Chapter 254: Total Annihilation

No one wanted to die—so no one dared to move.

Zhang Yu swept a glance over the motionless crowd, then leaned close to Bai Zhenzhen’s ear and said, “Some of Deng Bingding’s reinforcements have arrived. Go meet up with them. Leave this to me.”

According to Deng Bingding, it would take six hours for their reinforcements to form effective combat strength. Meaning: more would continue arriving over that window.

Clearly, some of those who’d arrived were already useful to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.

Bai Zhenzhen nodded. “Be careful.”

No hesitation. She leapt straight into the sewer system—originally their escape route.

The onlookers watched Bai Zhenzhen disappear without lifting a finger.

Zhang Yu felt a flicker of relief as she vanished into the darkness.

“Deng Bingding said his doctor should be able to treat Ah-Zhen, right?”

Then he turned, his gaze ice-cold as it swept over the crowd.

Fu Ji spoke up: “Bai Zhenzhen is temporarily safe. No need to hold back now.”

“Kill everyone here.”

“If we let them go, they’ll just keep tracking her.”

Zhang Yu knew she was right. On this kill-or-be-killed battlefield, mercy was a luxury no one could afford.

The next moment, Formless Cloud Qi erupted. Dense fog surged across the battlefield.

Zhang Yu’s voice echoed from within the mist.

“Obstructing an Inspectorate raid. Attacking contracted personnel. Willful lawbreaking—penalty increased.”

“What comes next is… legal killing time.”

“Now it’s your turn to run.”

As soon as those words fell, everyone’s will to fight collapsed. They bolted, scattering in every direction like startled birds.

Which was exactly what Zhang Yu wanted—backs turned, attention shattered. Easier. Cleaner.

Zhou Yang had been the closest to Zhang Yu—and also the first to flee.

His feet struck the ground like springs, launching him like a toad in flight. Within seconds, he was several meters away.

But then he felt it: that terrifying pull from the fog.

Formless Cloud Qi twisted around him, exerting suction, distortion, disruption—like ocean whirlpools dragging him backward.

And from behind him, out of the fog, came a towering black silhouette accompanied by a roar like a dragon and an elephant screaming in unison.

Zhou Yang suddenly felt like a tiny fish in the deep sea—powerless against the open maw of a leviathan.

He screamed, “Wait! I—”

Boom!

A wave of crushing palm force slammed into him, so dense it felt like even the air itself had turned solid. Whatever words he had were choked off, jammed down his throat.

His eyes filled with despair. He screamed inwardly and threw his full strength into a counterattack—a palm laced with freezing qi blasted toward the silhouette in the fog.

But it hit nothing—just air.

And then the cold qi reversed course, swept into him. Zhang Yu’s Indestructible Seal Method reflected the chill back into Zhou Yang’s body, freezing him stiff on the spot.

Formless Cloud Qi followed up, detonating in bursts—pulverizing his bones and flesh into slush.

“The first.”

Zhang Yu waved a hand, dispersing the blood mist, then vanished, reappearing near another cultivator.

The misty sea beneath him churned like waves, letting him glide effortlessly, every step boosting his speed.

Meanwhile, Chi He, Ye Mantian, and the others were floundering. The mist wrapped around them like something alive—tangling, resisting, even absorbing and reflecting their strikes.

Swoosh!

Within the swirling fog, Zhang Yu appeared before another Qi Refining cultivator.

The man’s face twisted in fear. With a roar, he lunged at Zhang Yu, using a grappling technique.

Zhang Yu smiled coldly. He met the man’s hands, twisted his center of gravity, and slammed him headfirst into the ground with a crash that left a crater.

His internal organs shattered, the man coughed up foamy blood. Fu Ji reminded calmly, “He can cast surgical sigils remotely. Finish him off.”

Zhang Yu kicked—bursting the man’s skull into paste. Not even a surgical sigil could fix that.

“The second.”

And then, another blur. Another target.

Ye Mantian was slinking through the fog, ears straining against the sudden bursts of sound—shouts, impacts, and Zhang Yu’s voice calling out like a death counter.

“The third.”

“Aaahhh!”

A shrill, desperate scream—like someone being torn apart.

Boom!

“The fourth.”

“I’ll fight you!”

“Stop running—we can’t escape—”

Bang!

“I’ll pay! I’ll pay for my life!”

“The fifth.”

Each number drove terror deeper into Ye Mantian’s gut. This chosen son of Xiandu High now trembled with cold sweat.

He felt like a fish swimming upstream, trying to flee a monster that hunted in silence beneath the water.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

“How is this happening?!”

“Zhang Yu’s already reached Foundation… Why hasn’t Director Wang sent help yet?!”

