Chapter 59: Class Game (Twenty-Five) Part 1

After hearing the man’s words, Yun Xueqing and Fu Wuxuan both fell silent in unison.

They offered no reply, merely committing his meaningful words to memory.

At the same time, a question arose in their minds: What exactly had Li Yulin encountered during the time they were absent to form such thoughts?

Yet the man refused to answer further. Instead, he closed his eyes, heavy with the air of death, and silently issued an order for them to leave.

The two were escorted out, still pondering Li Yulin’s words.

Fu Wuxuan looked into Yun Xueqing’s eyes and smiled faintly. “Perhaps we don’t need to overthink it. Whatever happened, we’ll know once we get out.”

Li Yulin had revealed that they could escape this place only after the two of them died, but Fu Wuxuan suddenly added, “If it requires killing the two rulers, then it matches perfectly… He didn’t tell us the full information.”

His tone was unhurried, like a gently flowing stream or cold spring water striking stone—slightly low, yet clear and cold.

He explained that in the seventh layer of hell, many people were intermingled, including ruthless individuals who unhesitatingly caused their own kind to slaughter one another, as well as those powerless to stop such fratricide who chose suicide.

Fu Wuxuan curved his thin lips, his eyes filled with ice-cold resolve. “Li Yulin, corresponding to the Second Prince, is one of the suicides.”

Yun Xueqing understood his meaning. “The Crown Prince is one of the ruthless ones.”

The other man’s eyes darkened slightly. “So… we need to kill the ruthless Crown Prince.”

There was also the need to force the Second Prince to commit suicide, but he left those words unsaid.

They had to act personally, indirectly killing one person.

They certainly had to personally drive to death a living person who had weathered the Weird Domain alongside them—this feeling was exceedingly complex.

Both avoided the topic, instead saying, “Let’s go find the Crown Prince.”

They set aside Li Yulin’s matter for now; killing the Crown Prince came first.

The two hurried to the Marquis Mansion. Yun Xueqing said affirmatively, “It’s daytime now, so his Weird energy is quite weak—not much of a threat.”

They searched everywhere in the Marquis Mansion but found no sign of him. Finally, they located the Crown Prince in the study.

For some reason, he had already reverted to human form, looking almost presentable.

Yun Xueqing and Fu Wuxuan approached stealthily. The Crown Prince, who had been hunched over drawing at the desk, suddenly looked up and flashed them a sinister smile. “What do you want with me?”

Yun Xueqing paused—they could hardly say “we’ve come to kill you.” Then, Fu Wuxuan darted forward from the side, thrusting his blade straight at the Crown Prince without hesitation.

But the other man seemed to have anticipated it and dodged aside.

A creepy smile spread across the Crown Prince’s face. “So you’ve already found out… Then we have no choice but to…”

Both tensed instinctively, only to see the Crown Prince snap his fingers. People suddenly surged in from outside, weapons like knives and spears in hand, hacking and stabbing at the two!

Among them were many of the Crown Prince’s personal guards, and even a few participants in the King’s Challenge!

Though their powers had been unsealed in this world, Yun Xueqing couldn’t use Spiritual Power on a large scale, and Fu Wuxuan couldn’t employ Oracle abilities either, fearing accelerated Weirdification. Thus, they were stretched thin, managing only passive defense.

Seeing the participants join the fray against them, Yun Xueqing struggled and frowned slightly. He shouted loudly, “Kill the Crown Prince, and we can get out!”

But the participants showed no reaction upon hearing him, like controlled puppets mechanically fighting and stabbing.

Fu Wuxuan hurled books from the study at them, smashing as he frowned. “Something’s off with them.”

He instinctively glanced at the Crown Prince, whose expression was grim, only to see the man smile malevolently again and issue a command Fu Wuxuan couldn’t understand: “Obey my order—totem.”

A bad premonition surged in Fu Wuxuan’s heart. Then, Yun Xueqing, who had been swinging his blade nearby, suddenly turned the tip toward him!

Fu Wuxuan: “!”

He sensed the blade energy and barely dodged in the nick of time, but the attack came swiftly again.

As a teammate, Yun Xueqing could hold off enemies, but now turning against Fu Wuxuan, every move was a killing blow, revealing just how formidable he truly was.

Each strike and stance carried endless killing intent; the slightest carelessness could mean death.

Fu Wuxuan had no time to think, exerting all his effort to dodge, unable to spare attention for the Crown Prince nearby.

Yun Xueqing, meanwhile, had his own grievances. He felt as if his body were controlled, like a marionette manipulated by strings, performing mechanical, assembly-line actions as he attacked Fu Wuxuan.

The Other Shore Flower Seal on his arm burned like fire, the pain excruciating. Yun Xueqing immediately realized the seal was to blame.

This slave-mark-like seal could control him, forcing obedience to the Crown Prince.

Not just him—the other participants were similarly controlled by the Crown Prince, compelled to attack Fu Wuxuan together.

