Chapter 48: The Eerie Huang Yu

"This is called the Nether-Flame Stone Fiend, an artifact-class anomaly. Despite looking like a regular stone, it can emit a terrifying Nether-Nether Ghost Fire."

Manager Hu stood in front of the projection, pointing at an image of a basketball-sized green stone as he explained it to Xia Tianqiong.

"This ghost fire cannot be extinguished by water or buried by soil. It has extremely powerful burning effects on both anomalies and humans. Any anomaly of equal or lower rank will almost certainly die upon contact. If you choose this, your strength will instantly increase significantly."

Xia Tianqiong was in urgent need of an offensive-type anomaly art, and this one fit the criteria very well.

However, he still needed to listen to the remaining two before making a decision.

"This is the Night-Walking Fiend, a humanoid anomaly. It masters two anomaly arts: 'Dark Night Sprint' and 'Death Mark.' Dark Night Sprint allows you to run at sonic speeds in the dead of night without making a single sound.

"The Death Mark allows you to leave a special sign on your target, ensuring they will encounter a major fatal accident within three days. If you want to be a midnight assassin, this Night-Walking Fiend is extremely suitable."

Manager Hu explained enthusiastically, and Xia Tianqiong nodded.

This anomaly was also quite interesting, suitable for assassinations and causing trouble behind the scenes.

However, since he already possessed Shadow Teleportation, these two anomaly arts were of little use to him.

"Lastly, this is the Infant-Tree Fiend, a plant-type anomaly. It hasn't mastered any anomaly arts, but it can grow fruits that closely resemble human babies, named 'Infant Fruit.'

"If fed to anomalies, it can rapidly repair damaged anomalous bodies and supplement nether energy. If consumed by humans, it can perform miracles akin to bringing the dead back to life and regenerating flesh on bones.

"Even if a large portion of the body is missing, as long as the soul remains intact and the head is still attached, this fruit can save them. If you prioritize safety, I recommend choosing this Infant-Tree Fiend."

The final anomaly introduced by Manager Hu was quite unique.

From a distance, it resembled a small, modest tree, but upon closer inspection, it looked somewhat like a woman with a canopy of leaves growing from her head.

Xia Tianqiong was also very interested in this anomaly.

The Infant Fruit was practically an elixir of immortality, capable of reversing death, meaning he would never have to fear severe injuries in the future.

Yet, his most urgent need right now was an offensive-type anomaly art, making the Nether-Flame Stone Fiend better suited for the present moment.

Which one should he choose?

Xia Tianqiong pondered for a moment and quickly reached a decision.

Anomalies with offensive arts were abundant, and he would have plenty of opportunities to capture one himself later on. However, specialized plant-type anomalies like the Infant-Tree Fiend were extremely rare.

With this comparison, the choice was obvious.

"I choose the Infant-Tree Fiend."

"Very well, I will fetch it for you right away."

Manager Hu departed briefly, returning a moment later with a parchment scroll. "This is the Life-and-Death Pact Scroll for the Infant-Tree Fiend. You can forge a contract immediately. Whether it is an equal contract or a master-servant contract is entirely up to you; it cannot refuse."

The parchment scroll unfurled, displaying the image of the Infant-Tree Fiend imprinted upon it. Most miraculously, the image was actually moving inside the parchment.

Xia Tianqiong asked in surprise, "Is it inside the parchment scroll?"

"To be precise, it is sealed within. This parchment is similar to your Mirror Space, possessing its own internal space, albeit a very small one."

"That is quite magical."

Xia Tianqiong had never heard of such an item in his past life, which showed that the Nether Realm still held countless unknown wonders. He would have to thoroughly explore them when given the opportunity.

Next came the signing of the contract.

Under Manager Hu's guidance, Xia Tianqiong grasped the parchment scroll and silently recited the 'Master-Servant Contract' in his mind. The parchment immediately burst into flames, the seal was lifted, and the Infant-Tree Fiend instantly manifested before them.