Then a shadow emerged from the fog.

“The sixth.”

Terror drove Ye Mantian to the edge. He exploded with power, his body swelling like a balloon. He roared like an elephant, punching forward with howling Martial Qi and crackling sonic booms.

But Zhang Yu simply reached out and crushed the fist in one sweeping motion.

Then came the palm—straight to the head.

Ye Mantian raised his other arm to block. It was obliterated, and the follow-up smashed into his skull.

Crack!

His body flew out of the mist like a cannonball. But his head was already shattered—bone, blood, and brain flying everywhere.

Zhang Yu didn’t stop. He kept flowing through the fog, and within seconds, four more corpses hit the ground—skulls shattered, brains liquefied, beyond saving.

Another Qi Refining expert came into view.

This one, wild-eyed, shouted, “I can reach Foundation too! If I’m dying, I’m taking you with me!”

He began forcefully drawing in vast amounts of spiritual energy—clearly trying to break through on the spot.

From within the Divine Power Network, Deng Bingding sneered. “You’re trying to break through in combat? That’s bold.”

Another Righteous God chimed in, “Unauthorized breakthrough? Terminate him immediately.”

The two sides of the network halted their conflict. In the sky above, divine energy condensed into a thick purple lightning bolt that struck the would-be cultivator.

Gone—turned to ash.

Then the divine powers resumed their deadlock, balancing each other again.

Zhang Yu glanced at the smoking spot where the lightning had struck, heart still racing, and continued his pursuit.

From the first moment of pursuit to the chaotic slaughter, the divine thunderstrike—it had all happened in just over twenty seconds.

But then…

A divine wind cyclone swept through the battlefield, blowing away all the fog.

Zhang Yu looked up—and saw a figure descending from the sky.

Eight halos of divine light shone behind his head. Twin dragons formed of storm winds coiled around his feet. His entire body was wreathed in blood shadows, sovereign over this world.

His gaze swept across the battlefield and settled on Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu’s expression tightened.

“Wang Yin… He came in person?”

“So he sensed I reached Foundation and decided to crush me immediately—no more chances.”

…

Elsewhere, Bai Zhenzhen continued crawling through the sewer. She checked her phone for Deng Bingding’s messages, following the directions to a remote location.

A bearded middle-aged man stood waiting with a large bag. “You’re Bai Zhenzhen?”

His eyes held a trace of admiration. “Standing up to someone like Director Wang of Oasis Group… you’ve got guts.”

Bai Zhenzhen nodded—this must be the contractor Deng Bingding hired. “You’re the doctor? Treat me first.”

As she received treatment, she asked, “Deng Youshen said you brought a Law Husk?”

The man pointed to the bag. “Yeah. Dragon Soul Workshop’s Flood Dragon Spinal Core.”

“With my skills, I can install it in about fifteen minutes.”

“Want me to mount it on you?”

Bai Zhenzhen frowned. “What for? Zhang Yu should be the one using it.”

The man shook his head. “There’s no time for him. Wang Yin’s already left Oasis Tower.”

“He’s coming.”

Bai Zhenzhen’s face changed. She looked at the Flood Dragon Spinal Core. “Can I use it?”

“For Foundation-level cultivators, it’s ideal. For Qi Refining… it’s okay for short-term use.”

“But I’ll have to replace your spine completely. With limited equipment… and you needing to fight right after…”

He hesitated.

“It’ll hurt.”

Bai Zhenzhen gritted her teeth. “Do it.”

“Install it on me.”

She knew: without the Flood Dragon Spinal Core, she didn’t even qualify to fight.

…

Back on the battlefield—

Chi He, barely alive, scrambled under Wang Yin’s looming form, gasping with relief. “D-Director Wang…”

Wang Yin didn’t reply. Just shot him a glance, then said coldly, “What a pack of useless garbage. After all the money we spent on you, I still have to step in myself.”

“Do you know how valuable my time is?”

“When we get back, your salary is docked. For a year.”

Chi He hung his head. He dared not utter a word of protest.

Then Wang Yin looked at Zhang Yu.

“Zhang Yu,” he said flatly. “If you’d just run off with Bai Zhenzhen, I could’ve chalked it up to the rebellious streak of the poor—spend a little time ‘training’ you both.”

“But you…”

His voice turned frigid.

“You did something unforgivable.”

“Conspiring with outsiders. Selling out company assets…”

Zhang Yu laughed. “Why not sell? There’s a buyer, we sell. That’s the Kunxu way, isn’t it?”

Wang Yin snorted. “You think you get to quote Kunxu rules to me?”

“Get it through your head. You’re just a dog I raised.”