Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 691 Seeing off guests
The [Barber] rune flowed from Xiao Ran's fingertips into the [Guillotine], simultaneously activating the [Barber]'s class skill "Spirit Blade".

"bass--!"

A faint, sharp sound, almost drowned out by the vibration of the wine vat, shone through the guillotine in his hand, and the guillotine was stained with a layer of silver light.

"cut!"

Xiao Ran's movements were incredibly fast! His figure, integrated into the Ink Domain, took a step like a ghost, instantly closing the distance! The [Decapitation Blade] drew a near-perfect, dark arc in his hand, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. It was silent and without a trace of fire, yet it carried the resolute will to sever all things, tangible and intangible, and precisely slashed the neck of that humanoid evil thought.

There were no earth-shattering collisions, no scenes of blood and flesh flying everywhere.

Where the blade passed, space seemed to freeze for a moment.

At the same time, the privilege of "Execution" of the [Guillotine Barber] is activated.

Punishing Sins: The greater the sins committed by the target, the stronger the killing power, which can be increased by up to three times.

The "body" composed of pure malice, upon contact with the serrated edge of the [Guillotine], was like ice and snow under the sun, or like oil thrown into strong acid; without any resistance, it was silently and imperceptibly annihilated by that cold arc!
Not just cut off! It's complete erasure!
The area touched by the blade, from the neck up, was wiped away as if by an invisible eraser, vanishing without a trace! Only black smoke churned at the severed end, trying to reform but being suppressed by some invisible force! The shrieking sound from the gaping maw that stretched to the ears abruptly ceased, leaving only the hissing sound of air leaking from the severed neck like a broken bellows!

"hiss……"

A silent scream of extreme pain, originating from the very soul's instinct, did not come from the headless remains of the malevolent spirit, but rather erupted from the mouth of the brittle, blackened head at the bottom of the wine vat! The head convulsed violently, its tightly closed eyelids forcibly torn apart by an invisible force, revealing two wildly churning black vortexes filled with endless pain and horror!

“Buzz——!!!”

The other twelve wine vats in the backyard seemed to sense a deadly threat, resonating with an unprecedented mix of terror and rage! The vat walls trembled violently, and the dark red liquid on the memorial tablets gushed out like a fountain! Large swaths of the thick salt crystals covering the vat openings were blown away by the violent tremors!
The entire backyard was instantly engulfed by an even more violent and chaotic wave of malice! The blood lines converging on the ground were like living crimson serpents, frantically coiling and biting at Xiao Ran! The countless black handprints left on the walls and wooden beams instantly came to life, transforming into enormous ghost claws formed from resentment and venom, tearing at Xiao Ran's back and head from all directions with a shrill scream that could shatter souls!
Furthermore, several icy, bone-chilling mental spikes, capable of freezing one's mind, ignored physical defenses and fiercely pierced into the depths of Xiao Ran's consciousness.

"You beast!! How dare you lay a hand on our ancestors!!"

The frenzied resentment coalesced into a massive mass of negative energy, attempting to shatter Xiao Ran's consciousness and directly seize his physical body.

They clearly chose the wrong target.

The moment this immense resentment surged into Xiao Ran's consciousness, it was discovered that her sea of ​​consciousness was completely empty, devoid of any distracting thoughts or emotions.

Only one thought, as bright as a pearl, hangs in the sky above the sea of ​​consciousness, like the full moon.

Xiao Ran had already completed the step of 'gathering consciousness into thought' through her soul cultivation technique. Her will was as firm as a rock, and she was not afraid of their attacks at all.

"Soul Cultivation Technique!"

As Xiao Ran's thoughts stirred, in an instant, the consciousness in his sea of ​​consciousness ignited like a furnace, turning the entire sea of ​​consciousness upside down, as if to forcibly refine this evil thought.

"Seize the changes of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, and encompass the numbers of the entire universe."

Heaven unleashes its murderous intent, shifting stars and changing constellations.

A murderous intent arose from the ground; dragons and snakes rose from the land.

When people harbor murderous intent, the world is turned upside down.

When Heaven and Man unite, all things are established.

"One's nature has its cleverness and clumsiness, which can be concealed..."

As the Soul Cultivation Technique was activated, this vast evil thought was on the verge of collapse, uttering venomous curses. However, the stronger their resentment, the more it was transformed into pure spiritual energy under the Soul Cultivation Technique, nourishing Xiao Ran in return.

"Li Xiao! How dare you!!"

These ancestors of the Li family realized that something was very wrong and let out a shriek mixed with shock, anger and disbelief!
But Xiao Ran didn't care about any of that. This was a tonic delivered to his door, and he had no reason to let it go.

However, in a short while, Xiao Ran was suddenly jolted.

He slowly opened his eyes, a glint of silver light in them as sharp as if razor-sharpened, before disappearing.

His mental strength was firmly stuck at 290 points, as if he were looking through a tough cowhide, unable to advance any further.

