Chapter 9 - 8: Slaying the Cat Demon, Crushing Iron Balls with One Hand!

Chapter 9: Chapter 8: Slaying the Cat Demon, Crushing Iron Balls with One Hand!

As Liu Zimo glared sharply at the Illusion Cat, the fat tabby in Zhao Hongzhang’s arms also focused its attention on him, surprised and wary.

It wondered why this human wasn’t captivated by its "beauty"; what an unexpected turn of events for a feline. Since gaining sentience and awakening its Lifebound Talent, this was the first time it had encountered a human immune to its Mind Charm Illusion Technique.

"MEOW!"

The Illusion Cat let out another soft cry, sounding as if it were in heat. This time, in a rare display of effort, it unleashed its full power, concentrating all its bewitching energy solely on Liu Zimo.

"Wow, little Huahua is so cute!"

"Uncle Hongzhang, let me hold it! I love it so much!"

Upon hearing the cat’s cry, Zhao Hongzhang, Liu Yi, and Liu Zihao immediately became flushed, their hearts pounding. Their gazes toward the Illusion Cat grew increasingly dazed and doting. Liu Zihao couldn’t even stop himself from reaching out to cuddle it.

BUZZ!

Liu Zimo’s mind gave a slight jolt, effortlessly breaking free from the Illusion Cat’s Illusion Technique attack. Setting aside the fact that he was now a Martial Artist at the Great Success Level of the Copper Skin realm—brimming with Qi Blood and possessing a pure, untarnished Martial Intent impervious to wicked thoughts—even if he had no cultivation at all, his sheer willpower, tempered through thirty years in the Post-Apocalypse, was far beyond what a lowly Illusion Demon could bewitch!

"You’re courting death!"

Facing the Illusion Demon’s provocation, murderous intent boiled within Liu Zimo. With a light flick of his right index finger, a strand of invisible Powerful Qi, thin as a hair, instantly shot into the cat’s forehead.

SWISH!

The needle-like Powerful Qi pierced its body, silently penetrating the Illusion Cat’s frontal bone before exploding wildly inside its skull, instantly turning its brains into mush. The entire process was covert and soundless. Zhao Hongzhang, Liu Yi, and Liu Zihao, who were already trapped in the illusion and had lost their senses, noticed nothing at all.

"MEOW!!"

Sensing something was wrong, the Illusion Cat only had time to let out a shriek before its vision went black, instantly losing all signs of life.

This was the might of the Profound Level Martial Arts, the Illusory Yin Finger!

It was completely silent and devoid of any gore; judging solely from the exterior, one couldn’t find a single wound. With the Illusion Demon dead, the Illusion Technique became like water without a source, immediately losing its effect. Zhao Hongzhang, Liu Yi, and Liu Zihao all shuddered simultaneously as their minds regained clarity.

"Huh? Why am I holding such an ugly fat cat?"

"How disgusting!"

Zhao Hongzhang was the first to react, throwing the fat cat to the ground with extreme disgust. Liu Yi and Liu Zihao were no different; they cast perplexed glances at the fat cat on the floor, their previous enthusiasm for holding it completely gone.

"That’s so weird. Why did I think this fat cat was cute just now? I even wanted to kiss it?" Liu Zihao muttered softly, subconsciously taking a step back to put some distance between himself and the feline.

Liu Yi cast a sidelong glance at Zhao Hongzhang, looking at him as if he were a scumbag.

"Hongzhang, I have to say, even if you don’t like it, there’s no need to throw it to its death!

"Look at it. It was a little life, after all, and now it’s dead by your hands. What a sin!

"Honestly, could it be that you’ve been single for so long that you have an imbalance of Yin and Yang, turning you into a bit of a psycho?" Liu Yi said.

Zhao Hongzhang couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Liu Yi. This was exactly why he hated talking to the man—his mouth was far too foul. But then again, wasn’t this fat cat a bit too fragile? He had only tossed it casually just now; he hadn’t used any force at all. Weren’t cats supposed to have nine lives and be immune to fall damage? Zhao Hongzhang shot a suspicious look at the motionless fat cat on the floor, feeling somewhat surprised and puzzled.

Just as he was about to bend down to inspect it more closely, he saw Liu Zimo grab the cat by the tail and toss it into the nearby trash can like a piece of garbage.

