During the Qin Dynasty, he was in charge of the net.

Even so, one executioner was still unable to dodge in time and was grabbed by the arm by the monster.

The monster opened its mouth as wide as it could, and because it was wearing a mask, the skin around its mouth rolled outwards, making it look quite terrifying.

Just then, a pale blue, transparent water sphere exploded between the executioner and the monster.

boom!

The powerful impact instantly separated the two.

The executioner was thrown back by the impact, but Li Ji held him down with one hand, dissipating the force of the blow.

With no one to help him, the monster was blasted away and crashed into the stone wall behind him.

With a clang, a faint white mark was left on the stone wall.

The monster, though struck by the impact, did not pause for a moment. In an instant, it pressed itself against the stone wall, pushed off with its foot, and charged at the executioner once more.

Seeing this, Li Ji pushed the executioner in front of him aside, and the executioner retreated several steps and returned to the crowd.

Therefore, Li Ji would be the first to bear the brunt of the monster's attack.

Despite this, Li Ji remained calm and composed until the monster rushed right up to him.

A flash of dark blue light appeared in his eyes, and the Netherworld True Qi in his dantian erupted, causing a burst of water vapor to rise. Three water blades appeared out of thin air and slashed towards the monster.

The monster paused, seemingly sensing a threat, and actually ducked to avoid a water blade.

But the second water blade came right away, and the monster had no choice but to use its arms in front of it to forcefully block the second water blade.

The water blade left only a faint bloodstain on his arms, but the force of the water blade's explosion sent him staggering back several steps.

Finally, the third water blade came in quick succession, but unexpectedly, the monster neither dodged nor avoided it, and instead rushed towards Li Ji at an even faster speed.

Facing the third water blade, the monster bent over and forcefully blocked it at an odd angle.

The water blade struck his abdomen, causing a trickle of blood to seep through his clothes.

Strangely, the water blade did not significantly affect its speed. It seemed that after the second water blade, the monster had quickly learned how to use its own flesh and blood to deflect the impact.

Seeing that the monster had used this method to receive his three water blades, Li Ji finally became interested.

His water blades were of average power, only their speed was decent. The fact that he could withstand three water blades showed that the monster was indeed quite strong.

But that's not enough; killing the monster would be much simpler for him.

With a casual wave of his hand, he could condense dozens, even hundreds, of water blades, and the three water blades were merely an appetizer.

The reason he didn't kill it immediately, but instead tested it, was simply to assess the monster's value.

However, it seems that the monster's value has not yet met his expectations.

Three water blades were enough to barely keep the monster at bay, five water blades would push it to its limit, and ten water blades would kill it completely.

In Li Ji's estimation, a typical Killer-level user could only withstand one or two of his water blades, while an elite Killer-level user of the second rank might be able to withstand three or four.

As for the highest-ranking Heaven-level, one must at least be able to withstand a hundred water blades from his casual attacks.

The monster's strength was slightly greater than that of an elite second-class killer, but it did not reach the level of a candidate for the Heavenly rank.

The term "Heavenly Candidate" is not explicitly defined by the Luo Net; it is more of a representative term indicating that someone has the qualifications to compete for the highest rank.

Li Ji was in this state before he began the three tasks given to him by the leader of the Luo Wang organization.

If it were him back then, he could probably withstand ten such water blades, but twenty would surely kill him.

In other words, the monster in front of Li Ji has not yet reached the strength of a candidate for the Heavenly Rank.

Li Ji remembered very clearly that in file number 749, it was clearly recorded that Wu Nian's strength before his defection was at the Heavenly Rank candidate level.

Was it because his strength declined after being made a puppet by the previous head of the Dark Execution Platform? Or was it because he was imprisoned for more than ten years, which caused his strength to be much weaker than before?

Li Ji wanted to verify it.

As Li Ji faced the monster, which was less than three feet away from him, he raised his right hand slightly. White steam dissipated, and a large number of pale blue water-shaped chains rose from the air and the ground, instantly completely binding the monster.

Each water-shaped chain, no thicker than a finger, tightly bound the monster, rendering it unable to move.

Its right hand was still extended forward, with sharp, black nails on its fingers. Just now, the monster had tried to tear Li Ji's throat with these claws so that it could drink its fill of blood.

Now, all the monster could do was roar angrily at Li Ji.

The sound was not like a human voice, but more like the sound that only some kind of wild animal could make.

Li Ji raised his right hand and gently placed it on the monster's forehead. Then, a burst of Netherworld True Qi erupted from his palm.

The force did not spread, but rather remained contained, impacting the monster's head.

The monster paused, and a look of pain flashed in its eyes. This was rare, as the monster had almost no sense of pain. Even when it was blasted away or injured by the water blades, it did not show any signs of pain.

But now, the monster seems to be truly feeling pain.

He kept raising his hands, trying to cover his head, or perhaps trying to pound his head, but it was all in vain under the entanglement of the water-shaped chains.

As Li Ji unleashed three bursts of Netherworld True Qi from his palm, jets of black energy shot out from the monster's head.

With a casual wave of his hand, Li Ji summoned several water spheres that appeared in the air, completely enveloping the projectiles.

Through the pale blue water, one can clearly see that they are actually tiny needles several inches long.

Because it had been inside the human brain for a long time, the needle was covered with thick, black blood.

When Li Ji saw these fine needles, a knowing glint flashed in his eyes.

This was clearly the method used by the previous leader to control the monster, destroying its memories and emotions through these long, thin needles, thus creating a puppet that only retained its murderous intent.

However, this method of control also has drawbacks. Over time, the flow of Qi and blood in the body and the impact of external forces will cause the long needles at the seven major acupoints, such as the center of the eyebrows, the jade pillow, and the Fengchi acupoint, to slowly shift.

If the needle is misaligned, the control will plummet.

And this may be the reason why Wu Nian and the other puppets went out of control back then.

After forcing the long needle out of the monster's head, Li Ji removed the water-shaped chains from its body.

After the monster landed, its body trembled violently, and its bones and muscles burst out with dull, crisp sounds. The vital acupoints and meridians that had been suppressed by acupuncture for many years were fully stretched out, and its murderous aura suddenly surged. Its aura steadily increased compared to before, and its imposing presence was fierce and intimidating.

His eyes lost their lifeless, wooden look, replaced by a chilling, murderous glint. His memories had been erased, his mind was empty, leaving only the ingrained killing instinct.

Previously, this monster could not be called human; it was merely a beast-like being.

Now, although the monster is still unable to communicate, it can be called a person, a person without a soul.

In Li Ji's eyes, the monster was just a hairless wolf with no facial features and only a gaping maw.

Now, although it still doesn't have facial features, it has grown a pair of eyes and has completely transformed into human form.

This was the first time Li Ji had discovered such a significant change in someone's mental state since he mastered the Mind-Observing Mantra.

In fact, it's a miracle that this person survived.

When Li Ji forced the long needle out, he couldn't guarantee the angle at which it shot out. If the deviation was too large, the person would likely die on the spot.

Perhaps within the Net, there are almost no examples of someone who has been subjected to the Seven Soul-Tempering Needles and has been safely forced out.

Perhaps only this one will survive.

Given its current state and strength, Li Ji finally began to consider completely subduing it and turning it into a handy weapon in his hands.