Chapter Fifty-Six: End of the Volume—Present and Future (Part One)

Muyou was struck down by the icy crystal coffin, unable to move!

“Warning: Dangerous death row inmate An Ruxiang, ‘Final Judgment’ has detected the use of superpowers. Execution imminent. Countdown commencing: ten, nine...”

“Warning: Dangerous death row inmate Hu Lei, ‘Final Judgment’ has detected the use of superpowers. Execution imminent. Countdown commencing: ten, nine...”

“Warning: Dangerous death row inmate Hu Xuanyao, ‘Final Judgment’ has detected the use of superpowers. Execution imminent. Countdown commencing: ten, nine...”

“Warning: Death row inmate He Jing, ‘Final Judgment’ has detected the use of superpowers. Execution imminent. Countdown commencing: ten, nine...”

“Warning: Death row inmate Xu Chen, ‘Final Judgment’ has detected the use of superpowers. Execution imminent. Countdown commencing: ten, nine...”

Five cold, mechanical voices rang out simultaneously, mercilessly pronouncing the fate of An Ruxiang and the others.

Across every floor, the condemned showed endless sorrow. Whether it was their leader Muyou, Xiangxiang, or Lei-ge, they all knew in their hearts that these leaders had always looked after them. With new bosses, they could be forced to slaughter each other for sport or used as human shields without hesitation in the face of danger. In such a world, death would only be a matter of time.

Better, then, to die together!

Members of the Night Squad, including Little-Eye and others, arrived one after another, all bearing serious wounds. Without hesitation, they began to bite down on Muyou’s body, using the last of their strength in a final struggle for life.

Blood trickled slowly from the crown of Muyou’s head, flowing into his eyes—a wretched, miserable sight.

“I never imagined that I, a king, would be driven to such a state…”

Black deathly energy began to surge from within Muyou, crisscrossing and spreading outward. Wherever it touched the giant icy coffin, it silently dissolved into nothingness, and in the blink of an eye, all were enveloped within.

Prisoners from other floors arrived at the edge, stunned by the sight before them. That black mist, so full of murderous intent, was enough to chill the bone—yet the inmates threw themselves into its center, faces set with reckless determination.

Were they… crying?

Who was that boy at the center? The fervor of their emotions seemed to be ignited by him. Could this bald youth be the one so favored by Dongguan, the one who arrived as a dangerous inmate, who stood toe to toe with veteran prisoners and never faltered—Muyou?

If those two explosions earlier were his doing, then the disappearance of the Free Men…

Piecing together the rumors, realization dawned among the crowd.

At last, someone had given them a taste of righteous vengeance! This boy had real backbone.

Even those who had just arrived, not knowing the full story, could see from the prisoners’ frenzied devotion that only this legendary youth could inspire such loyalty.

“Heh heh, this body is still far too fragile. I had no desire to use power at this level—it’s you who forced my hand! Since you’re so eager for death, become my blood slaves. I’ll drain you dry, fueling my own deeper transformation. Heh heh heh!”

As the deathly aura attached itself to the crowd, their skin began to darken, their muscles shriveled and twisted, their hair withered and broke away, turning to dust as it drifted down.

A chorus of pain erupted:

“Hngh!”
“Ah!”
“Hiss!”
“Roar!”
“Ah!”

Five agonized screams rang out from the depths of the black mist, male and female alike, each one utterly wretched. Even as execution was carried out, the five dangerous inmates clung stubbornly to Muyou, refusing to let go.

“Your human tenacity almost moves me...” Even the true form of the Meridian Soul Severing Worm voiced its amazement.

“Heh heh, I lied—how could I possibly feel such a lowly emotion? Offer up your lives. This farce ends here.”

“Yes, it ends here.” The voice of Mouyou suddenly echoed in everyone’s minds.

“So much sorrow and despair—finally, your slaughter of the living has removed the shackles on my power. Prepare yourself, Meridian Soul Severing Worm!”

In that childish yet unwavering voice, the entire game field of Death Row Paradise was suddenly transformed. All the life destroyed by Muyou—souls, spirits, even the essence of plants—gathered at the ‘Final Judgment’ on Muyou’s neck.

“You shouldn’t have made my big brother suffer so much. He’s already pitiable enough. But… you are even more pitiful.”

The black deathly aura began to spiral, flowing into the Final Judgment. The wounds of those present began to heal, the vitality stripped from them now returned by the Final Judgment.

“Who are you? How can you have the scent of Original Sin? Why do you call me pitiful? Am I more pitiful than that coward, the so-called Saint Muyou?” Muyou cried out, shaken.

