Chapter Thirty: All of This Is Wrong

“Ah…”

“Run, qui—”

On the city wall, screams of agony and shouts of terror rang out one after another without pause.

But soon, the wall began to crumble, collapsing in fragments.

The Crow Army fell in droves. The cultivators who had been brandishing severed heads now lay dead, blood streaming from their bodies. Even Qi Ming could not withstand it; together with the falling wreckage of the warship, he was buried beneath the ruins.

At last, all was silent. Only a great cloud of dust hung in the air, refusing to disperse.

Below, the many cultivators stared in shock, faces pale with horror.

The change had happened far too suddenly.

Boom!

At that moment, a muffled crash sounded in the air outside the city. Everyone looked up to see that a small portion of the warship’s bow remained, stuck outside the city. Now, as if drained of fuel, it finally plummeted to the ground.

A figure leaped from the battered ship, landing lightly atop the ruins of the collapsed wall.

A gentle breeze swept by, lifting the fringe from his forehead; sunlight poured down, illuminating a face of almost unearthly handsomeness.

Xu Zhe.

Xu the Prodigy.

All eyes fixed upon him in a stunned daze; inwardly, waves of astonishment surged.

Ruthless—he was truly ruthless!

Just a moment ago, he’d been negotiating with Qi Ming, the discussion proceeding smoothly. In the very next instant, he seized control of the warship, drove its stern into Sky River City, triggering the airborne wards within the city. Half the massive ship was obliterated in an instant, unleashing a terrifying explosion that devastated Qi Ming, the Crow Army, and all beneath.

Utterly terrifying.

Recalling the scene, everyone felt their scalps tingle, cold sweat on their backs.

Who would have thought that this elegant, courteous Xu the Prodigy could be so fierce and so unpredictable in his methods?

“Hahaha, now it’s my turn to strike it rich.”

At that moment, a disciple of the Heavenly Machine Sect, holding a Universal Jade Talisman, burst out laughing. “Yesterday, I was envying Senior Brother Lin Xiu for recording Xu the Prodigy killing the Demon Enchantress—that was worth at least two hundred years of service. Today, I, Liu Qingqing, have finally obtained firsthand footage. Just this alone should be worth five hundred years.”

“Senior Brother Liu, you might be disappointed. I just recorded that scene as well.” Another disciple nearby waved his own Universal Jade Talisman, his face suffused with pride.

“Don’t say that, Brother Uncoded. Let’s join forces and make a compilation before handing it in. This way, both of us can claim credit.” Liu Qingqing urged him eagerly.

“Alright, what should we name our duo then?”

The two put away their jade talismans, slinging arms over each other's shoulders as they moved aside to discuss their grand scheme for racking up achievements.

…

Meanwhile, Xu Zhe stood atop the ruins, surveying the utter devastation around him in some perplexity.

What on earth just happened?

He lifted his head and glimpsed, above the ancient city, a faintly shimmering, spiderweb-like barrier of light.

Xu Zhe instantly understood.

Well, this really wasn’t intentional. Who would have thought that the black lever next to the red button was the directional control?

Aren’t ships usually steered with a helm?

Bang!

Not far ahead, a section of ruins suddenly exploded outward, fragments flying everywhere.

A figure, hunched over, slowly rose to his feet.

“Xu Zhe…” The figure panted heavily, his voice thick with boundless resentment and fury, grinding his teeth with hatred.

“Qi Ming? You’re still alive?” Xu Zhe sounded mildly surprised.

Qi Ming glared coldly at him, his arm trembling as he fished out a handful of pills and shoved them into his mouth.

Soon, the wounds torn open across his body began slowly to knit themselves together.

Within the city walls, many cultivators saw that Qi Ming had survived and their expressions hardened.

Several bolted at once, darting for the collapsed city gate and fleeing Sky River City outright.

Some stayed behind, watching coldly, their eyes fixed on Qi Ming.

Now that the three thousand Crow Army had been decimated—though not completely wiped out, casualties were tremendous. The few survivors lay barely alive amid the ruins.

Without the Crow Army to back him, even though Qi Ming was healing himself, many present no longer felt much awe for him.

Especially a group of five young cultivators—three men and two women—who wore expressions of murderous intent and were slowly closing in.

…

“Why?”

Suddenly, Qi Ming spoke, his gaze venomous and tremulous as he looked at Xu Zhe. His voice shook with suppressed rage, then erupted in a roar, “Why do you insist on making things so difficult for me?”

“I’m not against you. You just chose the wrong path.” Xu Zhe replied without expression, his tone calm.

