Chapter 661 - 431: Do Your Best to Kill Me (Part 1)

With that in mind.

With a flick of his wrist, a Damaged Black Banner materialized out of thin air.

The material of this Damaged Black Banner, obtained from the Nightmare World, was a mystery. It had once withstood a full-power strike from the White King at the True God Realm, emerging completely unscathed.

Its most terrifying aspect was its ability to control and command Spiritual Power, making it a truly heaven-defying artifact.

After continuously absorbing the Power of Emotion to repair itself in the Pocket World, the tattered flag of the Black Banner was now more than eighty percent whole.

Although the body he now inhabited was merely a Clone, he could directly connect to his main body’s Mind Realm to summon the Damaged Black Banner.

Hu Qi held the Black Banner, and with a gentle wave, a layer of translucent black smoke rippled out from the flag.

The strange black smoke ignored all physical barriers, passing through walls and buildings, yet it had no effect on ordinary humans.

However, the newly spawned Yin Beasts were bound by an Invisible Power and sucked into the Black Banner without exception.

"Ding! You have killed a Basic Level Yin Beast. Reward: 100 Royalty Points!"

Modification Points +9 (12%)

"Ding! You have killed a Basic Level Yin Beast. Reward: 100 Royalty Points!"

Modification Points +6 (73%)

...

Atop a tall building, lightning flashed and thunder roared amidst a raging storm.

The flag of the Black Banner whipped in the wind.

The faint faces of various Yin Beasts continuously appeared on its surface, and their agonized screams echoed from within.

This was accompanied by the pleasant chimes announcing rewards from the Reincarnation Bookstore and an increase in his Modification Points.

Sensing the changes within the Black Banner, a sharp glint flashed in Hu Qi’s eyes.

The Damaged Black Banner fed on the Power of Emotion. And to put it bluntly, these Yin Beasts were essentially aggregates of the dead’s resentment and extreme emotions—the most perfect form of nourishment.

Absorbing each Yin Beast accelerated the Damaged Black Banner’s restoration.

’However, wielding the Black Banner is a bit too taxing for the power of this Clone.’

’I can only control it within a certain range—about three kilometers.’

Once he finished refining the Yin Beasts in the area,

he would have to move to a new location.

Hu Qi walked through Shenmu City, Black Banner in hand.

In his wake,

no Yin Beast was left standing.

As for the Slaughterers wreathed in Yin Energy he encountered,

Hu Qi dealt with them in passing.

As for ordinary people, he left them alone, so long as they didn’t attack him or show any malice.

Some of the ordinary people obviously noticed this bizarre scene.

They stared at Hu Qi, their faces filled with terror,

wondering where this strange man had come from.

...

The rain poured down in torrents, as if a gash had been torn in the sky. Murky water washed over the blood-soaked city.

By the roadside, the dim yellow light from a supermarket’s glass window pierced the curtain of rain. It stood out in the darkness like a lonely island.

Inside the store.

Two small, thin figures were huddled in a corner by the shelves. They were covered in mud, and their filthy faces were etched with fear.

In front of them stood five gun-wielding thugs, soaked in blood, laughing and playing rock-paper-scissors.

"Rock, paper—scissors! Haha, I won!"

A skinny, stubbled man grinned, revealing uneven yellow teeth.

"These two little brats are mine!"

The other four cursed and retreated to the side, their faces showing annoyance.

The skinny man waved the gun in his hand, the dark muzzle aimed at the two children.

"Shh, don’t be afraid. Uncle will be very gentle..."

Halfway through his sentence, his voice came to an abrupt halt.

"Takuya, what the fuck are you dawdling for?"

An accomplice at his side pushed him impatiently.

The next moment.

The skinny man’s body collapsed, stiff as a board.

On his forehead.

A charred black hole was visible, the flesh around its edges seared as if by extreme heat. Not a single drop of blood trickled out.

"Fuck!"

The remaining four men felt their scalps tingle with terror.

However, before they could even make a move.

PFFT! PFFT!...

After a series of four soft sounds, four more corpses lay on the ground.

An identical charred hole had appeared between each of their eyebrows.

In the corner, the slightly older child heard the commotion and tremblingly opened his eyes.

Under the dim lights, a Young Man holding a Black Banner had appeared in the store at some point.

The Damaged Black Banner was constantly oozing a thick, black smoke that writhed as if it were alive. A single glance was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

"Alright, find a place to hide. Don’t come out,"

the Young Man said with a slight smile.

The two children were frozen in shock.

Coming to his senses, the older boy looked at the Young Man before him, his lips trembling as he managed to force out two words:

"Th-thank... you..."

Then, he pulled the smaller child and scrambled into the employee passage behind the shelves.

Hu Qi stood where he was.

He withdrew his gaze.

Doing a good deed for once felt... uplifting.

Just as he turned to leave,

BANG!

A deafening explosion suddenly rang out.

The entire tempered-glass wall on one side of the supermarket exploded inwards, showering the area in countless shards.

A blast of cold wind and rain instantly flooded the room,

ruffling the hair on Hu Qi’s forehead.

CLANG—

The crisp sound of metal hitting the ground followed close behind.

Looking down, a severely deformed sniper bullet lay quietly on the ground.

The projectile, nearly as long as his palm, was now twisted beyond recognition. Its brass casing had been crushed and deformed by some terrifying force, exposing the core.

It looked as if it had slammed into a wall of solid steel.