TMWTGD CH44

Loren was still heartily singing his praises, “Doesn’t he look rather handsome? Pity he’s a man. If he were a girl… hehe, I wouldn’t lend him to you.”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

Yan Ke: “I have a few choice words I don’t know whether I should say!”

Sadly, he had no chance to say them, as Loren continued relentlessly tarnishing his image, “Xiao Ke, hurry up and bow to His Excellency.”

Xiao Ke my foot, my name is Yan Ke, ahhhhh!

Yan Ke’s resentment was powerful enough to pierce the dreamscape and shoot straight into the cosmos!

Xie Jianwei was amused by the two of them. “No need, keep him for yourself.”

“You really don’t want him?” Loren said, “Xiao Ke isn’t some mere sprite, he’s a demon of quite pure lineage. He’s very handy to use.”

Although he knew the “use” Loren referred to was perfectly normal, any word tumbling from this playboy’s lips somehow gained a suggestive tint.

Looking at the demon who shared his exact face, Yan Ke wanted to cry but had no tears. “My Lord, why don’t you just keep him by your side!”

He was terrified that “he” would be subjected to this and that by Loren. Although Loren was ostensibly straight, god only knew how long a straight man could remain straight within the dream of the hopelessly bent Lord Marshal…

Ignoring him, Xie Jianwei looked at Loren and said, “A demon is indeed rare.”

He had noticed the smugness dancing in Loren’s eyes when stating Yan Ke’s nature. Clearly, securing a demon as a familiar was something to be proud of.

Sure enough, Loren unsealed his chatterbox, successfully spilling many “settings” Xie Jianwei hadn’t known.

“Look at how adorable his little bone wings are. They’re a bit tender now, but his potential is limitless. I made a bet with him in a bar, and this kid lost, which is why he signed a contract with me. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have been able to get my hands on such a pure demon.”

Hearing this, Xie Jianwei understood. Loren offering to lend Yan Ke to him was an excuse; showing off was his true motive.

Xie Jianwei hadn’t intended to accept Yan Ke anyway—having one Yan Ke in his head was plenty. He absolutely could not take on another. Just thinking of the gossip-mongering Yan Ke from the previous world was enough!

Xie Jianwei humored Loren appropriately, “Quite rare indeed.”

Loren said, “Of course, it doesn’t compare to your former Greater Demon. However, having a familiar that’s too powerful isn’t good either. If you can’t suppress it, it might end up turning against…” He had meant to say turning against its master, but seeming to recall something, he glanced at Xie Jianwei and abruptly clamped his mouth shut.

Xie Jianwei was extraordinarily sharp, catching the crucial point from a mere slip of the tongue. Frowning slightly, he said, “Let’s not bring up the past.”

While he spoke those words, Yan Ke grew frantic, “My Lord, there’s clearly a story here! Perhaps the Lord Marshal is that Greater Demon. Aren’t you going to ask more?”

Soon enough, Yan Ke realized just how naive he was.

Why didn’t Xie Jianwei ask directly? If he questioned him directly like Yan Ke suggested, Loren would undoubtedly grow suspicious. But uttering an ambiguous phrase like “let’s not bring up the past” was far more effective at baiting Loren into spilling a basketful of details.

Loren was Lu Li’s trusted confidant, his most valued comrade-in-arms. Therefore, his existence within the dream was guaranteed to be beneficial to Xie Jianwei.

Lu Li always gave what he believed was best to Xie Jianwei; of this, there was no doubt.

Since Loren was well-intentioned, he would naturally care for Xie Jianwei. Merely by frowning and assuming a troubled expression, Loren was certain to take the bait.

Sure enough, Loren waved Yan Ke away. Stepping closer to Xie Jianwei, he sighed heavily, “Tell me, aren’t you being foolish? It’s just a familiar. If it’s gone, it’s gone. Why are you always fixated on getting him back? Besides, he’s a Greater Demon; he’s probably already back in the Demon Realm living free and easy. You still can’t let him go. Doesn’t acting like this make you a pathetic master?”

