The Demon Lords

Chapter 480 6 Holy Relic_1

He had initially been contemplating playing a "dog eat dog" game, but unbelievably, the other side went completely dark. This stroke of luck was simply beyond belief.

The next moment, Zheng Fan, who had regained his senses, quickly ordered Zuo Jiqian, who was at his side, "Pull everyone back. Pull far away. That evil thing can devour hearts!"

It was indeed an evil thing. At least, in the eyes of ordinary people, that thing was far too eerie and terrifying. But when faced with Zheng Fan's military order, Zuo Jiqian hesitated a bit, saying, "Commander, that..."

"Obey the command! You are all my, Zheng Fan's, brothers. I won't let you die in vain, seduced by that evil thing!" Zheng Fan's shout was genuine and heartfelt.

The surrounding knights were moved. Only Zuo Jiqian, frowning slightly as if recalling something, immediately responded, "This officer obeys the order!"

After speaking, he immediately ordered the knights around him to withdraw with him, loudly explaining the Commander's concern for everyone.

Once all the knights had withdrawn, A Ming chuckled. "This Zuo Jiqian is quite quick on his feet."

Zheng Fan nodded. "Blind Man, after we return, you have a heart-to-heart talk with him."

"Understood."

The reason for ordering his troops to withdraw wasn't fear of excessive casualties. To be honest, no matter how bizarre that evil thing was, it had likely been worn down considerably by that middle-aged Taoist priest and the man in black; it probably had little strength remaining. If everyone rushed up and someone was bewitched, their fellow soldiers could just kill them on the spot. Could that exhausted creature really cause great carnage under these circumstances? If the Jade Order could truly do that, it wouldn't be just some evil artifact; it would be a divine one!

The plan was to keep everyone else away, deal with it themselves, and once it was in their hands, it would be theirs. Then they could fabricate an excuse, say it escaped or something.

Since the man in black was obviously from an unusual branch of the Spy Bureau, and a Taoist priest from Tianhu Mountain in Jin State had pursued this Jade Order all the way to Yan State, it was clear how much the higher-ups valued it. If they wanted to keep it for themselves, it was best to do so quietly. Who knew if the higher-ups might send someone to investigate this matter later?

"A Ming, My lord and I will go up. You watch the situation from the side," Blind Man arranged.

Blind Man himself possessed mental force and had stronger resistance to bewitchment. As for Zheng Fan, with Mo Wan's addition, it would be difficult for him to be enthralled. After all, given Mo Wan's personality, he didn't even want a stepmother; anyone trying to bewitch Zheng Fan would essentially be trying to become Mo Wan's daddy. How could Mo Wan allow that?

"Understood." A Ming didn't waste words. When it came to snatching a prize, quick reflexes were paramount. Who had time to dawdle?

"My lord, I'll handle the controlled servant girl in black. You can deal with the snake."

Zheng Fan wanted to say he was rather afraid of snakes. Could they swap? But seeing Blind Man already up and heading over, Zheng Fan gritted his teeth and declared, "Son of a bitch!"

For safety's sake, and risking being bedridden for days afterward, Zheng Fan decided to summon Mo Wan for a complete possession.

Auras of calamity, terror, curses, and other negative energies began to swirl around Zheng Fan. He raised his head, his eyes now completely black and white, devoid of any emotion or expression.

"Hehehehe…"

Perhaps because this situation wasn't as urgent as the last one. During the previous assassination attempt in the imperial capital, the assassins had been too fierce, forcing him to rush out and kill. But this time was different.

Zheng Fan turned his head towards A Ming, his mouth stretching wide to the sides, delivering Mo Wan's trademark smirk.

A Ming was speechless. He really wanted to kick Zheng Fan, but after a moment's thought, he restrained himself and responded with a gentlemanly smile. Then he pointed in the opposite direction, gesturing that after the smiling, it was time to get to work.

A hint of disdain flickered again in Mo Wan's eyes—disdain for A Ming, and also for Blind Man. As the true son, the legitimate heir, he inherently felt a strong sense of superiority over these adopted sons. Furthermore, in terms of absolute power, Mo Wan was indeed the most mysterious and powerful among the Seven Demonic Kings. And if nothing else, he had been the bestseller back in the day.

A Ming took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, suppressing the urge to brawl with the currently possessed Zheng Fan. He pointed again.

You. Should go. Over there!

Mo Wan turned his head and looked in that direction.

Then, he hobbled over. He didn't run; instead, he moved with a bizarre gait, as if he'd forgotten how to walk. But if one observed closely, they would notice that each twist of Zheng Fan's joints and every contraction of his muscles followed a peculiar rhythm.

By now, Blind Man had reached the servant girl in black. She repeatedly raised her knife, then lowered it, raised it, then lowered it again.

