Kabbalah Organization

The Soul-Reaping Thorn was a mid-grade spirit artifact, and paired with the Burning Soul Art, it crossed several hundred meters in the blink of an eye.

"Get out of the way!"

Seeing the Soul-Reaping Thorn rushing mercilessly toward them, Zhao Jun gritted his teeth and slammed both palms against the wall.

With a thunderous boom, the entire small building collapsed. Amid the scattered bricks and rubble, earthen-yellow stone pillars could vaguely be seen thrusting upward.

The cold cloud split off from the Soul-Reaping Thorn surged forward, but all of it struck the pillars.

"Interesting."

Standing several hundred meters away, Ye Xiu nodded faintly. With his divine sense, he had long since locked onto everyone inside the building.

His earlier use of the Soul-Reaping Thorn to slaughter zombies had not only ensured his own safety, but also served to draw attention.

"Brother Xiu, be careful! Zhao Jun, the leader of that group, is a third-tier earth-type ability user. He can control soil!"

Seeing Ye Xiu standing there without moving, the woman atop the stone pillar hurriedly warned him.

No sooner had she spoken than a deafening crash erupted from the ruins.

Several massive stone pillars shot out, hurtling straight toward Ye Xiu.

"Haha! You thought I'd be helpless just because the building collapsed and buried me? Die!"

Zhao Jun was covered from head to toe in earthen-yellow armor, and his entire body had grown a full size larger.

"Idiot."

Watching the stone pillars race toward him, Ye Xiu's face curved into a disdainful smile.

"Do you really think you can stop the Soul-Reaping Thorn?"

With a pinch of his hand seal, the several dozen Soul-Reaping Thorns that had split apart rapidly converged into one.

Zhao Jun had believed he could use the building's collapse to lower Ye Xiu's guard.

Little did he know that this was merely a trap Ye Xiu had laid long ago.

Spiritual power surged, and the Soul-Reaping Thorn abruptly doubled in speed, piercing straight through Zhao Jun's chest.

"H-How is that possible?!"

Zhao Jun stared in disbelief at the gaping hole in his chest, but his body swiftly went limp and collapsed.

The people around him immediately dissolved into chaos upon seeing Zhao Jun fall.

Naturally, Ye Xiu would not miss such an excellent opportunity. The Soul-Reaping Thorn darted about several times on its remaining momentum, harvesting every last one of them in an instant.

The process seemed lengthy, but in truth, only a few minutes had passed since the woman on the stone pillar had called out her warning.

Rumble...

With Zhao Jun's death, the stone pillars he had created with his ability began to collapse as well.

The woman trapped above had only just freed herself and had not even taken two breaths when she felt a chill at her neck.

The Soul-Reaping Thorn could split apart when driven by the Burning Soul Art. Since Ye Xiu had sent it out to kill enemies, he naturally would not fail to leave some behind to guard himself.

Though the woman's earlier actions might have proven that she knew him, Ye Xiu had no intention of capsizing in a gutter in this apocalypse.

"You know me?"

Ye Xiu spoke coldly. The woman shuddered at his words, then hurriedly reached out and pulled aside the clothing covering her left arm.

A long burn scar ran from her forearm all the way to her elbow.

"Brother Xiu, it's me. I'm Hualing."

Seeing the scar, Ye Xiu froze, and the identity of the woman before him immediately surfaced in his memories.

Xu Hualing was the daughter of the neighbors who had lived across from him before he transmigrated.

His parents had died early, leaving only Ye Xiu and his younger sister to depend on one another. The Xu family across the hall had always taken great care of them, and Xu Hualing had been Ye Qingqing's inseparable best friend.

Wait, if Xu Hualing was here, then was it possible Qingqing was still alive too?

At that thought, Ye Xiu felt his heart pound violently.

The ten-to-one difference in time between the two worlds was already like a natural chasm. On top of that, in this peril-filled apocalypse, it was even harder for a delicate young girl to survive.

He had long since stopped holding much hope, but Xu Hualing's appearance had undoubtedly rekindled the hope in his heart.

With a thought, the Soul-Reaping Thorn instantly severed the chains around Xu Hualing.

"Hualing, how did you end up here? Where is Qingqing?"

Ye Xiu anxiously grabbed Xu Hualing's hand.

Xu Hualing coughed violently from his grip.

Only then did Ye Xiu realize his loss of composure, and he quickly cast a Rejuvenation Technique on her.

Green light flashed, and the wounds on Xu Hualing's body rapidly healed.

Looking at Ye Xiu's anxious face, mist welled up in Xu Hualing's eyes.

"Brother Xiu, where have you been all these years?"

Ye Xiu's expression stiffened. He did not know how to explain his transmigration, so he could only respond with silence.

Xu Hualing did not seem to want an answer either.

She burst into loud sobs, as if she wanted to vent all the grievances she had suffered these past days.

And from her fragmented, tearful account, Ye Xiu gradually learned what had happened after he transmigrated.

On the day he transmigrated, the zombie crisis had erupted, and all of Blue Star had swiftly descended into chaos.

Although modern weapons suppressed them, the omnipresent zombie virus still caused the fall of the vast majority of cities.

Xu Hualing's parents passed away one after another during those days. Fortunately, due to its geographical location, Jianghai City had not fallen.

During this time, Ye Qingqing and Xu Hualing both awakened abilities. Though it had been difficult, they had ultimately managed to endure.

"Qingqing never believed you were dead. All these years, we kept trying to find out where you were, Brother Xiu."

"Until that day, when Jianghai fell to attacks from zombie hordes and beast hordes. The two of us barely managed to escape using Qingqing's ability."

"We wanted to find a shelter to rest and recover first, but who would have thought that people from the Kabbalah Organization would suddenly come and take Qingqing away..."

As Xu Hualing choked out the entire story, Ye Xiu's fists had already clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.

It might not have sounded like much, but Ye Xiu could fully imagine how much effort and suffering it must have taken for two girls who had lost the adults in their lives to survive in this apocalypse.

Not to mention that, even under such harsh circumstances, his sister had continued searching for him.

"Hualing, don't worry. Now that your brother is back, I will never let you suffer again."

Ye Xiu patted Xu Hualing's shoulder in comfort. As he spoke, a cold glint flickered in his eyes.

"Where is that Kabbalah Organization? I'll go save Qingqing right now."

The moment he heard that Ye Qingqing had been taken away, Ye Xiu had already resolved to kill this ability research institute.

They had dared lay hands on his sister. No matter what background this ability research institute had, he would make them pay the price.

"No, you can't, Brother Xiu! You only have fourth-tier strength. There are too many powerful people there—you'll die!"

Hearing Ye Xiu's words, Xu Hualing seemed to recall something terrifying, and her entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

She gripped Ye Xiu's hand tightly, as if he might suddenly vanish the next second.