Could Lu Li be that Greater Demon?

It couldn’t be ruled out. After all, within the dream, Lu Li would never allow Xie Jianwei to have intimate entanglements with anyone other than himself.

Xie Jianwei said, “I haven’t failed to let him go.”

Loren patted his shoulder. “Say no more, as long as you know what you’re doing. Speaking of which, your recent seclusion in the Black Domain yielded great results. Complete any random mission, and you’ll ascend to a Six-Star Reaper.”

The Black Domain? Xie Jianwei thought of that pitch-black, pitch-dark place he had been in earlier.

So he had been in seclusion. Though, why did this seclusion feel so much like sleeping in?

Whatever. It was Lu Li’s setting anyway, probably bending the rules for him behind the scenes again.

Chatting idly with Loren along the way, Xie Jianwei coaxed out plenty of information.

This was the Intermediate Realm, also known as the Realm of the Dead—the domain of the Grim Reapers.

This dreamscape featured angels, demons, humans, and Grim Reapers.

Angels and demons were opposing factions, naturally.

Humans were the pitiful little lambs, occasionally bullied and occasionally protected. That was also easy to grasp.

As for the Grim Reapers, they belonged neither to the angels nor the demons. Their task was overseeing the continuous reincarnation of souls. In a sense, the only ones truly selflessly “dedicating” themselves to humanity were the Reapers.

Angels required human faith to multiply their power, while demons required human souls as sustenance.

As for the Grim Reapers, they needed nothing. Born from darkness, returning to darkness, as long as the Black Domain stood, the Reapers would never perish.

Reapers had rankings as well. Newborns were interns; they reaped souls according to assigned missions. Upon success, they accumulated Death Points. Upon reaching a certain threshold, they could enter the Black Domain for seclusion. Upon emerging, they merely had to resume active duty to advance in rank.

Resuming active duty simply meant completing one reaping mission.

Xie Jianwei had previously been a Five-Star Reaper, and was now poised to reach Six Stars. In the entire Intermediate Realm, the highest-ranking Reapers were only Seven Stars.

Therefore, Xie Jianwei’s status was exceptionally high.

Loren said, “Pity I fed my Death Points to my familiar. Otherwise, I could have made a push for Six-Star Reaper too.”

A Reaper’s scythe could harvest human souls, but it could also be used to forge contracts with sprites or demons.

Once the contract was established, the familiar would serve its master, performing all duties outlined within the agreement.

Generally, most Reapers’ familiars were sprites, as they were relatively weaker and easier to subjugate.

However, a powerful Reaper could also subjugate a demon as a familiar. It was merely incredibly difficult and consumed a massive amount of Death Points. Aside from exceptional circumstances or someone stumbling into unexpected luck like Loren, no one typically chose to do so.

Of course, possessing a demon proved that the Reaper was formidably strong.

Hearing this, Xie Jianwei actually felt a twinge of regret that he hadn’t accepted Xiao Ke when the offer was made.

Loren had no intention of lending him out; he was merely parading his prize the entire time.

If Xie Jianwei had truly taken Xiao Ke, Loren’s smugly wagging tail would probably have snapped in half from the heartache.

Thinking of this, Xie Jianwei found it rather amusing, making the regret even more pronounced.

After parting ways with Loren, Xie Jianwei went to consult some archives. He had intended to look up information related to himself, but discovered that Reapers were highly independent, living separate lives without centralized administration.

Although ranked, lower-tier Reapers merely showed respect to higher-tier ones. There was no strict hierarchical command, and higher-tier Reapers did not dictate the actions of lower-tier ones.

Regardless of rank, all Reapers needed to accept missions and harvest souls.

Therefore, Reapers were generally quite busy, with few having the idle leisure to maintain records on any specific individual.

Finding no useful information, yet remaining deeply concerned about his lost demon familiar, Xie Jianwei wanted to fish for more details.

