Dark Moon Era

Chapter 206: Destruction Part 1

Aber was in constant panic back in his room._Is this the end?_

Not exactly, at least, not from how the situation had panned out. Be it the half-zombie army or the Purple Moon Warrior zombies, the Agnes family still had the advantage.

Those damned black-mantled people kept dying, but with each death, Aber’s heart raced faster. The advantage of the family no longer mattered as the situation had grown beyond the Agnes family.

The whole manor was in lockdown with everyone in the family locked inside.

Anyone who tried to walk out of their respective rooms would be stopped by a wall and a cold warning. “Don’t make me do it myself. I don’t like stealing people’s kills.”

How arrogant! Which arrogant bastard was so bold as to lock the Agnes family in its own manor, treating the people inside like goats waiting to be slain?

When the first wall appeared, Aber tried to smash it because he was eager to leave for a brighter future. He could not wait any longer. When the situation leaned towards the black-mantled people, the family had lost the battle in Glory Square.

However, it was at that moment that the leader of the family, Clyne, commanded from his own room, “Everyone from the Agnes family, remain still. Otherwise, be prepared for what is coming.”

His grandfather’s warning drove Aber over the line of sanity.

Firstly, when his grandfather’s voice entered his ears, he suddenly realized that he had been under surveillance all this time, including what he thought was his secret of leaving the safety sector.

That damned old man!

Fine, Aber simply treated his grandfather as a stalker.

Second, why would his grandfather compromise so easily? The warning from the enemy behind the wall was nothing but empty words. Had Clyne sold the family to another secret force?

Aber was eager to break the wall, but hesitance held him back.

Then, a sharp cry came from the manor, frightening him to the core. He turned on the monitor in his room remotely.

The screen showed a 27-year-old member of the family, Roy Agnes, who was drunk. He ignored the enemy’s threat and the leader’s warning with a disdainful smile and started to attack the wall. The moment his punch grazed the wall, the wall transformed into a giant hand and grabbed him, crushing him to bits.

It was that simple, but it almost stopped Aber’s beating heart.

That was a ground element Purple Moon Warrior! Even though Roy was not a Purple Moon Warrior but a mere elite warrior, the kill clearly stated that the enemy that had issued the warning was far stronger than a rank 3 Purple Moon Warrior. Otherwise, the element that the talent mastered would not be so strong to the point that the wall could be shaped with a mere thought.

Not even a rank 3 Purple Moon Warrior could do this!

What rank was this Purple Moon Warrior who threatened the family? Who was this bold person that terrorized the whole family single-handedly?

Aber stayed put, not daring to fight back since he was just a mere rank 2 Purple Moon Warrior, so he had nothing to retaliate with at all. All he could do was wait for the old fox Clyne and his tricks to play out.

What would his grandfather do in response to the threat?

On the other hand, Clyne seemed a little pale. Although he was no longer a young person, he always put on a strong and healthy front. He looked like he could live up to 150 years old.

He actually could. As a Purple Moon Warrior who had reached rank 3 a long time ago, he had what it took to break through to rank 4. If he were to break through, who could deny his longevity? He only heard rumors about the strong dying in battle and not of old age.

Clyne actually planned to die of old age. He barely cared about his children or grandchildren. As long as he could stay alive and grow stronger, he would never run short of women and would always have a bunch of descendants.

Why would he look old then? He was still very young!

However, tonight, when the threat came from beyond the wall, he could not help but feel frightened. His pale reaction said it all. Even his neatly combed white hair was a little messy due to his anxiety. He smelled death and it forced his old side out.

The display of the miraculous ground element ability plus the scene on the monitor clearly declared the existence of the huge figure who stood in front of the manor entrance. The other family members might not know who he was, but Clyne had lived long enough to know who it was—Mad Lion Su Siao!

Hmph, everything is wrong! Being able to prove that the intelligence network of the Stardust Council is a failure is both happy and terrifying at the same time...

The happy thing was that an organization as powerful as the Stardust Council could even make mistakes, so they were no longer as scary and as indomitable as before.

The scary thing was Tang Feng’s death. He had been dead for 13 years, and the puzzle that he left behind proved to be a hurdle that the Stardust Council could not cross.

