Chapter 70: Annihilating Zhi Yin

Outside the Golden Gate.

Zhi Yin looked down at the Tianwu Academy disciples lying powerless on the ground, idly twirling a small knife in his hand and giving it an occasional lick.

Zhi Yin had stationed himself near the Purification Tree. Ever since he took care of his little junior sister, the others had silently died where they fell—the ground now littered with corpses.

A wave of restlessness swept over Zhi Yin. Everything suddenly felt tedious and dull, as if the fun had disappeared.

He figured more would come for the Purification Tree eventually, so he just waited nearby for a long, long time.

Time passed, though it’s hard to say how much.

Yet still, no one came. It was as if the tree didn’t exist at all. The wait was driving Zhi Yin crazy. With no one left to kill, his hands practically itched.

He didn’t care about the tree’s value, nor did the fruit’s usefulness matter to him. All he cared about was whether he could kill someone.

“Since none of you are coming to me, I’ll just come find you instead.” Zhi Yin stared into the endless darkness and let out a string of bizarre laughs. “Run and hide, little mice, the cat’s coming for you!”

A gust of wind picked up as Zhi Yin’s figure shot out in every direction.

………………

Before long, he’d toyed with and killed people from every other faction except Tianwu Academy. Zhi Yin stood over the bloodied, groaning survivors, his face smeared with blood, feeling a twisted satisfaction deep in his heart.

He hadn’t always been bloodthirsty. Ever since Gu Qingyi nearly killed him that day, he’d changed—becoming cold and cruel.

Now, he found joy in tormenting the living, savoring the agony and pleading in their eyes. The newness of it thrilled him.

Bit by bit, Zhi Yin grew addicted. Soon, he couldn’t live without that rush.

He stared at a passageway in the distance, limping over like he’d spotted an interesting new game.

Eventually, he’d searched every corner of the secret realm.

“Where is everyone? Where did the last survivors go?” Zhi Yin muttered to himself, frustrated at finding no one alive.

“How could this be? Why is it so empty?” He looked around the vacant expanse, feeling himself teetering on the edge of madness.

Just as he was about to leave the secret realm—lost and aimless—he wandered into a golden corridor without even realizing it.

Oblivious, he continued limping along.

Suddenly, something up ahead caught his eye.

“People! So many living, breathing people!” This time, Zhi Yin moved carefully. Instead of killing outright, he knocked them all unconscious.

………………

These people were none other than the disciples of Tianwu Academy.

They gradually stirred awake, spotting the blood-soaked, wild-eyed Zhi Yin standing before them. A chill crept over their hearts.

“Who are you? Why have you tied us up?” one of them demanded, scrambling backward with panic in his gaze.

Zhi Yin clutched his face with one hand and the knife with the other, letting out a derisive snort. “Ha! You really ask why I tied you all up? Obviously, so I can kill you one by one, nice and slow. Just thinking about your screams is enough to make me giddy. Hahaha!”

He strode up to a male disciple and sliced his throat with a flick of the knife. Blood sprayed everywhere. With their hands bound, the victim couldn’t even staunch the wound.

“You… how could you—” The young man’s eyes went wide, bloodshot, as disbelief filled them. He collapsed in a heap, dead where he fell.

“No—stay back!” The others recoiled in terror, looking at Zhi Yin as if he’d stepped straight out of a nightmare.

Zhi Yin staggered in place. The handsome features he’d had were now masked by blood, leaving only a savage expression.

Gu Qingxiao slowly came to, finding her hands and feet bound. All her cultivation was gone—she may as well have been an ordinary person.

She struggled in vain, but then caught sight of the male disciple’s body and felt panic surge in her chest. Before she could scream, someone clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Shh. If you lose it now, things’ll only get worse later.” Zhi Yin covered Gu Qingxiao’s mouth and motioned for her to quiet down.

He casually wiped the blood off his small knife and toyed with it, teasingly pointing it at each of them in turn as if deciding who he’d cut next.

Gu Qingxiao shuddered at Zhi Yin’s depraved manner. Fear gripped her as she worried he’d slit her throat the moment he snapped.

Zhi Yin caught the look on Gu Qingxiao’s pretty, now pale face and found her fear even more amusing. He slowly waved the blade in front of her.

At any second, she felt, that knife might flash across her neck.

“Don’t you dare come closer! My brother, Gu Qingyi, won’t let you get away with this!” Gu Qingxiao could hold back her fear no longer.

“Gu Qingyi? And where is he? Hahaha… is he here?” Zhi Yin froze, as if the name had jolted him. Everything he’d become was thanks to Gu Qingyi.

“This time, I won’t show mercy. Two years ago, I let him crawl away with his life. But now? I’m going to skin him and make his hide into a drum. Every day, I’ll beat it to vent my wrath.” Zhi Yin clutched his face, laughing madly as if trying to empty out his resentment.

“What grudge do you have with my brother? Why hate him so much?” Gu Qingxiao asked, trembling—desperate to buy some time.

“I know what you’re doing, but I’m happy to give you that chance.” Zhi Yin saw right through her, but didn’t mind. In his eyes, a cripple like her couldn’t possibly pose a threat.

