Chapter 10: The Slaughter Begins

The moment the name “Lu Yan” left his lips, Li Zhaoheng immediately felt the icy chill in the room vanish. A surge of warmth swept through his entire body.

Thinking he had escaped death, Li Zhaoheng was just about to speak—when the previously silent vengeful spirit suddenly extended a nearly transparent hand toward him.

Without resistance, the hand passed straight through his chest and gripped his beating heart.

With a fierce squeeze, Li Zhaoheng’s spirit shuddered. His heart stopped, and the vitality in his body was swiftly drained away.

“You… you…”

The light in his eyes dimmed. Li Zhaoheng collapsed onto the bed—dead.

Just three hundred meters away, in a small restaurant, Lu Yan was quietly eating dinner.

It was already past 9 p.m., and with the place nearing closing time, few patrons remained. No one noticed the eerie depth in Lu Yan’s eyes.

After confirming Li Zhaoheng’s address, Lu Yan had chosen to wait at this restaurant for him to return home—intending to use a vengeful spirit to threaten and interrogate him for information about the person behind the scenes.

Originally, Lu Yan had no intention of killing Li Zhaoheng. As a police captain, his death might stir unnecessary trouble.

Lu Yan only needed the name and location of Gongyang Xuanying. That alone would be enough.

Even if he later killed Gongyang Xuanying through a vengeful spirit, Li Zhaoheng would simply assume it was the spirit seeking vengeance—and wouldn’t dare expose anything.

But Lu Yan had never expected that Gongyang Xuanying had already set his sights on him—and was even planning to have Li Zhaoheng investigate his background using his police authority.

The fact that Li Zhaoheng knew about the spirit wasn’t a big deal.

But once Lu Yan’s identity was involved, then when Gongyang Xuanying died, he would become the prime suspect. Returning to the Xianxia Version could then spell disaster.

So, without hesitation, Lu Yan had the vengeful spirit eliminate Li Zhaoheng.

Under the cover of night, no one noticed the spirit silently returning—passing through the walls of the restaurant. In its grasp: Li Zhaoheng’s struggling soul.

Lu Yan spared it only a cold glance.

Just then, a golden retriever puppy wagged its tail as it trotted to his table.

Lu Yan picked up a piece of meat and handed it to the puppy.

“Here. Eat.”

The puppy happily devoured it, and beside him, the vengeful spirit eagerly devoured Li Zhaoheng’s soul.

With everything complete, Lu Yan put down his utensils, paid the bill, and left the restaurant.

He now understood clearly—Gongyang Xuanying was hunting him. There was no time left for patience or delay.

The longer he waited, the higher the chance someone else would discover his existence.

He raised a hand and hailed a cab.

“To Fenglan Grand Hotel.”

Fenglan Grand Hotel was one of the two most luxurious five-star hotels in Luocheng, located in its most bustling district.

Standing outside the grand entrance, Lu Yan stepped out of the taxi—but didn’t head straight into the hotel.

He merely cast a sidelong glance at the lavish building, then turned and walked toward the large shopping mall nearby.

No one knew that at that exact moment, as Lu Yan paused briefly, three vengeful spirits silently flew toward the hotel.

According to Li Zhaoheng’s intel, Gongyang Xuanying had an extraordinary identity. The three spirits flew straight for the Presidential Suite on the top floor.

Meanwhile, Lu Yan casually bought a pair of sunglasses and put them on. His vision shifted—to that of the vengeful spirits.

The entire top floor of Fenglan Grand was occupied by the Presidential Suite. The hallways were lined with bodyguards in sleek black suits.

Inside the suite, Gongyang Xuanying lounged lazily on a sofa.

He appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in a white suit, with an elegant and striking appearance.

The moment Lu Yan saw him, he immediately recognized him as the demonic cultivator behind Shopkeeper Chu.

He had seen Gongyang Xuanying before—back at the Talisman Hall.

It had been shortly after Lu Yan first arrived there. Gongyang Xuanying had claimed to be a rogue cultivator and sought to make a big purchase with Shopkeeper Chu.

That was the first time Lu Yan saw the arrogant Shopkeeper Chu show deference, personally inviting Gongyang Xuanying into the back courtyard.

Looking back now, Gongyang Xuanying must have gone there to check on the progress of the Soul Banner.

Now, Gongyang Xuanying reclined on the couch, while a middle-aged man stood before him, reporting on the deal with Li Zhaoheng.

Gongyang Xuanying waved a hand dismissively, speaking in a relaxed tone:

“Li Zhaoheng is just a minor character. If he can help us find that Lu Yan fellow, throwing a little money his way isn’t a big deal.

“But if he fails, we’ll dispose of him early.”

“What really interests me is this Lu Yan guy.”

“We inspected the corpses and confirmed—Lu Yan wasn’t among them. He’s definitely the one who set fire to the underground factory.

“We thought he’d report it to the authorities, but instead, he burned the place down, saving us a lot of trouble. What a hopeless fool.”

The middle-aged man frowned slightly, confused.

“With Chu Hao’s skills, a regular person shouldn’t have stood a chance.

“Not to mention, the victims sent to the factory were secretly injected with a serum—there’s no way they could’ve fought back.”

“But based on the marks on the charred body, Chu Hao’s skull was smashed open by sheer brute force. It’s hard to imagine Lu Yan doing that.”

Gongyang Xuanying sneered, “No matter how strong he is, he’s just a normal person.

“Once we locate him, a single bullet will solve everything. We can question him afterward.”

Just then, the lights in the suite suddenly went out.

Gongyang Xuanying’s brows furrowed instantly. He turned to the middle-aged man and growled:

“Go ask the hotel staff what’s going on.”

“Yes!”

Using the hallway lights for guidance, the man walked toward the door. But just as he reached for the doorknob—

Thud!

A heavy object crashed to the floor with a dull thump. A cold, oppressive aura flooded the entire Presidential Suite.

“What—?!”

The man’s pupils shrank. He saw it clearly: the body lying on the floor was one of their burly bodyguards.

“We’re under attack—!”

He opened his mouth to shout, but before he could speak, an invisible, icy hand gripped his throat.

His feet left the floor as he was slowly hoisted into the air. He struggled desperately—but there was nothing there.

The coldness spread through him like frostbite, and his life force began to peel away from his body.

In just seconds, his flailing arms fell limp. His body went cold. Dead.

Out in the hallway, over a dozen bodyguards lay lifeless on the ground. Some had instinctively reached for their firearms—but none had made it in time.

Back in the suite, the man’s corpse crashed heavily to the ground.

In the suffocating darkness, three human-like silhouettes appeared—the vengeful spirits. They gazed silently at the shivering Gongyang Xuanying on the couch.

“…Your turn.”

(End of Chapter)