I will burn books and slay gods.

At this moment, inside the study of the Huo residence.

A man sat alone deep in the study, a single lamp flickering on the rosewood desk.

The silk hem of the dark red robe trailed to the ground, stained with ink like dried blood.

The right hand holding the pen has distinct knuckles, with veins that protrude slightly like the roots of an old tree. The pen handle is made of aged Xiangfei bamboo, which has been worn into a warm amber color by the palm.

The ink in the inkstone was freshly ground, gleaming with a dark, metallic sheen.

When he dips his brush in ink, his wrist is as steady as a rock, and he lightly licks the edge of the inkstone three times with the tip of the brush—a habit that has remained unchanged for thirty years.

The moment he put pen to paper, the deep lines between his brows tightened suddenly, and his gaze became so sharp it could pierce through rice paper.

His nose was straight and sharp, casting a piercing shadow on his profile, and his lips were pressed into a cold, emotionless line.

The sound of the pen touching the paper was very soft, yet it shook the silence of the room.

The wrist moves in mid-air, and the force penetrates the back of the paper with each movement.

Every pause and stroke carries the spirit of metal and stone, as if it were written not with ink, but with molten iron.

The candlelight flickered on his sharply defined cheekbones, illuminating a few prematurely graying strands of hair at his temples.

As he finished writing, he suddenly held his breath.

The pen tip paused in mid-air for a moment, then snapped back—like a general retracting a spear that had pierced an enemy's throat.

The brush tip made a very fine rustling sound as it left the paper, and a few specks of ink splashed onto the cuff, blooming into a deeper mark on the dark red background.

He slowly put down his pen, his body still maintaining the forward-leaning posture he had been in while writing.

His gaze fell on the newly completed handwriting, and his eyes looked more like scrutiny than appreciation—examining the structure of each stroke and the soul of each character.

The morning breeze seeped in through the window cracks, rustling the loose scraps of paper on the desk, but his robe remained perfectly still, and he himself became like a monument just retrieved from the Ink River, not yet fully solidified.

He put down the ink-stained brush, pressed himself against the wooden table, and slowly propped himself up.

He walked to the window and looked at the several graceful bamboo and cypress trees. The warm sun shone down, reflecting off his dark red robe, making him look like an old scholar in a study.

Just then, a sudden gust of cold wind swept in from outside the window, making Huo Zhen, who was gazing at the beautiful scenery outside, become alert!

"Who is it? Come out, stop playing tricks here!" Huo Zhen warned without even looking up.

Suddenly, a spatial rift opened up in the very center of the study.

After witnessing this shocking scene, Huo Zhen frowned deeply. "Whether it's a person or a ghost, why bother with all the secrecy?"

As a man wearing a demon mask and radiating immense pressure emerged from the spatial rift, the rift behind him vanished instantly.

"Who are you?" Huo Zhenqiang asked, trying to suppress his panic, but his eyes were still filled with fear.

"My name is 'Blueprint'."

"Patriarch Huo, there's no need to be so cautious. I'm here because I need your help. Please do me a favor."

"Once the matter is settled, I will return to the Huo family and live on for eternity!"

Lan Tu lowered his posture and slowed his tone as he introduced Lan Tu to Huo Zhen.

Huo Zhen scanned the person in front of him, feeling somewhat worried. Who exactly was this person who had suddenly appeared?

"You've come to my study so quietly, and you still want me to do things for you? That's hardly sincere, is it?"

After hearing Huo Zhen's words, Lan Tu suddenly burst into laughter.

"Patriarch Huo, your physique is considerably stronger than the other patriarchs I saw last night!"

"Apart from one person named Mo Chen, none of them were willing to work for me, so I had no choice but to..."

Lan Tu didn't finish speaking. Instead, he raised his right hand, and immediately a spatial rift opened up again!

A familiar figure slowly emerged from the spatial rift.

"Mo Chen!" Huo Zhen exclaimed in astonishment, "How could he be here!"

What happened next was even more shocking. Mo Chen knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and respectfully said to Lan Tu, "Greetings, Master!"

This incident caused Huo Zhen, who witnessed the scene, to frown deeply and look terrified.

"Patriarch Huo," Lan Tu asked again, "would you be willing to work for me?"

Huo Zhen immediately knelt on one knee, just like Mo Chen, and clasped his hands in front of Lan Tu, replying, "I, Huo Zhen, am willing to obey my master's orders! I will not hesitate to do so."

Seeing how obedient Huo Zhen was, Lan Tu walked up to him, helped him up, and said, "Since that's the case, I have a gift for you. See if you like it?"

Upon hearing Lan Tu's words, Huo Zhen couldn't help but feel worried, fearing that he might become a puppet like Mo Chen.

But what happened next made Huo Zhen feel as if he had become a "god".

After helping Huo Zhen up, Lan Tu raised his left hand, and at that moment, a cold, azure flame—Hellfire—condensed in his palm.