Thus, he set his sights on Loren once more.

Xie Jianwei “accidentally” ran into Loren.

“Speaking of which, why don’t you keep Xiao Ke by your side?”

Loren said, “What does it matter? If I just snap my fingers, he’ll appear.” Reapers could summon familiars at will, so they didn’t need to trail their masters constantly.

Xie Jianwei smiled faintly. “He is a pure-blooded demon, after all.”

Hearing this filled Loren with pride. He winked and said, “So what? He still signed a contract with me, and a Crimson Contract at that. Even if I demanded his body, he’d have no choice but to agree.”

Yan Ke: “…” Why had he never noticed before how punchable Admiral Loren was??

Putting himself in that scenario, Xie Jianwei found the thought of two playboys together rather appalling. He cleared his throat and said, “Don’t be careless. He may have signed a contract with you, but if you don’t keep an eye on him, how do you know he won’t get up to something else?”

Loren froze.

Xie Jianwei hinted, “What exactly did you bet on? For him to lose so easily? Could it be that he deliberately wants to infiltrate the Intermediate Realm?”

Loren wasn’t stupid. Hearing this instantly set off alarm bells. “It was an oversight on my part.”

Xie Jianwei said, “That’s why you must keep him by your side at all times.”

Loren nodded gravely. “Understood!”

Whether Yan Ke harbored ulterior motives or not, Xie Jianwei had no idea. Regardless, his own objective was achieved.

To prevent his familiar from getting into “mischief,” Loren began dragging him along wherever he went. Loren was already an eye-catching presence; now, parading around daily with such a striking familiar, it didn’t take long for over half the Reapers in the Intermediate Realm to learn that Loren had acquired a pureblood demon as a familiar.

Lower-tier Reapers could only watch in envy, looking upon Loren with even greater respect and admiration.

However, Reapers of the same rank grew displeased. Though they said nothing openly, they inevitably gossiped in private.

This was exactly the moment Xie Jianwei had been waiting for.

“Look at Loren strutting around. So he got a demon, does he have to be so insufferably smug about it?”

“Right? Dragging him everywhere he goes, terrified someone might not know his familiar is a demon.”

“Didn’t Xie Jianwei subjugate a Greater Demon back in the day? You didn’t see him parading it around all day long!”

“Exactly. I heard that Greater Demon was of an incredibly high tier, famously renowned in the Demon Realm.”

Xie Jianwei had finally heard what he wanted to hear.

Having brought up the topic, the two began whispering, “Xie Jianwei is truly formidable. After subjugating a familiar like that, he charged straight into the Heavenly Realm and nearly slaughtered the Archangel.”

“Keep your voice down, that incident is taboo.”

“It’s fine. Those below us can’t hear us, and anyone who could eavesdrop would be a Five or Six-Star Reaper, and they know more about it than we do.”

“That’s true…” The one with the sharper voice relaxed and continued, “I think Xie Jianwei is practically a god. He’s usually so gentle and refined; who knew he could be so terrifying when he snapped.”

“It was quite satisfying, though. We don’t answer to the Heavenly Realm to begin with. What right do those birdmen have to boss us around?”

“We might not answer to them, but we aren’t enemies either. Charging up there with a Greater Demon… cough… wasn’t exactly the best move.”

“Weren’t they the ones in the wrong? Killing Xie Jianwei’s friend? That’s what drove him to such extreme measures.”

The one with the deeper voice lowered his tone further. “I heard it was more than just that…”

“You mean the rumors about Xie Jianwei and the Archangel?”

“Cough… Is it true or false? I heard the Archangel cheated, and Xie Jianwei stormed the Heavenly Realm in a fit of rage to kill him?”

“Well, probably only Loren knows the truth of that.”

“It’s bizarre, come to think of it. Loren’s a blabbermouth who dares to say anything, yet when it comes to Xie Jianwei, his lips are sealed tighter than a clam.”

“If he didn’t have that one redeeming quality, why would Xie Jianwei consider him a friend?”

