The Zanpakuto's edge was incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through iron as if it were mud, making it a simple matter to pierce a Gu worm hidden within a human body.
Yan Shouyi mercilessly stabbed the Jue Gu, eliciting a piercing shriek from it, and also from Wu Tianfeng, whom it controlled.
*Pfft!*
Another sound rang out. Yan Shouyi pulled out the Zanpakuto, extracting the Jue Gu from Wu Tianfeng's body, flesh and blood clinging to it!
Freed from its host, the Jue Gu writhed in agony, like a fish yanked from the water onto land.
While the Jue Gu could heal its host's body after absorbing vital essence, it was not as easily healed if it suffered severe damage itself.
Especially not now, having been pierced through and through by the Zanpakuto.
"Ah—"
Wu Tianfeng finally screamed, then collapsed to the ground, utterly spent.
His body rapidly lost its color, turning deathly pale. His breathing grew shallow, leaving him on the brink of death.
"Is this the Jue Gu?"
Yan Shouyi looked at the Jue Gu writhing and struggling on the floor, then stomped on it!
The Jue Gu was crushed into a bloody pulp. Still not reassured, Yan Shouyi unleashed a Li Huo, burning it to ashes.
This way, the possibility of the Jue Gu regenerating was absolutely eliminated.
Meanwhile, Wu Tianfeng, stripped of the Jue Gu's protection, had no means to heal his own wounds. His blood flowed onto the floor, and with it, his life force also vanished.
"Save... save me... I don't want... don't want to die..."
Wu Tianfeng weakly stared at Yan Shouyi, desperately pleading for help.
All his arrogance had evaporated, and he even bowed to his enemy and begged for mercy.
Yan Shouyi remained unmoved, stating calmly, "The life of the Lu Jing sect leader, the safety of my children, this debt is not so easily settled. You are also a member of the Xuanmen, and you know that death is not the end. Therefore... your suffering has only just begun."
Upon hearing this, Wu Tianfeng's eyes widened, filled with sheer terror.
He did not last much longer before he finally breathed his last.
Seeing this, Lin Zitong shook the Soul Summoning Bell, directly capturing Wu Tianfeng's three souls and seven spirits within it.
Just as Yan Shouyi had said, death was not the end; the suffering had only just begun.
Lin Zitong planned to take Wu Tianfeng's soul back to the Lu Shan Sect, making him a ghost slave to serve the Lu Shan Sect for a hundred years before allowing him to reincarnate.
To let his soul reincarnate directly would be far too easy for that scoundrel.
Having completely eliminated the threat of Wu Tianfeng, Lin Zitong lowered her gaze to the little girl in her arms.
The little girl, having experienced something terrifying, now knew she was safe but still hesitated to speak, looking at Lin Zitong with fear.
Lin Zitong patted the little girl's back and said gently, "Little sister, you are safe now."
The little girl remained timid and afraid to speak.
Yan Shouyi, meanwhile, walked towards the little girl's father.
This brave father, having taken a kick from Wu Tianfeng, had several broken ribs and was quite seriously injured.
Yan Shouyi gave him a few pills to stabilize his condition, then comforted him, "Your injuries will heal soon, and your daughter is also safe. I hope you can keep tonight's events a secret for us."
The father looked deeply at Yan Shouyi, then nodded, "Thank you for saving my daughter. I will keep your secret."
Yan Shouyi said no more, believing that a brave father would also be a man of his word.
At this point, the father of the little girl hesitated and said, "...Are you immortals? I have a small request."
"Please, speak."
"My daughter is still young, and what happened tonight might leave psychological scars on her. You have great powers, can you help me erase this memory of hers?" Even while severely injured and having witnessed an unbelievable event, the father was still thinking of his daughter.
Yan Shouyi was unable to help with this, so he looked at Lin Zitong.
Lin Zitong said, "A child's soul is not as resilient as an adult's. I can try to work on her soul to erase her memory without harming it."
Upon hearing this, the father rejoiced and repeatedly thanked Lin Zitong.
Lin Zitong, however, felt a pang of guilt. If they had not pursued Wu Tianfeng to this place, the little girl and her father would not have suffered such unwarranted disaster.
She reached out and gently touched the little girl's forehead.
A cyan light emanated, and the little girl blinked before falling into a deep sleep.
"The memory has been cleared. Because her soul was affected, she will feel extremely tired. A good sleep will fix it," Lin Zitong said, withdrawing her hand.
"Thank you, thank you both!" The father breathed a sigh of relief. It was better to keep this memory buried forever.
Handing the little girl back to her father, Yan Shouyi looked around.
The tourists in the amusement park were still enjoying themselves, completely unaware of the horrific events that had transpired around them.
Let the world of ordinary people continue in its peace and happiness.
Yan Shouyi hoisted Wu Tianfeng's corpse, cleaned up the scene, and then, with Lin Zitong, disappeared into the night.
The father, holding his sleeping daughter, watched the retreating figures of Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong, his gaze lost in thought.
Are there truly immortals in this world?
With his daughter sleeping soundly in his arms, the father suddenly felt that whether immortals existed or not didn't matter so much, for to him, his daughter was everything.
...
Wu Tianfeng's body was dealt with by Yan Shouyi.
The two returned to the minivan carrying Lu Jing's corpse. They saw A Gong and Luo Ning guarding it.
As the four met, Luo Ning couldn't help but ask, "Where is Wu Tianfeng?"
"We've killed him," Yan Shouyi's answer brought relief to both of them.
A Gong said, "We just received news that the patriarch of the Teng clan of the Gu tribe within the Chi Hua Society, the one who personally delivered Tian Jue'er to Wu Tianfeng, has just died suddenly. Tian Jue'er said this might be related to Wu Tianfeng."
"Hmm... Wu Tianfeng had a Jue Gu inside him. However, that Jue Gu was not cultivated by him; it was likely cultivated by Tian Jue'er's patriarch. With the Jue Gu dead, that patriarch must have also died," Yan Shouyi analyzed.
"Good riddance!" Luo Ning clapped her hands. "Bad people get their just deserts! We've certainly vented our anger this time... uh, I misspoke, I'm sorry."
The Folk Customs Research Association's reputation had soared after defeating the Chi Hua Society. The demonic monk Shi Kui was dead, Wu Tianfeng was dead, the Chi Hua Society was gone...
It could be said that the Folk Customs Research Association had achieved a complete victory this time.
However, after Luo Ning spoke, she realized that Lu Jing had died, making her words seem somewhat inappropriate.
She sighed.
No matter how many benefits the Folk Customs Research Association gained, if even one person died, it was all not worth it.
Lin Zitong took Luo Ning's hand, indicating that she had let go of her grief and that Luo Ning shouldn't feel guilty.
Yan Shouyi leaned against the minivan and looked at the coffin inside the car. He said in a low voice:
"The grudges have been avenged. It's time to send Sect Leader Lu Jing home."