Tang San's Fear! Zhao Wuji's Tragic Death, Head Falls to the Ground!

"What?!"

Zhao Wuji's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could even react—

Shua!

A streak of deep-blue blade light, fast to the extreme, tore through the void like lightning.

That blade light was too fast.

So fast that even Tang San's Purple Demon Eye could only catch a fading afterimage.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

Zhao Wuji, who had been charging with overwhelming momentum, froze mid-stride, his massive bear body rooted in place.

The next second.

Puchi!

Blood shot up like a fountain.

Zhao Wuji's massive head tumbled to the ground with a dull thud, his face still frozen in the shock and bewilderment of that final moment.

His headless corpse crashed down heavily, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Every sound vanished in that instant.

A deathly silence.

Flender was dumbstruck.

Tang San was dumbstruck.

Ma Hongjun, lying on the stretcher, trembled violently in terror, and the sharp stench of urine immediately filled the air.

Dead?

Immovable Ming King Zhao Wuji, a seventy-sixth-level Soul Sage.

Killed in a single move?!

Without even a chance to fight back!

"Who?!"

Flender's voice trembled as he activated his Martial Soul Possession, warily scanning his surroundings.

Within the fading shark phantom.

A figure slowly emerged.

It was a young man in a blue-gray hooded trench coat, holding two gleaming blades.

He wore a scarf that covered half his face, revealing only a pair of eyes as cold as the deep sea.

Law Enforcement Hall of Jixia Academy—Lan.

A ninety-second-level Titled Douluo!

Lan didn't even glance at the corpse on the ground. He simply flicked the blood droplets off his blade.

He lifted his head, his emotionless eyes sweeping over the Shrek group.

"This is Jixia."

Lan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a bone-deep chill.

"Since you're here, leave something behind."

A terrifying pressure erupted instantly.

Nine spirit rings slowly rose beneath his feet.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red!

The moment that blood-red Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Ring appeared, Flender's mental defenses completely collapsed.

A Titled Douluo!

And a Titled Douluo with a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Ring!

What kind of academy was this?

This was a dragon's den, a tiger's lair!

"Run!"

Flender roared, not even bothering to collect Zhao Wuji's body. He grabbed Tang San and Oscar and fled without looking back.

Revenge? Face? In the face of absolute power, it was all worthless!

This Jixia Academy was something they simply couldn't afford to provoke!

Watching the Shrek group scurry away like beaten dogs, Gongsun Li put away her Flower Parasol and curled her lips in boredom.

"And they're already running?"

"What a bunch of trash."

Lan sheathed his twin blades, his figure once again melting into the darkness.

"Throw the bodies far away. Don't dirty the Dean's path."

This was the most extravagant den of pleasure in Heaven Dou City.

The Jiaofangsi.

The air here was thick with a cloying, sweet fragrance of powder and perfume.

The sounds of strings and woodwinds filled the ears, mingling with the coquettish laughter of women and the clinking of cups being raised and drained.

Inside a private chamber at the top floor.

Gauze curtains danced gently, red candles flickered.

Several lithe dancers swayed gracefully atop the expensive Persian carpet.

The sheer fabric they wore was as thin as cicada wings, fluttering with their movements, revealing large swaths of snow-white, delicate skin.

The glimpses of hidden scenery were enough to make any normal man's blood boil.

Yet, the young man seated to the left of the host's seat was currently sitting on pins and needles.

It was none other than the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe.

Or rather, Qian Renxue disguised as Xue Qinghe.

At this moment, Xue Qinghe's refined and handsome face was tinged with an unnatural flush.

Even the usual warm, jade-like mask she wore was starting to crack.

Her gaze was a bit unfocused, not daring to linger on the dancers for even a moment.

Her hands rested on her knees, tightly gripping the hem of her robes.

"Lu Ming..."

Xue Qinghe finally couldn't help but speak, her voice carrying a hint of suppressed shame and irritation.

"If we have serious matters to discuss, why must we choose this place?"

Lu Ming, seated across from her, looked utterly at ease.

He held a crystal-clear jade cup, gently swirling the fine grape wine inside.

Hearing Xue Qinghe's complaint, Lu Ming turned his head and gave her a half-smiling look.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is mistaken," Lu Ming said, taking a sip of wine, his tone indifferent.

"Enjoying music in a pleasure house is one of life's great joys."

"This is called cultivating refined tastes. What's wrong with that?"

Xue Qinghe was left speechless.

Cultivating refined tastes?

This was clearly indulging in lust!

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the discomfort in her heart.

After all, this was the Jiaofangsi—many eyes, many ears. It was hardly a good place to discuss secrets.

But since Lu Ming had chosen it, she had no choice but to follow the host's lead.

"The money, I've gathered it all," Xue Qinghe said without further ado, pulling a purple-gold card from her bosom and sliding it across to Lu Ming.

The card shimmered with a captivating luster under the candlelight.

This was the exclusive purple-gold stored-value card of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family. Seeing the card was like seeing the person; it was accepted across the entire continent.

"Here is the remaining seven million Gold Soul Coins."

As she said those seven million, Xue Qinghe's heart bled.

Including the previous deposit, it was a full ten million Gold Soul Coins.

This had nearly emptied the majority of the wealth she had accumulated over the years while lurking in the Heaven Dou Empire.

She had even dipped into the secret funds of Martial Soul Hall.

If these ten million went down the drain, her decade-long infiltration would likely become a laughingstock.

"I want to see Jixia Academy's sincerity," Xue Qinghe stared at Lu Ming, her gaze burning.

Lu Ming glanced at the purple-gold card on the table, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

He reached out, his slender fingers lightly pinching the card, and casually tucked it into his bosom.

The motion was fluid and seamless, without any hesitation or delay.

As if putting away an ordinary stone.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is indeed a man of his word."

The smile on Lu Ming's face deepened a few degrees.

"Since the money's in place, that's easy to discuss."

"Rest assured, the matter has already been handled."

"A swift success."

Four simple words.

Yet they made the heavy stone in Xue Qinghe's heart settle slightly.

Although this Lu Ming was greedy for wealth and women, with a vile character, as long as he took the money and got things done, he was a good ally.

"In that case."

Xue Qinghe couldn't help but stand up impatiently.

"When can the Friendship Match between the Heaven Dou Royal Team and Jixia Academy begin?"

"I've already had Teacher Qin Ming lead the team members to wait outside the city."

"If it's convenient, I'd like to take them to Jixia Academy right now."

She urgently needed to confirm Jixia Academy's true combat strength.

At the same time, she wanted to use this opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the theories of that so-called Master, Yu Xiaogang.

However.

Lu Ming showed no sign of rising.

He leaned back into that soft leather-upholstered armchair, even shifting to a more comfortable position.

"His Highness the Crown Prince, no need to rush."