51: Why keep them alive for the New Year if you don't kill them?

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Meng Tianzheng was completely terrified by these cruel and bloody methods; his mental defenses had utterly collapsed.

With tears and snot streaming down his face, he shrieked,

"It's the 'Youdu Corpse Emperor'! The Corpse Ghost Cult wants to awaken the sleeping 'Youdu Corpse Emperor'!"

"That is one of the supreme deities the Corpse Ghost Cult worships! The King of Corpse Ghosts who has slumbered for a thousand years!"

"Once the Corpse Emperor descends, the entire world will be shrouded in the shadow of death. All living beings will become his subjects, turned into Puppets of the corpse ghosts!"

Hearing the four words 'Youdu Corpse Emperor,' the expressions of Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi, who had been standing outside the hall, changed drastically.

"The Youdu Corpse Emperor?!" Wu Jiahao's voice was trembling. "The source of calamity from the legends that nearly turned Jiangnan into a dead zone a thousand years ago?"

Zhao Xinyi's face was also deathly pale, her lips quivering as she said,

"According to the archives, countless top-tier Cultivators of the Dragon Empire died or were injured back then just to Seal it..."

"If it is allowed to awaken, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"The entire Donghai City, even the entire Jiangnan Province, will be turned into a living Hell!"

Chen Nian turned a deaf ear to their shock and continued to ask in a tone devoid of any emotion, "When do they plan to start?"

Meng Tianzheng did not dare to hide anything and quickly replied,

"It's... it's tonight!"

"The preparations for the ritual are eighty to ninety percent complete; it will be finished soon... and then, then you all showed up..."

Chen Nian nodded and continued to ask, "Last question. Where is the headquarters of the Corpse Ghost Cult?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Meng Tianzheng answered rapidly, "It's the Tianqiong International Group!"

"The Corpse Ghost Cult's headquarters is located within the Tianqiong International Group, and the altar for the ritual is there as well!"

"They are the ones behind everything. If you want someone, go find them! Please, let us go!"

"Tianqiong International Group?!"

Hearing this answer, Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi once again cried out in disbelief.

They were all too familiar with this name.

Tianqiong International was the leading enterprise in Donghai City, with a business Empire spanning various industries. Its chairman was a well-known philanthropist and business tycoon in Donghai City.

Who could have imagined that the core of such a massive commercial Empire was actually the headquarters of the extremely evil Corpse Ghost Cult?

They had actually built their nest right under everyone's noses!

And their Spiritual Energy Bureau had been completely unaware of it!

In a single day, the Xuanzhen Sect, which had been rooted in Donghai City for years, was found to be involved with the Corpse Ghost Cult.

Now, even the commercial giant of Donghai City, Tianqiong International, was revealed to be the headquarters of the Corpse Ghost Cult.

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi felt their worldview being completely overturned today, left in a state of stunned confusion as if the sky were falling.

Having obtained the information he wanted, the last trace of patience on Chen Nian's face vanished completely.

He stopped pretending.

The power of the Prison Suppressing Divine Body erupted violently.

Boom—!

Brilliant golden light surged from his body, painting him like a descending deity.

The foot he had planted on Meng Ya's body suddenly pressed down!

"No—!!"

Meng Tianzheng let out a desperate roar.

Boom!

The golden light exploded.

Under the pure and overbearing power of the Prison Suppressing Divine Body, Meng Ya's fully ghostified body was like a balloon stepped on with immense force.

Rotten flesh, shattered bones, and black ghostly Qi instantly burst apart, turning into a blurred mess of filth.

"Why... why..."

Meng Tianzheng stared blankly at the nauseating remains on the ground, his voice hollow and despairing.

"I already... answered all your questions truthfully..."

"Why did you still kill her!"

Chen Nian slowly lifted his foot as the golden light dissipated. His gaze was filled with extreme contempt and mockery.

"I only told you to answer the questions."

"I never said I wouldn't crush her to death."

He paused, glanced at the filth on the ground, and added cruelly, "Besides, this thing was completely ghostified. She wasn't even human anymore. Why keep her around? For the New Year?"

"Devil... you are a devil!"

Tears of blood flowed from Meng Tianzheng's eyes. Endless grief and malice made him let out a beast-like wail.

Chen Nian, however, gave him no time to continue his agony.

A cruel smile even appeared on his face.

"Alright, stop screaming."

"I never said I wouldn't let you father and daughter see each other."

These words caused Meng Tianzheng's wailing to stop abruptly.

He looked up in terror, seeing Chen Nian walking toward him step by step.

Those cold eyes contained no human emotion, only pure, indifferent killing intent.

Chen Nian walked up to him and slowly raised his foot.

Under Meng Tianzheng's terrified gaze, he stomped down heavily.

Bang!

His head exploded.

Crimson blood and white brain matter, mixed with bits of flesh, splashed in all directions.

The entire hall fell into a state of absolute silence.

At the same time, the System's announcement sounded in Chen Nian's mind.

[Ding! The host has successfully wiped out the fallen Sect, 'Xuanzhen Sect'.]

[You have successfully upheld justice in the world. You have obtained the new skill: 'Profound True Qi Fiend Formation'.]

[Profound True Qi Fiend Formation: A secret grand formation of the Xuanzhen Sect. It can draw upon the Evil Qi of the earth's ley lines and fuse it with the caster's spiritual energy, sufficient to refine all living beings within the formation.]

Hearing this, Chen Nian was suddenly delighted.

He hadn't expected such an unexpected pleasant surprise!

It seemed that wiping out fallen Sects was also a very good direction to take!

Unlike his delight, Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi were currently staring at this extremely bloody scene with faces full of horror, their stomachs churning.

Too brutal!

From the interrogation to the silencing, the entire process was clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation, as if he had only stepped on two troublesome ants.

Their hearts were profoundly shaken, yet they didn't dare to say a single word.

Right then.

"Wooo— Wooo—"

The piercing sound of sirens approached from afar, breaking the silence.

The main force of the Spiritual Energy Bureau had finally arrived at the scene.

A large number of fully armed Spiritual Energy Bureau Agents, holding various spiritual energy weapons, quickly rushed into the Xuanzhen Sect.

But when they saw the hellish scene of the Xuanzhen Sect, with blood flowing like a river and the ground in total disarray, they were completely shocked by the sight before them.

"My god, what... what exactly happened here?"

"Too terrifying. This isn't the Xuanzhen Sect; this is clearly Hell!"

"This is a bit too... *bleh*..."

The sounds of discussion, gasps of shock, and suppressed retching rose one after another.

Chen Nian, however, completely ignored their shock.

He turned around, his blood-stained face appearing exceptionally cold under the candlelight.

He simply said to the arriving agents in a flat tone,

"The Corpse Ghost Cult's headquarters is at the Tianqiong International Group."

"They are going to summon the Youdu Corpse Emperor there tonight. You'd better send another squad over."

After speaking, he didn't wait for the crowd's reaction.

Blood Fiend Incarnation!

Chen Nian's body suddenly transformed into a mass of surging blood-colored Evil Qi.

Swoosh—!

He soared into the sky, rapidly streaking toward the direction of Tianqiong International.