In a flash of insight, Yun Xueqing understood why this world had liberated their Oracle powers and Spirit Energy: wielding great power made their mutual slaughter far more dramatic.

Yun Xueqing lowered his gaze, anxiety rising in his heart as he watched Fu Wuxuan desperately evade the Oracle abilities from the other participants. His mind grew ever calmer, pondering a solution.

Everyone present except Fu Wuxuan was under the Crown Prince’s control.

Why wasn’t Fu Wuxuan controlled? Because he belonged to the Second Prince’s faction, bearing the Bamboo Leaf Mark rather than the Other Shore Flower, so he naturally didn’t obey the Crown Prince’s commands.

This seal was determined by faction alignment.

But he clearly had the task of assassinating the Crown Prince—did he truly belong to the Crown Prince’s faction?

An idea occurred to him, though he wasn’t sure if he should act on it; the risk was enormous.

Yet seeing Fu Wuxuan covered in wounds from the relentless assaults, gradually turning into a bloodied figure, Yun Xueqing knew he couldn’t delay.

He took a deep breath and declared, “I have poison from the Marquis Mansion in my body, and I must use this poison to kill the Crown Prince, so I am not part of his faction.”

Before his words even finished, a sharp pain stabbed his hand. The control over his body gradually weakened, and the Other Shore Flower Seal transformed into a Bamboo Leaf Mark.

This layer of hell’s rules had acknowledged his claim.

Fu Wuxuan, assaulted too many times, could no longer dodge effectively. He leaned weakly against Yun Xueqing, his breath faint.

Yun Xueqing’s eyes deepened. He wrapped one arm around the unconscious Fu Wuxuan while gripping the Calamity Blade with the other.

Though controlled earlier, he had barely managed to restrain his Spiritual Power, refraining from channeling it into the Calamity Blade.

Now freed, he held nothing back, pouring all his Spiritual Power into the blade. The pitch-black body glowed with a layer of eerie blue light, illuminating the dim study brightly.

With composure, Yun Xueqing slammed the blade into the floor. The ground shattered instantly, cracks spiderwebbing outward to form a massive pit, with blade energy radiating from the sword as the center!

The blade energy howled, eliciting wails from myriad ghosts wherever it passed!

One strike shattered mountains and rivers!

The attackers were all blasted away. The study collapsed, paper fragments fluttering amid the debris, and half the Marquis Mansion lay in ruins!

The Crown Prince, who had seemed assured of victory, stared in terror at this unassuming, mild-mannered young man. “Don’t kill me! I know you are…”

Yun Xueqing’s face remained expressionless, frosted with chill, his gaze icy. “You deserve to die.”

Without waiting for the Crown Prince to finish, he slit his throat.

The head rolled to the ground. Yun Xueqing didn’t even glance at it, impassively sheathing the Calamity Blade and wiping the blood from his lips.

At some point, he had reverted to his usual aloof demeanor. He channeled his remaining Spiritual Power into Fu Wuxuan, who stirred awake. Yun Xueqing said flatly, “Can you still walk?”

Fu Wuxuan didn’t reply at first, surveying the surroundings—nothing but ruins in sight. He chuckled lightly. “Your doing?”

His tone was gentle, a rare softness, though still weak.

Yun Xueqing offered no answer.

Fu Wuxuan nodded to himself. “Must be you. Little universe exploded, taking them all out.”

Yun Xueqing shook his head. “They’re not dead.”

Merely wounded by the blade energy and knocked out.

He didn’t elaborate, instead asking, “To the Second Prince’s Mansion?”

“Yeah.”

Staying longer would invite trouble; better to leave quickly. Their only destination now was the Second Prince’s Mansion.

When they arrived at the Second Prince’s Mansion, the yin qi had grown even thicker. Entering Li Yulin’s room, they found him entirely wrapped in bandages, lying on the bed between life and death.

Fu Wuxuan, gravely injured himself, still managed a jab. “Looking like that, you won’t need us to do anything—you’ll croak soon enough.”

Li Yulin was conscious and responded calmly to the taunt. “I’m dying. Not even five minutes left.”

Fu Wuxuan dropped the banter, his expression grave. “What did you do?”

Li Yulin lacked even the strength to shake his head, replying weakly, “If I don’t die, you can’t leave.”

Fu Wuxuan was puzzled by this sudden self-sacrifice.

Yun Xueqing, battered from the fierce battle, forced himself up despite his wounds. He eyed the medicine bowl nearby, still containing some residue.

He dipped a fingertip in the liquid, sniffed it, and confirmed, “Chronic poison.”

A slow-acting poison, not formed in a day.

Recalling that Li Yulin had said he’d lain in this bed for half a year, Yun Xueqing frowned. “Who made you take this?”

A rare smile crossed Li Yulin’s pale face, bitter. “Me.”

“What do you mean?”

Li Yulin touched it again, repeating weakly, “I chose to take it.”

Under their puzzled gazes, he explained slowly, “Here, I’ve exhausted my will to live. Better dead than alive.”