Chapter 97: Mu You's Fury

Mu You and the others scrambled to their feet, their faces dark as a gathering storm. Powerful—this Dian Shao was far too powerful. With nothing but a roar, he had shattered their "Flower of a Single Thought · Pagoda of Chaos."

Was this the true strength of a Judge? Each and every one of the eight instructors was this dominant!

The three exchanged glances, their expressions grim with menace.

Dian Shao finished speaking and walked coldly toward Mu You and his companions. The three began to retreat nervously, every sense on high alert, scanning the surroundings for any sign of monster attacks.

But Dian Shao simply walked past them, expressionless, without so much as a glance in their direction. He strode directly to a colossal painting hanging on the corridor wall. Mu You recognized it from the history lessons—a masterpiece said to be the supreme artistic achievement bequeathed by the civilization of the late ancient era, titled *The Last Supper*. Legend had it that the painting had vanished without a trace during the great calamity sixteen years ago. Who would have guessed that Death Row Paradise had gotten its hands on it, and that this priceless work of art, worth untold billions, was casually hung on a wall like some cheap decoration?

Dian Shao stopped before the painting. Sharp, vicious claws slowly extended from his five fingers. He raked them across the faces of the figures in the painting, gouging five deep, brutal furrows into the canvas.

This was nothing short of a goddamn crime against art!

Yet the moment Dian Shao tore into the painting, Mu You heard a miserable wail escape from within the canvas. Then, thread by thread, he watched souls drift out of the painting and dissolve into his Final Punishment.

This painting... it was alive?!

What astonished Mu You even more was that the faint, ever-present sense of crisis—the one that had been gnawing at him—vanished miraculously the instant Dian Shao destroyed that painting.

"Mou You, can you make out what's going on?"

"Little brother, I'm not entirely sure either. But those creatures—there's a sliver of a living person's soul inside each of them. These humanoid things are puppeted by those soul-fragments, driving them to act. It must be the master of this place—that S-class prisoner!"

So that was it. Dian Shao... what terrifyingly sharp perception.

Suddenly, that biting, killing intent swept over them once more. Mu You's heart lurched. He shouted at once, "Destroy every painting in here, now! These lifeforms are hiding inside the paintings, waiting to strike at any moment!"

The words had barely left his mouth when several blasts of "Sovereign Flame · First Hope" thundered into the right wall. The space boomed, the ground trembled, and plaster rained down in sheets. One by one, the paintings shattered, and anguished screams rose from every direction. Wisps of soul streamed from all corners of the air, sinking into the Final Punishment.

At the same time, a jade-green ribbon-banded swallowtail butterfly flew straight along the left wall, its razor-sharp wings slicing clean through the glass of the frames. Jing Fei slammed his palm against the ground, and countless earthen spikes erupted toward the paintings. As the souls poured in without cease, a flash of warmth pulsed through Mu You's Final Punishment.

"What's wrong?"

Mu You asked immediately, terrified that something had happened to Mou You.

"These souls... they feel a lot like that sister Ruxiang's..."

At Mou You's words, Mu You's gaze did not turn to An Ruxiang. Instead, it locked onto the great door at the far end of the corridor. Five droplets of crimson-gold blood beaded on his palm.

"Burning Silence · Crimson Lotus."

A phantom crimson-gold lotus bloomed instantly upon the door. Its five petals, once touched by the golden blood, grew ever more sensual and dewy. An Ruxiang's ribbon-banded swallowtail butterfly shot straight into the lotus, detonating it.

Boom!

The door exploded into splinters. Mu You and the others broke into a desperate sprint. This place was far too dangerous—no time to waste. Get out, now!

---

Through the murky haze of smoke, a massive figure blocked their path. Mu You recognized it as Dian Shao and deliberately moved aside, darting past him.

But a large hand seized Mu You by the scruff of the neck without a word, hurling him into the air. Just as he was about to land, a fist slammed into him and blasted him clear across the corridor.

It all happened in an instant. Mu You took the blow square in the chest, flew the entire length of the hallway, and crashed heavily into the wall above the entrance.

"Didn't I tell you not to make so much damn noise?" Dian Shao's voice remained utterly devoid of emotion.

Jing Fei and An Ruxiang's eyes went cold as ice. They shot backward toward Mu You, their bodies flaring with pale blue and ochre yellow light—the unmistakable prelude to a fully-powered Spirit Word.

Boom!

But before the two could even get close, Mu You tore himself free of the crater in the wall. Beneath his pitch-black pupils burned blood-red eyeshadow, and the crimson-gold phoenix feathers radiated an aura of absolute, unbridled dominance. The man himself became a cannonball, hurtling straight at Dian Shao!

Mu You was furious!

I've been crawling through this place acting like your obedient little dog since I got here, and you think you can lord it over me like some big shot? I'll carve you into a goddamn mutt!

All ten blasts of "Sovereign Flame · First Hope" struck Dian Shao at once, each one carrying the full weight of annihilation. Even the reinforced stone corridors—meant to withstand anything—collapsed in that single instant, reduced to rubble!