Chapter 545: High Risk Profession

Crunch, crunch.

The so-called divine weapons, which were as hard as metal, crumbled like biscuits under the milk teeth of the little black dog. By the time Li Xiaofei arrived, only a small fragment of the Nether God Spear remained. Everything else had already been devoured.

"Show some mercy!" Li Xiaofei waved his hand in exasperation, though it was a futile gesture.

The little black dog gave him an innocent glance. Then, with a final crunch, it finished off the last piece of the Nether God Spear. Li Xiaofei didn’t bother scolding it. Instead, he grabbed the little black dog and inspected it closely.

The so-called divine weapons were dangerously sinister, brimming with energy steeped in death and corruption. Even he had felt a hint of temptation after using the Nether God Spear once.

Would the little black dog be okay?

With concern etched across his face, he carefully observed the creature.

"Open your mouth."

He pried open its jaws and used his fingers to probe its throat.

"Woof-arf!"

The little black dog yelped and promptly bit down on Li Xiaofei’s finger, leaving a few shallow teeth marks.

Li Xiaofei sighed, withdrawing his hand.

"Well, at least you’ve still got your bite." He muttered, unsure whether to laugh or worry. "Looks like you’re still full of energy,"

Despite devouring the Nether God Spear and other bizarre subspace weapons, the pup seemed perfectly fine. Its tiny belly was round and bloated, but it still darted around energetically.

Li Xiaofei glanced at the faint teeth marks on his finger as a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

The little black dog had managed to bite through the impossibly hard Nether God Spear. Yet, it didn’t bite through my finger. Is this... love?

He reached out and ruffled the dog’s head affectionately. The pup responded by spinning excitedly in circles around him, its tail wagging furiously like a high-speed fan. After calming the excitable creature, Li Xiaofei pulled out some meat and dairy products and tossed them its way. The little black dog pounced on the food and devoured it with gusto.

Its hearty appetite reassured Li Xiaofei that it wasn’t suffering from any ill effects or gastrointestinal distress from consuming the dangerous weapons. Feeling slightly more at ease, Li Xiaofei settled into a quiet corner to begin his cultivation.

He retrieved the ninth-generation pure Starforce Reagents he had won in the martial arena duel. He swallowed the reagent and began refining it using the Innate Art. The results were astonishing. As expected of a high-grade Starforce Reagent, the energy coursing through his body was both potent and pure, pushing his cultivation progress forward with incredible efficiency.

Li Xiaofei could distinctly feel the effects of the ninth-generation Starforce Reagents, a substance specially crafted by the Star Council for Saints. The reagents contained an endless stream of gentle energy, which, under the guidance of the Innate Art, rapidly nourished and cleansed his lungs.

Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys! The five organs corresponded to the Five Spirits. Cultivating innate qi within these organs and nurturing spiritual resonance resulted in the growth of the Five Spirits.

The Five Spirits Realm wasn’t particularly notable for enhancing a martial artist's offensive or defensive combat attributes. Instead, it provided an overall upgrade to the practitioner’s life essence. It gave a martial artist stronger vitality, more robust blood energy, sharper reflexes, and greater adaptability.

If one’s earlier cultivation focused on boosting combat-related stats like attack and defense, then the Five Spirits Realm was akin to adding points to agility, stamina, and endurance. It was a comprehensive enhancement to the martial artist’s foundation.

Time flowed by. In what felt like the blink of an eye, sixty hours had passed. After consuming four bottles of ninth-generation pure Starforce Reagents, Li Xiaofei had finally achieved a small success in cultivating innate qi within his lungs.

The improvement in his strength was immense. The most immediate effect was on his Asura Form and Demon God Form. Both forms now became larger, harder, and more enduring. The vitality boost from the Five Spirits Realm significantly benefited these two forms, indirectly elevating his combat power to an even higher level.

"Time's about up," Li Xiaofei muttered, calculating the hours.

It was nearing 10:30 in the morning. It was time to rescue Old Tan. With that, he prepared to exit the Secret Time Pavilion and return to the outside world.

"Woof woof, whimper." Black Emperor bit Li Xiaofei's pant leg, wagging its tail enthusiastically.

"You want to come out too?" asked Li Xiaofei as he picked up the little black dog, ruffling its head with a smirk.

"Woof woof!" The dog nodded repeatedly. It clearly understood him.

Li Xiaofei paused, realizing that keeping the dog confined to the Secret Time Pavilion for too long might indeed leave it feeling lonely and bored. After a moment’s thought, he decided to bring the little black dog along.

Li Xiaofei returned to the Jiepeng crown princess's bedroom in a flash of dim light with the Black Emperor tucked under his arm.

It was 10:49 a.m. in the morning. It was early winter, and the weather was grim. Heavy, leaden clouds hung low over the sky, casting a suffocating gloom. Fine snowflakes drifted through the air, carried by a biting wind.

Li Xiaofei donned a teal overcoat and a hat before making his way to the plaza outside Kanzaki Palace. The scene was reminiscent of the grand opening of the financial consortium’s annual meeting.

The square was already teeming with people. Royal Iron Guards had set up barricades throughout the area, maintaining strict order amidst the crowd. In the distance, ten armored hovercrafts moved slowly along the ground, their sleek forms flanked by squads of power-armored soldiers and four Hengyu-class flying mechs.

The massive flying mechs cast ominous shadows across the plaza as they exuded a cold and menacing metallic aura that made the air feel heavy with tension.

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

The evil Great Xia prisoners have finally been brought out.

Many among the Jiepeng citizens eagerly anticipated the sight of their heads rolling off the execution block. Hidden within the crowd, members of the Dragon Group, including Dragon Scale, remained motionless, blending into their respective positions.

