Chapter 143: No Need to Be Strong Anymore — Your Strength Has Arrived!

Fang Xin dragged the paralyzed Old Jiang toward the factory workshop at a dead run.

After a brief moment of consideration, he concluded he could only seek help from the Snake Mother.

He hoped this upper-level attendant roaming the Netherworld would take pity on him and send down a means of salvation.

Possessing the symbolic emblems of all Four Pillars simultaneously — no matter how you thought about it — could not belong to a weakling.

A heaven-chosen child rarer than even a Martial God's root seedling, once discovered, the Four Great National Universities would fight tooth and nail for him.

He would have to be handed over to Academician-level top scholars for all-out cultivation until graduation, only then released to gain experience and gild his resume.

To suddenly appear in a backwater like Tai'an, and furthermore participate in the Patrol Department's Sharp Sword Activity.

One could only say his luck was too rotten!

"Wuwuwu... he... isn't!"

Old Jiang puffed his cheeks and wailed incoherently; because the Snake Mother's special paralysis toxin had been injected into his body, his tongue was swollen several times over, and he could not articulate words at all.

"Shut up!"

Fang Xin slapped him across the face, striking Old Jiang until he saw stars.

He then condensed four Qi snakes, which tightly coiled around Old Jiang's limbs, gradually tightening until they snapped his joints with a crack.

This guy had the highest life force and required the most vigilance; he could not be careless.

Fang Xin hurriedly drew his dagger and began bleeding him.

Following the esoteric ritual's instructions, he arranged the venue and the ritual procedures.

"Snake Mother above, I offer the blood of a hundred people, the bones of a hundred people, as a feast! I beseech the 'Snake Pupil' aberration..."

Fang Xin was, after all, a Secret Sect genius who had strayed onto the wrong path; his philological foundation was deep, and the awkward, lengthy "ancient secret language" flowed from his lips fluently and smoothly.

Like meat pigs suspended on iron hooks, the many victims began to passively exude "spirituality," all flowing toward a certain central point.

While their consciousness grew muddled, they involuntarily followed Fang Xin in reciting a long string of obscure, tortuous syllables.

The two overlapped, superimposed, as if containing some secret power that pried at the material world.

Making it leak a sliver of a gap, letting the Netherworld's breath descend.

The atmosphere buzzed and trembled, a continuous hissing sound like snakes flicking their tongues filling the ears.

As if an invisible giant python coiled in midair.

"Done!"

Fang Xin clasped his hands together, placed them before his chest, and bowed his head devoutly.

The rhombus-shaped mark on his forehead grew clearer and clearer, almost transforming into a blazing green light.

In the crevice between matter and void, it seemed a pair of cold vertical pupils had opened.

Gazing at the slaughterhouse!

"The man ran off?"

The mist-like spiritual field power stabilized, indicating Qin Shi was safe and sound.

He stepped through the iron door and saw the deathly pale Yuan Zheng; his gaze swept over the Patrol Department's bulletproof vest.

The latter's legs were numb, slumped against the wall; seeing a young man appear, he couldn't help but speak:

"I am Yuan Zheng of Yunhai Security, Captain of Sharp Sword Activity Squad One. The Snake Mother Gang's Fang Xin has already advanced to the middle stage of the Saint Embryo, extremely dangerous! Little brother, you'd better withdraw from the forbidden zone immediately and let the Patrol Department activate the emergency plan..."

Yuan Zheng panted heavily; before Fang Xin dragged Old Jiang away, he didn't forget to hit him with another dose of paralysis toxin, completely robbing him of mobility.

"Fang Xin. All the surrounding gang members and criminals — he's already victimized every last one of them, right?"

Qin Shi suddenly realized: so it was raising a shark that ate all the other small fish clean.

"Little brother, don't linger! Run! A Spiritual Cultivator at the Saint Embryo stage has too many methods; it's not something you or I can withstand!"

Yuan Zheng was frantic with anxiety, urging him repeatedly.

If they waited until Fang Xin activated the Secret Sect ritual, opening the "Door" between the present world and the Netherworld.

He himself would truly become the Snake Mother's banquet dish, eaten clean.

"Saint Embryo stage — roughly seventy to eighty points of spiritual field power. My Spiritual Residence inner landscape isn't necessarily that much weaker than him."

Qin Shi looked toward the slaughterhouse workshop; he sensed that boiling, terrifying aura even more clearly than Yuan Zheng.

The trickiest part wasn't Fang Xin, but the aberrant existence he had already summoned, which was about to arrive.

"Brother Yuan, I'd love to go back and report, but..."

Qin Shi shrugged; the symbolic emblems imprinted on the Stele Panel all lit up just now.

Especially the pattern representing 【Transcendent】, like a red-hot branding iron, emitting a blinding radiance.

"The Four Pillars are watching me — how could I run!"

Qin Shi silently slandered; he closed his eyes, pondering the revelation sent down by those four big shots in the dark.

"Let me walk four steps backward, recite the divine spirit's true words, and I can summon a powerful 'Follower' to push through and exterminate these unclean, impure aberrant creatures... that simple? No need for me to risk life and limb? Fight bloody battles? Just set up the ritual right, call for backup, and it's done?"

Qin Shi froze; he thought serving as a henchman for four Pillar-level big shots, if not climbing mountains of knives and descending seas of fire, would at least involve bleeding and tears.

But after all this, you only need to know how to call for backup!

"Makes sense. Whether Secret Sect members or Pillar spokesmen, everyone follows the 'invite a god' route. To some extent it's no different from the gangs mixing on Old Factory Street — it's about whose boss has the bigger reputation, who has more gang brothers."

