The myriad mountains and seas

‘He actually won?’

The moment the otherworldly demon collapsed, not only Féng Yè, but even Xǔ Tiānlí himself was utterly bewildered.

A Tier-1 Spirit Wielder against a Tier-2 otherworldly demon—he actually won?!

If news of this spread, who would dare mock Xǔ Tiānlí?

No, perhaps they wouldn’t even believe such a fact.

That last strike had consumed all of Xǔ Tiānlí’s strength.

If even that couldn’t defeat it…

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he watched in horror as the fallen otherworldly demon rose again from the pool of blood.

Xǔ Tiānlí’s earlier strike had indeed inflicted immense damage, but it wasn’t enough to fell it completely.

The colossal body of the nine-headed otherworldly demon trembled.

Several of its heads swiveled, their eyes fixed intently on Xǔ Tiānlí, who stood not far away.

He felt the murderous intent solidify around him, yet Xǔ Tiānlí remained rooted to the spot, unmoving.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to evade; he simply lacked the strength to dodge anymore.

He had reached his limit, his grip on the saber faltering.

He could only watch helplessly as the otherworldly demon turned its massive form, adopting an attack posture against him.

‘Was this truly the end of his life?’

If asked whether he accepted this fate, the answer was an unequivocal no!

The mere thought of Mù Qīngyǔ still living a carefree life somewhere, using their broken engagement as a topic of boastful conversation, was enough to fuel Xǔ Tiānlí’s swaying body.

The three-year pact remained unfulfilled; he was not yet ready to die.

Even as searing pain ripped through his arm muscles, he would raise his long saber once more, ready to confront the enemy.

‘If only I could use Return to the Void One-Strike Decapitation one more time.’

To ensure a decisive victory, Xǔ Tiānlí had poured every ounce of his life force into that strike, yet it hadn’t been enough.

The otherworldly demon, sensing his inability to fight or flee, approached him at a pace that was not—not fast.

A beast was a beast, after all; even after being reduced to such a pathetic state, it still desired to toy with its prey.

It was at this precise moment that a wave of fire swept forth, engulfing the demon and forming a blazing cage around it.

“Well done, Xǔ Tiānlí!”

“You should leave now.”

Féng Yè emerged from the office, his complexion considerably healthier.

“I am confident I can win now.”

“Leave this to me.”

Xǔ Tiānlí was silent for two seconds before letting out a sigh of relief.

“Alright, then I’ll leave it to you, Branch Head Féng.”

Just as Xǔ Tiānlí finished speaking, his relaxed expression abruptly twisted into one of alarm.

The words “Watch out behind you!” never escaped his lips before the worst possible scenario unfolded.

By the time Féng Yè realized what Xǔ Tiānlí was trying to warn him about, it was already too late.

A blood-stained blade pierced through his abdomen, and drops of blood bloomed like exquisite crimson flowers on the ground.

Both of them had forgotten that the true mastermind behind all this was still lurking in the shadows, observing and waiting for the opportune moment.

The nine-headed otherworldly demon had successfully drained Xǔ Tiānlí’s combat strength and left Féng Yè exposed and unprepared.

This was the perfect moment for the hidden assailant to strike.

Féng Yè quickly snapped out of his agonizing pain.

He swung a flame-wreathed dagger backward, forcing his attacker to retreat.

The assailant had cleverly circled around, appearing from the opposite direction.

They then widened the distance between themselves and Féng Yè, moving closer to the otherworldly demon.

‘You… it really is you.’

Féng Yè pulled the short blade from his back, watching as it melted into molten iron in the flames.

There was only one person capable of lurking within the Heaven’s Will Bureau for so long, privy to so many movements, and even investigating Féng Yè’s information and poisoning him without anyone knowing.

Xǔ Tiānlí had met this person before, and they had even shared a pleasant conversation.

‘Ren Qi, when did you betray the Heaven’s Will Bureau?’

The true mastermind was Féng Yè’s subordinate—Ren Qi!

‘It was him?’

The thought of having chatted so happily with the root cause of all their troubles filled Xǔ Tiānlí with a burning frustration.

“Betrayal?”

“I think you’ve misunderstood, Féng Yè.”

Ren Qi adjusted the spectacles on his nose.

“From the very beginning, I was never one of the Heaven’s Will Bureau’s people.”

Féng Yè stared intently at him, remaining silent.

“To be honest, this outcome surprises me greatly.”

“I originally thought everything would remain within my control, but it still turned out like this.”

As Ren Qi spoke, he glanced back at Xǔ Tiānlí, who was barely supporting himself on the other side.

“You’re only a Tier-1, yet you managed to gravely wound a Tier-2 otherworldly demon.”

“What kind of monster are you?”

“That’s all thanks to my master’s excellent teaching,” Xǔ Tiānlí grinned.

“You should consider yourself lucky you encountered a good-for-nothing like me.”

“If it were someone truly talented, that otherworldly demon would have been dead by now.”

“Is that so?”

“All of Qín Yuè’s doing.”

“That woman is terrifying in every sense of the word.”

Ren Qi’s expression twisted slightly.

“But it doesn’t matter.”

“No matter how strong she is, as long as she doesn’t appear here, she can’t hinder me.”

“Are you with the Hongshou Security Group?” Féng Yè voiced the most probable conjecture.

“No, don’t lump me in with those useless fools,” Ren Qi’s lips curled into a smirk.

“They couldn’t even manage to kidnap a young girl, confirm if she was a threat, and retrieve that valuable item from her.”

“Such incompetence.”

