“…Heh.”
The dark red figure froze for a few breaths before suddenly letting out a cold sneer.
Its voice echoed from all directions, dripping with mockery and malice: “As expected of the offspring of that scum couple, to be able to spit out such vulgar and filthy words.”
“Why don’t you offer that filthy body of yours to me instead? I will teach you how to become an aristocrat!”
Before the voice could even fade.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Dozens of twisted humanoids sprouted from the shadows around Lin Hong, within the dark red courtyard, from the ground, the air, and even the flickers of light!
Their faces were hideous, screaming silently as they brandished spears and swords forged of dark red energy.
They were already inches away, launching a violent, coordinated ambush!
This was a combination of mental illusions and the power of the courtyard’s domain.
It was a mental assault—completely silent, yet terrifying enough to cause the various objects on the ground to crumble into dust.
“You’re making too much noise. A thing that isn’t even human isn’t qualified to teach me.”
Lin Hong sneered.
He immediately shielded himself with mental energy, blocking out the fluctuations that were enough to tear a body apart or burrow into a skull.
Then, the small knife that had been floating quietly in his palm trembled.
It let out a clear, sharp hum before abruptly vanishing.
In the next instant, a gray blade light bloomed in a circular arc.
With a sharp rip, it shredded every shadow around him.
With a dull thud, the courtyard seemed to be provoked.
Countless soul illusions and mental tentacles surged forth, launching a strangling attack from every direction.
Lin Hong shifted his body, appearing nearly 100 feet away in an instant.
He was utterly fearless.
The small knife floated in his palm, its blade shrouded in a gray haze, dancing, slicing, and stabbing according to his will!
After all, he had already learned about these methods from the memories of the soul fragment he had captured earlier.
How could he not be prepared?
The knife looked unremarkable, but Lin Hong had spent a significant amount of mental energy to engrave it with Soul Slaying Art runes, specifically designed to shatter any spiritual enemy.
Chime! Swish! Crack!
Lin Hong remained composed, continuously swinging his blade.
Combined with the massive increase in speed he had gained over the past few days, his close-quarters combat was like cutting through vegetables.
He even used the small knife to clash head-on with the dark red humanoid monster’s massive spear!
In truth, he was practically bullying the opponent.
Not only was his mental cultivation no weaker than this Evil Priest soul fragment, but the level of the killing techniques he used was also extremely high.
In his home universe, he had once annihilated a Seventh Realm evil race, which corresponded to the Evil God level of this world.
He didn’t go for the kill immediately because he wanted to understand the tactics of this mutated evil lineage to prepare for future extermination efforts.
After all, the hideous humanoid monster before him was, in the end, just a stronger soul fragment.
If the original body were to arrive, Lin Hong would only be able to protect himself and flee.
However, even if this opponent was just a soul fragment, Lin Hong did not intend to take it alive.
He was going to strike with lethal force, ensuring a sudden kill to annihilate the fragment and prevent any memories from being sent back to the original host.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground in the courtyard cracked and stones shattered—it was a terrifying sight.
A series of afterimages flashed as Lin Hong leaped.
On the small knife in his palm, the gray runes buzzed as if they were burning.
The energy of the Soul Slaying Art flowed, and with a thuck, it carved a massive gash into the dark red monster’s body.
“Roar — !”
The monster screamed.
Not only was its massive dark red torso sliced open, but a secret power remained in the wound, constantly eroding it with extreme virulence.
It frantically swung its giant spear, the shadows of the weapon falling like mountains and creating terrifying shrieks, but it was largely useless.
This little brat was incredibly slippery.
Like a loach, every time the monster tried to sweep him away, he would be sent flying only to kick up a cloud of dust, followed immediately by a gray blade light flying out from the haze.
By the time the monster blocked the blade light, he had closed the distance again.
Its body was repeatedly torn open by the blade light and then eroded.
Even with the empowerment of the Court of the Banquet, it was useless—the monster couldn’t keep up with the damage!
“Fuck…”
The Evil Priest monster was filled with shock and rage, completely unable to comprehend the situation.
It possessed a domain buff blessed by the Great One of the Court of the Banquet.
Theoretically, it should be invincible within this space, with its power being inexhaustible while the enemy suffered from pervasive mental pressure.
Even God-Blessed ones were no exception!
They would have to expend mental effort to resist the spiritual erosion, significantly reducing their strength.
But what was with this brat?
He seemed completely oblivious.
The omnipresent mental suppression and illusory harassments had absolutely no effect on him.
Rip!
Another strike, cold and ruthless, slashed at its joint.
Scales were shattered, and blood splattered everywhere.
The Evil Priest monster roared in pain, its mind spinning in confusion.
It wanted to curse.
This form was supposed to be its trump card—using the domain to replace its brain and the spear to replace thought, making it invincible against any foe.
Instead, a young man wielding what looked like a fruit knife was hacking it to pieces.
It felt as though it were being subjected to the death of a thousand cuts.
Beneath that cloak, was it really that famous double E-rank trash young master of the Imperial Capital?
Where on earth did he learn such malicious soul magic, and why did he possess such terrifying soul power at his age?
Or was his guess wrong, and there was someone else beneath that cloak?
With a loud boom, another spear sweep came—heavy and powerful, whipping up a violent gale that sent Lin Hong flying.
He twisted in mid-air and landed steadily, his cloak fluttering.