“Sigh, that bastard Loren is incredibly lucky. He gets to be close friends with Xie Jianwei, and even bagged a demon as a familiar…”

Their topic circled back to Loren, grumbling enviously about his dumb luck.

Xie Jianwei had gathered quite a bit of information, but the plotlines… were rather convoluted.

Yan Ke tallied them up: “A Greater Demon, an Archangel, and your friend who was killed by the Archangel…”

Yan Ke looked utterly bewildered. “Which one is the Lord Marshal?”

Xie Jianwei: “…Hard to say.”

The simplest and crudest method to determine who Lu Li was would be: who had Xie Jianwei slept with?

Unfortunately… unless they were a publicly acknowledged couple, such intimate details were nearly impossible for outsiders to know.

Although the two Reapers suspected a past between Xie Jianwei and the Archangel, that segment was highly speculative, its authenticity questionable.

As for the friend killed by the Archangel… if he wasn’t actually dead, that could potentially be Lu Li as well.

Then there was the Greater Demon, whom Xie Jianwei had heavily suspected initially. Now, however, it seemed unlikely. If the Greater Demon truly were Lu Li, having spent so much time together, would he really not have climbed into his bed?

If they had engaged in any intimate acts, those two Reapers wouldn’t have spoken of their dynamic so innocently just now.

Xie Jianwei thought for a moment and said, “There’s no rush. Let’s wait and see.”

If he didn’t seek out Lu Li, Lu Li would seek him out on his own. Rather than making wild guesses, it was better to wait patiently.

Moreover… he could try to extract more information from Loren.

To see if he truly knew anything.

However, the next time Xie Jianwei sought Loren out, the man had already gone to the Human Realm on a mission.

Reapers could only travel freely to the Human Realm upon accepting a mission. Ordinarily, they could observe the Human Realm using a crystal ball, but only to monitor their mission targets.

With Loren absent and Yan Ke gone as well, Xie Jianwei pondered briefly, then simply accepted a mission himself and prepared to depart for the Human Realm.

Yan Ke was quite excited. “Reaper mission dossiers are pretty stylish!” He exclaimed again, “The scythe is even more stylish, it can actually shrink!”

With a mere thought from Xie Jianwei, the massive scythe hovering behind him transformed into a finger-length pendant. Despite its reduced size, it remained exquisitely opulent, clearly not an ordinary object at a single glance.

When the scythe maintained its original form, Reapers walking among humans remained invisible.

But if the scythe was shrunk, the Reaper could choose to reveal their physical form, or naturally, remain hidden.

Xie Jianwei shrunk the scythe not because he wished to be seen, but as a precaution against his own kind.

A Reaper’s scythe bore highly distinct personal characteristics, serving as their proof of identity. Anyone with a modicum of vigilance wouldn’t walk out their front door with their ID card dangling from their neck.

Society in the Human Realm remained in an ancient Earth paradigm. It seemed even more archaic, actually; cars had regressed to horse-drawn carriages, and human attire was cumbersome and overly elaborate.

Yan Ke, a complete novice in history, surveyed the local customs and sighed, “The Lord Marshal truly studied his history well.”

Xie Jianwei said, “I taught him all his academic subjects.”

Yan Ke praised, “You are truly omnipotent, My Lord! Even the Lord Marshal learned so much from you.”

Xie Jianwei added, “However, regarding history, I only taught him Galactic History.”

Galactic History referred to humanity’s development after leaving Earth and expanding into the galaxy.

Choking slightly on his words, Yan Ke amended, “Perhaps the Lord Marshal is self-taught.”

Xie Jianwei didn’t reply. Setting aside whether Lu Li had the free time to self-study ancient Earth history, the crucial point was that even the Imperial Capital Library lacked such detailed records.

Even if he wanted to self-study, he would need a source, wouldn’t he?

Xie Jianwei strolled down the street. He remained in his Reaper attire—a black cloak. Since no one could see him anyway, he couldn’t be bothered to change.

