# 656
Chapter 657: Brother Zhai's Counterattack
The moment that gaze fell upon Shen Qingzhu, his mind jolted, but he maintained control of the Forbidden Ruins and didn't directly interrupt the operation of [Qi Min].
Because within such a short time, the members of the Black Assassination Squad hadn't fully evacuated yet.
For these subordinates who had inexplicably gathered around him, Shen Qingzhu couldn't understand their language and had never exchanged words with them, but in his daily life, he could feel their genuine trust and reverence for him...
Perhaps the relationship between him and them was merely rooted in some inexplicable misunderstanding, but regardless, they were his little brothers.
On Jinnan Mountain, he had already lost one of his most trusted little brothers due to his own weakness.
Now, watching these little brothers get burned to death before his eyes... he couldn't do it.
Even knowing that his actions might put him in a passive position, he did it without hesitation. Just like how, back then, he could annihilate the entire [Believers] for the sake of one Li Jia.
He didn't care whether others viewed his actions as foolish or reckless... he didn't care...
Because he was Brother Zhai.
Even though the current him had been tempered by reality into someone more composed and tactful, deep in his heart, he was still that Shen Qingzhu who dared to fight, dared to struggle, dared anything, who dared to snatch the Coat of Arms from the instructor's hand and jump alone into lava to kill people—a troublesome troublemaker.
As the range of that gaze grew smaller, beads of cold sweat formed at Shen Qingzhu's temples, and an unprecedented life-and-death crisis loomed over him. When he felt that the Black Assassination Squad had basically evacuated, he immediately terminated [Qi Min].
The air returned.
But that gaze was still searching for his whereabouts.
Shen Qingzhu stood motionless, like a statue, entering the same "One, Two, Three, Wooden Person" state as Lin Qiye.
Seeing this, the Red-Robed Oracle Envoy's lips curved into a smile as he leisurely walked toward Shen Qingzhu.
"You actually care so much about the lives of these ants?" His left eye's ring of light locked onto the motionless Shen Qingzhu as he said calmly, "For someone like you, an intruder, they should only be a group of complete strangers."
Shen Qingzhu couldn't understand what he was saying, but he coldly spoke in Mandarin:
"Is this how the messenger of the gods massacres his own people?"
The Red-Robed Oracle Envoy froze, standing in silence.
He realized he couldn't understand what Shen Qingzhu was saying.
Only then did he understand why the other party had never bothered to communicate with him...
Originally, he had wanted to have a chat with this intruder, but now he realized it was completely impossible, so he abandoned that idea and prepared to subdue Shen Qingzhu, then bring him back to [Pure Land].
He raised his hand, and a faint thread of flame appeared at his fingertip. Just as he was about to do something, Shen Qingzhu suddenly spoke:
"Yoshi!"
The Red-Robed Oracle Envoy froze again.
What was this intruder up to? Did he even speak Japanese?
After hesitating for a moment, he still asked, "What did you say?"
Shen Qingzhu moved his lips, producing a soft sound, but the Red-Robed Oracle Envoy couldn't hear what he was saying.
"Repeat that?" He frowned, then took a few steps forward, walking right up to Shen Qingzhu, trying to hear what Shen Qingzhu was saying.
A slight smirk appeared at the corner of Shen Qingzhu's mouth.
"I said... Aaaaah!!"
The next moment, his clenched right fist opened, and a black ring lay quietly in his palm. The surface of this ring散发出一抹幽光，化作一柄漆黑的刀刃刺出！
[Soul-Severing Blade]!
At such close range, even the Red-Robed Oracle Envoy himself couldn't react in time. Before he knew it, the blade of the Soul-Severing Blade had already pierced through his body!
Soul-Severing Blade, specifically severs souls.
The moment the blade passed through the Oracle Envoy's body, the destructive energy thoroughly annihilated the Red-Robed Oracle Envoy's soul. His eyes instantly glazed over, his breathing ceased, as if he were a complete walking corpse.
At this moment, Shen Qingzhu also broke free from the mysterious gaze's scrutiny. After confirming that the Red-Robed Oracle Envoy no longer had vital signs, he let out a long breath...
This time, he had won the gamble again.
Releasing [Qi Min] wasn't just to save those subordinates of the Black Assassination Squad—it was also a way to lower the Oracle Envoy's guard through this very act. As for the final killing blow, it had been held in the palm of his hand all along.
Shen Qingzhu knew his actions were extremely risky, but even if he hadn't done this, without动用Forbidden Ruins, relying solely on one [Soul-Severing Blade], he would have been no match for the Oracle Envoy...
Risky就risky吧, after all, his specialty was counterattacking from desperate situations.
This was how he had walked his entire path.
Just as Shen Qingzhu had just relaxed, the red ring of light in the left eye of the僵硬standing in the middle of the road's Red-Robed Oracle Envoy lit up again!
"Fourth Oracle Envoy has lost intrinsic soul link. 'Hanezu' system initiating temporary intelligent control, autonomous counterattack module activating..."
Hearing this voice, Shen Qingzhu, who had been preparing to leave, froze in place.
The next moment, blinding flames erupted from the Red-Robed Oracle Envoy as the center, exploding violently and illuminating most of the sky!
Just as the flames were about to engulf Shen Qingzhu, a tree branch broke through from the ground, wrapping around him and directly pulling him into the sky, narrowly avoiding this earth-shaking fire explosion.
The tree branch carried Shen Qingzhu to a rooftop far away, releasing him. He turned his head, only to see a handsome young man in a碎花浴衣standing beside him.
"幸好你来了..." Shen Qingzhu苦笑。
Lin Qiye's gaze was firmly fixed on the red-robed figure standing in the sea of flames, his brow furrowed with gravity.
"Don't let your guard down. Oracle Envoys like this are no longer purely human. Even if their souls are destroyed, their modified bodies can still be controlled through machinery."
Shen Qingzhu turned his head, glanced at the sea of flames, and sighed deeply.
"This is nothing like a messenger of the gods... they're just monsters."
...
Dōtonbori.
Little Jin's expression was complicated as he looked at Yuzuri Nana for a moment, then slowly closed his eyes.
"If it can be avoided, it's best not to involve her... she's still a child."
"I know."
Amemiya Haruki gripped the deep blue [Rainfall Collapse], gazing at the Yellow-Robed Oracle Envoy before him. "I will do my utmost to kill him, but the key to breaking this situation doesn't lie with me—it lies with Yuzuri Kurotetsu... so you must go help him."
"Alright, I'll leave this place to you."
After Little Jin finished speaking, his form scattered into drifting yellow butterflies and dissolved into the air, disappearing to parts unknown.
Rainwater slid down the blade's edge. Amemiya Haruki's hair was already soaked as he faced the Yellow-Robed Oracle Envoy and once again raised the blade in his hand.