Chapter 1192: Icy Cold
With that, Vermilion Bird flew forward with Cloud Nineteen, and in an instant, he grabbed the neck of Wu Thirteen, who was "Hovering" in mid-air.
"Ah... goddammit... you..." Wu Thirteen immediately reached out, stabbing his dagger toward Vermilion Bird.
But before the blade could reach Vermilion Bird's body, Vermilion Bird applied force with his hand. With a crisp cracking sound, his hand plunged into Wu Thirteen's neck and pulled out a long, white object. Wu Thirteen collapsed like a deflated ball.
Qian Five simply couldn't keep up with Vermilion Bird's speed. Before he could even reach Wu Thirteen, Wu Thirteen had already stopped breathing.
"There are many ways to crush a person," Vermilion Bird said, turning his head slightly as if speaking to Cloud Nineteen behind him. "Now, I'll let you see through my eyes how your teammates die at our hands, one by one."
Cloud Nineteen's gaze passed over Vermilion Bird's shoulder, looking ahead. The two had already arrived before Feng Seventeen, the "Flash."
Feng Seventeen looked up in terror. Before her were a smiling Vermilion Bird and a despairing Cloud Nineteen.
Cloud Nineteen's mouth opened and closed, forming the word "run," but not a sound came out.
"So this is the true 'Divine Beast'..." Feng Eighteen muttered. "We thought killing Black Tortoise was the hardest hurdle we had to overcome..."
Feng Seventeen's head flew off the next moment, and the dazzling light around her body slowly dimmed.
After she landed, her lips still quivered, her voice so faint that only the earth could hear:
"...But why is it still this hard?"
Next came Cui Fourteen, the "Shifter." Almost completely without resistance, she too was decapitated. Her "Shift" hadn't even had time to activate, and Cloud Nineteen could do nothing to help.
Qian Five arrived a step behind Vermilion Bird every time. Vermilion Bird seemed intent on toying with Qian Five, forcing him to watch his teammates die one by one.
Qian Five paused, his expression heavy as he stared at Vermilion Bird. Then he turned back and asked Su Shan, "Are you sure all the 'ripples' are in his mouth?"
"I'm sure..." Su Shan wiped the blood and tears from her face. "That should be Vermilion Bird's weak point."
Qian Five nodded. He pulled a flare gun from his waist and said, "Maybe we still have one chance to kill him, before Old Seven gets back."
"Dammit!" Zhou Mo trembled at the mention of Song Seven's name. "Fifth Brother, Old Seven must have run away... There's no way his journey is this long... Even walking, he should have been here by now! He definitely—"
"Shut up." Qian Five turned back, his face icy as he looked at Zhou Mo. "Old Seven has died with me countless times, but he has never once fled. If he really hasn't come, you can say he's dead, but you cannot say he's run away."
"But this time is different..." Zhou Mo seemed utterly shattered by Vermilion Bird's brutal methods, leaving only despair in his heart. "Who would choose to take on Vermilion Bird after killing Black Tortoise... No one will come..."
"We all came," Qian Five said. "He will too."
With that, Qian Five held the flare in his hand and slowly walked a few steps forward.
Now, the only thing to do was wait. Even if Song Seven did manage to arrive, there was no guarantee he could destroy Vermilion Bird.
It was a feeling of utter helplessness, just like standing here right now, unable to stop Vermilion Bird from killing.
Brutal techniques, overwhelming power, unshakable conviction.
Every single trait far surpassed the members of "Cat."
Qian Five lit a cigarette in his mouth, then looked up at the soaring Vermilion Bird. At that moment, Vermilion Bird was flying toward Ning Eighteen, the "Overgrowth."
Qian Five furrowed his brow. What could possibly... temporarily suppress Vermilion Bird's conviction?
Was "Cat" truly doomed to be this helpless?
Just as Vermilion Bird's fingers were about to touch Ning Eighteen's neck, his entire figure slowed down, and eventually came to a complete stop.
He slowly turned his head, looking into the distance with confusion.
Today was truly strange...
Quite a few "Human-Level Zodiacs" had taken off their masks, which counted as "desertion."
A series of images and information began flashing rapidly before his eyes. This was a common mechanism set up by "Heavenly Serpent" for the "Divine Beasts": the simplest "Cause and Effect" driving "Far-Reaching Transmission."
Whenever a "Zodiac" broke the rules, the images were immediately transmitted to the "Divine Beasts." This efficiency ensured that every time someone violated the rules, the Divine Beasts could see the violation site and "Jump" there instantly.
But now, the images being sent to Vermilion Bird seemed a bit too numerous.
First it was three or five people, then a dozen, and now over thirty "Human-Level Zodiacs" had removed their masks.
"Today is really opening my eyes..." Vermilion Bird paused, feeling the situation had become a bit urgent.
He had to deal with all these violators immediately. Otherwise, once they put their masks back on and boarded the "Train," even he wouldn't be able to remember every violator's face.
He was about to temporarily leave this place to take care of those troublesome small fries when he suddenly felt a familiar sensation—his feet were once again tightly bound by vines.
This time, the vines were exceptionally thick. He had to bend down and lower his head to clear them.
How should he describe this feeling?
It was like a few rats that couldn't kill you, but they gathered around and stared at you.
They wouldn't let you leave, they wouldn't let you be comfortable. They just watched.
And now, one rat was lying on his back, unable even to bite him, just lying there.
Vermilion Bird felt himself growing irritated by these people. They were restraining him, yet they had no way to kill him.
He couldn't afford to waste any more time now, or Azure Dragon would definitely hold it against him.
It had been a long time since he had last violated the rules set by Azure Dragon.
After all, this place allowed him to kill whoever he wanted, torture whoever he wanted. Where in the real world could you find a paradise like this?
Even prison couldn't compare.
Prison... what a ridiculous place. The people locked up there were all heinous criminals, yet they were somehow expected to follow prison rules.
"This place... stinks just as badly as a prison..." Vermilion Bird's smile disappeared. His face ashen, he looked at the few remaining people before him. "Clearly all sinners... yet they insist on putting on a facade of humanity. I don't understand."
Qian Five couldn't hear what Vermilion Bird was muttering to himself.
Under Vermilion Bird's bewildered gaze, Qian Five bit down on the flare, then stepped forward and grabbed Vermilion Bird's arm.
Vermilion Bird's eyes shot open. He tried to throw Qian Five off with force, but suddenly realized his body had lost its "Brute Strength" in that instant.
Qian Five slowly lifted his head, letting the searing heat of the flare pierce straight through his throat.
The magnesium and aluminum powder in the flare instantly generated temperatures of over a thousand degrees upon combustion. Qian Five ignored the pain, focusing only on maintaining his conviction, which was on the verge of dissipating from the extreme heat.
Vermilion Bird's eyes wavered at that moment. An intense, icy cold pain began to pierce through his throat.
Why... why did a burn feel so cold?