He was just about to locate his mission target when his eyes caught an acquaintance emerging from a storefront.

Loren was dressed extravagantly: a feathered top hat, a woolen coat embroidered heavily with gold thread, and tailored trousers accentuating his long legs, making his already tall, dashing figure appear even more elongated and striking.

His arm was linked with a lady’s. This lady was also adorned in magnificent splendor, with a tightly corseted waist and a sweeping, voluminous skirt, exuding utmost luxury and intricacy.

Puzzled, Xie Jianwei asked, “Where is Yan Ke?”

It was perfectly normal for Loren to visit the Human Realm to pick up girls; there was nothing surprising about that. What puzzled him was… where was his familiar? Hadn’t they agreed he would keep him by his side?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the lady beside Loren tilted her head slightly, revealing her features beneath the brim of her hat.

Xie Jianwei: “…”

Yan Ke: “…”

This was awkward. Loren had indeed kept Yan Ke by his side, and they were even walking arm-in-arm. The problem was, why was Yan Ke wearing a dress?

Not to mention… he actually looked quite pretty.

Cough. Xie Jianwei consoled the mentally exploding Yan Ke, “Don’t overthink it, that isn’t you.”

In the previous dream, Yan Ke had relentlessly shrieked that the suicidal Yan Ke wasn’t him. Now, the tables had turned, and it was Xie Jianwei’s turn to reassure him that it wasn’t him.

It wasn’t him, it truly wasn’t… but they looked exactly the same! Anyone seeing a carbon copy of themselves forced to crossdress would explode with rage!

Xie Jianwei cleared his throat. “Perhaps Yan Ke truly is a woman?” Had he not known Yan Ke, he genuinely wouldn’t have been able to tell it was a man in drag.

Yan Ke burst into loud wails.

Xie Jianwei had no choice but to coax him, “There, there, that’s not you. It really isn’t you.”

Yan Ke had already fainted from crying in the proverbial bathroom.

While others couldn’t see Xie Jianwei, Loren could. Catching sight of that black cloak and hair shimmering like silver light, he immediately knew who had arrived.

Loren winked at him, offered a smile, and led Yan Ke away.

The street was crowded. If he greeted “thin air,” he’d likely be deemed a lunatic.

Xie Jianwei trailed behind him to a secluded, deserted spot.

Xie Jianwei eyed Yan Ke in his dress.

Though Yan Ke remained silent, he kept his head bowed desperately.

Loren explained, “Ah, well… this is for attending a ball. I had no other choice.”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

Loren continued to forcefully justify himself, “It’s a ball, after all. Bringing a female companion is mandatory.”

Xie Jianwei offered him a dry laugh.

Rubbing his nose, Loren changed the subject, “Are you here on a mission?”

Xie Jianwei affirmed, “Yes.”

Loren asked, “Who is your target?”

Xie Jianwei showed him the crystal ball.

Upon seeing it, Loren frowned. “Your target is at the ball I’m heading to.”

Xie Jianwei asked him, “Why are you going to that ball?”

Loren hesitated briefly before saying, “Xiao Ke said there was a demonic aura around there, so I plan to go take a look.”

Xie Jianwei was relatively familiar with the lore by now. He asked, “Someone here signed a contract with a demon?”

“Most likely.”

While Reapers could form contracts with sprites and demons, demons could also forge contracts with humans.

A demon would perform tasks for a human, but the prerequisite was that upon fulfilling the desire, the human must willingly surrender their soul to the demon.

With such a contract in place, the human’s soul would be barred from entering the cycle of reincarnation, directly interfering with a Reaper’s duties.

Thus, Reapers generally sought to prevent such occurrences.

However, a simple contract was relatively manageable, as it amounted to an agreement between a buyer and a seller. The most troublesome scenario was when a demon incited a contracted human to go on a killing spree. The resulting accidental deaths would cause souls to scatter wildly, and before Reapers could recover them, they would end up in the demon’s belly—a massive headache.

