Chapter 490: Fighting a Domain Lord

Facing Liu Xiaoyue's relentless questioning, Yan Jing only smiled.

"I had no choice, Domain Lord. Mr. Wan wanted to kill me."

The crowd fell silent.

No one doubted his words, but neither did anyone think they would make a difference.

"I asked why you had to kill him!"

Liu Xiaoyue's eyes burned, her tone aggressive.

"You could have broken his bones like you did to Zhou Kai and Nianshuang. You could have even crippled him like you did to Sheng Xia. Why did you have to kill him?!"

Behind her, expressions shifted across the crowd.

They only knew Wan Yicheng had died; this was the first they were hearing of the others' fates.

Even Wang Yu and Long Quezhou revealed hints of surprise.

Neither of them expected Yan Jing to be so ruthless to his own people.

More accurately, he was far worse.

Yan Jing sighed.

"It's not what you think."

"Actually, I originally meant to kill Miss Sheng, too."

Everyone stared at Yan Jing, eyes wide.

Liu Xiaoyue's face instantly darkened.

She knew it!

She knew this punk wouldn't yield an inch to her wishes!

Intense killing intent surged in her chest.

Yan Jing smiled.

"But Miss Sheng and I still share some history."

"So I held back."

"At the time, her ability burned down the dense forest for a radius of one li. That power from the Central Region could have killed an ordinary Seventh Rank five or six times over. It was just a stress response out of self-defense—"

"But the fact remains that you survived! And they ended up with one dead and one crippled!"

Liu Xiaoyue cut right through his nonsense.

Yan Jing laughed.

"Since you're so stubborn, we'll go with your version."

"Yes, I killed Mr. Wan and crippled Miss Sheng. So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Did I break any rules?"

"Where is the promised grand prize? Hurry up, I'm short on time."

Stubborn. Short on time.

In the crowd, the staff of the First Ring Domain inhaled sharply, sighing to themselves.

Yan Jing was simply too young and too arrogant. Even if he truly won first place, his current behavior was crossing the line.

Throughout history, the talented and arrogant rarely met a good end.

Not to mention he was facing Liu Xiaoyue.

Sure enough, Liu Xiaoyue seemed to radiate frost, plummeting the temperature of the air.

"Good... very good..."

"I originally thought that if you showed a good attitude and admitted your mistake, Xiao Yan, we could let this matter pass."

"I didn't expect you to be entirely unrepentant!"

"Even if you are a genius, our Moon Yin doesn't need someone like you—someone who lacks gratitude and fundamentally misunderstands honor and teamwork!"

"Alright, then I request to join Beast Lord," Yan Jing said, turning to Wang Yu.

"Really?!" Wang Yu's eyes lit up.

"Of course." Yan Jing smiled and nodded.

"It's a promise, then. No taking it back," Wang Yu hurriedly agreed, terrified he might change his mind.

Her eager acceptance was cut off by Liu Xiaoyue's furious roar.

"Yan Jing!"

"What's wrong, Domain Lord of Moon Yin?" Yan Jing looked at her in mock astonishment.

He then turned back to Wang Yu.

"Domain Lord, I'm feeling a little concerned for my personal safety right now."

"Rabbit, now this is where you cross the line." Wang Yu put on a stern face.

"Our Xiao Yan just got out of the Dungeon and needs rest."

"Besides, according to the Gamble, both of you lost. Hurry up and hand the items over to me."

Liu Xiaoyue took a deep breath. Her right fist was clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white.

She knew now was not the time to drop all pretenses with Yan Jing.

After a few more deep breaths, she loosened her fist and spoke in a cold tone.

"Xiao Yan, if you apologize to Xiao Xia right now, we can consider this matter settled."

"I can let bygones be bygones."

"Then can I have the God's Candidate Ticket?"

Yan Jing looked at her.

Feeling everyone's gazes, Liu Xiaoyue's chest heaved violently beneath her white veil.

"...Fine."

"Apologies, Domain Lord. I request to withdraw from Beast Lord and join Moon Yin." Yan Jing looked at the somewhat stunned Wang Yu.

