Chapter 565: Irascible Storyteller

“The Saint-Slave, the Storyteller!”

The moment the red dress fluttered down, Night Watch’s gaze locked onto the newcomer. He was certain that this Storyteller was no longer the external avatar he had faced before. Because if it were an avatar, the opponent wouldn’t have been able to simultaneously control all the Red Robes present in an instant!

Almost simultaneously, numerous Red Robes silently uttered the name of the man in the red dress. They also had a clear understanding of the newcomer's power.

“Peak Dao-Slayer, having endured all Nine-Death Lightning Tribulations.”“Only half a step away from Grand Void.”In other words, he was a man with one foot already in the realm of the world's peak!

A screech!

The first to break free from the restraint was not the Red Robes, but the Holy War Black Angel, wielding the Four Swords. The Storyteller could control the entire area. However, the Four Swords were clearly beyond his control. In a mere instant, the Holy War Black Angel broke free, then lifted its black sword and swung it at... Black Underworld!

Black Underworld's face instantly darkened. He had experienced the Storyteller's methods before. But every time this guy appeared, it was always so sudden and caught him off guard. Breaking free from restraint when there was no time to react was a challenge in itself. This demonic beast... is it insane? Coming to add insult to injury?

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”Just as Black Underworld struggled to evade the Four Swords' attack, Lan Ling's lips curved into a faint smile, and she chuckled softly.

“Heaven-Sealing Grand Array, drain!”With a soft cry, the power that had gathered within many Red Robes, attempting to break open the ancient book space, was instantly drained completely by the Heaven-Sealing Grand Array.

Before anyone could react, Lan Ling's fingers, which had also been restrained, trembled slightly.“Release.”

Dozens of lights descended from the sky, instantly enveloping all the Red Robes. The Storyteller's vision blurred; Lan Ling, who had been in his grasp, was gone. When he looked up again, all the Red Robes had appeared above him. Night Watch, Xin, the bewildered Black Underworld, and the remaining dozen or so dazed Red Robes all lowered their heads, their gazes fixed on the Storyteller below.

The scene seemed to quiet down. Even the Red Robes hadn't anticipated that their own power, which appeared capable of breaking through realms, could also be used as a means to counter the Storyteller.

“Lan Ling, what is this?”Xin quickly moved to Lan Ling's side. Earlier, the situation was urgent, and Lan Ling's telepathic message had only given a general idea. All they knew was that the situation had changed and they needed to break through this world first. They hadn't expected the Storyteller to appear! Had this guy been hiding here all along?

“Yin-Yang Life-Death, Ancient Book Space?” Night Watch also cast a side glance, having already discerned something.“Yes.”Lan Ling nodded, before she could say anything more.

“Damn it!”From the side came an angry curse; Black Underworld watched the Holy War Black Angel, clinging to him like a burr, and he became utterly exasperated.“Don't act alone.”Just as he was about to charge forward for a death match, Lan Ling stopped him.

“Heaven-Sealing Grand Array, transfer!”She raised a hand. The sword-wielding Holy War Black Angel, along with the still-restrained Four Minotaurs, were instantly transferred several miles away.“The immediate priority is the Storyteller.”Lan Ling's gaze never left the man in the red dress. The moment this man appeared, the center of the battlefield had already shifted, even though the Red Robes and the demonic beasts were the main objective.

Seeing Black Underworld seemed intent on continuing, Lan Ling immediately added, “Alone, you die.”Black Underworld stomped, cracking space, and forcibly stopped his movements. *Damn woman...* Although displeased with Lan Ling's command, the moment a Saint-Slave appeared, Black Underworld felt he truly couldn't act recklessly anymore. The fear of being dominated by the Storyteller's illusions back in the Eight Palaces resurfaced in his mind. If he truly left the Red Robe group, his next step could genuinely lead directly to death!

A crisp clapping sound echoed from below. The Storyteller couldn't help but lightly tap his left palm with the fingers of his right hand, his face full of admiration.“Impressive, tsk, tsk, impressive.”“As expected of the Red Robes...”Second Brother was right; he had truly underestimated these guys.

“I never thought you could still use the power of a grand array and alter the Heavenly Dao within someone else's space,” the Storyteller said, shaking his head playfully.“You flatter me.”Lan Ling narrowed her eyes and replied, “Merely a Grandmaster of Spirit Arrays with some preparations; it's incomparable to the legendary Saint-Slave's Seventh Hand.”

“Hmm...” the Storyteller hummed, tilting his head and drawing out the sound, then snapped his fingers.“Well said.”“'Merely,' 'nothing'... You, have quite the self-awareness.”