_Tang Feng, what an unpredictable man...Will that mysterious and powerful chairman of the council go mad because of Tang Feng? Once again, he’s lost to the man that he hates! Hmph!_Clyne chuckled numbly. The smoke from his unfinished cigar looked a little chaotic because his hand was trembling.

If Mad Lion Su Siao was standing before his manor, then there was no doubt about Tang Ling’s identity anymore. The Agnes family was obviously the present Mad Lion Su Siao wanted to give Tang Ling.

Is there any chance of victory?

Clyne’s only chance would be the Stardust Council.

He dared not act recklessly and order the activation of the Level 2 Sector Protection Machine. Besides that, he dared not report to the Stardust Council and request for immediate backup.

He knew that Su Siao was absurdly powerful, and his sixth sense could monitor the entire manor. Unless he had a death wish, he did not want to try anything funny.

All he could do was wait. He might even have to place his hopes on Tang Ling.

Tang Ling had become stronger, and Clyne knew that from his monitoring of the safety sector. He was not surprised though since there were many ways to instantly power up a person.

However, Tang Ling would be no match for a veteran rank 3 Purple Moon Warrior like himself because...

As Clyne lifted the glass of liquor, instantly, the liquor inside turned into ice.

Tang Ling still had not displayed his talent. Maybe his weak wind element talent was not much. There might be many ways to increase his basic stats but not his talent ability, so he stalled. Tang Ling was both his hope and leverage for him to stall. The Stardust Council had escalated the operation and it would not be long now.

With that thought in mind, Clyne pressed the button on the table and his voice was heard in every room of the manor.

“Don’t forget how the Agnes family rose and the history behind it. We rose from glorious battles! Now, put on your armor and arm yourselves with your weapons. Be ready to welcome the enemy! This will be the battle that determines the Agnes family’s fate.”

If he were to stall, he had to hope that these appendages of the family who received constant benefits from the family could live up to their part and do their best with their lives to stall Tang Ling! Every minute counted!

...

Tang Ling finally arrived at the street leading to the Agnes manor. His footsteps were ringing throughout the street.

The bushes on both sides of the street were neatly trimmed. Though it might not be wide, it was very clean. There was a prestigious feeling to it, and at the end of such a street was the gate to the Agnes manor.

The distance was less than 200 meters, so Tang Ling arrived in front of the gate instantly.

However, as he walked on the street that was less than 30 meters wide, he eventually paused. He had to give himself some time to adjust to the upcoming gore. At the same time, he had to solemnly tread forward step by step to calm his raging fury down.

There could not be any mistakes. He was in front of the Agnes manor as a destroyer, and anyone who escaped his fury would define his failure.

All of them should die. Their deaths would not just be a tribute to the deceased, but it would also be a sign to stop the Dragon Army from putting their lives on the line despite Tang Ling being really close to the Dragon Army.

Deep in his heart, he was reluctant to get close to the so-called Dragon Army. Even though they had carved a path out for him with their lives, he was not that arrogant and egocentric to think that they had done it for him.

There must be some other reason for the Dragon Army to be so feverish about him. He did not want to think about it or analyze what happened because his gut rejected the urge to find out.

Nevertheless, lives had been lost in the process, ones that held strong beliefs, and Tang Ling acknowledged their contribution. He quietly shouldered the burden. Ultimately, he had to eliminate the Agnes family and save the rest of the Dragon Army. It would be best for him to clear the debt and not get tangled up with the Dragon Army after that.

Such a strange thought arose in his mind.

In his sight, the gigantic figure with wild white hair that stood out in the night caught his attention. He crossed his arms while looking unconcerned at Tang Ling.

Ever since Tang Ling stepped on this path, all the battles would only belong to him.

Is this man the beacon that started the battle? Tang Ling held his sword in reverse and slowly walked closer to the man.

As he got closer, his battle tendency rose, forming a powerful aura around him. Even the wind around him surged. Nevertheless, the man in front of him found his powerful aura entertaining, and he even leisurely lit a cigarette up.

In the last ten meters, Tang Ling sped forward and raised his sword, slashing at the man standing at the entrance.

Tang Ling’s basic stats were equivalent to a rank 3 Purple Moon Warrior. His slash was so powerful and fast that a supersonic crack exploded in its trail. The man at the entrance raised a brow as the wind around him blew strongly and whipped up a dust storm.

Right before the sword struck the man, it froze mid-air. Tang Ling looked at the man at the entrance with a smile. While he felt calm and slightly touched, he was also a little sad.

