Chapter 53: The Harbingers of Life and Death

“Let’s deal with this brat quickly—our brothers are waiting for us to return!”
“I heard the prey we’ve been watching might be making a move in the next few days!”
After speaking, Mo Feng turned to look in Xu Wen’s direction. He saw Xu Wen standing before Lin An, his face deathly pale, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. In an instant, Mo Feng sensed something was terribly wrong.
At some unknown moment, two bizarre figures had appeared beside Xu Wen. One was clad in black, the other in white, both floating midair and holding Xu Wen suspended between them. The chill emanating from their bodies was astonishing, as if they didn’t belong to this world. Even Mo Feng, when he looked at them, felt an inexplicable sense that his soul was about to leave his body.
“Who are you?”
Mo Feng asked in terror.
He hadn’t sensed a thing—the two seemed to have materialized from thin air, without a single sign or ripple.
They were none other than the Black and White Impermanence.
Originally, Lin An had intended to toy with these men for a while, but Xu Wen’s disrespectful words had instantly sparked a murderous intent in him. Lazy to waste time, he simply summoned Black and White Impermanence, who swiftly subdued Xu Wen.
Black and White Impermanence, also known as the Soul Collectors, possessed rare and formidable abilities even in this shattered world. Soul harvesting was among their most defiant powers.
Faced with Mo Feng’s questioning, Black and White Impermanence said nothing, merely stood silently in the void, endless darkness threatening to engulf them and sending chills down the spine of anyone who beheld them.
Even Nalan Yanran couldn’t help but edge closer to Lin An, as if proximity to him brought her peace of mind.
Nalan Yanran had witnessed firsthand how Black and White Impermanence appeared. They seemed to inhabit the void itself, emerging from the fabric of space without so much as a ripple or crack. Had she not seen it herself, even Nalan Yanran would never believe such beings could exist in this world.
Though she didn’t know who these two were, seeing them seize the loathsome Xu Wen at once, Nalan Yanran realized they must not be enemies.
Her heart finally eased a little.
Truth be told, someone like her—born into the Nalan clan, taken in as a disciple by Yun Yun upon joining the Cloud Mist Sect, her status seldom challenged, and gifted in cultivation—had always lived a smooth life. Confronted with this situation, she genuinely didn’t know how to respond.
In fact, during the brief exchange just now, she’d even considered the worst possible outcome.

“Boss, help me, quick! They… they’re not human at all!”
Xu Wen was utterly terrified now. Though these two looked perfectly human, Xu Wen knew they were anything but. “Monsters” was perhaps a more fitting description.
“My friends, I wonder if the Lion Mercenary Corps has offended you in any way?”
“Or perhaps you have your eyes on these two? If so, we are willing to hand them over, so long as you spare my brother Xu Wen!”
Mo Feng’s demeanor was now completely different—humble and pleading.
But at that moment, two silver needles appeared in Mo Feng’s hand. Without a word, he flicked them toward Black and White Impermanence.
He watched as the needles pierced through their bodies, and his respectful attitude instantly vanished.
Those needles were coated with a deadly toxin—colorless, odorless, and lethal even to the strongest battle kings. It was one of their secret survival tricks, responsible for killing many over the years.
“You think these two can save you? You’re gravely mistaken!” Mo Feng said smugly.
The needles moved so fast that most people couldn’t react, and he saw them pass straight through the duo with no effect at all.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t be so foolish. At least check if your trick actually works!” Lin An said dryly.
Mo Feng was far too confident.
“No one can resist my poison, not even a battle king at his peak—”
As he spoke, Mo Feng glanced at Black and White Impermanence, realizing they were entirely unaffected. Doubt crept in.
Xu Wen was right—these two were far too strange.
“Who are you, really?”
By now, Mo Feng was certain these two must be protecting Lin An.
“The ones who will kill you!”
Lin An replied coldly.
“We bear you no deep grudge. Why not step back, let us leave, and be done with it?” Mo Feng offered.
“Do you take me for a fool? If you’d walked away earlier, maybe I’d have let you live. But now… the only path left for you is death!”

“You enjoyed tormenting others, didn’t you? Now let me show you the world’s most cruel torture!”
As he spoke, White Impermanence seemed to teleport, appearing behind Mo Feng. With a single hand, he plunged into Mo Feng’s body.
In the next instant, he drew out Mo Feng’s very soul.
Black and White Impermanence—Soul Collectors!
In the invisible void, chains forged from the very laws of order bound Mo Feng tight. No matter how he struggled, it was useless.
He could only watch as his physical body collapsed to the ground.
Faced with such bizarre power, Mo Feng bitterly regretted his choices.
He hadn’t expected Lin An to possess not only a high cultivation but also such strange and powerful guardians. Had he known, he would never have set his sights on Nalan Yanran.
Indeed, he’d been taken by her beauty, and since she’d been traveling with only one companion for so long, he’d thought it a perfect opportunity.
The area was crawling with his mercenaries, and any suspicious or hidden figures would be reported at once.
So, he’d decided to amuse himself by stirring up trouble.
“What… what did you do to my big brother?”
Seeing Mo Feng collapse lifelessly, Xu Wen began to panic.
“Don’t worry, you’ll see him very soon!” Lin An replied with a smile.
No sooner had the words left his lips than Black Impermanence moved, extracting Xu Wen’s soul just as he had Mo Feng’s.
Suddenly, Xu Wen saw Mo Feng trapped in the void, his face filled with disbelief.
“I’ll make you understand what true punishment is!”
A flame invisible to ordinary eyes appeared in Lin An’s hand. With a gentle wave, it split into two lotus-shaped fire blossoms, each the size of a palm, drifting lazily toward Mo Feng and Xu Wen.