"Where is Miss Sheng Xia? Miss Sheng Xia!"

Yan Jing peered to the back of the crowd. In an inconspicuous corner sat a figure in a wheelchair, draped in a Black Robe.

At Yan Jing's call, the slender figure trembled.

The crowd automatically parted to form a path, and Yan Jing smiled at Sheng Xia.

"What happened in the Dungeon was my fault, Miss Sheng."

With that said, Yan Jing extended a hand toward Liu Xiaoyue. "The Candidate Voucher."

Liu Xiaoyue took a sharp, deep breath.

She knew she couldn't lash out now.

Moon Yin couldn't do without Yan Jing. At least, not before the Gamble concluded—especially with Wan Yicheng dead.

Even though Yan Jing was just putting on a show, he was at least giving her a way to step down gracefully and get things back on track.

Finally, she forced the corners of her mouth up into a smile.

"I will give it to you at the commendation ceremony, Xiao Yan."

"Of course, if you have any other requests, you can bring them up too."

"As for what happened earlier... you lacked proper guidance and education when you were young, Xiao Yan. I can understand that. As long as you gradually return to the right path, there is still time for everything."

Yan Jing shrugged.

Liu Xiaoyue reminded him of certain obnoxious homeroom teachers from his past life.

She clearly didn't like him. He knew she didn't like him, and she knew he knew she didn't like him. Yet she still spouted these high-sounding platitudes simply because outsiders were present.

A clash was inevitable. She was just holding back now; she would definitely find a way to make trouble for him later.

"Any request?" Yan Jing asked softly.

"As long as it is within my power to grant, I can consider it."

Liu Xiaoyue did her best to smile.

"Alright. I just have one request," Yan Jing said, smiling.

"If you can accomplish this, your word will be law from now on."

"Go on." Liu Xiaoyue felt a wave of relief.

To her, this was Yan Jing submitting.

"I want Mu Yi dead."

Yan Jing spoke softly.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

"What did you say?" Liu Xiaoyue frowned, thinking she had misheard.

"I said, I want Mu Yi dead," Yan Jing repeated.

"Do you have any idea what you're saying?" Liu Xiaoyue's voice turned cold once more.

Wang Yu and Long Quezhou stood nearby, bewildered.

"Who is Mu Yi?" Wang Yu asked Long Quezhou quietly.

"He should be the one from that incident a few years ago."

Long Quezhou frowned, searching his memories.

With his reminder, Wang Yu started to remember.

"You mean the incident with the candidate?"

"Right. Back then, Liu Xiaoyue thought this guy named Mu Yi had more potential than the patriarch of a certain family, so she let him wipe them out. Later, the daughter of that family brought people back for revenge, and the candidate was among them."

"I didn't expect you to remember so much."

"I looked into it afterward," Long Quezhou said coldly. "I wanted to see just how stupid someone had to be to let a candidate seed slip away."

Their voices were hushed, but to a crowd of people at or above the Sixth Tier, it was no different from shouting.

The white veil floating in the air trembled violently. Anyone could see the figure beneath it was on the verge of erupting. "Change your request."

Liu Xiaoyue said.

Her voice was cold to the extreme, like solid ice.

She hadn't lashed out yet, but this was her final offer to Yan Jing.

"Why?" Yan Jing shrugged.

"This is what I want."

"Patriarch Mu has contributed greatly to Moon Yin."

"So Patriarch Shen made no contributions to Moon Yin?"

Here it comes.

A chill ran through the crowd's hearts.

It really was about this incident.

Yan Jing shrugged.

"To be honest, I didn't know Patriarch Shen. Maybe he really didn't contribute anything, but it doesn't matter. I want Mu Yi dead. That is my request." The room was so quiet that only Liu Xiaoyue's breathing could be heard.

"...I originally thought you had realized your mistake, but I was wrong."

Liu Xiaoyue's voice carried no warmth at all.

"You are completely unworthy of first place."

"You lack perspective, you have no sense of responsibility, you've never kept Moon Yin in your heart, you lack manners, and you don't understand the rules."