Xin was instantly provoked to anger by the man in the red dress. Not to mention his effeminate appearance. Why was his way of speaking so detestable?“You damned pervert, can you put away your effeminate gestures? I'll... *muffled sound*.”As he spoke, he suddenly felt as if his mouth had been sealed, unable to utter another word. He turned his head. Clearly, at this moment, it must be Lan Ling's Grand Array power that had sealed him. His eyeballs rolled around.“Mmmph mmmph mmmph mmmph mmmph?”*What are you sealing me for?*

Lan Ling ignored the large man, because the atmosphere in the world seemed to chill due to Xin's words. Others might not know, but she knew perfectly well. The word 'pervert' was like an un-touchable reverse scale for the Saint-Slave's Seventh Hand; it absolutely could not be uttered! Sure enough...

“What did you just say?”The Storyteller's mouth twitched, and his brows furrowed so intensely from suppressed rage that one eye became larger than the other. “Per-pervert?”He reached out a hand.Whoosh!Before anyone could react, the void twisted. When they recovered, Xin was already in the Storyteller's grasp.

“No!” Lan Ling cried out.It was too late.A ripping sound.Two fingers pierced through, and blood splattered. Xin's throat was directly pierced. When the Storyteller pulled his hands back, a bloody piece of cartilage was clutched between two of his fingers.

Pfft!Xin spat out a mouthful of blood, and from the gaping hole in his throat, blood gushed continuously. He tried to resist. But even as he desperately roused all his spiritual energy, he couldn't even manage to make the delicate hands on his neck loosen by a fraction. Veins bulged from the strain. Yet, all his vital energy was completely sealed off. Even the Heavenly Dao around him had been entirely severed by the Storyteller. His Red Robe companions were clearly not far above him. Yet at this moment, Xin felt utterly isolated and helpless between heaven and earth! All his resistance merely forced his injuries to worsen, making the blood from his throat gush out faster. To the Storyteller, it was meaningless!

“This guy...”Xin's heart suddenly clenched. Pain was nothing to him. But with just this one move, he understood. The power of these two sides was not on the same level at all. Utter dominance! As long as the Storyteller willed it, not a single person among the Red Robes could stop him. This was a being that only someone of the Moonless Sword Immortal's level could contend with!

“The Adam's apple...”The Storyteller toyed with the small bone in his hand, then tapped the back of his own hand where his Adam's apple should be. There was none. He then smilingly pushed the small bone back into Xin's throat, whispering into his ear, “Remember, there won't be a next time.”

Pfft!Xin coughed up another mouthful of blood from this secondary injury. He felt that his 'Golden Profound Spirit Body' was nothing more than a decoration before this man in the red dress. The opponent didn't even need to use spiritual energy. He merely sealed everything with the Heavenly Dao. Any casual strike could inflict fatal harm on him. It was only at this moment that the Red Robes above were released from their restraints again.

“Xin!”Night Watch's face instantly darkened. Before numerous Red Robes, Xin was taken down in an instant. This was no longer just a matter of pride; such provocation was utterly intolerable!“Nightfall, Devour Heaven!”

The moment Night Watch's furious killing intent erupted, the sky was immediately swallowed by darkness.“Oh, it's you?”As this familiar power emerged, the Storyteller couldn't help but look over. Night Watch didn't dare to conceal even a fraction of his power, playing his ace move immediately. Not only did he instantly alter the rules of heaven and earth with dark energy, but boundless righteous qi also began to emanate from his body.

“Old man...”The Storyteller tightened his grip, and Xin's throat was instantly deformed by the pressure.“Cough, cough... Pfft.”Another mouthful of blood spurted out. A trace of killing intent entered the Storyteller's eyes. The anger from having an external avatar inexplicably dispersed not long ago surged into his heart. The Storyteller, who had not intended to erupt at this moment, could no longer hold back when he saw Night Watch make a move. He raised his hand.

“Wait!”Lan Ling shouted out just in time. She instantly flashed to Night Watch's side and slapped his shoulder.“Relax, let me handle this.”Night Watch glanced sideways, his eyes filled with grimness, remaining silent.“Trust me.”Lan Ling nodded with utmost seriousness. Only then did Night Watch suppress his impulse and retract his boundless righteous qi. However, the darkness in the sky continued to encroach, directly seizing control of the battlefield. If their strength was inferior to the opponent's, and even the terrain advantage was controlled, the Red Robes would be unable to fight, left only to be slaughtered.

“Little girl...”The Storyteller reshaped his face into a smile. “You're quite confident.”“Storyteller, you don't want to kill anyone, do you?” Lan Ling tilted her head and looked at him.“Oh?”The Storyteller raised an eyebrow. “Are you provoking me? Do you have a grudge against him?”

