Chapter 452: Li Wu's Return

Chapter 452: Li Wu's Return

"What's going on?" Zhang Mingrui was caught off guard by yet another failed sacrificial ritual.

"Is there someone else causing trouble?" He pondered, his eyes narrowing in realization. "Could it be Tie Hong?"

The thought of that old man made Zhang Mingrui tense up. He extended his consciousness, thoroughly covering the entire city to inspect the situation inch by inch. After a thorough examination, he found no abnormalities.

"It's not an issue here?" Zhang Mingrui breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his face changed again. If it wasn't a problem in his area, then it must be a problem at Elder Mountain.

Without wasting a moment, he rushed back to Elder Mountain, not even bothering to deal with Sun Kongkong and the others.

As Zhang Mingrui hurried back, a figure was slammed against the wall at Elder Mountain. Before the person could recover, their assailant struck again, grabbing them by the neck and pinning them to the wall.

The identities of the two became clear. The victim was Yuan Hua, who had previously expressed his helplessness to Sun Kongkong, and the attacker was Zhao Xuen, the guardian of Elder Mountain.

Zhao Xuen was seething with anger, wanting to tear Yuan Hua apart. The reason for his rage was Yuan Hua's recent actions.

Yuan Hua, understanding the core issue better than Sun Kongkong, had not gone to Jingcheng. Instead, he infiltrated Elder Mountain, seizing the opportunity to strike at the laboratory.

As a powerful Epic-tier cultivator, his attack had directly halted the sacrificial rituals and the refinement of the fragments. This loss was unimaginable for Zhao Xuen and his team.

Enraged, Zhao Xuen grabbed Yuan Hua by the throat and asked menacingly, "Are you ready to die?"

Yuan Hua responded with a disdainful smile. "Before coming here, I was prepared for this. I knew I might not return!"

As he spoke, Yuan Hua unleashed his power. The explosion of his beast soul caused his strength to surge, and he clenched his fist, ready to strike Zhao Xuen's face.

"You stubborn fool!" Zhao Xuen chuckled, easily deflecting Yuan Hua's punch with a simple finger.

But as their fingers touched, Zhao Xuen's expression changed. Something was off; the energy in Yuan Hua's punch was wrong, it held no power.

"What's happening?" Zhao Xuen was taken aback. Before he could comprehend the situation, Yuan Hua spoke with resignation.

"Zhao, say goodbye to your Gateway Fragment!" With those words, Yuan Hua detonated the power within him, including the power of all the beast souls he possessed.

He intended to explode like a bomb, sacrificing himself to deal damage to Elder Mountain and the laboratory. Even if it didn't harm Zhao Xuen, it could still cripple their experiments.

Zhao Xuen realized this, and as soon as Yuan Hua began his explosion, he frantically tried to stop it. But it wasn't easy.

Yuan Hua, an Epic 2-Star cultivator, was a formidable opponent. While Zhao Xuen, an Epic 3-Star, could easily defeat him in a one-on-one fight, but suppressing Yuan Hua's suicidal explosion was another matter.

Yuan Hua was certain of his explosion's success. However, just as he thought the laboratory was doomed, a slightly anxious voice interrupted.

"Phew, good thing I made it back in time." With these words, another figure appeared behind Yuan Hua.

Together, the new arrival and Zhao Xuen, one in front and one behind Yuan Hua, worked to suppress his explosion. With their combined efforts, it wasn't a difficult task.

Yuan Hua's explosion was quickly contained, and he was left lying on the ground. Zhang Mingrui leaned over him and said, "You're quite something, infiltrating Elder Mountain despite the heavy security. You almost ruined our experiments. It's a shame you don't use your skills for good."

"Good?" Yuan Hua scoffed. "In your eyes, what is good? Following your orders, becoming your dogs, and being your tools, of course!"

At this point, both Zhao Xuen and Zhang Mingrui dropped their pretense, openly discussing their plans as they dragged Zhao Xuen by his hair into the laboratory.

(End)

Entering the laboratory, Zhao Xuen and Zhang Mingrui set aside Yuan Hua and began their inspections. They meticulously repaired the damaged facilities, a process that took nearly three hours to undo the chaos caused by Yuan Hua's earlier outburst.

"We're lucky," Zhao Xuen said with a grin, "Your attack didn't hit any critical spots. It cost us some effort, but our grand plan remains intact."

Yuan Hua, however, was not amused. His face darkened as he glared at the two men. For him, and the millions in Jingcheng, this was the greatest misfortune.

"The Gateway Fragment's refinement remains intact," Yuan Hua thought bitterly. "All my efforts were for nothing."

The delay in Jingcheng was only temporary; the people there were still doomed. But the most terrifying part was not the millions in Jingcheng; it was the power these two men would possess with five Gateway Fragments.

A chilling thought—a scenario Yuan Hua dared not imagine. At this moment, he desperately wished for someone to defeat these men and save the world, save him.

"Anyone, please, come and save us!" Yuan Hua cried out in despair, his words eliciting laughter.

Zhao Xuen and Zhang Mingrui shook their heads. "No one can save you," they said.

"Boom!" A thunderous explosion echoed through the room, a sound that seemed particularly harsh in this environment.

The noise caught the attention of Zhao Xuen and Zhang Mingrui, who turned to see a gaping hole in Elder Mountain. Three injured figures stumbled through the opening.

