Half an hour later.
The sounds of battle ceased.
When no more noise came from the headquarters of the Black Skull Mercenary Group, some curious onlookers ventured to check the situation.
What greeted their eyes was a desolate, cold ruin.
Traces of blood stained everywhere, and the wind howled mournfully, as if playing a requiem for the departed souls.
Everything here seemed to have been thoroughly purified. Except for the faint scent of gunpowder lingering in the air, there was no sign of life left.
The Black Skull Mercenary Group!
They were wiped out.
Just as they had heard the declaration before.
This!
Was the will of the gods.
Divine punishment!
Not to be blasphemed.
These onlookers uploaded the tragic scene to the intelligence network of the Western Wind Underworld. Before long, it caused a huge uproar.
"This... this is too tragic!"
"Although the Black Skull Mercenary Group was notorious for its evil deeds, seeing this scene still evokes a sense of sorrow."
"The Temple of Destiny is truly terrifying!"
"Alas! I wonder what the other two great figures will think when they see this!"
"Forget it! These matters are not for us small fries to discuss. It's best to just live our lives honestly!"
"Speak cautiously, speak cautiously!"
This incident served as a stark warning to everyone in the Western Underworld, truly making them realize the might of the Temple of Destiny.
...
In a certain palace.
A woman with a seductive figure and delicate features was kneeling on the ground. Before her was a large jade bed, veiled by seven-colored bead curtains.
From her perspective, through the bead curtains, only a vague figure could be dimly seen. Yet, even so, judging by the proportions of the figure's lines, it was evident that on the jade bed...
Was a woman!
"I've found out. The one who led the team to eliminate the Black Skull Mercenary Group is none other than the God of War King, one of the Six Divine Kings of the Temple of Destiny," Thea said respectfully.
"Oh! They actually sent that lunatic?"
At this moment, a voice as ethereal as heavenly music drifted from behind the bead curtains. To be precise, just listening to the melodious tone was enough to make one intoxicated.
"Have you found out the reason why the Temple of Destiny attacked the Black Skull Mercenary Group?" the woman asked.
"Yes! But it's not confirmed yet," Thea replied directly.
"It doesn't matter, tell me!" The woman's voice echoed again.
"According to our informants, the God of Wisdom, who rarely appears within the Temple of Destiny, actually showed up in person this time. And she personally planned the extermination of the Black Skull Mercenary Group. From this, we can infer..." Thea paused, then began her deduction, "Finding the reason for the God of Wisdom's personal involvement will bring us closer to the truth."
"Continue."
The woman's voice was noticeably heavier this time.
"Therefore, I suspect that this matter might be related to that adult." Thea voiced her conjecture.
"You mean..." At this, the woman's voice held a trace of contemplation, clearly thinking of the same person as Thea.
"The vanished Divine Lord of the Temple of Destiny."
...
Such speculation was also made in a certain ancient castle.
After everyone had left, a man with a handsome face, chiseled features, and blue irises sat on the throne of the ancient castle.
"The main god of the Temple of Destiny? I'm really curious to meet them!"
He murmured to himself.
...
Ye Ming stood by a high bridge, gazing at the colorful reflections beneath the bridge, momentarily mesmerized.
Perhaps it was because he hadn't been this relaxed in a long time, but he couldn't help but want to admire the brilliant, vibrant night scenery for a while longer.
"What a delightful day," Ye Ming couldn't help but sigh.
He then got up; it was time to go back.
Tonight, it was just him and Fang Junxue alone in the villa. The thought alone made him excited.
His steps unconsciously became lighter, and he hummed a little tune.
The song was called: "Today is a Good Day."
But as he walked, his steps suddenly stopped.
"This..."
Looking at the name of a shop before him, Ye Ming was a little stunned.
Drunk Red Dust!
Right in front of Ye Ming was a bar named "Drunk Red Dust"!
Seeing this name, Ye Ming's mind immediately conjured up the image of that enchanting woman.
Ji Hongying!
Ye Ming remembered that when Ji Hongying left, she had told him he could find her at Drunk Red Dust.
He hadn't expected to stumble upon it here unintentionally.
So, the question arose.
Should he go in?
"Never mind, Sister Junxue is waiting for me. I'll come to meet this vixen in a couple of days," Ye Ming shook his head, dispelling the image of Ji Hongying's graceful figure from his mind.
But just as he was about to leave, someone wouldn't let him go.
"Yo! Kid, you can afford to patronize Drunk Red Dust, you've got some money!"
Just then, two or three young men with tattoos on their arms approached and surrounded Ye Ming.
The one who spoke earlier was the young man with dyed yellow hair among the three.
The yellow-haired youth, holding a cigarette in his mouth, looked at Ye Ming from the corner of his eye and said, "Coincidentally, we brothers are a bit short on cash lately. Could you lend us some to spend?"
Ye Ming looked at the group and suddenly felt a sense of nostalgia.
How long had it been?
How long had it been since someone tried to rob him?
Back then, when he first stepped into human society, as a naive young man, he had encountered quite a few robbers.
Although he had dealt with them all in the end.
But the scene before him truly brought back many memories for Ye Ming.
"Oh! Are you guys trying to rob me?" Ye Ming asked them with a half-smile.
"Robbery?"
At this moment, another young man with dyed red hair flicked his cigarette butt away, clasped his hands together, twisted his neck, and said to Ye Ming, "We're not robbing, we're borrowing!"
"Borrowing! Understand?"
Hmm! His posture indeed suggested borrowing.
Hearing their simple and easy-to-understand excuse, Ye Ming couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Unfortunately, I have no money on me. You can search me if you don't believe me!"
To play along with them, Ye Ming raised his hands.
"Ah! This..."
Ye Ming's unresisting actions left the robbery trio, no! The money-borrowing trio, a little bewildered.
"Brother, this..."
The other two looked at the yellow-haired youth, unsure of what to do.
"Search! Search him!"
Finally, after searching Ye Ming for a long time, they found not a single cent.
"Now you believe me, right? I don't lie!" Ye Ming showed a pure expression.
"Pfft! So unlucky, running into a pauper!"
The yellow-haired youth was speechless.
"Time is almost up, let's go!"
It seemed they were going to find another target.
But what did that mean?
Just as they were about to leave, Ye Ming suddenly walked up to them and said innocently, "As you can see, I don't have a single cent on me. So..."
Then, imitating the posture of the red-haired youth earlier, he clasped his hands, twisted his neck a few times, and smiled,
"Could you lend me some?"