As if some terrifying danger was approaching, a bone-chilling cold shot from their spines to their heads, and the five of them couldn't help but shiver.
The eldest brother's face darkened, and his ominous premonition grew stronger. He couldn't help but speak up, shouting to the sixth brother, who was still engrossed in dismembering Lu Lei's body, "Sixth brother, stop playing around! Hurry up and get rid of him. This guy is a bit strange!"
"Ah, I haven't had enough fun yet." The sixth brother licked the blood that had splattered on the corner of his mouth, a regretful look on his face. But after seeing the leader's gloomy face, his original restless thoughts instantly cooled down. He could only helplessly pick up the knife, preparing to end Lu Lei's life.
Lu Lei saw no color, only endless, deep darkness, which seemed to possess an invisible suction force that could devour one's soul.
The sixth man met those eyes, and the knife slipped from his hand, falling to the ground and making a "clink" sound as it struck the stone.
"Ha, ha, ha, this guy's eyes are quite interesting." Old Six also realized his lapse in composure, laughed awkwardly a few times, his lips turned white, a strange feeling enveloped his whole body, his eyes began to panic, and with his trembling right hand, he picked up the small knife on the ground and stabbed it hard at Lu Lei.
In Lu Lei's inner world, his lost soul wandered in darkness. Following the pull of the unseen, he sensed the presence of a vast and loving being. Hearing His question, Lu Lei devoutly said, "The world needs redemption! I wish to cleanse the world of its sins and proclaim the name of the Lord."
“I am everywhere, I do not need the service of mortals. I am all things, but all things are not me. Lambs once sacrificed and worshipped me, calling me the Emperor of Heaven.”
Even as a lamb fallen into darkness, your heart still yearns for light; lofty ideals elevate your soul!
"Heavens above, God of Heaven, the only God who rules over heaven and earth and the universe, I am willing to offer my soul and faith, just to cleanse this world of its filth!"
The word "God" first appeared in ancient China, and it is recorded in the Book of Documents and the Book of Poetry. When Matteo Ricci brought Catholicism to China during the Ming Dynasty, he translated "God" into the Chinese word "上帝" (Shangdi), which is the standard form of the word.
Meanwhile, in oracle bone script, the character "帝" (di) resembles the shape of a flower stem, from which fruit grows, signifying the virtue of creation. Heaven has the power to nurture all things, hence the title "帝" (di), which is an alternative name for Heaven, its meaning deriving from its function of giving birth to all things. Therefore, in ancient China, "上帝" (shangdi) referred to Heaven.
"Mortal, I feel your piety. The blood of one of my incarnations, the dragon, flows within you. Call upon Him with your heart, for He resides deep within your soul..."
As the mysterious Emperor Tian departed, Lu Lei's consciousness returned to reality. A sharp pain shot through his nerves to his brain; his throat had been slashed open by Lao Liu, making gurgling sounds, and blood was flowing out incessantly...
Despite being on the verge of death, Lu Lei felt an unprecedented calm. The endless darkness that enveloped him did not instill any fear in him.
After dedicating his faith to the Heavenly Emperor, in his eyes, darkness was the embrace of His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, and death was merely a process, a transformation to continue serving His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, only…
Looking at Lu Lei's slit throat, the sixth brother breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to his five other brothers, forced a smile on his youthful face, and said, "This guy was just faking it. He's probably just a lunatic. There's no need to..."
Before he could finish speaking, a pillar of fire several meters high shot up behind Lao Liu, illuminating the desolate suburbs. Lao Liu, who was standing next to the pillar of fire, was engulfed by the flames before he could react, and was mercilessly burned until he turned into a charred corpse.
"Little Six!"
"Run!"
The other five members of the thief gang were so frightened by this that they immediately got up and started running away.
Before leaving, the eldest brother made sure the third brother took the valuables with him. Forgetting about avenging their dead brothers, the group hurriedly got into the dilapidated van, stepped on the gas, and drove away from the eerie place, heading towards the city.