With this, the mastermind behind the kidnapping case was revealed.

All incidents from a month ago until now had been his doing.

He didn’t belong to any official agency but was a member of an illicit organization—a gang.

Bold gangs were never in short supply, and those who dared to challenge the Heaven’s Will Bureau existed, but their fates were always equally tragic.

They would utter threats one day and be completely wiped out by the Heaven’s Will Bureau’s patrols the next.

To this day, there was only one large gang that could act so wantonly within the Sacred Dynasty Nation: the Shan Hai Collective!

The most powerful gang in the Sacred Dynasty Nation, it had repeatedly resisted the Heaven’s Will Bureau’s encirclement campaigns and remained impossible to eradicate.

Anyone who joined it was automatically listed on the wanted roster!

The Shan Hai Collective was not an ancient power; it was quite young, having been established only a little over a decade ago.

However, youth did not equate to weakness.

The Shan Hai Collective’s growth rate was astonishing, and they had faced the Heaven’s Will Bureau head-on multiple times without flinching.

While the Shan Hai Collective had never achieved victory in direct confrontations, they always made a comeback after a period of time.

Many rumors, both true and false, circulated among Spirit Wielders regarding this gang.

Some said that the leader of the Shan Hai Collective was an old acquaintance of the Heaven’s Will Bureau’s Branch Head, and it was the Branch Head’s protection of an old friend that allowed them such audacity.

Others claimed the Shan Hai Collective’s leader had already become the third Tier-6 ‘Dominator’ within the Sacred Dynasty Nation, which was why the Heaven’s Will Bureau couldn’t deal with them.

Still others believed the Shan Hai Collective’s overall strength had already surpassed the Heaven’s Will Bureau, and it was only a matter of time before they replaced the latter as the Sacred Dynasty Nation’s new ‘official power.’

Regardless of the number of rumors, one fact remained unchanged: the Shan Hai Collective was an extremely dangerous organization, its members all vicious criminals.

The higher one climbed within its ranks, the more depraved their character became.

The Heaven’s Will Bureau had deemed them a major scourge within the Sacred Dynasty Nation, making them the primary target of suppression, even above the otherworldly demons.

The thought of having worked alongside a Shan Hai Collective mole for several years made the words ‘Heaven’s Will Bureau’ and ‘Shan Hai Collective’ taste as foul in his mind as finding a cockroach in a birthday cake.

“The Heaven’s Will Bureau has always underestimated the Shan Hai Collective.”

“That’s why you’ve fallen into my hands, Féng Yè.”

Ren Qi shook his head, his smile utterly smug.

He possessed only Tier-2 strength; in a normal challenge, he would have been utterly thrashed by Féng Yè.

But things were different now.

Xǔ Tiānlí was exhausted and unable to fight, Féng Yè’s strength was severely diminished, and Ren Qi himself was at his peak, even having an otherworldly demon by his side that could continue fighting.

The scales of the situation had completely tipped in his favor.

“But that’s not right.”

“Even if you’re part of the Shan Hai Collective, you’re an anomaly, aren’t you?” Féng Yè suddenly thought of something, and his words instantly turned Ren Qi’s face ashen.

The Heaven’s Will Bureau had clashed with the Shan Hai Collective so many times that they naturally knew some of the organization’s internal secrets.

Although the Shan Hai Collective always behaved like a group of terrorists, one of their gang rules was particularly striking:

No collusion with otherworldly demons was ever permitted.

Anyone hearing this rule for the first time would find it utterly perplexing.

If one joined a gang, it was surely to escape constraints and become powerful however they pleased.

Yet, this rule was like the Shan Hai Collective’s bottom line.

Even crossing it by a single step was considered an act of betrayal.

Some believed this was a test by the Shan Hai Collective; if they truly intended to replace the Heaven’s Will Bureau, they naturally needed to present a stance acceptable to the public.

Whatever the truth, the fact remained that the Shan Hai Collective did strictly adhere to this rule.

They could grow stronger through any illicit means, but they would not touch the otherworldly demons in the slightest.

As a Branch Head, Féng Yè was naturally privy to such intelligence.

Therefore, Ren Qi’s use of the otherworldly demon, regardless of his intentions, was a complete violation of the Shan Hai Collective’s rules.

“And what if I violated it?” Ren Qi sneered.

“I truly wish to climb to the top and completely erase this rule from the Shan Hai Collective.”

Like most members, he harbored a severe rebellious streak.

Any means to gain strength was acceptable, even if it meant borrowing the power of otherworldly demons.

However, the gang’s rule demanding a clear separation from otherworldly demons had, in fact, provoked a considerable portion of its members.

Since the higher-ups forbade contact with otherworldly demons, they believed they must make contact, even thinking the higher-ups were deliberately toying with them, blocking a simple and effective path to strength.

“You’ve done all this just to use the power of the otherworldly demons to grow stronger?” Xǔ Tiānlí found it difficult to comprehend.

“Yes, a good-for-nothing like me, without talent, has no choice but to rely on special methods,” Ren Qi looked at him.

“Xǔ Tiānlí, I actually thought you and I could become good friends.”

“Why don’t you join me?”

“After all, aren’t you also a good-for-nothing in everyone else’s eyes, just like me?”

“Don’t compare me to you,” Xǔ Tiānlí’s tone instantly deepened.

“While I may be a good-for-nothing, I will never stoop to depravity.”

“Is that so? What a pity.”

Ren Qi shook his head.

“Then you’ll just have to become nourishment, just like Féng Yè.”