The Punitive Expedition Begins (Part 1)

Dawn was barely breaking when the Greenwood Second Chief had already woken early from meditation, bustling about the camp making arrangements.

The weather was cold; even with the Second Chief's Soul Emperor cultivation, he couldn't help but feel a chill. He reached up to tighten his collar, pausing in his morning busywork to catch his breath. A puff of white mist drifted from his lips as he watched the sun about to reveal its full face at the horizon. A flicker of fervent emotion burned in his eyes, but a trace of tension was hard to hide on his face.

"Sigh... a life-or-death battle..."

He stared blankly at the sky for a while, until the sun had fully risen. Only then did the Greenwood Second Chief turn and walk into the Greenwood Chief's office.

Hearing someone enter, the Chief, seated in his chair, turned around. His right hand propped up his chin, his gaze deep and unfathomable, lost in thought.

"Boss, everyone has assembled and is ready. We're only waiting for your orders." The Second Chief bowed and spoke respectfully.

"Mm." The Chief nodded but didn't move, remaining seated. "Yesterday I contacted the 'Stare' and 'Bili' factions. 'Stare' will provide the first wave of probing. 'Bili,' with the most numbers, will carry out suicide attacks, demolishing the buildings and cover around the target, draining his soul power. When the purge is over, they'll get three and a half shares of the spoils. As for us..."

The Chief's left hand rested on the armrest, his index finger tapping incessantly. His voice carried a slight tremor of excitement: "We'll handle the final battle, and we'll take five shares of the spoils. This is our chance."

'Yes, Boss.' The Second Chief felt his hands, pressed against his trouser legs, trembling uncontrollably. Since joining 'Greenwood,' he hadn't felt such tension in nearly ten years.

Though the Chief's mood was equally stirred and nervous, he managed to keep his expression calm.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The Chief's index finger kept tapping. The room fell into a brief silence.

After a long moment, the Chief finally spoke: "Have those two, the master and apprentice, been notified?"

"I've sent someone. They should be here soon."

"Good." The Chief slowly rose and paced back and forth in the room.

"Second," the Chief suddenly said, "when the time comes, show your face on the battlefield, then leave. Take a team to the two factions' camps. Kill everyone you see, leave no survivors. Make sure the information is sealed tight. Transfer all supplies, then get out."

"Boss!!" The Second Chief's eyes bulged with fury, his face full of disbelief.

"Sigh."

The Chief paced over beside the Second Chief and silently patted his shoulder, his expression complicated. After a long pause, the Second Chief finally opened his mouth: "It's just insurance. I don't know why, but despite all our preparations, I still feel an inexplicable unease in my heart."

"Boss..." The Second Chief opened his mouth again but couldn't find the words to continue.

"Alright." The Chief patted the Second Chief's shoulder once more and returned to his seat, waving a hand. "Go. Make your preparations. I need to think things through. Go."

"...Yes, Boss..."

Noon. The sun hung high overhead, scorching everyone with its brutal rays. Despite the heat, a chilling aura of murderous intent surrounded the tavern.

The Greenwood Chief watched as a burly, strapping man and a slightly hunched white-haired old man walked over together.

The old man smiled without speaking, but the burly man's face was full of impatience:

"What's the deal? It's this late and you're only showing up now? Let me tell you, don't you dare choke when it's your turn."

Before the Greenwood Chief could say anything, the old man spoke up first: "Now, now, no need for that. I believe the Greenwood Chief is not one to break his word. Rest assured, the operation hasn't even started yet."

The Greenwood Chief smiled amiably at the two and spoke: "Then I thank the Stare Chief for the kind words. Bili Chief, don't be anxious. Rest assured, I've arranged everything. This time, we'll make that bastard pay."

"Hmph." The Bili Chief let out a dissatisfied snort but said nothing more.

The sun crept slowly across the sky. Finally, everyone's shadows shrank to a point beneath their feet.

"Time's up..."

The old man spoke calmly, still wearing his smile.

The three exchanged glances and nodded. The smile finally vanished from the old man's face, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. His voice turned vicious: "Stare forces!"

"Here!" A thunderous shout rang out in unison.

The old man narrowed his eyes: "I don't need to say more. Go. Probe out every bit of information on that so-called 'Puppet Thug.' Move out!!"

"Yes!!"

Dozens of people swiftly broke away from the formation, silently pouring into the tavern wave after wave, disappearing from sight...

The battle had begun!!!

In the basement, Hals sat motionless in a corner. His aura was extremely weak. Only by listening closely could one detect a faint, barely audible breath.

"Boom."

His eyes snapped open. Pupils glowing with an emerald fire shone in the darkness like two falling stars in the night sky.

Gazing at the clearly visible soul flames in his field of vision, a sinister smile crept across Hals's already eerie face, sending a chill down the spine.

"Interesting little mice..."

In an instant, nothing remained in the basement but a faint, lingering wisp of black mist slowly dissipating, along with that hoarse, raspy voice.

The hunt had begun...

All members of the Stare vanguard released their Martial Souls, bodies tense, forming squads to search every room in the tavern, large and small, not daring to relax or slack off for a moment.

Soon, a squad arrived at the back hall of the tavern. Staring at the tightly locked door, the squad members silently looked toward their squad leader. After a moment's thought, the leader nodded at a burly team member who stood over two meters tall.

Seeing the leader's signal, that team member took a deep breath, and then...

"Boom!!"

The team member kicked the door into a shower of splinters with a single blow, his body rising even higher as his already thick hands swelled further, growing to the size of an adult's head in less than two breaths.

"ROAR!!"

The team member beat his chest and let out a long howl toward the sky, but the sound cut off abruptly.

"Dodge!!!"

The captain bellowed a warning and was the first to spin around and bolt backward.

"Kekeke."

A low, hoarse, sinister laugh rang out as the hulking body crashed down like a mountain, revealing the pale, ghastly face before them.

Hals's left hand was drenched in blood. He withdrew it, feeling the heart in his palm—it was still beating!!!

But Hals showed no surprise at all. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth...

He casually tossed the heart aside, let out a sneer, and his form dissolved into a cloud of black mist, vanishing in an instant.

The hunt begins...

"Ahhhh!"

"He's—"

"..."

Screams of utter agony echoed through the tavern, and an ever-thickening stench of blood spread, seeping even beyond its walls.

Taking in the heavy scent of blood in the air and the faint, almost imperceptible cries of suffering, the three chiefs wore grim expressions. Only the Greenwood Chief's eyes seemed to hold something else.

They exchanged glances, reading the same gravity in each other's eyes. They knew—that monster had awakened...