Outside, the crowd was in a state of shock, anxiously watching the bar. Guan Xue swallowed hard, saying, "Teacher Chen..."
Inside the bar, there were sporadic loud noises. Li Xiaotong's gaze pierced through the walls, and her brow furrowed slightly. "The situation doesn't look good."
Yi and Er exchanged worried glances, with Yi sighing heavily, "Mr. Chen's strength exceeds our imagination, but that's the boss of Gu Dao!" Er shook his head, "Prepare to report the mission failure and brace for Li Dongyun's wrath..."
Before he could finish, the sky darkened slightly, accompanied by a sound of breaking air as a floating car slowly descended. In the astonished gazes of the crowd, the car door opened automatically, revealing an unremarkable middle-aged woman in a trench coat stepping out first.
"Mom?" "Aunt!!" Li Xiaotong and Yi, Er exclaimed, the former surprised and the latter's expressions changing drastically. Yuan's two chubby companions and Guan Xue exchanged glances. This seemingly ordinary middle-aged woman was actually Teacher Li's mother, one of the three top figures in Jiu Huan?
The middle-aged woman relaxed upon seeing Li Xiaotong, saying, "You little girl, why are you running around? Good thing you're fine; otherwise, I'd have to confront that crazy woman... What happened inside?"
She clearly had heard the massive buzzing from the bar. Li Xiaotong bit her lip and recounted the events, then pleaded, "Mom, can you save...?"
"No." The aunt shook her head, "That crazy woman may only be an extraordinary being at the first step of the secret path, but she's extremely strange and far beyond common sense. If I fight her, she dies, but I'll also be heavily injured... the jazz musician is still watching closely."
Pausing, she continued, "That child saved you; it's a kindness I'll remember and repay to his family." Wei Qingqiu frowned, sensing Old Chen's situation was not good; she was prepared to act, despite the exposure.
"Let's go." The aunt glanced at the bar calmly, "Are these your students? We should leave together; if that crazy woman gets agitated, things will turn bad..."
Before she could finish, a thunderous sound suddenly erupted from the bar.
"Little fly... I've got you."
Everyone instinctively turned to look, only to see the entire seven-story building collapse with a roar, as a massive figure soared into the sky, launching several hundred meters high, creating a shockwave!
Then, the giant spiraled down, seemingly holding something in its hands!!
He resembled a shooting star.
"Watch out!" The aunt's expression changed as she waved her hand, drawing in massive amounts of true god particles, transforming them into earth elements, and raising a thick wall of earth several meters high.
In the next moment, 'Boom!!!!'
The ground shook violently, a terrifying shockwave sweeping hundreds of meters, and fierce winds howled. The temporarily raised earth wall cracked under the pressure!
At the center of the explosion, in a pit several dozen meters in diameter, Chen Xiang released his grip. The alluring woman's clothes were torn apart, exposing large swathes of pale skin that quickly turned crimson...
Her eyes were vacant, seemingly coughing up blood, as her internal organs were utterly incinerated by the black flames due to the massive shock.
"You have a cruel heart," she said, her eyes glistening with tears, coughing blood, and playfully asking, "Am I not pretty enough?"
Chen Xiang found it perplexing, gazing at her. "You're quite beautiful."
"Thank you." The woman sighed in relief, her breath finally fading away.
The giant stared at her blood-stained beautiful face, pondered for a moment, then raised his fist, striking down repeatedly.
The earth trembled slightly, and the woman's corpse was reduced to dust; no one would notice her organs had been burned away by the black flames.
Yi, Er, the aunt, and Li Xiaotong stood in stunned silence, watching the scene unfold. After a long time, they saw the giant stop striking, stand up straight, and turn to face them.
The blood-eyed giant smiled at them.
Whether it was the fat or thin ones, or Guan Xue and Man Mu, all felt a chill run down their spines.
"Monster... monster!" Guan Xue collapsed to the ground, and the aunt's expression darkened to the extreme.
...
Two hours later, at the Tian Ding Hotel, on the 47th floor below the top level, which was the aunt's lair.
In the bathtub, Chen Xiang leaned back quietly as a pair of soft hands massaged his arms. The pretty maid bowed her head respectfully, and the air was filled with the scent of aromatherapy, the lights dim.
Yet, Chen Xiang felt nothing of the enchanting atmosphere; his body ached severely from the intense battle. He was almost exhausted, and in the end, it was the force of falling from the sky that allowed him to completely kill the woman whose internal organs had been burned.
"It's really hard to kill."
After a moment, Chen Xiang stood up from the bathtub. With the maid's assistance, he got dressed and walked out the door.