Zhi Yin fell into a heavy recollection. “Two years ago, we assembled a hit squad to kill your brother, Gu Qingyi. Took a lot of effort, but he went down as easy as a child in the end.”

“At the last moment, my mischievous side let him die with his corpse intact,” Zhi Yin cackled. “Who would’ve thought he’d come back from the grave?”

“That’s probably the biggest regret of my life.” Zhi Yin’s eyes blazed with malice as he scanned the group. “When I got back, I was tortured like a dog. Something broke inside me. Afterwards, I hunted those who tormented me.”

“I skinned every last one of them and sent their pelts home to their families.” Zhi Yin laughed until tears ran down his face. “The look on their faces when they saw that… I still think about it and laugh.”

“Alright, little lady, you’ve stalled long enough. Time to send you on your way.” With that, Zhi Yin lifted the bloody knife, searching for the perfect spot to end her.

………….

“Time’s up, little lady. Die.” Zhi Yin grabbed Gu Qingxiao by the chin, raising the knife, the threat of blood only a heartbeat away.

“Brother… looks like I’ll never see you again.” Gu Qingxiao stared at the approaching blade, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She could already feel the cold edge at her throat, so she simply closed her eyes—waiting for fate to take her.

“Stop!” A sudden voice echoed from nowhere.

With a crack, Zhi Yin stared at his knife as it snapped in half. Bewildered, he spun toward the source of the voice.

Gu Qingyi slowly stepped out from the Golden Gate, taking in the gruesome sight and recognizing how close his sister had come to dying.

“You really deserve to die!” Gu Qingyi stared at the corpses and wounded disciples in fury, charging straight at Zhi Yin.

A blur flashed by—Zhi Yin felt his head seized, and the next second his face slammed hard into the ground.

The others breathed a collective sigh of relief as Gu Qingyi arrived.

“I’ve been waiting for you, boy. This time, I won’t hold back!” Zhi Yin scrambled up, excitement plain on his face as he faced his old adversary.

“So it really was you, Zhi Yin. Today, you’ll pay for what happened two years ago—with your blood!” At the sight of Zhi Yin, memories of the past came flooding back to Gu Qingyi.

“Let’s see whose luck runs out today.” The two crashed together, fury flaring in their eyes.

“Die, Zhi Yin!” Gu Qingyi’s face twisted with rage, veins bulging as he swung the Skydome Sword down with all his might.

“Gu Qingyi, you’ve grown plenty in two years! Interesting—bring it on!” Zhi Yin used the broken knife to block, taking a deep gash to the shoulder. Far from backing down, the wound only drove him crazier.

Their blades met in a ferocious clash. Thick smoke and dust filled the air.

When it cleared, Zhi Yin’s arm lay severed on the ground, while Gu Qingyi’s chest was pierced by a small knife—blood gushing from the wound.

In a blink, Zhi Yin vanished from where he stood. Searching, the crowd spotted him now perched atop a tall pillar.

“Not bad, kid. You actually took my arm. I really underestimated you! But now I’m going all out—get ready to die!” Zhi Yin ignored his bleeding wounds and bellowed at Gu Qingyi.

“Enough talk. Fight me! You won’t leave here alive.” Gu Qingyi wrenched the knife from his chest—blood sprayed everywhere—but his expression never faltered as he spat a mouthful of blood.

In that instant, both unleashed mighty roars.

“Zhi Yin, it ends now!” Gu Qingyi gripped the Skydome Sword and lunged at Zhi Yin in a burst of speed.

“Hahaha! Gu Qingyi—die!” Zhi Yin hurled himself forward, now wielding a longsword.

As the blade emerged, sword qi exploded for miles in every direction. The sword, three feet long and blue-gray, radiated a terrifying, cutting aura into the space around it. In a blink, a torrent of blinding sword light rained down like a colossal net, sealing off the battlefield.

Their moves were unpredictable and sharp, the flow of sword energy fierce and unstoppable. Blades collided, dazzling sword-light flashing like gemstones in the sun.

Sword energy flooded out and clashed like wild rivers, scattering silvery droplets that sparkled in the air.

Sword shadows leapt and fluttered like sprites dancing through the sky. The screech of clashing metal rang out again and again—a battle song sung without regret.

Neither side backed down as their pride and willpower crashed together. Blow for blow, they traded strikes—neither gaining the upper hand.

Suddenly, Zhi Yin launched a furious assault, sword light flashing as he stabbed for Gu Qingyi’s heart. Gu Qingyi dodged with lightning reflexes.

Sunlight glinted off the bright blade as it grazed Gu Qingyi’s chest—a thin line of blood trickled down, soaking slowly into his robes.

With a loud shout, Gu Qingyi’s sword swelled with speed.

He countered, swinging the sword high as glowing sword energy cut through the air like a bolt of lightning—piercing straight for Zhi Yin’s chest, fast and deadly.

“You’ve grown so strong… I can’t keep up! Hahahaha!” Zhi Yin looked down at the sword impaled in his chest, blood spilling from his mouth. His eyes glazed as he gazed at Gu Qingyi, then let out one last laugh.

With a heavy thud, Zhi Yin collapsed, his life snuffed out, eyes wide and unwilling to yield.

Moments later, Gu Qingyi’s strength gave out and, to the shock of all who watched, he too fell to the ground.