Chapter 588: Wrath Emperor (Two-in-One)

“What is this nonsense?! How dare you spout such drivel here!”

Exposed by Yan Jing, Qi Hu’s heart skipped a beat. He struck out again, intent on killing Yan Jing on the spot.

The flash of the phone-like camera atop his head went off in rapid succession. The edge of his longsword gleamed as plumes of dark, spectral flame ignited along the blade. These blossoming fires surged with enough momentum to boil the seas, yet they carried absolutely no heat—they even radiated a biting chill.

Watching those flames, Yan Jing knew this had to be Qi Hu’s fear.

What kind of fear was it?

He sent out a single thread, deliberately wrapping it around the dark flames.

“You’re courting death.”

Qi Hu scoffed. Several blossoms of dark flame descended. The moment they touched the thread, it began to wither and decay before their eyes. Yan Jing reacted instantly, severing his connection to it.

Withering? Yan Jing frowned, immediately dismissing the thought.

He had touched death before, and it didn’t feel like this at all.

With that in mind, he actually sent out another thread.

To him, figuring out the exact nature of his opponent’s fear meant far more than simply winning the fight.

“Hmph.”

Seeing Yan Jing dare to make such a provocative move, Qi Hu’s face darkened completely. He swung his longsword down, manifesting a massive blade of fire in the air that cleaved straight toward Yan Jing.

Countless grey threads wove together into a massive net, rising to meet the fiery greatsword.

Sizzle.

In a single clash, the usually invincible Thread of the Lord of Execution was torn open, leaving a massive, gaping hole.

Swept up by the dark flames, the threads crumbled into a shower of ash.

But this time, Yan Jing saw it clearly.

The hole hadn’t been cut open. When the giant flaming blade struck the net, a single black speck had appeared and rapidly expanded.

That black speck carried a sickeningly enervating power. It spread through the entire net, turning the incredibly resilient threads so fragile that they crumbled to dust at the slightest touch.

“I see,” Yan Jing said. “Is it some sort of disease?”

Yan Jing smiled faintly, a crimson light glinting in his eyes.

Across from him, Qi Hu didn’t panic when Yan Jing guessed the nature of his fear. Instead, he started to laugh.

“Clever, Ah Ji.”

“But you should know—understanding is where true fear begins.”

Countless dark flames ignited around Qi Hu, expanding until they blanketed the entire sky above the Fear Family courtyard.

Beneath the dreary gray sky, those pitch-black flames bloomed like the flowers of death. They blotted out the heavens, flickering like a vast sea of stars, threatening to rain down at any moment. A single touch would spell the end of one’s life.

Faced with such a sight, what kind of composure would it take to not feel afraid?

Qi Hu believed it was impossible for anyone.

Especially now that Yan Jing knew exactly what these flames could do.

This was the fear he had grasped while standing on the brink of death.

Plagued by sickness since childhood, he knew all too well what illness meant. It meant suffering mockery in the shadows. It meant being powerless to protect the ones he loved. It meant the bitter refusal to fall behind, and the agonizing resentment toward an unjust fate.

Anyone who survived a severe illness would obsessively guard their health afterward, driven entirely by the terror of getting sick again. That was exactly why he never opened with his fear abilities.

The fear of disease required buildup. It required awareness.

And now, he felt it was time.

There was no way for Yan Jing to turn this around.

The moment Yan Jing felt fear—even the slightest sliver of it—

—it would be more than enough to destroy him.

But...

Yan Jing suddenly smiled.

Seeing that cryptic smile, Qi Hu’s chest tightened.

A sense of foreboding washed over him. The countless dark flames in the sky flickered and wavered in unison.

“Understanding is indeed the beginning of fear, my dear Fourth Brother,” Yan Jing said with a smile.

“But understanding is also the end of fear.”

That was the nature of fear.

When you didn’t understand it, you couldn’t feel it. But once you learned about it, it was that very same understanding that gave you the courage to face it.

“Ridiculous.”

Qi Hu’s face was livid. He gnashed his teeth.

“You couldn’t possibly understand every disease!”

“Of course not,” Yan Jing replied, his smile unwavering.

“I don’t understand the diseases, but I understand you, my dear Fourth Brother.”

“You could never defeat me. That is what I’ve seen.”

“You’re pathetically weak.”

With that, Yan Jing threw a sudden punch.

The sheer force of the blow tore open a curving Space Rift. At the far end of the scattered fragments was Qi Hu’s head.

Crack!

Spiderweb fractures spread across the camera lens on Qi Hu’s head, culminating in a sharp crunch as the glass shattered completely.

Shards of glass rained down. Qi Hu clawed at his face in absolute agony, letting out a bloodcurdling scream. That lens wasn’t his actual eye, but it was countless times more important to him.

A Compass materialized behind Yan Jing. Its needle spun wildly before locking onto its target.

[Universal: Fear]

His own fear abilities were elevated by one tier, while his opponent’s were suppressed by one tier. He gained absolute control over the sensation of fear, shielding himself from it entirely. Yan Jing blinked.

An icy grey haze rapidly spread across the space in front of him. Everyone caught in his line of sight immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Including the three brothers brawling in the distance.

“What is this?!” Shi Sanchuan whipped his head around, staring at Yan Jing in disbelief.

“No way...” Jiuhai’s jaw dropped.

“...” Shi Yicheng’s expression darkened. He finally realized why his emotions had been so erratic lately.

But it all happened so fast. Before any of the three could react, they watched each other’s figures loom larger and larger as their own bodies rapidly shrank.

Then, everything froze.

Every single person was frozen in place.

Naturally, that included Qi Hu up in the air.

Yan Jing reached out toward Qi Hu. From Qi Hu’s perspective, Yan Jing’s palm looked like a towering mountain sweeping through the sky, crushing down toward him.

And he couldn’t move a single muscle.

Just as Qi Hu broke into a cold sweat and squeezed his eyes shut in terror, Yan Jing’s hand bypassed him entirely.

What was going on?

His sluggish, frozen mind couldn’t process what was happening.

Meanwhile, a figure hiding in the shadows glared with furious eyes as Yan Jing’s massive palm reached for him. He tried to dodge, but his earlier carelessness meant he had been caught in the attack as well. He had assumed Yan Jing possessed the power of the Ninth Tier at most, which shouldn’t have affected him.

He never expected...

Bang!

The sheer force of Yan Jing’s slap sent the figure flying out from behind a tree, blood spraying from his mouth.

The man was dressed in a black robe. His face was unnaturally striking and sinister, with pitch-black veins webbing out from beneath his eyes.

It was none other than the fourth overseer of the Gods’ Association.

Sin City’s only Divine Envoy.

Back then, he had run his mouth in front of everyone, swearing that Old Sin City would never achieve independence, only to be thoroughly humiliated.

No one could have guessed that the Divine Envoy backing Qi Hu was him.

Crack.

The frozen world finally snapped back into motion. The crowd stared at the scene in utter shock.

Then, every single gaze turned toward Qi Hu.

Shi Yicheng’s expression was murderously dark.

He had been wondering why his emotions had felt so unstable since the night before.

He hadn’t expected to be played by his own brother, who had hidden his true colors so well.

“Ah Hu, are you trying to rebel?!”

Shi Sanchuan shot to his feet, furiously berating him:

“Father is still here in the Family!”

“Heh, rebel? Rebel?” Qi Hu jerked his head up, his face twisted in a feral snarl.

“I don’t think I’m the one who rebelled first!”

He pointed straight at Shi Yicheng, his eyes burning with rage as he laughed:

“You’ve got some real nerve, Second Brother! To actually make a move against Father... you even beat me to it!”