Qin Shi immediately felt relieved and began copying the pattern, drawing the Four Pillars' symbolic emblems.

Beside him, Yuan Zheng watched the spooky, mumbo-jumbo Qin Shi, his face showing despair.

This time there really was no way out!

Outside the Forbidden Zone, the communication point set up by the Patrol Division.

Ren You pushed the wheelchair unimpeded, arriving beside Chen Ruofu.

The latter, seeing the white-haired old man sitting in the wheelchair, hurriedly hid his solemn expression and revealed a smile:

"Zhang Lao, how did you come here?"

The white-haired old man narrowed his eyes and asked softly:

"Xiao Chen, I heard that this Heng Jian Operation, as of now, not a single team has withdrawn?"

Chen Ruofu nodded; in previous sweeps, the fighting was extremely fierce.

Often in less than an hour, several teams would be forced to withdraw, abandoning the operation.

"Is it possible an accident occurred? You Patrol Division people clearly know the Heng Jian Operation treats symptoms not root causes, yet you're just unwilling to be ruthless, to completely uproot and cut away this rotten flesh. Don't end up raising a Gu and producing a poisonous Dragon."

The white-haired old man's state of mind was slightly unsettled; for a Grandmaster figure like him, such a situation usually meant some variable had already occurred.

"Zhang Lao, rectifying the source requires not only determination but also bearing the cost. Our Patrol Division Action Division has only a few Senior Inspectors total, fewer than ten fingers; if losses are too great, Central City will definitely hold us accountable, cut funding, and under the chain reaction, the outcome may not be good."

Chen Ruofu said with a bitter smile.

As the top leader of the Taian Metropolitan Area, how could he not want to uproot these electronically blockaded uninhabited zones, to prevent them from becoming outlaw bases and causing even greater trouble.

"Hesitant and timid, you'll never accomplish great things, Xiao Chen."

The white-haired old man coldly snorted, seemingly looking down on Chen Ruofu's moderate approach.

"Another half hour and it's over; if no team has withdrawn by then, what do you plan to do?"

Chen Ruofu pondered; if that were the case, he could only dispatch Action Division personnel a second time to gather clues and review the situation.

If there truly exists an over-spec existence inside the Forbidden Zone, then activate an extermination-style strike to cleanse this area.

"Zhang Lao is worried about Xiao Qin, right? With his ability, he absolutely wouldn't easily fall into the Forbidden Zone. Not to mention, he possesses the Four Pillars' Symbolic Emblems; they'll come in handy at a critical moment."

Chen Ruofu said with a smile, seemingly comforting the white-haired old man, yet also seemingly relieving the heavy worry pressing on his own heart.

"Four Pillars! Sounds impressive, but actually just a bunch of loan sharks!"

The white-haired old man couldn't help cursing; an old geezer like him with one foot in the grave still owes a "debt" to one of those Pillars that he hasn't repaid.

"Xiao Ren, when you have time you must educate that kid, don't let him be easily fooled by the Four Pillars. Otherwise, just wait to work off the debt for a lifetime!"

Ren You nodded:

"Understood, Teacher. But for popularizing this kind of knowledge, Wu Shixiong feels more suitable; he walks the path of..."

The white-haired old man, emotionally agitated, slapped the wheelchair armrest:

"Don't mention that unfilial disciple! Back then, considering his outstanding talent in this area, I took him in to study Divine Spirit Pillars, Star Sea Followers, thinking once he mastered it he could help me weasel out of the few debts on my back!

Result was good! He willingly fell into depravity, actually becoming a debt collector for the Divine Spirit Pillars!"

Ren You's neck shrank, and he instantly fell silent.

Divine Spirit Pillars usually grant "collectors" command authority related to debtors and directors.

Meaning, whatever Wu Shixiong says, the master has to pinch his nose and accept.

"Teacher..."

Ren You was about to offer a few words of comfort when he suddenly felt vast, unmatched light abruptly appear beneath his feet.

Precisely speaking, it appeared beneath the wheelchair he was pushing.

Then, the white-haired old man vanished as if falling into the Xu Kong.

"【Taiyi】 above, 【Tianren】 below, 【Divine Machine】 left, 【True Dragon】 right... all four Symbolic Emblems activated!"

Qin Shi moved fast too; in no more than half a minute, he completed drawing all four Pillars' emblem patterns.

His own Spiritual Field Power was quite high, and he had broken through the Spirit Gate Second Limit, Spiritual Residence Inner Landscape; regarding reciting Divine Spirit true words, he could pass in one go, simple to pick up.

Boom!

As if a Door swung open!

The Xu Kong was torn open by an extremely condensed, dazzling light!

"The Divine Spirit Pillars' might is truly like the sea! Casually summoning something powerful... wheelchair old man?"

Qin Shi was just thinking what kind of "Follower" could defeat the Snake Mother Fang Xin believes in.

But as the light faded, his expectant face suddenly froze, and he turned to plan contacting Old Wang to prepare a teleportation to run away.

"The four big shots are joking with me! Old, weak, sick, disabled... this grandpa has them all; summoned him to be a snack for the Snake Mother?"

Qin Shi's mouth corner twitched, about to check this "Follower's" info via the Four Pillars' Symbolic Emblems communication.

But that white-haired old man sitting in the wheelchair slowly, tremblingly stood up.

One Halo after another, like Blessings, flashed and condensed on his withered, small frame.

"Kid, your reinforcement has arrived!"

The white-haired old man's hoarse voice suddenly rang out.

Qin Shi glanced at the "Follower" info.

Well then, name: Zhang Qiang.

Which big shot would be named such a random teammate name!

(Chapter End)