Bullets rained down on the monsters like a hail of molten lead. Liu Baiyan, leading the charge, was turned into Swiss cheese in an instant, leaving the other monsters in shock.
If even the powerful Liu Baiyan had been slain, then the rest of them stood no chance. They turned in a futile attempt to flee but couldnât outrun the bullets. The bullets tore through them, killing many of them on the spot.
Only some of the more powerful ones managed to escape. All the weaker ones were killed. When Master Huang realized Han Wuâs strength, he also decided to run, regardless of the stain it would leave on his reputation.
He recalled the Deceiverâs Cord and turned to flee when Han Wu attacked him with his Small Locust Blades. The already extremely fast blades were granted an additional burst of speed with Accelerate. The impact pinned Master Huang to the wall.
Master Huang shouted in pain and begged for mercy, threatening Han Wu with the fact that his mother was the infamous Lady Yellow Immortal. If Han Wu killed him, his mother would never forgive him.
Han Wu hated threats. Worse still, Master Huang had tried to harm Qin Shuang.
Pressing the muzzle of Locust-V to Master Huangâs head, Han Wu said coldly, âI hope this memory haunts you in your next life too.â
With that, he pulled the trigger. Master Huangâs hide was thick, but even it couldnât withstand the strike of hundreds of bullets.
A noxious gas exploded from Master Huangâs body.
Han Wu covered his nose and retreated away from the gas, trigger finger still squeezing down to unleash a barrage into the cloud. The crash of shattering items echoed continuously, but when the gas dissipated, only a hole-riddled robe of golden fox fur remained.
Master Huang was no longer there. He had used the robe given to him by Hu Shiliu to escape.
âDamn it, he got away.â Han Wu scowled, picking up the robe to inspect it before tossing it back onto the ground.
Fortunately, Qin Shuang hadnât been injured in the fight.
A chilling realization dawned on Han Wu. If the monsters had been more cunning and hadnât panicked at Locust-Vâs destructive force, they couldâve used her as a hostage, forcing him to surrender. Luckily, the monsters were only loyal to themselves and chose to flee instead.
This haunting thought still in mind, Han Wu freed Qin Shuang from the chains binding her to the cross.
Qin Shuang immediately embraced him, heart pounding as she said, âI thought I wouldnât have the chance to fight by your side in this civilization anymore.â
Han Wu comfortingly patted her back. In truth, that fear still lingered within him even now. If he had ridden faster today, he likely wouldâve missed the wedding entirely and wouldnât have rescued her. He chalked this fortunate turn of events up to fate.
âItâs over now,â Han Wu repeated, holding her close.
As an experienced invader, it didnât take Qin Shuang long to calm down from the fright. She then helped him clear the battlefield. Only a handful of powerful monsters had been invited to the wedding. Most of the other guests were weak. Still, they would have had one or two Divine Weapons.
Han Wu and Qin Shuang collected the strewn Divine Weapons and absorbed them with their own. With that, their Divine Weapons were upgraded.
Besides the Divine Weapons, they also obtained other treasures like the Ape Core that Liu Baiyan had gifted Master Huang. Inside the Ape Core was the leftover essence of the White Ape, as well as a technique called Freespirited Ape God that turned the cultivatorâs body extra nimble and light.
Once mastered, the cultivatorâs body would be nimble enough to steal the moon and capture abyssal fish. However, the user would have to maintain sufficient nutrients during the cultivation period. The higher the quality of food, the faster they could cultivate it.
Glancing around at the corpses of the animal-like monsters around them, he couldnât help but think that food wouldnât be a problem.
Finally, there was Gu Yuanwaiâs treasure.
Han Wu wasnât an alcoholic, but he was interested in the urn used to hold the alcohol. The tiny urn could hold 500 kilograms of wine, meaning there was an isolated space within it. Han Wu had yet to obtain any equipment that granted him a pocket dimension or spatial storage here, so he decided to make use of the urn for now.
After clearing the hall with Qin Shuang, they explored the estate. They eventually found a cellar full of captured villagers. Master Huang had hypnotized them, and the villagers were just quietly waiting in the cellar without so much as a restraint.
Han Wu had to snap them out of it before they even realized they had been in danger at all.
The villagers quickly tried to find their families, only to realize that the population of their village had been halved. Those missing had most likely been eaten by the monsters already. Han Wu wasnât from here, so he didnât feel their grief in the same way, but he still felt some pity.
At the same time, Qin Shuang found a pearl hidden in Master Huangâs bedroom. When she picked it up, the beautiful estate slowly faded to reveal an empty plot of land in the village.
The roasted corpses of villagers were scattered around them, faces seared beyond recognition. The surviving villagers wailed at the sight.
There wasnât much Han Wu could do to comfort them. He could only dig up a huge hole to bury the corpses within. The villagers thanked him and Qin Shuang after. As Qin Shuang had yet to obtain a recommendation, Han Wu requested one for her.
With that, Qin Shuang and Han Wu left the village on his horse and rode for the next city.
âHan Wu, why do you think they werenât already packing up to leave, even though something like that happened?â Qin Shuang suddenly asked.
Han Wu frowned as he pondered her question. âMaybe they couldnât bring themselves to leave the family that they buried here?â
Qin Shuang nodded consideringly. It seemed plausible. Then, leaning back into his embrace, she asked, âHan Wu, do you want to become part of my family?â
He patted her head. âIâm not just your family, but also your lover.â
Beaming up at him, she adjusted her posture until it was comfortable enough to sleep. These past few days had been incredibly stressful, and her ten Divine Essence avatar could no longer endure the fatigue.
Han Wu held onto the reins with Qin Shuang safely in his arms as they slowly rode toward the next city. Unbeknownst to them, a weasel was hiding in a bush, glaring vengefully at them as they vanished into the distance.