"Hm?"
Ye Feng frowned slightly, but eventually walked stealthily in the direction of Bao Yuting's screams, with Xiao Xiao close behind.
Soon, Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao arrived behind a large pillar.
They were currently on a pavilion-like structure on the second floor of a place resembling a hotel. Descending the spiral staircase to the floor below, they saw a Blood Clan with a pair of blood-red fleshy wings on its back. This was a Blood Clan elder.
Moreover, this Blood Clan elder was no ordinary one. His chest bore six black star-shaped runes, marking him as a Level Six Blood Clan elder.
According to the information previously provided by Bao Yuting, Blood Clan elders, above the rank of ordinary Blood Clan members and Blood Stewards, were classified by strength from Level 1 to Level 9.
At this moment, the Level Six Blood Clan elder was beating Bao Yuting mercilessly. Bao Yuting rolled on the ground, occasionally hitting the sharp edges of the pillars, his screams echoing.
"A trash-tier inferior human dares to question me?!"
"Swish! Hiss!"
As the Level Six Blood Clan elder snorted, his black claws slashed, tearing Bao Yuting's skin open and causing blood to gush out.
"However, I must admit I'm quite impressed with you inferior beings called humans sometimes!"
"Seven years... For the sake of so-called affection, you've lived for seven years, bowing and scraping to everyone like a dog, and you've actually accumulated 5,000 Arcane Yuan Coins!"
"Let me tell you the truth... Your wife is already dead!"
The Level Six Blood Clan elder looked at Bao Yuting on the ground with a mocking expression.
"No... Impossible!"
Bao Yuting, who had been lying on the ground, motionless, suddenly flipped over upon hearing this and looked at the Level Six Blood Clan elder. "Impossible, Dedas, you're lying to me. I heard Honghong's voice just last month. She... she even played a song from our hometown for me with a flute!"
"Dedas, how much do you want? Name your price. No matter how long it takes, no matter what method, I will get the money!"
Bao Yuting, covered in blood, looked at the Level Six Blood Clan elder standing above him with a pleading gaze.
Dedas remained silent. He gave Bao Yuting a sinister smile, and his chest moved.
The next second, a gentle and pleasant female voice rang out, "Little Beanbag, thank you for always coming to see me all these years! No matter how hard it gets, I will persevere!"
"Hong... Honghong, where are you?"
Hearing this female voice, Bao Yuting's eyes were filled with ecstatic joy. He quickly scanned his surroundings, his gaze finally landing on Dedas's chest.
"Your Honghong is right here!"
Dedas's pale face was filled with a sinister, evil grin.
As he spoke, he tore off the clothes on his left chest, revealing a withered, pale chest with the face of a delicate young girl.
At this moment, the delicate young girl's face on Dedas's left chest moved its lips. "Little Beanbag, you're here again... Thank you. Otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to hold on..."
"Wh-what?"
Seeing the girl's face on Dedas's left chest and hearing the incredibly familiar female voice from his memory, Bao Yuting was struck by lightning, frozen in place...
"What's the matter? Aren't you happy to see the wife you've been longing for?"
At this moment, Dedas spoke. He took out a slightly bent flute from his pocket and began to play a rather melancholic tune.
"Does this melody sound familiar? Is it pleasant?"
Dedas's face was cold and triumphant. "This is a bone flute made from your wife Honghong's ribs!"
"Beast! Beast!"
"Dedas, you beast!"
Bao Yuting's eyes streamed bloody tears. Ignoring his wounds, he gritted his teeth and lunged at Dedas with immense hatred, only to be kicked away by the latter.
"I have to say, you inferior beings called humans are truly interesting!"
"I told you that if you gathered 5,000 Arcane Yuan Coins, you could redeem Honghong. You scurried off and did it..."
"And I told that woman, Honghong, that if she cooperated with the experiments, she could reunite with you. This foolish woman also complied..."
"Your wife's willpower is incredibly strong... To endure having her ribs and internal organs removed, and to be injected with various poisons, all without anesthesia... As long as I told her 'your husband is waiting outside'..."
Dedas spoke of this with a look of madness and enjoyment.
"Ah! Ah!"
Bao Yuting climbed up from the ground and charged at Dedas again, even though he knew he was no match for him.
Seeing this, Dedas made no move to dodge. He sneered and kicked out again, intending to send Bao Yuting flying as he had done before.
"Swish! Hiss!"
But at this precise moment, Dedas felt a sharp pain in his thigh. Then, he saw a large amount of blood gushing from his thigh above the knee. His right leg, from the knee down, was severed and flew away...
"Bang!"
And at this moment, Bao Yuting's fist landed on Dedas's face.
Not only Dedas but Bao Yuting himself was filled with disbelief, as his fist had actually hit Dedas's face.
"Urgh! Ah!"
At this moment, Dedas screamed in pain, having been struck in the waist by Xiao Xiao with an iron rod inlaid with mithril.
"Bang! Sizzle! Bang~"
"Ah! Ah! Urgh! Bang~ Sizzle!"
Xiao Xiao did not stop. The mithril-inlaid iron rod in her hand continued to strike Dedas, making him scream repeatedly and roll around.
Dedas's right foot, having been severed by Ye Feng's blade, spurted blood like a broken fire hydrant...
"Bad guy, I'll beat you to death! Beat you to death!"
Having heard the conversation between Dedas and Bao Yuting, Xiao Xiao was clearly enraged and kept hitting Dedas with the mithril-inlaid iron rod.
Dedas, utterly bewildered by the sudden appearance of Xiao Xiao, was beaten until his eyes spun, and multiple parts of his body were charred to ashes.
"Swish! Clang!"
At this moment, a flash of light appeared in Xiao Xiao's hand, and a mithril longsword materialized, about to slash towards Dedas's throat. However, Ye Feng, who had darted forward, stopped her.
"Big brother, this kind of person doesn't deserve to live!"
Xiao Xiao pointed at Dedas and said angrily to Ye Feng.
"Give him the sword!"
Saying this, Ye Feng threw the mithril longsword in his hand towards Bao Yuting, who was standing not far away in stunned disbelief.
"Clatter!"
Bao Yuting instinctively reached out and caught the mithril longsword.
"Kid, who are you! Ah!"
Before Dedas could finish his sentence, he screamed in pain, having been struck in the mouth by Xiao Xiao's rod.
"Finish this quickly and leave. The nearby Blood Clan should be coming!"
Seeing that Bao Yuting was too shocked and holding the mithril longsword somewhat blankly, Ye Feng said immediately.
Hearing this, Bao Yuting blinked and snapped back to reality. He looked at Dedas not far away, his gaze turning sharp.
The next second, he gripped the mithril longsword in his hand and strode towards Dedas...