Chapter 320: Leave It to Fate

Chapter 320: At Fate’s Mercy

In dangerous territory, facing strangers.

Even the noblest must stay alert for treachery.

Though they’d met and tentatively agreed, both still held back.

Wan Yilan disguised herself as Yu Youniang, while Xu Lu deliberately concealed his martial lineage.

Now the truth was out.

Back in Madam Wan’s hidden chamber, Su Mo had once used the Qiankun Acupoint Technique on Wan Yilan.

When Xu Lu used it now, she immediately recognized his origins.

As for Wan Yilan and Wan Zangxin’s demeanor—even if Xu Lu weren’t sharp, even a fool would’ve known who she was.

But now wasn’t the time for talk. While Jun Luo and Madam Wan were battling, Xu Lu had to quickly rescue Wan Yutang.

Wan Yutang stared, baffled: *Who are these people?*

Seeing Xu Lu approach to remove the hooks embedded in his flesh, he hastily whispered,

“Who the hell *are* you? Quiet! Mind your own business and scram!”

“Quiet. These hooks are dug deep—most have grown into your flesh. You ready to hurt?”

“???”

Before he could respond, Xu Lu yanked hard, and with a spurt of blood, a hook ripped out, taking flesh with it.

Wan Yutang’s scar-riddled face showed no visible reaction, though he let out a muffled grunt.

Wan Zangxin’s chest tightened at the sight, and he hurried forward.

But though he opened his mouth, no words came out.

Wan Yutang’s single remaining eye swept over them one by one.

“Go! That harpy can’t stall Jun Luo forever. If you don’t leave now… you’ll never escape!

“These things on me can’t be removed—especially the fiendish lock on my collarbone. It’s from the *Heavenly Craft Compendium*.

“It won’t come off unless I’m dead.

“Don’t throw your lives away on a dead man walking…”

His gaze then settled on Wan Zangxin, and he grinned, his face contorting.

“Boy, you almost died for *nothing*. Spit curses—anything to make the boy *leave*. Go now, and never return to this cursed place…

“Live *long*… and stay safe.”

As he spoke, his body shook. His good eye stayed dry, but from the hollow where his other eye had been, tears seeped down.

Words choked him, but he bit them back.

His fists clenched and unclenched, his lips parting and closing. He pushed the boy away from this hell.

By the time he finished speaking, the faint tremor in his voice betrayed his true emotions.

A real man seldom cries—unless his heart is truly shattered.

Faced with this disfigured old man hurling curses, Wan Zangxin was already in tears, shaking his head stubbornly.

"You damned idiot!!"

Seeing Wan Zangxin shake his head, Wan Yutang exploded in fury, hissing through gritted teeth:

"Get out now, don’t throw your life away pointlessly.

"Even if your parents perished, they wouldn’t want to see you lose your life so young.

"If possible... they, they’d only want you to thrive...

"Better than they ever could!

"Get out now, or it’ll be too late."

As Xu Lu listened to his rambling, he also found that Wan Yutang’s body, riddled with grappling hooks, gave him a headache.

Jun Luo’s cruelty knew no bounds—his heart was pitch-black. The hooks had burrowed deep into his bones, and after so many years, they had long fused with the flesh.

Even if they were ripped out, Wan Yutang would be completely immobilized.

Moreover, if what he said was true and there was indeed an "Xuanxin Lock" on his collarbone, then saving him would be next to impossible.

Glancing up, he saw Madam Wan and Wusheng Hall’s masters still battling Jun Luo.

Yet with each casual gesture, Jun Luo claimed another life.

He wasn’t blind to the chaos around him—only that his occasional glances dripped with mockery.

Was this all just a game to him?

In truth, with this man’s skill, even if they managed to rescue someone, it would be impossible to escape the Endless Prison.

What the hell could they do?

If only his master, Su Mo, were here—this bastard wouldn’t stand a chance!

As thoughts raced through his mind, their best bet was to fall back for now.

