Hurt my loved ones? I'm not guarding this country's borders anymore!

Previously: Shen Jinglong looked at the intelligence on Zhou Jinli's whereabouts in his hand, sneered, and gave Zhuque the order to carry out the operation tonight.

Dark as ink.

Outside the Zhou family mansion, two figures stood on the treetops.

Shen Jinglong was dressed in black, with Zhuque behind him.

"Dragon Lord, it's full of bodyguards and sentries; the defenses are even tighter than the war zone command post," Suzaku said in a low voice.

Shen Jinglong straightened his cuffs: "Yan, that proves Zhou Jinli has something to hide."

"Should we charge in? I'll take my men and level this place."

"No need." Shen Jinglong stared at the house. "Zhou Jinli is an old fox. He'll run away at the slightest sound. I want to capture him alive. I need to know what kind of 'Holy Master' is behind him."

Zhuque nodded: "Then I'll go in with you."

"You stay outside." Shen Jinglong pointed to the four corners of the mansion. "Block all the roads. Not even a fly is allowed to get out. Zhou Jinli ran away. Go back and receive your punishment."

"Yes!" Suzaku straightened his back. "Rest assured, Dragon Lord!"

Shen Jinglong stopped talking, and with a flicker of his body, he drifted into the high wall like a black shadow.

He landed behind the artificial hill, just as two patrolling bodyguards walked by.

The chubby bodyguard, speaking with a Sichuan-Chongqing accent, grumbled, "This damn life! We have to feed mosquitoes in the middle of the night."

The tall, thin man shushed him: "Keep your voice down. The patriarch's in a bad mood lately, he'll dock your pay."

"What's there to be afraid of! I've wanted to quit for ages." The fat bodyguard spat. "This house is creepy. There are strange noises coming from underground every night. It gives me the creeps."

The tall, thin man shuddered: "You heard that too?"

"Damn it, yesterday I saw several people carrying bags containing corpses in, and they came out empty-handed."

The tall, thin man's face turned pale: "Don't talk nonsense! That's... a bag for storing medicinal herbs."

"The herbs smell of blood? It's worse than a slaughterhouse! If we don't leave now, we'll lose our lives here sooner or later."

As the two walked away, Shen Jinglong's eyes turned cold.

Body bags? The smell of blood?

He ignored the two henchmen and headed straight for the main building.

There were many sentries along the way. Shen Jinglong moved through the corridor like the wind, and the sentries only felt a cool breeze.

Five minutes later, he stood at the door of the study on the third floor.

Four men in black stood at the door, their auras icy cold, unlike those of living people.

Suicide squad.

Shen Jinglong took out a few coins and flicked his wrist.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Four soft sounds followed as coins struck the pressure points on the four men's pressure points, causing them to collapse limply.

Shen Jinglong pushed the door open and entered, then closed it behind him.

The study was large, with walls covered with hardcover books, many of which still had their covers on.

He walked to the display shelf and reached out to touch a blue and white porcelain vase.

One side of the bottle has been rubbed so much that it has developed a patina.

Shen Jinglong gripped the neck of the bottle, turned it to the left, and it remained motionless.

Turn right.

"Click."

The display shelves moved aside, revealing a black iron door.

There was no keyhole on the door, only a palm print groove.

Shen Jinglong didn't press it down; instead, he placed his hand on the edge of the door crack and unleashed his inner energy.

"collapse!"

The internal gears of the door lock broke, and the iron door opened a crack.

A stench, a mixture of rotting herbs and a strong, foul smell, wafted out.

Shen Jinglong held his breath and opened the door.

Behind the door was a downward stone staircase, and an oil lamp hung on the wall, its flame glowing green.

He walked down a hundred meters, and suddenly the view ahead opened up.

Before us was an underground space the size of a basketball court.

An altar.

The black stone floor was covered with blood-red runes.

There were more than a dozen two-meter-tall glass jars filled with a yellowish-brown liquid, placed against the walls around the perimeter.

Something was soaking in the liquid.

Shen Jinglong looked at the first jar, which contained a piece of dried tree root.

His fist clenched instantly.

Life-extending ginseng!

The life-saving medicine to cure my daughter's illness!

The old ginseng, which should have been full of vitality, has now had its essence drained and become a piece of rotten wood.

He gritted his teeth and looked at the other jars, all of which contained rare medicinal herbs, but without exception, they had become waste.

All the jars had tubes attached to their bottoms, which converged at the center of the altar like blood vessels.

A fist-sized black heart floated there, emitting an eerie red light.

"Thump."

"Thump."

With each heartbeat, the entire space vibrated.

The essence of the medicinal herbs is being continuously absorbed by it, and the red light on it becomes brighter, while the evil energy intensifies.

Shen Jinglong looked around again and saw human skin hanging on the iron hooks on the wall, like empty shells that had been drained of all their energy.

This is what the bodyguard referred to as the "body bag."

"What a Zhou family, what a holy master." Shen Jinglong's voice was icy. "They took other people's lives, their life-saving medicine, just to raise this monster?"

The life-extending ginseng was destroyed.

The medicine is gone, so there's no need for this place to exist anymore.

He raised his hand, gathering power in his palm, preparing to shatter the altar with a single blow.

"Who?"

A sharp sound came from the darkness on the other side.

A figure emerged, dressed entirely in black robes, with a white mask covering his face, the mouth on the mask stretched to his ears.

He was holding a bone staff.

"The Dragon Lord of the Northern Frontier, huh?" The man tilted his head. "I knew it, those good-for-nothings couldn't stop you."

"Zhou Jinli?" Shen Jinglong asked.

"Zhou Jinli?" The man's laughter was grating. "He's nothing but a dog we keep."

He walked to the edge of the altar, gently stroking the heart with his hand.

"I am the Holy Lord's messenger." He turned to Shen Jinglong. "Dragon Lord, you've come at the right time. Our ceremony is just one step away from completion."

He pointed to the heart: "It still needs a bit of the essence of a strong person for the final activation. I was still worried about where to find it, but you delivered it to my door. That's what you call fate."

Shen Jinglong stepped forward: "You will soon witness the true will of Heaven."

"Don't get so worked up." The messenger raised his bone staff, and the red runes on the ground lit up instantly, his heart pounding faster than ever before.

"Knock knock knock knock!"

The air pressure in the entire space dropped sharply, and more than a dozen glass jars shattered instantly.

Shen Jinglong only asked one question: "Was my life-extending ginseng eaten by this thing?"

The messenger paused, then pointed to the broken jar on the ground: "Oh, that tree root brimming with spiritual energy? It is indeed of the highest quality. Without it, the Holy Heart wouldn't have been able to awaken so quickly. Your medicinal herbs have sacrificed themselves for the great Holy Lord; you should feel honored."

Shen Jinglong smiled.

"pleasure?"

His aura suddenly erupted, even more domineering than the red light of the runes.

"Since it took my medicine," Shen Jinglong pointed to his heart, "then I'll dig it out and crush it."

"As for you," he said, looking at the messenger, "your mouth is so foul, I'll tear it to shreds for you."

The messenger trembled with excitement: "Excellent! I love this kind of vibrant prey! Your body can be made into the most perfect specimen!"

He swung his bone staff, and the blood on the ground transformed into several blood snakes that lunged at Shen Jinglong.

"Dragon Lord, let me see whether your Northern War God is more powerful, or the power of our Holy Lord is stronger!"

Shen Jinglong stood still, looking at the blood snake that pounced on him with disdain.

"You dare to utter the title of God of War?"