Loren looked at Xie Jianwei. “Want to go to the ball together?”

Xie Jianwei said, “Sure.”

Loren said, “You’ll need to change your clothes. That attire will put the demon on guard.”

Saying this, he put on a shameless grin, “Seeing as you don’t have a female companion, I wouldn’t mind bringing two…”

The scythe in Xie Jianwei’s hand instantly enlarged. The lecherous Loren immediately snapped his mouth shut. “Pretend I didn’t say a word.”

Xie Jianwei went to change his clothes, took the invitation Loren had prepared in advance, and rode a carriage with him to the ball.

Xie Jianwei’s target was a thirty-year-old woman. She was fated to plummet from a third-floor balcony this afternoon and perish. Xie Jianwei’s task was to harvest her soul at that exact moment.

However, with a demon lurking nearby, the mission might not be so straightforward. After all, when it came to souls, a demon’s nose was sharper than a Reaper’s scythe.

If they swallowed it whole, the scythe wouldn’t be able to reap it.

Therefore, it was best to uncover the demon and drive it away beforehand to ensure the mission wouldn’t fail.

The carriage moved at a decent pace, and before long, they arrived at the manor hosting the ball.

Humans always reveled in collective activities, especially during this era. In a time severely lacking in entertainment, such gatherings became a primary source of joy, ensuring a massive turnout.

As Xie Jianwei and Loren walked in together, despite being unfamiliar faces, their striking looks drew quite a crowd to them.

Loren’s legs turned to lead the moment he saw pretty girls. Xie Jianwei, lacking the patience to socialize, exchanged a few pleasantries before retreating to a relatively quiet corner to observe.

Just then, an elegant male voice sounded from behind him, “Hello. Might I have the honor of buying you a drink?”

Xie Jianwei turned his head, assessing the unfamiliar man.

He was handsome and dignified, with an impeccable smile, save for an indescribable darkness lurking in his eyes.

Xie Jianwei immediately suspected this was the person who had signed a contract with the demon.

Could it be him?

Xie Jianwei said impassively, “Thank you.”

The man was also sizing him up, his eyes constantly wandering over his body.

Xie Jianwei smiled and asked, “How should I address you, sir?”

The man replied, “My surname is Lu, with the single character Li.”

Lu Li? Xie Jianwei jerked his head up to look at him.

Yan Ke also cried out in surprise, “The Lord Marshal? Why doesn’t he look like him at all?”

The man seemed very satisfied with his surprised appearance.

Xie Jianwei paused before saying, “Forgive my rudeness. I just didn’t expect you to share the exact same first and last name with an old friend of mine.”

The man let out an “Oh” and said curiously, “That is quite a coincidence. My name is rather unique. Well… you know, many people don’t understand what these two characters mean.”

Xie Jianwei smiled faintly.

The man grew enthusiastic and explained, “My surname originates from the distant East, and my given name seems to as well, although I am certainly not an Easterner.”

Xie Jianwei murmured vaguely, “Is that so.”

The man suddenly lowered his voice and said slowly, “I heard that demons choose their names very casually. They call themselves whatever they please. So… your old friend who shares my name, he wouldn’t happen to be a demon, would he?”

If Xie Jianwei still couldn’t sense the problem by this point, he might as well stop being the Military Advisor.

Xie Jianwei curled his lips and whispered, “He really is a demon.”

The man’s pupils shrank abruptly.

Xie Jianwei had long sensed that the surrounding air wasn’t right, maintaining his vigilance and guard.

In that split second, the sound of flapping wings rang out out of thin air, followed by a figure appearing in mid-air, almost blotting out the sun.

Xie Jianwei’s scythe was already gripped in his palm.

To his surprise, Loren’s agonized scream rang out from not far away.

Xie Jianwei snapped his head around, only to see Loren’s chest pierced through, the tip of a silver dagger protruding out.

