After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

Lobby on the first floor of the Xiao's Building.

This place has just been hit by a round of firearms.

The revolving door is now just a twisted and deformed metal frame, and the ground is covered with a thick layer of glass shards.

Zhou Ran stepped into the hall.

The military boots crushed the glass shards with a crisp "crack" sound.

Apart from that, there was not a sound of human voices.

"Achoo!"

On his shoulder, Bai Xuan, which had shrunk back to the size of a palm, sneezed violently, and the cap of the fungus trembled.

"Boss, this doesn't taste right."

"The smell of gunpowder was so strong that it almost made all my spores fall out."

Bai Xuan shrank his neck, his voice trembling.

"These bastards are ruthless. They're planning to blow us up, building and all."

Zhou Ran didn't stop walking, not even glancing at the shaky chandelier above her head.

"Bombing the building?"

A cold smile appeared on his face.

"That old devil from the Song family went to great lengths to possess my body, would he really be willing to blow it up?"

As long as Zhou Ran is still in the building, this detonator is just for show.

Ding--

The elevator doors slid open without warning.

The elevator car was empty.

Only one Gatling gun, mounted on a precision pan-tilt platform, had its dark muzzle gleaming with a cold, oily sheen, and its infrared sensor light suddenly turned red.

No preheating required.

Flames roared out!

Da da da da da—!

A metallic storm instantly filled every inch of space at the elevator entrance.

If it were an ordinary martial arts master, he would probably have been riddled with holes by now.

Zhou Ran did not dodge.

He casually waved his right hand.

It wasn't a flick of the finger, but a slap delivered from a distance.

boom!

The expensive automatic fire control system, along with half of the elevator car, was smashed into a scrap metal disc by an immense force.

The barrel twisted like a pretzel, and the bullet exploded inside the chamber, producing a series of muffled thuds.

After absorbing Li Cangtian's cultivation, his spiritual power had already recovered to more than 50%.

If it were an ordinary cultivator, forcibly infusing such a large amount of spiritual power, they would have already exploded and died.

This is the domineering nature of demonic cultivators.

"Take the stairs."

Zhou Ran turned around and pushed open the heavy fire door of the safety passage.

Thirty-eight floors.

My foot had just stepped onto the first step.

A dull cracking sound came from above.

Immediately afterwards, a strong wind swept over them.

Several tons of precast concrete slabs were deliberately blown apart, and along with the reinforced concrete, they crashed down the narrow stairwell like an avalanche.

You want to bury me alive?

Zhou Ran looked up, his eyes blazing with a purple-gold light.

"Get out of here!"

His figure rose from the ground, transforming into a black cannonball shooting against the current.

boom!

The first cement slab was blasted into powder.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

It charged upwards all the way.

Whether it's steel bars or concrete, it crumbles at the slightest touch.

Amidst the billowing dust, that figure moved with unstoppable force, nothing could stand in its way.

……

Top floor conference room.

In front of the surveillance screen.

The tactical commander, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, slumped in his chair, his clothes soaked with sweat.

He stared intently at the red dot on the screen, his eyes bloodshot.

Is this guy even human?!

Poison gas was ineffective, machine guns were rendered useless, and even hundreds of tons of falling rocks were shattered by hand!

"Where is Second Master?!"

Answer me!

He gripped the walkie-talkie and screamed, his voice cracking with extreme fear.

sizzle...

The only noise in the microphone was a cacophony of white noise.

Li Cangtian has gone missing.

Song Ren has gone missing.

The Black Mamba mercenary group fell silent.

The entire Jiangcheng defense network was torn to shreds by this man single-handedly in just ten minutes.

"monster……"

The man dropped the walkie-talkie, trembling.

It’s over.

It's completely over.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at the three women tied up in the corner, a mad dog-like ferocity surging in his eyes.

Since we're all going to die anyway, let's take a few down with us!

His hand trembled as he reached for the red-covered button in the center of the control panel.

Just press it.

The entire building's load-bearing structure would collapse within 0.1 seconds.

Let's all go to hell together!

The button was just one centimeter away from my fingertip.

A large, well-defined hand emerged from nowhere.

Gently pinch his wrist.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that."

Zhou Ran's voice was flat and close to his ear.

The tactical commander's body stiffened, as if his blood had stopped flowing.

He didn't even feel the wind.