If they fetched Su Mo, success was guaranteed.

But once they left, who knew what would happen here?

Wan Zangxin had just been on the brink of death—if they left and returned, they might only find corpses to save.

Just as he was agonizing over this, a figure suddenly cut through the crowd and arrived before them.

It was Wan Yilan’s senior brother.

His gaze swept over them, and he immediately understood the situation. He pulled out a broken sword from his sleeve:

"Easy, everyone. While fleeing earlier, I picked up something useful.

"Brother Wan is a master of swordsmanship—perhaps he can try this blade."

As Li Xuechun spoke, he handed the broken sword to Wan Zangxin.

Wan Zangxin was momentarily stunned but did not hesitate. Li Xuechun wouldn’t say this unless he had some confidence in his heart.

"Step aside, brother."

These words were directed at Xu Lu.

Xu Lu hesitated slightly before quickly moving away from Wan Yutang's side, muttering as he went:

"I shouldn’t... I shouldn’t..."

Wan Zangxin was friends with Su Mo, while he himself was Su Mo's disciple. By seniority, he was clearly a generation below Wan Zangxin. If Wan Zangxin called him "brother," how should he address Su Mo?

Wan Zangxin had no idea what was going through his mind and had no time to dwell on such matters at the moment. With a flick of his wrist, a blade’s gleam flashed.

In an instant, a tidal wave of sword energy surged forth, striking the chains and severing them instantly.

His spirits lifted, and he unleashed a flurry of sword strikes.

With a rapid *snap-snap-snap*, all the chains were cut apart.

Wan Yutang had been standing solely because of those chains. Now that they were broken, he crumpled instantly.

Wan Zangxin hurriedly stepped forward, taking the weight on his shoulders.

Wan Yutang fumed:

"Squandering effort on a worthless cripple like me—you damned brat, you ought to die!"

Wan Zangxin, however, barked a laugh, seizing his wrist in one hand while dragging Wan Yilan with the other. He glanced around, at a loss for direction.

Wan Yilan pointed in a direction, and they bolted.

Jun Luo, of course, saw everything.

He frowned slightly:

"Must you keep up this hopeless fight, madam?

"Your *Mystical Maiden Art* has been cultivated to this level with great difficulty.

"So many vigorous men’s lives have been wasted for it...

"What a waste it’d be if it were all ruined by my hands?"

"You dare mention that!?"

Madam Wan exploded in fury.

She was originally from the Hou family, the leading house of the Western Borderlands, a prestigious local family.

Though she’d married Wan Yutang with hidden intentions, she had kept her virtue before and after the wedding.

Wan Yutang had never touched her, and the thought of another man never crossed her mind.

Yet, she never expected that Jun Luo, impersonating Wan Yutang, would defile her.

At that time, though she was angry, she didn’t dwell on it.

After all, in the eyes of outsiders, Jun Luo was Wan Yutang, so her reputation as Madam Wan remained intact. She was still the revered wife of the Wusheng Hall Master in the eyes of the world.

Later, she gave birth to Jun Luo’s daughter.

She had thought that with this daughter, the mind games between her and Jun Luo would at least not be as fierce as before.

Yet, it was at this very moment that Jun Luo unexpectedly discovered a legendary martial art from the ruins of Da Xuan.

He shared every detail with Madam Wan, teaching her everything he knew.

At first, Madam Wan was overjoyed, believing that if the two of them worked together like this, their future looked bright.

But as she practiced, she noticed something off about the martial art.

Especially as her internal energy grew stronger, her body felt increasingly hollow, with a relentless inner fire.

Meanwhile, Jun Luo was often away during that time. Even when he occasionally returned, he brushed off her pleas.

This only caused her inner flames to roar hotter.

It felt as if a beast was thrashing in her chest, pounding against its gates, desperate to break free and devour someone.

That period was short, yet to Madam Wan, it felt agonizingly drawn-out, each day a struggle between giving in and holding back.

