Chapter 72: Slaughter

The Dark Elf took a deep breath, drawing her bowstring taut as a fierce wind swirled ominously at her feet.

Thrum!

Three arrows shot out simultaneously, their deadly trajectory cutting through the air. At such close range, even Wang Yong, with his Silver Realm strength, would be doomed if they struck.

Wang Yong, who had been roaring defiantly just moments before, saw the arrows racing toward him, and his expression twisted in panic. He hadn't expected Chen Feng to be so ruthless, killing without hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A sharp whistle sliced through the air as the arrows, charged with the Dark Elf's lethal intent, flew forward in an exaggerated arc, aimed directly at Wang Yong's heart.

But Wang Yong wasn't about to surrender to his fate. In that critical moment, one of the Netherlight Cockroaches darted in front of him. Its pitch-black eyes glinted with a ferocious cunning, almost as if the creature possessed a twisted intellect of its own.

The two Netherlight Cockroaches shielded Wang Yong, their backs turned towards the incoming arrows. Their dark exoskeletons gleamed suddenly, taking on a smooth, crystalline sheen.

The arrows struck with a sickening thud, colliding head-on with the cockroaches' backs. These arrows, which had felled countless monsters before, seemed unstoppable. But as they hit the cockroaches' exoskeletons, a black glow erupted from the creatures, halting the arrows in their tracks.

The impact bent the arrows, forcing them into a bow shape before they snapped, falling to the ground with a lifeless clatter.

"They even managed to block the Dark Elf's attack... As expected, these Netherlight Cockroaches are an extraordinary variant among insects. Even though they haven't reached the Silver-Realm, they possess terrifying defensive abilities!"

Chen Feng stood aside, his eyes cold as he observed every shift in the battle.

The Netherlight Cockroaches' ability to repel elemental attacks came from their unique power—when under threat, they could generate a protective black membrane that blocked all incoming assaults.

"But this power has its limits," Chen Feng mused darkly. "Defense? Let's see how many more attacks you can withstand. Harbinger, split its body open! I want its exoskeleton peeled off!"

Chen Feng's voice rang out, filled with cold resolve.

Wang Yong, who had just begun to feel a sense of relief at narrowly escaping death, suddenly froze. A crushing, oppressive presence loomed over him, so overwhelming that it defied description. It felt as if a monstrous force was bearing down on him, suffocating him. He looked up, and his heart sank.

Before him stood a terrifying creature, its neck pierced by three iron nails, with barbed wire cruelly wrapped around its face. Any ordinary being would have long succumbed to such horrific injuries, but this monstrosity moved as if unfazed. One of its eyes, barely visible through the twisted wire, burned with a deranged madness, blood-red lines streaking through its gaze.

In its massive hands, it wielded two sledgehammers—hammers typically used on construction sites to smash through rocks. For most, lifting even one would require significant effort, but the Harbinger gripped one in each hand as if they were mere toys.

The ferocity emanating from the Harbinger was palpable, a wave of raw power that threatened to crush everything in its path.

The Netherlight Cockroach, sensing the imminent danger, attempted to defend itself, curling its body as the protective black membrane returned to its exoskeleton. But the Harbinger was already upon it, raising one of the sledgehammers high before bringing it down with the force of an avalanche.

Boom!

The crash echoed like iron striking stone. The Harbinger Cockroach barely withstood the blow, but the sheer force knocked it to the ground, eliciting a pained, screeching cry.

Grahhghh!...

The Harbinger, its vocal cords damaged beyond repair, let out a guttural, primal roar. And it still had a second hammer.

With a terrifying finality, the Harbinger raised the second hammer and brought it crashing down onto the head of the Netherlight Cockroach.

Crack!

The cockroach, already weakened and unable to summon another protective membrane, stood no chance. Its head was pulverized, reduced to a gruesome pile of crushed flesh and shattered shell.

At such close range, Wang Yong was splattered with the cockroach's turquoise blood.

His pupils dilated in sheer terror, his heart nearly stopping in his chest. Any sliver of hope he might have clung to was utterly obliterated, replaced by a soul-crushing fear.

As an Insect Controller, Wang Yong had obtained these two Netherlight Cockroaches through sheer luck, nurturing them with extreme care, even feeding them human flesh. He knew better than anyone the extent of their capabilities.

Their exoskeletons were incredibly tough—Wang Yong had once tested them by emptying an entire magazine of bullets, and not a single scratch had marred their surface. Yet here, in mere moments, the Harbinger had obliterated one with horrifying ease.

To this day, Wang Yong had faced countless enemies—zombies, monsters, even other humans—but none had ever managed to harm him, thanks to the impenetrable defense provided by his Netherlight Cockroaches. They were his living shields. But now...

The creature before him had obliterated his defenses with just two devastating strikes, shattering his confidence and leaving him gasping for air, paralyzed by a fear unlike anything he had ever known.

At that moment, Wang Yong's henchmen finally snapped into action. Seeing their boss under attack by a monstrous being, their pent-up rage erupted. Without a second thought, they charged forward, heedless of the danger.

Leading the assault was a burly man, one of Wang Yong's most trusted lieutenants. As he charged, his fingernails began to grow, extending into sharp, gleaming claws, each over ten centimeters long—deadlier than any blade.

A Professional.