He had heard everything Qi Ming said atop the wall. Now it was certain—the man before him was no longer that introverted yet diligent classmate of old.

But it was to be expected; Xu Zhe felt little surprise.

“Wrong? How have I erred? For refusing to let you leave the city? Or for using these people as blood sacrifices?” Qi Ming shouted, now standing fully upright, a murderous aura surging from him.

“All of it is wrong. First, you have no right to decide whether I can leave the city. Second, you have no right to use others as blood sacrifices. Of course, what I care about most is the first.” Xu Zhe calmly explained.

Qi Ming, growing even more enraged, jabbed a finger at Xu Zhe and bellowed, “Idiot, you’re a fucking idiot! I told you long ago, you’re a mortal-blooded piece of trash. Why do you want to go outside—just to die?

“Why, why the hell can’t you just stay put? The one from the Northern Continent wants you to stay here in Sky River City for the rest of your life—so just stay! You're already a worthless cripple, and you dare dream of leaving?

“You used to be different. Whenever I was in trouble, you’d always help me. Why are you like this now? How can you refuse to help me?

“Hahaha, I get it now. It’s because you think you’re a failure, and I’ve become someone everyone admires. You can’t stand it. You’re jealous. You’re fucking jealous of me!”

At this, Qi Ming broke into mad laughter, tears welling in the corners of his eyes and tracing paths through the dust on his face.

Xu Zhe’s face remained impassive as he watched.

Qi Ming’s laughter gradually faded, turning to a bitter chuckle, then, as a sob crept in, to the edge of weeping.

“Everything I had… ruined. A hundred years of blood and sweat, three thousand Crow Army, the Blackfeather warship—all gone. My military achievements—if I’d just held this place for another ten years and strengthened the seal, I’d have become a general of a hundred thousand. But now, all my prospects have been destroyed by you, you idiot!”

Laughing and weeping, Qi Ming finally let out a furious roar at Xu Zhe.

With a surge of hate and rage, a torrent of spiritual energy erupted from his palm, coalescing into a beam of light that swiftly solidified in the air, forming a massive golden staff which he hurled down toward Xu Zhe.

“Xu the Prodigy, look out!”

Several of the young cultivators who had approached shouted a warning, while simultaneously performing incantations and launching a joint attack at Qi Ming.

“Qi Ming, return my Senior Brother Li’s life!” cried one of the female cultivators, sweeping her palm and sending out two streaks of blue light. These struck the earth and became twin streams, slender and swift as spirit snakes, darting toward Qi Ming.

Another cultivator flung his long sword, which vibrated and rang, sending ripples through the air. It split into thousands of sword-lights, shooting toward Qi Ming like a storm.

The rest, too, unleashed their killing moves, determined to slay Qi Ming.

“Out of my way!” Qi Ming roared.

The golden staff in his hand suddenly enlarged, becoming a towering pillar. He swept it horizontally, unleashing a furious wind that shattered the spells of the young cultivators, then battered their bodies with the massive shaft.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The cultivators were flung away like broken kites, crashing to the ground and spitting blood.

A gasp ran through the onlookers.

Qi Ming was terrifyingly powerful.

Even with his cultivation suppressed, left only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, he effortlessly crushed five cultivators at mid-Foundation Establishment.

This was not merely a difference of stage, but a total suppression—by bloodline, by technique, by every measure.

“Xu Zhe, I’ll smash you to pieces!” Qi Ming’s furious shout rang out.

The golden pillar was raised high, swirling with a violent gale, and came crashing down on Xu Zhe’s head.

“Damn!”

“Why is Xu the Prodigy still standing there? Get out of the way!”

Faces blanched and cries rang out among the crowd.

After all, Xu Zhe had saved their lives—no one wanted to watch him die here.

Boom!

But before anyone could say more, the golden pillar struck down, shaking the earth and raising a thick cloud of sand and stone.

Many had opened their mouths to shout warnings, but the words caught in their throats.

Too late—far too late.

Qi Ming’s innate technique was terrifyingly strong; one blow had already left those mid-Foundation cultivators seriously wounded.

And Xu Zhe’s cultivation? No one was sure—maybe he’d just reached the first stage of Qi Refining.

That was as good as certain death.

“Qi Ming, why haven’t you tempered your body?”

From within the swirling dust, Xu Zhe’s voice rang out suddenly.

Calm and indifferent, with even a hint of disdain: “You possess the bloodline of the Zhu Yan, yet your strength is so feeble you can’t even break through my Righteous Qi Shield. You haven’t even begun to unleash the full potential of your bloodline. Qi Ming… you really are an idiot, aren’t you?”

…