“Uncle, is it really that fun?” Tang Ling asked.

“What gave me away?” Su Siao responded with a twitch of his mouth. Could he just beat this father and son duo in terms of intellect and power for once?

Of course, given Su Siao’s current strength, he could easily defeat Tang Ling, but his pride forbade him from bullying a 15-year-old who had just started cultivating.

So, could he punch the kid instead?

“You shouldn’t have lit the cigarette. The way you light your cigarette never changed,” Tang Ling answered.

In fact, even if Su Siao did not light the cigarette, there were many flaws that gave away his identity, such as his stance and how he crossed his arms...All the flaws were revealed in the light of Tang Ling’s Precise Instinct.

More importantly, Tang Ling possessed a powerful sixth sense, thus he could sense Su Siao’s unique presence. At first glance, he knew it was Su Siao waiting for him.

“My, my.” Su Siao was a little upset and he ought to vent his emotions on the kid, so he kicked Tang Ling onto the ground.

“What are you doing, Uncle!?” Tang Ling threw a tantrum on purpose. He dared not ask why or how his Uncle Su Yao would become like this because he had a feeling the answer would only sadden him more.

“Nothing, I just wanna kick you. Is that a problem?” Su Siao narrowed his eyes with the cigarette in his mouth. His strong hands patted Tang Ling’s shoulders firmly. “The rats are locked in the cage. I’m here to make sure none of them escape and you are the exterminator. Got it?”

“Yeah, I got it.” Tang Ling nodded. He then got up and walked towards the Agnes manor.

“Oh right,” Su Siao called to Tang Ling from the back, “this is my real appearance and my real name is Su Siao, but Su Yao is also my name, the name for the identity that I’ve been using for 15 years.

“You asked who I was before, and I said you weren’t qualified to know yet, remember? So, consider this an answer to your question.”

“Yeah, fine.” Tang Ling waved the sword in his hand without turning around. He was finally stepping into the Agnes manor to kill everyone of them. He should ignite his entire being with rage and sorrow. All other emotions were not suitable for the moment.

Bang!

He kicked the gate open.

Inside the well-lit hall, seven men from the Agnes family in simple armor raised their weapons with shaky hands. They were standing side by side as they stared at Tang Ling.

So is this the final enemy, Tang Ling!?

The seven men heaved a breath of relief. As an Agnes family member, they knew who Tang Ling was, but as the lowest class in the family, they did not know about the details that surrounded him.

Regardless of which, Tang Ling was just a New Moon Warrior, so how powerful could he possibly be? Was this a joke from the leader? Or was the enemy that the leader referred to the gigantic figure outside the door?

“Kill!” Three out of the seven of them leaped towards Tang Ling.

Tang Ling did not even pay attention to them. Instead, he sized up the well-lit hall.

The security level was clearly distinguished. There were a total of five floors in the manor and the balconies at the windows were constructed like a pyramid. The higher the floor was, the smaller the balcony would be.

Would it mean that the higher the status of the family member, the higher he or she would live in the manor?

Tang Ling brandished his sword and then turned sideways. His shoulder knocked the man who jumped on him down while his idle hand grabbed the other man, smashing him into the wall.

His sword glimmered and the head flew up. His first kill was done.

The second man who was knocked down suffered major damage to his chest. His ribs had caved in from the impact, and when he fell on the ground, his mouth foamed and blood from the injured organs gushed out. Finally, he stopped breathing after a few twitches.

As for the man who was smashed against the wall, his blood painted the wall red and he slid down like a pile of mush without any movement.

Those were his second and third kills.

Tang Ling was very calm. He had asked Ah Bing how many of the Agnes family members were there on the way here. There were not many, just a total of 79 of them including Clyne.

He started counting from his first kill and would not miss a single one of them until the 79th. He killed three under a second!

The power that he displayed overwhelmed the remaining four who turned around and ran, but from the moment Tang Ling entered the manor, no one would be able to escape his wrath.

As they ran, Tang Ling gave chase.

The last to run was grabbed by the collar and threw towards another man 2 meters in front of him. When the two of them crashed into each other, bones were broken upon impact. They screamed in pain, but Tang Ling did not even spare them a glance.

He chased the third one with a spring, and with a quick sweep of his leg, he grazed the back of the neck of the man.

