Above the Galaxy

This was a one-sided massacre!

The original killers, now like pigs and sheep, were being butchered.

The big tree Little Fatty was holding had snapped because of his excessive force. Now, bare-handed, he didn't need any skills; one punch was all it took to send those Grey Robes flying. Either their spines were broken, or their faces were obliterated.

The Dog Leg Knife in Tang Fei's hands was filled with a spiritual and rhythmic beauty. With every slash, either an enemy's neck was cut or their eyes were blinded, each aimed precisely at the opponent's vital parts.

This was a battle of life and death that did not permit the slightest pity or mercy.

The fighting was fierce, though it was brief.

After Tang Fei and Phoenix made their move, the situation became completely one-sided.

After the Black Robe Divine Envoy died, those Grey Robed Apostles became a disorganized crowd.

They had previously relied on the reputation of the Flame Shrine and their numerical superiority, never facing defeat.

No one dared to provoke them; if you killed one, a group would appear. If you killed a group, a tide-like wave of Flame God's People would surge forward.

However, today Tang Fei and Phoenix, along with Little Fatty, were set on killing every one of their enemies, which led them to finish off every single one of those Grey Robed Apostles.

After about twenty Grey Robed Apostles fell, no longer having the strength to struggle or resist, Tang Fei, still concerned, checked them again.

For those not dead, a knife sliced through their throats.

Even the dead received another cut.

Those whose bodies Phoenix had split in two with a single whip-lash were not spared either, for who knew whether their upper halves were still alive or not?

First, to ensure their deaths, and second, even if they weren't dead, to keep them from speaking out.

As for writing...

It was impractical; most atop the ruins were illiterate.

First, because knowledge wasn't very useful, and second, there were no channels for learning. Most believed in the supremacy of strength, polishing their bodies or hunting wild beasts from a young age.

To live, to eat, fists proved far more potent than words.

Of course, if they ever encountered someone who could write under these circumstances and hadn't died...

Tang Fei could only consider it bad luck and then quickly pack up and escape.

"If I'm not welcomed here, there will surely be another place that welcomes me."

After Tang Fei checked them over, Little Fatty double-checked them, allowing them to finally relax.

Phoenix stood by coldly observing and once again gained a clearer understanding of the lifestyle of the people, no, the benefactors, on the wasteland.

Everyone lived cautiously!

"I'm sorry, I caused you trouble." Phoenix approached Tang Fei and apologized.

She didn't want to be so attractive, but some things... were simply not as one desires.

She knew that this trouble had arisen because of her.

Had she been uglier or dressed more plainly, the people from the Flame Shrine wouldn't have taken notice of her, might not even have seen her.

She blamed her own conspicuousness for putting Tang Fei and Little Fatty in danger.

She knew what kind of organization the Flame Shrine was, and had heard of their notorious reputation repeatedly from Tang Fei and Little Fatty, their intended actions just now being proof of Tang Fei's words...

If Tang Fei and Little Fatty hadn't been there to help, she could have killed them all on her own.

But then what?

Run? Where could she go?

With the escape pod and communication devices severely damaged, unable to pinpoint her location or make contact, how could she return to New Star? How could she let her family know where she was?

Moreover, this was the Old Land, filled with bizarre mutant beasts and countless traps, and those enemies who wished to keep her on the ruins forever...

Every step was fraught with killing intent!

Tang Fei looked Phoenix up and down for a while, and when he saw the phoenix-handled item in her hand, his eyes heated with desire and he said, "Go change your clothes... and put some mud on your face... all over, actually. You're too pale, blindingly so; you don't look like someone from Old Land..."

"Okay," Phoenix agreed readily.

She had considered this too; she needed to hide herself, to blend into this desolate land as one.

It was a pity, how glorious and rich the land had been, only to end up so detested now.

The greed of human hearts combined with evil technology had birthed a machine called war.

"Brother, what should we do?" Little Fatty's face was flushed red, his clothes drenched in blood.

