Chapter 348: The Ninth Warehouse

When Zhang Lie returned to Earth, Zhang Hong immediately summoned him to deal with a number of miscellaneous affairs related to the dojo, and then he had been swarmed by the alien researchers to ask about a technical detail or another.

Only when all that was finished did he remember that Hong Xi hadn't sent him a message since returning to Mars. When he glanced at his transceiver, he found that he had set it to silent some time ago.

"Ah, this damned habit of mine!" Zhang Lie cursed, then quickly toggled it on.

There were quite a few missed calls and messages. Hong Xi had called him thrice, and Su Feng, Yan Long, and the members of Team Zenith had all left messages.

Zhang Lie hurriedly listened to what Hong Xi had to say. As he did so, his eyes widened. For a moment, he forgot his strength, crushing the transceiver to pieces as he clenched his fist.

What a bold, reckless girl! Did she really think she could survive heading to the Musi clan by herself just because she was strong enough to be killing superior-grade lifeforms on her own?!

Zhang Lie ran off toward a teleportation array as Hong Xi made her way to the ninth port's warehouses.

The reason Musi Te had chosen that location was for two reasons.

First, the Musi clan was in the transportation business, and they essentially controlled the warehouses in the region. Second, this was a relatively deserted location, and there wouldn't be any bystanders around or help readily available if something were to happen.

As Hong Xi made her way into the largest warehouse in the area, she found her brother, Hong Xiao, trussed up in midair. His body was bruised and battered, his skin graying, and he looked inches away from death.

"Hong Xiao!" Hong Xi rushed over, her eyes filling with tears.

"Not just yet, Hong Xi!" A thin-eyed, thin-browed man sitting on a blood-red sofa situated at the center of the warehouse stood up. "Did you bring me what I asked for?"

This man was naturally the second son of the head of the Musi clan, Musi Te. Dozens of bodyguards stood erect beside him.

Hong Xi retrieved the manual containing [Eclipse] from her robes. "Let go of my brother!"

"This is the Musi clan's territory. Do you think you can bargain with us?"

"Let him go—or I won't hand this over to you." Despite her agitation, Hong Xi felt unusually calm. Her brother was far more important than [Eclipse]. What she gave up now, her master would surely reclaim.

Musi Te laughed coldly. "If not for our interest in [Eclipse], do you think the Musi clan would really have let the two of you live this long? Naive fool!"

Hong Xi gritted her teeth. "I'll count to three. Let my brother go by then, or else!"

Musi Te folded his arms. "Threatening me, are you? Not a smart thing to do on Musi territory, I should think."

Musi Te's bodyguards began to laugh from behind him.

"Do you really think that the Hong clan's as imposing as before, back when the Eclipse Sage was around? Scream if you want, as loudly as you can!"

Hong Xi narrowed her eyes. "I'll count to three. If you don't release my brother, I'll destroy this manual."

"Try it if you dare!" Musi Te pulled out a remote controller. As he pressed a button, the collar on Hong Xiao's neck began to tighten, and he keened in agony.

"Keep counting if you want—if you do, within three seconds, your brother's head will be rolling on the ground like a wintermelon!"

Hong Xi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and crushed the electronic tablet into pieces.

"I told you not to force me into this." She dropped the remains of the cracked, ruined device, then smashed it into smithereens with [Fists of the Silent Sea].

Musi Te roared, "Hong Xi, I'll kill you!"

He was so incensed with rage that even his bodyguards were taken aback. In a flash of bloody light, Hong Xiao's left arm was sliced off his body.

Musi Te continued howling, "Bastard, you bastard! Do you know how much time and effort the Musi clan's put into hunting down [Eclipse]?! Neither of you will die yet, I swear it—I'll force the two of you to experience the cruelest forms of torture and punishment first!"

"Shut up!" Hong Xi's gaze turned malevolent as she saw her brother's arm being cut off. "[Eclipse] never belonged to the Musi clan. It's the property of the Hong clan, courtesy of the Eclipse Sage. As the scion of the Hong, I can do whatever I want with it!"

Hong Xi's inspired idea of destroying the tablet was naturally based on Zhang Lie's influence—to avoid being restricted to passivity. However, she had clearly not thought things through.

At the very least, Hong Xiao didn't seem mad at her. Still suspended in midair, he gritted out, "Good job, Sister! You've honored the Hong clan—our ancestor's framework and technique surely can't land in our enemies' hands!"

Musi Te narrowed his eyes. "Take down this crazed fool!"

"Do you really intend on killing me?" Hong Xi chuckled coldly. "If I die, you really won't be able to learn [Eclipse] any longer."

Musi Te frowned. "You must have already started learning [Eclipse]."

Hong Xi nodded, then tapped her head. "Indeed. [Eclipse] is right here. If you dare harm my brother any further, I'll commit suicide immediately."

Hong Xi knew very well that, even if she were to hand the manual over to Musi Te, the Musi clan wouldn't let them go. The enmity between the two clans had grown far too strong. It had begun in their ancestors' generation; by now, however, even the kind Hong Xi wouldn't hesitate to kill off the entirety of the Musi if she had such an opportunity.

The Musi clan would also do the same to any remaining members of the Hong clan, especially Hong Xi, who had already begun learning [Eclipse]. To the Musi, she was like a bomb that could explode at any moment.

.

As a result, the first thing she had to do was to destroy the manual for [Eclipse] in front of Musi Te's eyes, transforming herself into a possession that he had to acquire at any costs. To prevent her from committing suicide, Musi Te couldn't risk hurting her brother any longer. Furthermore, for the same reason, in order to obtain [Eclipse], Musi Te wouldn't kill her, either.

"Very well. I'll keep both of you alive for now."

Musi Te pressed his controller again, and the collar restricting Hong Xiao's breathing finally loosened up. He panted loudly for air.