"You didn't expect this, did you?" Xiao Ran stomped on her brutally.
The beams of golden light converged and transformed to form a giant footprint hundreds of feet wide. It stomped down viciously.
The Massacre Matchmaker was in complete panic. "Sir, on account of our Heavenly Yin Sect Master, please don't kill me!"
"Even if he came in person to beg me, it wouldn't work."
When the huge footprint landed, not even her bones were left.
The ground where she was crushed was a mess though. Cracks zipped crazily all across the surface, and in its midst was a bottomless abyss.
The Golden Tome of Creation opened to reveal the crimes she had committed.
Just as Shen Yiming had said, she would toy with a man, steal his soul, and then mercilessly torture him to death.
The golden light swirled around, showing the three items. 300,000 Mastery Points, 30 years of Martial Arts evolution, 30 years of soul cultivation.
He added the 300,000 Proficiency Points to the Spiritual Clarity Eye.
After the Attributes were refreshed,
Spiritual Clarity Eye: Minor Achievement
There were still two hundred and seventy years to go before he could break through to Level 3 of the Profound Realm.
For the Spiritual Master Evolution, he was only 170 years away from breaking through to Level 2.
He went to look for Shen Yiming.
After checking his condition, Xiao Ran confirmed that his life was not in danger. Although he was heavily injured, he would recover after a period of convalescence.
He injected a stream of purifying spiritual force into his body to stabilize his injuries.
After absorbing this purifying spiritual force, Shen Yiming's injuries were healed by half.
Looking at the Heavenly Yin Malevolent Array overhead, Xiao Ran struck out with his palm. Golden light formed a circle and rapidly spread out in all directions.
Bang!
The Heavenly Yin Malevolent Array was instantly shattered and turned into a blast of explosive air that decimated the surrounding courtyard.
Little Zhou was woken up by the loud blast and scrambled to his feet.
Looking at the utterly ruined residence of the Great General, he was dumbfounded. "Brother Xiao, what's going on?"
Xiao Ran shrugged. "Don't ask me. I'm feeling just as confused as you."
Embarrassed, Little Zhou scratched the back of his head. "Is Lord Shen all right?"
"We'll know once we take a look."
Little Zhou helped the unconscious Shen Yiming up and checked his breathing. He was still alive, thank goodness!
"He's still breathing!" Little Zhou reported excitedly.
"If you aren't dead, why should I be?" Shen Yiming muttered as he came to his senses groggily.
"My Lord, you heard everything!"
"Of course!" Shen Yiming glared at him sternly.
He touched his chest. The manual for training troops 'Celestial Varg Guards' was still there. He felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.
He looked around his surroundings.
"What's going on? Where's the Massacre Matchmaker?"
Little Zhou and Xiao Ran looked at each other, and then Little Zhou said, "The force that resulted when you two exchanged blows just now was too great. Brother Xiao and I were standing about a thousand feet away, but we were still knocked unconscious by the aftershock. When we regained consciousness, we were already in this state."
Shen Yiming was at a complete loss. He stared into the distance for a long time but still couldn't figure out what was going on.
Turning to look at Li Heng and the others, he asked, "Are they all dead?"
"We haven't checked."
"Go check on them."
Little Zhou rushed forward to check. Other than Li Heng, everyone else was dead.
"He's still breathing, but his injuries are very serious," reported Little Zhou.
"He was always going against us. Let's go and give him a few kicks." Shen Yiming was feeling particularly vindictive right now.
He was true to his word, giving the fallen Martial Emissary a few hard kicks to the face.
"Is this all right?" Little Zhou asked hesitantly.
Shen Yiming waved his hand dismissively. "There are only the three of us left. It would be a wasted chance not to kick him now. If anyone asks, I will take responsibility! I will push all the blame onto the Massacre Matchmaker."
"Brother Xiao, do we kick?"
"Yes," Xiao Ran answered with an affirmative kick too.
He followed up with another seven to eight more kicks, while Little Zhou kicked more than twenty times before stopping.
At this moment,
the Imperial Guards outside finally arrived.