It was the trio that Zhang Mingrui had previously nailed to Jingcheng.

"So, you want to be the saviors?" Zhang Mingrui sneered. "Have you forgotten how you were pinned down in Jingcheng? I was too busy to deal with you, so I let you escape. But instead of running for your lives, you come here to die?"

"We're not here to die," one of them, Xing Zhanlong, spoke up. "We're here to eliminate the two of you!"

Xing Zhanlong's eyes burned with hatred as he confronted Zhang Mingrui and Zhao Xuen. "You two old ghosts, to satisfy your personal desires, you assassinated elders, destroyed the Dark and Science Alliances, and even used the lives of the alliance members to achieve your goals. You don't deserve to be elders, so today, we're here to end your lives!"

Zhang Zhao and Zhao Xuen were amused by Xing Zhanlong's words. "Eliminate us? With your ragtag group?"

Sun Kongkong stepped forward, his voice cold. "Who said it's just us?"

As if on cue, a trembling figure emerged from the shadows. It was Kutan, the very person who had led Zhang Zhao's refinement operation.

"Well, well, Kutan, having a change of heart?" Zhang Zhao smirked, crossing his arms. "Go ahead, bring them on! Let's see who else you've managed to gather."

Sun Kongkong didn't hesitate. He took out a device and activated it. Footsteps and sonic booms filled the air as a large group of people swiftly surrounded them.

This diverse group consisted of various individuals, including the former Governor of Jiangnan, who had been removed for flattering Li Wu, staff members from within Elder Mountain, students from various universities, and even members of the Zero Organization or the Secret Organization.

A group of people with different identities, beliefs, and social standings had come together, united by a shared goal.

As their targets, Zhang Mingrui and Zhao Xuen's expressions remained eerily calm.

"Excellent, very good. Quite a large gathering we have here."

"Some rats from the Zero Organization, and some of our lackeys, all gathered here at this moment. It seems that we two old fools have been abandoned by all, even our closest allies."

Yuan Hua, standing before them, spoke in a cold tone, "You two are devoid of conscience and humanity. It's no wonder you've ended up in this predicament."

Hearing this, Zhang Mingrui and Zhao Xuen smiled.

"Devoid of conscience and humanity? We still recognize those concepts."

After all, we are on a different level.

At our level of existence, simple human morals can no longer restrict us.

We stand on a higher plane, akin to the laws of nature.

For beings like us, controlling life is a common occurrence. Please don't bind us with human ethics or legalities.

Human laws are for humans, but we have transcended that existence.

In a sense, we are gods!

So, the lack of humanity is not a derogatory term for us!"

Zhang and Zhao's words completely shattered the worldview of everyone present.

They felt that these two old men had gone completely mad.

However, they paid no heed to the reactions and continued, "Furthermore, what do you mean by 'ending up in this predicament'? Are we in a pitiful state now?

The pitiful ones should be you!"

"Have you considered the consequences of your actions? You dare to provoke the divine! Have you thought about how you'll bear the consequences?"

Hearing the two old men speak as if they were divine beings, Sun Kongkong and his group could no longer bear it.

"Don't waste time with them. Let's go, prioritize destroying the laboratory!"

At Sun Kongkong's command, the temporary group they had assembled erupted into action.

It must be said that their collective strength was quite formidable.

There were nearly ten Epic-class powerhouses among them, and countless others of various ranks. The sheer number of people rushing forward created an imposing aura.

However, looking at this crowd, Zhang Mingrui and Zhao Xuen's faces showed obvious disdain.

"Mere ants, daring to challenge the divine."

"Let them feel the power of the divine!"

With these arrogant words, the two old men took out the previously refined Gateway Fragment.

Immediately, the power of the Gateway Fragment was unleashed.

In the next moment, an indescribable force erupted, a mysterious and powerful force that inspired despair.

Under this power, everyone rushing towards them was pinned in place, unable to move.

This was the combined might of two Epic 3-Star powerhouses and a Gateway Fragment.

Seeing Sun Kongkong and his group immobilized, Zhang and Zhao smirked.

Zhang Mingrui turned to Yuan Hua, "Do you see? This is your savior."

"This world needs no savior, nor does it require one. If there must be one, we can assume that role.

As for you, become the dust of this world, become the stepping stone for our ascent."

As the two old men spoke, they initiated another round of sacrifice.

The power of sacrifice enveloped Sun Kongkong and the others, seeking to absorb their strength and turn them into nutrients to empower those refined fragments.

The group before them consisted entirely of Summoners, with nearly a dozen Epic-class powerhouses among them. Sacrificing them would yield an incredibly terrifying amount of power.

Having just emerged, they directly contributed to the completion of a fragment's refinement.

As the fragment glowed brightly, Zhang and Zhao's eyes lit up, while Sun Kongkong and his group fell into utter despair.

They hadn't expected their lives to end in such a way.

Under this power, they had no chance to resist. They could only watch as their strength was drained, and the fragments lit up one by one.

Soon, all five fragments glowed brightly.

The dazzling light was mesmerizing.

"Success! With these five fragments, even Tie Hong, even the Guild Leader, will fall to us!"

Ecstatic, Zhang and Zhao lunged towards the five fragments.

Just as they were about to grasp them, a crisp shattering sound echoed, and a figure appeared...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end