Arrival, Bloodbath

At eleven at night, the ruins lay in darkness.

The moon was hidden behind clouds, and only the city lights in the distance cast a dim red glow along the horizon. Wind swept through the weeds, making them rustle, while the tin roofs creaked.

Zhang Mo crouched behind a pile of concrete, watching the center of the site. Ning Rongrong crouched beside him, curled into a ball.

They had been there for three hours.

They had set all their traps—the steel-bar tripwires had been reinforced, the piles of unstable debris marked, and their escape route memorized.

Now all they could do was wait.

Ning Rongrong's palms were slick with sweat. She wiped them on her pants, but they were damp again before long.

Zhang Mo turned to look at her, then reached over and took hold of her wrist.

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment and looked down at his hand around her wrist.

"Don't be nervous," Zhang Mo whispered. "Stick to the plan."

Ning Rongrong drew a deep breath and nodded.

Time crawled by.

The wind blew a scrap of plastic over, and it rolled across the ground with a rattling sound. A few distant dogs barked, then fell silent again.

Ning Rongrong stared at the center of the site, not daring to blink.

Suddenly, she felt the light around them dim.

It wasn't the kind of darkness that came when a cloud hid the moon. This was different—as if something were sucking in the light.

She looked up at the sky.

A purple rift was tearing open along the horizon.

It widened, growing from a thin line to three or four meters across, its edges flashing with blinding light. Beyond it was pure darkness. She couldn't see a thing, but she could feel something forcing its way out.

Zhang Mo tightened his grip on her hand.

The rift suddenly expanded to its limit—

Six figures fell out of it.

The ground shook when the one in front landed. He stood over two meters tall, his upper body bare, his muscles bunched like rock. Moonlight spilled through a gap in the clouds, shining on his bald head with a cold gleam.

Five men stood behind him, all burly and around two meters tall. They lined up like a wall, broad-backed and thickset.

The rift slowly closed behind them.

The man took a deep breath and grinned.

"So this is the new world?"

His voice was as rough as stone grinding against stone.

He raised his right hand, clenched his fist, then slammed it into the rusted excavator beside him—

Boom!

A huge dent caved in the side of the excavator. The entire machine slid three or four meters, its tracks gouging deep furrows into the ground.

Ning Rongrong clapped both hands over her mouth, stifling a cry.

Spirit Rings began to appear beneath the man's feet.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black.

Six Spirit Rings revolved slowly around him, their light pressing down on the night like a weight that stole the breath from her lungs.

"Boss," one of his men said, "something smells off here. It's way too strong."

Huyan Li sniffed and frowned. "It does smell a bit strange. Doesn't matter. Let's find that little girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect first."

He started walking in.

After two steps, he suddenly stopped and turned to look toward the place where Zhang Mo and Ning Rongrong were hiding.

Ning Rongrong's heart gave a violent thump.

But Huyan Li only glanced that way, then looked ahead and continued walking.

"Boss, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Huyan Li said. "Maybe it was a rat."

Ning Rongrong let out a breath.

But as soon as she did, she saw Huyan Li reach the first pile of debris.

That pile was their first trap. If he touched a wire, the chunks of concrete above him would come crashing down.

Huyan Li studied the concrete for a moment, then kicked it—

Crash!

The pile of debris burst apart, sending chunks flying.

Ning Rongrong almost cried out.

Huyan Li looked at the scattered rubble and grinned.

"That all you've got?"

He kept walking.

A few steps later, he stepped on the first tripwire.

The steel bar bent under his foot.

He looked down, stamped on it until it snapped, and kept going.

But the tripwire had slowed his step by half a beat.

That was all the time Zhang Mo needed.

He released Ning Rongrong's hand and sprang out from his hiding place.

Behind him, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared in an instant.

"First Spirit Skill, Strength Boost!"

"Second Spirit Skill, Agility Boost!"

Two beams of seven-colored light fell on Zhang Mo at once.

Boosted by the added speed, Zhang Mo reached Huyan Li in the blink of an eye. He thrust the Fish Gut Sword at the back of Huyan Li's neck—

Huyan Li didn't even turn around. He swung a punch behind him!

The wind from his fist roared. Zhang Mo dodged to the side, and the Fish Gut Sword sliced across Huyan Li's arm, opening the skin and drawing a shallow line of blood.

Huyan Li turned around and stared at Zhang Mo, his eyes lighting up.

"You can hurt me?" He fixed his gaze on the sword in Zhang Mo's hand. "There's something strange about that sword."

He glanced down at the cut on his arm and licked it.

"Interesting."

He threw another punch with his right hand, this time wreathed in Soul Power.

Zhang Mo didn't dare take it head-on. He dodged to the side and swept the Fish Gut Sword across Huyan Li's waist. But this time it didn't even break the skin, leaving only a white mark.

Huyan Li burst out laughing.

"Is that supposed to tickle?"

He lunged for Zhang Mo with both hands.

Zhang Mo turned and ran, diving into the maze.

