Chapter 545: Wedding, Finale (Two-in-One)

Hearing Yan Jing's words, the group of Ninth Tier experts flew toward the stands in unison and sat back down almost mechanically. It wasn't that they were scared.

They just wanted a place to gather their thoughts.

Shalike was dead.

Yes, Shalike was dead.

That was Shalike!

Dead!

"If I remember correctly, Shalike's life-saving abilities were second only to yours."

In the stands, Song Huien sat rigidly upright, looking like a primary school student in an open class. Only her lips moved as she quietly asked Zhou Mian beside her.

Actually, it wasn't just her lips.

If one listened closely, they could hear her voice trembling as well.

Unfortunately, Zhou Mian was in no mood to listen closely.

His posture was equally perfect, his back even straighter than Song Huien's.

He didn't know how to answer her. Had she not spoken up earlier to dispel that speed-reducing melody, he felt his own fate would have been no better than Shalike's.

But this was indeed very strange.

Shalike's life-saving abilities being inferior to his own was only true in a broad sense. When it came strictly to surviving physical attacks, Shalike's capabilities were even greater than his.

He even somewhat doubted whether that had truly been Shalike. Maybe it was just an actor Yan Jing had found.

Come to think of it, he recalled that Shalike didn't like ambushing people, and seemed a bit plumper than the figure lying on the ground. Also, why smash the face in? Perhaps it was a deliberate move to destroy the features so they couldn't identify the body...

He had no choice but to think this way.

Because if that wasn't the case, it meant Yan Jing's strength completely eclipsed Shalike's.

And Shalike's strength was roughly the same as their own.

Recalling how Yan Jing had imperceptibly snatched the bouquet at the end...

Zhou Mian suddenly felt a little cold.

"Good. Everyone has returned to their seats."

Yan Jing smiled faintly.

Bai Yue hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to speak up.

"Zhan Cangtian left."

"That's fine. Mr. Zhan wasn't very satisfied with our wedding. If I run into him again, I'll ask him why."

Bai Yue relaxed upon hearing this.

The relationship between Sky Domain and Elite City had always been poor.

Yan Jing leaped out of the pit and looked at Weng Lingxiao, whose cue cards were scattered all over the ground. He smiled.

"Deputy Warden Weng, let's continue. We should be at the final step, right?"

"A... Ah... yes."

Weng Lingxiao hurriedly gathered his cue cards from the ground.

"Next is the final procedure."

"Accompanying the bride back to her home!"

"We invite the elder who has traveled from far away from the Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom to say a few words."

Only after he finished reading did he realize that Xue Wan's uncle didn't seem to be awake yet. He quickly turned his head, ready to arrange for someone to carry the man out.

But then he saw that the man in the red suit was already sitting next to Mu Tian. He just looked vacant, trembling constantly, as if he had experienced something terrible.

"I had someone properly attend to the bride's uncle," Yan Jing whispered, leaning close to Weng Lingxiao.

"Have the Young Master take the videotape with him later."

Weng Lingxiao couldn't help but take a deep breath.

This man's bloodline purity was already low, and now it had been polluted. Even if Ning Wei didn't expose the tape, he would never be allowed to participate in any reproductive activities in the Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom for the rest of his life.

One could only imagine that the man probably wanted to die right now.

Gathering his thoughts, he looked at the cue card and announced the next item.

"Alright, since our in-laws have nothing to say, we'll move on to the next item. I invite Warden Mu to speak."

As his voice faded, Ning Wei raised his head and looked at Mu Tian in his seat, a faint look of anticipation in his eyes.

But...

Mu Tian didn't say anything.

Of course he wouldn't say anything, because this Mu Tian had been drawn by Yan Jing.

Yan Jing had nothing he wanted to say to Ning Wei.

Even if he did, it wouldn't be in Mu Tian's identity.

With Mu Tian remaining silent, Weng Lingxiao stared at his cue cards, not daring to announce the next step.

For a moment, the scene was incredibly awkward.

Up in the stands, the crowd felt a complex mix of emotions as they watched the expected father-son farewell fail to materialize.

No matter how well this wedding was dressed up, its true nature was plain to see.

This was a political marriage.

A forced oppression carried out by a ruling father to maintain his own reign.

Ning Wei smiled.

"Alright, it seems my father doesn't have anything he wants to say."

"That's fine."

"Deputy Warden Weng, announce the next item."

"Oh, oh, right."

With Ning Wei speaking up, Weng Lingxiao felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He looked at his cue cards.

"The next item, the next item is..."

His gaze froze. There were no more items.

"We ask the Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom to take Ning Wei away. This marriage alliance has officially concluded."

Hearing this, Xue Wan bit her index finger, drawing blood.

