"AAAH—!"
Bai Jue's facial muscles twisted violently, his expression contorted in indescribable agony.
A hoarse cry tore from his throat.
The pain was simply unbearable.
The moment Yin energy flooded his body, it felt as though glacial currents were flowing through his veins—
Cold so intense it pierced bone, flesh, and marrow alike.
Worse still, as the Yin and baleful energy poured in, countless undead crawled over the surface of his body, clawing and tearing at him.
The pain multiplied.
Suddenly—
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed faintly by his ears.
Clear. Unhurried.
Enduring the torment, Bai Jue forced his eyes open.
At the edge of the Ghost Pit, a figure cloaked in black slowly approached from afar.
"Interesting," a hoarse voice rasped.
"A place where Yin and baleful energy are this concentrated… I didn't expect such an environment to still exist within the Spirit Domain. A pleasant surprise."
Gritting his teeth through the pain, Bai Jue spoke in a low voice,
"Who… are you?"
"Heh~ Bai Jue, right? A Festival Bearer who awakened the Zhongyuan Festival."
"You may call me Water Demon."
"I come from Heavenly Decree."
Heavenly Decree.
The moment those words fell, Bai Jue's mind snapped into focus.
Ever since Sikong Xi warned him that he might be targeted, Bai Jue had deliberately learned about several hostile organizations.
Heavenly Decree was one of them.
On the surface, the name sounded harmless—almost righteous.
But in truth?
It was an outright traitorous organization.
They sought favor with other civilizations, betrayed humanity, and sold out their own kind.
In simple terms—
They were collaborators.
To curry favor with alien civilizations and obtain resources, they captured humans and handed them over—
For amusement.
For experimentation.
Even as food.
A thoroughly despicable organization.
One hunted by the Federation.
Yet now—
They had found him.
"An evil organization?" Water Demon said calmly.
"You could put it that way."
"Yes, our methods are sinful—but only because we seek a better future. Greater power."
"Compared to risking our lives in space gates, our way of acquiring resources is far easier."
"And if there's an easier path—why choose one that may cost you your life?"
Bai Jue frowned deeply, his face pale from pain.
He stared at Water Demon in silence.
Water Demon didn't mind. He merely raised his right hand.
A sphere of water condensed in his palm, reflecting his face—
Young.
Twisted.
Laced with blood-red markings that looked like unnatural tattoos.
Gazing at his reflection, Water Demon spoke slowly.
"That Nie—you're the one who contained it, correct?"
Bai Jue nodded.
As expected, he thought grimly.
A Nie could never naturally form inside a city.
If it appeared in the slums, then someone had placed it there deliberately—
Using constant death to feed it, allowing it to grow.
"Heh. Since you've already contained it," Water Demon said indifferently,
"keep it."
"Heavenly Decree won't demand it back."
"There's only one condition."
"You understand, don't you?"
"Join us."
"With your talent, you'll receive the best cultivation. Resources without limit."
"Forget a Nie—even a Xi, we can help you obtain."
"Well?"
Bai Jue curled his lips into a look of pure disdain.
Without hesitation, he replied—
"I refuse."
An evil organization?
Not even worth considering.
"Heh heh."
Water Demon showed no surprise.
Instead, killing intent flickered in his eyes.
"Do you know the consequence of refusing?"
"People die."
As his words fell—
Behind him, massive water dragons formed one by one, coiling and roaring as they hovered in the air.
Their draconic cries echoed violently.
"I'll ask you one last time," Water Demon said coldly.
"Agree… or refuse?"
His gaze locked onto Bai Jue.
Impatience crept into his tone.
Refusal now would mean only one thing—
Death.
But at that moment—
A sharp glint flashed in Bai Jue's eyes.
Suppressing the pain, he smiled.
"Do you know why I came here?"
"Your Heavenly Decree intel network really isn't that impressive."
Water Demon's brow furrowed instantly.
"What do you mean?"
Bai Jue chuckled.
"I joined the Night Watch of Tiankui City. I even contained a Nie."
"Did you really think I—or the Night Watch—believed that Nie formed naturally in the slums?"
"We already knew it was you rats."
"And since that's the case—do you really think they'd let me enter a space gate alone?"
He paused, then added lightly—
"Teacher, can you kill him?"
"Honestly, his face is pretty ugly. It's hurting my eyes."
"Heh."
A cold voice sounded behind Water Demon—
Low.
Suppressed.
Filled with fury.
"No problem."
Water Demon's pupils shrank violently.
He spun around, shock etched across his face.
"Di Yao?!"
"How are you here?!"
But the moment the words left his mouth, his expression darkened.
"Damn it… Sikong Xi."
He remembered now.
That woman had an extremely close relationship with Di Yao.
"You filthy sewer rats," Di Yao said icily.
"Wasn't rotting in the shadows enough for you?"
"You dare appear before me."
"You even dared to target my student."
"You're courting death."
Her pupils turned blood-red.
Behind her, several malevolent ghostly silhouettes surfaced.
One of them surged directly into her body.
In the next instant—
A terrifying aura exploded outward from Di Yao.
Ferocious.
Murderous.
Like a god of slaughter descending upon the mortal world.
Her blue-faced, fanged visage twisted into something utterly monstrous.
She took a single step forward—
And vanished.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared before Water Demon.
Her fist shot out.
BOOOOM—!!!
An overwhelming force erupted instantly.
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