Back from the Dead

From beginning to end, everything had gone with extraordinary smoothness—almost too smoothly. There had scarcely been a pause in the entire process.

Pulling that off showed just how terrifyingly precise the setup had been.

Neither an ordinary person nor a Soul Master whose Soul Power was so faint it was almost nonexistent could possibly have achieved this.

Especially not here, on the outskirts of the Spirit Pagoda.

The Spirit Pagoda stood in the city center. Though they were not in the very heart of it, their location was far from remote.

One could imagine how much commotion this had caused.

It was already evening, but in a city this large, the nightlife was only just beginning. Quite a few pedestrians had witnessed the scene with their own eyes.

As the group let out scream after scream, many people looked over in astonishment.

Gu Yue held Li Qingyue tightly, disbelief filling her eyes. Then a fierce purple glint flashed through them.

But before she could react—or move to inspect the middle-aged man's corpse—

Gu Yue felt the boy who had collapsed against her, seemingly drained of all life, slowly raise his hand.

His fair-skinned hand gripped her arm. Under Gu Yue's incredulous gaze,

the deathly pallor swiftly left his face, replaced by a healthy flush. His eyes were calm and composed.

As Li Qingyue rose to his feet, countless green shoots slowly spread and grew over his body, which had been pierced by dozens of wounds.

In less than ten seconds, all his injuries had healed. He expelled the fragments of shot embedded in his body.

The uncanny sight was staggering. Before Gu Yue could speak, an enormous shield of flame descended with blinding speed.

Leng Yaozhu rushed over the instant the shield appeared.

Her eyes fixed on Li Qingyue, then swept across the corpse on the ground and the Shotgun in the dead man's hand.

Leng Yaozhu's expression turned icy in an instant.

The method had been ruthless and decisive to the extreme.

Leng Yaozhu needed no further questions to know it had most likely been Qiangu Dongfeng's doing.

What she had never imagined was that this seemingly ordinary attendant at her side was a spy planted by Qiangu Dongfeng.

After all, anyone permitted to serve someone like Leng Yaozhu

received an almost frightening sum in Federation Credits each month.

Their guaranteed monthly pay exceeded fifty thousand Federation Credits.

The Leng Family also did everything in its power to protect their families' lives and safety in every respect. In return, these attendants had to have spotless backgrounds from beginning to end.

Apart from a few members of the Leng Family's collateral branches, most were ordinary people. They either had no Soul Power or had stopped progressing after their Martial Souls awakened.

Only people whose backgrounds were so clean as to be nearly transparent qualified to attend Leng Yaozhu.

Powerful figures like her might not fear ordinary people, but if something went wrong, an ordinary person could still deal them a vicious blow.

That was why Leng Yaozhu kept such tight control. She paid them well and protected their families, but their families' lives were effectively in her hands.

So long as they served faithfully, even if they died, the Leng Family would look after their spouses, parents, and children.

Their families would also receive a generous payment, enough to live without worry for the rest of their lives.

Under these conditions, most of those who became Leng Yaozhu's guards had families of their own, and most had children.

Those children remained within the Leng Family's sphere of influence around the clock—which meant they were under surveillance.

By choosing to betray Leng Yaozhu and assassinate Li Qingyue, this man had doomed not only himself but every member of his family, including his parents, wife, and children.

With controls that strict, Leng Yaozhu had never imagined

that the driver who had driven her for years would attack one of her own.

And the Soul Tool in his hand was possessed by only two parties: the Federation and the Tang Sect.

The Tang Sect's technology was far more advanced than the Federation's.

This technology had been developed by the Tang Sect for concealment and disguise, specifically for use by its low-level Soul Masters.

Soul weapons that ordinary people could use without any Soul Power, like this one, were exceedingly rare within the Federation.

This world was entirely different from the world of Li Qingyue's previous life. Most Soul Tools here needed powerful Soul Power to produce devastating effects.

As for the firearms and other weapons of his previous life, they hardly existed here.

Soul Masters held sway in this world, and they made every military decision.

Even regular legions required Soul Masters to participate. Weapons that did not need Soul Power could generally be used only once or twice, had little production value, and were costly to make.

There was no need to ask why the man had brought such a weapon. It had been meant specifically for Li Qingyue, and he had nearly succeeded.

Seeing that Li Qingyue was unharmed, Leng Yaozhu let out a quiet breath.

"This was my mistake. I'll take you both back first. I'll deal with what comes next, and the Leng Family will give you an explanation."

Leng Yaozhu's voice was gentle, but it carried an unusual trace of weariness—and beneath that weariness, something far more ferocious.

The Leng Family truly could not compare to the Qiangu Family. With two Limit Douluos in one family, the Qiangu Family stood far above her and Zhang Geyang in status.

The Zhang Family that Zhang Geyang represented had even been pushed aside and sent over to the Star Luo Empire.

Even so, the Leng Family was not made of mud.

She had warned them again and again. She had even given up many of her core duties at the Spirit Pagoda to come here and protect Li Qingyue.

Yet they had dared attack one of her people right under her nose. It was no different from slapping Leng Yaozhu across the face.

Even the face of this cool, aloof woman had turned grim.

Li Qingyue, however, remained fairly calm. He said nothing more.

He had not expected anyone to attack them, but he had been prepared for danger ever since deciding to come here.

With Leng Yaozhu present, he was at least unlikely to face any grave danger over the next three years.

If the Qiangu Family still dared send people into Eastsea City under those circumstances, Leng Yaozhu would never let them go. His safety was therefore assured.

This attack had simply come too suddenly.

Before Li Qingyue could say, "I'm fine," Leng Yaozhu had taken them both and shot into the sky, flying straight toward Eastsea City Academy.