Crack!

The third man’s neck swung down and formed an eerie 90° angle to his body. The dead man was then sent flying, crashing into the fourth.

“Don’t kill me...” The fourth man was able to utter three words before Tang Ling landed on his chest, stomping on his ribs.

Tang Ling then turned around to the first two who were still moaning in pain from their broken bones.

When he walked past the duo, his sword glared and flashed over their necks. Their heads flew and rolled away.

Fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh...

Tang Ling did not feel happy or whatsoever. He merely felt a little dirty. The blood that spewed from the cuts and the blood from all the brutal bashing dyed his body red, making him look like someone who had run through a bloody drizzle.

The gore on him reeked of a fishy smell, disgusting him. The blood of this family sure reeked terribly!

Tang Ling ripped his black mantle off and looked at the highest floor with a strong provocation bubbling in him.

Where are Aber and Clyne? Guess I’ll have to kill my way up.

Tang Ling then headed to the corridor leading to the first floor. He would check every floor for targets as no one would be spared from his wrath. He did say that he would never let a single one of them escape.

Cries and screams echoed throughout the manor, accompanied by some furious cursing. Tang Ling’s kills were all recorded and played on the monitor that was installed in every room.

The family members wanted to gather and gang up on Tang Ling. They needed to get more support from the stronger members who lived above them, but all they heard was silence.

No one from the higher floors could come down because Su Siao had locked everyone in their rooms. His warning still echoed in the manor, “I tend to be fair. He comes in and fights every one of you one on one, and you people want to gang up on him? You people can shamelessly gang up on him, but only on the first floor.”

“I’ll start killing you if more than five people gang up on him on the second floor. Three on the third floor and two on the fourth floor. As for the fifth floor, you people will have to fight him one on one. Thank you very much.

“Believe me. Dying in my hands is a lot worse than dying in his.”

Everyone believed what Su Siao said strongly. They would rather die a bitter death in his hands because getting squashed to death by a giant mud hand was not exactly the best way to die.

However, the rules put everyone in despair. Tang Ling had displayed his powers brazenly. Even if the people on the first floor ganged up on him, they would not be able to hold him back because there were no Purple Moon Warriors living on the first floor!

The people on the first floor were waiting for their death anxiously as cries, screams, and curses erupted. If one prevailed under extreme fear and did not snap, rage would take the place of fear. It was extreme rage, to be exact.

Tang Ling did not respond. He was not reluctant to accept Su Siao’s help because the rats must be held in the cage. Nonetheless, in order to save time and stamina, sharing some kills would be fine.

Tang Ling kicked the first door open. A guy, who was crying a river, knelt down before him, begging for his life. Unfortunately for him, Tang Ling was not moved. His sword rose into the air and swung down in an instant.

If he could, he wanted to kill every sinner in the family in this clean and quick way as a tribute to the dead.

He completed his eighth kill. Tang Ling continued forward with a devilish demeanor and a voice that echoed throughout the whole manor.

Ninth, tenth...

When he reached the fifth room, there was a woman and a child.

“Leave my wife and daughter be,” the guy pleaded with teary eyes. “You don’t need to kill me. I’ll do it myself.” He pointed a knife to his chest as the wife and daughter behind him glared at Tang Ling with the most vicious gaze.

Tang Ling went silent for a moment. He then swung his sword at the man. “You don’t get to choose how to die.”

Turning to the wife and daughter, he punched the beautifully dressed woman to the ground. She was still breathing.

Tang Ling then knocked the little girl out with a quick chop on the back and lifted her up. “It won’t hurt.” His eyes were dull when he snapped a section of the little girl’s spine.

If she consumed a regeneration serum, the little girl could still no longer train or cultivate. Even if she got her hands on a high-quality regeneration serum, the best state she could recover to was a cripple.

He did the same to the wife.

It was the least mercy that he could show the women and children of the family even though he did not want to leave anyone breathing. After all, that night in the settlement, the women and children had not been given the same chances. Only the children who were of age and might become a warrior were accepted into the safety sector, and there had only been 300 of them.

Hmph! Tang Ling mocked himself. He could not be truly cruel just because he had to live up to his own mercy.

However, that was it! He would eventually burn the sinful manor to the ground, and whether or not the injured could escape, it would be up to them to decide. If heaven heard the sins of the family, even heaven would not provide an answer!