It stood slightly taller than a person. Its canopy resembled an oversized parasol, roughly two to three meters in radius, covered in dense, light-absorbing dark blue leaves.

Its greyish-white trunk was twisted, bulging in some places and concave in others.

Xia Tianqiong stood to the side, looking it up and down. No matter how he looked at it, it resembled a woman's physique.

"Is this really a tree? Could it be a transformed human?"

"It is entirely possible. Some plant-type anomalies are transformed from humanoid anomalies, and vice versa," Manager Hu explained from the side. "If you feed the Infant-Tree Fiend nether gold, anomalies, or human flesh and blood, it will grow Infant Fruits."

"Alright, I understand."

Xia Tianqiong stored the Infant-Tree Fiend into his Mirror Space and chatted with Manager Hu for a long while before finally leaving the Underworld Bank with a large assortment of complimentary gifts.

Just before leaving, Manager Hu suddenly handed him a leaf from some unknown plant.

"Mr. Xia, this is a small personal gift from me. Carrying it with you will mask your scent, preventing certain things with keen noses from tracking you down."

Xia Tianqiong sensed hidden meaning in those words. "What do you mean? Who would be looking for me?"

Manager Hu leaned in closer and whispered, "Liu Changming is also descending into your human world soon, and I suspect it might have targeted you. This leaf will conceal your scent, making it impossible for it to find you."

"That head-dog?" Xia Tianqiong paused slightly. "What is its rank?"

"Vicious Fiend rank, incredibly strong. If it ambushes you, you might not even get the chance to teleport here, so it's best to avoid it whenever possible."

To Manager Hu, Xia Tianqiong was a major client and, crucially, a generous spender—far more important than a head-dog. It did not want to see anything happen to Xia Tianqiong.

"Thank you for the warning, Manager Hu."

Xia Tianqiong casually produced fifty taels of nether gold and tipped Manager Hu.

Manager Hu's face instantly blossomed into a wide smile, and it proactively shared detailed information regarding the head-dog.

Xia Tianqiong offered his thanks once more, held the gold notes, and activated the teleportation function.

With a thought, the scenery before his eyes shifted abruptly, and he found himself back in Starry Night Plaza, standing in the exact same spot as before.

The place where he entered the Nether Realm Bank was precisely where he emerged.

Looking left and right, the dark clouds had vanished, indicating that the Nether Mansion Bank had already departed.

The sky was clear and bright, the sunlight warm—today was a fine day for outdoor activities.

Yet, Jiuhua City had plunged into a state of panic.

Many people remained locked inside their homes, too afraid to step outside.

Last night, a series of horrifying incidents had occurred across the city, resulting in numerous deaths.

The authorities initially attempted to suppress the news.

However, in a certain district, tens of thousands of people had vanished collectively, leaving it like a ghost town. Such a situation was impossible to cover up, and countless rumors spread rapidly.

The military and police had cordoned off the entire district, allowing no one to approach.

Similar scenes were unfolding not just in Jiuhua City, but all across the globe.

It was as if, overnight, the world had plunged into a profound crisis.

Xia Tianqiong teleported away from Starry Night Plaza, found a breakfast shop that was still open for business, casually ate some soybean milk and fried dough sticks, and then sought out a secluded alleyway to enter his Mirror Space.

Having spent another sleepless night, he intended to rest until evening before using Shadow Teleportation to travel back to Lin'an City.

Jiang Yu was still helping him acquire survival supplies, and his transaction with Song Shiqiao remained unfinished, so he had to return.

The Mirror Space had already undergone dramatic changes. Before coming to Jiuhua City, it consisted of a row of hotel rooms. Later, after replacing the bronze mirror, it transformed into a Huizhou-style architectural courtyard—both antique and exquisite.

Xia Tianqiong had replicated eight distinct courtyard styles within the Nether Domain, along with an ancient street, connecting them all together.

If he wished, he could even replicate an entire ancient town within this space.