Finally, the beast broke free from her chest, no longer suppressible.

Yet, she never expected that in one night's time, lives would be lost.

When she awoke, though she felt her internal energy had grown stronger, the person beside her was already a corpse—pale and still.

Just as she panicked, Jun Luo happened to return.

Seeing this, he immediately lashed out at her.

At the time, Madam Wan believed she was truly at fault. After begging tearfully, Jun Luo refrained from exposing the matter.

But from then on, the beast within could no longer be restrained.

Over time, Madam Wan realized she had likely been duped.

Reviewing all the martial arts she had practiced, the one taught by Jun Luo was the prime suspect.

Thus, she confronted Jun Luo.

By then, Jun Luo no longer concealed anything and laid bare the truth to her.

What she had been practicing was, in fact, a forbidden technique—

called the "Profound Charming Celestial Maiden Technique."

This technique allowed her to drain others’ vitality to strengthen herself. With moderation, the victim would merely feel weak for a few days, but without restraint, they would drop dead on the spot.

Worse still, there was no going back once started.

Once she had gotten a taste, resisting its allure became nearly impossible.

By then, Madam Wan was already thoroughly corrupted, past the point of no return.

Moreover, the leverage of the "Seven Valid Excuses for Repudiation" had fallen into Jun Luo's hands. He bluntly stated that if she dared to scheme against him again, he would destroy her completely.

Thus, the two-year game of schemes ended in Madam Wan's defeat.

Yet, this only deepened her hatred for Jun Luo, fueling her ambition to an uncontrollable frenzy.

Through relentless effort and enduring humiliation, she set today's rebellion in motion.

But to her shock, the "Wan Yutang" she had fought tooth and nail to capture was not the real one.

The true object of her hatred stood right before her eyes.

Now, hearing him shamelessly mention the *Mystic Charming Celestial Maiden Art*, her rage exploded like wildfire, and her attacks grew even more ferocious.

Jun Luo, however, burst into laughter with contempt:

"A firefly mocking the sun?

"That gutter-born technique of yours—how can the inner power it cultivates compare to my *Yixuan Divine Art*?"

As he spoke, he crossed his palms before him, his qi swirling like a typhoon. Cyclonic winds surged around him, and with a sudden motion, he unleashed his strike.

The *Great Transformation Transcendence Sutra*, amplified by the *Yixuan Divine Art*, exploded outward in all directions.

In an instant, the besiegers felt a mountain’s weight crushing them, rendering them immobile.

Venomous tendrils of force seeped into their limbs and bones.

Those with weaker inner power were instantly pierced by the *Great Transformation Transcendence Sutra*'s force—their muscles shriveled like mummies, their bodies turning corpse-gray as they fell dead on the spot.

Even the three Hall Masters could not withstand the assault.

Blood geysered from their mouths as they were sent flying, shattering the red silk banners before crashing spine-first into the ground.

Amid the tearing of fabric and the fluttering of crimson shreds, Jun Luo scythed through the air like a blade, closing the distance to Madam Wan in an instant.

Madam Wan raised her hands in serpent-quick hand seals, forming a seal before her chest.

A mind-rending chorus suddenly filled the air, accompanied by a soul-numbing perfume that clouded the mind.

She paused briefly before thrusting her seal forward—

Directly meeting Jun Luo's palm.

For a fleeting moment, Jun Luo saw countless celestial maidens encircling him, embracing him in a suffocating illusion of paradise meant to melt a hero's resolve.

The overwhelming fragrance sought to shatter his will.

But with a laugh, he shut his eyes and shattered the mirage with a mental roar—the maidens vanished instantly.

Channeling his immense inner power, he pushed forward with a palm strike carrying the weight of landslides.

Madam Wan's face paled as the snap of greenwood breaking erupted across her body.

Her meridians shattered one by one, the force surging straight to her heart.

She was hurled backward, spine-first into the wall, before collapsing unconscious.

