Know pain
Buzz—
The miniature formation emitted a soft, low whine as it activated.
Liu Ping disappeared on the city wall.
With the combination of his Presence Concealment Technique, the Spirit Concealing Bamboo Hat, and the Pervert's Clothing, he was fully protected by three layers of concealment. The other Night's watchmen, who had already moved away, were unaware of his presence.
The monster, still unaware of Liu Ping's presence, stretched out its countless legs and continued to crawl through the wilderness.
Lines of small texts appeared, slowly floating above the monster's head:
[Insect of Torment, Evernight Category Demonic Insect.]
[Explanation: It represents the place where all torment begins.]
Liu Ping's mind stirred with confusion.
The meaning of these words was unclear—what did they really imply?
A second line of characters quietly appeared:
[This is the title derived from its body's numerous rule manifestations. and it can only be presented to this extent. You need to further interpret it yourself.]
Torment...
What does Torment have to do with Agony?
In the Cultivation World, Agony was associated with the Lady Agony.
the Judge?
Liu Ping's expression grew serious.
Could this "Insect of Torment" be the Judge? Had it already been figured out that he was the one who had disrupted their plans?
...No, that didn't make sense.
When he had struck down the Judge's attendant, it was the little girl and the western desolate grand formation that had been involved, not him. He had kept his involvement hidden.
The key to their deaths had been the formation. As long as Liu Ping stayed behind the numerous Concealment Formations, there was no way to track him through the formation itself.
For now, he decided to focus on the task at hand—first, eliminate the threat, and figure out the rest later.
Liu Ping fastened the formation plate to his waist and quickly checked his weapons.
The pistol was loaded with ammo, and the Double Barreled Shotgun was ready. His long blade hung at his side.
The Pervert's Clothing was not very stable at the moment—it required at least Golden Core Stage for perfect control. Thus, he couldn't separate the formation plate from his body for now.
After a moment of thought, Liu Ping secured the formation plate to his shoulder.
A set of sword cultivator battle armor, worn long ago, now rested on his body.
Everything was prepared.
Liu Ping turned his attention back to the creature outside the city wall. He saw it slowly turn its head and crawl towards Dark Mist Town—it had discovered the town.
It seemed to be heading straight for the city wall to investigate.
Without hesitation, Liu Ping's figure soared upwards, leaping effortlessly over the city wall and flying into the night sky.
He silently descended into the wilderness.
The monster, preoccupied with its path, didn't detect him.
From up close, Liu Ping saw the creature's carapace glowing with a rich white light, almost as though it was radiating the essence of a powerful law.
This white light... could it be used for something other than hunting?
Liu Ping sighed inwardly, feeling a tinge of regret. If he had more time to study the carapace, perhaps he could have invented something useful. For example, the night lights along Dark Mist Town's paths could be designed to resemble the carapace—environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Plus, since they came from a death monster, they could help hide the auras of the living.
Shaking off the thought, Liu Ping drew the Double Barreled Shotgun from his back, replaced the regular rounds with Sacred Bullets, and readied himself for action.
According to the bartender, the sacred Bullets were effective on death and evil creatures.
And now, the creature was here in front of him.
Liu Ping observed the creature's erratic movements. It appeared not to have detected him yet.
The rustling sounds grew louder, a soft and eerie scraping, as the monster closed the distance between them.
Liu Ping quickly pulled out the Exorcising Demons Rupturing Talisman, swiftly folded it into the shape of an origami crane. He whispered a soft "Ha" and raised his hand.
"Fly!"
The origami crane flitted away, drifting dozens of meters in the opposite direction.
The sharp explosive sound of the crane's detonation broke the night, startling the monster. Its gaze snapped toward the source of the noise, wary and alert.
Seizing the moment, Liu Ping drew the Snow Shadow blade from his side. He pulled out another Exorcising Demon Rupturing Talisman and wiped it against the blade, leaving a glowing rune.
Tie!
A line of blazing words appeared in the air:
[You have activated your exclusive secret art—Supreme Talisman Seal Blade!]
Liu Ping didn't even glance at the words, fully focused as he drew in a deep breath.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
The echoes of the explosion gradually faded.
The monster, vigilant and wary, waited for some time, but when no further sound came, it slowly turned around.
In that instant, a flash of blade light cut through the air.
The creature let out a pitiful, sharp yell as its skull was cleaved open, followed by an explosive burst that immediately dislodged its carapace.
