The final whimpers and sobs were abruptly silenced by Zhu Hai's iron grip. A wide-eyed head was casually thrown aside, rolling into a blood puddle, splashing a few dark-red droplets.
Thus ended the two-hour-long massacre.
The air was saturated with the unbearable stench of blood, mixed with the smell of burning and dust, enough to induce nausea.
Once again, a deathly stillness fell upon the valley. Corpses were piled like mountains, blood pooled into lakes, staining the ancestral land of one of the once Three Great Sects.
Those who had secretly observed from afar quietly withdrew after this final, bloody battle, urgently hurrying to convey what had transpired to their respective factions.
From this day on, Chen Yi was no longer merely the Body Sect's youthful prodigy or an exceptional young genius in the world of soul masters. Having just ascended to the Soul Sage Realm, he had easily defeated and killed the seasoned Titled Douluo Yu Yuanzhen with just two moves, and then personally ordered the ruthless extermination of the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan—securing his place among the continent's top powerhouses.
"Hmph!" A mid-sized sect's Soul Douluo with a grudge against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect spat toward Thunder Dragon Valley and muttered a curse. "The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan was always arrogant, but in the end, they begged for mercy like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's support-types, yet died just as quickly! What a waste of martial prowess!"
His companion beside him shook his head, sighed, and gazed at the bloodstained valley with a complicated expression.
It was truly tragic, even shocking, that one of the continent's Three Great Sects, with a legacy of thousands of years, had been completely wiped from the map in a single night—and so shamefully.
Everyone realized then that the Body Sect's ruthlessness revealed teeth far sharper and vengeance far crueler than rumor.
Atop the peak, Bo Saixi stood quietly. Her blue eyes reflected the carnage below, while the shadowy figure drifting in the sky slowly withdrew its aura.
"Hmph, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan… they brought this upon themselves," she muttered, turning away, voice cold and expression distant. Her figure slowly dissolved into the water's reflection, blending into the mountain's clouds as if she had never been there.
She had not come to save the doomed Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan; her true purpose was to observe the Body Sect's real strength and search for clues about the Seagod's Heart. Her objective achieved, she departed without regret.
…
High in the sky, Chen Yi sensed Bo Saixi's aura fade and immediately turned his gaze away, his expression calm and undisturbed.
"Sea God Douluo… Now is not the time to act against you," Chen Yi muttered inwardly. "Besides, I'm sure there are others who can't wait to settle old scores with you."
Having considered that, he refocused and began his descent. He finally landed steadily in the relatively clean square at the entrance to Thunder Dragon Valley.
"That's right!" Xie Xiaoqing beamed, barely able to hide her excitement. "The harvest this time was incredible. I checked the ruined treasury and a few hidden storerooms. Many things were destroyed, but there are still quite a few excellent treasures left."
"We found three high-quality soul bones. Also, a great cache of gold soul coins and herbs."
Hearing this, Chen Zhen smiled and nodded. "Exactly. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had thousands of years of history and a deep foundation. Even though they'd declined somewhat in recent years, their accumulated wealth far surpassed most powers."
"With this haul, our sect's foundation will grow even firmer."
The others also looked delighted. Toppling one of the Three Great Sects had not only been a matter of revenge and establishing authority—the massive inheritance left behind was a benefit beyond measure.
Chen Yi showed little surprise, merely nodded, and looked toward Yang Wudi.
"I'll have to trouble you elders with the cleanup."
"Rest assured, young sect master!" Yang Wudi replied immediately, bowing with a clenched fist. "Such trivial matters are nothing for us!"
Though Yang Wudi's tone was as firm as ever, anyone listening closely could detect a new level of respect—and a hint of fear—toward Chen Yi that had never been there before.
Chen Yi smiled, then turned to Zhu Hai.
By now, Zhu Hai's body was streaked with blood, even his gray beard was matted and sticky, reeking of a strong, metallic scent. Yet his eyes shone, and all traces of gloom or hostility had vanished from within them.
"Eighth grandfather," Chen Yi's voice softened slightly, "are you all right?"
Zhu Hai grinned, baring his blood-stained teeth in a slightly wild smile, though his inner joy was unmistakably genuine.
"I feel great! I haven't felt this good in decades! Hahaha! I finally let out all the anger that's been bottled up in my heart for so long!"
He had shown the fiercest fighting spirit that day, personally smashing the heads of over a dozen Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon powerhouses, including a Soul Douluo and three Soul Sages. Decades of deep-seated hatred were finally released.
Chen Yi nodded, understanding Zhu Hai's feelings, his gaze casually sweeping across the blood-soaked earth.
"They dug pretty deep…"
Without further word, he nodded to everyone and, in a flash of purple-gold light, shot straight out of Thunder Dragon Valley.
Chen Yi's sudden remark left Zhu Hai, Chen Zhen, and Xie Xiaoqing momentarily stunned. But just a few heartbeats later, Zhu Hai's eyes flashed as he realized the truth.
A fierce smile returned, and his sharp gaze swept the bloody ground.
"Did they not know what the Body Sect's scariest technique is!?"
"Are they just pretending to be dead? Or hiding underground?" Chen Zhen cracked his neck with a pop, faint golden light emanating from his body. "Trying to show off in front of true experts—that's just pointless!"
"Search!" Xie Xiaoqing commanded crisply with a wave of her hand. "Don't let a single corner go unchecked! See how many rats are still hiding underneath!"
…
Meanwhile, far away in Spirit City, deep within the Pope's Palace—
Bibi Dong collapsed onto the cold, polished floor like a beautiful puppet stripped of life force. Her luxurious papal robe lay in disarray, her long hair disheveled and covering most of her face.
The mental image of Yu Xiaogang being desperately torn apart by his clan's own people, ultimately reduced to ash, replayed in her mind over and over.
She stared blankly upward at the ornate chandelier overhead. Scenes of Yu Xiaogang's shameful behaviors before his death—his plaintive wails for help, the sight of him being torn apart, trampled, and reduced to dust by his clan—flashed through her mind as the cruelest curse.
The man she had loved, hated, resented, and secretly protected had died before her eyes in the most undignified, most humiliating, most ignoble way possible.
Her last obsession—her warped emotional attachment—collapsed entirely.
Hovering above her, the Rakshasa Demon Scythe suddenly flashed with a deep, ominous purple-black light along the blade without any warning. That light seemed illusory and ephemeral, but in its wake, the temperature in the sealed room dropped several degrees in an instant.