After delivering the strike, Jun Luo retracted his arm, gently lowering it as he reclaimed his scattered qi, like a general sheathing his sword.

With a sweeping glance and a slight shake of his head, he pursued the direction in which Xu Lu and Wan Zangxin had fled.

Muttering to himself:

"No matter how desperately you resist, it's just prolonging the inevitable..."

......

......

The group rushed down the corridor.

Wan Yilan had previously studied the maze's layout in Madam Wan's secret chamber.

Before, using this knowledge, she had led Xu Lu deep into the Endless Prison's core.

Now, retracing their steps, though with some delay, they still managed to find their way out of the maze.

But when they entered a slightly curved corridor, they were at a loss for which path to take.

Far too many doors lay before them.

Everyone instinctively looked to Wan Yilan, but she looked distressed:

"I... I don't know either."

Though she had memorized the maze's layout, she didn't possess Su Mo's photographic memory.

Expecting her to choose now was asking too much.

Seeing this, Wan Zangxin gave a faint smile and gently squeezed Wan Yilan's hand.

Then, in a soft voice, he said:

"At this point, we'll have to trust to luck."

The others nodded in agreement, but Wan Yutang exploded:

"How can we trust to luck?

"That Western Frontier battle-axe won't keep Jun Luo at bay for long.

"Dragging along a cripple like me, how will you get through this trap-filled Endless Prison?

"Do this—leave me here. I'll hold him off...

"With your skills, getting out of here should be easy.

"Get backup, then come back for me."

"...So we can come back to your funeral?"

Having put up with his complaining the whole way, Wan Zangxin finally couldn't hold back:

"Wan Yutang, shut your mouth!"

"What did you call me?"

Wan Yutang flared up instantly. "I used your name—got a problem with that? You won't even acknowledge me. Between us, we might as well be strangers now?"

"So what if I call you by your name?"

"You... you little brat...

"This is beyond ridiculous!"

By now, Wan Yutang sounded less sure of himself.

"You’re the unreasonable one!!"

Wan Zangxin grew even angrier:

"After how you acted today, and how Jun Luo carried himself, who do you think you’re kidding?

"Do you take me for a fool, or do you think Jun Luo is some worthless nobody?

"Do you really believe that just because you refuse to acknowledge me, Jun Luo won’t kill me?

"You know better than anyone how ruthless he is!"

"You... you have no heart.

"You left me and Mom at Clearwater Lake after promising you’d come back for us.

"Mom always said you’d come back...

"That you just had something important to handle.

"Once you finished that big job... you’d come back to reunite with us.

"But... but you never came back, not even when she died...

"You were never there!!"

"I..."

Wan Yutang opened his mouth to speak, but the words died in his throat.

"Just shut up!"

Wan Zangxin refused to let him speak, gritting his teeth as he said:

"After everything I’ve been through to find you...

"And this is how you act?!

"Do you want me to lose you right after I found you?

"Why haven’t you talked to me since last night?

"You... if you’d just told me who you were sooner, revealed our relationship earlier...

"Anything would’ve been better than this!"

"I... I..."

Wan Yutang’s one good eye welled with grief:

"Zangxin... my boy!"

"Father is done for, now just a broken man.

"What difference does it make whether you acknowledge me or not?

"Leave me here and go. Go far away and never return."

"I won't abandon you."

Wan Zangxin shook his head vehemently, his gaze turning to Wan Yilan and the others:

"There's no escape now. Whatever path we take, life or death is up to fate.

"But if that man truly catches up, we, father and son, will block the way, hoping to buy you time to flee.

"Chief Escort Su is currently within Wusheng Hall.

"If you can make it out, have him come investigate this place... Maybe he can still save us."

Wan Yilan froze at his words, shaking her head. Just as she was about to speak, a thunderous series of explosions erupted from behind them. One by one, the passageways were sealed off by stone doors.

As everyone turned to look, a voice echoed from afar:

"A father and son reunited—*how very touching*.

"Pity... today, no one can save your lives."