Liu Ping swiftly retracted the blade and aimed his Double Barreled Shotgun directly at the monster's exposed head.
"Bang!" he muttered, his finger tightening on the trigger.
Ping!
The sound of the shot rang out, a dull thud echoing through the night. The monster's body, which had been swaying erratically, froze and collapsed onto the ground with a resounding crash, lifeless.
Liu Ping, unbothered, fired once more.
The barrel shook as the Holy Bullet tore through the monster's skull, splattering brilliant white Sacred light into the surrounding darkness.
This was the Holy Bullet's lingering power.
Liu Ping carefully lowered his gun, stepping back, his eyes alert. He began loading two more Holy Bullets, wary of any further movement from the creature.
The monster remained motionless.
Liu Ping was about to leave when he noticed a figure emerging from the distant darkness.
"It came here unexpectedly. No wonder I couldn't find it for a while. I never thought you would be the one to kill it!" The little girl landed lightly and placed a hand on the monster's corpse.
The corpse vanished instantly.
"Wait, didn't you leave?" Liu Ping asked, perplexed.
"The area within several thousand miles is my domain," she replied calmly. "I can detect any sound here. wait a moment!"
"Hide quickly!"
The little girl beckoned to him, muttering several incantations under her breath. Red light enveloped Liu Ping's body, gradually making him fade from sight in the open area.
"Don't move. Otherwise, I'll be forced into an awkward situation. You might be in danger" she warned.
Liu Ping froze in place, trusting her words.
The little girl turned her gaze toward the depths of the wilderness.
In the darkness, the land shifted as if an ocean's silent waves were rippling across it. A head, several meters high, emerged from underground and stared at the little girl.
This was no ordinary head—it resembled that of a giant, but within its mouth was a door encrusted with jewels. The door creaked open.
Out stepped 7 to 8 grotesque men and women, all wearing masks that obscured their faces. The man wearing the mask spoke first: "The time has come. We must retreat to the depths of Evernight."
Liu Ping observed carefully and saw that each mask depicted the face of a sleeping ghost.
The little girl's expression darkened. "Retreating— is that our only option?"
The man replied, "Why look for trouble? The time has come for the two ladies, Torment and Agony, to sever their ties. Evernight's outer regions are about to plunge into an endless war, and we will surely be affected."
The little girl shook her head. "My mission here is far from over. You go first."
Suddenly, among the group, a woman wearing a skeleton mask let out a mocking laugh.
"You see, she's still holding onto that impractical dream," the woman said, her voice long and drawn-out, calm even under pressure.
A faint ghostly fire flickered in the eye sockets of her mask, her unblinking stare fixed on the little girl.
A woman wearing a crescent moon mask added, "You still want to find living people among the countless dead? We've tried that path before, and it was proven fruitless."
The woman with the skeleton mask remarked, "Whether it's Agony or Torment, neither will allow a living person to exist, especially the one who destroys the plots. We cannot allow such a person to remain."
"I will find a way," the little girl said firmly.
The others stared at her silently.
A man wearing a Slumbering Ghost mask deepened his voice and said, "The Judge is coming. The one who has arrived this time is no ordinary foe."
"I will find a way" the little girl responded.
"Have you made up your mind? If you are captured by that fellow, even your soul will be consumed. There will be no chance left," the woman with the skeleton mask warned.
"I've evaded them before. I'm tired of running" the little girl said quietly.
The group observed her in silence.
The man with the Slumbering Ghost mask spoke again, "Very well. If you manage to escape... we'll be waiting for you in the gaze of the Judge in the depths of Evernight."
One by one, they turned and began retreating.
They entered the gem-encrusted door. The giant, who had been silent all this time, closed its mouth and gave one last look at the little girl.
"Take care," it rumbled in a low, serious tone.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine" the little girl replied.
The giant slowly sank into the depths of the land.
After a while, everything returned to normal.
The little girl turned around and spoke into the approaching void, "You can come out now."
Liu Ping emerged from the shadows and said, "That woman who wore the crescent moon mask… she looked at me for a moment."
"She is fierce, but she meas well," the little girl explained.
"I was about to ask—" Liu Ping started, but was interrupted by the little girl.
"What matters most right now is surviving tonight. If we can make it through, I'll tell you more." Her voice was calm but filled with determination.
"Alright, I'll wait," Liu Ping said.