Yan Baizhi was so furious she was about to faint. Even now, she had no idea what was going on.
Since things had already reached this point, she could only force herself to calm down.
She needed to think carefully about what had exactly happened.
From the chat records of the male assassin earlier, she could conclude that the assassin was hired by Cui Yunshen.
The female assassin in front of her was highly likely hired by him as well.
But why did she specifically name Xu Mu as her target?
Yan Baizhi had no grudge against Xu Mu; logically, he had no reason to target her.
Could it be because of Wu Tian?
Thinking of this, Yan Baizhi finally calmed down and asked, Sister, who sent you? Was it Cui Yunshen?
Tong Guoguo didn't answer a single word; she just stared at the time on her phone.
If it took three and a half hours, it would be around 1:00 AM by the time Xu Mu arrived here.
After taking care of Xu Mu and disposing of the body, she could buy a plane ticket back first thing the next morning to report to Mr. Soul.
With this in mind, Tong Guoguo nodded to herself. Yes, that was the plan.
...
Time ticked by.
In the blink of an eye, more than three hours had passed. Tong Guoguo, who had been sitting there the whole time, stood up.
She walked up to Yan Baizhi and said with a plain expression, There are five minutes left. If Xu Mu doesn't show up, I'll break one of your fingers first.
No! Sister, I'm begging you!
Yan Baizhi's eyes were filled with terror, and tears streamed down her face from fear. I swear, I really have nothing to do with Xu Mu, boohoo!
She was filled with regret now. If she had known, she wouldn't have gone against Xu Mu.
He hadn't even done anything, yet she was already about to be crippled.
Tong Guoguo's expression didn't change at all. She kept her eyes on her phone. Alright, time's up. He didn't show up.
Sister! I'm begging you, please don't cut off my finger. I am the daughter of the Yunding Sect's master. If you do this to me, my father will come after you.
Of course I know you're the sect master's daughter. But if you think a measly little sect can threaten me, you are too naive.
Tong Guoguo had heard from Xu Mu before coming here that this woman was the sect master's daughter.
But so what?
The Eternal Life Research Institute had never taken any sect seriously.
Sister! Please don't cut off my finger. Give me the phone, let me call him one more time, okay?
Yan Baizhi pleaded tearfully, feeling incredibly wronged.
Hearing this, Tong Guoguo pondered for a moment. Her goal was to make Xu Mu appear, not to deal with the woman in front of her.
So, she nodded. I can spare your finger, but I definitely need to teach you a lesson.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Tong Guoguo kicked Yan Baizhi.
Whoosh!
Yan Baizhi flew backward instantly, crashing into a metal rack in the distance.
With a loud bang, she fell to the ground.
Ugh!
Yan Baizhi coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.
The intense pain made her body tremble, but compared to losing a finger, she could bear this.
Tong Guoguo called Xu Mu's number, squatted in front of Yan Baizhi, and put it on speaker.
A moment later, Xu Mu's voice came through.
Baizhi, wait for me to save you! There's a traffic jam on the road, I'll be a little late.
Xu Mu's voice echoed from the other end.
Hearing this, Tong Guoguo frowned and shouted, It's the middle of the night, how could there be a traffic jam?
I'm on the highway, there's a car crash ahead.
Then when will you get here?
Tong Guoguo pressed on.
Give me another hour.
Xu Mu said from the other end.
Do you really think I'm playing house with you? Let me tell you, I keep my word. In one hour, your sweetheart will lose six fingers.
Tong Guoguo said coldly.
Even if she has no hands, I still love her.
Xu Mu's voice replied.
Damn it...
Yan Baizhi was stunned. She quickly said, Xu Mu, hurry up and save me. As long as you come, I'll be your girlfriend, I'll be your wife—I'll agree to anything.
Her primary goal right now was to trick that bastard Xu Mu into coming. Anyway, he would die once he arrived.
There was no harm in making promises to a dead man.
I'll try my best. The traffic is moving again, I need to drive.
With that, Xu Mu hung up the phone.
In reality, Xu Mu had already arrived. The location Tong Guoguo had chosen was right near the highway exit.
He parked his car by the side of the road in the distance, already close to the fertilizer plant. Through his perception, he could see the two women inside.
He sat there and pondered for a moment, thinking about how to deal with Tong Guoguo.
The optimal method would be to inflict a wound on her and let the Spirit-Devouring Holy Gu enter her body.
Or just force her to swallow the Spirit-Devouring Holy Gu directly.
However, with her defensive cultivation techniques and powerful physical body, injuring her again wouldn't be that easy.
Still, Tong Guoguo's desire to finish him off was also a fool's dream.
Thinking of this, Xu Mu walked toward the fertilizer plant at a leisurely pace.
Upon arriving, he shouted loudly, I'm here!
Hearing this from a distance, Tong Guoguo immediately grabbed Yan Baizhi by the neck and hauled her up from the ground.
You lied to me! Didn't you say he wouldn't come?
As soon as she finished speaking, Tong Guoguo delivered a punch straight to Yan Baizhi's stomach.
Bam!
Yan Baizhi's body shuddered violently, and blood spilled from her mouth once again.
The intense pain almost made her pass out. However, deep down, she found it somewhat unbelievable that Xu Mu actually dared to come alone.
Tong Guoguo dragged Yan Baizhi out of the factory building and brought her to the road outside.
Seeing them from afar, Xu Mu feigned surprise and said, So it's you!
Xu Mu, are you sure you came alone?
Tong Guoguo asked plainly.
That's right. Since I'm here, let her go.
Xu Mu looked over at Yan Baizhi.
I never said I would let her go just because you showed up.
Tong Guoguo's face remained expressionless. Getting me to release her is simple. Kill yourself, and I swear that after you die, I won't harm a single hair on her head.
Guoguo, to be honest with you, I have no relationship with her. You've been fooled. You must have been provoked by my enemy.
Xu Mu took a deep breath. This enemy knows I have a good heart and can't bear to see someone die because of me.
Hearing this, Yan Baizhi couldn't help but frown. Who is this enemy you're talking about?
Who else but Wu Tian?
Xu Mu smiled and spread his hands.
Bullshit! Brother Wu Tian would never use me as a hostage!
Yan Baizhi shouted angrily.
Hearing this, Xu Mu asked curiously, Then where is your Brother Wu Tian right now?
He... he couldn't beat this woman!
I see. He couldn't beat her, so he ran away.
Xu Mu nodded slightly. After all, this woman has the strength of the mid-Transcendence stage. I can't beat her either, so why am I here?
This...
Yan Baizhi froze entirely.
Tong Guoguo's goal is to kill me, not Wu Tian. Yet, Wu Tian abandoned you and fled, while I went out of my way to come here and die.
Xu Mu said with a smile. Your Brother Wu Tian is really smart. He knows his life is the most important thing, and I'm just an idiot, right?

iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.

grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”

pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"