Meng Qinghuan's heart sank. He had known that Bai Cha was still recovering from serious injuries. If he were to be sealed off, he would have to withdraw from the battlefield, which would further diminish Bai Cha's chances of survival.
Despite his worries, Meng Qinghuan obeyed the order immediately. Following orders was something they had to adhere to at all times.
This was the first time Mo Ziye had seen Meng Qinghuan with his eyes open.
Sitting cross-legged, Buddhist light radiated from him. His eyes flickered with electricity, the purest gold. Merely opening his eyes made it difficult to breathe; the entire space seemed to have dropped frames, and even the light was distorted.
Meng Qinghuan clasped his hands above his head and slowly lowered them. As his hands descended, countless golden arms appeared in the air, and Baimeng gradually transformed into a golden bead, embedding itself atop Meng Qinghuan's head.
Now, Meng Qinghuan had broken through the limits of humanity. He was the Thousand-Armed Tathagata!
This night was destined to be earth-shattering.
Sky Island was tightly enveloped by a golden spherical barrier that night. The brilliant gold was so dazzling that even in the brightly lit bustling city, one could see it clearly by looking up.
The scattered tourists on Sky Island immediately panicked. Before they could even fully react, they were encased in a golden light shield resembling a golden clock.
"Important notice: A top-level criminal has appeared on Sky Island. For your safety, please remain within the light shield and do not move."
Sacred Buddhist chants echoed through Sky Island twice. Almost everyone saw a thousand-armed Buddha rising from the fantasy Disney aerial castle.
People were bewildered, never imagining that the collision of Eastern and Western cultures could be so bizarre.
All major platforms had already exploded. Uninformed public relations teams couldn't rashly post anything, only exchanging worried glances with their superiors. Not only them, but even the highest-ranking officials had no idea what was happening.
In the fantasy castle at the center of Sky Island, chaos was narrowly averted. Bai Cha, cradled in Lucifer's arms, took a while to recover, her vision darkening.
"Mr. Mo, are you going against us?" Lucifer held Bai Cha, gently stroking her back to help her regain her breath.
He was trembling. Unexpectedly, anger and fear made his body grow colder and colder. Even Bai Cha could feel the intense conflict within Lucifer's emotions.
Anger, fury... and fear.
However, this time, Bai Cha did not stop Lucifer. She was also quite angered.
"How do you feel?" Bai Cha wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Looking at Mo Ziye's self-reproaching and worried eyes, she felt only mockery. "You saved him, and he struck you. If I hadn't reacted quickly, you wouldn't be standing here alive. How does it feel to be the farmer and the snake?"
"It wasn't like that, it was because Xiao Bai said that life and death didn't matter!" Mo Ziye's eyes widened with anger and coldness as he looked at Bai Cha, panicking and stammering his explanation. "Uncle Tu and I are very close. Our families have a deep relationship, and I know what kind of person he is. How can Xiao Bai kill people so casually!"
"Deep relationship... What a deep relationship!" Bai Cha clutched her aching chest and pointed at the two pairs of terrified parents, roaring at Mo Ziye like a madwoman. "What does your deep relationship have to do with me! What does your deep relationship have to do with them, with those innocent parents! Do you know he's related to their children's disappearance!"
"Huh?" Mo Ziye was somewhat confused. Looking at Bai Cha's crazed demeanor, he felt a hint of fear rising from his heart.
"Do you know him? It's easy to draw a person's skin, but hard to draw their bones. You can know someone's face but not their heart. Do you know what the Tu family is involved in? Based on your little visits to his house during your holidays, what right do you have to guarantee anything!" Bai Cha punched the wall, creating a large hole. "You let the prisoner go. If something happens to those children, are you responsible!"
Mo Ziye's face turned pale, but he still stubbornly replied, "I am responsible! I can guarantee it, Uncle is definitely not that kind of person..."
However, before Mo Ziye could finish his last word, Bai Cha grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall.
"You're responsible, how are you responsible? What can you use to be responsible? Will you use money? Will you use your life? Even if you give out a million, ten million, a hundred million, a billion! What good would that do? Even if you died, your whole family died, what would that change!" Bai Cha glared at Mo Ziye, scolding him fiercely. "They want their children back alive!"
Mo Ziye's face had lost all color. In his heart, he still sided with his uncle who had doted on him since childhood, but he couldn't refute a single word Bai Cha said.
"Mo Ziye, no one needs your money, no one needs your life. What can you use to guarantee it?" Bai Cha released Mo Ziye, stumbling backward, and was caught by Lucifer.
"Master!" Lucifer stepped forward, supporting Bai Cha's body, giving her something to lean on and calming her slightly.
"Mo Ziye, those parents want their children back alive, and those children want to go home with their parents," Bai Cha covered her face, appearing somewhat fragile, her voice softening. "And I want them all to be alive..."
"But, but you can't kill people arbitrarily. Killing without evidence is wrong. Xiao Bai is just guessing, isn't she?" Mo Ziye's lips trembled, as if making a final struggle. "And that person in red might have had his reasons. Can't they be captured alive?"
"There are no reasons. He must die." Bai Cha's voice, cold and distant, came from behind her cupped hands. Xiang Nan and Lucifer looked at Bai Cha with surprise.
In their eyes, Bai Cha had always been so indifferent and proud. But just now, they had all clearly felt it – felt Bai Cha's chilling and insane killing intent, almost maddened.
