233: Chapter 232 The Underworld

Moonlight shone on the blade, casting a cold, chilling gleam.

Shen Tianhe took a deep breath, then swung down violently.

The blade sliced through the air with a whistling sound, heading straight for Wang Lin's neck.

Just as the blade was about to fall, Old Zhao in the corner of the warehouse held his breath, his hand already pressed against the dagger at his waist, ready to rush out.

At this moment, a voice rang out: "Do you think you've won?"

Wang Lin's voice was very soft, but every word was clear.

Shen Tianhe's sword stopped in mid-air: "What do you mean?"

Wang Lin opened his mouth, blood trickling down from the corner of his lips: "Haven't you noticed anything unusual about your body?"

"Why do you think I chose this place to fight you?"

"Why is my body recovering?"

"Why am I still talking to you right now?"

"Brother... because I'm stalling for time!"

"You're so stupid... you let me count."

"Once I finish counting, you'll understand."

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

Shen Tianhe's brow furrowed even tighter. Just as he was about to speak, a surge of metallic sweetness rose in his throat, and a mouthful of black blood sprayed from his mouth, splattering on the ground right in front of Wang Lin.

Shen Tianhe's body swayed violently, and the sword slipped from his hand, falling to the ground.

"You... you used poison..."

Wang Lin looked at him, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening: "Didn't expect that, did you? I also possess a Poison-type Superpower."

"If you hadn't stopped just now and had killed me directly, I might be dead already."

"Although you would have died as well, at least I would have been buried with you."

"But you stopped, so the one who must die now is you."

"How does that saying go... Villain. Villain... I can't seem to remember. Can you help me think of it?"

Shen Tianhe's eyes widened suddenly. He looked at the pool of black blood on the ground, then back at Wang Lin, a thought flashing through his mind...

When? When did they get poisoned?

Wang Lin saw his confusion: "The poison started the moment you entered the warehouse."

"It was just very faint, so faint that with your LV8 Mental Energy, you could have completely resisted it."

"But when your Mental Energy was exhausted, that was when the poison would take effect."

Shen Tianhe snapped his head around to look at his two LV6 subordinates.

They were lying on the ground, their faces blackened, black blood spilling from their mouths, no longer moving.

Their poison had taken effect faster than his because their Mental Energy had been depleted more thoroughly during the battle, causing the poison to trigger earlier.

They had died over ten minutes ago, and Shen Tianhe, focused on his battle with Wang Lin, hadn't noticed at all.

Now, his subordinates were dead, his Mental Energy was exhausted, and his body was poisoned.

Wang Lin had never considered the Space Stabilization Array as his trump card from the start; he, Wang Lin, always made preparations for two possibilities.

Wang Lin had been waiting, waiting for his Mental Energy to be exhausted, for the poison to take effect, for him to lose all ability to resist.

Shen Tianhe's body tilted forward, and he knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his hands, gasping for air.

Black blood continued to surge from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the ground and mixing with the pool of blood.

Shen Tianhe raised his head to look at Wang Lin, his lips moving a few times as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

Wang Lin lay on the ground, watching Shen Tianhe kneel before him, the corner of his mouth still curled up.

"Your Space Rift is very strong, but you rely on it too much."

"You forgot, a battle isn't just about clashing Superpowers."

"What's more important is the brain..."

After Wang Lin finished speaking, Shen Tianhe's head drooped, his body tipped forward, and he collapsed onto the ground, motionless.

Wang Lin lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling, with moonlight shining in through the broken window.

At this moment, Wang Lin was covered in injuries and could barely move, but he had won.

At that moment, a round of applause rang out from the shadows of the warehouse.

Wang Lin turned his head to look in the direction the applause came from...

From the deepest shadows of the warehouse, a figure slowly walked out.

He wore a dark gray robe, with dark red patterns embroidered along the edges, resembling some kind of ancient totem.

Half his face was obscured by a hood, making it impossible to see his features, revealing only a sharply defined chin and a pair of eyes.

He stopped five meters away from Wang Lin and tilted his head slightly:

"Good, good, good. I didn't expect a LV5 to actually kill a LV8 like Shen Tianhe."

"Wang Lin, you have truly opened my eyes."

Wang Lin's spine felt a chill.

This wasn't a threat, nor was it murderous intent, but rather a kind of... composure, as if one were long accustomed to treating people as prey.

Wang Lin lay on the ground, his body barely able to move.

But he still braced himself against the ground, slowly sitting up, leaning against the wooden crate behind him, and looked at that person.

"Who are you?"

The corner of the person's mouth beneath the hood curled up: "I am from the Nether Palace. We have been watching you for a long time."

"From the moment you killed Iron Demon on the train, to you joining the Holy Court, to you killing Third Uncle Shen Henian, to you killing Shen Tianhe today..."

"We have seen everything you have done."

"I came today to take you with me. I wonder if you are willing to join the Nether Palace?"

Wang Lin was silent for a moment: "I don't even know what kind of organization your Nether Palace is, nor do I even know if you are good or bad."

"Besides, I am a member of the Holy Court, and I will not join you."

The person laughed, his voice tinged with a hint of disdain.

"Don't try to use the Holy Court to pressure me. In the eyes of our Nether Palace, the Holy Court is nothing."

"An ancient, decrepit organization relying on ancient martial arts and faith to keep up appearances—it should have been eliminated long ago."

"Whether or not you join the Nether Palace is not for you to decide."

"Even if you really don't want to join, we can just slice you up for research later."

"In any case, we are determined to have you."

Wang Lin looked at him and said: "So I really have no human rights at all?"

"Human rights? In our Nether Palace, strength is human rights. If you don't have strength, where would you get human rights?"

"What has the Holy Court given you? A nominal position, a title that can be discarded at any time."

"You work yourself to death for them, but what can they give you?"

He reached out a hand toward Wang Lin: "Come with me. It's more promising than being in the Holy Court."

His hand drew closer and closer to Wang Lin, and a red glow began to shimmer at his fingertips; clearly, he was about to make a move.

Just then, a figure flashed out from behind the wooden crates in the corner of the warehouse, blocking the space between Wang Lin and the person.

It was Old Zhao. He held a dagger in his hand, the blade glinting coldly in the moonlight.

"People from the Nether Palace, this is the territory of the Twelve Zodiacs. Did you ask me before trying to touch my boss's people?"

The person's hand stopped in mid-air. He looked at Old Zhao, and the eyes beneath the hood narrowed slightly:

"Twelve Zodiacs?"