Chapter 601: Kill
The next morning, just as the sun had risen, its light scattered across the surface of the glazed tiles, refracting a golden radiance.
Within the Red Willow Mountain Villa, a large group of heretical cultivators, dozens in number, came forward one after another carrying gift boxes, gathering outside the courtyard where the Deep Blue Star Envoy resided.
The vast majority of them were cultivators at the Fish-Dragon Realm, and some were even powerful figures at the Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection, high-ranking members of the Red Willow Mountain Villa.
The Deep Blue Star Envoy pushed open the door to his room and walked out. Seeing the heretical cultivators waiting outside, a mocking smile appeared on his face. He understood their intentions clearly but deliberately asked, "What are you all doing here?"
Among them, an old heretical cultivator at the third transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm stepped forward, flattering him with a fawning smile, "We have come to pay our respects to the Star Envoy."
The smile on the Deep Blue Star Envoy's face grew even more pronounced.
Although he looked down on these people, he still felt quite pleased and proud. Lifting his head, he deliberately raised his voice, "Heh heh! You truly are a bunch of weathervanes, all coming to pay respects to me. Who will go and pay respects to the Crimson Desire Star Envoy?"
"How could the Crimson Desire Star Envoy compare to the Deep Blue Star Envoy? After all, she's just a woman. What future is there in following her?"
Ji Gui slowly walked out from among the group of heretical cultivators, clasped his hands together, and bowed respectfully to the Deep Blue Star Envoy.
"The Crimson Desire Star Envoy is about to leave Azure Cloud Commandery. From now on, we will need the Deep Blue Star Envoy to take charge in Fallen God Prefecture and oversee the overall situation."
"The Crimson Desire Star Envoy is too young. In front of the Deep Blue Star Envoy, she is nothing more than a junior."
...
With Ji Gui as their representative, a large number of heretical martial artists surrounded the Deep Blue Star Envoy like stars encircling the moon, uttering all sorts of flattering words to pledge their loyalty to him.
They could all tell that the Crimson Desire Star Envoy must have offended Di Yi, the Young Master of the Black Market First Class Hall. That was why she had lost her power and was forcibly transferred back to Evil Emperor City.
What good outcome could come from offending Di Yi?
They estimated that once she returned to Evil Emperor City, the Crimson Desire Star Envoy would be placed under house arrest, or even assassinated, meeting an untimely end.
Except for a few heretical martial artists who remained loyal to the Crimson Desire Star Envoy, the rest were all shrewd individuals who understood the art of survival. Naturally, they came early to curry favor with the Deep Blue Star Envoy and find themselves a new patron.
The world bustles, all for profit. The world hustles, all for gain.
Without profit, who would follow you?
Just then, a commotion arose from outside. The Crimson Desire Star Envoy, with her graceful figure, slender and jade-like, walked in with her hands behind her back. Her eyes swept across the courtyard, and she said, "Everyone is quite early, aren't they? What, have you all already pledged yourselves to the Deep Blue Star Envoy so quickly? Aren't you afraid of chilling my heart?"
Zhang Ruochen followed behind the Crimson Desire Star Envoy and also entered. Seeing the scene before him, he sighed inwardly, "In the Black Market, absolute strength is indeed the foundation of everything. Otherwise, one can only end up with the cold reality of people leaving when the tea grows cold."
Seeing the Crimson Desire Star Envoy suddenly appear, the heretical martial artists who had been flattering the Deep Blue Star Envoy all showed fear and stepped back.
Even though the Crimson Desire Star Envoy had lost her power, she was still not someone they could afford to provoke.
Seeing the group of heretical martial artists cowering, the Crimson Desire Star Envoy silently compared them to Zhang Shengming in her heart and ultimately shook her head.
Petty people were, after all, just petty people. They would never amount to anything.
Although Zhang Shengming was not exactly a hero, he was at least half a villain, far superior to these people.
The Deep Blue Star Envoy saw the Crimson Desire Star Envoy appear and sneered coldly, "Crimson Desire Star Envoy, I have given you an entire night to consider, which is already the height of benevolence. Now, shouldn't you be leaving Azure Cloud Commandery?"
Contrary to everyone's expectations, the Crimson Desire Star Envoy nodded and said, "The Young Master has given an order; how could I disobey? I will return to Evil Emperor City today."
The Deep Blue Star Envoy laughed inwardly. A woman was, after all, just a woman.
The Young Master had long seen through your ambition and had already arranged means to kill you along the way.
And you still think you can return to Evil Emperor City? How naive.
The Deep Blue Star Envoy's eyes swept over the Crimson Desire Star Envoy's alluring figure and enchanting face, feeling a hint of regret. He thought to himself, if only he could hold her in his arms and enjoy a night of pleasure before she died, what kind of taste would that be?
However, his mission was to hold down Fallen God Prefecture and reorganize the Black Market forces retreating to the Evil Territory of the Eastern Region.
As for dealing with the Crimson Desire Star Envoy, Di Yi had already arranged for others. He wondered who would end up with this seductive and enchanting beauty.
The Crimson Desire Star Envoy sighed, appearing quite desolate, and turned to leave.
Her back looked somewhat lonely and bleak.
After taking just two steps, she turned back, looking rather pitiful, and said, "I am about to return to Evil Emperor City. Deep Blue Star Envoy, won't you see me off?"
Seeing the Crimson Desire Star Envoy's delicate and tempting appearance, a strange fire rose from below the Deep Blue Star Envoy's abdomen.
