Chapter 719: No Peace Even at Home

"It's not that I want to use this, it's mainly that compared to the other things, this one is already the best…"

After glancing around the empty Emerald Valley, Hearing Li Ang replied rather helplessly:

"I don't dare pull out the sword in Senior Auntie Auntie Ai Ma's chest, so I could only use things taken from her office. If you don't like the spiked mace, there's still the rolling spiked board, the Iron Maiden, the execution cart, the iron-caltrop whip, the great executioner's blade taken from the guillotine… which one do you choose?"

"…"

Looking at the terrifyingly grotesque instruments of torture on the ground one by one, the weary young man's cheek twitched slightly. He then realized Hearing Li Ang really wasn't wrong—compared to those dreadful torture instruments that killed a person bit by bit, the spiked mace that could resolve the 'problem' in one strike really was the best to use.

But being bludgeoned to death by a spiked mace was honestly a bit…

"How about… you just pull Auntie Auntie Ai Ma's sword out?"

Looking at the not-yet-dry bloodstains on the spiked mace's reverse-facing spikes, the weary young man couldn't help but swallow hard. He really didn't want to be hammered to death by something still giving off heat, so he opened his mouth to suggest:

"I've seen Auntie Auntie Ai Ma use her 【Heart's-Desire Scales】. It's mainly a soul-targeted judgment; the bodily harm is only incidental, and generally won't be fatal. And even if it were fatal, it wouldn't matter—her undying body can still be used at least three hundred more times, so dying once more wouldn't cause any trouble.

The reason she's in a coma right now is mainly that her soul was wounded too severely, making her will unable to control her body. And this soul-targeted sword stuck in her chest, although it won't cause secondary trauma to her body, actually affects her soul's recovery. You should just pull the sword out!"

"I see…"

Hearing this, Hearing Li Ang nodded, then reached out and touched the hilt of 【Heart's-Desire Scales】. After confirming the situation was exactly as described, he carefully gripped the hilt, steadied his arm, and gently pulled outward.

"Puh!"

Accompanied by the faint hollow sound of a blade leaving flesh, Auntie Auntie Ai Ma's body couldn't help but tremble slightly, and the blood gushing out immediately soaked the front of her garment.

But just as the weary young man had said, although she suffered secondary trauma from Hearing Li Ang pulling out the sword, as the blade of 【Heart's-Desire Scales】 left her body, Auntie Auntie Ai Ma's originally chaotic and sluggish soul-fire suddenly became smooth and stable, and even faintly showed signs of clarity.

"Not bad, her condition is much better than I expected."

Noticing the slight twitch of Auntie Auntie Ai Ma's fingertips, the weary young man's pupils flickered twice, then spoke:

"She should be able to wake up in not too long. If her condition is still decent, you might not even need to stab me to death.

Although my regression ritual doesn't consume much, the feeling of having the body completely destroyed and then reshaped bit by bit, the soul completely extinguished and then reignited—compared with being hammered to death by a spiked mace blow by blow, it's really hard to say which is more unpleasant… wait, no!"

When he raised his head to check on Auntie Auntie Ai Ma's condition, he seemed to have noticed something strange. The weary young man suddenly craned his neck and shouted with urgency in his eyes:

"Turn around! Look at that crocodile!"

Crocodile?

After hearing Senior Tom's warning, Hearing Li Ang couldn't help but be greatly startled.

The Crocodile God pulled here by the contract of Heart's-Desire Scales? Hadn't it already left?

……

Not good, I've been spotted!

After hearing the commotion from the mountaintop, the Crocodile God—who was sneakily tucking its two hind legs in and inching away—suddenly gave a violent start.

Because the contract of 【Heart's-Desire Scales】 hadn't ended yet, the unlucky Crocodile God couldn't leave. Hearing Li Ang, who was on a drunken rampage, had casually scooped it up and used it as a weapon to smash the Goddess of Wealth's forehead.

After being caught by the Goddess of Wealth and casually tossed aside, the Crocodile God—weak, pitiful, and helpless—didn't dare keep getting involved in the fight between two big shots, so it quietly hid itself far away.

According to the Crocodile God's original plan, it was just going to hole up safely, wait for Hearing Li Ang and the Goddess of Wealth to finish their fight, then cutely act cute and beg for mercy from the winning side, and today's matter would be considered over. After all, it had only come to grab a snack according to the contract, with no direct conflict with either of them. Moreover, it had the backing of several big shots from the Realm of the Dead, so whether it was the Cleansing Bureau or the Goddess of Wealth, both had to give it some face.