Though it was the limit, this tempering made his mental core more solid. The bright moon hung in the sky, its clear light shining forth, and his perception of his surroundings became so acute that he could see every detail. He could even "hear" the sound of salt grains rubbing against each other in the morning breeze in the backyard. "Good, don't bite off more than you can chew," he murmured to himself, guiding the pure energy that he couldn't absorb towards his nearly drained subconscious, like laying a solid foundation on a chaotic wilderness.

Although this won't bring any substantial improvement to oneself, the subconscious mind, as a buffer for thought, still plays a very important role when facing mental shocks.

He stood up and walked to the wine vats. The black smoke had long since dissipated. Xiao Ran's gaze swept over each vat like cold lightning, making sure there was no trace of evil spirit left. Only then did he gently wave his hand around. With what seemed like a casual wave, an invisible force pulled the heavy vat lids that had been knocked off back into place with a clang.

At the same time, the ink stains on the ground also faded away, and apart from a faint smell of ink remaining in the air, no one could detect the change.

After finishing all this, he shook his neck, making a slight clicking sound, as if he had only done a trivial task, and slowly strolled back to the hotel front desk.

Outside the door, the inky sky was slowly being torn apart by the first hint of dawn in the east.

The wandering souls, having lingered all night, vanished like the receding tide in the approaching dawn, and the streets returned to their emptiness and stillness.

But the evil spirit who was supposed to help me find out the whereabouts of Jin Chanzi and the others last night still hasn't appeared.

"It seems that finding out Jin Chanzi and the others' whereabouts won't be so easy." Xiao Ran leaned against the cold counter, his index finger unconsciously tracing something on the dusty surface, leaving strangely rhythmic marks. They weren't words, but rather remnants of some kind of spiritual intent, the unintentional dissipation of excess energy that he couldn't absorb earlier.

Just past dawn, the deathly silent streets began to echo with sporadic voices. Early risers, carrying baskets of vegetables, hurried along, trying to dispel the town's inherent chill with the warmth of everyday life.

Just then, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps approached from afar, shattering the false tranquility of the early morning. Seven or eight men dressed in coarse cloth and carrying hoes and sticks surrounded a woman, heading straight for them menacingly.

Leading the group was Xiao Ran's "warm and considerate" aunt. Her mean face now held an undisguised eagerness and cruel anticipation, her eyes darting around as if she wanted to pierce through the door and see the corpses lying inside.

Behind the eldest aunt was the woman who had been designated as her wife, her face also filled with anxiety, but the concern and fear on her face contrasted sharply with the greed on the eldest aunt's face.

"Bang!"

The already rickety wooden door was violently pushed open and slammed against the wall.

The aunt stepped across the threshold, but the next second, when she saw Xiao Ran leaning against the counter, the greed on her face suddenly turned into horror.

Xiao Ran stood calmly behind the counter.

He tilted his head slightly, his left elbow resting on the counter, his right index finger just lifted off the counter as if he had just finished the last stroke.

The morning light slanted in from outside the door, outlining his tall but slightly tired figure and the half-smile on his lips. There wasn't a single scratch on him, and even his clothes were as clean as if he had just come from a laundry. Only his eyes, as deep as two still pools, stared calmly at the group of intruders at the door.

At this, the eldest aunt opened her mouth wide and let out a shrill voice like a broken gong: "Li Xiao! You! You! You're not dead!"

Her confused gaze swept over Xiao Ran, as if she wanted to see some kind of wound on Xiao Ran.

To her disappointment, Xiao Ran stood there perfectly fine, staring at the older woman with a half-smile, before stepping out from behind the counter.

He walked very slowly, as if he wanted the older woman to see him clearly from head to toe, until he reached the woman next to the older woman.

He glanced at the woman's surprised and delighted expression before turning to his aunt, his voice languid as if he had just woken up: "Oh, Aunt, it's not even dawn yet, and you're already thinking of your nephew? And you've brought so many 'relatives and friends' to visit? It's truly... I'm flattered."

“You!! You!!”

The eldest aunt's eyes widened. On this day of great misfortune, every family with property was destined to have a few unlucky members die.

The deaths of these people are seen as bringing blessings and wealth to the family's business, a way of repaying their fortune, or a form of sacrifice.

Li Xiao, that guy, is a gambler and womanizer; his body is completely rotten. He was married off a long time ago, but he still doesn't have a child. He definitely won't live past last night.

But now...

The aunt and her relatives had complicated expressions on their faces. The air seemed to freeze. The aunt opened her mouth and made a "hoarse" sound in her throat, as if an invisible hand was choking her.

Xiao Ran squinted at her, his eyes devoid of any emotion, so cold that it was as if he were looking at a corpse. This made the aunt's heart pound so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of her throat. Her face gradually turned pale, and finally she screamed and rushed out the door, as if she could finally catch her breath.

Xiao Ran walked to the door, looked at his aunt's disheveled appearance, and sneered expressionlessly: "Aunt, I've been on guard all night, and I'm tired now, so I won't entertain you all. Wife, close the door and see the guests out!"

(End of this chapter)