Chapter 331: The Finale

“Bold.” Xuanwu coldly snapped. “You have five seconds to ask your question.”

“You crazy bitch!!!” Earth Snake felt a surge of panic in his chest, his legs going weak. The iron ball he had barely managed to lift crashed to the ground. “Hurry, hurry, hurry! What the hell are you rushing for?!”

Xuanwu waited silently outside the door for a few seconds before reaching out and opening it.

But the way she opened the door was different from others—she pulled it sideways, and the wooden door instantly crumbled into dust.

“Earth Snake. Rule violation. Death.”

Xuanwu flicked her hand lightly, and all the metal in front of her seemed to be sliced apart by some unseen force, trembling before shattering into tiny cubes that scattered across the floor like beans.

However, she had used considerable force—the walls on either side of Earth Snake’s room were also cleaved open, revealing Chen Junnan and Xu Qian to each other.

“Earth Snake. Dead.”

Earth Snake took one look at Xuanwu and immediately collapsed onto the floor.

“Wait!!” he screamed. “I—I can make the call now! I’ll call right away!!”

“Too late.”

“Too… late?”

With a surge of desperation, Earth Snake’s eyes widened. Before Xuanwu could even move, he thrust his palm straight toward her chest.

Xuanwu didn’t dodge. She simply let his hand pass through her body.

Earth Snake felt as though his fingers had plunged into a bundle of dry straw—empty and loose, devoid of any solid resistance.

Xuanwu’s body was nothing like flesh and blood.

“Oh…?” Xuanwu paused slightly, a glimmer of delight flashing in her eyes. “You wanted to kill me?”

Hearing those words, every drop of blood in Earth Snake’s body turned to ice.

“I was wrong! Wrong, wrong!” He yanked his hand back violently. “I didn’t dare kill you… It was all a misunderstanding!”

“You didn’t even dare to kill me…”

The delight in Xuanwu’s eyes slowly faded into disappointment. Then, she raised her hand and clenched it gently in midair.

A dark crimson object appeared in her grasp.

Upon closer inspection, it was a still-beating heart—reeking of rot and decay.

“Ahhh!!” Earth Snake clutched his chest and screamed. “You insane bitch! Why won’t you let me go?!”

Completely unhinged, he continued to curse: “You don’t even wear clothes! Do you know what kind of trash you are?! Who the hell do you think you are to kill me?!”

“Bold.” Xuanwu squeezed lightly, and the purple-red heart burst like fireworks in her hand.

Earth Snake gasped, spewing a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground, clutching his chest.

Chen Junnan and Xu Qian had witnessed everything, but they could only stare in silence, not daring to make a single sound.

Xu Qian even covered her mouth with her hand.

The woman named Xuanwu was utterly terrifying. Her hair draped over her like clothing, yet her icy gaze pierced through the strands, sending chills down anyone’s spine.

Her method of killing was anything but ordinary—neither enhanced physical strength nor an Echo. It was more like… magic.

“Heh… cough…” Earth Snake wasn’t quite dead yet, crawling weakly across the floor. “At least… I didn’t leave… empty-handed…”

He inched closer to Xuanwu. “The most feared woman… in the entire ‘Land of the End’… cough… Since I’m dying anyway… I’ll touch you… see how you’re different from the rest…”

He pushed aside the long hair that fell to Xuanwu’s feet and reached for her leg.

Xuanwu flicked her wrist, and Earth Snake’s entire arm flew off.

“Bold.”

Xuanwu raised both hands, her fingers moving as though plucking an invisible guqin. In an instant, Earth Snake’s body was diced into pieces, like meat hacked apart by wild blades.

Each segment twitched before falling still.

The wicked Earth-level Zodiac had died in Xuanwu’s hands like livestock.

“Gamble concluded,” Xuanwu murmured. “Game over.”

With a gentle wave of her hand, all the room doors opened. From most of them, pulverized flesh and blood spilled out, forming a grotesque river of gore that reeked of decay.

“Your ‘Dao’ is here.” Xuanwu gestured, and forty-eight Dao flew from the central podium, landing silently on the ground. “Earth Snake’s corpse and the arena are yours to divide. Farewell.”

The four surviving players—Yan Zhichun, Zhong Zhen, Xu Qian, and Yun Yao—stepped out, looking around. Xuanwu was nowhere to be seen—she had already left.

“Where’s Chen Junnan?!” Yun Yao was the first to react, rushing to the neighboring room to check.

A single glance made her breath catch.

Chen Junnan’s entire body was covered in deep gashes from iron spikes. The sheer amount of blood made it hard to distinguish individual wounds at a glance.

“Chen…”

Yun Yao ran to his side, examining him. He was still bleeding profusely. “You… what happened?”

Xu Qian followed closely behind.

This was the first time she had really looked at Chen Junnan’s face. Based on his voice, she had imagined him as some sleazy guy, but he was actually quite handsome.

“Hey… are you dying?” Xu Qian asked.

“Huh? That voice—Qian-jie, is that you?” Chen Junnan forced himself to stand. “Didn’t expect you to be such a beauty… I’m fine, really. I still gotta go back and brag to Old Qi—no way I’m kicking the bucket here.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his body gave out like a falling tree. Yun Yao quickly caught him.

Chen Junnan felt unnaturally light.

Xu Qian hesitated, then silently withdrew her hand. The girl beside him seemed to be his partner—both of them were good-looking, probably a couple.

“Big star… let go of me…” Chen Junnan steadied himself and pushed Yun Yao’s hand away. “I’ve stood tall since I was a kid—no need to trouble you…”

“Stop acting,” Yun Yao said helplessly. “If I don’t hold you up, you won’t even make it back…”

“I’m not afraid of death,” Chen Junnan chuckled. “But yeah, I’m not in great shape. I’ll just find a nice spot to die in a bit—you can take care of spreading my glorious legacy…”

“Quit the nonsense,” Yun Yao said. “Stand up. I’ll carry you back.”

“You…?” Chen Junnan laughed weakly. “Don’t wanna wear you out…”

“I’ve danced for ten years—I’ve got better stamina than most. Your room has a doctor, right?” Yun Yao slung his arm over her shoulder. “If we find one, you might still make it.”

Chen Junnan looked uncomfortable, his arm twitching as if he wanted to pull away.

“Wow…” Yun Yao couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t overthink it. I’m not into guys.”

“I know… just feels a bit awkward…”

As they spoke, a sudden noise came from the other side. Xu Qian and the two turned to see Zhong Zhen, his face covered in blood, lunging at Yan Zhichun and grabbing her by the throat.