He had only attacked with his bare fists, his movement technique was not as agile as Tang Fei and Phoenix, so the damage he inflicted was most direct, and he couldn't avoid the splashed blood.

Tang Fei and Phoenix killed even more people, especially Phoenix, who, with each strike of her whip, didn't even pause, yet not a single drop of blood stained her clothes, and her tight outfit didn't even have a wrinkle.

Oh, there was a little bit at the chest area...

Oh, it's gone now.

How amusing!

Tang Fei's face was grim. Perhaps Phoenix didn't realize the severity of this matter, but he and Little Fatty, being natives, knew it well.

Black Robe is a third-level Divine Envoy in the Flame Shrine, essentially a local lord in the Henshan Gathering Area.

They had killed a Black Robe and about twenty Grey Robes; this was absolutely a major incident within the Flame Shrine. Once their people start investigating, and tracing the leads to their doorstep, a bloody slaughter awaited them.

That would be a real massacre.

Not just them, the whole village would likely be purged.

Yes, that's the way of the Flame Shrine. Better to kill wrongly than to miss anyone who should be killed.

In their words, Tang Fei's actions were blasphemous, an unforgivable offense.

These people deserved to die; it wasn't really about blasphemy for them.

Simply put, Tang Fei's actions challenged the authority of the Flame Shrine. If they couldn't retaliate with blood, how could they maintain control over such a large organization in the future? How would they continue to assert dominance under the name of the Flame God?

Thus, Tang Fei must completely disassociate himself from this event, he cannot be the one "caught with the gut."

Tang Fei fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a lighter inlaid with a skull, his face showing agony, yet he ruthlessly threw it into the dense bushes nearby.

"Let's go, let's go home," Tang Fei said.

Little Fatty, shirtless, carried a meter-tall Red-eyed Rabbit ahead of him, his face gleaming with pride, eager to show off his trophy to the whole village.

Tang Fei and Phoenix walked behind. Seeing Phoenix hesitate to speak, Tang Fei said, "Just say what you want to say... From now on, we're truly one of our own."

Having killed so many of the Flame Shrine's people, if they were indeed tracked down, Tang Fei, Little Fatty, and the old man who still didn't know about this, along with Phoenix, wouldn't survive.

No wonder people say, if you want to build a strong bond with someone, commit a misdeed together or share a secret.

Previously, Tang Fei was the client, and Phoenix was the contractor, not a particularly fair or just arrangement. If Tang Fei wished, he could end their deal at any time.

Tang Fei could be very dominating!

But not anymore...

If Phoenix were to shout in the streets that Tang Fei killed people of the Flame Shrine...

Unless she was out of her mind, or really had a problem with her mind, they would only have death awaiting them.

The outcome for him and Little Fatty meant he handed over the control to this woman.

This was a painful reality for him.

However, he didn't regret it, since not acting would have led to the same result...

What difference did it make that Phoenix killed people of the Flame Shrine? Some had already seen them going to the mountains together.

Everyone worked together quickly and efficiently and even thought of a way to get away.

Tang Fei protecting Phoenix was also protecting himself.

"Why did you stop me from acting just now?"

"Are you talking about at the edge of the forest?" Tang Fei asked. "We were too close to the village then, what if someone saw... Would we have to kill innocent people too? Killing and feeling guilty, not killing is too dangerous..."

"So, I wanted you to hold back... take them deep into the forest to deal with... It's safer that way..."

"So, you'd rather take a beating with Little Fatty..."

Tang Fei squinted and smiled, looking at Phoenix, "What? Moved?"

Phoenix's heart fluttered nervously, feeling embarrassed as if her thoughts were exposed, and she quickly denied, "Not at all."

Tang Fei caught a glimpse of her demure femininity, momentarily dazzled and his heart raced.

He wasn't sure what this feeling was, but he didn't like it.

It gave him a sense of losing control or losing himself.

Thus, he straightened his face and sternly told Phoenix, "Speak properly... don't be melodramatic."

"..."