Chapter Six: The Madness of the World

This battle was utterly unfair. The moment Ai You showed any sign of losing, the crowd would turn on Xia Yan, resulting in his immediate death. If victory was his goal, his only option was to kill Ai You instantly.

Before consuming two bottles of potion, Xia Yan was not confident in his ability to execute a swift kill. But after drinking both, his strength surged once more, granting him the power to attempt it. The instant he unleashed his demonic abilities, Xia Yan understood that the fight would end within ten seconds. Either both would perish together, or he would be overwhelmed by the mob, not even leaving ashes behind.

Greyflame was a formidable force, both shield and weapon. It could resist ranged energy attacks, and even illusions or psychic assaults were thwarted by its power. But could Greyflame withstand the simultaneous onslaught of countless abilities?

The answer was no. In that single moment, more than a dozen ranged attacks converged upon him—energy, psychic, and physical alike.

How long does it take to kill a person? That question has always provoked deep thought. Yet, keeping their distance, none of these people could slay Xia Yan in an instant.

Time seemed to freeze in that heartbeat.

But before Xia Yan could be killed, there was another who would meet death even sooner.

Ai You’s eyes, long since bereft of composure, brimmed with madness and disbelief. She struggled desperately, but her body was utterly insignificant and powerless in this tempest. The balance of power had shifted from parity to complete dominance.

A year ago, Xia Yan was as inconsequential as an ant. Now, a year later, he had transformed into a demon, come to claim her life. Such a reversal was enough to shatter Ai You’s spirit.

As the instigator of the forbidden experiments, Ai You worshipped only strength. In her world, power reigned supreme; she would stand at the pinnacle, ruling over all. Yet suddenly, an ant had intruded, and in a brief span, surpassed her—becoming the reaper to end her life.

Of all people, Ai You hated Xia Yan the most. Yet now, unable to kill him, she would die by his hand.

Her gaze swept the surroundings. The faces of the crowd, twisted with frenzy, loomed ever larger—these people were exhausting every effort to save her!

But she felt only shame, a humiliation beyond compare. Since when had she needed rescuing?

“Xia Yan, no, no, no!” Ai You screamed madly, but her voice grew distant, her body growing limp and powerless.

She knew then that she had lost completely. She didn’t want to die—who does?

In the face of death, everyone grasps for life, even if it means pleading with their greatest enemy.

“Xia Yan, you can’t kill me!” Ai You shouted desperately. “You mustn’t kill me—absolutely not! This is the Demon Clan! If you kill me, you will also—”

Her words were abruptly cut off.

This once-lofty former director, whose neural development had reached fifty percent, a member of the Demon Clan who had awakened a third ability, was thus slain by Xia Yan.

In her final moments, she revealed her ugliest side—begging for mercy she could hardly believe she was asking for, a pain worse than death. But to live, she had no other choice.

Yet, begging was futile. In the end, the blade’s light devoured her consciousness.

For a brief instant, the world seemed to stop. Everyone present rose to their feet, their faces contorted, the murderous intent swirling from them thick enough to form a river.

This was the Demon Clan’s Second District.

This was no fair duel.

This was a member of the Demon Clan, powerful enough to inspire awe.

And his opponent—a human, barely in his teens, as insignificant as an insect.

This was a contest on the verge of chaos, where even the referees and arena officials favored Ai You.

This was supposed to be a public execution—a spectacle where they could laugh as the human died in agony, screaming as he lost limbs and organs.

So why had it come to this?

A human had killed a powerful Demon Clan member before all their eyes!

Those with abilities rushed to kill Xia Yan at once. The ordinary people, powerless, found whatever means they could to vent their rage.

And not only inside the arena—even outside, countless people began to lose their minds, screaming frantically and destroying everything within reach.

They knew the human would surely die, but his death would never be enough to atone.

In a lavish skybox high above, Emilia was seething with fury. Her black eyes darkened to deep violet as she slammed her hand onto the delicate round table, shattering it into dust.

“Xia Yan, I told you, this time you must listen to me, and yet you still refuse!” The pureblood clenched her teeth, unable to maintain her composure. She seemed on the verge of destroying everything in the room. “Xia Yan, you are truly mad. I never imagined you could be so reckless. Do you even understand what you’ve done?”

Perhaps overwhelmed by her rage, the pureblood tore open space itself and vanished without a backward glance.

Butler Lily stared at Emilia in disbelief. Never before had her mistress shown such fury. The way she gritted her teeth sent chills through her. Was Xia Yan truly that special?

“Xia Yan…”

The moment Ai You was killed, Gong Kui sighed softly. Her eyes were lost, perhaps relieved, perhaps sorrowful.

The story had reached its end. Xia Yan had chosen his fate—to perish alongside Ai You.

Gong Kui knew he may have had no other choice. Even had he only defeated Ai You, the crowd would still have torn him apart; his only hope lay with the pureblood Emilia.

But Xia Yan had never been one to gamble. He would not forgo the chance to slay Ai You and place his fate in the hands of a pureblood’s promise.

“Xia Yan, even if you die, leaving not even ashes behind,” Gong Kui murmured, “I, Gong Kui, will always be proud of you. You have wrought an impossible miracle. We humans will remember you forever. You were always one of us, never betraying your kind until the very end.”

“Xia Yan, humanity is proud of you!”

Gong Kui closed her eyes. Perhaps Xia Yan’s death was closely tied to making this duel public, but she did not regret her decision.

An ordinary person is different from a leader. As the latter, one must always think of the people.

Any threat to stability must be neutralized. What cannot be controlled should be destroyed.

If Xia Yan survived, she would have welcomed him and nurtured his growth into a powerful ability user.

But that possibility was now lost.

[Author’s note: I know many brothers are reading pirated copies. The results of this book have been quite dismal, and continuing is purely a promise I made. This genre is difficult to write, and every chapter is carefully revised, but for your sake, I will keep up the quality. If you can, please support the official release on Qidian. A month’s subscription is the price of a bottle of soda, I beg you all…]