"Very well."

The Yin Soul, Red Gloves, slowly nodded, surveying the darkness around him as if it were tailor-made for his presence. After pondering for a moment, he spoke, "I need a weapon."

"What kind?"

Huai Shi took a shotgun off his back. "Will this do?"

Red Gloves shook his head. "My essence is insufficient; I can only cover you and attract attention. A shotgun won't be of much use to me... just give me that Short Knife."

"Short Knife?"

Huai Shi paused, confused. He pulled out the Sacrificial Knife and tentatively handed it over. But when Red Gloves took it, there was no backlash or resistance. Once it left Huai Shi's palm, in a Source Substance identical to Huai Shi's, even the blade's edge did not diminish.

He wielded it with ease.

Red Gloves sniffed the dark red bloodstain on the blade and nodded with satisfaction. "I'll wait for your signal."

He then stepped back and sank into the darkness, his figure becoming indistinct, yet Huai Shi could feel him standing right beside him.

Only now was he more certain than ever that this truly was Red Gloves.

But it was not the Red Gloves who had once died, but rather a personality record reanimated from fragmented entries in the Book of Fate, given form by Source Substance, a Yin Soul akin to an artificial human.

Inheriting the Yin Soul's loyalty to the Legion commander, along with all the combat experience conveyed by Huai Shi and the killing techniques once taught by Rome.

Apart from lacking a Soul and Stigmata, he was essentially a reborn Red Gloves.

With just a tap from the Book of Fate, he underwent a qualitative transformation!

Was it coincidence? Or is this... how the true Yin Soul Legion operates?

Derived from the Ring of Nibelungen to the subordinate Stigmata, forming the Legion, then the Book of Fate distributes the records, turning the rigid Yin Souls into flexible killing machines.

It was only now that Huai Shi suddenly remembered—the Heavenly Kingdom once harbored all the records of value from the mortal world.

Doesn't that imply... The Utopia which has fallen, what terrifying miracle had it created?

Lost in thought about this question, Huai Shi stroked his chin and suddenly laughed.

No matter how terrifying that miracle might have been, it was now gone without a trace, but even the smallest remnants still should not be underestimated as a Disaster.

Now, let them experience the prowess of the Heavenly Kingdom Genealogy.

He lifted the shotgun and took a step forward. Like a Yin Soul, he melted into the darkness of the dense forest and silently moved towards the source of the footsteps, grinning to himself.

Soon, Xi Jiang heard the sound of something ripping apart behind him.

By the time he spun around, he felt warm blood splash on his face; a head was rolling through the dead leaves, which, along with the body's collapse, ceased movement and quietly dissipated, leaving behind nothing but a filthy Golden Coin amidst the twigs and fallen leaves.

Xi Jiang, far from angry, rejoiced. Blazing light burst from his visage, the mane electrified.

—Rage of Yi and Zi!

Anger materialized and spread in every direction like ripples, tinging everything in its path blood red.

This 'Face of Yi and Zi' was a rare bound relic found long ago in a lost Border, together with a gift from Mu En, the Xie Zhi.

It was as if hastily evacuated, that submerged city, similar to the Dragon Palace, was strewn with dragons' secret treasures, hinting at immeasurable wealth.

Unfortunately, very few made it out alive.

The purpose of this Face of Yi and Zi mask is simple: as soon as a teammate dies, it triggers the Rage of Yi and Zi's curse, pinpointing the opponent's location and inflicting a curse targeting the Soul.

Under the lingering anger of Yi and Zi, the Souls of all Sublimators are like candles in the wind, even possibly expiring on the spot without a hunt.

In an instant, red light shot forth like arrows, Rage of Yi and Zi locked onto its target, curses rained down from the sky, and a vague shadow tumbled out from a corner of darkness, nearly dissipating.

Found it?

In that moment, Xi Jiang, elated, heard the sound of a trigger being pulled from behind him. Instinctively, he crouched low.

Then, he felt a genuine sense of relief for his decision, because a hidden Sublimator in front of him was suddenly exposed, riddled with holes upon hitting the ground, turning into another Golden Coin.

Meanwhile, Huai Shi, having instantly secured his target, reached out and the decoy Yin Soul along with the Sacrificial Knife returned to his hands; he stepped back, hiding in the darkness, and once more melted away.

Immediately after, as Xi Jiang turned around and roared, a tangible blast of sonic waves emitted from the Snarling Face of Yi and Zi, piercing the forest and carving large holes in the ancient trees before vanishing beyond sight.

Countless trees swayed and fell, and dust rose amidst the tumult. But not a ghost of a shadow was seen from within.

Huai Shi had disappeared again.

Gone?

The Sublimators around remained in high alert, with eyes ablaze scanning in every direction. The darkness revealed nothing to their gaze, yet that fleeting shadow was nowhere to be seen.

Some rushed to lift Xi Jiang, but he brushed them off irately, "Do I look like an old lady who falls for scams and needs help getting up?"

Then he realized… something seemed off about this person?

SMACK! With a slap from Xi Jiang's hand, the figure suddenly blurred, and the face that should have disappeared flickered, revealing Huai Shi's face.

Somehow, he had already infiltrated their ranks.

Xi Jiang's expression changed drastically, and before he could react, he saw the dark muzzle of a gun aimed at his face, the trigger pulled, and sparks bursting forth.

BANG!

Half of the mask was torn away, and though it was just a mask, blood still spurted out.

