"God?"
"Hahahaha!"
Xu Zhu burst into mad laughter.
"Gods are beings of legendāperhaps not even real!"
"Stop with your scare tactics!"
His eyes burned with hatred as he glared at the black-robed figure before him, roaring, "If you're truly a god, then prove it! Make the Moonlit Isle collapse before my eyes!"
The black-robed man looked at him as if he were a fool.
With a mere flick of his handā
BOOM!
A deafening roar erupted across Moonlit Isle.
The Moonlit Tower crumbled instantly, and as it fell, enormous fissuresālike gaping chasmsāspread across the island, swallowing the land at terrifying speed.
At the same time, towering tsunamis, as high as the heavens, surged from all directions like crushing mountains.
It was as if a colossal beast had emerged from the depths, intent on devouring Moonlit Isle whole.
The island shattered into ruin.
"What?!"
Xu Zhuās eyes bulged in disbelief.
The elders of Moonlit Sect scrambled like ants on a hot pan, desperate yet helpless, their hearts drowning in despair.
"Itās a god⦠It really is a god!"
The crowd wailed in terror.
For Moonlit Isle to fall into such calamity in an instantāonly a god could wield such power with a mere gesture.
Even a Sageās influence over the world would take time to manifest.
"My lord, spare us! Have mercy!"
The people of Moonlit Isle knelt, weeping and begging like madmen.
Bai Ji, now reduced to nothing but a flickering Dao Heart, darted around in panic, his mind on the verge of collapse. "Father! Aaaaah! Save me! I donāt want to die! I donāt want to die! Iām the next island lord of Moonlit Isle!"
Xu Zhu, still on his knees, trembled violently, his eyes bloodshot.
He seethed with resentment.
An unbearable, suffocating resentment.
He couldnāt fathom how things had come to this.
Lifting his crimson gaze, he snarled, "So what if youāre a god? Does that give you the right to slaughter the innocent?"
"Moonlit Isle has never crossed you! What ādefiance of the Godās willā? This is just an excuse for your wanton killing!"
"Yes! Exactly!" Bai Ji, now just a Dao Heart, chimed in frantically. "Youāre murdering innocents! Even gods will face divine retribution for this!"
Father and son, knowing they stood no chance, resorted to provocationāa desperate bid for survival.
The black-robed manās lips curled in mockery.
"Very well. Let you die with clarity."
He waved his hand.
An image materialized above the crowd.
The moment they saw it, everyone froze in shock.
Xu Zhu and Bai Ji turned deathly pale, as if struck by lightning.
"Him?"
"Itās him⦠How could it be him?"
The father and son muttered in horror.
The figure in the vision was none other than Yi Feng.
Now, they understood why these black-robed men had comeāit was all because of Yi Feng.
"My master personally appointed Feng Qianyue as island lord and commanded you to support her."
"Yet you defied his decree and conspired against her the moment he left. Tell meādo you deserve death?"
"Since my master has no time to deal with you, it falls to his servants to settle this matter."
As the voice spoke, Lu Benwei took a single step forward.
With that stepā
BOOM!
The bodies of Moonlit Sectās fleeing elders exploded into bloody mist.
From the carnage, countless Dao Hearts wailed and scattered like frightened locusts, each bearing a tiny, terrified face.
But the sky ignited with towering flames, trapping them all.
In that momentā
The Dao Hearts contorted in agony, their spectral faces twisting as they fled in vain through the inferno. The fire licked at their souls, reducing them to ash.
A symphony of screams filled the air, chilling to the bone.
Soon, the elders of Moonlit Isleābodies and Dao Hearts alikeāwere erased from existence.
Of the once-mighty Moonlit Sect, only Xu Zhu and Bai Ji remained.
Xu Zhuās heart twisted with regret.
He had assumed Yi Feng would never learn of their betrayal.
He never imagined it would bring such annihilation.
Nor had he ever guessed Yi Fengās true nature.
No wonder⦠No wonder Yi Feng had effortlessly obtained the Death Legacy, untouched for countless ages.
Had he known, he would have gladly served Feng Qianyue. Perhaps then, the future might have beenā
A single misstep had doomed them all.
"Mercy! Spare me, my lord!"
Bai Jiās Dao Heart darted forward, his spectral face contorted in desperation. "This wasnāt my fault! I wanted Feng Qianyue as island lord! It was this old fool! He poisoned my mind! Without him, Iād never have made such a grave mistake!"
Xu Zhu spat blood.
"Youā!"
"You ungrateful wretch!"
He never dreamed his own son would betray him at the end.
Though his path had been misguided, everything heād done had been for Bai Ji. He didnāt regret itāonly that fortune had not favored him.
But Bai Jiās betrayal shattered his last shred of resolve.
His Dao Heart collapsed.
Though his body, soul, and mind remained, he was now little more than a hollow shell.
"You old bastard! You dare scold me? If not for you, I wouldnāt be in this hell!" Bai Jiās Dao Heart flared with hatred. Seizing the moment, it shot forth like a bladeā
THUD.
Xu Zhuās forehead was pierced.
His life force drained rapidly.
His dying eyes fixed on the Dao Heart hovering before him.
He had never imagined his own son would kill him.
But the Dao Heart didnāt spare him a glance, still pleading for its life:
"My lord! Look! I killed him! I killed this old fool! See? Iām not with him! You have to spare me now!"
Behind him, Xu Zhuās pupils dilated.
He collapsed, his eyes wide openāunable to close even in death.
The black-robed man observed coldly, his amusement laced with scorn.
A skeletal white hand reached out, and Bai Jiās Dao Heart was yanked into its grasp.
"Spare you?"
"You werenāt so humble earlier."
"Besides⦠shouldnāt you experience firsthand what you inflicted on others?"
Beneath the hood, a sinister smirk formed.
With a flick of the wrist, an invisible domain enveloped Bai Jiās Dao Heart.
Inside, lightning crackled, flames roared, and chaotic energies raged.
"No! My lord! You promised! I killed my father! You have to let me goā!"
Bai Jiās voice, shrill with terror, echoed from within.
Thenā
"AAAAAH!"
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air as the forces within the domain consumed him.
"Help!"
"Help!"
"I was wrong, Iāll never do it againālet me outā¦"
"Let me out⦠I swear Iāll never dare againā¦"
"It was all my fault, I beg you, spare meā¦"
Pleas and cries filled the air.
At this moment, he was like a pitiful insect trapped in a cage, engulfed in flames and frozen in ice, yet utterly powerless to break free.
Until, at last, the entire Isle of Moon and Wind fell, and in unbearable agony and torment, he sank into the depths of the sea alongside it.
The sky held nothing but the retreating silhouette of a figure clad in black robes.