She didn't want to stay here a single second longer.

The sight of Yan Jing effortlessly killing a Ninth Tier expert moments ago hadn't just terrified the criminals; it had terrified her as well.

Even if the Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom was stronger than the Great Prison, anyone who reached the Ninth Tier had to be a rare genius you could count on your fingers. Yet, he was killed by Yan Jing just like that.

As easily as slaughtering a chicken.

Her tier wasn't high enough, but to her eyes, there was only one possibility: the human before her was a Divine Envoy.

The Great Prison had a Divine Envoy now.

She had to bring this news back.

Soon, as a drop of blood fell from her fingertip to the ground, a blood-red door slowly opened before the crowd.

In the center of the door was a bloody veil, faintly reflecting the scene on the other side. It looked like some sort of grand palace. As soon as the door opened, the strongest reaction came from the man in the red suit.

He leaped straight out of his chair and sprinted madly through the door.

"Young Master."

Just as Ning Wei took Xue Wan's hand, ready to step through the door, Yan Jing suddenly called out to him.

"Commissioner Yan."

Ning Wei stopped in his tracks and looked at Yan Jing.

Toward Yan Jing, he naturally felt more gratitude than anything else in his heart.

"I've heard that the vast majority of sons spend their entire lives chasing their father's approval."

Yan Jing smiled gently.

"I believe that although Warden Mu didn't say it, he definitely approves of you in his heart."

Ning Wei looked at Yan Jing, unsure why he was suddenly telling him this.

But finally, he nodded.

"Thank you."

However, just as he held Xue Wan's hand to walk in...

A sudden change occurred.

A blurry figure abruptly appeared behind the blood door, its massive body almost covering the entire gateway.

The figure spoke coldly:

"Mu Tian, are you out of your mind? Do you still think you're that peerlessly arrogant genius from before?"

"You dare lay a hand on the people of our Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom."

The moment the man spoke, layers of blood-red mist surged out of the door and spread into the air. A terrifying aura bloomed within every drop of blood, suppressing the crowd in the stands until they could barely breathe.

Zhou Mian reached out and cautiously touched a drop of blood with his fingertip.

The next second—bang!

His fingertip completely exploded.

His expression shifted dramatically. He hastily retracted his hand, manifesting streams of water to swirl around him and block out the blood drops.

Looking at the blood droplets, his face was dark.

That tiny drop of blood, no larger than a speck of dust, was as heavy as a small mountain. Catching him off guard, it had shattered his defense instantly. The person on the other side was definitely no ordinary Ninth Tier.

It was even highly possible...

That they were already a Half-Step Divine Envoy.

Within the bloody veil, another familiar figure could vaguely be seen standing behind the massive silhouette.

It was clearly the woman's uncle.

Yan Jing curled his lips into a smirk.

He really hadn't expected that guy to report back even at the risk of exposing his polluted bloodline.

Seeing that Mu Tian remained silent, the figure's gaze landed on Ning Wei, who was holding Xue Wan's hand.

"This is your son?"

"Hah, as much of a piece of trash as you are."

As he spoke, a beam of bloody light bloomed from the door, slashing toward the hand Ning Wei was using to hold Xue Wan.

Ning Wei's eyes darkened. Dark green weird energy surged around his body, and translucent souls manifested beside him, charging toward the blood light. But in almost an instant, those souls were completely severed. Ning Wei gave a muffled grunt as his hand took the hit solidly.

His severed hand fell to the ground, blood spurting everywhere.

No one had expected this marriage of the century to end with such a bloody scene.

"I... apologize... Uncle... I am sincere toward Wan'er..."

Ning Wei endured the excruciating pain and pleaded with the figure opposite him:

"What happened to Wan'er's uncle earlier was all done at my instruction. Please forgive me and give me another chance."

But the figure acted as if he hadn't heard him. His voice remained icy cold:

"As for the marriage alliance with the Great Prison, we are calling it off."

"Moreover, the entire Great Prison will have to bear the wrath of the Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom."

"Mu Tian, watch closely. Because of your mistakes, the entire Great Prison will have to be buried with you."

As the figure finished speaking, it felt as if a dark cloud had descended over everyone's heads. Despair welled up in every heart. The pressure emanating from the other side was simply too oppressive. If the Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom really attacked...

Yan Jing's eyes were calm. He was just about to say something.

But suddenly, he seemed to sense something and turned back to look at Mu Tian in his seat.

The next second, "Mu Tian" stood up.

That towering body closed in on the blood door almost instantly.

Raising his hand, a long, dark green river surged out from his sleeve, crashing directly into the blood door.

