One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

The afternoon sun was still bright, shining on the marble tiles of the commercial street, making them gleam with a dazzling white light.

"Ugh—!!!"

A piercing air raid siren suddenly tore through the sky, echoing mournfully over the city.

The elderly people who were feeding pigeons in the square, the children who were running with balloons, and the couples who were holding hands were all startled by the sudden loud noise and didn't know what to do.

Immediately afterwards, a hurried and cold, mechanical female voice came from the loudspeakers around the square:

"Urgent notice, urgent notice."

"A high-risk gas leak has occurred in the central square, posing a significant risk of explosion."

"All citizens, please cease all lingering immediately and evacuate as instructed by security personnel! I repeat, evacuate immediately!"

In that instant, panic spread like a plague.

The crowd began to stir, screams, cries, and hurried footsteps mingled together, and the once peaceful square instantly turned into a sea of ​​chaos.

Countless people brushed past Zhang Taichu and Chen Duo, fleeing in terror.

Chen Duo was still holding the nearly finished ice cream in her hand, looking blankly at the crowd of people fleeing in panic.

She doesn't understand.

Everyone was laughing and joking just a moment ago, so why did it suddenly turn into this?

Gas leak?

She sniffed.

There was no smell of sulfides in the air, only an increasingly intense, almost tangible, chilling aura.

sizzle-

Just then.

In the very center of the square, the giant LED screen, which was as tall as a three-story building, suddenly flickered a few times, and the cosmetics video that was playing abruptly stopped, turning completely black.

next second.

A slightly plump face, wearing round glasses, but with a somber expression, filled the entire screen.

That's Zhao Fangxu, the chairman of Nadutong Company.

His background was a dimly lit conference room, and his gaze seemed to travel thousands of miles through the screen, projecting directly onto this empty square.

"Zhang Taichu".

Zhao Fangxu's voice, amplified by the loudspeaker, boomed across the now deserted square, carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"I am Zhao Fangxu."

"I don't know what your purpose was in taking Chen Duo away, and I don't want to know."

"However, according to the company's board of directors' supreme resolution, and the final assessment of the danger level of the Gu-body Saint Child..."

Zhao Fangxu pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold, white light:

"Chen Duo is out of control."

"To maintain social stability, humane destruction is necessary."

"Execute immediately."

The moment the words fell.

Da, da, da.

A steady, rapid series of footsteps echoed from all directions of the square.

The security personnel who appeared to be evacuating the crowd have now dropped their disguises.

East.

Black Pipe threw away the tour guide flag in his hand. His explosively powerful muscles made his bodysuit bulge, and the black tubular magic weapon was already poised to be used on his forearm.

west.

Wang Zhenqiu abandoned his usual playful expression, the golden cudgel in his hand emitting a faint golden light, his eyes fixed on the two figures in the center of the arena with a complex expression.

south.

Xiao Zizai pushed up his glasses, a scalpel as thin as a cicada's wing held between his fingertips. Although a red light surged deep in his eyes, it was suppressed by reason.

north.

Old Meng was hunched over, his hands in his pockets, his wrinkled face filled with pain and struggle, but at his feet, countless tiny bacteria were multiplying wildly.

These temporary workers, who stand at the top of the supernatural world, although many of them have reluctance on their faces, still have no choice but to step forward at this moment.

This formed an impenetrable encirclement.

Zhang Taichu and Chen Duo were trapped in the center.

"Master Zhang."

Zhao Fangxu spoke again on the screen, his voice now carrying a hint of warning:

"I know you're strong."

"But this is the company's bottom line, and it's also the rule of this world."

"Anyone who attempts to obstruct the execution will be considered an accomplice and... eliminated."

The wind stopped.

The square was eerily quiet.

Only the unfinished ice cream was melting little by little, pink cream dripping down the waffle cone and onto Chen Duo's brand new white sneakers.

Chen Duo looked down at the single drop of cream.

It's very dirty.

Just like her.

No matter how beautiful the dress you wear, no matter how sweet the ice cream you eat, no matter how well you try to imitate someone.

In the eyes of these people.

She remains a nuisance that must be eliminated.

An uncontrollable monster.

The light in Chen Duo's eyes dimmed little by little.

The thought of trying to win a claw machine or buying another cup of milk tea suddenly seemed incredibly extravagant and laughable.

She slowly raised her head and looked at Zhang Taichu standing beside her.

