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

The inner courtyard of Baicaotang.

The wind was a bit strong, making the lanterns in the corridor sway and casting long shadows on the floor, like a group of menacing ghosts.

Qin Xuerong, wrapped in a thick trench coat, stood at the door of the ward, rubbing her hands. Seeing the familiar figure approaching from the end of the corridor, her tense shoulders instantly relaxed, and she quickly went to meet him.

"You're back?"

Shen Jinglong stopped two steps away.

He deliberately didn't get too close, and just nodded.

"About the outside world..." Qin Xuerong hesitated, then glanced at him, making sure nothing was missing before letting out a sigh of relief.

"It's all cleaned up."

Shen Jinglong twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a set of white teeth, and said in a relaxed tone, "I've arranged 'one-way tickets' for all those people from the Zhou family. They're probably all lining up to get their lunchboxes right now."

Qin Xuerong was amused by his unserious behavior and gave a wry smile, reaching out to pat the dust off his collar.

"You... be serious." She lowered her voice and pointed to the ward door behind her. "Sisi was quite well-behaved today. That old man, the Medicine King, just left. He said that as long as a substitute for the 'Life-Sustaining Ginseng' can be found, the child's illness can be stabilized. She just drank her medicine and is sleeping soundly now."

"Are you really asleep?"

The fierceness in Shen Jinglong's eyes receded like the tide, replaced by a gentleness unique to an old father.

"Okay, go check on her, but be quiet and don't wake her up."

Looking at his daughter's face, he felt that killing the hundred or so people tonight was worth it.

"Dad's home."

He muttered something under his breath and reached out to grasp the small hand that was sticking out from under the blanket.

My hands are very cold.

It's like holding a piece of ice.

Shen Jinglong frowned slightly, cupped the small hand in his palm, and tried to warm it up.

"Don't be afraid, Sisi, Daddy chased away all the bad guys."

He gently stroked his daughter's hand with his thumb, mentally planning which amusement park he would take her to relive her childhood. "When you're better, Daddy will buy you whatever you want to eat, whether it's KFC or..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

The little hand in my palm suddenly twitched.

Immediately afterwards, a tremendous force erupted from that small body!

Sisi suddenly sprang up from the bed, her back arching, like a live fish thrown into a frying pan, thrashing violently on the bed.

"Sisi?!"

Shen Jinglong's expression changed drastically, and he reached out to press it.

The moment my hand touched her shoulder, I felt a burning sensation—not from heat, but from cold.

Extremely cold and damp.

The cold seeped into my bones from my fingertips, like countless tiny ice snakes crawling into my blood vessels.

"Uh...uh..."

Sisi made a sound like a bellows breaking in her throat, and her teeth clenched so tightly they clicked.

What's most frightening is her face.

Her originally pale face turned bluish-purple at a visible speed. Two lines of dark red blood flowed down from her tightly closed eyes, dripping onto the pillow and hissing as they rose into the air.

The pillow was instantly corroded, leaving two large holes.

"Xue Rong! Call a doctor!!"

Shen Jinglong turned around and roared, his voice so loud that it made the windowpanes vibrate.

Qin Xuerong rushed in through the door, and upon seeing this scene, her eyes rolled back and she nearly fainted, letting out a piercing scream: "Sisi!"

"Don't come any closer!"

Shen Jinglong held down Sisi, who was struggling, with one hand, while his other hand swiftly pressed several acupoints on her chest.

Useless.

It's totally useless.

Those few finger strikes were like a stone thrown into the sea. Sisi's life force was rapidly draining away, like a punctured balloon.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way now!"

The Medicine King, wearing a white coat and having lost one shoe while running, rushed in with a group of doctors and nurses.

"What happened? It was fine just now!"

The Medicine King shoved aside the nurse next to him and grabbed Sisi's wrist.

The moment the old man put it on, his face turned green.

"This...this pulse..."

"This is evil magic! Someone is killing her!"

The Medicine King slammed his stethoscope on the ground, stamping his feet in frustration. "Quick! Cardiotonic injection! Adrenaline! Bring the defibrillator over! Whatever it takes, get my heart back on track!"

A group of doctors frantically began to attempt resuscitation.

But as soon as the needle went in, the puncture site started to fester and ooze black fluid. The medication couldn't be pushed in, and the body couldn't absorb it at all.

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

"Beep—beep—"

The alarm blared incessantly, like a death knell.

"No! This is something medicine can't solve!" a doctor cried out.

"Get out of here!"

Shen Jinglong shoved aside the person blocking his way.

He knew that science was now offline, and he had to rely on metaphysics.

He pulled out his ever-present needle case from his pocket and unfolded it with a "whoosh".

Thirteen golden needles gleamed coldly under the lamplight.

The Thirteen Needles of Xuanmen: Snatching people from the clutches of Yama, the King of Hell.

"Place your order!"

Shen Jinglong held his breath, his fingers as steady as iron clamps, and the first needle pierced the Renzhong Guigong acupoint.

This needle carries his pure true energy; it can even bring a dead person back to life.

"Ding!"

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

The moment the needle touched her skin, a black lump suddenly swelled up on Sisi's chest, as if something alive was moving under her skin.

The black mist crawled up the needle tip and onto Shen Jinglong's finger.

An extremely poisonous and putrid aura instantly flooded his meridians.

This aura...

Shen Jinglong was all too familiar with it.

The aura emanating from it was exactly the same as that of the messenger who had self-destructed before, even purer and more malevolent.

This is not an illness.

This is a declaration of war.

It was that so-called "Holy Lord" who sent him a "great gift" from thousands of miles away.

If we can't kill him or destroy his Daoist heart, then we'll target his most vulnerable point: his daughter.

"puff--"

Sisi, lying on the bed, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of black blood. Her small body convulsed violently one last time, and then... she stopped moving.

The monitor emitted a piercing long beep.

"Beep——————"

straight line.

Qin Xuerong swayed and collapsed softly, but was caught by Zhuque beside her.

The Medicine King plopped down on the ground, ripped off his hat and threw it violently, tears streaming down his face. "Dragon Lord... I... am powerless! Heaven is taking her away, Heaven is taking her away!"

Shen Jinglong stood by the bed, motionless.

"I won't let you die."

He reached out, this time slowly and gently, and wiped away the line of black blood from his daughter's face.

"Even the King of Hell wouldn't dare take my daughter."

"Okay, okay..."

Shen Jinglong suddenly laughed.

His laughter was hoarse, sending chills down one's spine.

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

He slowly turned around.

"Vermilion Bird".

Zhuque trembled and knelt on one knee: "General Long, your subordinate is here!"

Shen Jinglong didn't even glance at her, his gaze passing through the window to the dark night sky of Cangcheng.

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

His voice was soft and flat, as if he were asking what he had for dinner.

Zhu Que's scalp tingled with fear. She had followed Shen Jinglong for so many years and had never seen him in such a state before—it was an extreme calm before he went completely mad.

"Yes... the core of the Zhou family, 72 people, plus the 'Holy Master' spy we just found, make a total of 108 people, all in the escort vehicle."

One hundred and eight.

Shen Jinglong nodded.

That's enough.

He bent down and picked up his daughter, blanket and all, as carefully as if he were holding a fragile porcelain doll.

"Pass on my order."

Shen Jinglong spoke as he walked out.

With each step he took, the floor trembled slightly, as if it couldn't bear the killing intent emanating from him.

"All survivors, regardless of gender, age, or whether they are surnamed Zhou or belong to any organization..."

He walked to the door, paused, and turned to look at the room full of terrified doctors.

"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, you mean...?"

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

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

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