Chapter Seventy-Three: The Unspeakable Taboo

This time, Mu You directly tore open his left chest, flinging a handful of fresh blood into the air.

“Wan Yancang!”

Mu You shouted loudly.

“I’m coming! Senluo Devil—Falling Nether Wind!”

Wan Yancang slit his cheek, and the blood instantly transformed into the enormous shadow of a demonic head, which enveloped his own. Though the face was twisted and fiendish, its eyes, nose, and lips were adorned with makeup like a theatrical performer. As Wan Yancang moved, the gaping maw alternated between a grimace and a wail, spewing forth howling, black winds from the underworld, surging toward “First Gaze—Sovereign Flame.”

The crimson-gold blood absorbed a torrent of the Falling Nether Wind, quickly becoming stained a grey-black. Yet before the transformation was complete, it shuddered violently, nearly bursting apart. The wind swiftly encircled it, and even the flames were tainted, igniting into a gray conflagration.

The volatility of this gray flame was at least fifty percent stronger than before—more destructive, and even harder to control!

“No good, retreat at once!”

Mu You exerted all his strength to merge the two energies of wind and fire. Wind naturally fuels flame, but even with his utmost effort, he could only fuse a third before the contradictory natures began to repel each other beyond his control.

A third would have to do! Time to see the results!

Mu You raised both hands to the heavens, blood streaming down to form crimson-gold chains that tightly bound the gray explosion sphere above his head, then slammed it hard into the observation deck! Finally, he swept a bloodied palm across his chest and pressed it forward through the air—a gigantic hand of flame clamped down over the site of detonation.

Boom!

The crimson-gold chains shattered first, triggering the gray explosion sphere. The fiery giant hand flickered and became ethereal; golden-gray flames burst and leaked through its fingers, erupting in a series of relentless, smaller explosions.

“Back you go!”

With his blood-soaked palm, Mu You pressed down fiercely from afar. His face flushed, eyes hardened, he forced the giant hand of flame to seal the crater perfectly.

BOOM!

The thunderous roar sent visible shockwaves tearing through the air at breakneck speed, vibrations spreading from the observation deck, shaking the very ground under everyone’s feet. Mu You struggled to keep his hands pressed down, but the gray inferno, imbued with the corrosive power of the Falling Nether Wind, broke through in an instant, swallowing everything in fire and scattering all before it. The ricocheting blast waves were hurled back toward Mu You and his allies.

“Damn! That’s intense!”

Mu You hadn’t expected that fusing less than a third of the energies would unleash such overwhelming force. He swiftly smeared his hands across his chest, bloodied palms crossing in front of him, conjuring a wall of flame from thin air to shield An Ruxiang and the others within.

But the rest were not so fortunate. The ferocity of Mu You’s strike reached far and wide, causing chaos and dragging many innocents into the disaster.

When the fire dissipated, all eyes were fixed on the gaping rupture. A massive fissure marred the observation deck, and at the blast’s center, the glass had melted into a pool of liquid by the sheer heat, radiating a residual, domineering warmth.

This attack had carved two more meters of destruction!

Everyone marveled at Mu You’s prowess. He himself was breathing heavily, the cost of this strike enormous. With so much energy devoted to controlling the fusion, it would be impossible to repeat in the short term.

When Mo Han first spoke of the strongest in Building Twelve, he had not glanced at Mu You, but rather cast a warning look to the rear of the crowd. This meant that, even after drinking the nectar of the Corpse Fragrance Snow Lotus and being nourished by the venom of the Fivefold Meridian Severing Soul Worm, Mu You could not yet claim supremacy. Still, his confidence in carving out his own territory remained unshaken.

So, even if he could not defeat everyone, he had to make his mark now, to instill caution in the others. Otherwise, in the coming life-or-death mission, if anyone sought to curry favor with Mo Han by targeting him, the consequences would be dire.

It wasn’t enough—impressive as it was, that last strike still fell short of instilling true dread in the leaders among the death row inmates.

Thirty seconds!

“Everyone stop! Focus your attacks on one spot—we’re out of time!”

