The eastern sky gradually turned the pale white of fish bellies. A red sun squeezed through the mountains, rising steadily.

An off-road vehicle was parked at the entrance of the church in Yerite. As the rear door opened, Su Shenyun was suddenly thrown from the vehicle, landing heavily on the ground. Her limbs were broken and her body was drenched in blood; the bandages wrapped around her were soaked through.

"After all that running around, our Queen has ended up back in her palace." Mandala elegantly exited the vehicle, looking at Su Shenyun on the ground with a mocking smile.

Su Shenyun looked up at her, a faint smile appearing on her pale face. "I hope you can make it so I can never leave this place."

Mandala squatted down, reaching out to wipe the blood from the corner of Su Shenyun's mouth with her thumb. "Don't worry, I will grant your wish."

"And I'll dress you up all pretty. That's how it should be for a noble Queen. Then, countless men will come to dote on you."

"It doesn't matter," Su Shenyun replied, a bone-chilling coldness in her eyes. "I'll just consider them to be serving me."

Mandala laughed loudly. "It seems our Queen knows how to enjoy herself."

Su Shenyun's eyelids drooped. "You'd better not give me a chance," she said coldly.

Mandala pinched her cheek, then grabbed her by the hair. "Our Queen's legs are broken and she can't walk easily. Allow your subordinate to drag her inside."

Just then, a Green-robed Cultist ran over in a hurry. "This is bad, my lord! Something's happened!"

Mandala frowned slightly. "What is it?"

The Green-robed Cultist's face was pale, and his voice trembled. "I... I just went inside... and I found... it's full of corpses!"

Mandala suddenly let go of Su Shenyun's hair and strode toward the church's main entrance. "Bring her along!"

"Yes!"

In the spacious church courtyard, severed limbs and mangled bodies were strewn everywhere. Rivulets of blood converged on the ground, crawling across the entire courtyard like a spider's web. From a distance, it resembled a grim sigil sketched by the Death God. The air was thick with the nauseating stench of blood. Even the water spraying from the fountain was the color of blood, appearing exceptionally vivid under the light of the rising sun.

Mandala's body trembled as she witnessed the scene, her expression dark and terrifying.

When she led a group of Sect Followers into the main hall, she found it was also piled high with the bodies of Green-robed Cultists, a true hell on earth. The towering heap of corpses reminded her of the grain piles from her village during the harvest season of her childhood. This, however, was a harvest stockpiled by the Death God.

Below the high platform at the front of the hall, Wu Bingwen knelt on the ground, trembling as if his soul had fled his body. On the high platform itself, a young man sat casually with his legs crossed, occupying the luxurious seat that only the head of the church was worthy of. His left hand rested on the armrest, while his right lay on a bright red sword. Though still in its scabbard, the sword was plunged deep into the skull of a Green-robed Cultist. The dead cultist lay beneath the chair, serving as a gruesome sword stand.

Mandala stopped in her tracks, her gaze cold as she stared at the young man. He, however, did not look at her. Instead, his gaze was gentle as it rested on Su Shenyun, who was being supported by two Sect Followers.

Su Shenyun also looked up at the young man. Her beautiful eyes trembled as they began to fill with tears. She never expected him to come. She certainly hadn't anticipated seeing the man she longed to see, here of all places.

"Luo Xiu... why did you come?"

Luo Xiu slowly stood, picking up the sheathed sword, and descended from the platform. He asked calmly, "Does it hurt?"

Su Shenyun bit her lower lip. She didn't know why, but an overwhelming sense of grievance suddenly washed over her.

Mandala suddenly began to laugh, an eerie sound. "Interesting. Very interesting," she said, eyeing Luo Xiu mockingly. "Such a romantic display. I wonder where this vixen found her new pretty boy."

Luo Xiu stopped and thrust his sword into the ground. "Do you like my welcome gift?" he asked.

Mandala narrowed her eyes slightly. "You killed all these Sect Followers? Not bad. A very meaningful gift, indeed."

Luo Xiu glanced at her. "I wasn't talking to you," he said flatly.

Mandala gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with murderous intent. Luo Xiu's dismissive attitude infuriated her.

At that moment, Su Shenyun smiled. "I like it very much."