He looked back at Xin and tightened his grip.Crackling sounds...The sound of bones cracking instantly erupted from all over Xin's body. In just an instant, Xin was drenched in blood, becoming a bloody mess. Under the Storyteller's spiritual energy infusion, his physical body simply couldn't withstand it; even his internal organs were ruptured. His entire skeleton was practically pulverized.

“You!”Night Watch's eyes narrowed, and he moved to strike. Lan Ling held him back firmly, then looked at the Storyteller and gritted her teeth, “Give him back to me. Whatever you want, name it.”

“This...”Black Underworld turned his head in disbelief.“Everyone shut up, let me handle this!”Lan Ling couldn't help but scold them. At this, Night Watch finally stepped back, ceding control to Lan Ling.

“Oh, how impressive!”The Storyteller chuckled playfully, “Impressive, indeed, but what right do you have to demand someone from me?”He tightened his grip again, and the already dying Xin instantly slumped. This time, he couldn't even maintain his mental clarity and directly fainted on the spot.

A gasp.Everyone was dumbfounded. The Red Robes standing at the back dared not even move. They all knew that the Saint-Slave Storyteller was powerful. But their understanding of his power had previously been merely conceptual. Now, having witnessed it firsthand, this... He was simply unstoppable! Even Xin, in the Storyteller's hands, was like a giant infant, completely at his mercy?

“That's it?”The Storyteller looked at the completely unconscious large man, wrinkling his delicate nose. “He's no fun at all.”Lan Ling raised a hand to calm the enraged people behind her and slowly began, “I know you won't kill anyone. At the very least, you won't want to kill a Red Robe.”“You know, it wouldn't benefit you in the slightest.”

The Storyteller instantly narrowed his eyes. “Are you threatening me again?”He tightened his grip further. Lan Ling hastily stepped forward. “Wait!”“Hm?”

“It's not a threat. Your opponents are not the Red Robes. If you kill someone here, after we leave, not only you, but your entire Saint-Slave organization will be in great danger.” She paused, then added, “This isn't a threat either; I'm simply stating a fact.”

The Storyteller loosened his grip and weighed the large man in his hands a few times. He was quite heavy!“Although you keep saying it's not a threat, it certainly sounds like one.”“Anyway, these words that entered my ears...” The Storyteller closed his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, “They're quite unpleasant to hear.”“But it's the truth, isn't it?” Lan Ling countered.“Yes.”

The Storyteller actually admitted it, chuckling, “You're very clever. At least among these few, you seem to be the one with the most brains.” He placed Xin in the void before him, then pulled a handkerchief from his ring to wipe the blood, saying, “I truly don't want to kill anyone, but each of you is so asking for a beating that I had no choice but to act, can you understand?”“Understood.”Lan Ling nodded, then extended a hand. “Then will you send him over first?” She gestured with her lips towards Xin, who lay prone in the void.

Thump!The Storyteller kicked the man away with one foot.“Remember this.”“I'm returning him to you because I don't like killing people, not because your threat had any effect.”“Understood?”

Night Watch caught Xin and immediately fed him a pill. He clenched his fists tightly but said nothing. Even Black Underworld, who was completely at odds with Lan Ling and had felt no ripple of emotion when Xin was beaten earlier, couldn't help but erupt in fury upon hearing the Storyteller's words. This was simply too dismissive of them. But to strike? He glanced at the people around him out of the corner of his eye. Here, not a single person was a match for this man in the red dress. In fact, even if they all teamed up, they might not be enough for him to handle with one hand. How could they fight?

After wiping the blood, the Storyteller tossed the handkerchief aside and looked around at everyone. “Just behave yourselves. I said I won't kill anyone.”“As long as you're not noisy, there won't be any trouble at all.”“I came here not for you, but for...”A screech!

Just then, a screech came from behind. The Holy War Black Angel, previously teleported away, had returned and was now brandishing the Four Swords, slashing towards the Storyteller, who was nearest to it.

“Agh!”The Storyteller angrily clenched his fists and stomped his foot hard.“Why does someone always have to interrupt me when I'm speaking?”He spun around in a rage, glaring at the incoming black sword energy, then angled his hand and sliced through the air.“Can you shut up?!”A high-pitched, slightly cracking roar echoed. The black sword energy rushing towards him was instantly sliced in two. The Storyteller extended a hand, and the void twisted again. The Holy War Black Angel, like a moth drawn to a flame, directly thrust its neck into the Storyteller's hand.Rip!Pulling a dagger from his sleeve, the Storyteller swiftly cut, and a head was sent soaring into the air by a geyser of blood.“Noisy, noisy, noisy!”