Chapter 178 Ch-178: Return
?"Hey, all of you, quickly capture him for me!" Hei Li ordered his lackeys. Instead, he suddenly heard the sounds of something exploding behind him, and the smell of blood assaulted his nostrils.?He turned back and widened his eyes in shock when he saw that, in the places where some of his subordinates had been, there was now a blood mist taking the shape of a human figure.
Hei Li stood there, frozen in shock, and his other subordinates weren't faring any better – all stuck in a mix of shock and fear, staring at the spot where their comrades once stood.
"W-what the hell happened?" Hei Li stuttered, turning his gaze back to Wang Ming. The golden eyes of Wang Ming made him feel uneasy, and a bead of sweat formed on his forehead.
"Hey, what just happened? How did their bodies suddenly explode?" asked one lackey, nervously.
"Are those golden eyes behind all this? They exploded when his eyes turned golden," another lackey said, pointing at Wang Ming with a trembling voice.
"Don't talk nonsense. How can just looking at his eyes turn them into a blood mist? We've been looking too, and nothing happened," another lackey insisted, trying to convince himself.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting a bad vibe about this. Maybe someone should talk the boss out of seeking revenge," whispered another lackey hesitantly.
"Shut up! Don't let the boss hear you. If you're brave enough, go tell him yourself," another lackey snapped, silencing the one who suggested the idea.
Hei Li pushed aside the uneasy feeling as his pride and anger clouded his judgment. He couldn't afford to embarrass himself in front of his subordinates, especially after vowing to take the head of his brother's killer. Even with a lingering sense of discomfort, he gained a bit of confidence when he noticed most of his lackeys with high cultivation were still alive. He gained confidence thinking that Wang Ming's eyes were ineffective against the strong ones, and he couldn't back down now, not in front of his men.
"Stop fooling around, charge and take him down! Even if he turned some of you into blood mist, those were the weaklings. You guys are still fine; his eyes must not work on those with higher cultivation. We're the Dark Bandit Group, and whoever defies us always ends up dead!" Hei Li roared, trying to boost their morale. It worked, as the bandits got fired up and ready to go.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Boss is right; we'd be goo if his eyes worked on us too," said a subordinate confidently, glaring at Wang Ming and Feng Mei with fierceness, while both remained composed.
"Damn, I nearly fell for it because of fear," grumbled another lackey, shooting an angry look at Wang Ming.
"Yeah, whoever defies us dies! Charge!" shouted another lackey, and the whole group rushed towards Wang Ming, who wore an amused expression.
"Heh," Wang Ming snickered to himself. Deliberately lowering the power of his pupils, he let the group approach like madmen. Just as they neared, he increased the power of his Immortal's gaze.
Poof... Poof... Poof...
The charging group, unable to withstand the pressure exerted by Wang Ming's pupil technique, turned into blood mist one by one.
"What kind of technique is this?" Feng Mei, witnessing the approaching bandits explode, couldn't help but sweat. She had never seen such a formidable pupil technique, uncertain if she could replicate it even with her best efforts. Fear trembled through her as she glanced at the golden pupils in Wang Ming's eyes. She was convinced that if he had directed his eyes purposely at her, she would have suffered the same fate, hastily averting her gaze.
"Ugh," Hei Li groaned, forced to kneel under the pressure from Wang Ming. His eyes widened in horror as he witnessed the rest of his subordinates succumbing to the same fate. He looked at Wang Ming approaching him with fear.
"Wait—" Hei Li began to plead, but before he could say more, Wang Ming increased the pressure, and he, too, turned into blood mist.
"Tsk, I don't have time for you; the secret realm will close soon," Wang Ming muttered.
"Disciple Feng, let's go," Wang Ming turned to Feng Mei, who snapped out of her daze and nodded as they headed towards the portal to exit the realm.
Yang-Yin Sect
After Wang Ming and Feng Mei exited the secret realm, they traveled for a few days before reaching the sect. They headed straight to the mission hall to report the completion of their mission.
"Elder, I've come to report the completion of the mission," Wang Ming said to the elder in charge, who raised his head and looked a bit surprised to see Feng Mei beside him.
