body began to surge and pound through my veins. A strange sensation spread throughout my body, the source of which was... the Si Nan Main Family.

"... Haoyue, I need to get back to the Si Nan Family right away, it's urgent!"

"Okay, I'll go with you."

But your injury...

"I already said I'm fine~"

I sighed, didn't argue further, picked her up again, and ran towards the Si Nan Family.

"--What's going on?!" I exclaimed in shock.

"Is this some kind of prank show...?" Haoyue was so shocked she couldn't close her mouth.

The original location of the Si Nan Main Family, that magnificent and grand architectural complex, well... it's all gone, leaving only some low-rise houses.

The ground was littered with unconscious people, some of whom had half their bodies reduced to sand-like fragments, a gruesome sight. Large amounts of tiny particles, resembling sand but much finer, covered the ground.

"It seems to be left behind from the dismantling of those buildings..."

Haoyue climbed off me and carefully observed the ground.

Just then--

A terrifying pressure descended from the sky and enveloped me. Haoyue beside me groaned and collapsed unconscious under the immense pressure!

I immediately assumed a fighting stance. Someone had arrived, and someone extremely powerful at that!

A figure appeared amidst the rising smoke and dust.

To be precise, it is a humanoid creature.

With pinkish-purple skin, large blue eyes and tattoos, and arms that were far too long and thin for human eyes, it looked more like some kind of insect or reptile than a human.

"Oh? There are still some awake? Oh well, now that you know I exist, I guess I'll just have to send you to hell too..."

I have no choice but to send you to hell too.

The moment I understood the meaning of those words, I took action.

Blood gushed out, congealing into thick, spiraling blood crystals, Earth Spike wildly at the inhuman creature.

However, the blood crystal disintegrated on its own a meter away from him. The crystal turned into crystal grains, the crystal grains turned into crystal sand, and the crystal sand disintegrated into even smaller particles, which were finally scattered by the wind. Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

The blood crystal... was it decomposed?

What kind of superpower is this!?

I watched the newcomer with extreme vigilance, ready to flee with Haoyue at any moment.

"Hey, your superpower... Blood Fiend?"

"... Huh?"

What did he say? Blood Fiend?

The strange man in front of them had his facial muscles contorted in a look of astonishment. His large blue eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed into slits, as if he were deep in thought.

"Manipulating blood, Condense Blood into Crystal —these are all Blood Fiend's specialties... After disappearing from the Rakshasa Divine Sect, the Rakshasa True Word vanished, and there were signs of spatial turbulence, now a girl with the same abilities has appeared..."

With his slender fingers pressed against his chin, the strange man fell into deep thought, but this state didn't last long. His eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had reached a conclusion.

"I see, I think I understand what happened... Heh, so that's how it is. Looks like I really can't kill you! For your sake, I can spare those lucky ones who are unconscious and unaware of my existence..."

As he spoke, he turned his back to me and walked away.

"But in a few days, when you're alone, I'll come find you... Of course, don't even think about running away, and don't tell anyone I exist, otherwise... hmph."

After leaving those words, he disappeared from my sight.

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The promised second update!

The first volume is expected to end at chapter 100. I welcome everyone to write book reviews then!