Chapter 316

"I didn't want to use this, but compared to the others, it's already the best option…"

After glancing around the empty Jade Valley, Li Ang replied with a sigh:

"I dare not pull the sword from Emma's chest, so I had to use something from her office. If you don't like the spiked club, there's the nail board, the Iron Maiden, the crushing cart, the spiked whip, the guillotine blade taken off the execution rack… which one do you pick?"

"… "

Looking at the grotesque instruments scattered on the ground, the lazy youth's cheek twitched twice, then realized Li Ang was right—compared to those horrific tools that killed slowly, the spiked club really was the most efficient way to solve the "problem."

But being beaten to death by a spiked club… was really a bit…

"How about… you just pull out Emma's sword instead?"

Glancing at the still-damp blood on the spikes of the spiked club, the lazy youth swallowed hard, truly unwilling to be crushed to death by something still warm, and suggested:

"I've seen Emma use her 【Heart-Scale】, and it mainly judges the soul—the physical damage is just incidental, rarely fatal. Even if it were fatal, it wouldn't matter; her immortality can still be used three hundred more times. Dying once more won't hurt her.

She's unconscious now because her soul was too severely wounded, leaving her will unable to control her body. This sword, designed to target the soul, lodged in her chest doesn't cause secondary physical damage, but it hinders her soul's revival. Pull it out!"

"I see…"

Hearing this, Li Ang nodded, reached out, and touched the hilt of the 【Heart-Scale】. After confirming it matched what the youth said, he carefully gripped the hilt, steadied his arm, and gently pulled.

"Puff!"

With a faint hollow sound as the blade left flesh, Emma's body trembled slightly, and blood immediately soaked her front.

But as the lazy youth had said, though the act of pulling the sword caused secondary injury, as soon as the 【Heart-Scale】 left her body, Emma's previously chaotic and sluggish soul-fire suddenly became smooth and stable, and faint signs of awakening emerged.

"Not bad. Her condition is much better than I expected."

Noticing the slight twitch in Emma's fingertips, the lazy youth's pupils flickered twice, then spoke:

"She'll probably wake up soon. If she's in good shape, you don't even need to kill me.

My return ritual doesn't consume much, but having your body utterly destroyed and painstakingly remade, your soul completely extinguished and then reignited… compared to being pounded to death by a spiked club, I'm not sure which is worse… Wait, no!"

As he raised his head to check Emma's condition, he seemed to notice something strange. The lazy youth suddenly stiffened his neck, eyes urgent, and shouted:

"Turn around! Look at that crocodile!"

Crocodile?

Hearing Tang Mu's warning, Li Ang was suddenly startled.

The Crocodile God summoned by the 【Heart-Scale】 contract? Didn't he already leave?

…

Damn it, we've been spotted!

Hearing the commotion from the mountaintop, the Crocodile God, who had been sneaking away while clutching his hind legs, froze in terror.

Because the Heart-Scale contract hadn't expired, the unfortunate Crocodile God couldn't leave, and Li Ang, in his drunken fury, grabbed him and used him as a weapon to smash the Goddess of Wealth's head.

After the Goddess of Wealth caught him and casually tossed him aside, the weak, pitiful, and helpless Crocodile God had quietly hidden far away, refusing to get involved in the battle between the two titans.

Originally, the Crocodile God had planned only to lie low, wait for Li Ang and the Goddess of Wealth to finish fighting, then charm the victor and beg for mercy—this whole affair would be over.

After all, he'd merely followed the contract to grab a snack. He had no direct conflict with either of them, and he had the backing of several big figures in the Death Realm—both the Clearance Bureau and the Goddess of Wealth owed him some respect.

So no matter who won, neither would likely kill him outright. As long as he stayed hidden and avoided collateral damage, he'd be perfectly safe.

But circumstances took a sudden turn: Li Ang, the former native of Old Earth who had infiltrated the Clearance Bureau with ill intent, suddenly revealed his identity. The Goddess of Wealth uncovered his origins as an Old Earth visitor, and they even reached a secret agreement.

And "secret" meant: don't tell anyone—or anyone who knows must die.

Having witnessed Li Ang's conversation in full, and seen the Goddess of Wealth swear an oath on her power to keep the secret, the unlucky Crocodile God nearly burst into tears on the spot.

Fearing he'd be killed by these two dangerous people who wanted silence, the Crocodile God pushed his natural ability to feign death to its limit, reducing his presence to near-zero—even his soul fell silent, barely better than outright extinguishment—and silently prayed that no one would notice him.

Unfortunately, while his concealment could fool humans, it was useless against a true god. The Goddess of Wealth glanced once and spotted the feigning Crocodile God.

But though she noticed him, she didn't act immediately. She assumed the Old Earthman would kill him himself to protect the "infiltration" secret, then stepped directly into the Dream Realm and left.

And just as the Crocodile God, trembling with dread, kept silently begging that he wouldn't be killed by the Old Earthman, a miracle actually happened.

The Old Earthman who had nearly killed the Goddess of Wealth scanned his surroundings with his soul vision—and, like an ordinary person with painfully weak soul perception, he completely overlooked the Crocodile God's hidden soul!

So lucky!

Watching the Old Earthman, now pretending to be even weaker, heave the unconscious female clearance officer onto his back and grunt as he began climbing the mountain, the lucky Crocodile God's heart pounded wildly, nearly breaking his feigned death state.

In his desperate hope, the Old Earthman who had infiltrated the Clearance Bureau truly ignored him, climbed straight up the mountain, and even, at another clearance officer's suggestion, pulled out the sword that had maintained the contract and kept him trapped!

Thank heaven!

Feeling Li Ang's "murderous" gaze, the Crocodile God shot upward with the fastest speed of his life, opened the gate between life and death, and plunged through it onto the "path of no return" to the Death Realm.

Finally escaped!

After leaving the dangerously deep world of the living, the Crocodile God, now safe, stared at the dark, gloomy Death Realm and the wailing souls on the path of no return, desperately trying to turn back—and nearly wept with joy.

That damned world was too deep. He'd only been desperate, wanting to sneak over for a warm bite, and nearly lost his life.

The Death Realm is so much better!

Sure, the scenery is a bit dull, the wailing souls a bit noisy, the sinners' souls a bit stale and not as fresh as newly dead ones—but at least life here is stable, no one randomly attacks you. The Death Realm is just so…

"Swoosh swoosh swoosh!"???

In the Crocodile God's terrified expression, a vivid splash of color suddenly appeared in the monochrome world of black, white, and gray.

From the surging Yellow River beneath the path of no return, countless strands of blood-red hair erupted, stretching from earth to sky, and instantly formed a crimson cocoon over a hundred meters in diameter, trapping the Crocodile God the moment he stepped onto the path.

"No wonder the scent felt familiar."

Watching the terrified Crocodile God inside the cocoon, the Bureau Chief, who had been brushing his teeth by the Yellow River, spat out the toothpaste foam and frowned:

"If I remember right, you're the crocodile who signed the contract with Emma. Why do you smell like the Goddess of Wealth? Wait—why do you also smell like Li Ang?"