This celestial master cultivates both physical and magical arts; why did you provoke him?

This happened on a dark and stormy night.

The description of a dark and windy night is not entirely accurate.

The moon was very round and big, hanging in the sky like a bronze mirror, illuminating the entire city of Jiangzhou in a silvery white light.

But this kind of moonlight is exactly the kind that evil things like best.

The light is just right—not too bright, not too dim—allowing them to see their prey clearly without exposing them to sunlight.

Xia En was eating a lollipop when she received Chen Guodong's call.

Strawberry flavor, this is the third one, it's delicious and very sweet.

"Master Xia, something terrible has happened."

Chen Guodong's voice was low, with a deliberately controlled tension, "That piece of land in the eastern suburbs, near the former tomb of the King of Chu, has been the site of another incident."

"What is it?"

"I don't know. The patrol team said they saw a dark shadow, very large, at least four meters tall. It stood near the cemetery for a long time, then walked towards the city. The team followed it, and then..."

"And then what?"

"Then the team members disappeared. There were three of them, armed with guns and communication equipment. I made twenty phone calls, but I couldn't get through to any of them."

Xia En took the lollipop out of his mouth and looked at the sugar residue left on the stick.

"Location."

"The old town, near the alley where Qingheju is located."

Xia En paused for a second. "It came for me."

"What?"

"It's nothing." Xia En stood up. "I'll go over there."

He hung up the phone and put on his coat. Fang Zijian poked his head out from next door. "Going out again?"

"Um."

"I'll go with you."

"No need," Xia En said calmly. "You might not be able to handle this."

Fang Zijian opened his mouth as if to say something, but when he saw Xia En's eyes, he swallowed his words back.

That wasn't his usual nonchalant look; it was a serious look that he rarely saw.

"Be careful," he said.

Xia En nodded and went out the door.

The moonlight was bright, and the alley was deserted.

Xia En walked on the bluestone path, her footsteps echoing between the walls on both sides, each step steady.

He didn't try to hide his presence, because he knew that the thing was coming for him.

He walked to the end of the alley, turned a corner, and then stopped.

Thirty meters ahead stood a huge dark figure.

It is at least four meters tall, with a human-like shape, but the proportions are off.

Its limbs were too long, its torso too narrow, and its head too small, making it look like an elongated human figure.

Its skin is dark gray, rough like tree bark, and covered with dense patterns, like some kind of ancient incantation.

Its eyes were small, blood red, set in its tiny head like two burning embers.

It looked at Shane.

Xia En looked at it.

The silence lasted for about five seconds.

Then the thing spoke, its voice low and hoarse.

"You... are you Xia En?"

"it's me."

"My master sent me to take your life."

"Who is your master?"

You don't deserve to know.

Xia En smiled.

"The last thing that said that to me has turned into black liquid. Want to give it a try?"

A flash of anger appeared in the creature's blood-red eyes.

It took a sudden step forward, its four-meter-tall body resembling a moving mountain, each step shaking the ground.

Then, it swung its right arm out, the hand bigger than a palm-leaf fan, its nails like curved knives, and with a gust of bloody wind, it slapped straight at Shane's head.

Xia En didn't dodge.

He didn't even raise his hand; he just stood there, watching the enormous hand come down.

"Bang--!!!"

He slammed his palm on Xia En's head, making a dull thud.

The shockwave spread in all directions, causing the lime on the walls on both sides to fall off in a flurry.

The ground cracked open, and the bluestone slab beneath Shane's feet shattered into powder.

But Shane didn't budge.

His body was enveloped in a layer of golden light.

A golden aura emanates from the body.

The thing's full-force attack struck the golden light, but didn't even create a ripple.

The thing froze.

It looked down at Xia En, a hint of disbelief flashing in its blood-red eyes.

"You...you..."

"Tsk, not bad strength." Shane stretched his neck. "But not enough."

He raised his right hand and punched the thing in the knee.

"Snap!!"

The sound of bones shattering was clear and piercing.

That thing's knees bent backwards, rendering its entire leg useless.

It let out a scream, and its four-meter-tall body crashed to the ground, shaking the entire alley.

Xia En walked up to it and looked down at it.

The thing struggled to get up, but its legs were broken and its body was too heavy to move.

It could only stare at Xia En with its blood-red eyes, its gaze filled with fear and anger.

"Who is your master?" Shane asked.

That thing doesn't speak.

Xia En sighed, raised his right hand, and lightning crackled in his palm.

"Fine, don't tell me then."

"etc!!"

The thing suddenly spoke, its voice trembling slightly, "I will speak. Master... Master is the leader of the Evil Spirit Cult. His name is... His name is Xuanming."

"Xuanming?"

Xia En frowned. "Never heard of it."

"Of course you haven't heard of it."

A hideous smile tugged at the corner of the creature's mouth. "Because everyone who has seen him is dead."

Xia En nodded. "Have you seen him before?"

The thing's smile froze.

"You don't."

Shane said, "You're just a pawn sent to your death. You've never even seen his face, you don't even know what he looks like. You're just a tool he threw out to test me."

A flicker of pain flashed in the creature's blood-red eyes.

"So you don't need to tell me anything."

Shane said, "Because you don't know anything."

He raised his hand, and lightning exploded in his palm.

"Palm Thunder".

"boom--!!!"

Before it could even scream, it turned into a pool of black water.

Xia En withdrew his hand, looked down at the pool of black water, and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he turned around and walked towards Qingheju.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

There was a person standing at the entrance of the alley.

Shen Ye.

He was wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled low, and his silvery-white eyes gleamed slightly in the moonlight.

He clearly saw what just happened.

"You went too far," Shen Ye said.

Shane looked at him. "It's going to kill me."

"But you could spare its life and get more useful information out of it."

"It knows nothing," Shane said. "It's just a pawn. A pawn doesn't need to be alive."

Shen Ye fell silent.

He looked at Xia En, his silver-white eyes holding an indescribable emotion. "Have you always been like this? Showing no mercy to your enemies?"

"Yes," Shane said, "because showing leniency is being cruel to your own people."

Shen Ye fell silent.

He thought of his younger sister, Shen Yue.

If the members of the Evil Spirit Cult had shown him mercy, Shen Yue wouldn't have been taken away.

If he had shown mercy to the members of the evil cult, he might be dead by now.

Showing mercy is the greatest luxury in the face of life and death.

"I understand," he said.

Xia En nodded, walked past him, and returned to Qingheju.