The Art of Slaughter

"Go and welcome them."

These four words slipped from Cailin's lips as lightly as if she were suggesting a casual stroll.

Li Hao's brain buzzed, nearly crashing on the spot.

He sprang up from the ground, shaking his head like a rattle-drum.

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Welcome them? You call killing people 'welcoming'? Cailin, let me tell you, murder is against the law! You go to prison for that!"

He practically roared, his voice cracking with panic.

What kind of joke was this?

As a law-abiding citizen from the twenty-first century who had only wanted to be a slacker after transmigrating, he was now expected to actively ambush an entire squad of Soul Master?

This script was all wrong!

Cailin watched him quietly, her golden vertical pupils devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if she were observing a petulant child.

"Master, this is the Douluo Continent."

Her tone was flat, yet it struck Li Hao's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Here, the strong are the law. No one listens to the logic of the weak."

She paused, continuing to state a cruel reality in that same emotionless cadence.

"They have already seen my true form and know that I am severely injured."

"To them, I am a Seven-Colored Divine Snake of inestimable value—a walking soul ring and soul bone."

"Do you really think they will just walk away?"

"If you don't pull up the weeds by the roots, they will grow again when the spring breeze blows. If we let them go today, they will return with greater strength tomorrow to tear you, me, and Xiao Wu to pieces."

Li Hao opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.

He could not refute her.

Because he knew that every word Cailin spoke was true.

In this world where human life was worth less than grass, mercy toward an enemy was cruelty toward oneself and one's family.

He could be indifferent about his own slacker life, but he could not be indifferent about Xiao Wu.

That little one, who would wrap her arms around his neck and call him "Daddy" in a soft, sweet voice, was his absolute bottom line.

If...

If his momentary softness led to Xiao Wu suffering any harm...

He dared not think further.

A profound sense of powerlessness and rage intertwined in his chest for the first time.

He was furious at the cruelty of this world, and even more furious at his own weakness.

"I..."

He struggled for a long time before finally squeezing a few words through his teeth.

"Understood."

As if all his strength had been drained away, he slumped back onto the ground.

"But... can you... please don't be too cruel?"

This was the final, most feeble request of a modern man.

Cailin nodded slightly, granting his wish.

"Rest assured, Master. I will handle it cleanly."

To her, killing was an art, not a bloody spectacle.

She then began to formulate the ambush plan.

There were no complex sand table simulations or tedious tactical arrangements.

She simply pointed to the crude map and drew a circle at the only entrance to Holy Soul Village, on a narrow forest path.

"Time: dusk, three days from now."

"Location: here, at a bend three hundred meters from the village entrance."

"They will have traveled a long distance and will be arriving at a supply point; that is when they will be at their most relaxed."

Her plan was simple, direct, and terrifyingly precise.

As Li Hao listened, he felt as though he weren't participating in a battle, but rather witnessing an execution with a predetermined outcome.

The next three days were an unprecedented torment for Li Hao.

He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, and even his daily, non-negotiable ritual of lying flat by the river lost its appeal.

Every time he closed his eyes, his mind was filled with images of gore and carnage.

He even began to doubt whether saving Cailin had been the right thing to do.

Yet, whenever he saw Xiao Wu's innocent smile and watched her growing stronger through her diligent training, the wavering in his heart would once again become firm.

He had no other choice.

Three days later, at dusk.

The setting sun dyed the sky a deep orange-red.

Following Cailin's instructions, Li Hao hid behind a dense thicket by the path at the village entrance, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

He had forcibly kept Xiao Wu at home, under the watch of one of Cailin's energy clones.

He clamped his hands tightly over his mouth, terrified that he might make a sound out of sheer nervousness.

Cailin, meanwhile, was like a phantom, silently concealed on a thick tree branch above his head, blending perfectly into the surrounding shadows.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Just as Li Hao was about to be driven mad by the sound of his own heartbeat, a burst of arrogant laughter drifted from the depths of the forest.

They were here!

Li Hao's body instantly went rigid.

Soon, a squad of Soul Master wearing uniform armor appeared at the end of the path.

Leading them was a burly middle-aged man whose soul power fluctuations were the most intense; he was clearly the Soul Emperor Cailin had spoken of.

Behind him followed five Soul Master, each exuding a fierce aura, all of them experts at the Soul King level.

"Damn it, we're finally here! This godforsaken place doesn't even have a decent road!"

The lead Soul Emperor spat on the ground, his face full of impatience.

"Boss, don't you think the Old Ancestor is being a bit much? Is it really worth us making this trip for some broken snake? It was already beaten half to death by him; it's probably dead in some corner by now," one of the Soul King complained from behind.

"Shut your mouth! Is the Old Ancestor's decision something you can discuss? That is a Seven-Colored Divine Snake, a rare species seen once in ten thousand years! As long as we obtain its soul ring and soul bone, the Old Ancestor will have a chance to break through to level ninety-five! When that happens, our family will rise to even greater heights!"

The Soul Emperor rebuked him sharply, though his own face betrayed a hint of greed.

"Yes, yes, yes..."

As they spoke, they walked straight into the ambush zone Cailin had prepared.

They had no idea that the shadow of death was already looming over their heads.

The moment they reached the corner where their line of sight was blocked by the trees.

The attack began!

Li Hao didn't even see Cailin move.

He only saw a pale purple afterimage flash and vanish from the tree branch.

There was no earth-shattering clash of soul skills, no dazzling, eye-catching light.

There were only a few short, sharp screams that were cut off so abruptly they were almost indistinguishable.

Then.

Everything fell into silence.

The battle had ended just like that.

It was so fast that Li Hao thought he was hallucinating.

Trembling, he poked his head out from behind the bushes.

The scene before him was one he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Those six arrogant Soul Master were all lying on the ground.

Each of them remained in the posture they had held in their final moments, their faces still frozen in shock and confusion.

Without exception, there was a tiny, bloody hole in the center of each of their foreheads.

Precise, fatal.

There wasn't a single unnecessary wound, and there was barely even any blood splatter.

Cailin stood quietly in the midst of the corpses, her purple robes spotless, as if she had just finished an elegant dance.

She was a goddess of death—beautiful, yet cold and ruthless.

A wave of intense nausea surged up from Li Hao's stomach.

He rushed to the side, clutching a tree trunk, and vomited violently.

This was his first time facing death so directly, witnessing such efficient and cold-blooded slaughter.

However, beneath the intense physical discomfort, an even stronger sense of shock gripped his mind.

This was Cailin's strength.

This was the queenly housekeeper he had picked up.

With her around, it seemed that even if the sky were to fall, there would be nothing to fear.

Cailin ignored Li Hao's reaction, walking over to the Soul Emperor's corpse, crouching down, and beginning to search it.

Soon, she pulled a family token engraved with a flame pattern and a secret letter sealed with wax from his robes.

She tore open the envelope and scanned it quickly.

The next second, a flash of murderous intent flickered across her eternally icy face.

She stood up slowly and turned to look at Li Hao.

"Master."

Her voice was colder than the frigid currents of Siberia.

"They still intend to come."