Before Huo Zhen could react, Lan Tu used his mind to lift Huo Zhen up, and then the ball of hellfire in his palm was directly melted into Huo Zhen's body.

The moment it merged into Huo Zhen's body, Huo Zhen felt his body become extremely cold, and he even exhaled cold air. His body couldn't help but tremble.

As time passed, Huo Zhen's body temperature returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. The only change was that Huo Zhen's pupils turned a deep blue.

At this point, after Lantu possesses the "Harmony Bell," he gains the ability to grant ordinary people "compatibility."

However, most of them are "false appearances," and these appearances do not possess "karmic obstacles."

However, this does not mean that this ability is good. It will cause the pollutants, which the Night Watchers call "karma," to accumulate, thus being corrupted by the Nightmare and turning into the form of a "Nightmare Troll," losing consciousness!

At this time, Huo Zhen also gradually noticed the difference in his body.

Huo Zhen discovered that there was a ball of bright blue flame burning fiercely inside his body.

Huo Zhen began to try, condensing the flame in his palm. As soon as Huo Zhen had a thought, a ball of hellfire indeed condensed in his palm.

Upon witnessing this, Huo Zhen withdrew the Hellfire and knelt before the blueprint once more, bowing in gratitude: "Thank you for your gift, Master!"

"Master, what task do you have? Is there anything I need to complete?"

Huo Zhen looked firmly into Lan Tu's eyes, as if seeking a mission, hoping to gain his master's approval and acquire even greater power!

With a flick of his wrist, Lan Tu produced several portraits and handed them to Huo Zhen. "If you see the person in these portraits, you don't need my permission; just kill them!"

"These people have already appeared in this city. Kill them as soon as you see them."

Huo Zhen unfolded the portrait that the blueprint had been handed to him, and looking at the unfamiliar face on it, a troubled expression appeared on his face.

Lan Tu noticed the change in Huo Zhen's expression and his face instantly turned serious.

"What's wrong? Can't you do it?"

Huo Zhen saw that Lan Tu's voice had lowered, and instantly sensed that the entire room was becoming tense.

Huo Zhen immediately knelt down and explained, "Master, I just didn't know that these seemingly young children could make you go to such lengths?"

After hearing Huo Zhende's question, Lan Tu explained, "If you think of them as children, you might not even know how you died after you encounter them."

When Huo Zhen heard his master say these words, he couldn't help but show a look of astonishment on his face.

He never expected that these children, who seemed to be around the same age as his own, would make the owner so wary.

"Don't worry, Master."

"I will pass this message on to my children and guards as quickly as possible."

"When we encounter them, we will not give them any chance to react; we will kill them outright!"

"If I fail, I will come to die!"

After hearing Huo Zhen's assurance, Lan Tu immediately said, "Since Patriarch Huo makes such a guarantee, then I will bestow upon you three more power stones."

Immediately afterwards, three spheres emanating a black aura appeared from Lan Tu's palm—Nightmare Pills.

Lan Tu explained to Huo Zhen, "These three Nightmare Pills contain immense energy. They should only be used as a last resort. Once consumed, they will be enough to kill them in one blow!"

Huo Zhen carefully took the three Nightmare Pills from Lan Tu's hand, admiring them as if they were precious treasures.

After handing the Nightmare Pill to Huo Zhen, Lan Tu led Mo Chen around, and the spatial rift bloomed again. Finally, Lan Tu left a message for Huo Zhen.

"Looking forward to your good news, Patriarch Huo!"

In an instant, the spatial rift that was originally in front of Huo Zhen disappeared without a trace, as if nothing had happened.

But at this moment, Huo Zhen looked at the three Nightmare Pills in his hand, and the Hellfire that had condensed from his palm.

Huo Zhen burst into laughter, a laugh that could be heard by almost everyone in the entire Huo mansion!

……

Meanwhile, Chen Ye and his two companions, still standing in front of the notice board, were looking at the wanted posters for them.

All three of them looked troubled, wondering how things had turned out this way overnight.

"These three portraits must be torn down to prevent more people from knowing about us."

"Old Wang, go and keep watch around. Lin Su and I will tear down our portraits. We need to get back into the courtyard quickly."

Wang Xiaoming nodded, then turned around to observe his surroundings.

Chen Ye and Lin Su quickly walked to the notice board and removed the portrait that had been pasted on with paste.

Soon after, Chen Ye and Lin Su tore down the portraits on the notice board, leaving nothing behind.

After tearing the portraits off, Chen Ye crumpled the three portraits into a ball, turning them into a small paper ball.

Then, Chen Ye gently patted Wang Xiaoming on the shoulder, "Let's go, Lao Wang."

Not long after Chen Ye had left, some time had passed.

A group of people walked toward the notice board, one of whom was Wang Jie, the eldest son of the Wang family.