"I am not an unfeeling and unjust person. Since that's the case, I will see you off," said the Deep Blue Star Envoy.
Since the Crimson Desire Star Envoy was destined to die on the way back to Evil Emperor City, why not take this opportunity to taste her first? At worst, after finishing, he could kill her and send her head back to Evil Emperor City as a tribute to the Young Master. It might even be a great merit.
The reason the Deep Blue Star Envoy did not act in the Red Willow Mountain Villa was that there were too many eyes and ears. If word got out and reached the ears of the Crimson Desire Star Envoy's master, Huan Saint, even he could not withstand Huan Saint's wrath.
But once they left the Red Willow Mountain Villa and reached the desolate wilderness... with his cultivation, dealing with a Crimson Desire Star Envoy would be as easy as picking something out of his pocket.
The Deep Blue Star Envoy walked behind, staring at the Crimson Desire Star Envoy's slender, willow-like waist and her long, elastic legs. The evil fire within him grew even stronger.
At noon, the scorching sun blazed like a furnace, making the air exceptionally hot.
"Boom!"
A crescent-shaped flying boat, over thirty zhang long, gradually rose into the air, shooting up from the Red Willow Mountain Villa with a deafening roar, piercing through the clouds and speeding northward.
Including Zhang Ruochen, only seven heretical cultivators left with the Crimson Desire Star Envoy, all at the Fish-Dragon Realm.
After flying about three thousand li, the crescent-shaped flying boat entered a desolate mountainous region.
The Deep Blue Star Envoy stood at the edge of the flying boat, arms crossed over his chest. He glanced at Zhang Ruochen and the other six heretical martial artists and just shook his head with a smile, "There are still people willing to return to Evil Emperor City with the Crimson Desire Star Envoy. They must have been captivated by her beauty and lost their minds to make such a foolish decision. Since that's the case, I'll send the seven of you on your way first."
"Swish!"
Feeling the time was right, the Deep Blue Star Envoy immediately activated his movement technique. With just a shift of his legs, he covered ten zhang in an instant, appearing beside a heretical cultivator at the first transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. He struck down with a swift palm.
"Deep Blue Star Envoy, you—"
The heretical cultivator let out a terrified scream, clearly not expecting the Deep Blue Star Envoy to suddenly attack him.
With a "bang," the heretical cultivator's head shattered like a watermelon, sending bloody skull fragments flying in all directions and scattering on the ground.
Then, a series of screams rang out. In just two breaths, the Deep Blue Star Envoy had killed six people in succession.
The Deep Blue Star Envoy wiped the blood from his hands, glanced at the corpses on the ground, and sneered contemptuously, "Just a bunch of rabble."
But then, the Deep Blue Star Envoy suddenly froze. He looked at the ground again and carefully counted.
Why were there only six corpses?
There were clearly seven people. Where had the other one gone?
Damn, there's an expert.
The Deep Blue Star Envoy's expression changed drastically, and his heart pounded rapidly, realizing something was wrong.
Someone who could vanish right under his nose was definitely a formidable opponent, not comparable to the six small fries on the ground.
"Boom!"
Without a sound, Zhang Ruochen appeared behind the Deep Blue Star Envoy. With his left hand gripping the Thunder Pearl, his right hand swiftly executed a first-level spell, "Wind-Thunder Finger." His extended middle finger, radiating lightning, struck out and hit the Deep Blue Star Envoy's back.
Although the power of Wind-Thunder Finger was not as great as a second-level spell, its speed of execution was extremely fast, making it perfect for a surprise attack.
Zhang Ruochen struck when the Deep Blue Star Envoy was off guard, so the latter had no time to defend. The blow landed solidly on his body.
The Deep Blue Star Envoy was also quite skilled. Sensing something was wrong, he immediately adjusted his strategy, slightly shifting his body to avoid the vital point in an extremely short time.
"Pfft!"
The powerful force of the Wind-Thunder Finger pierced through the Deep Blue Star Envoy's body, leaving a wine-cup-sized bloody hole in his back, which then exited through his abdomen.
The organs in the Deep Blue Star Envoy's abdomen were severely damaged, turning black and charred.
However, the Deep Blue Star Envoy had also avoided the vital point of his spine. Otherwise, Zhang Ruochen's Wind-Thunder Finger could have snapped his body in two.
"He dodged the vital point."
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. Without any hesitation, he immediately launched a second attack, executing the second-level spell, "Wrath of the Thunder General," conjuring a three-zhang-tall phantom of a lightning giant.
"Roar!"
The lightning giant let out a earth-shaking roar, its arms grabbing a massive electric hammer, condensing dozens of lightning bolts, and smashing down fiercely at the Deep Blue Star Envoy's head.
Enduring the pain, the Deep Blue Star Envoy quickly drew the giant sword from his back, rolled on the ground, and raised the sword to block.
"Boom!"
As the lightning giant's strike landed, the crescent-shaped flying boat, over thirty zhang long, let out a shattering roar and broke in two at its center.
Two massive halves of the hull fell from the clouds, crashing toward the ground.
Purple electric light still flickered through the clouds, crackling, creating a scene of magnificent destruction.
The power of the second-level spell, "Wrath of the Thunder General," was indeed formidable. However, Zhang Ruochen clearly saw that just as the lightning giant struck with the electric hammer, a pagoda-shaped light had appeared on the Deep Blue Star Envoy's body, enveloping him.
Without needing to guess, the Deep Blue Star Envoy must have had a protective treasure on him that had withstood the lightning giant's attack.