When did this person come in?

He mechanically turned his head.

But it uncontrollably crashed into a pair of purple-gold eyes.

There was no murderous intent in his eyes, only a kind of indifference as if he were looking at a dead man.

"Zhou Ran, you..."

The man had just opened his mouth.

Click.

Comminuted fracture of the wrist.

"ah--!"

The scream had barely escaped his throat when Zhou Ran's index finger was already pointing at his brow.

puff.

A wisp of domineering demonic energy pierced through his brain.

The sound stopped abruptly.

The man's eyes lost their sparkle instantly, and his body visibly shriveled up, turning into a withered corpse.

Zhou Ran casually tossed his hand aside, his gaze sweeping over the messy conference room.

The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, blood, and lingering aroma of tea.

My gaze was fixed on the corner.

Three women were staring at him in a daze.

Chen Ya's hair was disheveled, and her expensive business suit was covered in dust, but her back was still ramrod straight.

Xiao Hongli bit her lower lip hard, her eyes red-rimmed, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall.

Only Lin Qingxue.

Her eyes were unfocused, as if she had lost her soul.

Only when Zhou Ran's figure came into view did a glimmer of light finally appear in those deathly gray eyes.

"Brother Zhou?"

His dry lips moved, his voice as soft as a bubble that would burst at the slightest touch.

Zhou Ran's breathing became slightly labored.

He took a few steps forward, flicked his fingertips, and unleashed a burst of spiritual energy that cut through all the ropes.

"Feel sorry."

He crouched down, his gaze level with Lin Qingxue's, his voice hoarse.

"I'm late."

This sound shattered Lin Qingxue's last line of defense.

"Wow--!"

She suddenly threw herself into Zhou Ran's arms, clutching his clothes tightly with both hands, and cried her heart out.

That's all...

woo woo woo...

Xiaoqi is gone...

"His soul has been scattered! He's even beyond the cycle of reincarnation!"

The girl's cries echoed in the empty conference room, each word a lament of heartbreak.

That was a despair deeper than death.

Zhou Ran's hand froze in mid-air before gently landing on her trembling back.

A gentle spiritual force entered her body, soothing her mind which was on the verge of collapse.

"I know."

Zhou Ran's voice was soft, yet cold and hard as iron.

"That bastard is downstairs, not quite dead yet."

"I will promote him."

"Do whatever you want with it."

Lin Qingxue's crying stopped abruptly.

Raise your head.

For the first time, a chilling hatred surfaced on that tear-streaked face.

"I want to skin him alive with my own hands."

Zhou Ran looked into her eyes and nodded emphatically.

"it is good."

Although Zhou Ran did not want Lin Qingxue to kill someone.

But she had to overcome this inner demon herself.

"Zhou Ran..."

Beside her, Chen Ya, holding onto a chair, managed to stand steadily. Though weak, she quickly regained her composure.

"It's not over yet."

She pointed to the still-flashing large screen, speaking very quickly.

"The Chen family compound... and my father, are about to collapse."

Zhou Ran followed the gaze.

On the screen, Chen Guodong, covered in blood, was being attacked by three assassins, facing imminent danger.

"rest assured."

Zhou Ran got up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window, a thunderstorm raged.

Purple lightning tore through the sky, illuminating his chilling face.

"Tonight, the Song family's ship must sink."

He took out his phone and dialed the number.

It rang only once, and the other end answered instantly.

"Mr. Zhou!"

Liu Jianguo's voice came through, his exhaustion tinged with barely suppressed anxiety.

"Are you still inside drinking tea?"

Zhou Ran's tone was unfriendly, tinged with sarcasm.

"A governor of Jiangnan, so powerful, has been trapped by such petty tricks?"

"...I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

Liu Jianguo's breath hitched, and then his tone turned cold.

"A person with a clear conscience has nothing to fear; I've already come out."

My men are on their way.

"very good."

Zhou Ran looked down at the city shrouded in rain, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

I don't listen to the process.

"One hour."

"I want to see all of the Song family's influence in Jiangcheng disappear from the map."

"If you can't do it, you can forget about holding this governorship."

Snapped.

hang up the phone.

Zhou Ran turned around, and his Zanpakuto appeared in his palm. The blade hummed, and demonic flames surged.

"Walk."

"I'm taking you to kill people."