So no matter which side won, it was unlikely they would try to kill it. As long as it hid well and didn't get caught in the crossfire, there absolutely wouldn't be any danger to its life.

Unfortunately, the situation took a sudden turn for the worse. Hearing Li Ang—the Old Worlder who had infiltrated the Cleansing Bureau to plot mischief—suddenly exposed his own identity, was dug out by the Goddess of Wealth as an Old World visitor, and even reached some unspeakable cooperation with her.

And 'unspeakable' means it can't be told to others, or anyone who knows has to die!

Having witnessed the entire conversation between Hearing Li Ang and the other, and personally seen the Goddess of Wealth swear on her divine authority that she would keep the secret no matter what, the unlucky Crocodile God nearly burst into tears on the spot.

Fearing it would be killed by these two villains who wanted to keep secrets, the Crocodile God pushed the crocodile's innate playing-dead ability to the limit, lowering its presence to the minimum—even its soul fell silent, becoming only a tiny bit better than being completely extinguished. Then it silently prayed in its heart: please, please don't let anyone notice me.

Unfortunately, although its concealment was enough to fool humans, at the true-god level it was really useless. The Goddess of Wealth noticed the playing-dead Crocodile God with a single sweep of her eyes.

However, although the Goddess of Wealth noticed it, she didn't act directly. Apparently thinking that the Old Worlder would kill it himself to protect the secret of the 'infiltration,' she stepped straight into the Dream Realm and left.

And just as the Crocodile God was anxiously praying over and over in its heart, worried it would be killed by some Old Worlder, a miracle actually happened.

That Old Worlder who had nearly killed the Goddess of Wealth, after scanning the surroundings with his soul vision, actually—like an ordinary person with very dull soul perception—directly overlooked its hidden soul!

What incredible luck!

Watching the Old Worlder—who had re-disguised himself as exceptionally weak—hoist the unconscious female Cleanser onto his back and start panting up the mountain, the lucky Crocodile God's heart suddenly began pounding wildly, nearly breaking out of its playing-dead state on the spot.

Under its desperately hopeful gaze, that Old Worlder who had infiltrated the Cleansing Bureau actually truly ignored it, climbing all the way toward the mountaintop. In the end, even on the suggestion of another Cleanser, he pulled out that thrusting sword that had been maintaining the contract and keeping it from leaving!

Heaven bless me!

After feeling Hearing Li Ang's 'murderous' gaze, the Crocodile God—which had suddenly shot up—used the fastest speed of its life to open the gateway between life and death, then plunged headfirst into it, embarking on the 'road of no return' leading to the Realm of the Dead.

Finally escaped!

After escaping from the far-too-dangerous world of the living, looking at the gloomy and dim Realm of the Dead before it, and the wailing, struggling dead on the Road of No Return who were desperately trying to turn back, the Crocodile God that had escaped with its head between its legs was so moved it almost cried.

That damned world was too deep; it had only held it in too long and wanted to go over to grab something warm and fresh to taste, and nearly lost its life in the process.

The Realm of the Dead is still the best!

Although the scenery was slightly monotonous, the wailing dead were a bit noisy, and the taste of sinners' souls was a bit stale—not as fresh as those who had just died—at least life had always been quite stable, no need to worry about being attacked at any moment. The Realm of the Dead really was…

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

???

In the Crocodile God's terrified expression, a splash of bright color suddenly appeared in the dead's world that only had black, white, and gray.

From the surging waters of the Yellow Spring River beneath the Road of No Return, countless scarlet hair strands reaching sky and earth suddenly surged forth, and in an instant wove a blood-colored giant cocoon over a hundred meters in diameter, firmly trapping the Crocodile God that had just stepped onto the Road of No Return inside.

"No wonder the smell felt a bit familiar."

Looking at the terrified Crocodile God inside the silk cocoon, the Bureau Chief—who was squatting by the Yellow Spring River brushing her teeth—spit out the toothpaste foam in her mouth with a 'pwah,' frowned, and asked:

"If I remember correctly, you're the crocodile that signed a contract with Auntie Auntie Ai Ma, right? Why do you have the Goddess of Wealth's scent on you? Wait? How come there's Hearing Li Ang's too?"

(End of this chapter)