Chapter 128: Familiarity

Three days later, in the gray-white world.

Lin Zhongqing and Dongfang Yitong had achieved extraordinary results; beneath their feet lay a sprawl of diverse monsters. Some bore a resemblance to human form, which only incited greater disgust in Lin Zhongqing; she found them less pleasing to the eye than if they had simply remained honest beasts.

From these creatures, they had interrogated a glimpse of the background of another vast world. At first, a flicker of fear had surfaced in Lin Zhongqing. Was such a vast, profound world truly something she could shake? Being as proud as she was, even she had entertained the thought of fleeing with her lover to some remote planet to live out their days. However, when she looked at Dongfang Yitong, who remained as light and airy as ever, she couldn't help but inwardly reproach herself. How could a timid version of herself be worthy of even one-ten-thousandth of him? She must learn from her lover; no matter how great the hardships or obstacles, one must maintain such elegant composure.

Thus, her fighting spirit soared, and she became even more diligent, her strikes carrying a bit more ruthlessness. Utilizing a technique she had exchanged for called "Soul Interrogation," she forced these monsters to speak the truth. Yet, there were a few die-hards among them.

"You are finished! You Earthlings are all finished!" a crow squawked, sprawling on the ground and screaming loudly. "The Master will kill you all! Then, he will initiate another round of life evolution to cultivate a brand-new batch of slaves!"

"You dare to seize the offerings I prepared for the Master? You truly don't know what death is!"

"Do you think that by relying on some stolen techniques, you can stand against us? How laughable. I don't know how many races like yours have tried this, but their ends have always been the most miserable!"

The iron ball, Xiaobai, curled itself into a corner, keeping its distance from its former companion to avoid being implicated. It certainly recognized this crow; it had always been known for its foul mouth and stubborn tongue, a master of provocation and verbal brawls. If not for the fact that there were bottom lines in the infighting among the upper echelons, the other would have long ago had its intelligence extinguished and been reduced to a base chaotic evil spirit. This guy insisted on seeking verbal advantages—what was the point? Even if the others couldn't truly kill it, it would surely suffer for it. *Sigh, a clever person like me is, after all, a rarity,* it thought, finding comfort in its misery.

Although it admitted the crow was right—these two were essentially walking a path to certain death—it was different. Capturing other peers was one thing; many were just small fries, the kind that couldn't even lick the boots of Lord Tianbai back in the day, useful only as cannon fodder. Coming to Earth had allowed them to wield power, a misfortune turned into a blessing. It was much like the opening of a New World for humans; many penniless nobodies suddenly transformed into wealthy elites in the eyes of the indigenous people. This was the foundation brought by civilization. Of course, only a few with good luck and strong lives could pull it off; one had to know that the early death rate of expansion was often high—if one or two out of ten survived, that was considered good.

However, these two had captured this crow! Although the crow’s status wasn't high, it was at least someone who could appear before the big figures. If you touched it, you were bound to stir up the managers of the estate. At that point, these two god-like figures would likely perish right here. Truly, they were young and ignorant, lacking the wisdom of keeping a low profile.

Lin Zhongqing did not get angry; she merely extended a pale finger, upon which a green flame danced.

"Impossible! How do you possess the Master's Flame of Destruction?"

The crow suddenly panicked! Xiaobai certainly understood why it was panicked; it was equally terrified, for this was the very flame that could erode their intelligence and cast them down into chaotic evil spirits! Ordinary mental attacks could scatter the spirits of high-dimensional mental beings, but they could not erase their essential soul; they would simply return to the spirit world and be reborn. This was the source of the crow’s audacity. Yet, the opponent had actually used such a technique! Could it be that this woman was a new Earth agent cultivated by the boss? Perhaps the boss was bored and wanted to play a new game—the old routine of giving hope only to shatter it. Under such a routine, some insignificant subordinates would be abandoned as a form of discipline. Fortunately, it had always been cooperative, surrendering as soon as it was captured; otherwise, it would have received a taste of that flame itself.

