Chapter 1163: Liberation

Upon hearing Jiang Shi utter “Heart come,” the people inside the low-rise building instantly formed a tightly-knit “supply chain.”

“Displacement” Ma Shier used his conviction to slightly move Luo Shiwu’s corpse into Officer Li’s line of sight.

Officer Li immediately activated “Pluck from the Pouch,” retrieving a fresh, blood-drenched heart from his pocket, then turned and handed it to Song Qi. Song Qi briefly caressed it before passing it to “Shuttle” Cui Shisi.

Cui Shisi tossed the heart into the circle before him, which directly connected to the circle in front of Jiang Shi.

Under the effect of “Shuttle,” the heart leaped to Jiang Shi, falling from the ring into his hands.

All of this was completed within three seconds—Xuanwu didn’t even notice the trick.

But from the high-rise building, Su Shan’s eyes widened in shock. In that brief moment, the ripples of movement were too numerous, their coordination so seamless and execution so practiced that it left her dizzy.

“Xuanwu…” Jiang Shi said, “Like you, I can take organs from others. But unlike you—”

“What…?”

“If you’ve already taken someone’s heart, why bother crushing it yourself…?” Jiang Shi countered.

“Then what would *you* do?”

“Stab it.” Jiang Shi raised the heart in his hand.

The command “Stab it!” left the group in the low-rise momentarily baffled—this wasn’t part of their prearranged plan.

“What the hell does ‘stab it’ mean…?” Luo Shiyi asked. “Did we discuss this?”

“Little Jiang Shi seems to be getting carried away…” Bai Jiu muttered. “Quick, find something sharp…”

They exchanged uneasy glances. In this rundown old house, even scrap metal was hard to come by—how could they possibly find a sharp object on the spot?

“I’ll try…!” “Lushwood” Liu Ershiyi stepped forward, exchanging a glance with “Wild Growth” Ning Shiba. The two immediately positioned themselves by the window.

“Lushwood” closed his eyes. A second later, a cluster of small agave plants sprouted from the ground behind Jiang Shi, their leaves rigid and razor-sharp.

“Wild Growth” then activated his conviction, enlarging the agave leaves to massive proportions. “Displacement” Ma Shier swiftly intervened, manipulating several leaves to fly up and precisely impale the heart in Jiang Shi’s hand.

Jiang Shi’s single command had kept everyone busy, yet he remained unfazed, calmly examining his hand.

“Right, leaves will do,” he added.

Xuanwu stared in stunned silence. In terms of “telekinetic manipulation,” this small figure before him was undeniably superior.

“How was that saying again…?” Jiang Shi mused, weighing the heart now studded with agave leaves before nodding. “Ah, yes. Xuanwu—**face this heart.**”

Before Xuanwu could process the words, Jiang Shi hurled the spiked heart straight at him.

Midair, the heart twisted, heated up, and sparked—Xuanwu instinctively raised his remaining left arm to block.

**BOOM!!**

A deafening explosion erupted as the heart shattered into fragments.

Xuanwu slowly lifted his head, staring at the smoke and debris in the air, utterly speechless.

“Xuanwu… still don’t believe I can replace you?” Jiang Shi pressed.

Xuanwu remained silent, lost in thought.

“Fine… if you insist…” Jiang Shi spread his arms again. **”Wind, come!!”**

“Ah, my turn…” Gale Qiu Ershi hurried forward, summoning a moderate whirlwind around Jiang Shi, shredding the floating debris into threads.

**”Rain, come!!”** Jiang Shi shouted, wings flaring.

Bai Jiu blinked. “Wait—am *I* supposed to handle ‘rain come’?”

“You’re ‘Liquefaction,’ Ninth Sis…” Luo Shiyi said. “Who else?”

“But there’s nothing to liquefy here…” Bai Jiu protested. “How am I supposed to make rain out of thin air?”

“Displacement” Ma Shier sighed. “I have an idea, but… it might involve borrowing Little Fifteen’s corpse again…”

“Tch…” Bai Jiu hesitated, then understood. “Well… fine. But I can’t guarantee how *disturbing* this’ll look.”

“Doesn’t matter. We’ll apologize to Little Fifteen later!”

With that, Luo Shiwu’s corpse levitated into the air. Before Jiang Shi could react, the body began melting mid-flight.

A sparse drizzle of blood and flesh descended between them—the scene fell eerily silent.

“Gale” Qiu Ershi quickly summoned another gust, dispersing the crimson rain more evenly.

Xuanwu watched the macabre downpour, once again lost in silence, as if his thoughts had drifted beyond the heavens.

“Xuanwu…” Jiang Shi took a step forward. **”Do you believe me now?”**

“I…”

“You don’t have to suffer anymore,” Jiang Shi said. **”I’ll take over. I’ll endure all the pain, guard all the rules. You can rest now.”**

“You…”

Though Xuanwu’s body resembled a boundless cosmos, it trembled faintly.

“Give me your eyes,” Jiang Shi urged. “They’re the only thing only *you* can ‘pluck.'”

“I… can’t…” Xuanwu shuddered, locked in an internal struggle.

Up in the high-rise, Yun Shijiu narrowed his eyes at the distant street—then blew a sharp whistle.

Every “Cat” instantly looked up, expressions hardening.

It was the signal for **”Enemy entering the field.”**

But here… who else could possibly *enter*?

“White Tiger is coming…” Song Qi turned, grim-faced. “A few of you, come with me to *block him*—the rest, keep supporting Jiang Shi!”

“Are you insane?!” Bai Jiu grabbed his arm. “Seventh Brother, ‘blocking White Tiger’—how many lives do you think we have?!”

“No choice!” Song Qi snapped. “Jiang Shi’s *this close* to convincing Xuanwu—we can’t let anything go wrong now!”

With that, he and a few others leaped out the window. Yet to their shock, the moment White Tiger spotted Xuanwu, he *blurred* forward, landing between Xuanwu and Jiang Shi in an instant.

Song Qi cursed, rushing to shield Jiang Shi.

Xuanwu seemed oblivious to the newcomers, still catching the bloody rain in his palm.

White Tiger surveyed the chaotic scene, silent, his gaze locked onto Jiang Shi.

Xuanwu murmured, still catching droplets: **”He says he’s here to replace me… Is it true?”**

White Tiger stiffened, turning first to Xuanwu, then Jiang Shi. The fury in his clouded eyes faded, replaced by something far more complex.

**”He says I can finally die in peace… Is it true?”** Xuanwu pressed.

White Tiger’s cracked lips quivered, as if every word choked in his throat.

Finally, he rasped: **”Wu Xuan… it’s true. You’re free.”**