Luo Xiu said, "Waiting for you was so boring. I had to kill a few people to pass the time." He then looked at Mandala. "Everyone in this church who deserved to die is already dead. Now, all that's left are the few of you who just got back."

"So, tell me. How do you want to die?"

Mandala's expression suddenly grew solemn. She felt that the man before her was stronger than many opponents she had faced in the past. Still, she didn't take him too seriously, as she was very confident in her own strength. A powerful Spiritual Energy suddenly radiated from her body. "That's a question I should be asking you," she sneered. She glanced at the captive Su Shenyun. "How about we play a game? We can use this fox as the prize."

"I'm not interested in playing games with you," Luo Xiu said.

The next moment, two piercing screams echoed through the hall as the two Sect Followers holding Su Shenyun were sent flying by an invisible fist.

Mandala was shocked. She didn't know what had just happened. Without a second thought, she lunged to grab Su Shenyun. However, almost simultaneously, Luo Xiu moved like a phantom. Seemingly teleporting, he moved faster than her and swept Su Shenyun into his arms.

As her hand clawed at empty air, Mandala quickly retreated, putting distance between herself and Luo Xiu. The moment Luo Xiu had drawn near, she had felt a terrifying aura. She realized that Luo Xiu was even more formidable than she had imagined. When did the Hua Country martial artist community produce such a young expert?

Luo Xiu carried Su Shenyun bridal-style to the side and gently placed her on a chair. "Wait here for a moment."

Su Shenyun nodded gently, her tender gaze fixed on the man before her, her eyes seemingly about to overflow with tears. All she felt at that moment was an immense sense of security.

"Luo Xiu... this woman is very strong. She's at least at the peak of Grandmaster Great Perfection. You have to be careful."

Luo Xiu wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and smiled. "Trash like her isn't worthy of my caution."

The instant he finished speaking, a dark shadow appeared behind him. Mandala had seized the initiative, planning to win with a sneak attack!

"You're finished, kid!"

She gripped a dagger and swung it mercilessly toward Luo Xiu's neck. But strangely, before the dagger could connect, her body froze in mid-air. Luo Xiu had turned and caught her by the throat. In Luo Xiu's eyes, her speed was no better than a snail's.

He yanked her in front of him and slapped her hard across the face. She screamed as several of her teeth flew from her mouth like bullets, shattering a windowpane.

After the slap, Luo Xiu threw her to the ground and stomped his foot on her face. Just as he was about to crush her skull, Su Shenyun spoke up. "Can you not kill her yet?"

Luo Xiu looked at Su Shenyun, a question in his eyes.

"She's still useful."

Luo Xiu nodded. He walked over, placed a hand on Su Shenyun's shoulder, and quietly infused a thread of healing power from his Qihuang Technique. "Setting the bones will hurt a bit. Endure it."

「A few minutes later.」

Su Hongli and Xu Wei, who had been hiding in an adjacent room, walked out trembling. Both were pale and dared not look directly at Luo Xiu. When the three of them had returned to the church earlier, Luo Xiu had suddenly gone berserk, beginning a merciless slaughter of the Sect Followers inside. Even though Xu Wei and Su Hongli had seen their share of chaos, this side of Luo Xiu had terrified them, forcing them to hide next door.

"Hong Li Sister… why are you here?" Su Shenyun's eyes welled with tears as she staggered over to embrace Su Hongli.

Luo Xiu glanced at the two sisters. "You two get on the plane first."

Su Hongli let go of Su Shenyun and asked with a trembling voice, "What... what are you going to do now?"

Xu Wei swallowed hard. "Mister Luo, you're not... actually planning to slaughter everyone in Yerite, are you?"

Su Hongli quickly added, "Most of the people here are just outer-sect members, but there are innocent civilians, too! Maybe we should just let it go... Shenyun is back safely now, after all."

Luo Xiu pulled the still-sheathed 'Dream and Asura' from the ground. He walked toward the hall's exit. "Killing everyone in this church will be enough," he said flatly.

However, as he reached the entrance to the great hall, he suddenly stopped. His body trembled violently, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood before collapsing, unconscious.

"Luo Xiu!"

Su Shenyun hurriedly ran toward him. "Luo Xiu, what's wrong?!"

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