Just as with the men, the entire process of extracting the woman's eyeballs caused no pain. Perhaps it was due to the sheer brutality of it all, but the woman screamed continuously from beginning to end. The one-armed soldier, however, seemed not to hear, proceeding with the task as if lost in his own world.
Once finished, the one-armed soldier blinked, flexed his newly attached arm, and nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing their leader completed, the impatient soldiers behind him surged forward. Some chopped off arms, others legs, gouged out eyes, and cut off noses. One particularly deranged soldier even walked up to the woman whose eyes had been removed, punched her unconscious, and then proceeded to skin her with his sword.
Bai Qi witnessed everything that transpired at the farm. Though he couldn't comprehend how these soldiers achieved their feats, he had to admit their actions were truly disgusting.
"Truly disgusting," he muttered.
With that, Bai Qi emerged from behind the tree, striding with an air of unshakeable confidence toward the soldiers.
"Roar!"
Bai Qi's appearance immediately alerted several soldiers. One even let out a bestial growl directed at him.
Before Bai Qi could make a move, the squad leader let out a low growl, and the soldiers on either side drew their weapons, charging at Bai Qi.
Two soldiers, armed with swords and shields, led the charge, followed by two wielding greatswords and one with a flail. The remaining two soldiers, armed with bows, positioned themselves to the left and right of the squad leader.
The squad's configuration was undeniably practical, their coordination impressive. However, in the face of absolute power, all of it was merely a facade, easily shattered.
Several blades formed from telekinetic energy shot out. The two soldiers in front attempted to block with their shields, but the result was that they, along with their shields, were cleaved in two. The three soldiers behind them tried to resist, only to be bisected in the next instant.
The soldiers fell in heaps, their black, putrid blood and decaying organs spilling from their wounds, scattering everywhere. Yet, these soldiers did not die. They grabbed the severed halves of their bodies and forced them back together, and as the wounds met, their bodies reassembled.
"Disgusting, yes, but quite effective. So, how about this?"
With a wave of his hand, Bai Qi unleashed a crushing pressure from above, instantly flattening the soldiers, who had just reattached their lower halves, into a bloody pulp. A large amount of blood was forcibly squeezed from their bodies in a mist, filling the air with a foul stench.
Even so, Bai Qi could still see the pulp writhing. Though not noticeable, given enough time, these bloody messes could have reformed into human figures.
Just as two soldiers prepared to shoot arrows at Bai Qi, the squad leader in the center raised a hand to stop them. He then slowly walked towards a man who had been brutally disfigured, slit his throat with his sword, rummaged inside, pulled something out, and then, ignoring the flowing blood, shoved the object into his own neck.
Having completed this, the squad leader approached Bai Qi, driving his sword into the ground as he walked. He spread his arms wide, palms open, signaling he meant no harm.
When the squad leader stopped two meters away from Bai Qi, he stared intently and said, "Honored Dragon, what is your purpose here? Are you here to save these weak humans?"
Bai Qi shook his head. "No, the fate of these humans has nothing to do with me."
"Then what is your purpose here?"
"This land you inhabit has entered my world. As a representative of this world, I am here to ascertain if you pose a threat to my realm. If you do, I will annihilate all of you."
Bai Qi answered the squad leader's questions without any pretense or falsehood, explaining the entirety of his mission.
The reason was simple: power.
After a brief exchange, Bai Qi had determined that these soldiers, beyond their immortality, possessed no other abilities. In fact, in terms of strength, these dismembered, undead soldiers were not as formidable as the SHIELD agents he had encountered earlier. Therefore, Bai Qi felt no fear. If necessary, a single blast of fire would cleanse them, and he'd see how they regenerated then.
As Bai Qi conversed with the squad leader, the ground suddenly began to shake violently. Then, a rather large mountain peak rose from the ground in the distance, topped by a castle.
Bai Qi glanced at the castle on the mountaintop and asked, "What is that?"
"That is the castle of the Golden King. Before he fell into the abyss, it was a beautiful and prosperous land."
From the squad leader's words, Bai Qi detected anger and resentment.
"So, you are not on his side, then?"
"Yes. Once, the Golden King was the monarch I admired most. But after he descended into the abyss in pursuit of power, that was no longer true."
Just as Bai Qi was about to inquire further, he stopped abruptly. A trident shot out from the forest behind him, aiming directly for the squad leader's head.
At the last second, the trident halted in mid-air, its tip less than a centimeter from the squad leader's skull.
Then, over a dozen soldiers, clad in similar attire, emerged from the forest, encircling Bai Qi and the squad leader's men. Additionally, a knight in silver plate armor strode forward; it was presumably this knight who had thrown the trident.
The encircled soldiers, of course, would not stand idly by. They raised their weapons, preparing for a fight to the death.
Bai Qi took a brief look and noticed the differences between the two groups. The equipment and weapons of the initial soldiers were clearly more worn than those of the newcomers. Furthermore, though both groups' armor bore the emblem of a golden tree, the golden trees on the first group's armor had a double-headed axe on either side, while the new arrivals did not.
Just as the soldiers were about to engage, the knight stepped forward, approached Bai Qi, and bowed slightly. "Most esteemed Dragon, we are under the command of King Khonsas to bring these rebels back to the castle for judgment. We request that you do not interfere."
Though the knight's voice was grating, like fingernails on a chalkboard, his respectful tone was unmistakable.
It was understandable; anyone could see Bai Qi was a dragon in his current form.
In any world, dragons, as a species, possessed innate power far exceeding that of other beings. If Bai Qi were to intervene, not only would it be uncertain if these soldiers could capture the rebels, but they would likely all perish.
"Don't listen to him!"
Seeing Bai Qi's silence, the squad leader grew anxious. He quickly exclaimed, "We are not rebels, we are righteous warriors! Khonsas has fallen into the abyss. He collects limbs from powerful beings to attach to himself, attempting to enhance his strength. If left unchecked!"
Before the squad leader could finish, the swift knight drew his sword and plunged it directly into the squad leader's chest.