Chapter 154: Following Xi Bao

A surge of anger rose within Yue Kai's heart. He gritted his teeth and said, "Damn evil practitioner, actually targeting the local second-class citizens specifically. Truly, you deserve to die ten thousand deaths!"

Xianxian worriedly said, "The 'Blood Scar Blade' increased its power drastically after absorbing Xi Shan's flesh and blood last time. Now that it has absorbed over a thousand more people, it must be even more terrifying. Little brother, do you really have confidence in the decisive battle on New Year's Day?"

Yue Kai took a deep breath and said, "No matter what, Xi Bao must die! If necessary... I will spare no cost!"

"No, little brother, you must never use the Berserk Technique again. It will cause irreversible damage to your body; your physical frame simply cannot withstand such consumption!" Xianxian naturally knew what Yue Kai's desperate gamble meant, but knowing his condition, she was extremely worried.

Yue Kai frowned and said, "Could it be that the only way to find heavenly treasures to replenish the origin of life is to go to the 'Martial God Star'?"

Xianxian confusedly asked, "Little brother, actually, taking heavenly treasures is not the only path to replenish the origin of life. On the contrary, consuming them directly completely fails to maximize the medicinal efficacy of spiritual herbs. As an alchemist, you should understand this better than anyone! The professor previously did not know that you would receive the inheritance of the Dan path, so the only path was to go to the treasure-filled 'Martial God Star' to search for life-extending spiritual herbs. But as an alchemist, you yourself are a heaven-defying existence. Could it be that there are no life-extending pills?"

Yue Kai was shaken. After pondering for a moment, he fiercely slapped his own forehead and cried out, "I am truly so foolish not to have thought of this. The so-called lifespan and vitality constitute the origin of life. This origin can only be possessed by living organisms or spiritual heavenly treasures. An alchemist can extract the spiritual qi between heaven and earth and fuse it with the spirituality of spiritual herbs. As long as there are suitable medicinal materials, wouldn't it be a breeze to refine pills capable of replenishing the origin of life?"

"It's just a pity that such pills must be completed by a true alchemist by drawing upon the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. I am currently only capable of refining third-grade pills, and I am still quite a distance away from refining genuine pills. I cannot count on this for the short term."

Yue Kai felt a deep sense of regret. Refining genuine pills required reaching the "Golden Core Stage"—meaning the origin points in the elixir field and the ancestral aperture had to grow into a "pill," transforming spiritual qi into spiritual power.

If categorized according to the power levels of the War Wolf Empire, it would roughly be the two-star "Micro-Perception" realm, possessing 300,000 Ankes of physical strength!

Having undergone body tempering a full ten times, Yue Kai had completely transformed his physique, and his strength grew at an extremely rapid rate. However, reaching 300,000 Ankes could not be accomplished overnight; that distance was still somewhat far.

"Actually, besides pills or spiritual herbs, there is another way to recover the depleted origin of life. It's just that this method is somewhat evil, and little brother, you certainly wouldn't be able to accept it."

Xianxian hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell Yue Kai.

Yue Kai's spirits stirred, and he happily asked, "What method? Let me hear it."

"Once the Illusory God Art's soul-absorbing technique reaches completion, not only can it absorb other people's mental power, but going a step further, it can even directly absorb the opponent's soul, which naturally includes the origin of life!"

It was the 'Illusory God Art' again!

Yue Kai remained silent for a long while, then worriedly said, "I am truly somewhat lost now. Is this 'Illusory God Art' righteous or evil? How does it feel so similar to Xi Bao's 'Blood Scar Blade'?"

"This is definitely different. The Blood Scar Blade is the evil path. Since the 'Illusory God Art' is the supreme national treasure of the Fairy Empire, it can by no means be evil."

Yue Kai shook his head, casting aside the doubts in his heart, and said, "No matter what, I will never commit such an evil act as absorbing another person's origin of life."

"Could it even be unacceptable when dealing with bad people?" Xianxian very much wanted to say this, but she ultimately held back. Because no one understood Yue Kai better than she did, she knew that for Yue Kai, principles were sometimes even more important than life itself.

During the period when Yue Kai was in secluded cultivation preparing for battle, the entire Huazhong City was buzzing with excitement for the decisive battle on New Year's Day. There had never been a day when people were so full of anticipation and passion. For the citizens of Huazhong City, New Year's Day was not only a traditional ethnic festival, but also a starting point to ring in the old and welcome the new, looking forward to the future. Yue Kai choosing this moment to have a decisive battle with Xi Bao seemed to carry a special intent. The citizens who guessed this meaning instantly ignited the national sentiment within their hearts.

Especially the God of Guns, who seemed to have completely understood Yue Kai's intention, wept tears of joy and drank three large bottles of grain liquor, getting drunk for the first time in several years.

Had Yue Kai known that a casual remark of his would have sparked so much speculation, he probably would not have known whether to laugh or cry. He certainly had not deliberately chosen the time to express any hidden intention of prompting the populace to resist and revolt.