However, doing so would consume too many ghost coins and was completely unnecessary; such a vast space served no practical purpose for him at the moment.

Upon entering the Mirror Space, he saw Huang Yu's shattered body lying upon the bluestone pavement.

She was remarkably still breathing. Seeing Xia Tianqiong enter, Huang Yu managed a bitter, miserable smile.

Yet, only half of her face remained; the other half was a bloody mess, exposing facial muscles and baring her back teeth, making her smile somewhat horrifying.

"Why isn't she dead yet?"

Xia Tianqiong was greatly surprised. Not only was Huang Yu's face mutilated, but the entire left half of her body was also missing.

Her lungs, intestines, stomach, and other internal organs had spilled out and were severely damaged. Injuries of this magnitude should have resulted in instant death.

Yet, somehow, she was still alive.

The Delivery Fiend stood nearby and hurriedly explained, "Master, when you brought her in, she was already on the verge of death. I assumed you intended to save her, so I took the liberty of feeding her Nether Takeout.

"As you know, if a human ingests a massive amount of nether energy in a short period, there is a chance they might transform into an anomaly. Although the probability is extremely slim, it was the only possible way to save her life."

Xia Tianqiong stared at Huang Yu in astonishment. "What? You actually turned her into an anomaly?"

"It was my own unauthorized decision; please punish me, Master."

Fearing that Xia Tianqiong was reprimanding it, the Delivery Fiend lowered its head and bowed, assuming a guilty posture.

Several restaurant waiters watching the spectacle nearby wore schadenfreude expressions.

They had previously advised it not to make decisions on behalf of its master, but it refused to listen and insisted on saving this woman.

Now look! The master was displeased; let's see how it gets out of this!

"I'm asking you a question. Is she an anomaly now?"

Xia Tianqiong frowned and pressed further.

The Delivery Fiend lowered its head even further. "She was fortunate, and her willpower was strong enough to push through the most perilous phase. She is currently in the final stage of transformation. As long as we continue feeding nether energy into her, she will successfully become an anomaly."

"So she's still a semi-finished product!"

Xia Tianqiong thought deeply, recalling memories from his past life.

When anomalies descended and the populace suffered, some individuals who could no longer survive would willingly consume ghost coins or anomaly corpses in hopes of transforming into anomalies, continuing to live on in an anomalous state.

The odds of successfully transforming into an anomaly were minuscule; according to official estimates, the success rate was less than one in one hundred thousand.

However, anyone who managed to successfully transform possessed immense developmental potential, and their rate of advancement was far faster than anomalies originating directly from the Nether Realm.

Xia Tianqiong suddenly felt an urge to cultivate such an anomaly.

"You truly live up to being the first anomaly to follow me."

He patted the Delivery Fiend on the shoulder and offered a gentle smile. "You did exceptionally well, I am very satisfied!"

The Delivery Fiend had been filled with panic, uncertain what punishment awaited it.

To its surprise, the master suddenly patted its shoulder and praised it instead.

Instantly, it blossomed with joy, straightened its back, and beamed with a smile. "Anticipating the master's unexpressed desires and resolving the master's urgent matters is simply my duty."

"Hahaha!"

Xia Tianqiong was amused by its antics and laughed aloud. "If you entered the corporate world, you'd climb to the top in no time. Being a Delivery Fiend is a waste of your talents—you should be a corporate fiend!"

"You are entirely right, Master!"

The Delivery Fiend excelled at flattery, and its compliments were delivered in a remarkably pleasing manner.

The Mirror Fiend stood nearby, pretending not to see anything—it was already accustomed to this—while the eight restaurant waiters felt utterly nauseated.

Although they too had acknowledged their master and obeyed unconditionally, lowering themselves to flatter the master shamelessly like the Delivery Fiend was something they simply could not bring themselves to do.

Xia Tianqiong took out several rare Nether Realm fruits from the gifts provided by the bank and tossed them to the Delivery Fiend.

"Consider this your reward!"