Chapter 948: A 5 months late meeting
Chapter 948: A 5 months late meeting
Even if Bai Zemin had the skill Blood Manipulation, even if Kang Lan were present... All the two of them would be able to do was keep these five women alive, but the eyes, limbs, and whatever parts were ripped from their bodies could not be recovered.
However, all of this was the least important issue... The real problem was in the hearts and memories of the five women.
The thick yellowish liquid stuck on their naked bodies exposed that all five had been assaulted by who knows how many goblins for who knows how long, and given that the goblin sense of beauty was no different from that of humans it was not hard to assume that all five women had once been beauties in their own right.
Raped, tortured, humiliated, stripped of their appearance... and who knows how many other torments.
Bai Zemin didn't need to be a genius to know that none of them had the will to live.
He never cried for strangers. Bai Zemin always felt that none of that was of any importance to him, the life or death of others depended on others and he only had to take care of those he cared about. He wasn't wrong, however, for the first time he had to try hard not to cry not only from sadness but also from anger and powerlessness.
How old were these women? Bai Zemin could tell by the somewhat dirty face of the girl whose fingers were missing that she was not much older than Kali.
Amidst the rancid smell, Bai Zemin could suddenly smell a sweet scent of rose and a second later felt the presence as well as the embrace of the woman he loved most in this world.
"Always keep in mind that none of this is your fault. Zemin, you are not a God. Even I couldn't do anything to help here even with all my powers unleashed." Lilith whispered.
Bai Zemin knew it... he was clear about it. He was not a God, he was far from it.
"But, this feeling of impotence again..." He said hoarsely through his teeth. "I feel that same powerlessness again that I felt when I couldn't go straight to my family or when Zhong De died.... This hateful feeling that won't let me sleep keeps eating into my heart every day!"
Lilith stayed silent and simply let him know that he was not alone.
It was hard for her to say words in this kind of circumstance. Bai Zemin was so powerful that he wasn't used to things getting out of hand, and for better or worse, all he had lost so far was a friend. In contrast to Lilith or many others who had experienced the greatest loss a living being could suffer, Bai Zemin was indeed still well which made it difficult for him to understand some things.
For example, it was hard for him to accept the feeling of impotence that even now, despite being so powerful and having lived for so many years, Lilith burdened her heart with.
Bai Zemin looked at the five women in front of him and said in a low, hoarse voice: "I have killed all the goblins in this base... and I will kill all the goblins until there are none left... You can rest in peace now."
He didn't know if it was wishful thinking on his part, maybe he was simply looking for some relief for himself... but for an instant, Bai Zemin thought he saw a glint of gratitude appear in the eyes of the girl who looked to be no more than 15 years old.
"Thank... you..."
That was all the only girl with the ability to speak and stay conscious could say before her heart stopped beating.
Bai Zemin had used Blood Manipulation to stop the hearts of the five and give them a quick, and hopefully, painless death.
Feeling the blue flames spreading outward from Bai Zemin's body, the automatic protection of Lilith's combat dress activated and a faint layer of mana surrounded her body. Although the power of the Endless Blue Lotus Flame alone was insufficient to cause her any damage in the short term, it would still cause some pain considering it was not just any flame.
...
On the outside at least, Bai Zemin regained his composure as he calmly walked out of the building consumed by blue flames.
The flames served to wash away sins, impurities, and this was one of the reasons why they were used in the past to cremate the bodies of important figures such as kings and emperors.
"Father..." Bai Shilin looked at him still worried and teary-eyed.
Bai Zemin tried to smile as naturally as possible as he took the little girl in his arms, "My little Shilin, you have no need to worry. Father is fine."
Bai Shilin said nothing and let herself be hugged as she silently hugged him back.
"By the way, have you gotten bigger or am I seeing things?"
"Shilin is a big girl."
"Of course, Shilin is a super girl."
About 4 hours passed since Bai Zemin contacted the only base his faction had in this part of the country.
He was standing high on the southern wall as he gazed into the distance with lost eyes, occasionally exchanging words with Bai Shilin in order not to worry the girl.
It was around that time when the sound of engines coming from the distance began to become clearer and clearer.
Bai Zemin moved his head slightly more to the west and saw a fleet of modified vehicles advancing towards the Mother Fortress under the protection of more than a hundred military vehicles.
Two fighter jets approached quickly from a distance and Bai Zemin raised his head slightly as they passed above him. They were probably sent to do recon and scan the area.
"Leader!"
"Leader Bai!"
"You're finally back!"
"Big brother!"
"Welcome home!"
Bai Zemin lowered his head slightly, and in front of him now stood a small group of people looking at him with different emotions. However, they all shared that genuine joy that could not be faked when they looked at him.
Fu Xuefeng, Nangong Yi, Nangong Lingxin, Luo Ning.... They had all become powerful soul evolvers, more than they already were in the past.
Still feeling his heart heavy, Bai Zemin looked at them silently one by one.