Just when everyone assumed Yue Kai was in seclusion preparing for battle, he was actually lurking amidst the thick night, as if merging with the darkness itself—without breath or pulse. If not for direct visual confirmation, even a three-star martial artist would likely have found it difficult to discover him. This was precisely the formidable aspect of the 'Illusory God Art'; its exquisite application of mental power had reached an unfathomable degree, particularly in the concealment of one's aura, which was truly startling.

"Little brother, you haven't moved for a full three hours. Are you really going to stay like this until dawn? If Xi Bao doesn't come out to harm people tonight, won't we have to wait until daybreak?" Xianxian said with a trace of pity, while also being moved by Yue Kai's perseverance. Ever since night fell, Yue Kai had been lurking a thousand meters away from the Xi residence, monitoring and waiting with his powerful mental power.

For three full days, Xi Bao had made no move. For an evil practitioner, this was certainly not an easy thing to endure. Once someone begins practicing and falls into the evil path, it becomes as addictive as taking drugs; they crave the consumption of flesh and blood at every moment to strengthen themselves. Having made no move for three full days was akin to an addict being cut off from supplies for three days—the inner torment was indescribable.

Yue Kai believed that Xi Bao would definitely be unable to restrain himself from coming out to commit crimes. The disappearance of over a thousand lives in these three months was enough to demonstrate that his cruelty and depravity had reached a truly hair-raising degree.

"He's coming. I said Xi Bao would definitely not be able to resist the yearning in his heart and would sooner or later come out to commit a crime. This time, we must record his actions and make them public." Yue Kai's mental power formed a giant net, shrouding an area several kilometers in radius, with the Xi residence in particular as the primary focus of his attention. Any abnormal movement within it would naturally be perceived by him instantly.

The Xi Estate.

Xi Bao's face was covered with a black veil, revealing only a pair of beast-like, fierce eyes filled with boundless coldness as he started his flying car.

"Little brother, his destination is the Fifth Ring slum district. This damned demon has indeed chosen the impoverished masses at the absolute bottom of society once again."

"Immediately take control of the network in the Fifth Ring slum district, issue a warning, and evacuate the masses. At the same time, notify Li Xiuxiang and Lankai!" Yue Kai said decisively. His figure flashed out from the night, landing swiftly and lightly onto a flying car parked by the roadside. He pressed the start button and set the destination on the navigation system, not rushing off yet, but instead tailing closely behind Xi Bao.

Sitting in the flying car, Xi Bao felt as though his entire body was on the verge of exploding with restlessness and anxiety. The bloodthirsty desire within his heart turned his eyes crimson, desperate to taste the flavor of fresh blood. The "Blood Scar Blade" was emitting a squeaking sound beside him, resembling a tiny, utterly starved demon.

"Don't rush, darling. Soon we'll be able to feast to our heart's content. This planet is filled with nothing but lower-class citizens. These lowly aborigines are all our food reserves." Xi Bao stuck out his scarlet tongue and licked his dry lips, seeming to reminisce about that wonderful taste. As he thought about it, the blood throughout his body seemed about to boil, and the hunger in his heart was impossible to suppress.

The Fifth Ring slum district was home to millions of second-class citizens who, under the strict supervision of the government, lived like the walking dead, struggling for three meals a day, day after day, year after year, working mechanically for the nobles and growing so numb that it seemed the whole world had left only themselves.

Although they didn't have to worry about food and clothing, they lacked human rights, freedom, and any prospects. Such an existence was both soul-crushing and helpless.

The only way to leave the slums was to sign a labor contract with the municipal government and go to mining planets to dig for ore. Yet everyone knew that over the decades, while many people applied and left out as miners, not a single one ever returned. Although their families received a compensation payout sufficient to leave the slums, could money ever replace the lost loved ones?

The residents of the slums were like a group of captive high-level animals; no matter how many died, no nobles would ever care. This was precisely one of the reasons why Xi Bao chose the slums.

A flying car could reach top speeds of five hundred kilometers per hour, making nighttime travel even swifter. However, it still took an hour to reach the Fifth Ring slum district, right at the stroke of midnight. This time slot was the prime hour in the city center, the best moment for amusement, but for the civilian district, it was the wonderful moment when most people drifted off to sleep. For the sake of work the following day, many chose an early bedtime, so once night fell, these areas appeared exceptionally quiet—completely at the opposite extreme from the downtown core.

Xi Bao's flying car silently parked in a hidden corner of the square. He first observed the surrounding environment before slowly stepping out of the vehicle. With his mental power, probing an area several kilometers around him was no difficult task at all. At this moment, Yue Kai had completely concealed his aura; unless someone looked at him directly with their own eyes, they would never realize a person was trailing right behind them.

He was about to make a move!

Yue Kai inwardly tensed up, flashing out from the shadows like a ghost and closely following after Xi Bao.

It had to be said that long-term indoctrination in submissive ideology was still very successful. Aside from obeying the commands issued by the big shots in the government, these grassroots commoners had no other choice. The residents scattered across these dozens of square miles had been completely evacuated in a mere half-hour. At this moment, with the square as the center, a radius of more than a dozen miles was plunged into dead silence.

Xi Bao's brow furrowed.