"You are nothing more than an ignorant brat."

"You need continuous reformation and discipline."

As soon as she finished speaking, the white veil suspended in the air seemed to multiply. One became two, two became three, and three became an endless wave that swept toward Yan Jing to wrap him up. Now was the time.

Nearby, Wang Yu and Long Quezhou prepared to strike almost simultaneously.

They had been waiting for this exact moment—to save Yan Jing when Liu Xiaoyue attacked, thereby taking the opportunity to pull him firmly under their own control. But to their surprise, Liu Xiaoyue spoke coldly just then:

"If you try to stop me, I will immediately leak his information to the factions in the Central Region. Then no one will get him."

"Furthermore, the few people on your side will absolutely be taken away too."

"At worst, the fish die and the net breaks."

Hearing this, the two changed their expressions.

Liu Xiaoyue had always been in contact with the Central Region. This was something they both knew.

Although their relationship wasn't great, just as she said, if she handed over information on a few good seeds, the people over there would definitely be willing to make a trip.

Liu Xiaoyue continued, "I will give each of you an extra five Divine Items."

At these words, the two exchanged a glance and completely withdrew their hands.

Weighing the pros and cons took but an instant.

Yan Jing was good, but the price Liu Xiaoyue was willing to pay was simply too high.

Without their interference, the white veil surged forward in a flash, completely engulfing Yan Jing.

Seeing this, expressions in the surrounding crowd flickered.

Some felt a secret pity for him, believing Yan Jing would never have a day to shine under Liu Xiaoyue again.

Others applauded and cheered, having long despised Yan Jing's behavior and feeling that he was too arrogant.

Some held grudges against Yan Jing, while others felt some goodwill toward him since he had held back against them.

But regardless, everyone reached a consensus in this moment—

Yan Jing was doomed.

Unless he completely submitted afterward, given the overbearing might Liu Xiaoyue displayed, he would most likely be crippled by her.

And even if he completely submitted, Liu Xiaoyue would never allow Yan Jing to stand taller than her.

But right at this moment, the gently fluttering white veil suddenly trembled.

In the next instant, a faint wisp of black smoke poured out from beneath the veil, filling the entire room at an incredible speed.

The crowd froze in surprise.

Liu Xiaoyue laughed coldly.

"It seems you are not quite convinced."

"Then let's test the skills of our first-place winner."

The floating white veil rippled gently. Before anyone in the room could even realize what had happened, they found themselves transported to the open grounds outside.

The crowd looked up to see Liu Xiaoyue's figure suspended in midair. The white veil around her surged wildly, forming a giant sphere. Radiant light cascaded down, as though the bright moon had descended to the world.

Opposite this bright moon was another sphere, tightly wrapped in layers of white veil. However, this sphere was emitting faint black smoke, while more white veil surged from the bright moon, aggressively pouncing toward the black smoke.

The eerie black smoke formed a stark contrast with the pure white veil.

It was obvious the black smoke was Yan Jing fighting back.

"I really do like this kid."

Wang Yu hovered in the air, watching their battle.

"There aren't many with the courage to strike against an Eighth Tier."

"It's just a pity..."

Beside her, Long Quezhou didn't speak, but his thoughts were much the same.

In their eyes, it was impossible for Yan Jing to defeat Liu Xiaoyue.

Among the domain lords of the Twelve Domains, Liu Xiaoyue probably ranked eighth or ninth.

And even against the twelfth-ranked domain lord, Yan Jing had no chance of winning.

For no other reason than reaching the Summit was reaching the Summit.

The gap between those who had reached the Summit and those who had not was like an uncrossable chasm.

Just as they expected, tens of seconds passed, yet the black smoke still couldn't break through the white veil's encirclement. Compared to the veil, it was clearly several notches weaker. But right at that moment, a sudden change occurred.

From the gaps in the white veil, black tentacles covered in feathers slowly grew out, forcefully pushing apart the layers of the surrounding veil.

