novel-bin Chapter 558 - 546: Son of the Heavenly Dao!
Chapter 558 - 546: Son of the Heavenly Dao!
Death, is it terrifying?
To ordinary people, it is.
But for those like Tian Can and Di Que, death was not terrifying. In fact, they were always prepared for it.
After all, the saying "he who kills must be prepared to be killed" was not just an empty phrase. Tian Can and Di Que understood this point completely.
However, what was most terrifying to them was a fate worse than death: being alive but wishing for death. And now, they found themselves in that exact situation.
Death by a thousand cuts, an execution designed to prolong their agony! To be forced to watch their own hearts beat!
Could this be Qin Fan’s idea of a joke? No! At this stage, they dared not harbor any optimism.
The Butcher who had turned them into fish on a chopping block would absolutely use such a method on them!
The thought battered their souls. Tian Can and Di Que did not respond immediately.
But Qin Fan was not in a hurry.
A cold, mocking smile hung on his face as his ten fingers continued to pluck the strings, summoning waves of piercingly cold Qi Force!
HISS HISS HISS—!
SWISH SWISH SWISH—!
In the blink of an eye, dozens more jets of Qi Force struck, adding dozens of gruesome wounds to the bodies of the blind pair!
At this rate, the phrase "death by a thousand cuts" would be a gross understatement.
Their heart-rending screams of agony shot toward the heavens.
Under Qin Fan’s merciless slow-slicing, the blind pair could no longer endure the agony of a fate worse than death. They cried out in unison, "We’ll talk! We’ll talk! We’ll tell you!"
Hearing this, Qin Fan stopped plucking the strings and asked in a cold voice, "Who is it?"
"The Child of the Heavenly Dao!"
"The Child of the Heavenly Dao!"
Their faces were a ghastly white, so tortured that not a hint of blood remained, as the two blind men spoke in unison through gritted teeth.
After speaking, as if sharing a single thought, they both removed their sunglasses.
Lying flat on the ground, they gazed up at the sky with eyes that had never known light.
At this moment of imminent death, a desperate hope sprouted in their minds.
If only there was a next life. If only we weren’t blind in the next life.
On the ruins, Qin Fan jolted when he heard the words "Child of the Heavenly Dao."
The Child of the Heavenly Dao? The very same existence Demi Immortal Qi Lian has been searching for?
"Where is he?" Qin Fan sneered, pressing further.
"We don’t know! We were only responsible for carrying out his orders! We know nothing else! Now, it’s time for you to fulfill your promise! Kill us, give us a swift end!" Tian Can said, lying motionless on the dirty, cold alley floor, letting blood seep from his wounds.
Without replying to Tian Can, Qin Fan raised his hand and swept it across the face of his qin!
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—!
Instantly, all the qin’s strings flew out. They trembled in the air like arrows loosed from a bow.
Following a parabolic arc, they plunged directly toward Tian Can and Di Que!
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP—!
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP—!
The strings, imbued with Qin Fan’s True Qi, pierced through the blind pair’s chests and stood quivering, embedded tightly in the ground!
With their hearts pierced, the two blind men began to violently vomit mouthfuls of blood, as if it were endless.
But amidst the gruesome sight, smiles appeared on both their faces—smiles of pure relief.
Gazing at the sky, both of their lips murmured a few words.
Then, with those relieved smiles still on their faces, they slowly closed their eyes that had never known light.
With that, Tian Can and Di Que met their tragic deaths in an alleyway of Jinling.
「Meanwhile.」
In a presidential suite at the Eastern Hotel, a pinhole camera hidden in the curtain of the floor-to-ceiling window had recorded the entire battle.
On the suite’s sofa, a young man sat holding a tablet computer, utterly dumbstruck. The image on the tablet was the live feed from that pinhole camera.
If Qin Fan were here, he would have recognized the young man—it was none other than the peculiar owner of the Qili Xiang Milk Tea Shop. He had used a pinhole camera as a precaution, to prevent Qin Fan from detecting his presence.