On the entire 47th floor, except for a few rooms, the space had been opened up by the aunt. In the middle, there was a large stage with a singer performing, while in the reception area, Yi, Er, Guan Xue, and Yuan's two chubby companions were sitting awkwardly.
"Mr. Chen."
The aunt, half-reclining on the sofa, sat up straight and smiled at Chen Xiang. She appeared to be an ordinary middle-aged woman, but Chen Xiang didn't dare underestimate her. He sensed an aura from her that was even more dangerous than that of the alluring woman.
The aunt was likely above the extraordinary level, possibly a "Sage" at the second step of the secret path. Moreover, he didn't think she would be a friendly person in the chaotic division of Jiu Huan.
Chen Xiang politely nodded and casually sat down beside Wei Qingqiu. "Auntie, hello. It's nice to meet you."
"There's no need to be so polite, Mr. Chen." The aunt smiled gently, "You're my daughter's colleague, and I didn't take good care of you; that's my fault..."
Pausing for a moment, she continued with a smile, "My daughter shares my surname, so just call me Li Jie."
"Wouldn't that confuse the generations? I'll just call you Li Yi instead," Chen Xiang replied with a smile.
"Then I'll take the liberty to call you Little Chen."
The two chatted casually while the others sat quietly, hesitant to interrupt. After a while, the aunt seemed to remember something and instructed, "Take these kids to the entertainment room to relax."
The attendant nodded and respectfully led Guan Xue, Yi, Er, and Wei Qingqiu away, while the other attendants and maids also discreetly withdrew, leaving only the aunt and Chen Xiang in the spacious reception area.
The singer on stage continued with her soft melodies.
The aunt raised her glass to Chen Xiang, then spoke warmly, "If it weren't for you, Little Chen, my little Tong might have faced grave danger... Xiaotong told me about the three sages and a corpse of an extraordinary being at the sage level; I will provide them all."
After a pause, she added with a smile, "Little Chen, you probably want to follow the path of the great death dominator, right? If that's the case, these may not be enough. The blood in those corpses is scant due to being stored too long... Give me three to five days, and I will procure more extraordinary, sage, and even saint-level blood for you."
Chen Xiang pondered for a moment and replied, "I'm not sure about the price, but these things must not be cheap... What do I need to pay?"
"No need." The aunt smiled, "Since you saved my daughter's life, you're my friend. What do friends talk about in terms of repayment?"
Chen Xiang shook his head. "Friendship should be mutual."
The aunt maintained her smile. "My daughter's life is far more precious than money; this is my way of repaying you."
The two conversed calmly, as if they were old friends. Ultimately, Chen Xiang agreed, and the aunt's smile widened. "At the latest, in five days, I will have enough extraordinary blood ready for your ascension... I heard from Xiaotong that you'll be going back to Ba Huan for a lecture the day after tomorrow? I'll send you all back then."
Pausing, she added, "Although you spared the life of the Hawk Tiger, the jazz musician is someone who seeks revenge and can be troublesome... However, since you killed the crazy woman, he probably won't act recklessly, but it's still better to be safe."
Chen Xiang didn't decline; the jazz musician was likely a sage, and without using the Madness Mirror, he knew he wouldn't be a match.
The aunt drank from her glass and set it down. "I'll investigate the rocket attack incident thoroughly. For the next two days, Little Chen can stay here; treat my place as your own home, and feel free to make any requests. I will certainly fulfill them."
Chen Xiang smiled and responded affirmatively, marking the end of their conversation. He didn't rush to find Little Wei or inquire about Li Xiaotong's peculiar left eye; instead, he returned to the spacious room the aunt had prepared for him.
After closing the door, Chen Xiang looked into the void. "Professor Su?"
In the next moment, the old man emerged from the void, looking surprised. "You actually noticed me? That's unexpected…"
As he spoke, he casually set up a barrier to block all external observation and reached out, drawing out a shrunk-down version of the red bull from the void, now at a normal size.
Or rather, the Disaster Bull.
"Moo!" The Disaster Bull lowered its head, showing Chen Xiang a friendly demeanor.
"The bull is tamed; its previous master was killed by you, so it's now masterless. You just need to renew the contract…"
Chen Xiang didn't rush to ask what the contract entailed; instead, he voiced a long-buried question: "By the way, Professor Su, if a soul body can produce soul essence in the Disaster Bull's stomach, then..."
"Can it work with ghosts?"
Professor Su was momentarily stunned, then nodded. "Of course, it can."
A smile spread across Chen Xiang's face.