He was completely unharmed.
His gaze was calm and patient.
The small knife floated in his palm, the gray runes on its surface flickering like a steady breath.
The monster was running out of time.
With every hit, the Soul Slaying Art runes would emit a secret power that eroded and suppressed it, cutting off any chance for it to self-destruct or transmit information.
Lin Hong was about to strike again.
“Master!”
?
“Master, why are you just standing there watching? Have you truly betrayed us?”
Lin Hong raised an eyebrow.
No new enemies had appeared within the domain.
The “Master” the Evil Priest monster was calling out to couldn’t possibly be him, which meant….
He turned his gaze and saw the black-robed shopkeeper, whom he had previously tossed onto the grass.
She had been leaning there weakly, but at some point, she had quietly stood up.
The oversized black robe still covered her entire body.
Beneath the shadow of the hood, a gaze seemed to be calmly looking back at him.
Lin Hong withdrew his gaze.
The knife in his hand let out a hum, the gray light intensifying as his offensive became even more relentless, slashing toward his opponent.
At the same time, he kept an eye on a mental mark he had left on the black-robed shopkeeper.
It was multi-functional; it could protect, and it also knew a little something about exploding.
“Master! Please, show mercy! Your devout and humble servant is suffering the desecration and slaughter of a heretic!”
“I beg you to strike, Master! Purify this filthy intruder and save your lost lamb!”
The dark red monster wailed, but Lin Hong felt that it wasn’t so much asking for help as it was sensing its own impending death and trying to complete its mission at the last moment.
“I am not the master you speak of. Do not address me with such a disgusting tone.”
At that moment, an ethereal and crisp voice of a young girl rang out from under the black robe, cold and calm: “From beginning to end, human blood has flowed through my body. That will never change. Do not lump me in with you filthy creatures.”
As those words fell, the time had come.
Lin Hong acted decisively, flicking his wrist to throw the small knife.
Like a gray thread, it sank into the dark red monster’s forehead up to the hilt.
In the next heartbeat, the runes on the knife and the knife itself exploded simultaneously, annihilating the creature from the inside out.
In an instant, the monster melted away.
Immediately following was the collapse of the domain.
The dark red sky shattered, the buildings dissipated, and everything began to crumble.
Lin Hong retreated at high speed.
As he passed the black-robed shopkeeper, he grabbed her and shielded them both with mental energy.
Boom!
[Mission Complete! Reward: Destiny Points +100. Current Balance: 100 points.]
…..
At that same moment, in a hidden cave deep within a mountain range far away from the Imperial Capital of the Kingdom of Aurelian, a figure clad in dark red priest robes suddenly jerked violently.
“Pfft — !”
He coughed up a large mouthful of foul blood.
His aura withered visibly, and he felt as though an invisible hammer had smashed into his chest.
A piercing pain throbbed in his soul!
“Two… both of my soul fragments… are destroyed?!”
The original body of the Evil Priest was consumed by shock and rage.
What exactly had happened?
Both soul fragments that had infiltrated the Imperial Capital for different missions had been annihilated before they could even send back their memories.
The loss far exceeded his expectations!
“Could they have been exposed? Has the Empire prepared defenses?”
The Evil Priest thought rapidly, enduring the agonizing pain.
But it shouldn’t be possible.
The Imperial Capital had been restless lately with surging undercurrents; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to successfully send in two soul fragments in a row.
Could there be an unknown variable?
Just then, the shadows at the cave entrance shifted, and a cultist crawled in to report:
“Priest, regarding the matters in Rock Town you ordered, all preconditions have been met. We can start ‘The Banquet’s Prelude’ at any time.”
The Evil Priest’s main body slowly wiped the black blood from his mouth.
The unexpected failure of the mission infuriated him, but the plan at hand was more important.
He couldn’t let a small loss ruin the bigger picture.
“Start it at the scheduled time. Ensure everything goes perfectly.”
He gave the order softly while preparing to set off.
As for the original mission, it wasn’t like only the Banquet lineage had successfully infiltrated the Imperial Capital.
He would leave that headache to the other believers.
….
By now, the courtyard domain had completely dissipated, and the scene returned to reality.
Finally, the little shop regained its peace, leaving behind nothing but a mess.
‘It was a mental space, yet it could pull a real physical body inside. Is this one of the new mutated abilities? I haven’t seen it before.’
Lin Hong muttered to himself as he placed the black-robed shopkeeper on one of the few remaining chairs.
Now, after the various shocks from before, the shopkeeper’s oversized black robe was in disarray.
The hood that had been tightly covering her finally slid down.
However, her face was covered by a pure white mask, blocking any possibility of prying eyes.
That didn’t matter, though.
Her smooth black hair and the mental fluctuations Lin Hong perceived were enough to tell the story.
‘He could now rule out the terrifying possibility that it was actually some creepy old man speaking in a girl’s voice.’
“Cough, cough…”
The girl leaned against the back of the chair and coughed twice.
She looked up, and the gaze behind the mask fell upon Lin Hong.
She seemed to want to say something.
Lin Hong didn’t give her the chance.
A cold, ghostly light erupted from his fingertip, pressing against the center of her forehead.
The air froze instantly.
The girl was stunned for a moment, but she remained calm.
She just sat there, making no move to resist.
After a few seconds of deathly silence, her soft voice came from behind the mask.
“So — am I next to die as well, customer?”
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