I Went Crazy Killing in the World of Gods and Demons - Chapter 58

Chapter 58
The earphones hanging from Dai Xingyu’s ears transmitted Ling Fang’s voice: “We’re here?”

The fox’s ears were sharp, its sensitive hearing capturing every word Ling Fang spoke through the earphones. Its eyes immediately narrowed into slits, adopting a posture ready to attack at any moment.

“You… you’re seeking death!” Xia Tian roared, transforming its five fingers into claws as it launched the first strike.

It didn’t intend to fight the department members to the death, but rather wanted to take a hostage before Ling Fang and the others appeared to form an encirclement, ensuring its own safety before finding an opportunity to escape.

And Dai Xingyu became Xia Tian’s target.

He appeared much weaker than Xie Qingling.

Standing in place, Xia Tian’s fingers suddenly elongated, reaching toward Dai Xingyu from a distance. With a phantom swipe of its claws, it nearly captured Dai Xingyu.

Dai Xingyu raised his shield and shouted: “Guard!”

The shield immediately emitted a brilliant light, completely enveloping him.

Xia Tian’s claws grasped empty air, forcing it to retract them.

Meanwhile, Xie Qingling had circled around and approached from behind Xia Tian. She leaped high, her right hand slashing downward diagonally. The “Zun” character on Blood Oath flashed red, drinking blood as the red lines extended slightly longer.

A bloody gash appeared on Xia Tian’s back from Blood Oath’s strike. It frowned slightly, reaching back to touch its shoulder. The next moment, the mangled flesh on its back gradually healed.

Xia Tian whirled around, its gaze locking onto Xie Qingling, malice radiating from its narrow fox eyes.

Xie Qingling raised her blade from below with her left hand, but this time, it was blocked by a stream-like energy, unable to harm Xia Tian again.

Unable to counter this stream-like energy, Xie Qingling could only retreat to protect herself.

Having succeeded in one surprise attack was already beyond expectations. Xie Qingling didn’t press her advantage, switching from offense to defense.

Having tasted Xie Qingling’s Blood Oath, Xia Tian didn’t dare act recklessly either.

The first confrontation ended with the three standing in silent stalemate.

Just then, the roaring motorcycle engines ceased as Ling Fang and the others arrived at the scene.

Shen Huaizhou was the first to arrive, his long black skirt billowing in the night wind. With one hand he threw a flying dagger, while the other pointed toward Xia Tian’s direction, murmuring: “Vision Obscuring.”

The flying dagger brushed past but missed Xia Tian, because the next moment it transformed into green smoke and reappeared elsewhere.

Though it escaped immediate danger, a layer of darkness covered Xia Tian’s fox eyes. Shen Huaizhou had stolen its vision, leaving it completely blind.

“Petty tricks.” Showing no panic in its movements, Xia Tian chuckled coldly and stood elegantly. Then, a tall, ethereal white fox phantom materialized above its headfaint yet imposing and inviolable. “Pressure!”

An aura of majesty emanated from the white fox, forcing everyone to bow their heads as if bearing the weight of a massive mountain.

This was the pressure of a demi-immortal, using its cultivated Mystical Power to suppress others.

Just when it thought this pressure would subdue these humans and prevent further provocation, nine large, fluffy tails suddenly unfurled behind Shen Huaizhou.

A massive, pure white, and supremely sacred fox phantom materialized out of thin air.

“Nine-tailed…” Xia Tian’s gaze was drawn over, murmuring under his breath.

The overwhelming pressure from the Tushan clan spread in all directions, pushing back the oppressive aura emanating from the fox above Xia Tian’s head. Sensing the grave danger, Xia Tian’s vertical pupils widened with panic. He attempted to transform into a wisp of green smoke and escape, but this time, when he tried to activate his Mystical Power, he found his feet rooted to the spotunbeknownst to him, two skeletal hands had emerged from the ground beneath him, gripping his ankles in a deathly hold!

Xie Qingling withdrew her palm from the ground, her voice ringing out: “Soul Return!”

Damn it! He was trapped! Xia Tian’s face turned ashen with fury.

But by then, he had no time to react or counter.

Because Yu Wei was already swinging his heavy Remaining Might Blade down upon him with full force.

Facing imminent death by being cleaved in two, Xia Tian instead stood completely still.

He remained rooted in place, as if willingly embracing death.

Devoid of sorrow or joy, his expression showed no ripple of emotion, no intent to resist.

Yu Wei’s blade did not hesitate, cleaving straight down.

A swirl of green smoke, like a dense mist, clouded everyone’s vision.

He had missed.

Or rather, he had struck, but the sensation was wrong.

