novellhall Chapter 26: Interrogation, the Trends of the Times?
Chapter 26: Interrogation, the Trends of the Times?
Cold rain dripped from the broken eaves, pelting the ruins and the writhing body of the evil puppet.
The tip of the Chongyue Sword hovered steadily in front of the evil puppet, its crimson blood energy like a raging flame, instantly evaporating the falling raindrops into wisps of white steam.
The remaining purple light roamed like a living thing, and the muscles at the edge of the wound tried to regenerate but were mercilessly torn apart.
The Qi and blood within Lu Qingfeng's body were no longer dormant; the boundless Yang Qi enveloped the evil puppet, causing its instinctive fear to intensify.
"explain."
"Who brought you out? And for what purpose?"
The evil puppet's two blood-red eyes swirled violently, filled with resentment and fear.
"Heh...heh heh..."
A hoarse, guttural sound, like a broken bellows, was forced out, filled with inhuman malice.
"Insignificant...human beings, you...don't understand..."
"This is... the prevailing trend!"
"The overall trend?"
This moment amused Lu Qingfeng, who moved the Chongyue Sword in his hand forward another inch, slicing a gash across the evil puppet's face.
"All I know is that anyone who blocks my way or causes trouble on my turf must die."
"And what you call 'great power' is nothing more than parasitizing mortals like a rat, secretly sucking their pitiful life force? Useless!"
The last two words struck the evil puppet's twisted will like a heavy hammer.
It suddenly let out a sharp screech, and its remaining tentacles lashed wildly at the ground, splashing mud and water.
"Shut up! What do you know!"
The evil puppet's voice became much sharper with anger, and its speech became more fluent, clearly indicating that its previous state was a disguise.
"The tide of spiritual energy has arrived! We are merely following the will of Heaven!"
This world will eventually return to chaos, and the law of the jungle will prevail forever!
Those mortals are merely provisions for our return to this world!
Their fear, their very essence, everything they have... will nourish our Lord's resurrection!
A surge of spiritual energy! The shackles are loosening!
Lu Qingfeng's heart sank.
The guesses of Xuanzhenzi and the forum members have been confirmed!
Blue Star, the ordinary world where he has lived for more than twenty years, is truly experiencing a so-called spiritual revival!
"My lord?"
Lu Qingfeng caught the key information, and the power of blood and qi on the tip of his sword suddenly surged.
"What's behind you? Where are you hiding it?"
The venom in the evil puppet's eyes intensified, seemingly triggering some taboo; its voice became intermittent, filled with pain and struggle.
"My Lord, you are everywhere!"
Just then, the [Spirit Rhinoceros Amulet] hanging around Lu Qingfeng's neck suddenly emitted an unprecedented warning!
It was a hundred times stronger than when I sensed the statue in the store before!
[Warning: Mental pollution intensity has increased dramatically! Willpower test in progress...]
[Test successful! The effect of mental pollution has been weakened!]
[Iron Body (Toughness) testing in progress...]
[Test successful! Resistance to mental pollution is effective!]
A will filled with endless greed and destructive desire suddenly covered this ruin!
Lu Qingfeng froze on the spot.
Countless frantic whispers and painful wails filled my ears.
Lu Qingfeng groaned, his temples throbbing violently as if being pierced repeatedly by countless ice spikes.
But his steely will suppressed the terrifying pollution the moment the test was successful, and his eyes became even sharper than before!
"Trying to silence me?!"
He instantly understood why the evil puppet's words had been interrupted!
Its master noticed the change here, and may have been watching closely all along. At this moment, it directly unleashed its will and pressure to eliminate the leaker and intruder on the field.
"die!"
Without any hesitation, a fierce glint flashed in Lu Qingfeng's eyes!
Delaying will only make things more dangerous!
The Chongyue Sword, infused with all its vital energy and savage fighting spirit, no longer needed any skill. With the purest and most violent power, it crashed down like a meteorite, slamming into the constantly writhing core of the evil puppet.
"No--!!!"
The evil puppet let out a desperate shriek, and its remaining tentacles surged frantically toward the core in an attempt to protect it.
But it was all too late!
boom--!!!
The deafening explosion completely drowned out the sound of the rain!
The crimson sword light exploded like a miniature sun!
The violent energy of blood instantly shredded, tore apart, and annihilated the core of the evil puppet, along with all the broken tentacles and body tissues around it!
The thick, foul-smelling, dark red liquid and fragments scattered like fireworks, then were quickly incinerated in mid-air by the scorching power of blood and qi, turning into wisps of blue smoke.
The icy will that shrouded the ruins let out a silent roar the moment the core of the evil puppet was completely destroyed!
It receded from the area as quickly as the tide receded, leaving only a nauseating lingering impression.
You have slain the Evil Parasite (Elite)
You have gained 1000 General Experience.
You have received 261 Disaster Coins from the Cross-Network.
[You have obtained the item: Filthy Heartwood (Green) *1]
[You have successfully resisted one instance of mental pollution; your willpower effect has been slightly enhanced.]
You have purified the evil node and gained a small amount of merit (minor adjustment to faction alignment)
[The "Walking in the Rain" effect is triggered: Causal elimination is activated...]
As the network notification appeared, the [Rainy Night Walk] artifact, which was hovering beside Lu Qingfeng and emitting a faint blue light, shattered silently, turning into tiny specks of blue stardust that rapidly spread out as if they possessed life.
Stardust blended into the rain, into the ruins, into every brick and every drop of blood.
Wherever they passed, the battle traces left by Lu Qingfeng, whether sword marks or blood, were wiped away as if by an invisible eraser, disappearing quickly.
The residual blood and qi fluctuations and the aura of mental pollution in the air were quickly neutralized by this strange stardust.
In just a few breaths, the entire ruins became spotless.
All that remained were collapsed walls and broken furniture, looking as if caused by a sudden downpour and an accidental collapse, with no signs of any fighting.
The rain intensified.
It seems like they're putting the finishing touches on things.
It washes away the last bit of filth, and also covers up the whole truth.
Lu Qingfeng stood in the center of the ruins, the Chongyue Sword hanging at his side, the crimson light on the sword slowly receding.
He was slightly out of breath, not from physical exhaustion, but from the tension he felt after enduring that mental shock.
"Thinking about it this way, the entity behind this evil puppet isn't that high-level; at least, it doesn't have the ability to interfere in reality."
"Is he just recovered...and is he weak, or is it just a bluff?"
He looked down at the ground beneath his feet, which was being washed by the rain, and then looked up at the original location of the Evil Puppet Shrine.
"Spiritual energy is reviving... Evil gods are reviving... The energy sensed within the diners is both bait and anchor point..."
Fragmented information rapidly combined in his mind.
This so-called food hall is nothing but an elaborate trap, a base for gathering resources for some resurgent evil entity!
Using food containing traces of spiritual energy and contamination, seeds are planted in ordinary people, and then at night, life essence and fear are harvested remotely through puppets!
The methods were covert and vicious!
And there's probably more than one such outpost!
"What about the authorities?"
Lu Qingfeng frowned in thought.
"Was it simply not discovered, or... was there not enough time to deal with it?"
If the spiritual energy revival is truly just beginning, then it's no wonder that official organizations are facing a lot of trouble.
"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore."
If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up, as long as they don't threaten you.
It should be noted that Lu Qingfeng only took three days to go from an ordinary person to where he is now.