Holding the hilt was a pair of fair hands. At the end of the hands were arms wrapped in magnificent clothing, and further up, the demon Yan Ke, who had taken off his hat, wore an expression of icy coldness.

Loren had been sneak-attacked by his own familiar!

The situation was far too sudden. Loren’s face was deathly pale. Having suffered such a fatal wound, he still managed to shout to Xie Jianwei, “Run!”

Even knowing full well this was a dream, Xie Jianwei would absolutely never leave him behind.

Loren could not die.

Yan Ke forcefully yanked out the dagger, looking down at Loren from above. His exquisitely made-up face was filled with complete apathy. “Foolish.”

After spitting out that word, the lengthy, complicated dress on his body vanished, replaced by the sleek black attire belonging to a demon. Accompanying it were his unfurled wings, arrogant bone wings representing power and evil.

Loren frowned tightly. “You signed a contract with me!”

Yan Ke curled his lips. “So what?”

“If you kill me, you will die too.”

“Can a Reaper die?” Yan Ke chuckled softly, the dagger in his hand thrusting straight toward Loren’s forehead.

With a loud clang, the piercing sound of metal clashing rang out. At the final moment, Xie Jianwei’s scythe blocked Yan Ke’s dagger.

Yan Ke’s eyes had turned blood red, and a small canine tooth peeked from the left corner of his mouth. He smiled and said, “Lord Jianwei, you’d best worry about yourself.”

Despite using an honorific title, his tone was steeped in arrogance.

Xie Jianwei understood what he meant. The demon behind him was still glaring like a tiger eyeing its prey, liable to pounce down at any moment.

The current situation was highly pessimistic.

Loren was injured and had lost his combat ability. Yan Ke alone was a formidable Greater Demon, not to mention there was an even more powerful one hovering in mid-air.

Xie Jianwei knew his own strength very well. Dealing with one Greater Demon wouldn’t be difficult, but two…

Blood spilled from the corners of Loren’s mouth as he rasped, “Leave me. Go.”

The situation was indeed critical, but Xie Jianwei had experienced narrow escapes from death countless times, so he felt no fear whatsoever.

With a twist of his blade, he pressed directly toward Yan Ke.

Yan Ke was clearly very wary of him. The moment he saw this movement, he quickly retreated. But in that very instant, the scythe that was supposed to sweep toward Yan Ke abruptly reversed its trajectory, hooking straight backward.

The Yan Ke facing him widened his eyes in shock.

Xie Jianwei curled his lips into a smile at him.

He had guessed it long ago. Even without turning around, he knew that demon would launch a surprise attack at this exact moment. He had been waiting for this precise instant, feigning an attack on Yan Ke, when in reality…

“You really are a sly little fox.”

That familiar voice gave Xie Jianwei’s heart a violent jolt. He whipped his head around, and the first thing to enter his vision was that familiar face.

Lu Li?

Huge bone wings were spread wide. His skin was pale, his eyes blood red. At this moment, he gripped the blade of the scythe with one hand, the corrosive blackness leaving his palm dripping with fresh blood. What was even more terrifying was that the scythe was already pressed against his neck; just one inch closer, and it would pierce his throat.

Xie Jianwei felt a surge of panic and hurriedly withdrew the scythe.

But the blood was already snaking down, and one of his hands was completely ruined.

Xie Jianwei’s heart ached beyond measure.

Yan Ke promptly reminded him, “My Lord, something isn’t right!”

Xie Jianwei rarely lost his composure, but whenever it involved Lu Li, he would…

In a flash, a rope struck from behind. Xie Jianwei tried to summon his scythe, but the moment the rope wrapped around his body, all his power seemed to be blocked, rendering him unable to use it.

Yan Ke completely bound Xie Jianwei, dropping to one knee as he said, “I have not failed my mission.”

Lu Li raised his hand and leaned down to look at Xie Jianwei.

Xie Jianwei was also looking up at him, his eyes brimming with worry.

Lu Li flicked him on the forehead. “It’s just a hand. Weren’t you aiming for my life?”

