Serena Skye, the Heavensnare Saintess, could never have imagined Ian Song would be this powerful.
Her cultivation had been forcibly boosted by the Burst Origin Pill, but even so, she was no match for Ian. Once the drug’s power faded, wouldn’t she be at his mercy?
So, the only thing she could think of was to run.
Light-Body Art: Flickering Shadows!
She unleashed her perfected light-body technique, turning into a faint white streak that shot toward the rooftop of another building.
Fleeing, Serena didn’t dare stop for a second.
Watching Serena speed away, Ian didn’t chase her right away—he had something else to do first.
Down below the high-rise...
The four Snare Guards were completely exhausted. They’d thought they’d be torn apart by the zombies—yet, strangely, the undead suddenly stopped attacking and simply surrounded them.
A shadow flickered—Ian appeared inside their ring of zombies.
"Ian Song—it's you!"
Seeing him, the four Snare Guards looked genuinely surprised.
All four Snare Guards were Transforming-Gang seventh-stage experts. Ian would never let such valuable fighters die—he planned to turn them into his puppets.
A moment later, Ian looked quite satisfied at the sight of the four Snare Guards kneeling before him.
............
Serena had no idea how long she’d been running. She finally stopped on a rooftop—not because she wanted to, but because the Burst Origin Pill’s effect had worn off and the backlash hit. She felt her strength draining away at frightening speed.
She instinctively glanced around—no sign of Ian chasing her. Relieved, she dragged her exhausted body to the rooftop door, hoping to find a room to rest.
"Ian Song, one day I’ll tear you to pieces!" Serena spat, suspecting that the zombie army surrounding them was his doing.
"So you really do hate me."
Serena froze, then saw Ian standing at the stairwell corner, watching her with a half-smile.
She wanted to turn and run, but didn’t—her current strength was less than a tenth of normal, so escape was impossible. Her expression complex, she stared at Ian: "President Song, are you really going to wipe me out? If I die here, the Heavensnare Order will never let you go."
"The Heavensnare Order doesn’t have clairvoyance or supernatural hearing. How would they know I killed you?" Ian replied playfully.
Serena’s face changed again. "There’s no wall in the world that doesn’t leak!"
Ian nodded in agreement. "That’s true. But what if your four Snare Guards go back to the Heavensnare Order and say you died in a zombie tide? Do you think they’d still suspect me?"
"What do you mean?"
Serena vaguely realized what he meant, but couldn’t bring herself to believe it.
"Snare Guards, come out and greet your Saintess!" Ian suddenly barked.
The four Snare Guards came up from below and respectfully stood behind Ian.
Seeing this, Serena was shocked and furious. "You actually betrayed me?" She couldn’t accept that her loyal Snare Guards would ever turn on her.
"Looks like you abandoned them first, didn’t you?" Ian sneered.
"Yes. I abandoned them first." Guilt flashed across Serena’s face. She said to the four Snare Guards, "I’m sorry. If I could choose again, I’d never leave you behind."
Ian just sneered. At this point, she was still scheming—but she didn’t know the four Snare Guards were already enslaved by his Puppet Mastery Divine Art. No matter what she said, they could never turn against him.
Staring at the expressionless Snare Guards, Serena felt bitterly unwilling—and a new wave of despair crept into her heart.
"Can you forgive me?"
The four Snare Guards remained expressionless and silent.
Ian waved impatiently. "Enough. Don’t waste your breath. They only obey me now. You want them to betray me? Impossible."
"President Song, can you let me go? If you spare me, I’ll persuade the Order Master when I return to the Heavensnare Order, and make sure he leaves you alone!" Serena pleaded. She had a brilliant future ahead—she didn’t want to die here.
"I could let you go—but you’ll have to offer me something I can’t refuse," Ian hinted.
"Something you can’t refuse?" Serena’s eyes lit up—she seemed to have an idea.
She removed her veil, revealing a face of breathtaking beauty. Walking up to Ian, she wrapped her arms around his and pressed her cheek to his shoulder, whispering softly, "President Song, if you spare me, I’m willing to give you anything."
"Are you really willing to give up everything?" Ian Song looked at the Heavensnare Saintess and asked.
"Mm." The Heavensnare Saintess nodded lightly, her stunning face flushing with shy allure. She leaned in close, breathing orchid-like fragrance by Ian's ear, and whispered, "I'm still a virgin. As long as President Song doesn't mind, I'm willing to serve you with all my heart."
As she spoke, the Heavensnare Saintess's delicate, jade-like hand began to teasingly caress Ian Song's chest.
"This woman!"
Ian was speechless. He hadn't expected the Heavensnare Saintess to be willing to sell even her body just to survive. Suddenly, his expression changed as he realized his true essence was congealing inside him—he instantly understood he'd been tricked by her.
He deliberately shoved the Heavensnare Saintess away. "What did you do to me?"
"Hehe, nothing much. I just applied a drug that can congeal your gang-qi!" The Heavensnare Saintess showed no anger at being pushed away. Instead, she smiled smugly.
"So what do you plan to do with me?" Ian asked in a lonely tone.
"Relax, I won't kill you. I'll destroy your dantian and toss you into the zombie horde!" At this, a look of venom flashed across the Heavensnare Saintess's beautiful face. "Ian Song, you should feel honored. Aside from my master, you're the only man who's ever seen my true face!"
"Do you really think I've been poisoned?" Ian suddenly laughed.
"Hmph!"
The Heavensnare Saintess snorted. "Stop pretending. Essence-Lock Powder is something I obtained from ancient ruins. Even a Heaven-Man Unity expert would have their gang-qi frozen after being poisoned—let alone you."
As she spoke, the Heavensnare Saintess suddenly struck, swinging her palm at Ian Song's dantian.
Whoosh!
A shadow flashed—Ian Song vanished. The next moment, his voice came from behind the Heavensnare Saintess: "There are always exceptions. You're too confident!"
The Heavensnare Saintess whipped around, staring at Ian Song, who was looking at her with mocking amusement. Her face suddenly turned pale. "Impossible! How could you not be poisoned?"
Ian Song didn't bother with more talk. He stepped forward, tapped her between the brows, and channeled Puppet Mastery Divine Art into her forehead.
Boom!
But to Ian Song's surprise, as soon as the Puppet Mastery Divine Art entered the Heavensnare Saintess's sea of consciousness, a cyan sword-light flashed out and shattered the puppet imprint to pieces.
"What just happened?"
Ian Song was stunned—this was the first time Puppet Mastery Divine Art had ever failed.