Huyan Li chased after him, but his huge frame was too big for the narrow passages between the debris piles, forcing him to take the long way around. Zhang Mo darted through the maze, swerving left and right and leading Huyan Li in circles.

Ning Rongrong stayed hidden, keeping Heart Separation Control running at full power. Her boosts stayed steadily on Zhang Mo.

But she knew she couldn't keep this up for long.

She gritted her teeth, suddenly stood up, and let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shine brilliantly.

"Third Spirit Skill, Soul Power Amplification!"

Another beam of light fell on Zhang Mo.

Huyan Li abruptly turned his head and saw her.

His eyes blazed.

"Little girl!"

He grinned, abandoned Zhang Mo, and charged at Ning Rongrong.

Zhang Mo's face changed. He turned and chased after him.

Huyan Li was slow only by Soul Master standards. Against Ning Rongrong, a twelve-year-old support-type Soul Master, he was still far too fast.

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of her, reaching for her with a massive hand—

"Heart Separation Control!"

Ning Rongrong screamed as four boosts fell on her at once.

She boosted her own agility and defense, but she was a support-type Soul Master. Even with her agility boosted, she couldn't outrun a Spirit Emperor.

Just as that hand was about to seize her—

A figure slammed into Huyan Li.

Zhang Mo.

He threw all his strength into crashing into Huyan Li's side, staggering him a step. The hand swiped past Ning Rongrong's hair and closed on empty air.

But the force of the impact sent Zhang Mo flying back too. He crashed into a pile of concrete with a muffled groan.

Huyan Li steadied himself and turned to look at him. His expression changed.

"You're asking to die."

He strode toward Zhang Mo.

Zhang Mo pushed himself up from the ground. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes stayed fixed on Huyan Li, his hand gripping the Fish Gut Sword tight.

Huyan Li looked at him, then at Ning Rongrong, still standing in the distance. Suddenly, he smiled.

"Now this is interesting."

He raised his right hand, and his five subordinates immediately moved in.

"That little girl is a support-type. Grab her first," he said. "I'll handle this kid."

The five burly men answered and turned to charge at Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong went pale and ran.

But after only a few steps, one of the men blocked her way.

She changed direction, only for another man to cut her off.

The five men slowly closed in on her from five different directions.

Zhang Mo tried to rush over, but Huyan Li blocked his path.

"I'm your opponent," Huyan Li said with a grin. "Let the little girl entertain herself."

In the distance, Ning Rongrong stood surrounded by the five burly men, with nowhere to run.

She gritted her teeth. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda flickered, then went dark.

Her Soul Power was almost gone.

She looked up at the five men, then turned to glance at Zhang Mo in the distance.

Zhang Mo was struggling to get to her, but Huyan Li stood in his way. He couldn't reach her.

Ning Rongrong took a deep breath and clenched the Fish Gut Sword in her hand.

She remembered what Zhang Mo had told her—

"You only get one chance to strike."

She fixed her eyes on the weakest-looking of the five men and slowly crouched down.

The man stared at her crouching and hesitated.

In that moment, Ning Rongrong sprang forward, thrusting the Fish Gut Sword straight at his calf—

The sword went in.

The man screamed and dropped to one knee.

Ning Rongrong darted past him and ran without looking back.

The other four men froze, then roared and chased after her.

In the distance, Zhang Mo saw Ning Rongrong break through the encirclement and breathed a sigh of relief.

But Huyan Li had seen it too.

He watched Ning Rongrong running away and suddenly smiled.

"Interesting little girl," he said. "Then let's have some fun first."

He turned and chased after Ning Rongrong.

Zhang Mo tried to stop him, but Huyan Li swung a backhand punch and sent him staggering several steps away.

By the time Zhang Mo regained his footing, Huyan Li was already more than ten meters away.

In the distance, Ning Rongrong ran for her life, with four burly men close behind her and Huyan Li charging after them from farther back.

She looked over her shoulder, her face deathly pale.

But she didn't stop. She gritted her teeth and kept running.

Deeper into the maze.

Toward her only chance.

Huyan Li's fist came crashing down.

Zhang Mo dodged to the side, but the wind from the punch grazed his shoulder and still sent him stumbling several steps. Before he could steady himself, Huyan Li's other fist was already on its way.

This time, he couldn't dodge.

He crossed his arms over his chest and took the blow head-on.

Thud!

He went flying and smashed into the concrete pile behind him. Chunks tumbled down, raining over him. He gritted his teeth and stood up, his right arm numb with pain. The Spirit Bone was burning hot, as if it were about to catch fire.

"Zhang Mo!"

Ning Rongrong's cry rang out in the distance.

Zhang Mo didn't look back. He kept his eyes on Huyan Li.

Huyan Li stared back, surprise in his eyes.

"What is that?" He pointed at the purple light flickering over Zhang Mo's body. "Soul Power? No, you don't have any Soul Power fluctuations."

Zhang Mo didn't answer.

He didn't know what it was, either. He only knew that with every breath, the purple light burrowed deeper into his body, and his strength grew.

But it hurt.

A bone-deep pain.

Like someone had set fire to the marrow of his bones.