"Oh, Disciple Feng Mei, did you both take the same mission?" the elder asked, a frown appearing on his face. It was the first time he had seen Feng Mei on a mission with a male, assuming they had taken a team mission together.
"No, Elder. I just encountered him while doing my own mission," Feng Mei replied calmly.
"Haha, I thought you were one of the few females who don't go on missions with males. It's rare to see that," the elder chuckled, causing Feng Mei's eyebrows to twitch in annoyance.
"Alright, young man, give me your token, and I'll assign contribution points for the mission," the elder instructed. Wang Ming handed over his disciple's token. The elder raised an eyebrow when he saw the unique token, looking at Wang Ming in amazement. He pondered on what kind of genius he was to receive such a token but kept his expression unmoving.
After Wang Ming, Feng Mei also presented her token. Once both mission completions were confirmed, they were awarded contribution points. They turned to leave, but just before they could, a male voice halted them in their tracks.
"Disciple Feng Mei, did you just come from completing a mission? Would you like to go to a restaurant to grab a bite?" a male voice inquired. As soon as Feng Mei heard the voice, her brows furrowed in annoyance. They both turned to look at the source and saw a handsome man walking towards them with a smile on his face, accompanied by some other disciples.
"Disciple Zheng Yang, what do you want?" Feng Mei asked with a frown, and Wang Ming raised an eyebrow at the expression on her face.
"Hey, who is this?" Wang Ming asked Feng Mei.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"This is Zheng Yang. He's a guy who has been pursuing me for a long time, even though I've shown no interest. He just won't stop bothering me," Feng Mei whispered in an annoyed voice.
"Can't you just tell your mother?" Wang Ming suggested, frowning because Feng Mei's mother is an elder and, not to mention, the hidden true sect master of the sect.
"I can, but I'd rather not for such an insignificant matter. She already knows, and I told her not to interfere. Moreover, his mother is an Inner Court elder and a very old member of the sect," Feng Mei replied.
"Hmm, Disciple Feng Mei, who is this?" Zheng Yang asked in a slightly hostile voice, a hint of jealousy evident as he observed their closeness. Upon hearing his question, an idea sprouted in Feng Mei's mind, and she smiled slyly.
"Oh, this? This is Wang Ming, my new Dual Cultivation partner," Feng Mei declared loudly, her cheeks tinted with a rosy hue. She had already decided to make Wang Ming her partner, considering him the most talented individual not only in the sect but perhaps even in the entire kingdom.
As everyone heard her words, they fell into stunned silence, and even Wang Ming raised an eyebrow.
"Impossible! I won't allow this," Zheng Yang gritted his teeth in anger, with his friends glaring at Wang Ming. However, Wang Ming simply smirked and intimately grabbed Feng Mei's waist, pulling her closer to him.
"What do you mean you won't allow this? Does she need your permission? Are you her father?" Wang Ming said with a smirk, while Feng Mei blushed a bit, experiencing such proximity to a man for the first time.
"Yes, I don't need your permission," Feng Mei retorted, glaring at Zheng Yang, and surprised Wang Ming by planting a kiss on his cheek. Zheng Yang looked on with bloodshot eyes, visibly upset.
"You... You will regret this," Zheng Yang said, leaving with his lackeys in anger. The elder, watching the scene, chuckled, knowing Zheng Yang wouldn't back down easily.
"Are you sure about this?" Wang Ming asked Feng Mei once Zheng Yang was out of sight.
"Hmm, I mean, you're the best choice I have. You're the most talented person I've seen, and I have to choose a partner someday. You're my best option so far. Anyway, I'll see you later," Feng Mei winked at Wang Ming before leaving.
"Young man, you should be careful. I'm sure Zheng Yang will not let this slide. He's been completely infatuated with Disciple Feng for a long time, and now that you've snatched her, he will retaliate against you," the elder at the counter advised, having witnessed Zheng Yang's obsession with Feng Mei over the years.
"Oh, I know he will because he still hasn't left and is waiting for me to be alone," Wang Ming said with a shrug before also leaving.
"Sigh, I think I should follow him so that he is not killed at the least," the elder said, not entirely trusting Wang Ming's claim that, as an outer court disciple, he could handle a group of inner court disciples. He followed Wang Ming stealthily.