Chapter 147: The Struggle for Political Power

Luffy dashed toward the hospital, his Reincarnation Heavenly Eyes activating and scanning his surroundings. This time, he saw that Building B of the hospital emitted the most intense nether energy, radiating a terrifying aura as if it were the very source of the underworldly forces.

Luffy bolted forward, flying up to the third floor like a bolt of lightning. That was the pediatric ward, where several young girls lay in their hospital rooms. A powerful soul was flitting from room to room, searching for something as it drifted past.

Entering one of the wards, the soul looked as though it had spotted a fresh and delectable meal, its mouth practically watering. One of its hands, ablaze with a ghostly blue flame, pressed down toward a young girl's head, emanating a dreadful, demonic magic.

In a flash, Luffy appeared before the entity, flicking a yellow Soul-Suppressing Talisman at the woman. "Boom..." The talisman detonated upon sticking to her body.

Luffy was stunned—the talisman failed entirely to suppress the woman, though it did catch her off guard for a moment.

"Who dares to ruin my plans? Die!"

The woman's complexion was as pale as a white wall, and her slender figure possessed an eerie grace. She thrust her ghostly blue palm fire toward Luffy.

A tongue of fire surged forward.

Luffy sidestepped, watching as the flames melted an entire wall into slag—a terrifying display of intense heat. He felt the scorching temperature, but thanks to his swift evasion, he remained untouched.

A flame also manifested in Luffy's palm, swirling in red and blue and radiating a terrifying aura as he hurled it at the woman.

"Whoosh..." The woman was startled upon seeing the flames, surprised by their terrifying potency. She lunged aside to dodge, frowning at the young man. "Wretched human, how dare you meddle in my affairs! Yin Ling... Yin Ling, eradicate this fellow!"

"Are you talking about that woman? I already destroyed her. I'm here to finish you."

Luffy narrowed his eyes at the woman. He could not gauge her strength at all—truly bizarre.

Likewise, the woman was utterly unable to read Luffy's power. The human and the Nether Clan member stood in a standoff, neither making a move, each harboring a deep wariness of the other.

"Hand me that girl, and our Nether Clan will cease attacking humans," the woman said indifferently.

"Do you take me for a fool?"

Luffy shook his head. "Who are you?"

"Whether you believe it or not, I am the Nether Commander of the Nether Clan. My word is gold, and none within the clan dare disobey."

As soon as the woman finished speaking, her body was suddenly wreathed in nether energy, and a black rune manifested upon her soul, causing her to sink repeatedly to the ground in agonizing pain.

"Ha ha... Nether Commander, look at you today." Suddenly, a woman who looked identical to Yin Ling walked out, followed by several figures in black robes.

"You... weren't you dead?" Luffy stared in utter bewilderment at the one called Yin Ling.

"Heh... How could I possibly be dead? That was merely my avatar," Yin Ling said with a chilling laugh. "I managed to divert Yin Mo and the others. Today, the Nether Commander shall die right here."

"Are you staging an internal power struggle?"

Luffy picked up the little girl and stepped aside. "Carry on with your fight, I'll be taking my leave."

"Want to leave? Today, all of you shall die here," a hoarse, aged voice rang out from behind Yin Ling.

"Grand Elder..." The Nether Commander was utterly shocked upon hearing that elderly voice. She had never expected the Grand Elder to betray her. The Grand Elder wore a black robe with his hood drawn over his face, but he pushed the hood back to reveal an aged visage.

"Forgive me, Nether Commander, but your existence no longer serves any purpose." A middle-aged voice followed. Luffy recognized this voice—it was the man who had rescued the Nether Clan members outside the safe zone earlier. To think he had infiltrated the safe zone without anyone noticing at all!

"Grand High Commander, you too wish to destroy me?!" The Nether Commander never imagined that the Grand High Commander, the one she trusted most, would betray her. It was entirely unacceptable to her.

The Grand High Commander was someone who had grown up alongside her.

"I apologize, but you are no longer fit to be the Female Grand Commander of the Nether Clan. In truth, your physical body was destroyed by our joint forces with the Earth Demon Clan. You are no longer the sovereign; I am. Furthermore, this little girl cannot restore your true form—you will never recover it, and you shall die by our hands."

The Grand High Commander smiled coldly, looking exceedingly pleased and sinister. "Since you refused to surrender your body to me last time, I had no choice but to destroy it, after which we will simply announce that the tyrannical female commander has perished!"

"Oh, sounds awfully impressive."

Luffy watched the group of Nether Clan members with a hint of surprise, never expecting to witness a political power struggle unfold before his eyes.

"Ding! Today's red envelope has been refreshed. Quantity: 1; Range: Within one thousand meters; Time limit: Half an hour, after which it will disappear."

"Seriously? Another red envelope, and there's only one? System, aren't you being a bit too cheap? And why is it spawning on the avatar's side? You've got your priorities completely mixed up."

Luffy felt somewhat speechless.

"Ding! This system is fair to all and never cheats anyone."

"Pull the other one."

Luffy refused to believe it. Then, he spotted the red envelope resting right on the female commander's body—truly leaving him speechless. And what made it even more ridiculous was that her subordinates were positioned right beneath her. The system was playing games with him again.

"Hey, the enemy of my enemy is a friend. How about we cooperate?"

Luffy looked at the female commander. Even though she wasn't particularly attractive, the Grand High Commander still fancied her—he simply couldn't wrap his head around it.

"Very well!" The female commander nodded. "Seeing as you possess some strength, I'll agree to cooperate with you."

"Ha ha... You two don't even have a ten-percent chance of survival, yet you dare talk about forming an alliance in front of us? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?" Several elders followed behind the Grand Elder, every single one of them possessing formidable strength.

"Female Commander, detonate your soul yourself. I'd rather not resort to violence, considering our past ties," the Grand High Commander said with a feigned expression of heartache.

"Heh... You seem to have overlooked one detail. You are currently trapped within my array. Do you honestly believe your chances of winning are that high?"

The female commander stood up, her eyes burning with madness. The lighting in the room was dim, and the sunlight from outside could not pierce through. Luffy set the little girl down gently to the side.

Suddenly, two doctors walked into the room. Seeing a group of strangers gathered inside, they shouted angrily, "Who are you people? What are you doing in here? Get out this instant!"

"Too noisy." The Grand High Commander's gaze chilled as two beams of light shot from his eyes, piercing the two doctors. Instantly, both doctors collapsed to the floor, dead beyond a doubt.

"You've been afflicted by our curse. Did you really think an array like this would allow you to defeat us?" The Grand Elder's aged voice echoed.

"You're wrong. I meant that this young man will defeat you," the female commander said with absolute earnestness. "Spatial Transposition Technique!"

With a sudden, swift series of hand seals, her hands blurred. In an instant, they were transported to the open courtyard at the back of the hospital.

"I can control this grand array as well," Yin Ling laughed malevolently.

"Whatever authority you had was merely granted by me. Now, it is revoked, and full suppression is applied," the female commander declared with an air of absolute dominance. An overwhelming sense of crushing gravity descended upon the surroundings.