Chapter Four: The Wolf Shedding Its Sheepskin (Part Two)

After struggling for quite some time, the celestial infant finally abandoned its resistance, the Seal of Spiritual Binding having been imprinted upon its body, rendering any thought of escape utterly futile. If not for the celestial armor shielding it, the infant would have certainly suffered injury beneath Boss Li’s foot, which was suffused with immortal energy.

“I know you can hear me. If you’re willing to cooperate, raise your right hand, and I’ll grant you a swift end. If you’re not, raise both hands—heh, heh—back in my homeland, among the ten infamous tortures, there’s one called ‘Combing and Washing’…” Boss Li arched an eyebrow. “It’s quite something, you know!”

The celestial infant’s head was buried in the earth like an ostrich evading terror, utterly motionless.

Xiao Ying couldn’t help but ask, “What is ‘Combing and Washing’?”

Boss Li snapped his fingers. “Good question!” He lifted his foot and stomped twice more on the infant’s head, until it was rammed straight into the ground, then pressed his foot hard against the infant’s crotch, pinning it firmly, as if explaining to Xiao Ying, though his gaze remained fixed on the celestial infant.

“Don’t you women often comb your hair? Using a brush to smooth your lovely hair until it shines, adorning yourselves with care.”

“You do it too, don’t you?” Xiao Ying pouted. This boss was no different, especially back at Red Rock Plateau. Though he usually had spiritual energy as a shield, after each battle, the very first thing this maddening man did was neaten his hair and clothes—his love of beauty was truly extreme.

Boss Li smiled slightly, offering no rebuttal. “But the ‘Combing and Washing’ I’m talking about isn’t as simple as brushing one’s hair.”

Seeing Boss Li’s smile sent a chill down Xiao Ying’s spine without reason. War really could change a person. The once opportunistic, money-grubbing, fame-seeking Boss Li was gone; she didn’t know when he’d become so cruel and violent.

Slowly, Boss Li brought his mouth close to the infant, his voice chilling. “In my homeland, everyone is mortal—no spiritual shields, only flesh and blood. When someone errs, a steel brush is used to scrape the flesh off their bones, stroke by stroke, until only bare bone remains and they finally die. Before the scraping begins, boiling oil is poured over them. Do you know why? Because the oil loosens the flesh, making it easier to peel away, until the skin and flesh are completely gone, revealing the white bone beneath.”

Even with her soul-splitting powers, Xiao Ying shuddered at his words, gooseflesh rising on her skin. The celestial infant remained mute and motionless, planted upside down in the dirt.

“Heh, you’ve got some nerve!” Boss Li laughed, then summoned the two hundred and forty flying swords from the Grand Da Luo Cauldron. “Back home, we have another method for enemies called ‘Lingchi’—death by a thousand cuts. The flesh is sliced away, one cut at a time, until a thousand wounds are made before death claims them. This one’s an art form, really. Do you think such tortures mean nothing to a being of pure energy?”

Without waiting for a reply, Boss Li unleashed the two hundred and forty flying swords. “I’ll slice you to death, cut by cut—see how stubborn you can be!”

The celestial armor could only protect the infant from the neck down to the waist. Boss Li’s keen gaze had already locked onto the infant’s fair, plump little legs.

Each sword stroke severed the small legs, but since they were made of pure energy, they regenerated instantly, only to face another assault. Though this seemed to do little physical harm, the wicked Boss Li laced every strike with dark energy, wantonly ravaging the infant’s three souls and six spirits.

Sure enough, after a few strikes, the celestial infant began to tremble uncontrollably, its tiny hands clawing at the earth, desperate to free its head. Terror is bearable; it’s the terror of the unknown that truly unnerves. Now, panic seized the immortal infant. If the body is destroyed, there’s still hope of ascending again, but if the three souls and six spirits are obliterated, not even reincarnation is possible. The worst injustice was being utterly powerless to resist.

After a brief torment, the celestial infant could endure no more and let out a wailing cry that echoed through the ground. Xiao Ying could sense the desolation, fury, and helplessness in that voice.

Boss Li sneered coldly and waved his hand, sending the two hundred and forty flying swords to relentlessly assault the infant’s ankles.

Unable to bear it any longer, Xiao Ying walked up behind Boss Li, tugged at his sleeve, and asked in a trembling voice, “Zhuzi… isn’t that enough?”

Boss Li glanced back at her, curled his lip, bent down, seized the infant’s small foot, yanked him from the earth, and, like swinging a pestle, smashed him against the ground several times. Then, gripping him before his face, he ground out, “I’ve little patience left! I’ll count to three—if you still don’t tell me who sent you, I won’t mind feeding your energy to my son!”

He beckoned, and the little creature darted onto his shoulder, narrowing its eyes at the infant, baring its teeth and sticking out its pink tongue to lick its lips menacingly.

“You saw how it dragged you out of your body earlier, didn’t you?” Boss Li’s grin was sinister as he spoke in a low voice. “Here’s another secret—this little thing devoured quite a few six-winged angels’ souls on the battlefield. And it has very particular tastes…” Boss Li pinched the infant’s cheek. “Your level of energy happens to be its favorite.”

“Chirp chirp!” The little creature puffed up proudly, pounding its chest with its tiny paws.

At last, the celestial infant could no longer contain himself, glaring at Boss Li with hatred. “If I tell you, will you let me go?”

Boss Li grinned, wagging his finger. “This isn’t a negotiation. You have to tell me—understand?”

“What’s in it for me?”

“You’ll be swallowed whole!” Boss Li replied evenly, not a flicker of emotion on his face.

“Why don’t you just die?” The celestial infant was utterly furious. He’d seen shameless people before, but never one so brazen.

Boss Li chuckled, patting his own forehead, then gave the infant’s head a light smack. “Let’s put it this way—if you refuse, I’ll have him tear you apart, piece by piece, and chew you down slowly. If you talk, I’ll let him swallow you in one gulp. Which do you choose?”

The celestial infant’s face flushed with rage, his breath coming in great heaves, his chest rising and falling violently, his gaze wishing nothing more than to tear Boss Li to pieces.

PS: My apologies—Little Mo has been extremely busy these days. Yesterday I came home and fell asleep without updating, and now I must go out again. Things should settle down after these few days.