These tentacles radiated the purest evil. Waves of chaotic and violent energy transformed into auras that soared upward, reaching straight for the Firmament. The black smoke, which had been clearly weaker before, suddenly became dense and volatile the moment the tentacles appeared, instantly swallowing the surrounding white veil. This sudden scene left the crowd dumbfounded.

"Hmph."

Liu Xiaoyue's gaze darkened. Behind her, the phantom of her first Ritual suddenly lit up.

A purplish-black light glowed radiantly.

It was a piece of sheer veil.

Soft as nothingness, light as a feather string.

The originally surging white veil began to turn transparent bit by bit after the Ritual appeared. Only then did the crowd see the true face of the white veil.

It wasn't silk or satin, but woven strands of moonlight snatched from the sky. It could be a white veil, or it could be any object. In the next instant, the moonlight transformed into countless white jade-like blades that tore through the sky, pointing straight at Yan Jing in the center.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!"

A series of crisp clashing sounds rang out.

Pitch-black spears thrust out from the void, crashing against the white jade blades. The residual shockwaves rippled outward, forming a layer of gray waves that seemed to sever heaven and earth.

Below the waves, everything was normal. Above the waves, the world turned completely grayish-white.

Yan Jing's figure slowly stepped out from the center of the shockwaves.

Right now, he looked like a vicious ghost from hell. Beneath the billowing thick smoke, tentacles representing evil and Fear grew wildly from the cracks in his skin. Hideous eyes opened amidst the feathers of the tentacles, looking down upon this world.

His arms had completely turned pitch-black, bone spikes sprouting at the joints. A massive bone wing grew from his left shoulder blade. Compared to before, his current Fear Bird Stance was clearly at a higher degree of mutation, no longer consisting of just tentacles.

"Quite the improvement,"

Yan Jing said with a smile.

Inside his body, the Fear Bird curled her lips. "Good that you know. I actually work after I eat; I won't let you feed me for nothing."

The pitch-black spears and the white jade blades were still colliding fiercely. Yan Jing snapped his fingers. Behind him, the purplish-black phantom of the Sapling emerged, reflecting against the purplish-black veil phantom behind Liu Xiaoyue like the sun and moon vying for glory.

The endless spears instantly multiplied by dozens of times. They materialized in midair and slammed down violently.

Under this smashing dry weeds and rotting wood offensive, the white jade blades were instantly defeated, swallowed up by the spears.

"You're quite good."

Yan Jing looked at the shocked Liu Xiaoyue opposite him and gave a slight smile.

"To be honest, I don't care about Wan Yicheng or Mu Yi. The only one I've ever cared about is you."

"Domain Lord."

As his words fell, Yan Jing took a light step forward.

The sound of a camera shutter clicked.

Squelch.

The black spear pierced into the white moon.

A streak of red blood slowly trickled down the spear's shaft.

No one realized what had happened.

A fraction of a second earlier, the two of them had still been a hundred meters apart.

But in the very next instant, Yan Jing's spear had already pierced Liu Xiaoyue's body.

It was as if a frame had been extracted from everyone's memory.

The entire world seemed to quiet down at this moment.

Liu Xiaoyue was bleeding.

Everyone's eyes widened.

In the next second, a terrifying roar echoed out. The endless white veil surrounding Liu Xiaoyue burst apart, and horrifying energy instantly swallowed Yan Jing's figure.

A massive web of cracks appeared in midair, and a small black hole even formed in the center of the cracks.

A woman appeared in the crowd's line of sight amidst the dazzling white light.

A white cheongsam perfectly wrapped around her curvaceous figure. Light blue eyeshadow trailed from the corners of her slightly upturned phoenix eyes. A fair, full forehead paired with a sharp, high ponytail gave her an aura that forbade strangers from approaching.

"You really have a death wish."

Revealing her true appearance, the phantom of a Ritual lit up once again behind Liu Xiaoyue.

It was a lamp shaped like a moon.

Under the jade-colored radiance, pale gray shadows displayed the uneven terrain on the moon's surface.

"Moon Blast."

Liu Xiaoyue extended her slender right hand and gave a light squeeze.