The large, rotund San Zang waddled through the throng, his hands still holding food as he jostled his way through the masses without a care in the world.

The squads of power-armored soldiers and flying mechs halted at the plaza's perimeter. According to the plan, they wouldn’t enter the plaza itself but would remain stationed at the edges to handle surveillance and external security.

The ten armored hovercrafts, however, followed a pre-planned route as they slowly drove into the plaza amidst the crowd’s fervent cheers. They stopped at the execution platform that had been erected at the center.

Members of the royal power-armor combat squad Rock Solid disembarked from hovercrafts 1, 2, 9, and 10 and quickly established a vigilant perimeter. Then, two figures were brought out under heavy guard from the central hovercrafts, numbered 5 and 6.

Li Xiaofei’s gaze pierced through the hundreds of meters separating him from the vehicles. In that instant, his eyes locked onto one of the prisoners stepping down from hovercraft 5.

The figure was unmistakable. Though it had been over a year since they’d last seen each other, Li Xiaofei recognized Tan Zhenwei immediately. His hair was streaked with gray, and his frame had grown gaunt and thin, far removed from the man Li Xiaofei once knew. Yet, his spirit remained unbroken.

Despite the custom shackles restraining his wrists and ankles, his posture was unyielding as he stood as tall as a spear. Tan Zhenwei stepped down from the prisoner transport with an air of calm and dignity. His demeanor was unwavering even in the face of impending execution.

A wave of curses erupted from the crowd; their venomous words filled the air. Faces twisted with anger and hatred pressed toward Tan Zhenwei, only to be stopped by the Royal Iron Guards stationed around him.

Tan Zhenwei’s expression remained calm, though his eyes flickered briefly with pity. So many Jiepeng citizens had been brainwashed and their hearts consumed with hatred for Great Xia. They were, in truth, pitiful souls. The Jiepeng Empire was firmly under the control of the conglomerates and the royal family.

Through a system of deliberate ignorance, most Jiepeng citizens lived within a perpetual bubble of misinformation, their minds empty save for a blind fanaticism. Even those who claimed to be free citizens often unknowingly found themselves reduced to mere slaves.

Soon, Tan Zhenwei and Zhou Rulong were forced onto the execution platform. A quasi-Saint from the Jiepeng royal family personally oversaw the proceedings from above the execution ground to ensure order.

Two towering executioners, each wielding a powered execution blade, took their positions behind the prisoners.

On a massive electronic screen, a countdown began.

30...

29...

28...

As the numbers ticked down, the fervor of the Jiepeng crowd intensified. The masses surged forward, pressing ever closer. Even the Royal Iron Guards struggled to maintain order as their lines were continuously pushed back by the chaotic throng.

"Long live Jiepeng!"

"Ten thousand years for the Emperor!"

"Kill them! Kill these Great Xia bastards!"

The frenzied crowd chanted their slogans with feverish energy, creating a scorching and electric atmosphere.

15...

14...

As the countdown hit 10, the two executioners drew their blades, stepping forward and raising the long powered swords high above their heads.

4...

3...

2...

Just as the countdown was about to hit 0, the executioners raised their swords even higher, poised to strike. And then, as if fate itself intervened, the unexpected happened.

Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!

Four silenced sniper shots rang out. Blood spurted from the executioners' necks as their heads exploded in a gruesome display.

As always, the age-old rule proved true—those who storm an execution ground always take out the executioners first.

Truly, being an executioner is a dangerous profession.

Li Xiaofei mused to himself. The sudden turn of events had caught even him by surprise. He chose not to act immediately, opting instead to observe.

The entire public execution had been reeking of a conspiracy from the beginning, and now that someone else had intervened, Li Xiaofei decided to wait and see what Jiepeng was really planning.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several deafening explosive sounds echoed across the plaza. Clouds of electromagnetic smoke erupted in the air, obscuring everyone's vision while temporarily disabling power weapons and the light cores of power armor systems.

Simultaneously, all the lighting systems around the plaza went dark. Panic swept through the crowd as screams erupted from every corner of the square. The previously fanatical Jiepeng crowd descended into utter chaos like a hornet’s nest struck with a stick. Panic, trampling, and confusion spread rapidly, leaving injuries and casualties in their wake.

Even a few Royal Iron Guards, caught off guard, were knocked over by the human tide. Before they could react, they were trampled to death, their bodies reduced to pulp beneath the frenzied masses.

One particularly rotund and muscular man proved especially lethal. He crushed a Royal Iron Guard's head like a ripe fruit with a single stomp.

Yet, his panicked screams filled the air. "Ahhh! Stop pushing me! Mom! I’m scared! I want to go home!"

But then, he thrust his shoulder forward with surprising strength. The momentum sent dozens of Jiepeng citizens flying straight toward the execution platform, colliding into it like ragdolls.

On the platform, the Jiepeng Rock Solid special forces reacted swiftly. They moved to drag Tan Zhenwei and Zhou Rulong away, ensuring the prisoners couldn’t escape amidst the chaos. But before they could act...

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Several rays of sharp sword qi streaked through the air, slicing apart four of the Rock Solid warriors in an instant. The rotund man, despite his size, displayed an agility that defied logic. He moved like a ghost as he floated onto the execution platform.

Bang! Bang!

His hands struck with the precision and force of blades, severing the custom shackles binding Tan Zhenwei and Zhou Rulong.

"Let’s go." He commanded, his voice suddenly calm and steady.

He leaped off the platform and vanished into the chaotic crowd below with the two prisoners in tow.

Meanwhile, the quasi-Saint from the Jiepeng royal family, who had been overseeing the execution from the platform, remained seated. Not only did he show no sign of panic, but a faint smile appeared on his face. The fish had taken the bait.