Mu Dishi's gaze fell on the last people leaving the arena. He saw Ma Jingguo being carried away, and a feeling of relief, hollow and bittersweet, settled in his heart. This was what he had wanted. He knew that if he hadn't struck Ma Jingguo, Ma Jingguo would never have left.
The thought of Ma Jingguo staying, of being forced to fight and die by his side against Wang Zedong and Wang Biming, was a fate he could not bear. His powerful strike was not an act of hatred but a terrible choice—a cruel necessity to force him to leave. The only way to save Ma Jingguo was to hurt him.
Mu Dishi looked at the enemies before him, a grim resolve hardening his features. This cycle of hatred had consumed countless lives, and he knew it had to end. He would end it today.
Mu Dishi flew back, his gaze fixed on the arena's front door for one last time. Seeing Ma Jingguo's unconscious face brought a flood of memories—the years they spent together, the brief, happy moments that were now a lifetime ago. A bittersweet smile touched his lips, and a single tear rolled from his left eye. He didn't regret a single moment.
With a quiet finality, he whispered, "Jingguo, goodbye."
He then stood straight, his expression hardening with a grim resolve. Reaching for his belt, he unhooked two golden bells and, with a soft click, separated them. A shiny guzheng string appeared. He gathered all of his internal energy into his fingertips, pulled the string taut, and released it. With a soft yet powerful whoosh, the "together in hell" was unleashed, a weapon of absolute power aimed directly at Wang Zedong.
As a blinding flash of light from the Killer String shot toward him, Wang Zedong reacted instantly, pushing Wang Biming off the roof and into the courtyard below. At the same time, he and the five elders gathered their strength, unleashing a unified surge of energy to meet the attack.
The Killer String and the combined Devil Fist slammed into each other with a cataclysmic force. The two energies became a chaotic maelstrom, ripping every tile from the roof and sending them flying into the air. The five elders of the Yueguang sect were unable to withstand the backlash. They were protecting Wang Zedong from the full force of the Killer String, and the immense power tore them in two at the waist.
Both Mu Dishi and Wang Zedong felt the blow to their internal organs. They fell to their knees and, in a moment of shared agony, vomited streams of blood onto the ruined roof.
Wang Biming and Miao Mingzhu flew to the roof, landing beside Wang Zedong to help him.
Wang Zedong groaned, a guttural grunt of pain. "Ming'er, kill him."
"Father..." Wang Biming started, his voice a desperate plea.
"Ming'er!" Wang Zedong roared, pointing a trembling finger at Mu Dishi. "Kill him! If you don't kill him today, he will kill you. Kill him!" He vomited more blood.
Mu Dishi looked at Wang Biming, his voice as cold as ice. "Your father is correct. If you don't kill me now, I will kill you."
Wang Biming's eyes were filled with torment. "Is our past not enough for you to forgive me?" he asked, his voice a heartbreaking whisper.
"No," Mu Dishi said, his voice a cold, cutting refusal. "Because you poisoned Long da ye, which led to the slaughter of seventy-one innocent people who loved you like family."
"Dishi," Wang Biming pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation, "I don't want to kill you. Please don't blame me. I was riding on a tiger's back and couldn't get off."
Mu Dishi's gaze remained unmoved. "Say whatever you want to say," he said, his voice a chilling, dismissive retort. "I don't care."
Mo Ehuang rushed back to the temple, her eyes widening as she saw the bloodied and injured Mu Dishi. In an instant, she recognized her grim opportunity—this was her only chance to avenge her father.
She flew behind him, her sword held tight in her right hand. "If you don't want to kill him, then I will!" she screamed.
With a vengeful shriek, Mo Ehuang plunged her sword into Mu Dishi's right shoulder blade. She screamed again, forcing the blade deeper and deeper, until it finally pierced through his flesh and emerged from his front chest.
A maniacal laugh erupted from Mo Ehuang. "In the end," she cackled, her eyes fixed on Mu Dishi, "you died in my hands!" She pushed the sword deeper. "You ruined my life!"
"Mu ge!" Fu Yuanjun shouted, rushing back to the temple. But a wave of fire arrows from an unseen force rained down, forcing him to halt.
Meanwhile, Mu Dishi, with a shocking display of internal strength, forced the sword from his shoulder. The blade shot backward, the hilt striking Mo Ehuang on the chest with a powerful thud that sent her staggering back. The force of the blow was staggering, but her fury was relentless. Without a moment's hesitation, she rushed at him again.
A single fire arrow streaked through the air and hit Mo Ehuang squarely in the left chest. Instead of pain, a triumphant gleam lit up her eyes. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Mu Dishi.
"Mu Dishi," she whispered, her voice a chilling mix of glee and madness. "Let's go to hell together. Let's burn together in hell for the bad things we've both done."
