Chapter 12: The Wheel of Light

Level 1 Sinister Eye, a dark-attribute conspiracy-type skill. Once activated, it allows the user to see the psychological activities of others. The darker the thoughts, the more detailed they appear. Higher levels reveal more information, and it grants a 15% chance to discern the target's attributes and equipped gear. Each use consumes 35 experience points and lasts for 60 minutes.

As Li Mingxing mastered the Level 1 Sinister Eye, he noticed a halo above one of the police officers. However, this halo only appeared when Li Mingxing stared intently; it vanished if he lost focus.

Li Mingxing had no time to ponder if this was the novice hero he was searching for; he had to eliminate the target marked by the halo.

With this thought, Li Mingxing flipped his right hand, and the Demon-Gathering Banner, which should have been planted before the Temple of Di Jun, appeared in his grasp.

Li Mingxing pointed the banner toward the halo and commanded, "I need that halo to disappear, and the person within it to die."

The Demon God Generals, who suddenly manifested in mid-air, did not hesitate. Two of them thrust their long spears forward simultaneously. Li Mingxing saw a human figure materialize between the spears; one pierced his heart, while the other ran through his brain.

Li Mingxing cared little whether the man lived or died. His focus was on the white wheel and the spirit coins that fell to the ground.

Unlike tools or weapons that had to be scavenged from a corpse, these items materialized directly on the surface of the body upon death—a rule of the Inner World. Even if Li Mingxing were to die, the wheel representing his status as a hero and the spirit coins representing his soul would appear in the same manner.

Watching the novice hero perish, Li Mingxing sighed. Since making his choice, this was the second novice hero to die by his hand. In the nearby woods, another was destined to meet the same fate. Was his luck really that good?

Li Mingxing shook his head, warning himself not to grow arrogant from these few kills, lest he fail to be the one who laughs last.

He took a deep breath and ordered the two Demon God Generals to retrieve the white wheel and spirit coins. The remaining generals moved into the woods to eliminate the intruders from Egypt.

The ten remaining generals circled in the sky before descending into the forest.

Li Mingxing did not realize that the sight of these summoned generals had terrified the young master monitoring the scene from the mysterious villa.

Having connections to the Yin Fu Sect, the young master understood the supernatural. Seeing the twelve Demon God Generals, he exclaimed, "Those are heavenly soldiers! My god, which sect is responsible for this? Forget it, this has nothing to do with us. Tell them to back off. Don't act recklessly, whatever you do!"

But it was too late. Because of Li Mingxing’s appearance and the generals killing people among the police, the officers and soldiers turned their weapons toward him.

Li Mingxing was no fool; he knew he couldn't pit flesh and blood against gunfire. As the police turned their attention to him, he retreated into the woods.

Despite his quick reaction, the police opened fire before he could fully withdraw. The two Demon God Generals, who were flying toward him with the spoils, were struck by the bullets and sustained injuries.

This had poked a hornet's nest. The two Demon God Generals were not to be trifled with. They had refrained from attacking on Li Mingxing’s orders, but now that they had been fired upon, they retaliated.

The two generals landed. One roared at the sky and swept his long spear, clearing the surrounding crowd.

As the police were knocked away, a ball of flames erupted around the other general, engulfing those who had fallen and were struggling to rise.

Just as the officers were about to be incinerated, Li Mingxing shouted, "That's enough. Don't kill them. Let the people from the villa handle this. We don't need to get involved, but if they are blind enough to keep attacking, then don't blame us."

Obeying his command, the two generals extinguished the flames and flew into the woods, where the Egyptians had all become corpses.

Beyond the white wheels and incandescent stones, Li Mingxing found other items on their bodies.

Most intriguing was a large scroll of records written on Egyptian papyrus and a map. Though he could not decipher the contents, he trusted that a novice hero would only carry such items if they were treasures of immense value.

Li Mingxing handed them to Zheng. "Keep these safe for me. These guys came from ancient Egypt; this might be a map to some treasure. Be careful not to lose it."

Touched by his trust, Zheng beamed. "Don't worry, with me, no one will be able to take them."

Seeing her expression, Li Mingxing’s heart softened after the battle, and he reached out to embrace her.

Under normal circumstances, Zheng would have resisted, but with the threat of the police and military nearby, she had no mood for romance. She shook her head and gestured outside, smiling faintly. Li Mingxing understood and waved his hand, causing the twelve Demon God Generals to vanish back into the Temple of Di Jun.

Aisha cast one last look at Li Mingxing before disappearing into the woods. Once she was gone, Zheng twisted Li Mingxing’s arm. "Did you see that look? And you still dare to say there’s nothing between you two?"

Li Mingxing shook his head frantically. "There isn't! It’s really not how you imagine."

"Suit yourself," Zheng said, her feigned anger vanishing. "As long as you’re happy, having a few more doesn't matter. By the way, there are 38 people in that 'Maiden Corps of the Forest' you mentioned."

Ignoring the police and army outside, Li Mingxing scooped Zheng into his arms. "You are the only one I need."

A black mist engulfed them, and from within the shadows came a soft laugh and a moment of muffled sighs.

When Li Mingxing returned to the mysterious bar, Zheng was no longer by his side. He didn't seek out his mentor but instead sat before the beautiful bartender.

"Back for a drink?" she asked when he remained silent. Li Mingxing placed the two white wheels and three incandescent stones on the counter.

"Wheels of Light, and acquired in the real world—impressive. These alone are worth two intermediate missions. What would you like to exchange the three incandescent stones for?"

"Exchange the stones for Blood Soul Crystals. As for the Wheels of Light, I'm not sure what I can get for them here." Li Mingxing left the decision to her.

"The stones for crystals is easy, but the Wheels of Light are beyond my authority. It’s not safe to talk about this here."

Li Mingxing glanced around and understood; several novice heroes were already eyeing him for speaking with the bartender for so long.

Not wanting his strength exposed, he followed her into a small private room.

Inside, the bartender smiled. "Your two Wheels of Light aren't bad, though you harvested them early. They don't contain much."

"What does that mean?" Li Mingxing asked.

"It’s simple. Heroes and their followers are different. When a hero dies, their essence condenses into a Wheel of Light or a Wheel of Darkness. If a companion can retrieve it and return it to their alliance’s bar, they can pay a fee to resurrect the fallen hero."

"Resurrection?" Li Mingxing jumped in surprise.

"Yes, resurrection. Of course, if the wheel falls into the hands of a rival alliance’s bar, there is no chance for resurrection—or perhaps only resurrection as a slave."

Her explanation clarified the nature of the rivalry between the two factions. He realized that if he were to fall at the hands of the Light Alliance, he would face the same fate.

Shaking off the grim thought, Li Mingxing steadied his voice. "I want to know, what can I trade these for?"