In missions, Bai Cha's primary role was to save people. Even prisoners, unless they were extremely dangerous enemies or it was unavoidable, had the highest chance of surviving her. This was the first time Bai Cha had been so desperate to kill someone.
"Why! You won't even listen to their reasons for making mistakes!" Mo Ziye questioned, uncomprehending. "How can Xiao Bai kill people so casually? You weren't like this before?"
Unexpectedly, after asking this, Bai Cha started to laugh, her laughter eerie and decadent. After a brief silence, Bai Cha looked up.
After a moment of release, she had returned to normal, her expression indifferent, her eyes emotionless. She had regained her usual calm demeanor.
"Why? Because that person is already dead. He cannot be alive." Bai Cha grabbed Mo Ziye's collar and violently threw him onto the ground. "That was Bai Ze."
Her own brother, who had died before her eyes!
"Impossible." This time, it was Xiang Nan who spoke. Xiang Nan's sickly complexion was drained of all color, replaced by disbelief. "Didn't we bury Bai Ze together?"
"Yes, buried, but not cremated," Bai Cha said calmly.
Stopping there, Xiang Nan's expression turned even more grim. He understood Bai Cha's meaning, but he couldn't fathom that these people could do such heinous things.
These people had actually dug up Bai Ze's grave?!
"Xiang Nan, deploy all your insects to find Cang Liu and the children's location. I just sensed the basement below, and there's no sign of Cang Liu. They must have been moved." Bai Cha patted Xiang Nan's shoulder and said lightly, "Your power is of a chilling nature. Blood is a nemesis to your insects. I will deal with those two."
"You, you'll deal with it personally?" Xiang Nan hesitated. Even with his cold-blooded animal genes, the thought of Bai Cha having to personally deal with her own brother made him feel uneasy.
Everyone had seen how heartbroken Bai Cha was when Bai Ze was forced to commit suicide. To think that after so many years, Bai Cha would have to personally deal with her own family.
This was too cruel.
"I'll go," Lucifer squeezed Bai Cha's hand, looking worried. "Your condition isn't good, my Master."
"I'll go personally," Bai Cha shook her head.
Although she wasn't at full strength, her understanding of blood power was profound. While Lucifer was powerful, his understanding of blood qi was not as deep. This matter would definitely make headlines. This confrontation had to be resolved quickly.
"Xiao Bai, are you doing this for revenge?"
Mo Ziye sat on the ground, staring blankly at Bai Cha, who was assigning tasks. For some reason, he suddenly blurted this out.
"What are you trying to say?" Bai Cha looked at Mo Ziye on the ground, her gaze somewhat cold.
"Last time, Teacher Meng mentioned your father and Michael. I investigated, and it was indeed a work error on the side of Light." Mo Ziye wiped his face, a little timidly, but still voiced what he wanted to say. "Living in hatred is very painful. We should look forward. Everyone has their reasons, can't we communicate and resolve the hatred? As the leader of the Shadows, how can you chase after your Uncle Tu like this for revenge..."
"Slap!"
The entire hall fell silent. Bai Cha raised her hand high, delivering a swift and decisive slap that forcefully turned Mo Ziye's face to the side.
"Master!" Lucifer, after a brief moment of surprise, quickly stepped forward and gently massaged Bai Cha's hand.
The slap had clearly carried some force, reddening her hand. Lucifer frowned, his gaze towards Mo Ziye becoming even more unfriendly.
"What a 'work error'... Never mind, that's not the point." Bai Cha's expression was somewhat peculiar, with evident disappointment. "You actually think I'm chasing after your Uncle Tu for revenge?"
Mo Ziye remained silent, clearly stunned by Bai Cha's slap.
"Mo Ziye, the first time I saw you, I thought you were an angel – pure, clean, full of integrity." Bai Cha sighed and withdrew her hand from Lucifer's palm. "I thought you, at least, would be reasonable."
She felt a bit tired. She now wanted to finish the mission quickly and take everyone back, take everyone home.
"Mo Ziye, I feel like I don't know you anymore. Standing on the moral high ground, bathed in holy light, I can't see your face."
Underground, in a certain underground passage.
It was dark, damp, and relatively clean, with insects crawling by occasionally. Fortunately, it was spacious enough for Gu Mingze to escape with the two children.
"Faster, they'll discover us soon," Cang Liu said urgently, but he couldn't carry the children.
He emanated a chilling aura. If he held the children, they might freeze to death by the time they got out.
Gu Mingze was panting, his breath ragged. He had never exercised so intensely. Currently, he held one child in his arms and carried another on his back, running with all his might.
Not long ago, they had been bound with iron chains by several masked individuals in white coats and led through winding passages into a small room. The room had hospital beds, surgical equipment, and various instruments. It looked suspicious, and even if it wasn't for organ trafficking, their fate wouldn't have been much better.
Fortunately, they were only tied to different beds, and those people had left. The main culprits likely hadn't arrived yet.
Cang Liu's constitution was special. He had already detoxified himself in the previous underground area. With a few swift movements, he broke the chains and, along with Gu Mingze, led the two children through the passage.
At this point, they couldn't just wait for death. The group fled desperately, and even the two children remained quiet, not crying or making a fuss.
"Where is this path leading... Huff, I, I really, can't anymore!" Gu Mingze gasped for air, his legs giving out, nearly causing him to fall.