Return to Shangjing City

Whoooosh~~~~~~

The north wind howled.

On the wasteland, an army of five hundred insect beasts appeared silently a short distance before Yang Yu. Boundless, bloodthirsty killing intent spread outward, sending even the fiercest Wasteland Predators more than ten miles around fleeing in terror!

The insect beasts surrounding Yang Yu were covered in incredibly tough gray stone armor. Beneath it, another layer of thicker, pitch-black carapace was faintly visible.

Every one of them measured over four meters long and three meters tall, easily rivaling a small truck in size!

Not only were they enormous and heavily armored, but savage metallic spikes also protruded from their bodies. At their fronts grew a pair of gigantic mantis blade-claws, each at least half as long as their bodies!

The razor-sharp claws gleamed coldly, making them look all the more ferocious!

These were the new Giant Mantis Beasts under Yang Yu's command, born from comprehensive enhancements!

The new Giant Mantis Beasts had enhanced neural reflex genes, dynamic vision genes, strength genes, stone armor genes, and swift movement genes. These five super genes had reached a perfect balance within their bodies, greatly increasing their attack power, defense, agility, reflexes, and every other aspect of their strength!

Although most of the Giant Mantis Beasts were still stuck between the human tier and earth rank, their strength had changed.

Their overall combat power was already more than twice what it had been!

In an all-out, one-on-one battle against an earth rank expert, they still could not win alone... but their tremendous resilience and brute strength were enough to let them hold their own against an ordinary earth rank expert for a long time!

"Everything is ready."

Yang Yu stood atop a massive boulder, brimming with confidence as he surveyed the powerful Giant Mantis Beasts before him.

"Three months and seven days. Nearly a hundred days of relentless cultivation, day and night."

"At last, I've perfected every power currently at my disposal... this strength is more than enough to deal with the Ghost Infant Sect's elders, guardians, and countless disciples."

"As far as I'm concerned, the only troublesome person left in the Ghost Infant Sect is its sect master, Du Xingze."

"It's time to go back and settle the score."

"Are we finally going back, Master?" Zhao Zixuan asked softly.

"Hm?"

Yang Yu looked at Zhao Zixuan beside him and noticed something off in his expression. He seemed troubled by something.

The discovery puzzled Yang Yu.

After being transformed into the Blade Queen, Zhao Zixuan had undergone a complete metamorphosis in both body and mind.

His mind was incredibly resilient. He would not normally reveal such negative emotions.

Especially not in front of Yang Yu, his sovereign.

This was rather unusual.

Any doubts had to be addressed immediately. They were returning for a decisive battle against the Ghost Infant Sect, and they could not afford even the slightest distraction.

With that in mind, Yang Yu asked, "What's wrong, Zixuan? Why do you look so distracted?"

"I'm not sure either." Zhao Zixuan shook his head, confusion showing on his face. "For the past few days, I've felt unsettled. As though something terrible has happened."

Unsettled?

Something terrible?

Yang Yu's brow twitched, and his heart lurched.

Cultivators gained insight into the natural world and constantly strengthened themselves. As their cultivation deepened, their bodies and souls evolved and improved. At the same time, their elusive sixth sense grew stronger, giving them mysterious intuitions about many things, much like animals with keen instincts.

Since Zhao Zixuan said he had sensed something bad, enough to affect his emotions... there was a good chance it was not groundless.

What could have happened? Yang Yu's mind raced as he reviewed everything he might have overlooked. For the moment, he found no problems. Without clear information, he could not draw any useful conclusions.

For now, all he could do was adapt as things unfolded and prepare a backup plan for unexpected developments.

After some thought, Yang Yu cautioned him, "Zixuan, we cultivators usually have very accurate instincts. Since you have this vague premonition, make sure you're careful after we return to Shangjing City."

"Especially once we face the Ghost Infant Sect head-on. Pay close attention to your own safety. I'll assign some extra Giant Mantis Beasts to you then, and keep Giant Mantis King Number One at your side to fight alongside you."