As the green smoke dissipated, Yu Wei saw that Xia Tian’s figure had completely vanished from the spot where he had been standing.

In its place lay a pure, fluffy fox tail.

Ling Fang approached, crossbow in hand. He bent down, picked up the tail from the ground, examined it for a moment, then sniffed it with a hint of disdain. “It reeks of fox,” he remarked.

[Nine-tailed foxes possess nine lives. Aside from the innate nine-tailed Tushan and Qingqiu foxes, other foxes must cultivate from a single tail. This fox, having practiced in the mountains for many years, had painstakingly cultivated a precious second tail. However, having long been absent from the mortal world, it never anticipated that the Spirit Users of this era each possessed their own Mystical Powers, easily forcing it to abandon its tail and flee. Whether through wit or combat, it was no match for them.]

To think it fled outright…

Should we call it cowardly, or clever?

A fox spirit is indeed a fox spiritcunning and difficult to handle, as always.

Ye Anran ran over, stroking the pure white tail in Ling Fang’s hand. “It feels quite nice,” she said. “This is a Fox immortal’s tail. It must be worth a fortune if made into a scarf, right?”

“Let’s regroup for now,” Ling Fang said. “This matter is complicated. We’ll discuss it back at the office.”

The group nodded in agreement and returned to their office.

Office.

The six department members gathered around the conference table, listening as Dai Xingyu animatedly recounted the story of the fox and Xia Ke’er, as well as the fox’s motives for seeking them out.

Midway through, Ye Anran brewed a pot of mind-calming tea, poured cups for everyone, and took her seat.

By then, the briefing on the background had concluded, and everyone was listening to Ling Fang’s deployment arrangements.

“Xie Qingling”

Hearing her name called, Xie Qingling immediately straightened her posture, sitting upright with her back rigid and her gaze fixed ahead.

“You performed well this time,” Ling Fang said to her.

There was even a rare hint of a smile in his gaze. “You reacted quickly this time, your intuition was sharp, and the decision you made immediately was spot-on. Keep it up.”

Xie Qingling froze for a moment, blinking her eyes, unaccustomed to Ling Fang’s praise.

How…

This time, she didn’t have to write a self-criticism?

It really felt strange.

Oh, rightLing Fang didn’t know about her threatening someone with a knife. Dai Xingyu hadn’t mentioned it.

Brother Xingyu, you’re quite something.

You really know the art of speaking.

Xie Qingling grinned and nodded, saying, “I’ll keep working hard!”

“As for you, Dai Xingyu.” Ling Fang turned his attention to the other person.

Dai Xingyu immediately straightened his back, looking like he was waiting for praise.

“You, write a ten-thousand-word self-criticism,” Ling Fang said.

“Mehuh?! Why?!” Dai Xingyu was bewildered. “Why do I have to write a self-criticism?!”

“Why? You almost got fooled by a fox, and you’re asking me why? As a senior member, you were too slow. If you had been alone today, have you thought about what might have happened? You should learn more from Xie Qingling.”

Ling Fang clasped his hands together, concluding the brief session of rewards and punishments, then shifted the topic. “Alright, moving on, let’s discuss how to handle the situation with Xia Ke’er.”

This effectively cut off all of Dai Xingyu’s complaints and protests.

Ye Anran patted his shoulder sympathetically in consolation.

“This incident is rather unusual,” Ling Fang said. “The opponent is a semi-immortal entity and likely has methods we’re unaware of. On top of that, they may be holding hostages… Unless absolutely necessary, avoid direct confrontation.”

“Feel free to share any ideas you have. Let’s brainstorm and come up with a feasible plan,” Ling Fang added.

The meeting table fell silent for a moment before Shen Huaizhou’s voice broke the quiet. “While watching the live performance, Xie Qingling mentioned smelling a very realistic scent of blood. I suspect it was caused by the fox’s illusion.”

Shen Huaizhou continued, “Compared to the feud between the fox and Xia Ke’er, I believe public safety is more critical. The immediate priority is to halt the Rainbow Feather Dance Troupe’s performances. Until the truth comes to light, we should prevent more people from attending live shows to avoid further harm.”

Ling Fang frowned deeply. “I’ve already reported the cases of audience members falling ill after watching the performances. The department will assign specialized personnel to investigate and determine if special treatment is necessary. This matter will be handled by the Logistics Department, so we don’t need to worry about it.”

“Additionally, I’ll communicate with the Logistics Department to apply for legal measures to stop the Rainbow Feather Dance Troupe’s performances.”

