Chapter 115: You Think I Wouldn't Dare Kill You?

The Detailed Explanation of Profound Truth Dao Methods contained a thorough breakdown of the Draw the Ground as a Prison Curse, covering both its casting and how to break it. The reason I was so certain Lu Jin had received the true legacy of the Profound Truth Dao Method was that his casting posture matched the Daoist texts perfectly.

'Good thing I broke through my realm yesterday and memorized those Talisman Incantations.'

Within the Profound Truth Dao, the Draw the Ground as a Prison Curse was merely a Lower Vehicle Talisman. Breaking it wasn't complicated. I only needed to remove the Talisman Core—the soul of a talisman that guarded its gateway, usually formed by the character "gang" or "jing"—and defile the runes with fresh blood.

The hard part was that Zhong Jiu and Wei Ling were currently beating me to a pulp. Just rolling over was difficult, let alone running over to Bai Qi to accurately extract the Talisman Core.

'I only have one chance. My body is in terrible shape right now. If I fail, they'll probably really break both my legs.'

Sneaking one of the hands protecting my head down to my chest, I subtly inched toward Bai Qi. Lu Jin was completely focused on Sakurako, and the two thugs had no idea what I was doing. When it came to Daoist arts, they were total laymen. They viewed it as immortal magic that couldn't possibly be broken so easily.

But this gave me the perfect opportunity. Gritting my teeth through the pain, I drew closer and closer to Bai Qi.

The trapped Bai Qi barked furiously at me. He was incredibly smart; seeing me approach, he deliberately lowered his head to expose the Golden Light Talisman pasted to his forehead.

"What is this guy trying to do? Looks like he's moving toward the dog," Wei Ling said, wiping the blood from his hands and rolling his wrists. "Old Zhong, pin his hips down. I'll break his legs."

Hearing that, I silently circulated the Profound Truth Mental Method, focusing my mind and gathering my intent. I absolutely could not panic right now. Time was already short, and I had to seize every second.

'Chasing Eye!' My field of vision instantly became vast and clear as I locked my gaze onto the talisman on Bai Qi's forehead.

"This brat dared to cross Daoist Priest Ziqiu. Ripping off his legs is letting him off easy!" Zhong Jiu and Wei Ling looked down at my blood-covered body, assuming I had lost all ability to resist and was completely at their mercy.

Little did they know, I had been waiting for them to let their guard down. A venomous snake only needed one strike to kill. I had survived four livestreams, braved life and death, and brushed shoulders with the grim reaper on multiple occasions. How could I ever give up my hope of survival so easily?

My eyes constantly scanned the Talisman Paper. 'Found it!'

The Three Purities sat at the head of the talisman, where heaven is round and earth is square. Beneath that was an overlapping "jing" character, completely imperceptible if one wasn't looking closely.

"Do it!" Zhong Jiu and Wei Ling stood on either side of my body. Just as they bent down to grab my legs, the hand I had pressed flat against the ground violently pushed up. I kicked off the floor with my back leg, springing my upper body upright like a carp leaping from the water. With my free hand, now coated in my own splattered blood, I jabbed straight toward the Talisman Core of the Draw the Ground as a Prison Curse!

The "jing" Talisman Core symbolized a bottomless deep well, representing confinement and sealing. However, an opening had to be left in this well to avoid driving the target to absolute despair, which would severely damage one's Yin Merit and bring bad luck to the caster.

That single opening was the exact key to breaking the talisman. My blood-stained finger jabbed squarely into the center of the "jing" character's gap.

"Heaven is clear and earth is tranquil, heaven and earth exchange essence! Nine Heavens Profound Girl, grant me true sight! I now summon back the gods of the three realms—any who defy this command defy the Highest Clarity!"

As the fresh blood seeped into the rune and I silently chanted the incantation, the brilliance of the Talisman Paper on Bai Qi's forehead faded away, and I casually tore it off.

"Bai Qi!"

Before Zhong Jiu and Wei Ling behind me could even react, I issued the command to Bai Qi. This incredibly vicious Changbai Mountain Guard Dog completely unleashed the killing intent buried in his bones.

He lunged into the air, snapping his jaws directly at Zhong Jiu's throat. From the looks of it, he intended to rip the man's life away!

"Watch out!" At the critical moment, Zhong Jiu relied on his solid external martial arts foundation to forcefully shift his body, narrowly avoiding having his throat ripped open. However, Bai Qi still tore a chunk of flesh right off his neck. Dripping with blood, the brawny man clutched his throat in a blind panic and tumbled down the stairs.

"Don't give them a chance!" I scrambled up from the ground and slammed straight into Wei Ling. It all happened so fast that Wei Ling didn't even have time to react before I knocked him down. We tumbled down to the staircase landing together, startling even Lu Jin.

