Chapter 3402: Demon Record (25)

On her very first task after obtaining the imprint, she had run into a task-taker intent on stealing it.

And it was Hong Yu, of all people.

So this was what Hong Yu had meant earlier about ‘working together.’

How did Hong Yu know which world she was in?

And was Hong Yu alone, or were there others?

Ning Shu faced Hong Yu calmly. From the moment she became an embodiment of an ordinance, she had prepared herself for something like this.

To protect what was hers, she had to work hard. She needed immense strength. To forge iron, one must be tough oneself.

Ning Shu hovered on a wisp of thin cloud while gazing down at Hong Yu. “Do you really think I’ll just obediently let you take my things?”

“No one is willing to let someone take what belongs to them. They’ll always struggle a bit,” Hong Yu said to Ning Shu. “However, I advise you not to struggle. It’s useless. It will all be in vain.”

Ning Shu rolled her eyes. “I seem to recall that the ordinance imprint only peels away if the owner dies. So, you want to kill me?”

Hong Yu smiled. It was a smile of peerless elegance. Every gesture she made was filled with grace. “That is correct.”

“So you’re going to erase me?” Ning Shu tilted her head and asked like a curious baby. “But I recall you don’t have the authority to erase task-takers.”

Hong Yu’s relaxed demeanor showed she didn’t view Ning Shu as a threat, nor did she consider Ning Shu to be on her level.

Hong Yu replied, “The system exchange marketplace is full of items. There are plenty of tools to choose from.”

Ning Shu let out a flat ‘oh,’ then asked, “Then I’m quite honored that you’d spend money specifically to exchange for an item to destroy me. However, may I ask, will this item annihilate me completely?”

Hong Yu’s red lips parted slightly. “I’ve already offended you and tried to rob you. Since I’ve already made an enemy of you, I must destroy you completely. Even a small nail hurts when stepped on, and it can cause bleeding. If you were in my shoes, what would you do?”

Ning Shu nodded. “I would do the same. Exterminating the threat completely and pulling up the weeds by the roots is the right path.

“But I’m going to resist. Who knows, maybe I can pull off a counter-kill,” Ning Shu said with a smile.

Hong Yu shot Ning Shu a sideways glance. “Life’s three greatest illusions: my phone is vibrating, she likes me, and I can pull off a counter-kill. It’s just an illusion.”

Ning Shu laughed. “I just love your sense of humor.”

If she really was killed by this item, not even her protective talismans would save her.

Ning Shu tilted her head and looked at Hong Yu. It was possible her career as a task-taker would end here, at Hong Yu’s hands.

This was Ning Shu’s first time clashing with a truly powerful task-taker.

Ning Shu gave a dashing smile. “Hong Yu, you’re talking so much because, in the end, you’re wary of my strength.”

They were testing each other. Her status as the embodiment of the water ordinance still held a certain deterrent power.

Hong Yu nodded. “What I’m wary of is the water ordinance. It is, after all, a fundamental and powerful ordinance.”

Hong Yu looked up at Ning Shu, then said, “However, I’m guessing you dare not use the ordinance on a large scale. If you cause a planar disaster, the embodiments of the wind and thunder ordinances will be your cautionary tale. Especially with the water attribute—once it goes out of control, the impact will be massive. Water and fire are the ordinances most prone to losing control.”

Ning Shu sighed. “I’m a person who cherishes my life too much. I can never quite bring myself to go all in. But if I’m forced to put all my eggs in one basket, I’ll drag someone down with me no matter what. I have to pull someone down to make it even.”

Hong Yu gave a charming laugh. “Compared to Ah Wan’s arrogance, you seem to have a ruthless streak she lacks. Ah Wan considers herself a noble woman and never kills easily. You, on the other hand, seem keen on killing. How did you manage to comprehend an ordinance as gentle as water?”

Ning Shu: …

You make it sound like I’m a homicidal maniac. Aren’t you the one preparing to kill me right now?

“Alright, you’re getting impatient with all this talking. So, see you again. No, perhaps there won’t be a chance for us to meet again.” Hong Yu pulled out an item.

The item was a nail—a completely silver-white nail that shimmered with a cold, eerie light.

Huh? That thing looks familiar.

Ning Shu felt like she had seen this nail somewhere before.

“Is that a soul nail?” Ning Shu asked.

Back in the day, she had wanted to exchange for this item to kill Zhang Jiasen, but she had given up because it seemed like a sinister tool.

A soul nail would drive into the soul, then absorb and consume the person’s soul power. All their soul power would be sucked up by the nail.

It was essentially a tool for plundering another’s soul power.

As long as one was in a soul state, there was no escaping the soul nail.

Furthermore, the soul power inside the nail could be converted for one’s own use.

This soul nail was equivalent to an energy converter.

“This isn’t just a soul nail. Well, you could call it that, but it’s an enhanced, modified version. A regular soul nail only converts soul power slowly, but this item annihilates the soul instantly. And it guarantees ‘Mission Accomplished’—fleeing to the ends of the earth won’t help you.”

“Uh, so you want not only my imprint, but to take over my soul power and soul origin as well?”

“I have no interest in your little bit of soul power. Unprocessed soul power is too impure, anyway. Your soul origin, however, has a little value,” Hong Yu said casually, completely ignoring Ning Shu’s eye-roll.

Ning Shu looked at the nail in Hong Yu’s hand. She felt her soul vibrating slightly. Facing such a dangerous object, she couldn’t help but tremble.

Ning Shu smiled faintly. Worst case scenario, she’d go down fighting.

She wasn’t the only one who came prepared.

Ning Shu protected herself with a thick water barrier.

“I told you, barriers and illusions are my toys.” Hong Yu tapped a finger, and Ning Shu’s protective barrier shattered.

Ning Shu didn’t get angry. Seeing the nail shoot toward her, she erected a wall of ice. The nail pierced straight through the ice wall and flew right at Ning Shu’s face.

Ning Shu tilted her head. The nail grazed her earlobe and drew blood.

But the nail that had flown past actually made a U-turn and shot back towards Ning Shu.

It really was “Mission Accomplished”—she was the nail’s target, and its mission was to exterminate her.

Ning Shu had no choice. She had to maneuver against this item.

If the nail actually drove into her body and soul, she would truly be annihilated.

From then on, there would be no task-taker named Ning Shu.

Her path to becoming strong would be forcibly cut short. She would lose even her life.

Ning Shu clenched her jaw. Everything she had experienced before was nothing compared to this. From now on, her future would be more dangerous, more thrilling, and vastly broader.

Ning Shu dodged the nail and pointed a finger at Hong Yu. “Even if I can’t counter-kill you, I can make you very uncomfortable.”

Let’s hurt each other. If I’m going down, the person hurting me won’t have it easy either.

Hong Yu offered a seemingly kind reminder. “You should really pay attention to the nail. If it hits you, your soul will scatter.”

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