Xie Jianwei remained silent.

Lu Li stood up and said softly, “Let’s go. We’re heading back.”

Yan Ke replied, “Yes.”

Two Five-Star Reapers tied up securely, if news of this reached the Intermediate Realm, it would be enough for everyone to laugh about for a whole year.

Loren glared fiercely at Yan Ke, wishing he could swallow this bad seed whole and skin him alive.

Xie Jianwei’s heart and mind were entirely focused on Lu Li’s arm. He wanted to speak but couldn’t, feeling extremely anxious.

Yan Ke cleared his throat and said, “I didn’t expect myself to be this formidable this time around.”

Quite formidable indeed, perfectly utilizing Loren to trap Xie Jianwei…

Although he had to act as a servant for a while and wear women’s clothing once.

But just seeing Loren’s pathetic state made Yan Ke feel it was all worth it!

Xie Jianwei held back for a long time, but finally couldn’t help it. He spoke up, “Your hand…”

“It’s fine,” Lu Li said nonchalantly. “It will be better after a nap.”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

Yan Ke also said, “If the Lord Marshal is a demon, his healing abilities should be very strong. I heard that even if their body is cut in two, it can slowly grow back.”

Xie Jianwei asked, “It must hurt a lot, right?”

Lu Li paused, then turned to look at him, hooking his lips into a smile. “Not as much as the time you stabbed me in the heart.”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

It seemed the backstory here was quite complicated.

Loren, half-dead, forced out some words, “If you hadn’t done such excessive things, would A-Wei have treated you like that?”

Lu Li chuckled lightly. “Excessive? What I did was merely what was expected of me.”

Loren sneered. “Heh, then what are you doing now…”

“When one’s standpoint changes, what is expected changes as well. Like right now…” Lu Li looked at Xie Jianwei and said, “I just want him to taste that feeling too.”

Connecting the dots, Xie Jianwei formed a bold thought in his mind.

Could it be that…

Just as he was thinking this, Lu Li and Yan Ke suddenly stopped in their tracks.

With a single glance, Xie Jianwei saw a black-robed figure standing directly in front of them.

His entire body was wrapped in the long robe, not even a single strand of hair exposed. His head was bowed, and billows of black mist seemed to linger around his body. The eerie aura caused the entire space to abruptly stagnate.

Lu Li frowned slightly. “Who are you, sir?”

The black-robed figure didn’t say a word. He raised his hand extremely abruptly, and a mass of black mist pressed down like a collapsing giant mountain. The momentum was incredibly terrifying, shocking everyone present, even though they were all Greater Demons or Reapers.

Starting a fight like this without a single word of disagreement, he was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

Lu Li handed Xie Jianwei over to Yan Ke, preparing to meet the attack. But in the fraction of a second before anyone could even blink, the black-robed figure closed the distance as fast as lightning. Grabbing the rope with one hand, he effortlessly yanked Xie Jianwei and Loren away.

Lu Li reacted incredibly fast. He raised a hand and launched a strike, attempting to block his escape route.

Yet the black-robed figure positioned himself directly in front of Xie Jianwei and Loren, forcefully taking the brunt of this fatal blow.

What was even more exaggerated was that he remained completely unscathed, and his speed was still astonishingly fast.

He actually managed to shake off Lu Li and Yan Ke while carrying Xie Jianwei and Loren with him just like that.

Once they had settled down, Xie Jianwei first checked Loren’s injuries. After helping him treat them slightly, he suddenly spun around and, catching the black-robed figure off guard, raised a hand and ripped off his cloak.

Although he had long had a premonition, seeing the scene before his eyes still left Xie Jianwei dumbfounded.

The black-robed figure hurriedly pulled up the cloak, but his appearance had already been completely exposed.

A skeleton.

Beneath the black robe was a skeleton.

What tugged at Xie Jianwei’s heart even more was that this skeleton was Lu Li.

Even though he had turned into this state, Xie Jianwei bizarrely recognized him at a single glance.