This man had been watching the battle closely, understanding that Chen Feng was the mastermind behind the assault. The moment the Netherlight Cockroach was destroyed, he sprang into action, launching himself at Chen Feng like a cannonball.

Take out the leader, and the rest will crumble.

He was an expert in flanking attacks, moving with deadly precision. But fate had other plans. Just as he closed the gap to within five or six meters of Chen Feng, a sudden, searing pain shot through his foot. Before he could react, he was yanked off his feet and hung upside down, his world spinning.

What did he see?

A pile of rotting sludge, oozing with decay.

The Professional struggled, but to no avail. Suddenly, dozens of grotesque arms sprouted from the sludge, each one wrapping around him with crushing force. The strength of these limbs was monstrous, snapping the bones in his legs like twigs, leaving jagged white shards exposed. They twisted his arms and shoulders with brutal, unrelenting force.

His body was contorted into grotesque angles, muscles torn, bones shattered, and blood pouring out in a sickening torrent. The sight was horrifying—a man reduced to a broken, bleeding puppet in the grip of something truly nightmarish.

All of this unfolded in a single, blinding second—too fast for the mind to grasp. The Professional remained in shock for two full seconds before the unbearable pain crashed over him like a tidal wave, nearly dragging him into unconsciousness.

Death?

In that agonizing moment, even death seemed like a distant, unattainable mercy.

Wei Xun charged into the fray, a whirlwind of violence. These henchmen were no amateurs; they had honed their combat skills, aiming for vital spots like the neck, groin, and the back of the head. Each strike was intended to be lethal. But Wei Xun's body was already armored with scales, and though their machetes were sharp, they couldn't pierce his defenses.

"When the Lord commands your death, you die!"

As Chen Feng's loyal brute, Wei Xun tore through the crowd like a force of nature. His tail lashed out, smashing through the chest of one thug, who crumpled to the ground without a sound.

Simultaneously, Wei Xun delivered a crushing punch, snapping another thug's neck. The man sputtered blood, his eyes glazing over as life drained from him.

Thrum!

An arrow whistled through the air, striking another thug squarely in the head, dropping him instantly.

Thrum!

Another body hit the ground, lifeless.

Slaughter!

This wasn't a battle—it was a massacre. Within minutes, Wang Yong's once-trusted men lay scattered as nothing more than cold, lifeless corpses.

On the other side, the Harbinger's twin hammers continued their relentless assault. The last of the Netherlight Cockroaches didn't stand a chance. Its defenses shattered, and it was crushed to death in less than a minute.

The disparity in power was overwhelming. With three Silver-Realm beings attacking at close range, there was no contest. Whoever they targeted met a swift, brutal end.

Demonic!

If Wang Yong was a villain, then what was Chen Feng?

Killing without hesitation, and on such a massive scale, his cold and ruthless nature was nothing short of terrifying. At that moment, no one dared to meet his gaze.

Burning all bridges.

To take something that belonged to someone else inevitably left traces. But rather than waste time and energy erasing those traces, it was better to cut all ties and claim it as his own.

Cruelty?

Wang Yong had fed live humans to his cockroaches, erasing any trace of humanity within himself. This was survival of the fittest—the weak were always at the mercy of the strong, ripe for exploitation and plunder.

"Why? What is this all for?"

The confidence drained from Wang Yong's face, leaving it as pale as snow, filled with despair.

As he looked around, he saw his henchmen and prized cockroaches lying in pools of their own blood. Trembling, he fell to his knees, begging, "Please don't kill me. We have no quarrel. I don't even know what I did wrong. Please, just this once, I'll do anything—be your slave, your dog—just don't kill me, please..."

Chen Feng remained unmoved, his gaze cold and unyielding. With a simple gesture—a cutting motion across his neck—he signaled to Wei Xun: no survivors. It was a truth Chen Feng understood all too well. In this world, mercy was a weakness that could not be afforded.

As Chen Feng gave the signal, Wang Yong's pupils shrank to narrow slits. The ruthlessness was undeniable—Chen Feng intended to leave no one alive. Despite his desperate pleas, they were determined to eradicate him completely.

"Who... who are you?" Wang Yong's voice quivered, a mixture of fear and disbelief trembling through it. "Everything I've built... destroyed, all my efforts wasted! You slaughter more than twenty lives without a second thought!"

Wang Yong's mind spiraled into chaos, consumed by a burning hatred. He looked up, his eyes now bloodshot and wild. "If I can't survive this, then I'll take you down with me!" he roared, his face contorting with rage. In a frenzied motion, he tore open his shirt, revealing the tiger tattoo emblazoned across his chest. To Chen Feng's shock, the tattoo began to writhe, as if it were alive.

In an instant, the tattoo split open, revealing a palm-sized butterfly. Its wings were delicate, like gossamer, and its eyes were a piercing sky blue. The butterfly's beauty was otherworldly, captivating anyone who laid eyes upon it, in stark contrast to the horror it concealed.

The butterfly radiated a prismatic glow, shimmering as if it were made of glass, its colors dancing in the light.

This mysterious creature had been hidden within Wang Yong's tattoo, its power concealed until now. As it emerged, its eyes snapped open, and a dazzling, multicolored beam shot directly toward Chen Feng!

In a desperate, final act of defiance, Wang Yong unleashed his last card—a bizarre and deadly attack. The move was so sudden, so unexpected, that even Chen Feng, caught off guard, found himself enveloped in the blinding, brilliant light...