Chapter 191: Root Severed, Line Ended
Aside from the violent pounding of his heart and the soul power frantically circulating inside him, Xu Sanshi was a frozen statue—locked in place, entirely unable to move.
A suffocating helplessness swallowed him whole. The terror struck deep into his marrow, consuming him utterly.
Ye Chen hadn't even used his Ice Dragon King martial soul. Instead, he summoned another—one he hadn't unleashed in a long time: the Silver Needle martial soul.
With his current level of soul power, a hundred shimmering silver needles materialized instantly, splitting and striking like a rainstorm in spring. They descended with surgical precision—straight toward Xu Sanshi's lower body.
Pupupu—
Fast. Accurate. Ruthless.
The needles, coated in compressed soul force, became unbreakable blades that pierced through flesh in a single breath. Each strike was a twisting slice of destruction, tearing and shredding whatever lay in its path.
A searing, unbearable agony coursed through Xu Sanshi.
It happened too fast for him to react.
The pain was so immense that his body flooded itself with adrenaline, barely keeping him from losing consciousness. He couldn't scream, couldn't move—a prisoner in his own petrified body.
He felt a numbing heat spread from the pit of his abdomen, followed by darkness and horror.
Cold sweat drenched his back. The pain was real, deeper than physical—it invaded his soul. And still, he stood paralyzed, unable even to twitch.
Ye Chen's strikes were swift and precise. The entire act was over in a second.
He retrieved the silver needles, turned, and disappeared without a trace.
In the faint lamplight, only Xu Sanshi remained—frozen in place, eyes bulging in silent terror, his expression twisted and locked in agony.
Blood slowly seeped across the floor from below, painting the truth of what had just occurred.
…
…
"Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh—!!!"
The piercing scream shattered the midnight silence of the Xuanming Sect.
Guards on patrol caught the stench of blood and rushed to investigate—only to find the young sect heir standing motionless in his study amidst a spreading crimson pool. The sight sent them collapsing in fear.
"Y-young master! Someone, help! HELP!!!"
Within moments, chaos erupted. Alarms blared throughout the sect, summoning defensive formations and guards from all directions.
Pressure filled the air as powerful soul masters poured their energy across the compound.
"Shi'er!! What happened to you?! Who did this to you?!"
Xu Qingyang, Sect Master of Xuanming Sect—and Xu Sanshi's father—burst into the room, his eyes red with madness. His roar nearly tore the ceiling apart as waves of crushing soul power surged out, scattering anyone too slow to bow.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As a Soul Douluo-level expert, Xu Qingyang immediately detected the intricate sealing mark imprisoning his son's body. With a forceful outpouring of energy, he shattered it open.
Ye Chen had intentionally lowered the power of the seal so it could be broken—it wasn't meant to kill, merely to punish.
"F-Father… someone ambushed me… he—he—ahhh!" Xu Sanshi could barely speak before pain overwhelmed him, and he broke down sobbing.
"Find him!! I don't care who it was—search every inch of this sect, dig three feet into the earth if you have to! FIND HIM!"
Xu Qingyang bellowed, his voice shaking the mountain walls as he carried his son to the sect's healers.
Within minutes, the Xuanming Sect was locked down. Soldiers sealed every gate, investigators scoured each corridor, and every servant and guard from the previous night was interrogated under spiritual coercion.
The search didn't stop there—it spread to the entire Xuanming City.
By midnight, panic had consumed both sect and city alike. Not a single soul slept in peace.
…
…
Meanwhile, deep within the sect's high-grade healing chamber…
Xu Sanshi lay stark naked on a reinforced treatment table. His legs were bound and elevated, exposing the damage below—a region carefully cleaned but horrifyingly empty.
Around the bed stood several of the empire's most respected healers and soul masters, all of them grim-faced.
One elderly healer, his hair silver and aura calm, spread his hand over the wound. Gentle green light pulsed from his fingertips as he explored the injury with his spiritual sense.
The further he probed, the tighter his brow furrowed.
Another physician attempted different healing techniques, frowning deeper with each passing minute.
On the bed, Xu Sanshi's face was ghostly pale, his eyes vacant and lifeless. Every touch made by the physicians—to the mutilated remains of what once symbolized his pride—cut deeper into his mind than the initial injury had. His soul trembled with humiliation and despair.
"How is it? Can it be restored?" Xu Qingyang rasped, voice cracking. Crimson veins laced his eyes as he clung to the final shards of hope.
Silence filled the room.
At last, the lead healer withdrew his hand, letting his light fade. He took a slow breath and shook his head.
"Sect Master… everyone…" His tone was heavy like earth. "The method used is far beyond conventional injury. It's not simply a wound or blunt trauma. It's a complete annihilation."
His voice dropped. "The external and internal tissues were shredded by a focused force that utterly erased all trace of life essence. Even with limb-regrowth soul arts, the connection sites are gone. Regeneration… is impossible."
He looked grimly at the sect master. "Had we summoned a rebirth-type healer within mere hours, there might've been a sliver of hope. But the root nerves and spirit channels are entirely destroyed. No healing, no fusion technique can restore them."
The diagnosis landed like a death sentence.
Xu Sanshi's future—along with his lineage—was gone forever.
Two other specialists examined him again and gave identical verdicts.
"Ah…"
Xu Qingyang staggered backward, collapsing to the ground in shock, his face drained of all color.
"F-Father… I… I…"
Xu Sanshi's breathing turned ragged, shallow gasps catching in his throat. He wanted to scream, but no sound came.
Without that part of him—he had lost more than manhood. His martial soul's second awakening, his future strength, his pride… all gone.
He was finished.
Completely finished.
His crimson eyes stared blankly at nothing, his mind a storm of confusion and dread. No matter how hard he searched his memory, he couldn't recall what had happened—or who could have done this.
He had bullied weak students before, yes—but none with enough power or courage to retaliate.
Who could have possibly hated him enough… to do this?
He couldn't fathom it.
And yet, the truth was simple.
This was Ye Chen's mercy.
(END CHAPTER)
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