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

There was no one in the backyard of Baicaotang.

Qin Xuerong paced restlessly at the door of the ward. When she saw a figure approaching from the end of the corridor, she immediately rushed over.

"You're back?"

Shen Jinglong stopped two steps away, still reeking of blood. He nodded, took off his coat, and casually tossed it to Zhuque beside him.

"What's going on outside?" Qin Xuerong's eyes swept over him, looking him up and down.

"Everything's been cleared out," Shen Jinglong said. "The Zhou family has all been taken care of. Zhou Jinli has escaped; he won't live much longer."

Qin Xuerong pointed to the ward door behind her: "Sisi just fell asleep. The Medicine King said that as long as we find a substitute for the Life-Sustaining Ginseng, we can stabilize her condition."

"Asleep?"

"Okay, go check on it, be gentle." Qin Xuerong said, then turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Shen Jinglong stood at the door without moving, first using his internal energy to dispel the chill from his body, before gently pushing the door open.

On the hospital bed, the little girl's body was curled up in a ball, her face frighteningly pale, but her breathing was still steady. On the bedside table was half a bowl of millet porridge and a faded cloth tiger.

Shen Jinglong walked over, sat down by the bed, and reached out to hold his daughter's little hand that was sticking out of the blanket.

It felt icy cold to the touch.

He cupped the little hand in his palm, trying to warm it up.

"Dad's back," he whispered. "Dad chased all the bad guys away."

As soon as she finished speaking, the little hand in her palm suddenly yanked away.

A tremendous force exploded from Sisi's small body. She sprang up from the bed, her back arched like a bow, and she thrashed about wildly.

"Sisi?!"

Shen Jinglong reached out to press, and as soon as he touched her shoulder, a chilling sensation seeped into his bones through his fingertips and shot straight to the top of his head.

"Uh...uh..." Sisi made a sound like a broken bellows in her throat, her teeth clenched tightly.

Her originally pale face quickly turned bluish-purple. Two streams of dark red blood flowed from the corners of her eyes, dripping onto the pillow, emitting a plume of black smoke, and instantly corroding two holes.

"Xue Rong! Call a doctor!" Shen Jinglong roared as he turned around.

Qin Xuerong, who had just brought over a bowl of noodles, saw this scene, her hand trembled, and the bowl crashed to the ground with a "bang." She rushed into the house, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed limply to the ground.

"Don't come any closer!"

Shen Jinglong held down the struggling Sisi with one hand, while his other hand moved with lightning speed, pressing several acupoints on her chest.

Useless.

The internal energy he unleashed was like a stone sinking into the sea. Sisi's life force was rapidly draining away.

Footsteps echoed haphazardly in the corridor.

The Medicine King, having lost one shoe while running, rushed in barefoot: "What happened??"

He shoved the nurse next to him aside, grabbed Sisi's wrist, and his expression changed instantly.

"The pulse is completely erratic! All the internal organs are failing! This isn't an illness!"

The Medicine King lifted Sisi's eyelids and shone a flashlight on her.

The pupils were dilated. But deep within the pupils, a black vortex the size of a grain of rice was swirling.

"It's evil magic! Someone's trying to kill her!" The Medicine King slammed his stethoscope to the ground. "Quick! Cardiotonic injections, adrenaline, and a defibrillator! Bring them all over here!!"

A group of doctors frantically began to attempt resuscitation.

The moment the needle pierced the skin, the puncture site began to fester, oozing black fluid. The medication simply couldn't be injected.

The heart rate curve on the monitor is about to flatten into a straight line.

"Beep-beep-" The piercing alarm sounded.

"No! This is not a problem that medicine can solve!" a doctor shouted in despair.

"Get out of here!"

Shen Jinglong shoved the person blocking his way. He pulled out his needle case from his pocket and opened it with a "whoosh".

Thirteen golden needles, the Thirteen Needles of the Mysterious School.

"Certainly!"

Shen Jinglong picked up the first golden needle and pierced it straight into the Renzhong Guigong acupoint.

"Ding!"

With a crisp sound, the golden needle, as if pierced by a steel plate, bent at a ninety-degree angle and flew out, embedding itself firmly in the wall, its tail still trembling with a buzzing sound.

A bloody gash appeared on Shen Jinglong's hand, and blood dripped down his body.

He refused to believe it, picked up the second and third gold needles, his eyes were so red they were almost bleeding, and he unleashed his full internal energy.

Two needles were simultaneously inserted into the acupoint on the chest.

The moment the needle touched her skin, a black lump swelled up on Sisi's chest, and a toxic, putrid stench crept up the needle and onto Shen Jinglong's fingers.

This aura... is exactly the same as that of the messenger who self-destructed before.

This isn't an illness; it's that holy master, the one who harmed his daughter.

"puff-"

Sisi, lying on the bed, coughed up a mouthful of black blood, her body twitched one last time, and then she remained still.

The monitor emitted a sharp, long beep.

"Beep————————"

A straight line.

The entire ward was deathly quiet.

Zhuque supported the unconscious Qin Xuerong, her eyes swollen with red.

The Medicine King collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face, crying, "Dragon Lord, I'm useless! Heaven is taking her away!"

Shen Jinglong stood by the bed, motionless, his eyes fixed on his daughter's pale face.

He reached out and gently wiped the black blood from his daughter's face.

"I won't let you die."

"Even the King of Hell wouldn't dare take my daughter. If he dares, I'll tear down his palace."

Shen Jinglong placed his hand on Sisi's head and poured his inner strength into her without restraint.

It was a bottomless pit. All his vitality was instantly swallowed up by that black energy.

"Okay, okay."

Shen Jinglong suddenly laughed, his laughter as hoarse as sandpaper rubbing.

"Since you're going to resort to such ruthless tactics, don't blame me for being uncivilized."

He slowly turned around.

The doctors in the room felt as if an invisible hand was gripping their necks, making it impossible for them to breathe.

Two streams of bloody tears flowed from Shen Jinglong's eyes, yet his expression remained so calm it sent chills down one's spine.

"Vermilion Bird".

Zhuque knelt down on one knee with a loud thud, his knee cracking the floor: "Commander Long, your subordinate is here!"

Shen Jinglong looked out the window at the dark night sky over Cangcheng.

"I remember, quite a few people were arrested this time?"

"Yes. The Zhou family's core seventy-two members, plus the Holy Lord's hidden agents, make a total of one hundred and eight, all of whom are on the transport vehicle."

One hundred and eight.

Shen Jinglong nodded, a cold smile curving his lips. "Enough."

He bent down and picked up his daughter, blanket and all.

"Pass on my order."

As Shen Jinglong walked out, he spoke, each step causing the floor to vibrate slightly.

"All the survivors, whether male or female, old or young."

He walked to the door, stopped, and turned to glance at the doctors who were all terrified in the room.

"Take them all to the city center square."

"Set up the stage."

"I need to see their blood within half an hour."

Zhuque looked up abruptly, her voice trembling: "Commander Long, what are you going to do..."

Shen Jinglong lowered his head and rubbed his blood-covered cheek against his daughter's cold forehead.

"I will use these 108 lives as a sacrifice to extend my daughter's life!!"

"If the Holy Lord wants to play evil, I'll play along to the very end."

"I'll kill anyone who dares to stop me."

"If the heavens stand in my way, I will slaughter them!!"