Forerunner of Ghosts and Gods

[Among the many strange people in the hills, this person's aura is the most profound...]

With a flick of his iron whip, Zhang Tao caused a stream of light to flow across the ground, revealing a new line of characters.

Call!

Chu Tianshu jumped down from the rooftop of the fortress and squatted down next to the big-headed monster. He put Sanqi in his left hand and clenched it in reverse, while extending his right hand to feel the pulse.

There were no symptoms of poisoning in this person's body, but there were signs of self-damage to the heart meridian.

It seems that this master assassin, capable of killing with shadows, is different from the previous two; he doesn't have the habit of taking poison before an operation.

That makes sense. His real body is hiding so far away; sending his shadow out to kill people would have been perfectly safe.

Even Chu Tianshu could only wear down the murderous shadow until it died; he couldn't deliberately let it escape and track it remotely.

Yannian's mastery of meditation was extremely profound, and with the temporary blessing of the Weapon Soul, his abilities were amplified to the extreme, enabling him to accomplish such a feat.

This was something no outsider could have predicted.

"Although he didn't take poison, he's still a suicide squad member."

Chu Tianshu said in a deep voice, "This person probably decided to commit suicide when he realized his hiding place had been exposed and he was powerless to fight back when Boss Zhang stormed in."

"Tsk, this kind of behavior truly shows unwavering loyalty to the person behind the scenes."

As he spoke, he looked up at Zhang Tao again.

"Fortunately, Boss Zhang's methods were ruthless enough that he subdued the man in no time."

Yannian, like a ball of cotton, slowly floated down, bent down, and pried open the big-headed monster's eyelids to examine it.

Upon inspection, Yannian realized why Chu Tianshu had emphasized the word "absolute" when he said it.

Because it's truly ruthless.

The giant-headed monster's heart meridian injury was so severe that he was practically dead, but a surge of thunderous energy coursed through his body, almost beating in place of his heart.

Moreover, this vital energy subtly imprisoned the big-headed monster's soul, preventing him from committing suicide or having his soul leave his body.

Thunder is masculine, but also fierce and violent.

It allows a surge of thunderous energy injected into the enemy's body to maintain such precise operation.

It's true that adding even a little would make it too plump, while subtracting even a little would make it too slender; applying powder would make it too pale, and applying rouge would make it too red.

For those in the know, witnessing such a powerful energy in motion is akin to seeing a stunningly beautiful woman created from mechanical parts.

"Brother Zhang's kung fu is undoubtedly exceptional and astonishing; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to rise from nothing to become the leader of Food Is Heaven."

Yu Nanfeng's voice carried from afar.

She was walking down from the top of the ruins, appearing leisurely yet moving quickly, and before she knew it, she was almost there.

That long dress, as blue as the starry sky and with white patterns like star flowers, shimmered with a silky sheen like water under the sunlight.

With a wide skirt and short sleeves, Yu Nanfeng then draped a light blue and white shawl over her elbows and behind her back.

"My son was seriously injured that day, but thanks to Brother Zhang who arrived at the scene first, he was able to return him to me with all four limbs intact. This time, when assassins were running amok, it was again thanks to Brother Zhang who stepped in; he was like a timely rain."

Yu Nanfeng smiled slightly, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you, elder brother."

On his way here, Yannian had already set up location sharing on his phone so that people from South Wind could track him down.

Yu Nanfeng arrived just in time, but the atmosphere was really not good.

That day in the building, Yu Nanfeng showed no hostility whatsoever.

When Chu Tianshu made his move, Yu Nanfeng deliberately avoided him, and Chu Tianshu couldn't discern much of his true strength.

I noticed it today.

Yu Nanfeng's outfit was by no means ordinary. Putting aside the materials, just her aura was remarkable. Her long skirt was like a water lily, her shawl like soft clouds, and her folding fan like an apricot leaf.

All of them are images of someone who is extremely adept at maneuvering and deflecting pressure, and who moves with effortless grace.

Yu Nanfeng's main cultivation technique must be one that excels at defense and evasion.

[His sarcastic tone is best left unsaid...]

Zhang Tao frowned, manipulating the light and energy, [The prisoners are here; interrogation will reveal the truth.]

Yu Nanfeng's expression returned to normal, and he said in a low voice, "I also hope that we can actually find out something."

She always believed that Yu Wanzhuo's secret meeting with Xia Ningning that time was due to him accidentally stumbling upon something, which led to his tragic death.

The reason he spared her life was simply to wait until South Wind was truly helpless, then use the matter of the antidote to control South Wind's side.

Yu Nanfeng was naturally filled with resentment and prepared to win over allies to deal with Food Is Heaven, but South Wind's side would also suffer heavy losses.

Now, at least his son's life has been saved.

If we interrogate this assassin, we can produce a plausible confession.

Yu Nanfeng preferred to put the matter aside for the time being and not take it too seriously.

Chu Tianshu asked, "So, how do we conduct the interrogation?"

After he asked this question, Zhang Tao and Yu Nanfeng both fell silent.

On this open space next to the fortress, only the mountain breeze blows gently, causing people's hair to sway slightly.

Zhang Tao's Thunderous Vitality has already achieved quite a feat, and he doesn't have a good way to add some interrogation techniques on top of that.

Yu Nanfeng was equally helpless in this regard.

Chu Tianshu wanted to try out the mind-controlling technique, but that would require Zhang Tao to first withdraw his Thunderous Qi.

Moreover, the window of opportunity between the withdrawal of Thunderous Energy and the opponent's subsequent suicide is bound to be very short and risky.

Yannian glanced at the three great masters, then silently helped the big-headed monster up, manipulating his limbs to get him into a cross-legged position.

Sizzle!