The Taoist priest still had his hands in his sleeves, looking at the big screen with an indifferent expression, seemingly completely unconcerned about the combat power around him that was capable of destroying a city.

"sorry……"

Chen Duo's voice was very soft, so soft that it seemed as if it could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

She loosened her grip on Zhang Taichu's clothes.

The hand paused in mid-air for a moment, then fell limply to its side.

"I am... trouble."

Chen Duo lowered her head and looked at her toes.

She doesn't want to die.

I really don't want to die.

The ice cream was really sweet, the white dress was really pretty, and the urge to try my luck at the claw machine was really strong.

but.

She didn't want to implicate the person next to her.

The only person in the world who buys her ice cream, teaches her to use her fists, and is willing to hold her hand.

Chen Duo took a deep breath.

She took a step forward.

The small figure appeared so frail and helpless amidst the imposing presence of those powerful figures.

"Me and you..."

"go back."

Chen Duo hadn't finished speaking.

A large hand suddenly pressed down on her shoulder, forcefully pulling her back from the step she had just taken.

Followed by.

A gentle yet domineering force pressed her down onto a nearby bench.

"Sit still."

Zhang Taichu's voice rang out from above, still in that languid tone, yet exuding an undeniable air of authority:

"I haven't finished my ice cream yet; wasting food is shameful."

"But……"

Chen Duo wanted to say something more.

"Shut up."

Zhang Taichu didn't look at her; he simply reached out and gently wiped away a bit of cream from the corner of her mouth with the back of his finger, then flicked it away casually.

"Children should refrain from interfering in adult matters."

"Just eat your food obediently."

Chen Duo was stunned.

She sat blankly on the bench, holding the melted ice cream in her hands, staring at the back of the figure blocking her way.

The figure behind him wasn't particularly broad-shouldered, and his Taoist robe was even somewhat worn.

But at this moment.

In Chen Duo's eyes, it was a mountain.

A mountain that can block all storms and rain.

Zhang Taichu turned around.

He faced temporary workers from all directions, and Zhao Fangxu, who stood high above him on the big screen.

The languidness and nonchalance on his face vanished in that instant, like the receding tide.

Instead, there is an extreme, aloof indifference.

That look in his eyes was like that of a sleeping dragon slowly opening its eyes and looking down at a group of ants at its feet.

"rule?"

Zhang Taichu scoffed, his voice filled with undisguised mockery:

"In all my years of life, what I hate most is people talking to me about rules."

"Especially..."

"This kind of nonsensical rule."

He slowly raised his right hand.

Bring your index and middle fingers together and pinch them into a sword gesture.

Om-! ! !

The sword technique was completed in an instant.

The air in the entire central square seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

A terrifyingly sharp aura erupted from the seemingly ordinary Taoist priest.

That's not Qi.

That was pure...intention.

That was an unparalleled sword intent that even heaven and earth would make way for!

Click! Click! Click!

The solid marble tiles on the square could not withstand the pressure at this moment and began to crack inch by inch. Countless fine cracks spread wildly in all directions from Zhang Taichu as the center.

The glass curtain walls of the dozens of towering office buildings around them groaned under the strain, as if they were about to shatter at any moment.

The temporary workers, who had been so aggressive just moments before, suddenly changed their expressions.

Xiao Zizai dropped the scalpel in his hand with a clatter to the ground, and uncontrollably took half a step back, his forehead dripping with cold sweat.

The clarinet's forearm was trembling; it was a shiver stemming from a biological instinct.

Even Zhao Fangxu on the screen had his pupils shrink to the size of pinpoints.

Zhang Taichu stood with one hand behind his back, his sword pointing towards the sky.

The white robe fluttered in the strong wind.

He looked around at everyone, and no one dared to meet his gaze.

Listen carefully.

"I will only say this once."

Zhang Taichu's voice wasn't loud, but it resonated like thunder, striking deep into everyone's soul:

"I've grown to like this girl."

"From today onwards, she will be my prospective disciple."

boom--!!!

A golden beam of light shot into the sky as he flicked his finger, piercing through the clouds and tearing a huge gash in the azure sky.

Amidst the boundless golden light.

The figure of the white-robed Taoist priest was like a god descending to earth.

He withdrew his hand, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the pale-faced temporary workers, finally settling on Zhao Fangxu's horrified face on the large screen, a chilling smirk curling at the corner of his lips:

"Now."

"Who dares to touch my prospective apprentice?"

"Take a step forward."

"die."