The pillar of fire slowly subsided, revealing Lu Lei sitting cross-legged on the ground, completely unharmed. His clothes had been burned to ashes in the flames, and under his control, the flames slowly transformed into a suit of armor, which he wore, making him look like a blazing war god.
Lu Lei opened his eyes, and a flame was burning in them, with a dragon-shaped pattern deep within the flame.
He carefully examined his strong and powerful new body, a black dragon-shaped totem appearing on his chest, the blazing flames moving as nimbly as his fingers and arms.
Lu Lei watched the van drive away, a crazed smile creeping across his lips. He muttered, "An interesting game of cat and mouse! You fallen sheep, you are no longer worthy of enjoying the world created by the Lord. Let me finish you off!"
After saying that, he tensed his strong leg muscles, put on his combat boots that turned into two balls of flame, and with a sudden push of his feet, he darted more than ten meters away in an instant, chasing after the five people who were trying to escape.
(The protagonist's shadow warrior had already spotted him, so it wasn't that he happened to run into the protagonist, but rather that he best fit the criteria within the area monitored by the shadow warrior.)
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Chapter 77: The Chase
(Hey guys on PC, could you rate this book?)
The night grew deeper, and dark clouds obscured the moon, bringing a somber atmosphere to the night.
On the desolate and remote highway, the trees planted on both sides of the road are strangely shaped, like menacing demons. The ground is full of potholes of all sizes. A van is speeding along the highway, its body shaking violently, but it still shows no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, it is getting faster and faster.
The driver was the third brother, with a fierce-looking face. He was assigned to be the driver because he wasn't good at stealing. Although the six of them were brothers, reality was cruel.
Those who have no value are destined to be eliminated, so the third brother worked hard to improve his driving skills and contribute his share to the team.
In the past, they would drive slowly and leisurely on this road, but today they couldn't slow down. Even though the road was full of potholes, causing the car to bounce constantly, it felt like being thrown into a washing machine, spinning and tumbling, and they couldn't help but want to vomit up what they had just eaten.
The leader took off his glasses and tossed them aside. These glasses had no prescription; they were merely a disguise for his identity. After all, wearing glasses made him appear more honest and could lower people's guard.
The eldest brother started counting the valuables in the bag, only to find that quite a lot was missing. However, there was no way to go back and get them, as it was too dangerous there. Although he liked money, he wouldn't risk his life for it.
The second and fourth brothers both seemed quite frightened. They sat in their chairs, trembling incessantly, their lips pale, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads, and their eyes glazed over as they looked around and behind them.
What happened today was beyond their imagination. The flames that suddenly appeared and burned Lao Liu to death were like a judgment from heaven, as if those they had killed had crawled out of hell to claim their lives.
Compared to the fear of his other brothers, the fifth brother appeared relatively calm. He took out a dagger from his pocket and carefully wiped it with a white cloth. After all, he had received all the inheritance from his teacher and always had some trump cards.
The third brother drove carefully, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. Because of the remote location and the abandoned area, there were no streetlights on the road, and he could only rely on the car's headlights to dispel the darkness ahead.
They originally chose this location because it was remote and less likely to be tracked by the police. However, for them, this road, which was originally intended to evade capture, became their death knell.
The third brother slammed on the gas pedal, and at the same time quickly glanced ahead and at the windows on both sides. Finding that nothing was chasing them, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The car drove smoothly for a while without any accidents. The five people in the car gradually calmed down. The third brother kept the speed at 80 km/h, since driving too fast at night could easily cause an accident.
The eldest brother looked out the window through the glass, gazing at the boundless darkness and the strangely shaped trees rushing past, and without turning his head, addressed the others:
"Perhaps it was just a strange explosion. Maybe there was some bomb buried there. It's not as eerie as we think. We'll go back and check it out tomorrow during the day, and pick up anything that fell down."
"That should be it. Let's go back and check again tomorrow." The others echoed, their faces still pale, not realizing it was just an ordinary accident.
clang!
A section of the roof collapsed instantly, and the dented part resembled a footprint, as if someone had been standing on the roof.