Only Jisoo, Hao, and the Ten Havins Experts remained on the execution grounds.
The crowds had fainted or escaped.
The weaker guards lay unconscious.
But the Ten Havins… they stayed.
Yet none of them dared to step forward.
Because they knew the truth:
The difference between Havin Realm and Transcendent Realm…
is like the difference between earth and sky.
Even ten of them combined couldn't interfere in a battle of that level.
Jisoo, covered in dust and blood, pushed himself upright from the broken wall.
His eyes burned with fury as he stared at the Allinsec Leader.
The leader tried to speak again, voice booming:
"Do you think just because you have Empire backing,
you can act however you want?!"
At those words, the Ten Havins experts suddenly understood who stood before them.
Only one kind of person fit that description.
They all had wondered:
Why didn't the Allinsec Leader kill him earlier?
Why hold back? Why hesitate?
Now they knew.
If he killed Jisoo carelessly,
he would be declaring war against the Empire itself.
…But the Allinsec Leader didn't know something important.
Jisoo had already been demoted.
He no longer had general protection.
Jisoo wiped the blood from his mouth and replied coldly:
"I don't care if I die today.
I know I'm weaker than you.
But remember this—
Even if it costs me my life…
I'm taking one of your hands."
He raised his blade high.
Qi wrapped around it like a spiraling storm as he launched himself toward the Allinsect Leader.
This time, the leader's expression darkened.
No more mercy.
No more holding back.
He grabbed his sword with both hands.
And when their blades collided—
BOOOOOOM!!
A shockwave exploded, ripping through the execution grounds.
Nearby buildings shattered into rubble.
Stone cracked.
Dust rose like smoke.
Seeing his own sect being destroyed, the Allinsec Leader anger flared.
"If you want to die… I'll grant your wish!"
His Transcendent Qi erupted.
In an instant—
The entire region darkened.
Clouds swirled violently overhead.
Birds fled the area.
Animals ran in terror.
The air itself bent, warped, screamed.
Even Hao—still holding Soho's bloody corpse—shivered violently.
His empty eyes filled with awe and fear.
"So this…
this is the strength needed…
to become justice…"
he whispered.
The scene looked like the sky itself was collapsing.
Like the end of the world had come.
Even the Ten Havins experts—
men at the absolute peak of the Havin Realm—
stared with eyes full of hunger.
Just one more step…
One step to enter that terrifying, divine realm…
Their hearts burned with desire.
But Jisoo—
He trembled too, feeling that overwhelming pressure crushing his bones.
He understood the gap.
He understood the hopelessness.
And yet…
He didn't back down.
Instead, Jisoo did the most dangerous thing a martial artist could ever do—
He reached into his Origin Qi.
His life force.
His foundation.
His very existence.
And he began to burn it.
A suicidal move.
A technique that ensured death…
But also created a power unstoppable, uncontrollable, and destructive enough to kill any one.
The Ten Havins gasped.
The leader's eyes widened.
Jisoo roared:
"IF I DIE—
I'M TAKING YOU DOWN WITH ME!!!"
Jisoo roared and charged forward, Origin Qi burning wildly around him like a blazing sun.
His killing intent surged high enough to crush the weak-hearted.
But…
He had underestimated the gap.
Before Jisoo's blade could even swing—
The Allinsec Leader appeared in front of him instantly.
A flash of movement.
A blur.
A shadow.
Then—
BAM!!
A violent palm strike slammed into Jisoo's chest.
But it wasn't just a hit.
The leader's Transcendent Qi poured straight into Jisoo's body like venomous lightning.
In an instant—
His meridians twisted.
His Origin Qi collapsed.
His suicidal technique was forcefully stopped.
Jisoo's eyes widened as he felt his entire foundation breaking from the inside.
"—What… what is happening…?!"
He tried to retreat—
But the Allinsec Leader grabbed his face with one hand.
A calm, cold voice:
"Do you understand now?"
Then he smashed Jisoo's head into the ground.
BOOM!!
Stone shattered.
Dust burst upward.
The ground cracked like a spiderweb.
Jisoo tried to struggle—
tried to break free—
But the leader didn't give him even a breath.
He punched Jisoo again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike shook the earth.
Each blow was heavy enough to kill any one.
Blood splattered.
Bones cracked.
Jisoo's consciousness faded.
Until—
His body finally went limp.
He was beaten unconscious in seconds.
The ten Havins experts watching all felt their hearts drop in terror.
They were the same realm as Jisoo—
some even slightly stronger.
But seeing Jisoo defeated so easily…
If the Allinsec Leader wanted…
he could crush them just as effortlessly.
Fear spread across their faces.
The leader stood up, dusting off his hand, and withdrew his Qi.
The sky brightened.
The clouds calmed.
It was as if nothing had happened.
He looked toward Hao—still kneeling on the ground, soaked in Soho's blood, hugging the lifeless body.
"Take both of them to the dungeon. For now."
The Ten Havins immediately responded:
"Yes!"
Rushing forward, they carried Hao and the unconscious Jisoo away.
News spreads across the Empire
By the next morning, the entire continent exploded with rumors:
"Former General Jisoo challenged the Allinsec Leader and lost!"
"He was captured alive!"
The Emperor, terrified of losing reputation, sent an urgent letter.
Inside it stated:
If the Allinsec Leader released Jisoo,
the Empire would provide compensation.
But the Allinsec Leader declined.
After harsh argument and negotiation, both sides agreed on one decision:
Jisoo and Hao would be sent to the Red Line.
The Allinsect Leader accepted immediately.
Because he knew: No one has ever returned alive from the Red Line. And so…Just two days later—Bound, wounded, and broken—Jisoo and Hao were dragged out of the dungeon. and sent to the Red Line…a place where death was guaranteed