Other than Shen Hong's struggling grunts, everyone in the banquet hall remained in tense silence, their hearts filled with trepidation as they waited for Shen Ming's response.
"The Patriarch had a means of escape through a special seal branded onto every member of our family. With it, the Demon Lord could transport us from here to the inside of the restrictive barrier behind the Holy Orchid Institute. Once there, we would escape into the Abyss Demon Realm," Shen Ming answered, causing Xue Hui's brows to furrow.
A spatial array capable of transporting a huge number of people at once needed an enormous amount of spiritual energy; he himself was limited to teleporting at most ten people at once before exhausting his spiritual energy.
If the Demon Lord was capable of such a feat, then that person was truly a formidable opponent.
"Show me this seal at once," Xue Hui ordered coldly. He needed to see what kind of spatial seal was being used.
This made Shen Ming's body tremble before he unfastened his robe and removed his upper garment.
While Xue Hui waited, Ye Zong and Chen Zhenlong looked at each other. The anger in their eyes was still there, but their curiosity about the spatial seal overcame their desire to tear Shen Hong apart.
At the same time, after making sure that Ye Ziyun was not in any serious condition and seeing that she had steadied herself, Nie Li, who had also grown curious about the spatial seal, let go of her before walking over to where Shen Ming and Xue Hui were standing.
This made Xue Hui fix Nie Li with a steady stare, causing the latter to halt in his tracks. The two locked eyes, silently scrutinizing one another.
Before Xue Hui nodded curtly at him and moved slightly to the side, allowing Nie Li a better view.
Nie Li returned the nod but didn't say anything. He took a couple more steps forward before standing shoulder to shoulder with Xue Hui, waiting for Shen Ming to unveil the spatial seal.
Although the two of them were always on guard against each other, they at least knew that they needed to work together at a time like this.
The sound of rustling clothes caught the ears of the two, bringing their attention back to Shen Ming.
The middle-aged man leaned backward, giving Xue Hui a better look at his bare chest, which was branded with a blood-colored seal formed from various inscription patterns.
As soon as the seal came into view, both Nie Li's and Xue Hui's eyes widened in shock as a sense of dread crawled down their spines.
A chill ran down Nie Li's spine. He quickly turned on his heel and rushed back to Ye Ziyun, a worried expression on his face as a bead of sweat trickled down his cheek.
At the same time, with a grim expression, Xue Hui extended an arm toward Shen Han. Summoning his Origin sphere.
A sense of urgency welled up within him as he directed the Origin of Piercing toward Shen Han, fully intent on claiming the man's life before the seal could activate.
Time seemingly slowed down. Ye Zong and Chen Zhenlong had shocked looks on their faces as the Origin of Piercing flew past them.
Ye Ziyun's lips parted as she looked taken aback by Nie Li's desperate appearance.
Both Chen Linlin and Xiao Ning'er wore worried expressions, their hearts pounding with anxiety upon seeing the dread etched across Xue Hui's face.
Shen Hong's listless eyes trembled as he watched Shen Han raise his head, revealing bloodshot, crazed eyes. His face contorted into a manic grin as a low, deranged laugh escaped his lips. The seal engraved on his arm flared with brilliant crimson light, emitting a deafening thrum before a violent surge of energy exploded from his body, blasting everything around him away.
BOOM!
"Not good!" Xue Hui was quick to react. He kicked off the ground and leaped into the air, catching both Xiao Ning'er and Chen Linlin, who had been caught off guard by the huge explosion and sent flying.
"Urk!" Nie Li coughed up blood as he was violently thrown to the ground. His ears rang as he tried to look around, only to see people's bodies strewn everywhere. Clouds of dust filled the room as panicked cries echoed all around.
"Ziyun! Cough... cough... Ziyun! Where are you?!" he called desperately. He tried to push himself up but winced as a searing pain coursed through his body.
He looked down to assess the damage, only for a curse to escape his lips upon noticing a piece of metallic debris lodged in his side.
"Shit!" he cursed, sweat dripping down his face. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Nie Li turned onto his side before gripping the metal debris with both hands. Taking a quick, shallow breath, he braced himself before forcefully yanking the shard free from his body.
"Argh!" he grunted, discarding the offending object to the side.
Blood gushed from the wound, causing him to collapse to the floor, his consciousness threatening to fade. Without wasting any time, Nie Li took out a Nine Transformation Pill from his interspatial ring and popped it into his mouth. His chest heaved as the pill's medicinal efficacy surged through his body, rapidly mending his wounds.
"Are you alive?"