With an angry roar, Xi Jiang abruptly grabbed the muzzle of Huai Shi's gun and clenched hard, only to feel emptiness in his hand as he managed to wrench the bent shotgun completely away.

But Huai Shi had already turned around, swung the Axe, and cleaved into the head of a 'teammate' who hadn't reacted yet, giving them a new skylight.

Amidst the crisp sound of bone breaking, his other hand plunged the Sacrificial Knife down, nailing it into the Face of Yi and Zi, and the hungry Border Relic began to frantically withdraw his life essence.

Flesh quickly contracted, withering like wax.

Xi Jiang roared in fury, heedless of danger, drawing his sword and stabbing forward with lightning speed, but he hit nothing.

As the ground shook violently, with Yu Step stomping his feet, Huai Shi suddenly rose into the air gripping the handle of the knife, his body weight dragging the blade across the lion's face, tearing a huge gash.

Then, he felt a heavy gust of wind coming from behind. Within the void, a burly silhouette revealed a blurry outline, swinging a huge Iron Hammer from invisibility, and with a sudden explosive roar, it smashed downwards.

The sound of steel clashing rang out suddenly. The Axe Blade was lifted, not to directly resist the hammer's impact, but to stop it just an inch from where the attacker's hands held it, causing the descending Iron Hammer to hesitate.

With the momentum, Huai Shi fell backwards, the Sacrificial Knife dispersing then re-forming in his hand as he swept it across from the handle.

Amidst screams, eight fingers instantly fell to the ground.

The Iron Hammer was released, striking Xi Jiang, who had just risen, right at the back of his head and causing him to stagger. And Huai Shi had already swiftly reached out and grabbed the wrist of the invisible attacker, flicking it dislocated!

The sound of dislocation was so crisp; using the feedback of force, the returning blade swept across the neck as predicted, and blood gushed like a fountain.

Huai Shi finally landed on the ground. Hearing the clear sound of the trigger being pulled from afar, he struggled to roll and once again hid in the darkness.

Within the sound of roaring, he felt the searing bullet graze his face, the chain of bullets whipping the trees, continuously breaking them apart.

Suppressing his breath, he began to check the state of the Yin Soul.

The records of the Red Gloves had been almost entirely torn apart, the Stigmata turbulent; though still intact, they were no longer as agile as before.

An attack on the Soul?

Luckily for him, the Red Gloves were there; otherwise, that hit could have ended him.

Without pause, Huai Shi slammed down the Book of Fate again, covering the shattered consciousness of the Yin Soul with the Red Gloves' records—as long as the Stigmata remained intact and the Source Substance hadn't been completely scattered, the Yin Soul could continue to function.

Much more convenient than a body of flesh and blood.

As the Source Substance of the Yin Soul was fully replenished, Huai Shi's complexion became even paler—this emptiness from the Soul was something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Even though the vitality of the shell could be replenished, the accumulation of Source Substance was limited. Not to mention, he had already endured a great battle before this, leaving very little remaining.

The mana bar was almost empty. He wouldn't last much longer...

Huai Shi narrowed his eyes, silently counting the number of footsteps in the distance, but a sudden chill emerged from his consciousness, causing him to leap up abruptly and jump backward.

Then, he saw the ground where he had just been caving in, a burly shadow suddenly appearing, stepping where his head had just been. The ground shook.

Then, in the booming sound, it closed in with each step.

As if... it could see exactly where he was.

Guo Nu? Huai Shi was startled, but the shadow was already lunging at him, its broken arm raised, the other arm like a sledgehammer, thrusting out straight and roaring towards him.

In a rush, Huai Shi summoned the Axe Blade to guard his face, only to be sent flying involuntarily.

In mid-air, he felt that something was wrong. Some of his Source Substance seemed to have been lost, with rust spots appearing on the back of the Axe...

Before he could react, an iron pitchfork suddenly materialized from Guo Nu's hand, plunging towards Huai Shi's throat! Amidst the clang of metal on metal, Huai Shi blocked it, sparks flying.

He felt darkness looming before his eyes again. Source Substance had been extracted once more...

Suddenly, Huai Shi realized: Guo Nu was actually leeching his Source Substance!

Above Guo Nu's knitted hat, vague horns began to slowly emerge. An apparition resembling a Bull Head rose slowly from behind him, devouring negative Source Substance from the air, its pitch-black eyes fixated on Huai Shi, closing in with every step.

Bull Head? No, it was Fang Liang... the legendary Evil God capable of devouring ghosts and demons, a Stigma completely targeting negative Source Substance!

Allowing Huai Shi to exhaust Xi Jiang's team, while also using Xi Jiang's team to wear down Huai Shi's energy. After biding their time for so long, they suddenly struck, driving him into a corner.

Meanwhile, Sublimators who had been invisible for a long time emerged from their ambush behind Huai Shi, launching an attack!

In an instant, Huai Shi waved his hand, and the Red Gloves of the Yin Soul emerged from the void, fiercely pouncing towards the attackers behind Huai Shi, while Huai Shi himself had already stood his ground, advancing instead of retreating!

Retreating meant certain death.

"Like to eat, don't you?" Toward his enemy, Huai Shi sneered. The Brilliant Light emerged from his hand; the glorious Spear of Compassion, imbued with the Blood of Green Crown Dragon, rose, tearing through the scent of the Iris flower as it stabbed straight toward Guo Nu's face!

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