Dropped into the Eastsea Spirit Pagoda; Leave No One Alive!

"Who are you, really?"

Na'er didn't answer at once. She glanced at Chen Xing before turning back to Tang Wulin.

"Wulin, when this is over, I'll take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"You'll find out then."

Tang Wulin opened his mouth, but didn't press her.

The Black-rank Mecha was fast.

In less than half an hour, it reached the Spirit Pagoda in Eastsea City.

Chen Xing lowered the Mecha's altitude.

"Straight in?"

Na'er shook her head.

"Wait for someone first."

"Who?"

Na'er didn't answer.

But the next moment, a black figure streaked in from the horizon.

He was moving incredibly fast.

In the blink of an eye, he was beside the Mecha.

He wore black, and his golden eyes stood out in the darkness.

The instant Tang Wulin saw those eyes, every hair on his body stood on end.

"Is that... Di Tian, the Golden-Eyed Dragon King?"

He had read about him in the books Mu Ye had given him.

Chen Xing recognized him too.

It was Di Tian, the one his Starfarer had beaten into the ground.

But Di Tian didn't dare look at Chen Xing.

He merely bowed slightly toward Na'er.

"My liege."

Na'er nodded. "Leave no one alive down there."

"Yes."

Di Tian turned and dove straight toward the Spirit Pagoda below.

Tang Wulin pressed himself against the window and looked down. Di Tian slammed into the Spirit Pagoda building like a meteor.

The entire building shook violently.

"Holy shit..."

Tang Wulin couldn't help swearing at the sight.

Chen Xing laughed.

"That's just Di Tian doing his thing. Don't make such a fuss."

A little while later,

the three of them reached the Spirit Pagoda's entrance.

Di Tian had already smashed its doors open.

Screams rose from inside, one after another.

Chen Xing led the other two straight in.

The East Sea Branch's lobby was a wreck.

Tables and chairs lay overturned, cracks ran through the walls, and seven or eight uniformed people lay dead on the floor.

Di Tian stood in the middle of the lobby, holding someone by the scruff.

The man wore a high-ranking uniform with a gold badge pinned to his chest.

A Titled Douluo.

Now he hung limp in Di Tian's grip, covered in blood.

"My liege." Di Tian tossed him to the floor. "He's this branch's Pagoda Master."

Na'er walked over and looked down at the man.

He raised his head. The moment he saw her face, his pupils contracted sharply. "The Silver... Silver Dragon King?!"

His voice was full of terror.

Na'er crouched. "You know me?"

"I... I do... No, I don't!"

Na'er smiled. "Then what did you just call me?"

The man's lips trembled, but he couldn't speak.

Na'er stood and turned to Chen Xing.

"Brother, ask him whatever you want."

Chen Xing walked over and stood before the man.

"Where's the formula for that Inhibitor you've been developing?"

The man shuddered.

"In... in the Records Room on the top floor..."

"Any backups?"

"N-no... That's the only copy..."

Chen Xing nodded, then looked at Di Tian.

"Destroy everything in the Records Room upstairs."

Di Tian said nothing. He turned and vanished into the stairwell.

A few seconds later, a dull boom sounded overhead.

The man's face went utterly pale.

He knew he was finished.

Chen Xing crouched and looked him in the eye.

"Was anyone else at the East Sea Branch involved?"

"N-no... Just a few of us senior staff..."

"And who's above you?"

"Our... our contact is at the headquarters in Heaven Dou City..."

"What's their name?"

"I... I don't know... They always contact us. We can't contact them..."

Chen Xing stared at him for a few seconds, then decided he wasn't lying.

He stood and took a step back.

Di Tian came downstairs.

"The Records Room has been cleared."

Na'er nodded, then looked at the man on the floor.

He trembled all over, repeating the same plea again and again.

"Spare me... Spare me..."

Na'er looked away and turned to Chen Xing.

"Brother, let's go."

Chen Xing glanced at the man, then at Di Tian.

Di Tian understood.

The three of them turned toward the entrance.

A few seconds later, a brief scream came from behind them. Then all was quiet.

The night wind swept through Eastsea City's streets as the Black-rank Mecha took to the sky again.

Tang Wulin sat in the back, silent for a long time.

Chen Xing glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

"What? Scared?"

Tang Wulin shook his head.

"No... It's just... It doesn't feel real."

"What doesn't?"

"You, Na'er, and that Di Tian... I've spent the last few years worrying about how to break through, and you two can already steamroll an entire Spirit Pagoda branch..."

Na'er gave him a mysterious smile.

"You'll be very strong someday too."

"Really?"

"Of course."

She knew Tang Wulin carried the Golden Dragon King's bloodline. How could the Golden Dragon King, her equal, possibly be weak?

Tang Wulin scratched his head and said no more.

The Black-rank Mecha left Eastsea City behind and flew toward Aolai City.

Chen Xing leaned back in the pilot's seat and let out a long breath.

Too much had happened tonight.

They had gone from a family dinner to the Scarlet King's sudden appearance, then to a direct assault on the Spirit Pagoda's East Sea Branch.

The job was done, but he knew this was only the beginning.

Sooner or later, the Spirit Pagoda headquarters would discover what had happened here.

But that was a problem for another day.

For now, what mattered most was getting his parents settled somewhere safe.

The Black-rank Mecha landed on a beach outside Aolai City.

The three of them jumped out and walked back along the shore.

Moonlight spilled across the sea, shimmering on the waves.

Chen Xing walked ahead, Na'er beside him, with Tang Wulin bringing up the rear.

After a while, Na'er reached out and caught the hem of Chen Xing's shirt.

Chen Xing looked down at her. "What is it?"

Na'er shook her head without a word and kept hold of his shirt.

Chen Xing didn't pull away. He let her hold on.

Tang Wulin watched from behind and scratched his head.

"Brother, Na'er's all grown up and she's still this clingy with you?"

Before Chen Xing could answer, Na'er shot back over her shoulder.

"Mind your own business!"

That shut Tang Wulin up. He closed his mouth awkwardly.

Chen Xing couldn't help laughing.

Under the moonlight, the three laughing figures cast long shadows.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, a soft knock woke young Master Chen.

He opened his eyes and saw Na'er standing at the door, already dressed.

"Brother, I want to take you and Wulin somewhere today."

Chen Xing sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Where?"

"The Star Dou Great Forest. The Great Beast Grounds."

Na'er looked straight at him with her violet eyes.

"I want you both to see who I really am."