Fu Xuefeng and Nangong Lingxin were already in the Third Order surpassing level 120, Nangong Yi was somewhere below level 120, Luo Ning was level 100 so she would soon become a Third Order soul evolver in her own right.
It was finally then when he said in a low voice, "All of you have become stronger... It's good to see you all again."
These people had been there for him practically from the beginning, and after all the things Bai Zemin had experienced and seen he finally began to appreciate them as they deserved to be appreciated. Unbeknownst to him, he was slowly taking his first steps towards the completion of one of the evolutionary requirements of the passive skill Immovable Heart.
"And you're still in the First Order as always, aren't you?" joked Nangong Lingxin.
"First Order forever." Bai Zemin played along as he looked at her silently.
Nangong Lingxin was already beautiful, but now she was even more gorgeous. Her beauty was such that in their faction only Shangguan Bing Xue, Wu Yijun, Shangguan Xinyue, and Sun Ling could surpass her. She was on par with the American soul evolver Eleanor in terms of appearance and body.
"But..." Nangong Lingxin looked at his red eyes before looking him up and down and saying with a faint smile, "You've become more handsome even though your appearance hasn't changed much. How to describe it... Your aura? I think that's it. You seem more mature than before."
Bai Zemin simply tried to smile in response and said nothing. At the end of the day, illusion or not, he had lived 10,000 years... sealed memories and all, on a subconscious level there would certainly be changes.
"Leader, Zhong De... He..." Fu Xuefeng clenched his fists to the point where his palms began to bleed as he kept his head down.
"I know." Bai Zemin said. "We will take vengeance for his death, and eventually bring him back after gathering his records... That's how it should be."
They exchanged glances before looking at Bai Zemin with confidence.
"That's how it should be." Nangong Yi nodded firmly.
Bai Zemin smiled slightly at Luo Ning, who was looking at him a little reservedly. The girl had certainly matured a lot compared to her 6 months ago self.
"No hug for me?" he said.
The girl's eyes sparkled and she quickly threw herself into his arms before she started sobbing.
"Luo Ning really missed you a lot." Nangong Lingxin said. "She was sleeping with me or her older brother since we came here because she often burst into tears."
Bai Zemin simply caressed the girl's back and whispered that he was fine and nothing bad had happened. At the end of the day, Luo Ning saw him no different from a father figure since it was he who brought light into her life when they first met at the Four Big Bosses Camp, the first human base to fall under Bai Zemin's control after leaving the university.
"Big Brother!"
A voice filled with joy and delight came from the distance, but Bai Zemin had barely raised his head when a pink shadow entered his arms smashing Luo Ning between the two of them.
Hm? Pink shadow?
Bai Zemin lowered his head and his eyes met with some long light pink hair. At the same time, a pair of bright pink eyes slightly deeper than the hair color shone as she stared at him.
"Big brother, I missed you so much!" The girl smiled showing her small but sharp white teeth.
"This... You... Xiao Xiao?" Bai Zemin was really surprised even though in his heart he was expecting it.
Xiao Xiao had the physical appearance of a 16-year-old girl, a great beauty indeed. Her curves were small but certainly very charming and her soulful eyes seemed to sparkle with longing and innocence as she stared at him intently.
"Hehe! Now the two of us can talk!" Xiao Xiao smiled brightly. Her face was a little flushed, probably embarrassed by her attitude, but she had missed him too much to turn away over something as simple as that.
"Your human form is very beautiful, Xiao Xiao." Bai Zemin smiled and used one of his hands to pet the long pink hair of the little dolphin who always loved to be in his arms.
The others watched this scene a little dumbfounded.
Xiao Xiao always looked at everyone with indifference and would not let anyone touch a single hair on her head. In fact, if anyone besides Luo Ning, the Wen sisters, or Bai Shilin dared to touch her Xiao Xiao immediately reacted violently and not a few soul evolvers had to be treated by mages after being sent flying upon being hit by a powerful jet of water in the chest.
Seeing the indifferent and fierce Xiao Xiao behaving like a spoiled brat was certainly something they did not expect even though those present knew that she was that little pink dolphin that accompanied Bai Zemin.
"Human Leader Bai Zemin, looks like your time clock is broken?"
A cold voice sounded from behind the group, and when Bai Zemin saw this woman he had to make a new beauty ranking immediately.
Lilith aside, Bai Zemin thought that he would never meet a woman capable of matching Shangguan Bing Xue in terms of beauty, let alone surpassing her. However, the woman before him certainly had all the qualifications to stand on equal footing with her.
Bright blue hair long to just above her hips, a perfectly proportioned body partially covered by an imperial blue dress that exposed two beautiful shiny white legs. Her face seemed to have been carefully chiseled by divine hands, and her slightly cold deep blue eyes matched the small pearl embedded in the center of her forehead.
"You are five months late for our meeting." She said staring him straight in the eyes.
Bai Zemin smiled and sighed in relief: "I'm glad you're well... Seventh Princess Xian Mei'er."
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