No one knew who shouted first, but Mu You’s lips curled into a smile. Finally, someone couldn’t sit still. If you want to stick your neck out, I’ll gladly follow!

“Very well, Building A will lead the charge!”

Mu You responded with a thunderous shout, wasting no time. Whether the others agreed or not, he struck first, seizing the initiative.

Blood aura surged, a hidden crimson glow emanated from Mu You’s form, and he slammed his palm onto his left chest. Blood spurted forth as he pressed his hands together and raised them high. The blood gathered on his palms, then, as his hands parted, a breathtaking and exquisitely beautiful red lotus bud blossomed in the air.

This was Mu You’s first time unleashing this technique at full power while fully conscious. Though not as mighty as when he’d lost control, he was eager to see just how formidable his ultimate strike could be.

Why shouldn’t he be the strongest? Why should just a fifth of the instructor’s power be enough to wipe out this crowd? He refused to believe it!

He would strike Mo Han’s smug, dog-faced mug—openly and without mercy!

“Aaaaah!”

Mu You bit through his tongue, spraying a mouthful of blood onto the blood lotus. Midway through the air, the blood turned gold, gilding the lotus bud in a dazzling glow—an unparalleled beauty.

Some scoffed, having hoped to guide everyone’s attack from their side of the observation deck, but were taken aback by Mu You’s swift action and the power of his previous strike. Left with no choice, they could only cooperate.

A barrage of attacks rained down on Building A’s side. Wan Yancang and his companions looked excited—having stepped forward, they had to give their all, setting an example for the rest.

“Senluo Devil—Grand Falling Nether Wind!”

“Night’s Desire—Birth of Joy—Falling Splendor’s Veil!”

“Polo—Butterfly Dream—Flowers Bloom Along the Path!”

“Water Dance—Brimming Tears!”

“Heavenly Frost—Cold Soul!”

“Great Vajra—Vandamo—First Bow Before Buddha!”

…

In that instant, all the dangerous death row inmates of Building A unleashed their strongest awakened attacks, their morale surging to unprecedented heights. Along with the attacks from the other inmates, every ounce of force converged upon Mu You’s crimson-gold lotus between his palms.

“So, that’s Mu You?” Fei Mo surveyed the chaos before him with casual interest. First drawn by Mu You’s gray flames, he immediately locked onto the blood-red lotus the moment it appeared, grinning as he spoke to You Tong at his side.

You Tong zoomed in the projection, watching Mu You unleash his full power, and commented, “So this is the move that blew up the Rockery Park. Tsk, still raw. Hm… why’s he bald? Looks like a thug—just like the rumors about that SSS-class death row—”

“Shut up! Don’t say that name!” Fei Mo suddenly barked.

You Tong instantly realized her mistake, her face turning deathly pale.

“Universal Take—Time Image—Instant Restoration!”

“Ding… Fei Mo, you have unsealed 95% of your ability, exceeding system protocol. One million points will be deducted at once.”

After the cold mechanical voice sounded, the runes etched onto Fei Mo’s hands lit up nearly in full. The space around You Tong’s thin lips blurred, and her words rewound and re-emerged in reverse, but after just three seconds, Fei Mo couldn’t hold out and dropped to his knees!

“You’re insane! This is a time domain! How could you use your power here for my sake? That taboo is just a rumor—a rumor! And… a million points, gone just like that? That’s your annual quota! Are you… are you stupid?”

You Tong, frantic and heedless of the live broadcast, knelt to support Fei Mo. Seeing him so drained, she nearly punched him in frustration, then quickly brought up her digital watch, intending to transfer him a million points, but Fei Mo stopped her with a gesture.

“Rumor or not, it’s forbidden. What, is it so hard to let you owe me something?”

Leaning on You Tong, Fei Mo’s color gradually returned. At that moment, they both noticed the prison wardeness nearby, watching them with envy. Fei Mo coughed awkwardly, and the wardeness quickly turned away, eyeing the dwindling countdown and explaining,

“I didn’t see or hear anything—carry on, don’t mind me… Mhm, just like that… meow…”

With that, she unconsciously meowed, sticking out her long tongue to rub the golden ring that pierced it against her nose, her ears flushing red.