"The Draw the Ground as a Prison Curse was broken?" His face contorted in shock. Before he could recover his wits, my sneering face had already filled his vision.

"You made a very serious mistake—you vastly overestimated yourself!" I sprinted forward and, catching him completely off guard, delivered a full-force kick straight into his chest.

The high-and-mighty Lu Jin was booted into the corner by my kick. His Hibiscus Profound Crown was knocked askew, and a massive footprint now marred the center of his fine brocade Daoist robe.

But my assault was far from over. Being merciful to an enemy meant being cruel to myself. I chased him to the wall and threw him into a chokehold from behind. "Take the talisman off Sakurako!"

Coming from a terrifyingly powerful background and holding immense status, Lu Jin had never been treated like this since the day he was born. His face darkened, and he ground his teeth together. "What the hell are you? You dare order me around?"

"Take the talisman off!" I gradually tightened my grip, holding absolutely nothing back. Off to the side, Sakurako was enduring the torment of resentful energy scouring her flesh. I was going to make Lu Jin repay that pain tenfold.

"Take the talisman off her right now!"

Lu Jin was already suffocating, yet he still refused to yield. "And if I don't, what can you possibly do to me?!"

His handsome face flushed a deep crimson from the lack of air, those words squeezing out through his clenched teeth.

"What can I do to you?" The smile on my face turned increasingly icy. "You think I wouldn't dare kill you?"

Perhaps I was being influenced by the Blood Fox inside my body, but once my killing intent flared up, I could no longer suppress it.

"You dare!" Lu Jin couldn't even form words anymore, only managing to choke out muffled, slurred sounds.

I squeezed my arm even tighter, nearly warping the shape of his neck.

'Lu Jin represents an entire Daoist lineage. His background is terrifying, and he's not someone I can afford to offend. But looking at the situation right now, killing him isn't a bad way to solve this at all!'

Making him shut his mouth permanently meant I wouldn't have to worry about offending the forces behind him. As long as the truth never came to light, I could stay peacefully in Jiangcheng.

Moreover, this guy was loaded with magical artifacts. Even the paper he used to draw Lower Vehicle Talismans was no ordinary item. To me, someone who had only just gained the ability to draw talismans, this was a deadly temptation.

'Do I kill him, or not?'

I was a criminal investigation student, so I naturally knew exactly how to commit a crime without leaving a single trace for the police.

This place was desolate and remote, sparsely populated, and devoid of security cameras. Once I killed them, I would have plenty of time to dispose of the bodies.

Furthermore, Lu Jin had come here for an Upper Vehicle Talisman, so he definitely wouldn't have alerted too many people. Only a tiny handful knew his whereabouts.

More importantly, even if the police did launch an investigation, I could clear my name flawlessly. I had no "reasonable" motive for murder, making it perfectly fit the profile of a random killing—the hardest type of homicide to solve.

A flood of thoughts raced through my mind in an instant. I was someone with a strong sense of execution. I continuously tightened my grip, and Lu Jin's face began to turn purple.

'Zhong Jiu and Wei Ling are definitely going to come over and try to stop me. Bai Qi and I will kill one of them first, immediately finish off Lu Jin, and then hunt down the other!'

I drafted a meticulous murder plan in a matter of seconds. This was probably one of the reasons I wasn't cut out to be a cop.

'There's formalin and dissecting scalpels in the biology classroom on the top floor. That can preserve the bodies for a long time. I need to completely slice off the flesh Bai Qi bit, separate it from the torsos, and process them separately. Incineration is a good option. Then there's the bloodstains here. I think I saw sulfuric acid in one of the classrooms earlier. Should I stage a secondary crime scene to mislead the police? Right, I touched a mannequin's head when I came in earlier. I have to burn that too so I don't leave any fingerprints.'

There was no such thing as a perfect crime in this world, but not every cop was a master detective either. This was a massive gamble, one where both sides of the table had staked everything they possessed.

'Kill!' A scarlet hue, dancing like a raging inferno, flickered in the depths of my eyes. The Nine-Tailed Blood Fox Tattoo stretching from my chest all the way down to my thigh seemed to come alive, exuding a sense of sheer delight.

I put my entire back into it, and Lu Jin's purple face began to darken toward black.

But right at that moment, an unexpected variable occurred. An emerald-green willow branch wrapped around my arm.

The branch was incredibly thin, yet the physical force it contained was nearly impossible for me to resist. The hand choking Lu Jin's neck was pulled away. Having narrowly escaped death, Lu Jin collapsed onto the floor, dry-heaving as he frantically sucked in deep breaths of air.

"Little brother, always leave a way out in all things. You must not act on impulse!"

Hearing that elderly voice, I knew my murder plan had just gone up in smoke. The one stepping in to intervene was the Daoist from Qingtu Temple. Dressed in coarse robes and wielding a willow branch, he now stood right between Lu Jin and me.