Liu Zimo warned softly, "Uncle Hongzhang, one look is enough to tell that this fat cat was sick. Who knows how dirty it was. You need to be more careful from now on. Don’t just bring any random animal you find back home.

"Also, for the next couple of months, try not to visit zoos or pet shops unless you have to, and definitely don’t adopt any small animals. I heard a severe strain of avian flu has broken out recently. Zoos and pet shops have become disaster zones. If you get into close contact, even humans can be infected!"

In a month, the Demon Calamity would descend and Spiritual Energy would erupt. Zoos and pet shops all over the world would instantly turn into slaughterhouses. The animals inside would rapidly undergo demonic mutation, viciously biting anyone they saw. Since Liu Zimo couldn’t tell Zhao Hongzhang directly about these future events, he could only use the avian flu as an excuse to scare him into taking precautions.

"Really? How come I haven’t heard about it?" Zhao Hongzhang looked confused, but quickly waved his hand dismissively. "Relax! I rarely go to those places anyway. I’m used to a carefree life; I don’t have the time or energy to raise pets!"

Hearing Zhao Hongzhang’s response, Liu Zimo felt temporarily relieved. He knew his uncle’s temperament very well. Zhao Hongzhang was naturally playful and energetic with a wide range of interests, but he genuinely had no feelings for small animals. After all, he didn’t even want to get a wife because he found it too troublesome, let alone take care of a pet. More importantly, his uncle valued his own life and would never risk his health. As long as he didn’t actively approach or adopt any animals over the next month, he would be much safer when the Demon Calamity struck.

"Alright, alright, enough with the digressions. Let’s get back to our previous topic! Mo, I’ve prepared the props for you. Keep showing off! Let Uncle Hongzhang broaden his horizons!" Liu Yi interrupted, bringing up the old subject again. He pointed at the chunk of iron he had placed on the table earlier, looking at Liu Zimo expectantly.

Liu Zimo massaged his temples, wondering if there was truly no escaping this. Did his father really want Uncle Hongzhang to broaden his horizons, or did he just want to see it again himself? Otherwise, who in their right mind would carry around such a thick chunk of iron in their pocket for no reason?

"Wait, what exactly do you want me to see? Can you stop talking in riddles?" Zhao Hongzhang asked, completely baffled as to what tricks the father-son duo had up their sleeves.

Without another word, Liu Zimo waved at the iron block on the table and executed the Human Level Martial Technique, Azure Dragon Drinking Water.

SWISH!

The chunk of iron, sitting about two meters away, was instantly pulled through the air and into his grasp.

"Wow!"

"Holy crap!"

Zhao Hongzhang and Liu Zihao simultaneously let out gasps of disbelief.

"Bro, you’re amazing! When did you learn this magic trick? Can you teach me?!" Liu Zihao grabbed Liu Zimo’s arm, his eyes filled with hope.

Zhao Hongzhang was exactly the same. Recovering from his shock, he quickly scurried over to Liu Zimo’s side, posing as if he wanted to learn it too. Clearly, they both thought the Martial Techniques Liu Zimo had just displayed were mere magic tricks.

Only Liu Yi smacked his lips, forcing back the "holy crap" that nearly escaped his mouth. He had prepared that chunk of iron himself; it was absolutely authentic and definitely not some magic prop. Therefore, Liu Yi knew better than anyone whether Liu Zimo was performing magic. First, it was piercing a steel plate with his bare hands, and now he was fetching objects from a distance. A Superpower like that—he wanted it so badly too!

"Magic?" Liu Zimo grinned, shooting a glance at his father. He applied a bit of force with his right hand gripping the iron chunk. Instantly, sparks flew from his palm, accompanied by a sizzling sound.

Three seconds later, when Liu Zimo opened his hand again, the originally square iron plate had remarkably been rolled into a perfectly round iron ball, with steam still rising off its surface!

THUD!

It was the metaphorical sound of jaws hitting the floor.

The three people in front of him all dropped their jaws in astonishment, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief. Single-handedly rolling an iron plate into a ball! Was this something a human could even do?!

"Uncle Hongzhang, do you see?" Liu Zimo said softly. "This is the reason we left Sanyuan overnight to come and take refuge with you!"