GULP.
GULP.
Recalling the entire process he had just witnessed, he could not help but swallow nervously. He felt incredibly lucky to have survived his previous encounter with Qin Fan at the milk tea shop.
If Qin Fan had decided to make a move because of my arrogance back then, what would have become of me? I dare not even imagine!
In his terror, he shakily picked up the phone beside him and slowly dialed a string of numbers.
After a few rings, a brutally cold voice answered, "I’m in a hurry. You have thirty seconds to say what you need to say!"
"Master! Tian Can and Di Que are dead! They stood no chance against Qin Fan! It was an instant kill; Qin Fan practically annihilated them!" the young man stammered, swallowing his panic.
After he spoke, the other end of the line went silent for nearly ten seconds.
When the voice resumed, it had become an icy snarl of fury.
"How dare you still linger in Jinling? Did my words mean nothing to you? Heh... Fine. Very fine!"
Hearing this, boundless terror flooded the young man’s face. He slid from the sofa, thudding to the floor.
"Master! Master! Listen to me! I didn’t—I would never dare ignore your words! I just wanted to keep an eye on that guy from the shadows, to see if there was anything I could do for you! Master, I meant no disrespect! Even if I were ten times as brave, I still wouldn’t dare disrespect you! Master, you have to believe me! I am absolutely loyal! Absolutely! Master... Master!"
Towards the end, the young man was on the verge of tears from sheer terror.
No one knew better than him how terrifying his "Master" on the other end of the call truly was.
He had once single-handedly wiped out the War Mercenary Corps Group, an organization of countless Superpower Users.
He had once infiltrated a nuclear research base in the United States and annihilated its entire staff, all to avenge a subordinate. He emerged unscathed despite facing thousands of the base’s heavily armed elite soldiers.
Once, over a simple grudge, he had stormed Russia’s Werewolf Organization alone. He brutally tore off the werewolf leader’s head before retreating without a scratch.
Therefore, in the face of such an existence, a single change in tone was enough to scare him witless.
"One last chance! If you don’t want to die, vanish from the Human World at once. If he doesn’t kill you, I will!" the voice on the other end barked.
Hearing this command, the young man breathed a small sigh of relief. He knew that for his master to even give a command meant he was being offered a chance at survival.
"Yes, yes, yes, Master!" the young man quickly responded, trembling.
As soon as he responded, the call was disconnected.
「Far away in the war-torn Middle East.」
A young man dressed head to toe in pure white put down his phone, a sinister, predatory smile spreading across his face.
"Since even Tian Can and Di Que were instantly killed by you, it seems I really must find the time to return to Huaxia! Tsk, tsk. And to think, I was actually considering sparing you and recruiting you. But you dared to kill the Jiao Dragon meant to shield me from my heavenly tribulation... Qin Fan, oh, Qin Fan... no one can save you now!"
As he finished speaking, a chilling glint flickered in his dark, brooding eyes. His killing intent was laid bare.
Muttering to himself, he turned and walked out of the house, stepping into a night lit by artillery fire.
Facing the hail of bullets and shrapnel flying from all directions, he strolled leisurely, not bothering to dodge or hide. The moment he appeared, countless stray bullets rained down on him. Yet, he merely showed a scornful, arrogant sneer.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Without dodging, his body erupted with the sounds of impact. However, despite striking him, these deadly bullets could not harm him in the slightest. They fell away the instant they struck, as if they had hit a King Kong meteorite. If not for his white clothes being soiled, there would be no sign he had been hit by a barrage of bullets.
"Fuck! It’s Shura! Shura’s here! Retreat! Retreat, now!"
As the smoke cleared and the young man’s face became visible amidst the battlefield, the two warring factions of armed militants screamed in horror. The next second, they were all dropping their weapons and armor, ceasing fire to flee for their lives.
Watching the militants scatter at the mere sight of him, the young man revealed a boundlessly arrogant smile.
His name was Shura.
He also called himself Shura.