Motherly!

This was a one-sided slaughter!

The original slayers were now being butchered like pigs and sheep.

The large tree Little Fatty had been holding was snapped in two from his excessive force. Now, with bare hands and no need for skill, one punch from him sent the Gray Robe figures flying. Their spines would shatter or their faces would become unrecognizable.

The cleaver in Tang Fei's hand possessed a spiritual beauty and rhythm. With every swing, he either slit an enemy's throat or blinded their eyes, each strike aimed at a vital point.

This was a life-or-death battlefield, allowing no room for mercy or hesitation.

The fighting was brutal, and the time was short.

After Tang Fei and Phoenix made their move, the situation became completely one-sided.

With the Black Robe Divine Envoy dead, the Gray Robe Apostles became a disorganized mob.

In the past, they relied on the prestige of the Flame Shrine and their sheer numbers to be unstoppable, suffering almost no defeats.

This was because no one dared to provoke them; kill one, and a group would appear. Kill a group, and a tide of Flame God's followers would surge forth.

However, today Tang Fei and Phoenix, along with Little Fatty, were intent on killing them all. Therefore, every blow was a killing blow, eradicating these Gray Robe Apostles, leaving none alive.

When the twenty-odd Gray Robe Apostles lay on the ground, completely devoid of strength to struggle or resist, Tang Fei, still uneasy, checked them over.

If they weren't dead, he'd add a final cut to their throats.

If they were already dead, he'd still add a cut.

He didn't spare those whom Phoenix had split in two with a single whip strike; who knew if their upper halves were still alive?

The purpose was twofold: to confirm their deaths and, even if they survived, to ensure they couldn't open their mouths to speak.

As for writing...

It was unrealistic. Most people in the ruins were illiterate.

Firstly, cultural knowledge wasn't very useful, and secondly, there were no avenues for learning. Most people believed in strength above all else, honing their bodies or hunting beasts from a young age.

To survive, to get a mouthful of food, fists were clearly more effective than words.

Of course, if he truly encountered someone who survived under these circumstances and happened to be literate...

Tang Fei could only consider himself unlucky and pack his things to flee.

If this place doesn't want me, another will.

After Tang Fei checked them, Little Fatty checked them again. Only then did the two feel at ease.

Phoenix watched from the side, gaining a clearer and more precise understanding of the way of life for the refugees—no, the benefactors—of the ruins.

Everyone lived with extreme caution!

"I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble," Phoenix said, walking up to Tang Fei and apologizing.

She didn't want to be this beautiful, but some things were beyond her control.

She knew this incident was indeed because of her.

If she had been uglier, or dressed more plainly, the people from the Flame Shrine wouldn't have taken notice of her, nor even seen her.

It was her dazzling appearance that had put Tang Fei and Little Fatty in danger.

She knew what kind of organization the Flame Shrine was, and she had repeatedly heard their notorious reputation from Tang Fei and Little Fatty. Their actions just now confirmed Tang Fei's words were not false.

If it weren't for Tang Fei and Little Fatty's help, she could have killed them all herself.

But, what then?

Run? Where to?

Her escape pod and communication equipment were severely damaged, rendering them unable to locate or contact anyone. How could she return to New Star? How could she let her family know her whereabouts?

Moreover, this was Old Earth, with its strange and exotic beasts, countless traps, and enemies who wanted to keep her in the ruins forever...

Every step was a deadly trap!

Tang Fei sized Phoenix up for a moment. Seeing the Phoenix handle in her hand, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Go back and change your clothes. Smear some dirt on your face too, smear it all over. You're too pale, dazzlingly pale. You don't look like someone from our Old Earth."

"Okay," Phoenix agreed readily.

She had also considered this. She needed to hide herself, to blend in with this desolate land.

What a shame. This land, once so glorious and prosperous, had fallen into such a wretched state.

Human greed, combined with evil technology, had given birth to a machine called war.

"Brother, what do we do?" Little Fatty's chubby face was flushed red, his clothes stained with blood.

His attacks were direct, flesh-to-flesh, and his footwork wasn't as agile as Tang Fei's or Phoenix's. Thus, the damage he inflicted was the most direct, and he couldn't avoid the splashing blood.