He ripped the clothes off the back of the big-headed monster, pinched a few silver needles in his right hand, and stared intently at them.

Although this strange man had a head as big as a bucket, his body was thin and frail, with his shoulder blades clearly exposed on his back, and even his vertebrae faintly visible under the skin.

Yannian observed the contours of the back, as if he had a clear idea of what was going on, and then began to work.

The silver needles were swiftly inserted and withdrawn, then moved to different positions for another insertion. The upward and downward movements of the fingers were small, but very fast.

Tiny blood vessels gradually seeped from under the skin.

As Yannian moved his palm, the bloodstains resembled brushstrokes, connecting into lines, curving into arcs, depicting heights, distances, thicknesses, and shades.

Not only were Chu Tianshu and his two companions captivated, but even the wanderers occupying the fortress were engrossed in watching.

The whole process actually only takes two or three minutes.

Yannian's "brushstrokes" had spread all over the strange man's back. He used the cloth in his left hand to wipe the bloodstains off his back.

The entire pattern pressing down on the monster's back was now fully revealed.

It was a divine general with three eyes, a long beard, a majestic face, wearing armor, holding a whip, and riding on a wheel of fire.

Wang Lingguan, the chief general of the Three-Five Fire Chariots, the first of the five hundred Daoist spirit officials, is both Wang Shan and Wang E, and is also known as the Great Lingguan of Celestial Inspection.

This deity was very popular during the Ming Dynasty, and many people's impression of Wang Lingguan may come from the Ming Dynasty Gods and Devils novel "Journey to the West".

There's a scene in the book where he, along with thirty-six Thunder God generals, gangs up on Sun Wukong in front of the Hall of Numinous Clouds.

In many folk Dharma Lineage, the image of Wang Lingguan, besides representing the attributes of thunder and fire, most importantly represents the word "straightforwardness".

Doing good should be straightforward, because if one person has a good intention at the source, it may not necessarily be passed on to the end and result in a good deed.

When doing good, one should be straightforward, clear, and logical; if something is wrong, one should be able to stop it in time.

Even after doing evil, one should remain honest, for honesty can help one correct one's ways.

If one keeps their evil deeds bottled up and refuses to confess them openly, they will likely become even more depraved and will never be able to change.

Zhang Tao showed great appreciation for the image of the divine general.

Yu Nanfeng exclaimed in surprise, "This straightforward and outspoken attitude is indeed a good method for interrogation, and it also echoes Brother Zhang's thunderous energy."

"I never imagined Mr. Yannian possessed such a unique interrogation technique."

Yannian shook his head. "This was originally a method I used to treat illnesses."

"Many illnesses in the world are caused by keeping things bottled up inside. Too much bottling up leads to stagnation and blockage. I use this method to close the door and let the patient express their feelings freely and open their heart. The illness is already 30% cured by then."

Even before the cataclysm, and even after the cataclysm, there are still too few places in the world where people can speak their minds freely.

The method of Yannian also had a prototype in the Ghost Gate Witch Doctor, which he cultivated and perfected through countless experiences.

However, he mostly used his treatment methods on people in his own community, and rarely on outsiders.

I used this method on a few outsiders before, and afterwards those people felt that what they had said should not be known to others, so they wanted to kill him to keep it a secret.

He was helpless, but fortunately, one has to be careful when living in the wasteland, and the silver needles had already contained hidden medicinal effects.

They had no choice but to resort to a backup plan and kill the entire group.

"Infinite Heavenly Venerable!"

Yannian disliked killing, and thinking back to the past when he had killed someone instead of saving them, he shook his head inwardly.

This man was going to die anyway, so using him won't hurt.

A silver needle was inserted into the third eye of the Wang Lingguan pattern.

The big-headed monster suddenly straightened its back and opened its eyes.

Yu Nanfeng immediately asked, "Was my son, Yu Wanzhuo, injured by you?"

"It was my brother who did it! My brother is dead!"

The big-headed monster's voice was loud and powerful, sounding more like he was giving a speech than being interrogated, recounting the glorious deeds of his brother.

Yu Nanfeng was also angered by his tone, her eyebrows twitched slightly, and she opened her folding fan to cover the lower half of her face.

Chu Tianshu then asked, "Who ordered you to assassinate me and Brother Yannian?"

The big-headed monster said, "It's Dad!"

Chu Tianshu pressed further, "Who is your father? What does he look like?"

"Dad is Dad!"

The big-headed monster replied, "When we were still in the jar, Dad would come to see us often. My brother and I were very much loved by Dad."

"But Dad always wore a mask, so we don't know what he looks like."

Chu Tianshu sensed something was wrong. "Jars, you lived in jars when you were little?"

The big-headed monster said, "We were all born in jars. When we grew to five feet tall, we would open and close our eyes and be sent to a new place."

My brother and I have lived here longer.

Zhang Tao and Yu Nanfeng both showed unusual expressions.

Yannian frowned even more. "They're all products of a laboratory?"

"In that case, the secret technique of killing by shadow manipulation is indeed not something a normal person could master."

Yannian carefully sniffed the blood-stained cloth on his left hand, pondering, "This person possesses the bloodline of some kind of the Spirit Realm creature, or Borderland Species."

Chu Tianshu thought for a moment and asked again.

What tasks has your dad sent you recently?

"Kill Chu Tianshu, severely injure Chu Yannian, severely injure..."

After the big-headed monster rattled off several brutal tasks, his tone changed.

"Complete this month's exploration mission. Using the shadow, enter the Jinling Spirit Realm Landform No. 7 to check on the growth of the Forerunner of the Gods..."

Yu Nanfeng and Yannian's expressions changed drastically, and they exclaimed in unison, "You mean the Forerunner of Ghosts and Gods?!"

(End of this chapter)