“I’ve never heard of your Original Sin. As for why you’re pitiful—it’s because the world shuns you, no one mourns your death. But look around you. The ‘ants’ you despise are giving everything to protect the Muyou you scorn. Do I need to say more about the difference between you two?” Mouyou’s words pierced straight to the heart.

Hesitantly, Muyou raised his head, gazing at Hu Lei and the others around him—still glaring with fury even in their agony, and at the ordinary prisoners, barely conscious but still crawling, biting down on his fiery wings without hesitation.

Those bites did not hurt at all, yet deep inside, something twisted painfully.

“How would I know what sadness feels like? If I understood sadness, how would I be any different from you ants? I don’t care who you are—I will devour everyone’s blood! Ah!”

Driven mad by Mouyou’s intervention, Muyou erupted in a frenzy, black deathly energy surging and swirling like a dragon unleashed.

“So this is the power you were unwilling to use? Funny—it seems rather weak to me.” Mouyou’s childish voice was laced with ridicule. Another wave of inky black death energy surged forth, swallowing Muyou’s rampaging aura before spiraling back into the Final Judgment.

“Blood—Muyou needs blood! The stronger his resolve, the more powerful his abilities become after awakening. Your feelings, your determination, your bonds—all can be passed to Muyou through your blood. Hurry, his soul is about to be utterly devoured! Wake him together!”

“Heh heh, it’s too late. He will soon be completely merged with me!”

Just as Muyou finished speaking, specks of starlight appeared before his eyes.

Not far away, Bai Zai, who had fainted, began to emit faint starlight from his blood. The light drifted toward Muyou, flowing into the Jade Belt Green Peak Butterfly and into the deathly silence of Muyou’s right eye.

Even unconscious, his instinct was to protect Muyou!

The sound of skin tearing echoed as the thick scent of blood filled the air. In an instant, prisoners across three floors began to bite each other, tearing out chunks of flesh, letting torrents of blood flow freely.

Within seconds, the mountain of bodies became a mountain of blood. The blood, carrying everyone’s unwavering will, surged toward Muyou.

...

“What a rare sight…” A dangerous inmate from the fourth floor, just arriving, clicked his tongue, bit deep into his own arm, and watched his blood fly inexorably toward Muyou.

“Well, well, isn’t that Brother Mu Li? Always so stingy, but today he’s bleeding freely the moment he arrives!” A dangerous inmate from the seventh floor, slicing open his chest, called out with a flourish.

“No wonder—anyone would be moved by this scene, even an old man pushing fifty. Come, let’s help out and relive the wildness of our youth!”

A veteran prisoner from the tenth floor pressed his arms to the stolen long blade, letting blood gush between his muscles.

“We’ve been oppressed by the Free Men for so long—so many brothers dead. Finally someone’s stood up for us. We can’t let this kid die!”

The dangerous inmate from the eighth floor tore open the bandages on his abdomen, clawing at the wound, sending a flurry of crimson blossoms into the air.

“It’s that bald kid—he blew up the Free Man who toyed with Bin!”

“The Free Man who took my brother returned today. He recognized me, sneered that my brother had been broken and sold to the nightclubs, and threatened to take me next—some sick ‘double duck’ package. I wanted to kill him, but all I could do was run for my life. This kid saved me. However much blood you need, take it all!” So saying, an ordinary prisoner slit both wrists, sucked in a mouthful, and spat it toward Muyou.

“That’s right, finally we can hold our heads high. Let’s all help him…”

Under the silent night, the blue-white moonlight was tinged with blood. Nearly a thousand streams of blood flew into the air, converging upon Muyou!

“Thank you all…” Mouyou never expected the others would support Muyou so wholeheartedly. Tears rolled from her ink-black eyes as she knelt, hands pressed together, gradually closing her eyes.

All that blood gathered into the Final Judgment, vanishing without a trace, then shone with blinding brilliance as it merged into Muyou.

“Big brother, see how many people believe in you? I’m so happy for you. Don’t be afraid—nothing will happen to you. I’m still here…”

Souls and the essence of plants fused with the blood light. Even the ordinary prisoners, unable to see Mouyou, sensed something awakening within the Final Judgment at Muyou’s throat.

“I have no past, nor any future. I may be insignificant to this world, but Muyou’s future is something worth longing for. So I’ll give up my present to secure his tomorrow. Meridian Soul Severing Worm, let’s die together—you’re not allowed to touch my brother ever again…”

Whoosh!

An endless surge of primal life force instantly transformed into a pillar of light ten fathoms wide, piercing the sky. The boundless moonlight echoed in response. All present were gently pushed from the light by a wave of life energy, stunned as they watched the scene unfold.

What was this!

Big brother? That voice… Who was it?