Chapter 296: The Cruel Martial Dao Era, the Tragedy of Prodigies

In the Martial Arts Hall.

Qin Wudao narrowed his eyes and spoke lightly,

"It’s over."

"That mosquito is even more unbelievable than when I saw it in Spirit Martial Eternity."

A trace of wariness flashed in Qin Wudao’s eyes.

He did admire Gu Yuexi’s talent, it was true.

But right now, her strength was enough to threaten him! Especially with that monstrous mosquito in the picture.

That was something he didn’t like. It felt... troublesome.

...

Meanwhile.

On the floor of the Martial Arts Arena.

Su Yingxue’s aura was incredibly weak. Her realm was deflating like a punctured ball, dropping rapidly.

Seventh-Grade, Sixth-Grade, Fifth-Grade...

In the end, she couldn’t even maintain her original Fourth-Grade Realm. It plummeted all the way down to Third-Grade!

"No... Impossible..."

Lying on the ground, Su Yingxue felt utterly drained of power. A constant, searing pain racked her, as if her Sea of Consciousness was being ripped apart. Her eyes filled with despair and resentment.

"Impossible... Why... Why would I still lose after paying such a huge price..."

"I’m the one who’s... the Future Empress..."

Just then, a tiny shadow fell over her face.

Chu Sheng hovered above her.

Gu Yuexi’s cold figure appeared at her side, looking down at her, her voice completely devoid of emotion:

"Tell me. Where is that person?"

Su Yingxue froze for a moment. Then, as if she had realized something, she bit her lip hard, closed her eyes, and said nothing.

’Even if I’m a fool, I know I’ve been used as a pawn.’

’But I can’t say it!’

’To say it would be to admit my own stupidity! This is my last shred of pride!’

Seeing this, Chu Sheng let out a disdainful buzz.

"BZZZZZ. (I know where he is!)"

As soon as he buzzed,

Before anyone could react, Chu Sheng took Gu Yuexi with him. Their figures blurred and instantly vanished from within the Martial Arts Hall.

...

...

「In Su Yingxue’s dorm room.」

Mu Chen’s face was a mask of utter horror. The wisp of his Spirit that resided in Su Yingxue’s Sea of Consciousness had shown him everything that happened in the Martial Arts Hall, clear as day.

’Impossible! How could that damned Gu Yuexi and that mosquito be so strong?’

’Seventh-Grade! That was a Seventh-Grade cultivator!’

’And... and that mosquito took her out in a single move?!’

’In my plan, there was no way Gu Yuexi could defeat Su Yingxue after she was boosted to Seventh-Grade. She was supposed to be brutally humiliated and crippled by Su Yingxue. Then I could torture her and interrogate her about the truth behind my family’s destruction.’

’Furthermore, after Su Yingxue used the Mu Family’s Secret Technique, her mind would have been slowly influenced and eroded by my will, until she was completely under my control—my perfect slave!’

’But now, everything is ruined.’

’They’re here, they’re here!’

’They used the mark I left in Su Yingxue’s Sea of Consciousness to find me! They’re coming to kill me!’

’No, I have to run!’

Endless fear surged through Mu Chen. He could no longer care about his extremely weakened body from using the Forbidden Technique. He scrambled out of the Cultivation Chamber like a madman, trying to escape.

However, just as he burst out of the Cultivation Chamber, he saw Gu Yuexi and Chu Sheng. They had already appeared in the center of the living room, like phantoms.

...

Seeing Gu Yuexi and Chu Sheng, Mu Chen was horrified. His eyes were filled with a bone-deep hatred, yet also an uncontrollable fear!

He roared, trying to sound fierce to hide his terror:

"What are you going to do?"

"You can’t kill me! This is Jing University, and I’m a student here! If you kill someone at Jing University, you’ll face the most severe punishment!"

He tried to use the school’s rules as a last-ditch effort.

Hearing this, Chu Sheng let out a mocking buzz:

"BZZZZZ. (Heh, is that so? Then I just won’t kill you here.)"

How could Mu Chen understand the buzzing of a mosquito? He was about to say more...

But Chu Sheng had already moved his wings.

The upgraded Boundless Wings activated, and an invisible Spatial Power instantly enveloped Mu Chen.

The next second, the scene shifted.

The three of them had appeared out of thin air tens of thousands of meters away, in a desolate, abandoned burial ground in the outskirts of the Capital City.

Sinister winds howled, and the air was thick with a ghostly aura.

Chu Sheng’s buzzing sounded again:

"BZZZZZ. (How about it? Nice place, right? Beautiful scenery, a real prime spot for good Feng Shui, hehe.)"

Mu Chen still couldn’t understand.

But seeing the unfamiliar surroundings and feeling the killing intent that seemed to freeze his very soul, he knew he was going to die today.

Consumed by a mixture of terror and hatred, he completely lost his mind. Like a wild beast, he staggered and lunged towards Chu Sheng and Gu Yuexi.

"I want you dead! I’ll have you buried with my Mu Family!"

Gu Yuexi remained expressionless, not even bothering to act.

A red light flashed in Chu Sheng’s eyes.

Amaterasu—Celestial Flame!

A mass of ink-black flames erupted on Mu Chen’s body without any warning.

The black flames spread rapidly like maggots devouring bone, completely engulfing the charging Mu Chen.

"AHHH—!"

A bloodcurdling scream that barely sounded human echoed through the night sky, but it lasted for only a few short seconds before abruptly stopping.

Under the black flames, Mu Chen’s body, along with his soul, was burned into Nothingness, leaving not a single trace behind.

And with that,

The Mu Family line was well and truly eradicated.

The root of it all was simply the first one, Mu Linyuan—a prodigy eager to prove himself, whose mind was twisted by jealousy.

Mu Linyuan could have been considered a minor prodigy, but in the end, he was consumed by his twisted desires and walked a path of no return.

In this cruel age of the Martial Dao, such people were everywhere, and their numbers were only growing.

Mu Linyuan was one. Mu Chen was another.

And Su Yingxue, who had just used a Forbidden Technique out of jealousy in the Martial Arts Hall, was one of them too.

...

「Back in the Martial Arts Hall.」

With Mu Chen’s final death, the hazy madness in Su Yingxue’s eyes finally began to dissipate.

A trace of confusion flickered in her gaze, as if she didn’t understand why she had just acted so crazily.

Then, everything that had just happened flooded into her mind like a tidal wave.

She remembered how she was defeated by Gu Yuexi in a single sword strike, remembered the gazes of pity and ridicule from the crowd below the stage, and remembered her own madness in using a Forbidden Technique out of sheer resentment...

Finally, she remembered the cold, indifferent look in the eyes of Gu Yuexi and that mosquito as they left.

Su Yingxue’s body trembled violently. She slowly lowered her head, biting her lip hard.

A single, glistening teardrop slid down her cheek, fell onto the cold floor, and shattered.

Under the complicated gazes of the surrounding crowd, she struggled to her feet.

Without looking at anyone, she staggered away, leaving the Martial Arts Hall all alone.