As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 258 Pulling Back from the Brink
This ancient monster, which is probably formed by the fusion of some kind of giant worm and the remnants of an ancient soul, has a very dull sense of pain due to its primitive neural structure.

Furthermore, Xu Yan circled around to its left rear, creating a blind spot where the field of vision of more than three hundred small eyes was blocked by the folds.

Therefore, it could not see Xu Yan's right arm, which was covered with black runes and resembled a ghostly claw, deeply embedded in its bloated and fat body, like a hot knife being plunged into cold butter.

The ancient demonic objects contained a large amount of acidic substances.

However, because the concentration is too high and there is no air to intensify the reaction, its corrosiveness is not strong.

Xu Yan patiently explored for a moment and quickly grasped a nerve cord.

With a sharp tug, like reining in a wild horse, he controlled part of the ancient monster's ability to move.

The ancient monsters were both shocked and enraged.

Although it didn't understand what had happened, it could clearly sense an irresistible will emanating a destructive aura, spreading throughout its body like a black tidal wave along its nerve cords.

Its folds trembled wildly, its scarlet eyes darted around like glass beads colliding with everything, its tentacles swelled and stretched straight out like earthworms stimulated by an electric current, and its trumpet-shaped mouthparts opened to their limit, attacking the imagined enemy.

However, no matter how furious it became, its astonishing strength could not find a target. Instead, it was guided by Xu Yan, directing the acid-spraying folds towards the end of the street, above the entrance to the slum.

"Pfft!"

Xu Yan yanked hard on the nerve cord of the old demon.

The monster first swelled up to the point of exploding, like a deep-sea fish surfacing urgently.

Immediately afterwards, it sprayed all the acid in its body dozens of meters away, reaching a height of more than ten meters.

It was a seven-story reinforced concrete building.

The building's exterior is covered with a crisscrossing steel structure, with layers upon layers of interlocking neon lights and billboards hanging outside.

Under Xu Yan's precise guidance, the acid flowed precisely into the long-neglected, rusty steel structure.

With a hissing sound of corrosion, the fragile steel structure could not support the huge and heavy neon lights and billboards, and the facade of the front wall peeled off and crashed to the ground.

A large number of gamblers were trying to escape into the slums along the main road.

Unexpectedly, a shower of flowers suddenly appeared ahead.

First came colorful shards of glass, scattering everywhere and even cutting crisscrossing wounds on their faces and hands.

Subsequently, the steel structure supporting the building's facade collapsed with a creaking sound, completely blocking the main road.

The acid adhering to it, diluted to a certain extent, then burst into flames, the heat wave carrying thick smoke that made it impossible for them to open their eyes.

The gamblers abruptly stopped in their tracks.

Before I could think, screams came from behind me.

But someone behind couldn't stop in time and crashed into the person in front. They pushed and tripped each other, rolling around on the ground.

These unfortunate souls were immediately pounced upon by the relentless ancient monsters and the terminal patients of the Spirit Corruption Syndrome, becoming prey, food, and playthings of the ancient vengeful spirits.

Although we didn't see the horrific scene of them being torn to pieces and devoured by the ancient monsters.

Just hearing their chilling screams is enough to imagine their horrific deaths.

The surviving gamblers dared not hesitate any longer and turned around, heading towards the narrow, impoverished alleys on both sides of the main road.

Of course, there is more than one way to get in and out of the slums than the one in front of you.

However, most of the alleys were designed to be very narrow, only allowing two people to pass each other. After years of development, Dawn City experienced a population explosion, and illegal construction continued despite repeated bans. Many alleys were constantly encroached upon by residents on both sides, or became dead ends piled with goods and garbage, requiring people to climb over them using both hands and feet.

As a result, the gamblers were all stuck in the alleys and side streets around the slums.

The speed at which people can enter slums has been greatly reduced.

Once they dispersed, their appeal to the Old Ones and those suffering from the Spirit Corruption End-stage was greatly reduced.

Many of the bloodthirsty ancient monsters, unwilling to venture into the alleys to hunt down the few ordinary humans, began to survey their surroundings, searching for more interesting targets.

Just then, a large number of Security Bureau agents, patrol members, and well-trained Spirit Masters belonging to Dawn Heavy Industries and the Spirit Card Association arrived and gathered around.

The two sides began exchanging fire.

The pressure from the slums was immediately reduced.

Xu Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The first task is now complete.

Although I feel bad for those unlucky gamblers, there's nothing I can do. Compared to those who voluntarily come to the underground arena, knowing full well the extreme danger, and still participate in illegal spirit battles, I can't compete.

The ignorant and vulnerable elderly, women, and children in the slums are the truly innocent party.

"Next..."

Xu Yan stared intently at the many strange shadows writhing deep within the thick smoke, his eyes unfathomable.

The ancient monster, which he had easily manipulated, shrank several times in size after emptying all the acid from its body, and its layers of wrinkles drooped down helplessly.

But it still struggled violently, trying to escape Xu Yan's control.

Xu Yan absentmindedly released flames from his palm and thrust out the "Deep Blade" from the back of his hand.

"Crack! Crack! Splash! Splash!"

It was as if a powerful, large meat grinder had been inserted into the body of the ancient monster. It convulsed violently amidst painful groans, and in just a few seconds, it turned into a puddle of thick paste held together by only excess skin, and collapsed to the ground.

The ancient, wronged souls were all devoured by the Emperor's Banner.

The excess skin and thick paste quickly turned into gray foam and dissipated in the wind.

Xu Yan let out a sigh that seemed to say, "I'm not quite done yet."

Using the shadows of flames, smoke, dust, and collapsing buildings, he strolls leisurely across the battlefield, hidden in the blind spots of all the ancient monsters, the final patients of the Spirit Corruption, and the Security Bureau agents.

Half a minute later, he spotted his next prey.

In his arms were five or six steel bars that had just been pulled from the rubble.

The cut of the unpolished steel bar is not very sharp.

But for Xu Yan, who had been practicing the "cardless style" for two months, the sheer weight of it was enough.

He weighed a steel bar, which was more than half a meter long, in his palm and accurately found its center of gravity.

Xu Yan took a deep breath and casually moved his wrists and ankles.

Although the movements were small, the spine, shoulder blades, and arm bones all made crackling sounds, like the longbows carefully crafted by the elves from golden oak being drawn to their limit deep in the forests of the First Age.

(End of this chapter)