"Thank you, Master." Still feeling low, Zhao Zixuan managed a faint smile.

"We're on the same side. There's no need to be so formal." Yang Yu waved a hand, then shook off the unpleasant feelings clouding his mind.

"Let's move out."

"We're going home!"

Shangjing City's urban district.

The Shangjing Garden villa district.

At that moment, anguished cries were rising from a cell used to hold prisoners at the Ghost Infant Sect's headquarters.

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

An oil-soaked leather whip lashed against flesh, producing a constant series of sharp cracks!

Every time the whip fell, a pained groan rang out inside the cell.

The man wielding the whip was heavyset, with a scarred face as vicious as a butcher's. His name was Liu Datong!

He possessed peak human tier strength.

He was specifically responsible for interrogations and torture in the Ghost Infant Sect's prison.

Cruel and ruthless, he made sure anyone who fell into his hands suffered terribly, even if they survived!

"You old bastard!"

"Talk!"

Liu Datong roared, his low bellow making the walls of the torture chamber tremble.

"Where exactly are your son and that little bastard Yang Yu hiding?"

"I... I really don't know. Our Zixuan has always been well-behaved. He would never offend anyone... sir, please spare my wife and me. We truly don't know. There... there must be some misunderstanding..." Zhao Yuantang pleaded weakly in a hoarse voice.

He was Zhao Zixuan's father.

Beside him, a middle-aged woman in tattered clothes was tied to a round pillar.

The woman was Liu Yan, Zhao Zixuan's mother.

The Ghost Infant Sect had searched for Yang Yu for more than three months, practically turning Shangjing City and several surrounding cities upside down!

In the end, however, they had not found even a trace of him.

Still, their search had not been entirely fruitless.

They had mobilized enormous resources and manpower, assigning people to review vast amounts of the city's surveillance footage in shifts, twenty-four hours a day.

They had focused particularly on the surveillance cameras around Yang Yu's residential area.

Finally, they had found a lead.

A man closely connected to Yang Yu, who had visited his home.

That man was Zhao Zixuan.

Before the Ghost Infant Sect's surprise attack on Yang Yu, Zhao Zixuan had entered his home. Even after the attack, no one had seen him leave! Some of the sect's trackers concluded that Zhao Zixuan and Yang Yu must be deeply connected.

So they began investigating him.

That investigation led them to Zhao Zixuan's parents.

They could not discover Zhao Zixuan or Yang Yu's whereabouts... and Yang Yu was alone in the world, having lost all his parents and relatives as a child.

Thus, the Ghost Infant Sect's spies could only seize Zhao Zixuan's parents and subject them to brutal interrogation day and night!

They hoped to pry some useful information out of them.

Unfortunately... things did not go as they hoped.

They had interrogated the couple for at least half a month without uncovering even the slightest useful information.

Liu Datong knew in his heart that these two might genuinely have no idea where Yang Yu was.

But his superiors were pressing him too hard to care.

As a result, they had begun to consider Liu Datong incompetent and had reprimanded him repeatedly.

Liu Datong seethed with resentment.

All he could do was vent his anger on Zhao Zixuan's parents again and again. After all, their son Zhao Zixuan was one of the culprits.

Crack!

With a casual flick of his hand, Liu Datong lashed Zhao Yuantang across the face, tearing open a large patch of flesh.

"You old bastard! Still refusing to talk!" Liu Datong roared furiously.

"When I tell you to talk, you damn well talk! Even if you don't know, you'd better find a way to know!"

"You still dare beg for mercy?"

"I'll beat you to death, you old bastard!"

Crack!

Crack!

The whip cracked repeatedly, and heartrending screams of agony once again filled the cell.

PS: Thanks to the readers "I Was a Dao Cultivator" and "[Death's Messenger]" for your tips! Also, please leave recommendation votes and add this book to your favorites!