A terrifying rumble echoed out once more from within the chaotic energy currents. A violent explosion instantly detonated at Yan Jing's location. Light and smoke expanded, as if tens of thousands of missiles had launched simultaneously, blasting the small black hole open by an entire ring.

At this moment, all things fell silent, and the sky remained cloudless for thousands of miles.

Is it over...?

Feeling this horrifying power, the crowd unconsciously swallowed hard.

This was the Eighth Tier.

This was a summiteer.

Legend had it that in a distant era, those who reached the Summit could be called immortals, capable of moving mountains, parting seas, and achieving anything.

However, in the next moment, a figure charged out of the gray clouds.

The figure was so fast it was nearly impossible for the naked eye to track, rushing directly in front of Liu Xiaoyue.

Slap!

A crisp sound rang out across heaven and earth.

The crowd stared in disbelief at Yan Jing, who was completely unscathed save for his skin becoming a little darker.

A slap to the face?!

Caught entirely off guard, Liu Xiaoyue bled from the corner of her mouth, half her face swollen red like a steamed bun.

She turned her head, staring at Yan Jing with a look of absolute disbelief.

"That felt good."

Yan Jing smiled. "To be honest, I've been wanting to do that for a long time."

"Yan Jing!"

Liu Xiaoyue was practically going insane. White light shot out from all around her, and a suit of armor radiating a divine luster materialized around her body. She reached out her hands once more, clenching and unclenching them like a madwoman.

A barrage of explosions rang out. Yan Jing's figure constantly flickered, and the explosions chased right after him.

The entire sky seemed to transform into the scene of a fireworks accident, choked with foul smoke and plunged into pitch-blackness.

Just from this residual might alone, many people standing on the ground felt their heads buzzing and vomited blood. They had no choice but to scramble into the buildings for cover. In the next instant, Liu Xiaoyue chased him out through the smoke and dust. Behind her, the phantom of a third Ritual appeared.

It took the shape of a rabbit, black in quality.

Buffed by the Ritual, she was a notch faster than Yan Jing. The white moonlight morphed into blades in her hands, clashing with the spears in Yan Jing's grasp.

The two figures constantly intertwined, the sound of clashing metal and booming explosions echoing across heaven and earth.

Watching this scene, astonishment rose in the eyes of Wang Yu and Long Quezhou.

Moonlight, moon lamp, moon armor, jade rabbit...

Liu Xiaoyue had already utilized a full four types of Rituals. Yet right now, Yan Jing seemed to have used at most three Rituals—tentacles, Thorns, and that faint camera shutter sound—and he was fighting Liu Xiaoyue on even footing.

This was fundamentally impossible.

"He hid the quality of his Rituals," Long Quezhou stated.

Wang Yu proposed another possibility:

"Or his physical body is simply strong enough."

After Bai Ya came out, he had mentioned Yan Jing's terrifying physical strength to her.

"Impossible. No matter how strong a physical body is, he hasn't reached the Summit—"

Halfway through his words, Long Quezhou suddenly paused, then exchanged a look with Wang Yu.

In that moment, both saw the astonishment in the other's eyes.

After lasting for two or three minutes, the sky-filling explosions finally ceased.

Two figures emerged through the pervasive gunsmoke.

Liu Xiaoyue's armor bore a few fist prints, but generally showed no signs of damage. The most severe wound was probably a scratch on her right cheek.

On the other hand, Yan Jing had visibly more scars all over his body.

Messy blade cuts were mostly distributed across his abdomen and both arms. Scorched black marks from the explosions were visible on his back and chest, with flesh split open and blood dripping from several spots.

"Come on, keep going!"

Liu Xiaoyue smiled.

"Isn't your physical body very strong? Come on!"

She raised her right hand, her armor clanking resonantly. She pointed the translucent blade in her hand at Yan Jing, its cold light gleaming. She looked like a female general from ancient times smugly declaring her opponent's execution.

"Yan Jing, you think you're very strong, a rare genius in this world, but in truth, you're nothing."