Indeed, the next moment, the green flame drifted onto the crow on the ground.

"Ah!"

A scream of soul-piercing agony followed, and the crow dissolved into green smoke, just like the evil spirits that vanished. At this moment, Xiaobai’s eyes suddenly lit up. It had just seen it—a black crystal core flashed by! It was a sight and a feeling it was intimately familiar with, having watched it every night for the past three months.

*I understand now!*

It looked at Lin Zhongqing with burning, glowing eyes. No wonder the man had that demeanor, no wonder they were so powerful, and no wonder they had the means to destroy the foul-mouthed crow! The opportunity had fallen into their hands. All the others—the Fanbeis, the Dabaies, the Brother Xiangs and Brother Quans—were merely precursors, stepping stones; the true great opportunity had been destined for the master! But if it defected directly now, would it be despised? A servant of three masters could never attain a high position.

Xiaobai began to fret. At this point, it had long since cast its previous two bosses to the back of its mind, determined to throw itself into the arms of its new master. Unlike its peers, it understood the truth of its world: power is king, and potential determines the future ceiling. Since its boss had been exiled to such a remote place, it was clear the potential was limited; compared to the bumpkins in these wild mountains, it was impressive, but in its eyes, it was far inferior to that opportunity.

At this moment, Lin Zhongqing turned to Dongfang Yitong and said, "Brother Dongfang, we’ve basically figured out the situation. How should we dispose of the rest?"

"Wait! I want to turn over a new leaf! I have high intelligence, and I will definitely be useful to you two immortals," Xiaobai immediately shouted. It had already seen the meaning revealed in the man’s emotionless eyes.

"What a spineless creature," Lin Zhongqing said with disdain. "However, seeing how sensible it is, Brother Dongfang, why don't we keep it?"

"First, see what sins they have committed on Earth. If they still have a bottom line, lock them up; if they have no bottom line, kill them," Dongfang Yitong said dismissively, as if crushing a few ants.

"I haven't committed any sins on your Earth! Ever since I woke up, I’ve been following Old Fan; both he and Dabai can testify for me," Xiaobai hurriedly defended itself. "I am absolutely innocent."

It was immensely grateful that it had spoken up in time, for the next moment, Lin Zhongqing cast several more golden flames, tormenting the other monster peers once more.

"Hmm, only this monkey monster has no great sins. The others all have lingering grievances; clearly, they have killed many people," Lin Zhongqing said, her eyes turning cold. One of the things she detested most was the slaughter of the innocent. If all the people were dead, who would she perform for in the future? She liked being the kind of deity who received incense—a divine being with great veneration—not a fairy hidden deep in the mountains, enjoying life alone.

Xiaobai looked at the monkey, only to find the other looking back.

"Senior, is that you?"

"Damn it, why are you everywhere?" Upon hearing this voice, Xiaobai immediately realized this was that swindling junior.

"It’s all fate. Escaping disaster today is thanks to your guidance, Senior. Otherwise, I fear I would have followed in the footsteps of those guys," the monkey said, its tone filled with immense relief.

At this moment, Lin Zhongqing had already cast the green flame, reducing the line of monsters into nothing but green smoke. This meant that they had gone from intelligent, high-level mental beings to becoming part of the spirit world, destined to be reincarnated only as the lowest form of chaotic evil spirits.

"Easy, easy. My wisdom is not something you can compare to, is it? I had long anticipated this day, so I never acted arrogantly toward the natives here just because of my former status. You must know that the greatest obstacle to survival is not weakness, but arrogance," Xiaobai said triumphantly.

"Yes, yes, Senior is right," the monkey agreed repeatedly.

As the two peers chatted privately, the next moment, their vision darkened, and they arrived in a different place.

*Just as I thought.*

Xiaobai experienced that familiar feeling once more, which confirmed beyond a doubt: the new master it had found this time was definitely the real deal!