Mythological origin

This is the frontier of Terra, far from the imperial capital of Marinjoia, and receives little attention from the highest levels. Daily administration is handled by local officials, whose power and vigilance are far from sufficient to detect his deliberate concealment.

Moreover, the outer forces of the White Land are right next door. If all else fails, they can simply flee towards Qiuju City.

Although the forces of the White Walkers might not welcome such "trouble," it at least provides a temporary safe haven, making Terra somewhat wary.

The high-ranking figures in Terra have always been quite averse to getting involved in matters related to the White Land.

Only those young powerhouses who are unaware of the truth of history would be so emboldened by Terra's apparent strength on paper.

After all, on the surface, Terra's number of True Immortals and its number of Extraordinary Beings are many times greater than those of the White Land, so there's really nothing to fear.

……

"You're welcome to join our Dark Forest anytime!" Teach slapped his forehead and extended an olive branch.

His rough, large hand, covered in rings, slapped his chin, which was covered in a thick black beard, making a crisp sound. He seemed very casual, as if he were inviting the other person to join not a notorious pirate crew, but some country club.

Anyway, his so-called Dark Forest Space Pirates were a gathering place for all sorts of monsters and demons, including traitors, madmen, butchers, and ambitious people. Hou Zifan's little offense was nothing compared to that.

He might even be admired by some members because of his unique abilities and past "achievements".

For example, Teach quite admires Hou Zi.

"I'm sorry, I just want to live a peaceful life here right now." Hou Zi declined the invitation. The infamous reputation of the Dark Forest was known to everyone, even in a small border town like this.

He pursues the "justice" in his own heart, even if that justice is already distorted, it is completely different from the pure chaos and destruction of Teach.

If it weren't for Edward Teach's unfathomable power, and the fact that the top figures in the empire were all fully engaged in research on breaking through to the eighth rank and had no time to form a purge alliance, they might have even taken matters into their own hands.

The other True Immortals didn't want to eliminate this cancer, but the cost was simply too high, especially since the top combatants had more important goals, which allowed the Dark Forest to run rampant on the outskirts.

"Whenever you've figured it out, you can come and report for duty anytime... I can see that you were born a devil. Hidden in your pursuit of justice is the deepest malice of humanity, but... I like it."

Teach whispered like a devil, his voice deep and seductive.

His large, bell-like eyes stared at Hou Zi, as if they could see through the darkest part of his soul.

He saw that beneath Hou Zi's seemingly calm exterior lay a lingering desire for "judgment" and "devouring."

That kind of life-and-death power based on self-defined standards is essentially no different from Histitch's plunder, only disguised with a cloak of "justice".

He also casually tossed Hou Zi a small card. The card was black, made of neither gold nor wood, and felt cold to the touch. There were no words on it, only an abstract forest pattern outlined in silver lines. Deep within the forest, there seemed to be a touch of scarlet, like a peering eye.

This is the teleportation coordinate for a Dark Forest outpost. Simply inject a wisp of psionic energy into the card to activate and guide the teleportation.

Hou Zi took the card, ran his fingers over its cool surface, didn't look at it much, casually put it into his shirt pocket, and then turned his gaze to Bai Mo.

His eyes held a complex expression, tinged with doubt and a hint of barely perceptible tension.

Teach's arrival could be understood as accidental, but Bai Mo's appearance made him feel that it was by no means a coincidence.

He was very curious; how could he have run into these two deities when he had hidden himself in such a remote corner?

Hyacinth City may be special, but it shouldn't attract such a high-level being to visit so frequently. Had his whereabouts already been exposed? Or did they have another purpose?
"You haven't eaten a person in a long time," Bai Mo said calmly.

His gaze seemed to penetrate Hou Zi's body and see directly into the state of his soul, where there was no resentment or energy fluctuations left by any new fragments of someone else's soul.

Hou's awakened ability was that he could devour the souls of those he considered "unjust" to heal his injuries or enhance his overall strength. It was quite idealistic, but also quite powerful.

This ability gives him exceptional growth potential and endurance; as long as the target meets his "standards," he can become stronger with each battle.

It was with this superpower that he fought his way across most of the Huaya Federation, sustaining himself through war. Surrounded by a large number of pursuers, he grew stronger with each battle. In the end, he was forced to flee to another place only after being besieged by many high-level ability users.

Hou Zi wanted to become stronger quickly, so he had to eat more people, but according to Bai Mo's observation and deduction, the other party had not done this for at least a hundred years.

His power level remained at the peak of the sixth rank, without any progress, and his soul aura also appeared unusually "clean," without any trace of new blood.

This is almost unbelievable for someone who relies on devouring souls to grow.

"This is a peaceful and tranquil place. I didn't see any souls worth devouring." Hou Zi's answer was somewhat unexpected for the two of them.

His tone was calm, even carrying a hint of protectiveness towards this place. He looked down at the occasional driverless truck passing by, and at the buildings of Qiuju City gleaming golden in the sunset in the distance. There was no murderous intent in his eyes, only an almost numb calmness.

Hyacinth City is a city of millions, and unlike the White Land, it doesn't have a system that governs everything and prevents anyone from breaking the rules. Here, all the desires, conflicts, and dark sides of a normal human society exist. Petty theft, commercial fraud, power struggles, and evil hidden beneath a calm surface... these are inevitable.

To say that there was absolutely no illegal or criminal activity would probably make even Teach laugh.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and let out a garbled, unintelligible laugh, as if he had heard an extremely ridiculous joke. He patted his round belly, shook his head, but did not refute Hou Zi. Instead, he looked at Bai Mo with a playful gaze, wanting to see how he would respond.

A silence fell over the balcony, broken only by the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze and the almost inaudible hum of machinery from the city's lower levels. (End of Chapter)