Huyan Li stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"Whatever you are," he said, "you're dying here today."

He charged forward, throwing both fists.

Zhang Mo backed away until he reached a pile of concrete. There was nowhere left to go.

He took a deep breath, then charged forward instead of retreating, rushing head-on at Huyan Li's fists.

The two collided.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Fist after fist landed with a meaty thud.

Zhang Mo's punches hit Huyan Li like he was striking stone, numbing his bones. Huyan Li's punches landed on him like every blow was a hit from a car.

But he didn't retreat.

A punch for a punch.

He took three punches to land one.

Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. His eye swelled shut, and he didn't know how many ribs were broken. But the purple light still burned, burning so fiercely that he couldn't fall.

In the distance, four burly men pinned Ning Rongrong down as she struggled desperately.

She watched Zhang Mo get knocked down again and again, only to rise each time. Tears blurred her vision.

"Let go of me!" she screamed, kicking and biting.

One of the men holding her slapped her across the face.

Her head rang, and darkness swam before her eyes.

But she still stared in that direction.

At that blood-soaked figure who was still standing.

Huyan Li was getting angry, too.

He was a Spirit Emperor, a direct disciple of the Elephant Armor Sect. He'd been beating up an ordinary person without even a trace of Soul Power for this long, and still hadn't killed him. If word got out, where would that leave his pride?

He let out a roar, and his fifth Spirit Ring lit up again.

"Fifth Spirit Skill—Diamond Mammoth Avatar!"

His body swelled another size. Golden armor-like plates covered him from head to toe, and his two tusks grew longer, gleaming with a chilling light beneath the moon.

He looked at Zhang Mo and said, each word deliberate:

"One punch, and you're on your way to the grave."

Zhang Mo stood where he was, motionless.

It wasn't that he didn't want to move. He couldn't.

His legs had stopped obeying him. His whole body trembled, and darkness kept closing in. The purple light still burned, but it was consuming the last of his strength.

He watched Huyan Li charge, watched the enormous fist grow larger and larger—

Then he heard a scream.

It wasn't a scream of fear.

It was a scream of fury.

"Heart Separation Control—full power!"

A burst of seven-colored light erupted from behind him.

It was so bright that it stung his eyes, bright enough to illuminate the entire ruin.

Four boosts struck him at once.

Strength, Agility, Soul Power, Defense.

All maxed out.

Zhang Mo felt a warm current surge into his body. His unresponsive legs could move again, and the darkness before his eyes cleared. He raised his head and stared at the rapidly approaching fist. He didn't dodge—

He charged forward.

Fist against fist.

Boom!

The instant their fists collided, even the air shuddered.

Huyan Li's eyes widened.

He saw Zhang Mo's fist collide with his own, and then his fist was shoved aside.

Shoved aside by an ordinary person without any Soul Power.

Zhang Mo didn't stop.

One punch after another, he hammered Huyan Li.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Every punch blazed with purple and seven-colored light, and every punch left cracks in the golden armor-like plates.

Huyan Li staggered backward, then backward again.

He crashed into a pile of concrete. There was nowhere left to go.

Zhang Mo stood before him, drenched in blood, the purple light in his right eye burning brightest. He stared at Huyan Li and said, each word deliberate:

"Who did you say was sending whom to the grave?"

Huyan Li opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Zhang Mo didn't give him the chance.

One last punch.

It slammed into his chest.

The golden armor-like plates shattered.

Huyan Li's eyes widened. He looked down at the crack across his chest, then back up at Zhang Mo.

"You..."

He managed a single word before his massive body crashed to the ground.

Dust billowed.

Zhang Mo stood there, looking down at him.

He watched the golden motes drift off his body and slowly fade away.

The sounds of fighting in the distance stopped.

The four burly men holding Ning Rongrong froze. The three surrounding Zhang Mo froze, too.

They stared at Huyan Li lying on the ground, then at Zhang Mo, covered in blood. The vicious expressions on their faces turned to fear.

"T-The boss is dead..."

Someone shouted.

The remaining five men exchanged glances, then turned and ran.

Zhang Mo didn't chase them.

He stood where he was, watched them disappear into the distance, then slowly turned toward Ning Rongrong.

She was pinned to the ground, her face swollen and blood at the corner of her mouth. But she was smiling.

As she smiled, tears ran down her cheeks.

Zhang Mo walked toward her.

After two steps, his leg gave way, and he dropped to one knee.

Ning Rongrong's expression changed. She scrambled up and ran to him.

"Zhang Mo! Zhang Mo, are you okay?"

Zhang Mo raised his head and looked at her.

His eyes were almost shut, but he managed to tug the corner of his mouth into a smile.

"We won," he said.

Ning Rongrong froze.

Then she threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around him.

She held him tight.

"You idiot!" she cried. "You idiot!"

Zhang Mo said nothing.

He leaned against her and closed his eyes.

The system's voice sounded in his ear, but he couldn't make out what it was saying.

All he could feel was someone holding him, tight and warm.

Suddenly, he thought that this wasn't so bad.

Then he knew nothing more.