With a final, deranged laugh, she pushed both of them hard, sending them plummeting from the rooftop and into the burning temple below. "I'm so happy to die with you!" she shrieked, her laughter echoing even as they vanished into the raging inferno.
Wang Biming and Miao Mingzhu helped the severely injured Wang Zedong from the burning roof. As a flood of onlookers poured into the temple courtyard, the three of them made a hurried escape, vaulting over the temple wall to get away.
Meanwhile, Fu Yuanjun and the monks raced toward the raging inferno. Many people, including members of the Tianshan and Shaolin sects, joined together in a unified effort to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading.
Ma Jingguo slowly opened his eyes, a groggy haze clouding his vision. He shook his head, clearing the fog, and realized with a jolt that he had woken up to the sight of a burning temple. His gaze darted around twice before settling on Bazar Batu.
"Where is xiao shushu?" he asked, his voice raw.
Bazar Batu turned away, refusing to answer.
"Batu," Ma Jingguo pleaded again, his voice rising with frantic urgency. "Where is xiao shushu?"
"Ma ge, please stay calm," Bazar Batu stammered, his words halting. "He…"
"He what?!" Ma Jingguo shouted, his voice a desperate demand.
Bazar Batu's voice was barely a whisper. "He fell into that burning temple."
Ma Jingguo shook his head, a wave of denial washing over him. "He's still alive. He may have escaped."
"Yes," Bazar Batu said, the word a cryptic and sorrowful confirmation. "That is correct."
Yan Zhanjin let out a cynical laugh. "Are you kidding me? He was already seriously injured by Wang Zedong. Then he was stabbed by Mo Ehuang and pushed from the roof into a burning temple. No matter how powerful he is, he has no chance of making it out alive."
Chen Dandan glared at him and pinched his arm. "Shixiong…"
"What?" Yan Zhanjin asked with a dismissive shrug. "I only said what's true."
Chen Dandan's retort was final and cutting. "No one is asking for your opinion."
After the fire was finally extinguished, a grim silence fell over the ruin of what was once a beautiful meditation hall. The roof had collapsed, leaving nothing but a charred husk. A group of young martial artists, their faces pale, surveyed the devastating aftermath.
Inside the burned-out temple, a horrifying sight awaited them: five corpses, each severed at the waist, a testament to the brutal force of the earlier battle. It was clear that they were the fallen five elders of the Yueguang Sect. In a quiet corner, two more bodies lay tangled together. Fu Yuanjun's eyes welled up with tears as he looked at them.
A grim understanding washed over Ma Jingguo as he saw the sorrow on Fu Yuanjun's face. He knew what he was thinking.
With a desperate rush, Ma Jingguo lunged toward the charred remains. He gently moved the top corpse away from the bottom one. It was a heart-stopping discovery: the charred right hand of the bottom corpse was still tightly clasped around Mu Dishi's golden bell. Ma Jingguo's legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.
Yan Zhanjin walked over and inspected the bodies. "The one holding the bell is a female," he said, his voice quiet and somber. "This must be Mo Ehuang." He looked at Ma Jingguo, his eyes filled with sadness. "The other corpse is a male. From its position, Mo Ehuang must have pushed Mu Dishi into the burning flames right here."
"You mean this person is…" Bazar Batu asked, his voice a hesitant whisper.
Yan Zhanjin gave a solemn confirmation. "I believe this person is Mu Dishi."
A profound sense of regret washed over Ma Jingguo. He snatched the golden bell from Mo Ehuang's lifeless hands, a bitter reminder that he had once prevented Mu Dishi from killing her. Guilt and rage surged through him, and he stood up, kicking Mo Ehuang's charred body with a savage, uncontrolled fury.
"What are you doing?" Yan Zhanjin shouted, pulling him away. "No matter how bad she was, we must respect the dead."
Kuo Lok, Bazar Batu, and Fu Yuanjun had to hold Ma Jingguo back as he screamed in pain.
Just then, Kuo Changchang walked in, her voice a quiet, soothing presence. "Ah Chen…"
Ma Jingguo looked at her, and his fierce rage instantly melted into a profound vulnerability. "Shijie," he sobbed, collapsing into her arms. "I am hurting. I am hurting."
"I know," Kuo Changchang whispered, holding him tight.
Watching Kuo Changchang comfort Ma Jingguo, a profound realization washed over Kuo Lok. In that quiet moment of shared grief, he finally understood that she no longer harbored any resentment toward him. She was comforting him not as a past enemy, but as an elder sister comforting her beloved younger brother.
Clinging to her in a desperate embrace, Ma Jingguo cried into her shoulder, his body wracked with raw grief. "I want to go home with xiao shushu," he sobbed.
His voice broke into a heartbreaking whisper. "Shijie... I no longer have a home to return to."
His sobs were the only sound, a hollow echo in Kuo Changchang's arms.