The lieutenant looked concerned. "Are you all right, my Lords?"
"Look at me! Do I look all right?" Shen Yiming's face clouded over.
"I'll leave this place to you guys. As for him, have someone send him back to the Sacred Martial Bureau."
"Yes, my Lord," replied the lieutenant respectfully.
The trio then left the Great General's residence and rushed back to the Divine Sword Guards headquarters.
When they got there,
Shen Yiming left them in the outer courtyard and entered the inner courtyard alone.
Little Zhou blinked a few times. "Brother Xiao, where are we going?"
"Do you have a place to stay here?"
Little Zhou didn't know what to say. Soon, someone summoned the two of them inside.
Besides Shen Yiming, Qin Fangzhen was also present.
"You guys did well this time. Not only did you bring the murderer to justice, you even protected the training manual." Qin Fang Zhen said.
Shen Yiming shot them a look, signaling them to keep quiet.
"After we report this matter to His Majesty, your rewards will be disbursed in due course."
With that,
Qin Fangzhen dismissed them.
Once out of the room,
Little Zhou asked eagerly, "My Lord, what's going on?"
"Are you stupid?" Shen Yiming kicked him.
He lowered his voice and said in a hushed voice that only the three of them could hear, "The dead can't testify. Won't it be nice if the three of us share the credit?"
"Thank you for looking out for me, my Lord!" Little Zhou was overjoyed.
He showed them around the Divine Sword Guards compound and elucidated the rules and regulations.
Shen Yiming then arranged a separate courtyard dwelling for them. Although it was small, it was a standalone house.
"The implications of this matter are too great. I advise you all to stay here and not go out. You can return after the storm has passed."
After briefing them, he returned to his quarters to recuperate.
"Brother Xiao, are you going home?" Little Zhou asked.
"What about you?" Xiao Ran asked.
Little Zhou had been scared out of his wits. "Anyway, I'm not going back. As long as I stay here, even if someone tries to take revenge, they won't be able to barge in here."
"Look at how worthless you are." Xiao Ran rolled his eyes at him.
He left the Divine Sword Guards headquarters and headed back home in Jingwen Square.
Along the Northern Boulevard, at the Scholar Provisions Shop.
In the underground chamber,
a group of people wearing devil masks and clad in black robes sat at a long table.
Their name was 'Yama', and they were a notorious assassins organization that had once assassinated three Profound Realm experts.
As long as the price was right, they would eliminate the Emperor too.
The person sitting at the head of the table was called Malevolent Earth. He was in charge of Yama's capital city division.
"I just received news that the Massacre Matchmaker, that useless piece of trash, failed in her mission. The 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual fell into the hands of the Divine Sword Guards."
Bang!
The subordinate sitting on his left slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "Is this b*tch a pig?"
"Even a pig isn't as stupid as she is. She spent over a month planning this and yet, she could still fail."
"If she's dead, what about the money we gave her previously?"
Malevolent Earth's expression darkened ominously. "Shut up!"
Everybody held their breath.
"Whoever wants the money, I'll send him down there to look for her."
His cold steely glare swept over everyone. Seeing that they had all lowered their heads, he continued, "At first, it was thought we had lost it for good. But there is still a way. Our informant has sent news that there were a total of four people present. The Sacred Martial Bureau's Li Heng, the Divine Sword Guards' Shen Yiming, Xiao Ran, and Little Zhou. One of them must have seen the 'Celestial Varg Guards'. What you need to do is reclaim it from their hands."
"Rest assured, my lord. We are not as useless as the Massacre Matchmaker. We will definitely bring back the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual in person."
Malevolent Earth nodded in satisfaction. "Go now!"
Back home,
Xiao Ran laid out the take-away food on the table. The Crimson Cetan emerged from his wrist and stood on the table. "I… can I eat together with you?"
Staring at it, Xiao Ran suddenly thought of something.
If the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire were to be fused with the Crimson Cetan Holy Fire, would its power increase?
"Sure," Xiao Ran said with a warm friendly smile.