Wang Gu stopped just a step before the man.
"Huu…" He exhaled sharply.
"Thanks for that." Without another word, he stepped straight through the fire and began tearing open the cages one by one.
"Hey—you!" the old merchant shouted. "What do you think you're doing?!"
Wang Gu glanced back at him, his gaze cold.
"They're suffocating. Do you want them to die?" His voice was low, steady.
"So, what if they die?" the man sneered. "They're my proper—"
Splat!
The man's hand flew off.
"Shut that filthy little mouth of yours," Wang Gu said, standing directly in front of him.
"AAAHH—!" The merchant wailed, collapsing to the ground. "Shit—shit! My hand, what have you done to me?!"
"Fin Gi Ban! Kill him—kill him for me!" he screamed hysterically.
The men who had been dragging the cages hesitated, hands trembling as they took a step forward—
But before they could move again, Wang Gu was already there using only his hand; he crushed them both down, breaking the ground with their faces.
He then turned and began walking slowly towards the merchant.
The merchant was crying as he pushed against the stone road, trying to get away from Wang Gu.
"Stay away from me. Do you know who I am? If you kill me, you won't live an easy life. I have deep ties with the city lord." The old man threatened, but his words carried no weight. Wang Gu just continued walking slowly towards him.
He tossed the rabble he found on the ground to Wang Gu; they hit him but did no damage.
Finally, Wang Gu caught him and raised him high by his neck.
But then—
Doom!
A suffocating pressure descended.
From the corner of his eye, Lian saw Xai Bao, rushing through the air, an array plate spinning violently beneath their feet as it whisked them away. On either side of him was Bo Ming, her blade blazing as she intercepted attacks mid-flight.
Without exchanging a single word, Lian and Wang Gu leapt into the fray.
As they ran, a voice rang out—laughing wildly, echoing across the burning district.
"I did it… I did it! I finally completed the formation!"
The laughter grew sharper, more unhinged.
"Once I refine the entirety of Yùzhàn into a blood pill, I will stand equal to the Heavenly Envoys!"
Lian and Wang Gu halted midair, their gazes snapping upward.
There—just outside the barrier—a man hovered effortlessly above the city, looking down at everyone like insects beneath his feet. He wore flowing golden robes, and upon his face was the Emperor's Veil, the very one he would wear during court assemblies.
"Is that… the city lord?" someone cried out.
"How is he floating? I thought he was a mortal—this makes no sense!"
People stared upward, mouths agape, disbelief frozen on their faces.
Then—
Blood began to seep from their bodies.
At first, it was a trickle—from noses, mouths, pores—then streams. The blood tore itself free, lifting into the air as if pulled by an unseen hand, spiralling toward the sky.
Screams erupted.
One by one, people who had never cultivated began to fall. Their bodies shrivelled instantly, skin collapsing inward like cabbage leaves left beneath a merciless sun.
The blood gathered above, merging into a single, roiling mass.
"Lian…" Wang Gu's voice was strained. "That's a Martial Supreme. Even if both of us attack together, we'd be crushed in a single move."
Before Lian could respond, chaos erupted anew.
From the far end of the district, Blood Cult members surged forward, cutting down anyone in their path. There were thousands of them, flowing through the streets like a crimson tide.
The city of Yùzhàn had become a slaughterhouse.
"It's begun, hah… I suppose there's no better time than now."
The voice echoed calmly through the chaos.
Wang Gu turned sharply.
"So, it was you—the hooded figure," he said coldly. "Elder brother… to think you would come here yourself."
The man standing before them was almost a mirror of Wang Gu.
The same facial structure.
The same eyes.
Only—his hair was longer, tied neatly behind his head, and he wore brightly colored robes embroidered with peacock motifs, gaudy yet refined. A folding fan rested lazily in his hand, tapping softly against his palm. A creeping smile clung to his face, one that never reached his eyes.
"Little Gu," the man chuckled. "You should have stayed home. With your… condition, we wouldn't want any unfortunate incidents that might bring unnecessary burdens to the family."
His gaze shifted to Lian.
"And you," Wang Li continued lightly, "you even befriended the one who defeated your younger brother. To think—you didn't even avenge him."
Wang Gu's expression darkened.
"You dare talk about family honour?" he snapped. "What about you? Working with the Blood Cult—don't deny it. I know you are."
Wang Li let out a soft, amused sound.
"Ahhh… about that."
He waved his fan dismissively. "It wasn't the Wang family's decision alone. The other Great Houses agreed this was for the best."
He leaned in slightly, eyes glinting.
"But since you don't yet hold any power within the family, it's only natural you wouldn't know."
Wang Gu clenched his fists.
"Lian," he said quietly, activating the frequency whisper, "be careful. My elder brother never moves alone. Wu Hei, he is his shadow, is a Martial Sovereign servant of the family. I'm certain he's nearby."
The air grew heavier.
And Wang Li's smile widened.
"Mmm… I see now," Wang Gu said, exhaling slowly as he settled into a battle stance.
"So sending me on that mission was just a way to quietly dispose of me as well, huh?"
"Pfft—" Wang Li scoffed, folding his fan with a sharp snap.
"Quite clever of you to figure it out."
He stepped forward, his smile twisting.
"You were an experiment meant for something greater. But because of your instability, the clans decided you were nothing more than a failure."
"To avoid staining our name…"
His hands rose theatrically to his face.
"You are to die here."
Wang Li tilted his head, voice rising into exaggerated grief.
"Oh no, how tragic. The young master was killed by blood cultivators during his mission."
"What a great tragedy it was."
"When I—his brother got there it was already too... late, oh how my heart is broken."
"Tck."
Lian clicked his tongue, eyes cold.