It’s just pretentious posturing

Having gained a new form, Ren Qi’s body expanded by nearly double, his head almost touching the ceiling.

Previously, he had appeared quite frail, like a quiet scholar.

Now, his body was covered in the tough fur of the nine otherworldly demons, and his eyes had transformed into wild, red pupils, reminiscent of the legendary creatures known as ‘werewolves’.

“So, this is what it feels like?”

Ren Qi’s back arched slightly as his hands, rapidly turning into sharp claws, pressed against his head.

Many spells in the world concerned fusion and soul-snatching, but most targeted Spirit Wielders and humans.

Even then, the mind often became extremely unstable after fusion; at best, one’s temperament would change drastically, and at worst, one’s mind would collapse, making it impossible to distinguish one’s own identity.

However, the spell Ren Qi had acquired was one he had never heard of—a technique that fused humans with otherworldly demons!

Ren Qi, who had long been fascinated by otherworldly demons, spent a considerable amount of time thoroughly researching it.

Consequently, he couldn’t sleep for several nights afterward.

Under normal circumstances, a Spirit Wielder corrupted by the demonic energy of an otherworldly demon would also descend into madness, even losing their sanity and transforming into a bloodthirsty monster.

While this spell allowed for the fusion of a human and an otherworldly demon, letting the fused consciousness dominate, it still carried persistent side effects.

The Spirit Wielder who created this spell was well aware that the otherworldly demon’s willpower was incredibly difficult to extinguish.

Whether the fusion would lead to immediate loss of control depended entirely on the user’s own willpower.

To this end, Ren Qi made extensive preparations.

The most time-consuming of these was ensuring the nine otherworldly demons would obediently follow his commands, without offering even a hint of resistance.

He had nearly failed several times, almost becoming another victim in the otherworldly demons’ maw.

Now, he had succeeded.

All his previous efforts had not been in vain!

As he adapted to his new body, a chaotic sound resonated in Ren Qi’s mind.

The voice tempted him, urging him to close his eyes and do whatever his heart desired.

And what he desired most at this moment was destruction!

‘I almost lost myself.’

As soon as he banished that voice from his mind, Ren Qi immediately felt a wave of clarity.

He opened his mouth, filled with sharp fangs, and his laughter escalated from a low rumble to a piercing shriek, before he lowered his head to gaze at his hands.

The plan had succeeded!

He could feel himself growing stronger; the power of the nine otherworldly demons now belonged entirely to him.

The first thing he needed to do after gaining such power was to test it out.

Ren Qi’s eyes darted, his gaze falling upon Féng Yè, who stood before him with a pale face.

The latter had already suppressed the toxins and was able to move normally.

This was the first time he had seen a monster born from the fusion of a Spirit Wielder and an otherworldly demon.

However, facing a monster that was a fusion of human and otherworldly demon, Féng Yè’s expression was even grimmer than when he had first been poisoned.

Ren Qi raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and slammed it forcefully against the wall in front of him.

The entire base trembled and swayed under his punch.

Cracks spread outwards, extending to the very end of the corridor.

The ceiling groaned and cracked, showering dust, yet it could not conceal the wild ecstasy in Ren Qi’s eyes.

“Branch Head, what are you standing around for?”

“Come on, don’t you want to clean house?”

“If you don’t stop me, I’ll kill you, then go after those cowardly runaways.”

As the Branch Head’s subordinate, Ren Qi naturally had access to information that lower-ranking members couldn’t obtain, such as the base’s complete evacuation protocols.

In the event of a disaster, all non-combat personnel would use the evacuation tunnels to reach the underground bunker.

Although the bunker connected to the outside world, according to protocol, it had to undergo repeated confirmations before being opened.

Once opened, the passage to the outside could not be closed again.

This meant that if Ren Qi moved fast enough, he could enjoy a feast of slaughter before they managed to escape.

Every word from Ren Qi stimulated Féng Yè’s nerves.

As a Branch Head, he had to lead by example.

‘With great power comes great responsibility’—this was a rule all members of the Heaven’s Will Bureau had to uphold.

The higher one climbed in the Heaven’s Will Bureau, the more effort one had to exert to prove worthy of the position.

Thus, there were never any freeloaders among the higher echelons; even the administrators of the Inner and Outer Cabinets frequently traveled to handle troublesome incidents, because, apart from powerful individuals like them, there were no more suitable candidates.

Thinking of it this way, the most arduous position in the entire Heaven’s Will Bureau must be that of the President.

In all his years in service, Féng Yè had never personally met him.

Folk rumors claimed that the President was either saving the world or on his way to save it.

Féng Yè was merely a Branch Head.

His duty was to protect the subordinates within this base and the residents of the city under his jurisdiction.

‘Good thing Qiao Yíng isn’t here.’

These reassuring words were only audible to Féng Yè himself.

Ren Qi only saw his mouth move, without catching a single word.

Although it didn’t seem like he was signaling, Féng Yè’s attitude genuinely irritated Ren Qi.

Boom.

The sound from behind made Ren Qi stop and look back.

“I almost forgot about you, you bastard.”

Xǔ Tiānlí stood up again, trembling as he raised his blade.

“I’ll start with you.”

Ren Qi was brimming with confidence now; he wouldn’t even flinch if Qín Yuè appeared.

Watching the colossal monster charge towards him, Xǔ Tiānlí inevitably felt a tremor of fear, yet he did not retreat a single step.