The other side clearly hadn't expected Mu Tian to attack so suddenly. Unable to defend himself in time, the dark green river slammed right into him. The materialized soul power clung to his bones like maggots, burning brightly all around him.

He let out an immediate groan, clutching his stomach and bending over, in so much pain he could hardly speak.

No one expected the situation to reverse entirely in just a fleeting second.

Mu Tian had made his move!

"Xue Ping, has it been too long since I last beat you that you've started to forget?"

Mu Tian spoke coldly, his tone like an adult scolding a child.

"Mu Tian... you're courting death!"

The figure pushed through his agony, roaring at Mu Tian.

"How much longer can you hold on?! After you die, I will definitely flatten and eradicate the entire Great Prison!!!"

"How much longer can I hold on?"

Mu Tian sneered.

"Why don't you take another look now?"

As his words fell, ripples spread out in all directions from Mu Tian's body. Each ripple was incredibly thick, resembling massive, circular rivers. Within those rivers, countless illusory figures could be seen drifting and sinking. Inside every single ripple lay the complete lifetime of a soul.

Birth, wailing, infancy, nursing, childhood, playing...

Those scenes were like blooming flowers—always starting out similarly, but ending up drastically different.

Finally, they each died in their own way.

Life belonged to the masses; death belonged solely to oneself.

Amidst such brilliance, everyone present felt as if they were witnessing their own pasts and futures within those ripples.

Seeing this, the figure behind the door changed expression drastically.

"You set a trap for me!!!"

He understood now. Mu Tian had been pretending on purpose, just to lure him out.

The two of them shared an irreconcilable enmity from the past.

Without further thought, he fled desperately into the distance. But Mu Tian laughed aloud. Several ripples passed through the blood door and slammed brutally into the figure.

"Pfft."

Golden blood splattered, raining down like a heavy storm.

Beneath this torrential rain, the man in the red suit simply melted, reduced to a pool of blood.

The figure had been struck by a direct hit, yet still didn't dare to slow down, dragging his wounded body to continue sprinting into the distance.

Mu Tian reached his hand through the blood door, instantly transforming it into an illusory great mountain that pressed down toward the figure.

Just as the mountain was about to crush him, a voice suddenly rang out from the other side of the door.

"On my account, let it go."

Hearing this voice, Mu Tian's expression froze, and his outstretched hand paused.

Standing beside Ning Wei, Xue Wan broke out in a heavy sweat upon hearing the voice. With a loud thud, she dropped to her knees, facing the door.

Clearly, the person on the other side held an extremely high status.

The voice leisurely spoke again:

"I haven't managed things these past few years, and Pure Blood City has indeed grown rather chaotic."

"Xue Ping, your punishment is to sever both your arms and enter secluded meditation for a hundred years."

The blurry figure staggered twice, obviously unwilling.

But following a cold harrumph from the voice, both of the blurry figure's arms instantly exploded. He grunted and collapsed to the ground.

"You have indeed grown far too arrogant."

"I was wrong! I truly realize my mistake now, Ancestor."

The blurry figure knelt on the ground, begging for mercy relentlessly.

Hearing the blurry figure's words, the Ninth Tier experts of the Great Prison all adopted incredibly solemn expressions.

Rumor had it that Pure Blood City publicly paraded two Divine Envoys, but in reality, several of their ancestors had long since reached the status of Divine Envoys. They merely didn't show themselves to the outside world. To think they would actually witness one today.

"How about it? Mu Tian, are you satisfied with this punishment?"

Mu Tian didn't answer. He simply withdrew his hand, his voice freezing cold:

"You've all seen it. I, Mu Tian, am not dead."

"If anything happens to my son, I won't ever be finished with your Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom."

Hearing Mu Tian's words, a faint sigh echoed from the other side:

"I'm quite fond of little Wei. His actions just now show that he understands etiquette. We wouldn't even have enough time to treat him well, so how could we let anything happen to him? Rest assured."

"Then we'll leave it at that."

Mu Tian turned around and walked toward his seat.

He was indeed domineering.

Striking out alone, he had awed the domain on the other side. After demonstrating his thunderous methods, he smoothly turned his back, exposing it to the door, showing that he feared absolutely nothing.

This scene finally reminded everyone present of the title belonging to the man before them.

He wasn't some fallen genius, nor was he a foolish ruler leading this territory into decay.

He was the master of this domain.

He had no background, no connections.

A single man who had upheld the strongest domain beneath a First Level Domain.

He was the man known as the strongest beneath the Tenth Tier.

"Dad."

Ning Wei dropped to his knees, kowtowing loudly three times to Mu Tian.

Mu Tian paused his steps. With his back still turned, he spoke indifferently:

"Treat the loss of this hand as a lesson."

