Cai Hong at once raised a hand to stop Ma Yuan and Yun Xia beside him: "Don't move!"
The golden Daoist behind Old Ghost Li instantly merged into his body; his eyes erupted with golden light as he glared at Li Yong in front of him and Han Qi by the door. Stretching both arms apart, he roared at them: "Suppress!"
Boom! A golden pillar of light suddenly shot down from above Li Yong, enveloping his body.
At the same instant he raised a hand and fired a white speck of light upward; the speck zipped around the ceiling, circled behind Old Ghost Li.
Two more golden pillars appeared above Han Qi and Wei Gaocheng at the doorway, trapping the pair inside.
"It's only a beam of light, yet it feels like several tons pressing on me." Han Qi clenched his fist; the column had almost no effect on Monsters with physiques as tough as theirs.
The two simply watched Li Yong make his move.
"Brat, I'll make you regret your actions!" By now Old Ghost Li's voice carried a metallic echo.
His Awakened ability, Myriad-Treasure Great Celestial Venerable, could invite a celestial to possess him, granting the power to suppress all things.
Everyone around watched Old Ghost Li strike. Even Han Yi, originally about to act, froze the moment he saw Cai Xiu's group stay still.
With both hands he formed an "OK" sign with single fingers, aimed at Li Yong, and bellowed: "Die! Myriad-Treasure Execution!"
The golden radiance turned crimson; a stronger suppressive force slammed toward Li Yong.
Li Yong's expression stayed calm as white claws extended; three strands of white energy thread appeared.
Whoosh! In the next instant he was behind Old Ghost Li, energy threads slicing vertically through the old man.
Splurt! Three bloody gashes split Old Ghost Li's howling face; his voice cut off as his body divided into four long strips.
Entrails and blood spilled in a heap.
Han Yi broke into a cold sweat at the sight, thanking heaven he hadn't attacked.
That hooded man was simply too bizarre; a fighting style like instant teleportation was impossible to guard against.
Cai Xiu and the others sprang to their feet, faces paling—Old Ghost Li had been hacked apart like a vegetable.
"So strong!" Ma Yuan stared at the hooded man, eyes full of dread.
He himself was weaker than Old Ghost Li; if this man could one-shot the old ghost, he could do the same to him.
Cai Xiu studied the white-furred claws Li Yong had revealed, eyes flickering: 'No human has hands like that—could they be…'
Li Yong looked toward Han Yi, gaze ice-cold.
Han Yi instinctively stepped back—only to bump into something hard behind him.
He whirled around; Han Qi, who had stood at the door moments ago, was now right behind him, eyelids half-lowered. "Liyang Country is too small; it doesn't need so much dead weight."
He raised both hands and suddenly clapped them together.
Thud! A dull sound—headless corpse toppled.
Wei Gaocheng walked toward the Level Three Awakened brought by Old Ghost Li and Han Yi; red wings unfurled behind him.
"Run!" Seeing their boss instantly killed, the Level Threes snapped.
They spun and bolted toward the other side of the hall, energy flaring as they tried to smash through the wall and escape.
Yun Xia, seeing this, started to move.
An icy voice rang out: "Move and you die."
Li Yong had appeared behind the three of them at some point; ten white threads hovered at their backs.
A single twitch and those razor filaments could slice any body apart.
The three froze mid-motion.
Cold sweat dotted Cai Xiu's face as he watched Wei Gaocheng's wings launch a storm of feathers that wiped out a dozen Level Threes in one sweep.
He swallowed and spoke: "You're from the Monster Association, aren't you? Nanwu Country is right next door—aren't you afraid the Xuanjian Division will find you?"
"That's not your concern, dear little brother." Cai Hong stepped forward wearing a faint smile.
Cai Xiu stared at his older brother, eyes complicated. "When did you get involved with them, bro?"
Cai Hong merely smiled and turned toward Han Qi.
Han Qi removed his sunglasses; four pale eyes stared at them. "Our Monster Association is expanding and thinks highly of you all, so we invite you to join."
He waved a hand; a Bodyguard in a suit whose head had another face at the back entered.
Carrying a huge black case, he set it on the table and opened it toward everyone, revealing purple vials inside.
"Inject this and your strength will rise again." Han Qi's lips curled in a slight smile.
With Li Yong and Wei Gaocheng present, they could slaughter everyone here; his presence wasn't truly necessary.
But Jiang Yan had worried the pair might get carried away and kill everyone, so he'd come to keep an eye on things.
Cai Xiu's trio paled; Yun Xia protested, "Nanwu Country is right next door—joining you is suicide!"
Wei Gaocheng grinned at her words, walked to the vials, and pointed. "Inject it and you might die later; refuse and you die right now."
Cai Xiu, Yun Xia, Ma Yuan, and the dozen Level Threes behind them looked as if they'd swallowed dung.
Seeing them hesitate, Wei Gaocheng raised a hand. "I'll count to five—when the countdown ends, whoever hasn't injected dies."
"Five. Two. …"
Hearing the count, everyone's faces twisted; they dropped the act.
The man killed without blinking—they knew when the count ended, people would really die.
Cai Xiu rushed forward, grabbed a vial, popped it open, and jabbed it into himself.
Behind him, Yun Xia and Ma Yuan snatched vials and injected as well.
"Aaargh!" Cai Xiu howled as the first to inject.
His body swelled, skin splitting, turning black and hard until it became horn-like. He grew to three meters, knuckles pounding the floor.
His cheeks tore open, revealing rows of razor teeth; his pupils turned yellow, a four-meter tail whipped behind him, its tip armed with black, blade-sharp spines.
Beside him, Yun Xia and Ma Yuan began their own Monster transformation.
Yun Xia's height stayed the same, but countless greenish eyes sprouted across her arms and forehead, swiveling to stare at everyone.
Ma Yuan reached two meters; arms and legs became blue tentacles, his head enlarged and turned azure.
"So strong—I feel power flooding me!" Cai Xiu's voice turned shrill as he studied his body and hands.
Hideous as he looked, this strength made him a formidable force even among Level Fours.