The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Xue Yi and the surviving elites watched the scene unfold in disbelief. They couldn't hear Lord You's voice, only see the monster they couldn't defeat get easily crushed by a giant hand before disappearing. Chen Dong was taken away with it.

An injured elite from the Military Suppression Department came before Xue Yi, wounded, and asked, "What do we do now?"

Xue Yi coughed twice. "First, wipe out the rest of these crows. At the same time, stay on high alert—we don't know if that monster will return. Send out a team to search for any tracks. The Divine Department is already on its way."

At the mention of the Divine Department, the elite's eyes lit up. There was nothing the Divine Department couldn't handle. He believed they could perfectly resolve anything, even the two giant hands that had appeared.

Divine Department wasn't a person's name but the highest position within the Military Suppression Department. Initially, there were only three such individuals. Later, a fourth was added, for a total of four. They took turns governing the Military Suppression Department, currently the most powerful Martial Dao organization.

After Corpse Dove's retreat, and before the Martial Artists could even make a move to kill them, the countless crows spontaneously disintegrated into ash, which then drifted through the skies above Beijing.

Meanwhile, Chen Dong found that Corpse Dove's black light had only shattered his Outer Manifestation without causing him any significant injuries. But the giant hand that appeared afterward emanated a terrifying aura of irresistible power, seizing him with ease. That aura was even more frightening than that of Red-clothed Li Wang.

Chen Dong fought to remain conscious, refusing to pass out. After a dizzying spell of weightlessness, everything around him stabilized.

Chen Dong stared up at the two massive, full moons in the sky, momentarily lost. 'Where is this? I'm definitely not in Kyushu anymore. There are two moons here!'

"This is what the people outside call the Qiankun Realm," a cold, majestic voice informed Chen Dong.

Chen Dong turned toward the voice, and the mere sight of the figure's back made his heart nearly stop. It was a presence that seemed to stand proudly above the stars, yet at the same time, did not belong to this world. It was the chilling cold of a bottomless abyss, the destructive terror at the core of a raging inferno.

The figure turned around. They were dressed in strange, dark-cyan robes of a style Chen Dong had never seen before, reminiscent of a Sacrificial Priest's vestments. Their waist-length hair was woven into a braid, bangs dancing in the wind to reveal a pair of cold, world-weary eyes filled with contempt. Their skin was as fair as Chen Dong's, but intricate, blood-red patterns snaked out from their neck.

"Lord You, wouldn't it have been easier to just kill this brat? Why bother bringing him here?" Corpse Dove squawked, preening its few remaining feathers.

You spoke slowly, "I have my reasons."

Hearing Lord You's words, Corpse Dove dared not speak further.

"Though I found no trace of Ming today, it was not entirely a fruitless endeavor. To think that in this late Dharma-Ending Age, the people of this world still possess a pocket realm!"

Chen Dong asked, his curiosity piqued, "You mean this Qiankun Realm?" He had no doubt he was no match for Lord You. 'Since he didn't kill me, I must still be useful.' With that, he calmed down and waited for an answer.

You slowly nodded. "When the Crows of Resentment attacked the city, hundreds of masters from among the Human Race emerged from this place. That is how I discovered the location of the Qiankun Realm. I presume the experts of the Human Race's Martial Dao are in here, and Ming may be here as well."

"I have already scanned this place. While not vast, it is not small either, and it is teeming with Human Race experts. It is... inconvenient for us to reveal ourselves. So I brought this person here to find Ming for me."

Corpse Dove cackled. "Lord You, just let me go find Lord Ming! You can let me eat this brat!"

You shook his head. "Among the humans here, there are no fewer than five experts of what they call the Inner Realm, and over a hundred in the Outer Manifestation Realm. If you wish to die, by all means, go ahead."

Upon hearing this, Corpse Dove tilted its head and fell silent.

Chen Dong was also shocked by this revelation. 'I can't believe there are so many masters here. Back in the outside world, a single Outer Manifestation expert is rare enough to dominate an entire region, yet there are over a hundred of them here, and even experts in the Inner Realm!'

You's emotionless eyes fell upon Chen Dong. "I will place a seal upon you. When you encounter someone who causes the rune on your left palm to glow, you are to cut it open."

As he spoke, he waved a hand. A streak of black light shot into Chen Dong's left arm, forming a rune in the shape of the character for "Ming."

"This rune must make skin contact to sense anything. When the rune fills with black blood, you will die. Therefore, you must return to me before it is full. Otherwise, your death is certain."

Chen Dong looked at the faint rune in the center of his left palm. The very beginning of its first stroke was already a deep, dark black. He understood now: he would have to go around touching people, one by one, with his left hand and then see if the rune glowed.

Chen Dong thought for a moment before asking, "Roughly how long will that take?"

You seemed quite pleased with Chen Dong's attitude—no resistance, just a calm acceptance of his fate. He answered, "Twenty days."

Chen Dong nodded. "If I haven't found the person you're looking for after twenty days, how do I find you?"

You looked up at the two moons and said softly, "I will find you."

Chen Dong had many more questions, but for the sake of his own life, he kept his mouth shut.

You waved his hand. Chen Dong felt his surroundings shift in an instant, and he found himself at the foot of a mountain. Such a display of power sent a wave of despair through him. 'How can someone so terrifying exist in this world?'