Nie Li looked up and saw Xue Hui standing before him. To his surprise, Xiao Ning'er and Chen Linlin were clinging to him both standing beside him.
The two girls hastily pulled away from him, barely managing to stand. The explosion had rattled their senses, leaving them reeling.
"Where is Ye Ziyun?" Nie Li asked in a hoarse voice, concerned filling his heart as he struggled to his feet.
"I don't know. Everything happened way too quickly. I lost sight of her."
That answer only fueled Nie Li's anger. A furious look crossed his face as he stepped forward, shot out his arm, and grabbed Xue Hui by the sleeve, yanking the taller man closer.
"You left her out there?" Nie Li growled, his eyes glowing dangerously. "I thought she was your friend. Why didn't you bring her with you like you did your girlfriends?"
Irritated, Xue Hui slapped Nie Li's hand away, producing a sharp crack. Nie Li's hand went numb for a brief moment, allowing Xue Hui to break free from his grip.
"Do you think I had the luxury of choosing who to grab at that moment? Ning'er and Linlin were both thrown in my direction. I simply reacted on instinct and caught them. If you have enough time to be angry at me, then you'd better use it to search for Ziyun."
His words made Nie Li back down. His worry-filled face turned toward where he had last seen Ye Ziyun before he rushed toward it, his anxious calls gradually disappearing into the distance.
After Nie Li left, Xiao Ning'er and Chen Linlin rushed to the injured people, giving them Nine Transformation Pills to save them.
Xue Hui looked in the direction where Shen Han had been, his eyes narrowing as he realized that they had much bigger problems than the Sacred Family and the Dark Guild.
He then turned to his two companions and quickly laid out a plan.
"Ning'er, Linlin, treat as many people as you can. Linlin, use the Soul Communication Technique to locate Jing Ya, Mei Lin, and Yue Ling. Once you make contact with them, work together to evacuate everyone. I'll go and handle Shen Han," Xue Hui instructed as he summoned his spiritual energy.
"Mhm, leave it to us. Be careful out there, Hui-Hui," Chen Linlin replied. Though visibly shaken, she gradually regained her bearings.
"Xue Hui, we'll come help you once we secure everyone. Just wait for us, okay?"
Xue Hui nodded to the worried-looking Xiao Ning'er before kicking off the ground, leaving the two behind.
Xiao Ning'er watched as Xue Hui disappeared into the smoke.
She wanted to follow him, but she was worried about her father. The table where the Winged Dragon Family had been seated was within the blast radius, and she didn't know what had happened to him after everything had been engulfed by the explosion.
"Please be safe, Xue Hui," she muttered under her breath.
The surroundings were shrouded in a thick veil of smoke. Cries of pain and panic echoed from every direction as the metallic scent of blood filled the air.
Xue Hui sprinted through the smoke, relying on his keen senses to avoid the debris and obstacles in his path as he closed in on Shen Han's location. Suddenly, he spotted a familiar figure lying on the ground.
Coming to a stop, Xue Hui recognized Shen Yue. His body was twisted into an unnatural position, writhing in agony. Blood streamed from his mouth, nose, and ears, his face contorted with excruciating pain.
Shen Yue noticed him and immediately extended an arm toward him.
"H-help me," Shen Yue pleaded in a guttural voice.
"Please, I don't want to di-"
Shen Yue didn't even have a chance to finish his words before his entire body convulsed and exploded into a spray of blood.
Xue Hui jumped back, avoiding the spray. His expression turned grim as his gaze followed the streaks of blood flying through the air.
Then the agonized shrieks of several people reached his ears before their cries were abruptly cut short.
He looked up and saw over a dozen streaks of blood flying overhead, all heading in the same direction he was going.
"Shen Han, you truly are a treacherous bastard. It wasn't enough that you betrayed Glory City and your own family, you even went so far as to betray humanity itself," Xue Hui muttered in a low, cold tone.
He had truly underestimated how low someone like Shen Han was willing to sink in exchange for power. If he had known this beforehand, he would have killed him already.
"Forget about dying. I'll make sure even your soul ceases to exist after I'm done with you," Xue Hui said coldly, his voice dripping with murderous intent. What Shen Han had done was a crime against all humanity.
He then turned toward the towering beam of crimson light, its entire length piercing through the sky. He could hear the sounds of fierce battle ringing out from its direction.
With a resolute look, Xue Hui let out a slow breath. He summoned all of his Origin Spheres, which floated around him like tame beasts awaiting his command. The glow in his eyes intensified before he flickered out of existence.
End of Chapter 112
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