"Has its power been exhausted?" Blind Man wondered.

Blind Man reached out, pointing at the woman in black. His mental force surged forth, knocking her to the ground; her knife clattered to the side. Immediately after, the woman's skin began to darken as the effects of the snake venom started to show.

Blind Man looked at the black snake, which lay prostrate, seemingly without even the strength to move. He didn't rush forward; he even retreated a few steps. Trying to play mind games with a cunning old fox like me?

Meanwhile, Zheng Fan had arrived.

The black snake turned its head, seemingly giving up on Blind Man and focusing on Zheng Fan instead.

Zheng Fan walked over and then stepped on the black snake's body.

BOOM!

The snake's body began to rapidly coil upwards, its mouth gaping wide, preparing to bite.

But Zheng Fan moved with incredible speed. He lifted his foot while simultaneously thrusting a hand down, seizing the black snake by its vital spot—its seven-inch point. He twisted its head downwards and ran his other hand down the length of its body from top to bottom! The motion was like squeezing a large tube of toothpaste. Zheng Fan's reaction was remarkably like that of a baboon accustomed to handling snakes.

BANG!

The snake's head exploded, and a jade pendant fell out. The pendant was round-edged, with the figure of a woman carved in its center. After landing, the jade pendant trembled a few times, and then a red beam of light shot directly at Zheng Fan.

「...」

Hot. So hot. That was what Zheng Fan felt, as if he weren't outdoors but inside a large cauldron, being boiled alive.

"AH!"

A scream came from ahead, but a thick fog obscured Zheng Fan's vision.

"AH!"

"AH!"

Screams kept coming—some bloodcurdling, some feeble; some short, some drawn out.

Gradually, the fog before Zheng Fan began to dissipate. He saw himself standing on molten rock. Around him were execution grounds where men in hoodies were being tortured in various cruel ways.

Upon closer inspection, he realized all these men looked identical. Even closer scrutiny revealed that these men looked exactly like him. This was... an image of multiple versions of himself undergoing torture.

Moreover, the image of himself on the execution grounds was clearly different from his current appearance. Since waking up in this world, his physique had become quite robust from cultivation, horse riding, and fighting. The "him" on the execution grounds, however, was clearly from his past life: a homebody engrossed in drawing comics.

"My lord, it's searching for vulnerabilities in your mind, seeking what you desire most. Don't worry, Mo Wan can block it for you," Blind Man's voice resonated in Zheng Fan's mind via mental force.

Zheng Fan took a breath. "I'm not nervous, nor am I in a hurry."

So, this wasn't his own inner desire. What was being displayed was Mo Wan's inner desire.

Look at this display—steaming himself, dicing himself, deep-frying himself, nailing himself. Zheng Fan found it rather comical. Mo Wan's deep-seated hatred for him was truly intense. Tsk, tsk. As a father, seeing his son's innermost desires… it felt rather strange. He had always teased Tian Wujing about Xiao Yibo being such a "dutiful son," and now it seemed his own situation was quite similar.

"My lord, please wait a little longer. Mo Wan has already locked the Jade Order's consciousness along with its own. I will now try to activate the remnants of the seal on it. This jade pendant still bears the seal of Tianhu Mountain. It's a bit damaged, but it's not a major problem. I'll repair it quickly."

Zheng Fan nodded. Waiting was waiting. He didn't want to continue watching himself being tortured in various ways, so he turned and walked towards a greyish-white area in the distance.

As he walked, the previous screams slowly faded, and Zheng Fan felt much more at ease. After all, Chief Zheng, having been on battlefields, was accustomed to hearing others scream; he could at least face it with numbness. But hearing his own screams over and over? That was truly agonizing.

However, as his own screams vanished, a low murmur of whispers began to reach his ears. It sounded like a group of people muttering something—not chanting sutras, yet it resembled prayer.

Zheng Fan continued walking forward. As he did, he noticed a light appearing ahead. Within this light, he saw groups of wild people dressed in beast skins prostrating themselves before him. Beside them, various demonic beasts also lay prostrate. Together, the wild people and demonic beasts were bowing and praying to him with utmost piety.

Are these memory fragments?

"Blind Man! Blind Man, can you hear me?"

"My lord, I can hear you. I'm almost done with the repairs. Thankfully, it wasn't too difficult. Please bear with it a little longer, My lord. You'll be out soon."

"Blind Man, I think I know what the hell this Jade Order is now."

"My lord, have you glimpsed the residual memory fragments within the Jade Order? This jade pendant likely contains an artifact spirit, though it's very weak and seems to be largely incomplete."

"Blind Man, if I'm not mistaken... this Jade Order... it must be the sacred artifact of the wild people and demonic beast tribes in the Skybreak Mountains."