"You think that between you and that daughter of the Shen Family is some tragic love story, but you two are nothing as well. If I wanted to, she would die a hundred times over, and you could only cradle her corpse and cry bitterly without being able to do a single thing. A hundred years from now, two hundred years from now, you'll only look back and think of what a stupid pig you were today. If you could do it all over again, you absolutely would not have chosen to anger me."

However, to her surprise, Yan Jing started laughing.

"I want to tell you a story. I wonder if you have time to listen."

"Heh. Sure."

Liu Xiaoyue smiled and lowered her blade.

In her view, Yan Jing was merely trying to buy time.

And she didn't care, because she was confident she would win.

"My father and I used to chat while watching TV."

"The show playing was about a cat trying to catch a mouse."

"Although it's a bit odd, that was exactly what we were watching that day."

"I asked him why that idiot cat could never catch the mouse."

"He didn't answer. Instead, he smiled and asked me what I would do if I were the cat."

"I said if it were me, there were at least five chances across those two episodes where I could have dealt the mouse a fatal blow."

"I felt the cat couldn't catch the mouse not because he was stupid, but because he and the mouse were friends. It wasn't a real fight to the death. My father said I was right, but not entirely right."

"He changed it to another episode."

"In this episode, the lady of the house brought in a very strong stray cat, but he couldn't catch the mouse either."

"When he did catch the mouse, he still didn't deal a fatal blow, so in the end, the mouse escaped."

"This time, they weren't friends; they were enemies. But he still lost."

"I told my father I understood now. When facing an enemy, you shouldn't hold back at all, and you can't be arrogant."

"He said I was right, but still not entirely right."

"I asked him exactly what one should do then."

"He asked, 'If one day I suddenly stand against you, could you deliver a fatal blow?'"

"I smiled and said 'Not necessarily,' but in my heart, I finally understood what my father was trying to say."

"Saying things like 'don't hold back,' 'go all out,' and 'wipe out the opposition' are always just empty platitudes."

"Anyone can act ruthless."

"But in the end, what allows you to kill the opponent is rarely ruthlessness."

"It's hatred from the bottom of your heart."

"You have to accumulate hatred. You stockpile your disgust for your enemy until your heart tells you: 'Yes, I absolutely have to kill him. I want to make him disappear, even if I have to pay any price.'"

"Until hatred and fury fill your mind, until your body is capable of swinging the blade without any mercy."

"The more hatred you have, the fewer scruples you hold."

"What I'm doing now is exactly that."

Yan Jing gave a faint smile and then gently raised his hands.

Instantly, a dazzling light cascaded around his body. That light wasn't as glaring as sunlight, nor was it as desolate as moonlight. It was very gentle, yet brimming with a sense of power.

Opposite him, Liu Xiaoyue's pupils trembled as if she had seen something terrifying. In the next instant, her breathing became incredibly rapid.

"It's real..." Wang Yu murmured, her expression complex.

Long Quezhou clenched his fists.

This was simply a miracle.

It was an impossible thing.

But it had genuinely happened.

Under the gentle white light, all the wounds on Yan Jing's body healed completely.

His torso, which had turned pitch-black from the Fear Bird Stance, also seemed to soften slightly, shimmering with a faint metallic luster.

He just stood there, yet the space around him began to warp. A casual movement from him was enough to cause cracks in space to spread.

Playtime was over.

This was the absolute peak state of Yan Jing's physical body after advancing to the Seventh Rank.

And on top of that, it was stacked with the Fear Stance and the Fear Bird Form.

"Come."

Yan Jing spoke softly.

The hairs on the back of Liu Xiaoyue's neck instantly stood on end as her figure shot backward.

Countless roars echoed around her as the explosions from Moon Blast linked together into one continuous chain, intending to use this to block Yan Jing's attack.

But in the next instant, a ghostly figure darted out of the smoke.

As if teleporting, Yan Jing's figure flickered into existence right in front of Liu Xiaoyue.

Reflected in Liu Xiaoyue's quivering pupils, he suddenly threw a punch.

Bang!

Liu Xiaoyue's figure seemed to turn into a beam of light as she was sent hurtling backward beyond the horizon.