Annihilation

"How did it go? Did you tell the senior?"

Looking at the flustered mercenary, Xiao Ding asked.

"Yes, Commander. The senior said he would be here shortly," the mercenary replied.

"Ha ha ha, good!"

Xiao Ding waved his hand, signaling for the mercenary to leave.

Then, he turned to Luo Bu and sneered, "Luo Bu, since you don't believe what I said, prepare to bear the senior's wrath!"

"Hmph, what senior? I advise you to hand over the treasures you found these past few days right now. Otherwise, don't expect a single member of your mercenary corps to survive!"

Luo Bu snorted, looking utterly unafraid of Xiao Ding's threat.

"You're quite arrogant."

At some point, a man dressed in black had appeared behind Luo Bu. He patted Luo Bu on the shoulder and said blandly, "I'd like to see what gives you the nerve to disregard me."

Behind the man stood a petite, delicate little girl in an elegant pale-green outfit. One of her small hands clutched a corner of the man's black robe as she nervously looked around.

"Greetings, Senior."

Upon seeing Xie Tianxiao, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li hurriedly bowed respectfully.

Then, Xiao Ding looked at the little girl behind Xie Tianxiao and greeted her, "Miss Qing Lin, you came too."

"Hello, Commanders."

Qing Lin obediently greeted Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, then cautiously poked her little head out to look at Luo Bu ahead.

When Luo Bu felt the sudden pressure on his shoulder, his heart jolted. Cold sweat broke out across his face, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Y-you..."

Strong—far too strong. With his strength as a two-star Grand Dou Master, he had not sensed when this person had appeared behind him at all!

Luo Bu was certain that this person was definitely not merely a Dou Spirit. At the very least... he had reached the level of a Dou King!

"Were you the one who just looked down on me?"

After giving Xiao Ding and Xiao Li a slight nod, Xie Tianxiao cast a glance at Luo Bu.

"N-no, y-you've misunderstood, sir. That wasn't what I meant," Luo Bu hurriedly explained.

Damn it, that damned Mo Xing said there was no one backing Xiao Ding. Now it was all over.

"That wasn't what you meant? Then what did you mean?" Xie Tianxiao asked with a faint smile.

"I-I was misled by Mo Xing's slander!"

Sweat beaded on Luo Bu's forehead as he hurriedly pointed at Mo Xing nearby. "It was all this bastard! He said Xiao Ding and the others must have found high-level cultivation methods or battle techniques, and that they were using this as an excuse to bluff me so they could keep everything for themselves."

"That's why I brought people here. Otherwise, even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare obstruct you, sir!"

Hearing Luo Bu shift the blame onto him, Mo Xing panicked. He immediately dropped to his knees and trembled as he begged, "I-I... spare me, sir! Spare me! I'll never dare do it again!"

Xie Tianxiao ignored Mo Xing's pleas and instead asked Luo Bu, "When ants offend me, do you think I should kill them, or not?"

Xie Tianxiao's tone was calm, but the majesty within it filled them with terror.

"I-I don't dare..."

Hearing Xie Tianxiao's words, Luo Bu's face turned deathly pale. He felt that he was truly finished today.

"Originally, if you had only kept your heads down for a few more days, I wouldn't have bothered seeking trouble with ants like you."

At this point, Xie Tianxiao's gaze sharpened, and killing intent erupted from him. "Unfortunately, you chose this very moment to seek death. Then I can only grant your wish!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Tianxiao pointed a finger at Luo Bu. In an instant, Luo Bu felt an immense pressure rampaging through his body, leaving him unable to resist.

"No! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

Luo Bu's face twisted in agony, his eyes bloodshot as he screamed desperately.

Crack! Crack!

Amid Luo Bu's screams, his entire body was forcibly crushed out of shape. His bones cracked sharply, and in the end, he became a pile of mangled flesh.

Gulp. Gulp.

Watching Luo Bu die at Xie Tianxiao's hands, both Xiao Ding and Xiao Li could not help but shudder.

Killing a Grand Dou Master in a single move—such strength was utterly shocking.

"Run, we have to run!"

Seeing that Luo Bu was utterly dead, Mo Xing knew Xie Tianxiao would not spare him. He scrambled away into the distance on hands and knees.

"The commander is dead!"

"He's... a demon!"

"Run!"

Seeing this, the remaining members of the Sand Mercenary Corps also turned and fled in panic, afraid that if they were even one step too slow, the demonic man before them would kill them.

In an instant, the scene descended into chaos.

"What an eyesore."

Looking at Luo Bu's mangled remains on the ground, Xie Tianxiao shook his head. Then he looked up at the fleeing people and lightly waved his hand.

Immediately, streams of black-and-white flames appeared out of thin air, enveloping Luo Bu's remains and the fleeing members of the Sand Mercenary Corps.

In the blink of an eye, they turned to ashes.

"What terrifying methods!"

Standing nearby and witnessing Xie Tianxiao turn so many mercenary corps members into drifting ash, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's eyes were filled with horror.

Xie Tianxiao's power exceeded everything they had imagined!

Looking at the people who had become ashes on the ground, Xie Tianxiao turned to the Xiao brothers and said calmly, "The troublemakers have been dealt with. Take the money and battle techniques from the Sand Mercenary Corps' headquarters. Consider it my reward."

"Thank you, Senior."

"You're too kind, Senior."

Hearing Xie Tianxiao's words, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were overjoyed.

Xie Tianxiao nodded. "There's nothing left for you to do here. You may leave. Our deal ends here."

"Understood."

"We'll take our leave!"

Seeing that Xie Tianxiao was telling them to leave, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged a glance and replied respectfully.

They had no desire to defy Xie Tianxiao's words unless they no longer wished to live.

Afterward, Xiao Li called down to the few remaining members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Corps, "Brothers, let's go to their headquarters and split the money!"

"Yes, Commander!"

The members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Corps hurriedly answered, then followed the two brothers into the Sand Mercenary Corps' headquarters.

After everyone had left, Xie Tianxiao turned back to Qing Lin and asked gently, "Are you all right? Did what happened just now scare you?"

Hearing Xie Tianxiao's concerned words, Qing Lin was deeply moved. She shook her head. "No. Qing Lin knows they were bad people. Being killed by Lord Tianxiao was simply what they deserved."

Qing Lin understood that Xie Tianxiao was afraid she would be frightened by what she had seen him do and come to fear him.

That was why he had deliberately comforted her. Thus, although Qing Lin was somewhat afraid, she did not say so. Instead, she felt happy and touched.

"Heh heh... bad people, good people—come to think of it, I'm not really a good person either," Xie Tianxiao said with a smile.

"But... but Qing Lin feels that Lord Tianxiao is a good person. A very, very good person," Qing Lin said, tilting her head.

Xie Tianxiao paused slightly at her words, then gently stroked Qing Lin's little head. "What a silly girl."

Thanks to [Book Friend 20180720113821827] for the 100 Qidian Coins reward.

Thanks to [Ye. Shang Chuyang Y], [Qu yuan], [Book Friend 20190808235516777], and [Book Friend 20180208004146708] for their two monthly votes; [Gugugu's Little Yu] and [Treading Snow Silver Moon Vote] for their one monthly vote; and everyone else for their recommendation votes.