“However, since this dance drama is highly popular, generates significant revenue, and has a large fanbase, attempting to halt the performances will likely face resistance from various fronts, potentially leading to the action being called off. At that point, we”

Xie Qingling interrupted Ling Fang abruptly, saying, “Actually, Chief, I think…”

She hesitated for a moment, as if seeing the written self-criticism waving at her, but still spoke up: “I think if normal methods can’t effectively stop the performance, then perhaps we could use less conventional means to prevent it?”

“For example… the lead performer falls ill, the lead performer is late, the lead performer has family matters, and so on.” Xie Qingling’s voice grew softer as she spoke.

She observed Ling Fang’s expression and noticed he kept his head lowered with no intention of speaking, so she simply continued, “I believe in extraordinary times, we can employ expedient measures.”

The so-called expedient measures meant that whether through confinement or other means, they would first gain control over Xia Ke’er to prevent her from appearing in public, which would solve half the problem. It was crude but highly effective.

After all, all the anomalies in the dance troupe were brought by Xia Ke’er. In other words, by “dealing with” Xia Ke’er as an individualwhether the Rainbow Feather Dance Troupe sent a substitute on stage or canceled the performance entirelythey wouldn’t have to worry about other audiences being affected by Xia Ke’er and Xia Tian.

To catch the bandits, first catch the ringleader. Though this wasn’t a permanent solution, it would resolve their immediate predicament most quickly.

After Xie Qingling finished speaking, Ling Fang lifted his head and glanced in her direction, making her feel extremely anxious.

But then he nodded: “Alright. If my approach fails, we’ll proceed according to your plan.”

“Understood!”

The meeting temporarily concluded. As it was already late, Ling Fang dismissed them to rest properly and prepare for the next day’s operation.

The following day marked Xie Qingling’s third day of leave.

With nothing to do while waiting for Ling Fang’s instructions, she remained in the office reviewing files and texts about “household spirits,” “fox spirits,” “seeking recognition,” and other related topics, gradually filling in the gaps in her understanding.

By 10:30 AM, Ling Fang contacted Xie Qingling via call.

“My negotiations were unsuccessful,” Ling Fang said.

“Should I find a way to prevent Xia Ke’er from performing then?”

“No, your involvement won’t be necessary,” Ling Fang replied. “Check today’s trending entertainment news.”

Following his suggestion, Xie Qingling opened her phone and browsed through the applications, discovering a highly ranked hot search topic: an announcement about the Rainbow Feather Dance Troupe suspending performances.

The announcement stated that lead performer Xia Ke’er was temporarily halting performances due to health reasons, with no definite return date. A ticket refund channel had been opened, and audiences were advised to reschedule their viewing plans. The troupe expressed deep apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Netizens below the announcement were lamenting and expressing grief.

Soon, alongside the hot search about the performance suspension, another topic”Xia Ke’er’s Illness”emerged and rapidly gained traction.

Xie Qingling didn’t continue scrolling. After just a few glances, her heart sank. “Xia Ke’er has had an accident!”

She hadn’t expected the accident to occur so quickly.

Just last night, Xia Ke’er had still performed. Though Xie Qingling hadn’t stayed until the end, there shouldn’t have been any issuesotherwise, the entertainment news would have exploded much earlier.

“The news didn’t specify what exactly happened to Xia Ke’er’s health, only vaguely mentioning she fell ill, while Xia Ke’er herself hasn’t made any response. I suspect it might be the fox’s contract backfiring on her, and this backlash is severe enough to prevent her from making public appearances.”

“So, the plan we discussed last night is temporarily suspended,” Ling Fang said. “For now, I’m assigning you a temporary taskgo check out Xia Ke’er’s residence. Even if Xia Ke’er isn’t home, the things she worships will certainly leave some clues. I’ll send you Xia Ke’er’s address shortly. You’ll go with Shen Huaizhou.”

Shen Huaizhou possesses the Tushan clan’s Bestowment, which has some suppressive effect on that fox. Additionally, as an Illusionist, Shen Huaizhou is more familiar with the fox’s methods, making him the most suitable partner for Xie Qingling’s operation.

“The others have different assignments. You two must be extremely careful. Preferably, avoid conflict with the fox altogether. If fighting becomes unavoidable, remember to call for backup.”

“Understood.”

Xie Qingling’s heart sank as well.

After ending the call, Ling Fang soon sent over Xia Ke’er’s home address.

After waiting about five minutes, Shen Huaizhou returned from outside and waved to Xie Qingling, “Got the mission?”

Xie Qingling nodded.

“Then let’s depart,” Shen Huaizhou said. “The target is Xia Ke’er’s residenceVilla 23B in East Lake Villas.”