Qian Renxue's voice cut through Ning Fengzhi's spiraling thoughts like a blade drawn across silk.
"What do you think should be the punishment for betrayal, Fengzhi?"
The question was spoken softly, almost gently, yet it made the blood in Ning Fengzhi's veins run cold.
Qian Renxue slowly stood up. The moment she moved, the entire room seemed to distort slightly, like a dream being stirred.
"You believed that with your intelligence, your resources, and perhaps… a little divine backing, you could always retain a way out."
A thin sheen of sweat formed on his forehead. Instinctively, he took a step back.
But before he could retreat any farther, his body suddenly stiffened, a slender hand had already come to rest upon his shoulder.
His pupils contracted violently.
Just a moment ago, Qian Renxue had been seated behind his desk.
Now she was standing beside him.
No—It was more accurate to say that she had appeared beside him, as if space itself had folded to place her there.
Ning Fengzhi slowly turned his head.The moment his eyes met hers, terror surged through him.
For a fleeting instant, the blurred beauty before him dissolved, and what he saw instead nearly shattered his composure.
Layer upon layer of eyes, seemed to open across the surface of her face and behind her silhouette, all of them staring coldly into him.
His breath hitched.
Then, as quickly as it came, the vision vanished, leaving only a blur standing at his side.
Qian Renxue's lips curved into a faint smile as she said
"Do not be afraid."
Her tone was almost soothing.
"Although your betrayal is worthy of death, I have no intention of killing you."
Those words should have brought relief. Instead, Ning Fengzhi felt his heart sink even deeper.
Sometimes survival was far crueler than death. Qian Renxue leaned closer, her breath brushing lightly against his ear.
Her voice lowered into a whisper.
"Relax, Fengzhi. You will live."
"And perhaps, as the Sea God promised, you may even receive the chance to inherit another divinity."
Ning Fengzhi's expression changed.
Before he could process her meaning, her whisper continued, colder than before.
"But first…"
"You will witness what becomes of those who choose the wrong side."
At that exact moment, a clear and resonant female voice thundered across the entire Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
"I am Order Douluo. I challenge Sword Douluo to a duel of the blade."
The declaration rolled across the clan grounds like thunder, Ning Fengzhi's eyes widened.
Outside, countless disciples froze in shock.
The next moment, another voice erupted in response, sharp with fury and murderous intent.
"Hmph!"
It was Chen Xin's, one whose name resounds across the Douluo Continent as Sword Douluo
Sword Douluo's voice carried a chilling edge that seemed capable of splitting the heavens.
"I have yet to settle the matter of my grandson's crippled arm, and yet you dare come to my doorstep to provoke me?"
A cold laugh echoed from outside.
"Enough talk. .....Draw your sword."
The atmosphere outside exploded.
Slash—! BOOM—! WHOOOSH—!
The effects of the first collision came and the entire clan seemed to tremble.
Dust cascaded from the beams above. Even within the office, Ning Fengzhi could feel the terrifying shockwaves of two Title Douluos clashing at full strength.
His face turned pale. Chen Xin was one of the pillars of his clan.
If even he had been forced into an immediate full-power exchange, then the opponent's strength was no joke.
Qian Renxue, however, merely smiled.
She turned her gaze toward the window, where flashes of sword light illuminated the sky.
"Watch carefully, Fengzhi."
Her voice was almost amused.
"This is the price of ambition."
Outside, two beams of light shot upward.
One was brilliant silver-white, sharp and majestic, carrying the unmatched sword intent of Chen Xin.
The other was golden, radiant, and searing like the descending sun.
The clash between them split the clouds apart.
For a moment, the sky above the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan seemed to divide into two halves.
Ning Fengzhi clenched his fists, but was unable to move or even mobilize his soul power.
He remained frozen where he stood. Despite being a Titled Douluo, the hand resting lightly on his shoulder felt heavier than a mountain, rooting him in place as if his very soul had been nailed to the ground.
He could do nothing but listen.
The clash outside echoed through the entire Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—waves of violent energy colliding, sword intent slicing through the air, and shockwaves rumbling like distant thunder.
Time seemed to stretch unbearably long before, suddenly, everything went silent.
The absence of sound was far more suffocating than the battle itself.
The fight… was already over.
A faint voice, calm and distant, lingered in the air beside him—
"Until we meet again…"
Before Ning Fengzhi could even react, the presence behind him vanished completely, as though it had never existed in the first place
As the oppressive weight disappeared, his legs gave out instantly.
Thud.
Ning Fengzhi collapsed onto his knees, his body trembling uncontrollably. His breathing turned ragged as cold sweat drenched his robes.
He clutched his head tightly, fingers digging into his scalp as an unbearable sensation flooded his mind.
It felt as though countless voices were screaming at him from within—resentful, accusing, furious.
For a moment, Ning Fengzhi even questioned whether they were real… or if his mind had already begun to fracture under the pressure.