‘At least I’ll die for a worthy cause, and won’t disgrace my master.’

He took a deep breath, feeling a slight, strange relief.

‘Perhaps if I, this good-for-nothing, am gone, Master can take on a more talented student?’

Ren Qi had already raised his sharp claws, crouching low, ready to leap towards Xǔ Tiānlí.

Just then, hidden compartments suddenly opened in the surrounding walls, spewing out a thick, choking cloud of smoke.

“What is this?”

Ren Qi paused for a moment before remembering he had seen similar devices in the base’s blueprints, but he hadn’t located their installation points.

To his surprise, they were here.

Had someone triggered them?

This smoke could obscure one’s senses, making it impossible to react to the surroundings.

Even the current Ren Qi would be affected.

Enraged, Ren Qi wildly flailed his arms, crashing left and right, tearing down the smoke-spraying devices one by one.

Soon, the dense smoke in the corridor dissipated.

Ren Qi glanced around, and the remains of the devices in his hand instantly shattered into fragments.

Xǔ Tiānlí and Féng Yè were gone!

Also in the corridor, Xǔ Tiānlí naturally inhaled some of the smoke and was affected.

However, he was quickly pulled away from the scene, leaving the confined base and seeing sunlight once more.

“Xǔ Tiānlí, Xǔ Tiānlí?”

Someone was calling him, but his senses hadn’t fully recovered.

“He’s not going to die, is he?”

“You said the smoke wasn’t poisonous!”

“It’s certainly not poisonous.”

“Master, isn’t he awake?”

‘Master’s voice?’

Xǔ Tiānlí thought he was dreaming.

He forced his eyes open and saw a blurry silhouette.

Long hair flowed, and golden eyes occasionally glanced at him.

He wondered if it was his imagination, but he seemed to perceive clear panic and urgency within them.

‘Can Master also feel panicked?’

Xǔ Tiānlí felt as if he were still dreaming and lay back down.

“Hey, why are you lying down again?”

“It’s nothing, I… I’m fine.”

“Really fine?”

“Mm.”

Only after receiving his repeated assurances did Mù Qīngyǔ finally breathe a sigh of relief, thinking to herself that she had almost arrived too late.

She had only followed Qiao Yíng back to the Heaven’s Will Bureau’s branch out of an inability to refuse, and unexpectedly, in the footage from before the surveillance was destroyed, she saw Xǔ Tiānlí and Féng Yè fighting an otherworldly demon.

To be honest, Mù Qīngyǔ was quite startled in that moment.

If he had truly died like that, her plans would have been utterly ruined.

“Don’t you dare die before I get back.”

“I wasn’t saying I wouldn’t die…”

“If I really do die, please hang me at the entrance of the Four Sacred Courts.” Xǔ Tiānlí actually smiled foolishly.

“Even as a ghost, I’ll bite that bastard Mù Qīngyǔ to death.”

“…”

Mù Qīngyǔ felt offended but didn’t argue with him.

“Uncle, please don’t die!”

“If you die, I won’t be able to go out anymore!”

Qiao Yíng, once she emerged, threw herself onto Féng Yè and sobbed uncontrollably, like a lost little girl.

Those nearby tried to comfort her for a long time before reluctantly pulling her away; otherwise, Féng Yè truly would have been suffocated by her weight.

Qiao Yíng had learned some of the base’s mechanism activation methods from Féng Yè beforehand, which allowed her to rescue them so smoothly.

However, the matter was far from over.

After entrusting Xǔ Tiānlí to the tearful Qiao Yíng for care, Mù Qīngyǔ rose and walked towards the main hall entrance.

“Master, where are you going?”

“That monster could burst out at any moment, someone has to stop him.”

“Ma-Master, can you do it alone?”

As soon as she spoke, Qiao Yíng immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, thinking, ‘How dare I say such a thing in front of her?’

Mù Qīngyǔ paused for a moment, then looked back at her.

“Don’t forget, I am a reclusive master.”

Qiao Yíng blinked, her eyes immediately lighting up with anticipation and excitement.

If she didn’t have to stay and care for the injured, she would have secretly followed to witness the master’s personal intervention.

Mù Qīngyǔ’s reason for returning to the dangerous area was quite simple: to prevent Ren Qi from breaking out again.

As she expected, upon returning to the hall, she saw the furious black monster.

The two faced each other, and the atmosphere quickly solidified.

“It’s you.” Ren Qi narrowed his eyes, his expression turning cautious.

“Are you here to avenge your student?”

“If that’s what you want to believe, then so be it.”

“Do you truly possess such ability?”

Ren Qi had always doubted whether Mù Qīngyǔ was a genuine master or merely pretending.

Every encounter with her made the scales of his suspicion tip further towards the negative.

“I bet you don’t have any formidable strength at all; you’re just putting on an act.”

“Believe what you will.”

Mù Qīngyǔ looked around, then picked up a standard longsword from the ground, one that someone had apparently used.

The instant she stood up, Ren Qi sprang from his spot, lunging at her with intense killing intent.

Then, in the very next second,

A flash of sword light streaked past, and crimson liquid splattered.

By the time Ren Qi regained his senses, he realized that the arm he had extended towards her had, at some unknown moment, flown into the air and landed far away.

Mù Qīngyǔ maintained her sword-wielding posture, her expression solemn.