Under the double stimulation of body and mind, Guoyi Fist finally broke through its limits!
Unfortunately, it was useless. Without the boost of Martial Will, he couldn't inflict even the slightest harm on the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon was merely a little surprised that such a tiny morsel could break free of its restraints.
It put aside its playful mood, suddenly dipping its transparent body from midair and diving toward Meng Chuan.
Meng Chuan's limit break was no use at all. He could only let the Heavenly Demon burrow completely into his body. As his consciousness blurred, he once again lost control of himself.
At last, he walked mechanically into Tong Family Alley and stopped beside the wall of the first house.
"Hang yourself up there, hee hee hee."
The Death God let out a mocking laugh.
Under its control, Meng Chuan tied a noose and slipped it around his neck.
His time had come.
At that very moment, when all hung by a thread—
"Rumble!"
A clap of thunder tore across the night sky. Luo Guanyun held a small golden spear aloft in his right hand, arriving on the wind amid crackling lightning like a celestial thunder deity.
After landing, Luo Guanyun raised the golden spear upright in his palm with his mind. Azure-blue lightning True Qi coiled around the shaft, and golden thunder burst from the spearhead. All of Tong Family Alley became a pool of lightning.
Faced with a formidable foe, the Heavenly Demon had no thought of fighting back. It immediately took control of Meng Chuan's body and turned to flee.
It had realized that this man was far too powerful. Just one strike had shattered the force field it had spread across all of Tong Family Alley.
But it was already too late. Lightning was the Heavenly Demon's natural bane.
Dark clouds instantly gathered above Meng Chuan's head. A violent boom rolled through them, and a golden bolt of lightning suddenly crashed down.
"Golden Thunder: Purification!"
The strike blasted the Heavenly Demon into oblivion. Meng Chuan, whom it had possessed, was fine. Golden Thunder specialized in purification and struck only at evil spirits, so it had done no harm to his body. He was just a little charred all over.
"Master!"
As Meng Chuan spoke, black smoke puffed from his mouth. Then his eyes rolled back, and he dropped straight to the ground, unconscious.
The black smoke was what remained of the dead Heavenly Demon. A gust of wind scattered it, leaving not a trace.
Luo Guanyun flipped one hand, stowing the golden spear, then hurried over to check on Meng Chuan.
"Mm, he's fine."
He took out his phone and dialed a number. It was answered after just one ring.
"Hey, Bald Ape. I got the guy out. You're way too slow."
The one on the other end was Qindu District Police Chief Long Jiu, the Mountain Shaking Ape.
At that moment, he was swinging through the city like an ape, reaching out to grab the edges of high-rises.
He gripped a crossbeam with his right hand, then swung his body forward with a powerful thrust. His other huge, furry hand held a tiny phone, making for a rather comical sight.
"Leave it to you, Old Luo. What's the situation at Tong Family Alley? Is the Heavenly Demon dead? And don't you fucking call me Bald Ape!"
The Qindu District Police Department had a dedicated Sky Eye Department. Any magnetic field disturbance in the district triggered an immediate alert, prompting the other personnel to respond at once.
Tonight, the Sky Eye Department's on-duty staff detected an abnormal fluctuation near Tong Family Alley and immediately reported it to their director, who passed it on to Police Chief Long Jiu.
Using surveillance footage from before the force field disrupted it, along with big data analysis, they identified the victim as Meng Chuan. After checking Meng Chuan's personal information, Long Jiu immediately contacted his college classmate, Luo Guanyun.
He knew that Luo Guanyun had spent years mastering the Xingyi Thunder Method and was far faster than he was. There might still be a chance to save the young man from his martial arts school.
Luo Guanyun said nothing. He turned toward the horrifying scene in Tong Family Alley, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and put it between his lips. A spark of electricity flickered from his fingertip and lit it. He took a deep drag.
When Police Chief Long saw that Luo Guanyun wasn't speaking, he had a bad feeling.
"Hey, hey, hey, Old Luo, say something!"
Luo Guanyun exhaled a plume of smoke, then spoke.
"I killed the thing, but I don't think anyone in Tong Family Alley survived. They're all hanging from the walls. They were dead long ago. The scene... it's too horrible to look at. You'd better come see for yourself."
Hearing Luo Guanyun's words, Long Jiu's heart gave a jolt. If things were really as he said, then Long Jiu's career as police chief was probably over.
After rushing as fast as he could, Police Chief Long finally reached the scene three minutes later. Luo Guanyun stood to one side, smoking one cigarette after another, with no intention of approaching him.
Gazing at the hellish scene before him, Long Jiu took off his cap and dropped to one knee.
All the criminal officers in Qindu District had rushed to the scene. The squad leader ordered the roads blocked and the area sealed off, then ran over to Long Jiu.
"Reporting to the police chief: the scene has been secured!"
Long Jiu ignored him. The squad leader remained bent forward in a bow before him.
A few minutes later, Long Jiu finally seemed to come to his senses. He turned and shouted:
"Everyone! Take off your caps and kneel on one knee to mourn the victims!"
Long Jiu rose and bowed to Luo Guanyun. He then asked Luo Guanyun to take Meng Chuan and leave; he would handle the rest.
After Luo Guanyun had gone, Long Jiu stood up.
"You bunch of useless bastards, me included—we all deserve to be shot."
"We still haven't caught the last Heavenly Demon, and now another one has appeared. If Master Luo hadn't rushed over, it would've escaped again."
"The state poured manpower, money, and resources into building the Sky Eye. Are we in the Sky Eye Department all just sitting around doing nothing? Why are we always reacting after the fact, only noticing the Heavenly Demons after they've committed their crimes?"
"Everyone in the Sky Eye Department, get under control! Investigate every last one of them! You could call the last one an oversight, but what about this time? More than a hundred people are dead! If anyone dares tell me it was another oversight, I won't wait for the Ministry of Law to pass judgment—I'll shoot him right here!"
That night, many people in Qindu District went without sleep.
Huayun Mansion Villa District, A003
Luo Guanyun didn't take Meng Chuan home. Instead, he brought him back to his own house.
Regulations required anyone below the Martial Artist level who had come into contact with a Heavenly Demon to undergo a full examination by police specialists. They could only meet ordinary people again once it had been confirmed that no remnants of a Heavenly Demon remained.
Without the protection of Martial Will and Xiantian True Qi, remnants of a Heavenly Demon could disrupt a person's mind. Some powerful Heavenly Demons could even use a mere scrap of flesh to possess a body and return to life.
People who had come into contact with a Heavenly Demon generally had to stay in the police station's observation room and wait for the testing personnel to arrive. They could only leave once their bodies had been confirmed clear.
But with Luo Guanyun there, this was obviously one of the exceptions.
After a while, Meng Chuan slowly woke up.
"Awake? You're one lucky kid. Good thing I got there in time."
Meng Chuan didn't answer. He stared up at the ceiling with his eyes wide open.
He didn't dare close his eyes, because whenever he did, all he could see in his mind were the people who had died.
He hated his own helplessness. He hated that he hadn't discovered it sooner. Tong Family Alley hadn't been like this just a few days ago.
Luo Guanyun lit a cigarette beside him, then another.
"Kid, you did great. Without you, when would they ever have gotten their revenge?"
"Don't dwell on things that won't help. That's just how this world is. You have to become a Martial Artist, because when ordinary people face the Heavenly Demons, they're like candles blown out by the wind."
Before you continue