Tang Fei and Phoenix had killed more people, especially Phoenix, who took down one enemy with each whip strike, without pause. Yet, not a single drop of blood stained her, and not even a wrinkle appeared on her tight-fitting suit.

Oh, there was a slight mark on her chest.

Huh, it was gone again.

How amusing!

Tang Fei's expression was grim. Perhaps Phoenix didn't understand the seriousness of the situation, but he and Little Fatty, as natives, were well aware of it.

The Black Robes were third-tier divine envoys of the Flame Shrine, essentially lords of the Hate Mountain District.

Killing one Black Robe and over twenty Gray Robes was definitely a major incident within the Flame Shrine. When their people started investigating and followed the trail, they would be met with a bloody massacre.

That would be a true slaughter.

Not just them, but the entire village would likely be purged.

Yes, that was the Flame Shrine's modus operandi. They would rather kill indiscriminately than let a single escapee slip through their fingers.

In their words, Tang Fei's actions were blasphemy, an unforgivable offense.

These people deserved to die, and whether it was blasphemy or not, they didn't particularly care.

Simply put, Tang Fei's actions challenged the authority of the Flame Shrine. If they didn't retaliate with blood for blood and tooth for tooth, how could they control such a large organization in the future? How could they continue to use the Flame God's name to intimidate the world?

Therefore, Tang Fei absolutely had to distance himself from this matter completely, to avoid becoming the "escapee" they would come looking for.

Tang Fei fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a lighter inlaid with a skull. A look of pain flashed across his face, but he still ruthlessly tossed it into the lush grass not far away.

"Let's go, home," Tang Fei said.

Little Fatty, shirtless and carrying the over-meter-tall Red-eyed Rabbit, walked ahead, a smug expression on his face, as if he wanted the entire village to see his prize.

Tang Fei and the Phoenix walked behind. Seeing the Phoenix's hesitant expression, Tang Fei spoke, "Just say what you want to say. From now on, we're truly one of our own."

After killing so many people from the Flame Shrine, if they were found, Tang Fei, Little Fatty, and the Old Man who didn't even know about it yet wouldn't survive. The Phoenix wouldn't survive either.

No wonder people said that to build a close relationship with someone, you either do something bad together or share a secret.

Before, Tang Fei was the client, and the Phoenix was the contractor. Their cooperation was not exactly fair or just. If Tang Fei wished, he could terminate the deal with the Phoenix at any time.

Tang Fei could have been very assertive!

But not anymore.

If the Phoenix went out onto the street and shouted that Tang Fei had killed people from the Flame Shrine...

Unless she had a problem with her brain, or her brain truly had a problem, then death would be the only outcome for them.

Because of his and Little Fatty's predicament, he had handed over the initiative to this woman.

This was something that made him very uncomfortable.

However, he didn't regret it. After all, in that situation, the outcome would have been the same if he hadn't acted.

What difference was there between the Phoenix killing people from the Flame Shrine and them killing people from the Flame Shrine? Someone had already seen them leave together to go into the mountains.

Everyone worked together, quickly and efficiently, and even managed to figure out a way to escape.

Tang Fei protecting the Phoenix was also protecting himself.

"Why did you stop me from acting just now?"

"You mean at the edge of the forest?" Tang Fei asked. "We were too close to the village then. What if someone saw? Would we have to kill innocent people too? Killing them would weigh on our conscience, and not killing them would be too dangerous."

"So I wanted you to bear with it and take them into the deep mountains to deal with them. That way, the safety factor would be higher."

"So, you'd rather you and Little Fatty take a beating?"

Tang Fei narrowed his eyes and smiled, looking at the Phoenix. "What? Moved?"

The Phoenix's heart suddenly fluttered, feeling the embarrassment of her thoughts being exposed. She quickly denied it, "Not at all."

Tang Fei looked at the fleeting girlish charm the Phoenix displayed, and he couldn't help but feel a little dizzy, his heart racing.

He wasn't sure what kind of feeling this was, but he disliked it intensely.

It gave him a sense of crisis, of losing control or losing himself.

So, he suppressed the smile on his face and stared at the Phoenix, saying, "Speak properly. Don't be so effeminate."

"."