"When you can't hold onto something, you have to learn to let it go. Remember that."

"I'll remember."

Ning Wei picked up his severed hand from the ground and bowed deeply to Mu Tian.

"Dad, I'm leaving."

Mu Tian didn't speak.

Ning Wei then turned to Yan Jing and bowed deeply once again.

"Commissioner Yan, I'm going now."

"Mm. Goodbye, Your Highness the Young Master."

Yan Jing remained smiling.

Ning Wei walked through the door.

In his heart, he knew this parting was their final meeting.

In this world, he had just seen his father for the very last time.

Tears finally streamed down his face the moment he stepped through the door.

After crossing the threshold, he turned around, just in time to see Mu Tian's silhouette.

The tall figure stood in place, gazing at the surrounding stands.

"I am still alive. I am Mu Tian."

"Do you all still intend to rebel against me?"

"Congratulations to the Warden!" "Congratulations to the Warden!" "Congratulations to the Warden..."

One by one, the Ninth Tier experts stood up and bowed deeply to Mu Tian.

Mu Tian had made it clear to everyone: as long as he was in this prison for even a single day, he was still the king of this prison.

The wedding finally drew to a close.

Weng Lingxiao wanted to find Yan Jing to discuss what to do next. After all, now that Mu Tian had stepped into the Tenth Tier, many plans had to be scrapped and remade. But after searching around, he couldn't find Yan Jing anywhere.

"Pfft."

Inside Mu Tian's room.

Mu Tian's body trembled wildly as he violently coughed up a massive mouthful of blood.

Threads manifested from Yan Jing's palms, stitching together Mu Tian's constantly splitting wounds.

"Are you satisfied now?"

Mu Tian lowered the hood of his black robe. Beneath the hood, his previously black hair had turned entirely white. The few wrinkles that once lined his face were now densely packed, making him look as if he had aged decades in an instant.

That hadn't been a trap he set at all.

It was simply him forcefully attacking by burning his origin source.

"The several times you tried to make me show myself, it was merely to make my injuries worsen. You succeeded. You truly are shameless, Yan Jing."

Mu Tian laughed, his mouth full of blood.

"My chances of success have dropped by several degrees again."

"I've already had the news blocked," Yan Jing said as he treated the wounds, acting as if he hadn't heard a word Mu Tian said.

"From this moment on, no news of the Great Prison can leave its borders."

"You don't want that woman to die. I could tell." Similarly acting as if he hadn't heard Yan Jing, Mu Tian spat out bloody froth and burst into laughter. "You are not a straightforward guy, Yan Jing."

"Neither are you."

Yan Jing's face was calm.

"You actually planned to put on this show long ago, didn't you? Throwing Ning Wei into Pure Blood City was to send him off to seek refuge in the first place, so how could you not leave him a way out?"

"Heh heh, I wouldn't call it seeking refuge."

Mu Tian braced himself against the floor, sat up, and wiped the corner of his mouth.

"What if I actually succeed?"

"You won't succeed."

Yan Jing's expression was tranquil.

"Why?"

Mu Tian was momentarily stunned.

"You said it yourself. I don't want that woman to die." Yan Jing finally finished treating the external wounds and tossed an Advanced Healing Potion to Mu Tian. "With me here, you won't succeed."

Mu Tian laughed uproariously.

He had finally heard Yan Jing say these words.

Admitting his thoughts about that woman, admitting his own ambitions.

Yes, this was exactly how it should be!

He drank the Advanced Healing Potion, narrowing his eyes as if he were downing a jug of strong liquor. "That kid is very smart, isn't he?"

Yan Jing sat down beside him, a glass of milk in hand.

"He walks the same Pathway as you. Even if he didn't notice my drawing earlier, he surely noticed it after you occupied it. Regardless, he definitely didn't bury your talent."

That was why Ning Wei had thanked him in the end.

"He is my son, after all."

Mu Tian laughed, looking exceptionally joyous.

"You finally heard him call you 'Dad' with your own ears. You must be very happy, right?"

Yan Jing looked at the opposite wall, asking seemingly casually.

Mu Tian didn't answer right away. He just drank his potion sip by sip, staring at the portrait on the wall.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that he finally spoke. It sounded like an exclamation, yet also a sigh:

"It was indeed quite nice."

"Have you really blocked the news?"

He turned his head to look at Yan Jing.

"Mm."

Yan Jing nodded.

"That's great, then..."

As if finally breathing a sigh of relief, the imposing aura around Mu Tian abruptly withered away.

Outside the window, a terrifying noise rang out, like mountains collapsing and the earth splitting open.

The collapse of the Great Prison.

Following Mu Tian's strike today, it had arrived ahead of schedule.