Chapter 74: Explanation! Must Give an Explanation!

Did Luo Xing really have 167,000 wounds on his body?

The answer was naturally no.

Even counting the scrapes from his evasive rolls, there were at most fewer than ten wounds.

Then why did Ye Li say that?

The answer was also simple.

Because she felt like it.

That simple.

Ye Li simply wanted to cut Zhao Chengyan 167,000 times—not one more, not one less.

As for whether Zhao Chengyan could actually withstand 167,000 cuts, or whether his body could endure that many slashes, that was not her concern to consider.

Watching Zhao Chengyan go from initial enraged roars to whimpers of sorrow, and now to feeble moans, Ye Li felt nothing but disgust.

Of course, the disgust was not directed at Zhao Chengyan, but at Luo Xing.

To be wounded like that by such a filthy piece of trash—and she still said he wasn’t a waste?

“Can’t take it anymore?”

Ye Li looked at the barely breathing Zhao Chengyan and spoke indifferently:

“There are still 91,312 cuts left.”

Fear came from many sources and in many forms.

For example, you finally finish your training and are about to return to the sect, only to be told there’s still something to handle so you can’t go back just yet…

Or you finish your master’s assignments and prepare to play, only for your master to toss out two more tasks…

Another example…

Zhao Chengyan thought his punishment was over and he could finally be freed, but Ye Li told him there were still over 90,000 cuts left.

Zhao Chengyan completely broke down.

He opened his bloody mouth:

“Ah… aah! Ah!”

Silent wails escaped him as his body convulsed violently, thick plasma dripping from his wounds.

No… no!

Don’t come again!

Someone save me! Someone give me a quick end!

Father! Mother! Big brother!

I was wrong!

I truly see my mistakes now!

Let me die!

Save me! Please, save me!

He begged everyone—not to live, but to die, to receive the mercy of ending this nightmare.

Yet in response, there was only the endless sword qi slicing through his body and carving away his flesh.

For the first time, Zhao Chengyan felt that death…

Was indeed a form of mercy.

As evening approached, the heart-wrenching screams and wails in the Imperial City square had ceased.

Zhao Chengyan’s eyes were hollow, his mouth agape. A thick, yellowish blood fluid dripped from his mouth onto the pile of flesh below.

Could a person be cut 167,000 times?

Logically, it should be impossible…

But…

Ye Li never bothered with logic.

When the flesh was gone, there were still organs.

When the organs were gone, there were still bones.

After all, she had to cut exactly 167,000 times—not one more, not one less.

And could a person survive after being sliced 167,000 times by sword qi?

Logically, that too was impossible.

But the world of cultivation was never logical to the mortal realm.

With Ye Li’s Mahayana Stage cultivation, she had at least a thousand ways to keep a mortal alive.

So Zhao Chengyan was still alive.

Even though there was not a single intact piece of flesh, not a single intact bone, not a single intact organ left on his body…

He was still alive.

And at this moment, he could neither speak nor wail. Perhaps he had grown numb to pain, or perhaps he no longer felt it.

Did he regret it?

As death approached, his mind replayed everything from his past.

Zhao Chengyan was no different.

He thought back: why had he been so fixated on the throne?

Wasn’t it better to be a carefree prince?

And why had he been so obsessed with cultivation?

Since he had no spiritual root, why force it?

Being an unrestrained, free mortal was actually pretty good.

Indeed, as the saying goes: When a man is about to die, his words are good.

Zhao Chengyan sensed the final moment of his life and finally began to repent for his deeds.

He thought he must be regretting it.

He had ground living people into a pool of blood to cultivate his evil arts.

And now, he was being subjected to a hundred times that torture.

This was a kind of retribution, wasn’t it?

Yet Zhao Chengyan did not know.

He had come to this end not because he had used those people as fuel for his evil arts.

But because…

He had wounded someone’s disciple.

The thick clouds that had hung over the Imperial Capital slowly dispersed.

The blood-red setting sun poured through the gaps in the clouds, spilling across the Imperial City square.

Ye Li slowly rose from her sword-qi seat, as if the inhumane slaughter she had just conducted had nothing to do with her.

She lifted her eyes and looked at Zhao Chengyan, meeting his hollow, vacant gaze. Indifferently, she said:

“One last cut.”

With that, she waved her hand, and the Tyrant Sword’s qi instantly severed Zhao Chengyan’s last remaining intact head.

But Zhao Chengyan’s head did not fall to the ground. Instead, another streak of sword qi pierced through it, sending it flying straight out of the Imperial City.

Ye Li withdrew the four strands of sword qi that had been holding his body in place.

The bloody bones and organs clattered onto the pile of flesh below.

After finishing all this, Ye Li turned and coldly swept her gaze over Lu Qingming, who was cowering like a quail, desperately trying to minimize his presence.

“Ye… Miss Ye…”

Lu Qingming forced a smile and instinctively took a step back, pushing Sixth Elder Shi Jing in front of himself.

Sixth!

Rest assured!

If something happens to you,

I swear I’ll avenge you!

“My disciple was injured…” Ye Li said coldly. “Is the Starsoul Sect not going to give an account?”

“Account… account! Yes! Must give an account!”

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingming quickly replied:

“Please rest assured, Miss Ye!”

Although the person was not injured by someone from the Starsoul Sect, the Kingdom of Tianyan was under the sect’s protection, and Luo Xing had been injured within the kingdom.

By all accounts…

That was the Starsoul Sect’s responsibility.

This might sound unreasonable.

But…

Lu Qingming knew that the word “reason” did not exist in Ye Li’s dictionary.

Because she might not even have a dictionary.

Having received Lu Qingming’s answer, Ye Li said no more.

She tapped her toes lightly, soared into the air, and flew away from the Imperial City.

It wasn’t until Ye Li’s figure vanished beyond the horizon that everyone let out a long, relieved sigh.

Thud!

Zhao Chengze collapsed to the ground, his face as pale as paper, his limbs trembling uncontrollably. His sweat-soaked python robe clung tightly to his body.

He thought that after so much contact with cultivators, he had grown accustomed to their oppressive aura.

But only today…

Did he understand what it meant that “immortals and mortals are separate.”

With Ye Li’s departure, the long-vanished guards and eunuchs finally reappeared.

Each of them remained silent. Those on duty stood guard; those on cleaning duty cleaned.

“Your… Your Highness…”

A shadow guard tremblingly approached Zhao Chengze:

“That… that…”

“Speak your mind.”

Zhao Chengze no longer cared about the dignity of the crown prince. He waved his hand dejectedly:

“There’s nothing big that can shock me anymore…”

Even if the next sentence was that an enemy nation had attacked, he wouldn’t be afraid.

“That… the Second Prince’s head…”

The shadow guard hesitated, then finally braced himself and said:

“It’s been nailed to the city wall.”

Zhao Chengze: “…”

“Which city wall?”

“The city wall at the entrance…”

Zhao Chengze: “…”

Wouldn’t everyone entering the city see the head of the Second Prince of Tianyan?!

Did the Tianyan royal family still have any face left?!