"Oh ho, I didn't know you'd heard of me. That saves me the trouble of introducing myself."
Toji from beneath his black robe, he let out a sinister laugh.
Beneath the laughter, the stench of blood was so strong it almost solidified, making it difficult for Xu Tianran to breathe.
"Ah, there are still some alive."
Toji glanced around and saw more than a dozen severely injured and dying Evil Soul Master lying on the ground. Some had their legs blown off, while others had their chests torn open by the fully unleashed Dark Gold Dreadclaw, and they were groaning in pain.
The gaze beneath the black robe was as cold as if he were looking at a pile of dead flesh.
"You..." Xu Tianran stared at him, "What do you want?"
Toji did not answer, but instead slowly walked towards the nearest Evil Soul Master.
It was a thin man, half of his face was blown apart, and his only remaining eye was filled with terror.
"Help... help me..." he cried, reaching out his hand in a trembling voice.
Toji looked down at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"Okay, I'll save you right away."
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw pierced his throat in an instant.
Xu Tianran's pupils suddenly contracted.
Toji drew his Dark Gold Dreadclaw and moved on to his next target.
"Wait, wait! I'm a member of the Holy Spirit Cult! You can't—"
Click!
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw crushed his skull.
Their movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation, as if they were cleaning up trash, reaping the lives of these Evil Soul Master one by one.
Xu Tianran stood still, quietly watching this scene.
His expression gradually changed from initial shock to... appreciation.
Because the other party was killing people in completely different ways.
After finishing off all the Evil Soul Master present, Toji shook the blood off his hands, glanced back at him, and walked up to Xu Tianran, looking down at him.
Xu Tianran looked up, his gaze sharp, unwilling to be outdone.
"Tell me, now that you've created this opportunity for us to meet alone, what do you want?"
"Not bad, it seems I don't need to waste any more words." Toji held up one finger. "It's simple, all I need is a legitimate high-ranking identity that allows me to move freely within the Sun Moon Empire and grants me the right to meet with your high-ranking officials."
"With your abilities, you could easily arrange something like this."
Xu Tianran squinted.
"That's all?"
"That's all."
Xu Tianran was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"Interesting," he said softly. "You caused such a ruckus in Mingdu, just for something like this?"
What are you trying to do by infiltrating our upper echelons?
"That's none of your business." Toji stared at him, then suddenly leaned down and grabbed Xu Tianran's wrist. At the same time, his Dark Gold Dreadclaw were already across Xu Tianran's neck.
"This deal isn't fair." Xu Tianran remained calm, looking at him indifferently. "If I agree to this, it would just be me giving without giving anything in return. I do have the ability to help you, but what benefits do you want in return?"
"Benefits? Of course."
She said Toji a smile.
"I'll give you a way to contact me. Whoever you want to kill, just contact me and offer the corresponding reward, and I'll kill them for you."
"Even if you want me to help you ascend to the throne you've always dreamed of, I can do it."
Xu Tianran's eyes widened suddenly.
This is his deepest, most hidden secret.
"How... how did you know?"
"Not only that, I can also sell you some intelligence that will be extremely beneficial to you," Toji continued, "It's just a matter of whether you want it or not."
"Intelligence? Tell me about it."
Xu Tianran suddenly said.
"I already said it's intelligence, how could I reveal it? It'll lose its value if I do," Toji said. "Let me remind you, your time is running out."
"You're the one who doesn't have much time left," Xu Tianran said coldly. Even with the Dark Gold Dreadclaw held to his neck, he remained completely calm. "The explosion will be very loud. My father will be here with his men soon. No matter how capable you are, you will have no chance of escape."
"The terms you've offered are very tempting, but not enough to make me want to help you. You only have one minute left to convince me."
Xu Tianran is Xu Tianran. Even though he hasn't gone through the stage of limping yet, he is still very mature.
He truly deserves to be called a future hero who will attempt to unify the Douluo Continent.
However, in Toji's eyes, Xu Tianran's words were a huge joke.
"Ha ha ha ha."
" Xu Tianran, you have a good idea, but you're too naive. I do not have much time left, but before I leave, you will pay a heavy price."
Even if I can't kill you now, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so in the future.
"Even if Level 9 Soul Engineer the team, they would never be able to catch me. And you, because you offended me, will live in the shadow of my constant threat of assassination for the rest of your life."
"You can indeed have Level 9 Soul Engineer protect you closely, but they can only protect you for a while, not for a lifetime!"
"With you constantly on guard against my assassination attempts, do you still have any ambition to seize the throne?!"
Toji's Dark Gold Dreadclaw had already drawn blood from Xu Tianran's neck.
"I'll give you one last reminder: you have twenty seconds left. Your father and his team are already on their way."
Xu Tianran was drenched in cold sweat, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his heart was pounding.
He could clearly feel the stinging pain in his neck, and warm blood slowly flowed down the blade of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw.
His breathing became more and more rapid.
"Ten."
Toji his voice sounded like the whisper of death.
In the distance, the sound of rapid footsteps and the hum of Soul Tool charging could already be clearly heard.
Xu Tianran knew that the Soul Engineer Corps led by his father would arrive in a little while.
"Five."
Cold sweat soaked through Xu Tianran's back.
He stared intently at Toji's eyes, which remained bright even in the shadow of his black robe, and suddenly realized that this madman really dared to kill him!
"Three."
"I promise!" Xu Tianran practically shouted.
A cruel smile curled at the corner of Toji's lips:
"It's a wise choice. I'll come find you in a month. I hope you'll be ready."
Toji tossed a note to Xu Tianran, then stomped on the ground, his black robe billowing as the Level 7 Flying Soul Tool hidden behind him instantly activated.
A powerful blast of air exploded, cracking the ground and sending up plumes of smoke and dust.
Xu Tianran's pupils contracted sharply as he saw Toji's figure transform into a black lightning bolt in an instant, his black robes fluttering wildly, and several thrusters behind him simultaneously spewing out blazing blue flames.
"Call out!"
The sound of Toji cutting through the air was sharp and piercing; its speed was so fast that it almost left afterimages, and in the blink of an eye, it rushed out of the palace and soared into the sky.
Xu Tianran subconsciously raised his hand to shield himself from the gust of wind. By the time he lowered his arm, Toji's figure had already turned into a black dot on the horizon and disappeared into the night in an instant.
"This speed..."
Xu Tianran's face was even paler than before, completely devoid of color.
He had seen the flight speed of Level 9 Soul Engineer, and even the Soul Power fluctuations of Titled Douluo at full power, but the explosive power that Toji just displayed had already exceeded the scope of an ordinary Soul Engineer!
That's a speed that a simple Flying Soul Tool can't achieve.
That was an instinct honed through countless life-or-death battles, the ultimate burst of power from the perfect fusion of the Soul Tool and the physical body.
"No wonder... even with so many Level 9 Soul Engineer involved, not a single one was able to defeat him."
" Tianran! What happened?" Xu Tianran's father had already led a team to the scene and asked Xu Tianran anxiously.
Xu Tianran glanced at the corpse on the ground and put the note in his hand into his pocket:
"Father, I'm fine. It's just that these people can't know about this, so they're being silenced."
Regardless, his cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult had only just begun when it was ruined by this damned Soul Engineer Killer.