Chapter 1296: The Great Divine Beast

"So it's a rebel..."

Xiao Ran grinned, her face contorted with manic glee: "I was originally going to say that my promotion to 'Shen Shou' was thanks to your help, but now that's truly a shame... Perhaps the first thing I do in office will be to 'execute family for justice,' so Qing Long can see just how much I value my current role."

Hei Yang reached out and shoved Di Hou aside, saying: "I thought there was a slim chance we could become 'our own people'... But now it seems I was naive..."

"'Our own people'?" Xiao Ran scoffed mockingly. "Not anymore. Because of your fundamental mistake, we're now sworn enemies."

"Sworn enemies..." Hei Yang gave a bitter laugh. "Looks like I'll have plenty of opponents to face today... Bring them all on... Two 'Tian Ji' plus one 'Shen Shou'... Sounds like I'll go down in history..."

No matter what, Xiao Ran never expected the Hei Yang in front of her to be so unhinged. As soon as he finished speaking, he lunged forward with a dagger.

But he was clearly very weak, and the strike lacked any real force—it only grazed Xiao Ran's chest.

"Ah!!" Xiao Ran cried out in alarm, startling everyone nearby. "Are you insane? It's going to leave a scar!"

She slightly unfastened her clothes to check, and saw that the area already had some words carved into it. Hei Yang's knife had cut through the middle of the phrase "My Wangfei," making it look mismatched and awkward.

"This is bad..." Xiao Ran paused. "How am I supposed to explain this if Qing Long sees it? I was planning to say I carved those words for him..."

She didn't have time to think it through and quickly refastened her clothes, turning to shout at the numerous "Ren Ji": "Are you all blind? Can't you see he's attacking a 'Shen Shou'? Get him!"

Her words left the "Ren Ji" stunned.

"You're a 'Shen Shou'... and you're telling us to go?" one "Ren Ji" asked shakily. "Couldn't you just kill him with a wave of your hand? He's already badly injured..."

"How dare you disobey me?!" Xiao Ran erupted in fury. "Do you believe I'll go to Qing Long and report this right now?"

Xiao Ran's threat intimidated the group, but facing Qing Long meant death, and fighting a "Di Ji" meant the same. Everyone felt the new "Shen Shou's" demands were completely unreasonable.

"You might really be new to the job and know nothing about the situation here..." Hei Yang paused and said, "'Ren Ji' don't answer to 'Shen Shou.' They only listen to their own teachers."

Di Hou smirked at that, finding Hei Yang's words intriguing—it was as if he was speaking to the "Shen Shou" while also influencing the hesitant "Ren Ji."

After all, there was no rule stating a "Shen Shou" could command "Ren Ji," and now Hei Yang had drawn a clear line, essentially making the choice for them.

"Yeah, yeah... We have to listen to our own teachers." The "Ren Ji" chimed in. "And if you're really a 'Shen Shou,' why not prove it by killing that Hei Yang right now?"

"That's right! You should be able to take him out easily, right?"

Hearing the "Ren Ji" speak so boldly, Xiao Ran burned with rage.

"Fine... Fine... How dare you talk to me like this..." She gritted her teeth, but didn't know what to do with them.

She didn't have any real power, and her understanding of those eye abilities was still vague.

How could she punish them now?

"You'll all regret this..."

Xiao Ran issued her threat and slowly backed away. Under the puzzled gazes of Hei Yang and Di Hou, she adopted a posture as if preparing to flee.

Every action this "Shen Shou" had taken since appearing was beyond their expectations. If she really ran away... wouldn't that mean she'd lost all face in front of the "Ren Ji" on her very first day?

Xiao Ran shot a fierce glare at the "Ren Ji" in front of her, then turned back to Hei Yang and Di Hou, saying: "And you two... Don't think you'll get off scot-free just because I'm leaving. You're the first enemies I've encountered since taking office... If you have the guts, stay right here. I'll see how you handle it when Qing Long arrives."

"'The two of us'?" Di Hou could only shake his head and laugh bitterly at that. "Oh, great 'Shen Shou,' haven't you noticed I'm just a coerced hostage? My injuries are on my back, and there's blood on my neck."

"Ha... Do you think I'm an idiot?" Xiao Ran retorted with an angry laugh. "You two were chatting and standing together... Now that a 'Shen Shou' has arrived, and I'm about to go to Qing Long, and the situation's turning—suddenly you remember to play the hostage? Isn't that a bit late?"

"Ha ha ha ha..." Di Hou's expression was full of helplessness. "Oh dear... What can I do? This new 'Shen Shou's' power is terrifyingly strong, solving cases like a divine judge... Let me think if there's anything I can say to salvage this..."

"Don't even dream about it!" Xiao Ran snapped. "Qing Long gave me this authority to wipe out people like you. Too late for regrets now?"

Di Hou nodded after hearing that: "Great 'Shen Shou,' if that's the case... Do I even have a chance of survival if I don't rebel?"

"You have no path left." Xiao Ran gave the group one last look before turning and retreating far away. "All of you, just wait."

With that, she turned and ran off, not caring about the eyes on her back.

Seeing her in such a sorry state, even the usually stern Hei Yang couldn't help but smile.

He vaguely sensed the purpose behind Bai Yang arranging for this person to show up. In just a few minutes, not only had she failed to add to his wounds, but she'd also sparked his fighting spirit, distracting him from thoughts of death and letting his fading life hold on a bit longer.

Beyond that, with a few words, she'd turned a Di Hou into an ally, leaving even him feeling inferior.

"Now it's my turn to ask you." Hei Yang looked at Di Hou and said, "What do you think about this situation?"

Di Hou's expression was nothing but a bitter smile: "Hei Yang, if that woman is really the new 'Shen Shou,' then I've lost all hope in Qing Long... Even if I survive, under her brilliant leadership, my future days won't be any better."

"I sympathize a little, but you can think it over again." Hei Yang replied casually.

"No need to think. Some people can hold a knife to my neck and I still feel they don't want to kill me, but with others, just a few words make me see a hopeless future." Di Hou stretched his muscles and said, "We're only about a dozen doors away from Tian Hu's position. I'll hold off the 'Ren Ji' for you—go on ahead."

As Di Hou showed his determination, the dozen or so "Ren Ji" in front of him began to back away.

"Everyone, make way." Di Hou said. "From now on, I'm rebelling. You've all heard it—this is what the 'Shen Shou' decreed. I'm rebelling on her orders."