[TW: Please note that rape is depicted in this chapter.]

Except for Wang Yanyi, who was able to defend himself against the sura king's skilled fighters, the hunters of the Tianji Council were taken down immediately. Wang Yanyi naturally couldn't stand against the onslaught of the sura king and his fighters alone, and he too was quickly subdued.

"Aaargh!" Wang Yanyi struggled as he begged for mercy, his cries echoing in the air. Beside him were the corpses of his companions, each of them twisted into grotesque shapes.

By the other side of the party, a few members of the sura were roasting a human woman. The sura king didn't like women, so the female members of Wang Yanyi's party all became food instead.

The sura elder examined Wang Yanyi. "That human doesn't look like he's doing well. Feed him some medicine; we have a lot of questions, and he can't die just yet."

One of the sura nodded and walked over with an herbal concoction. When he saw the sura, Wang Yanyi twisted his head and clamped his mouth shut. Unfortunately, his companions had all died, and he was the only one left.

The sura frowned and handed the bowl to the sura king, who poured it directly into his anus as he continued to thrust into Wang Yanyi's body. Pain exploded in the lower half of Wang Yanyi's body as it underwent a rapid cycle of healing and bruising, leaving Wang Yanyi's mind battered and unguarded.

His pained cries diminished; his throat was too sore to keep it up. He fled inside his mind to escape the litany of pain. After an interminable amount of time, Wang Yanyi's mind and body reached a breaking point. If this were to continue, he would descend into madness.

Only then did the sura king finally let go of Wang Yanyi's armor with an annoyed expression on his face. He lay paralyzed on the ground, his eyes glassy, as though he were nothing more than a used rag.

The sura king asked, "Where's my beloved concubine?"

Wang Yanyi didn't respond. He was the splitting image of a breathing corpse.

The sura elder suggested, "Your highness, could he have died?"

The sura king waved a hand. "I've had sex with more humans than you've eaten. He's only on the edge of madness; with a little force, we can squeeze everything we want out of him.

The sura elder's mouth spasmed as he bowed and retreated.

The sura king kicked Wang Yanyi's limp body. "If you can answer all my questions, I'll give you a painless death. Now, tell me: where's my concubine?!"

"I don't know, I really don't know, I don't..."

The sura elder shook his head. "Your highness, I think you've broken the human."

The sura king frowned. "Surely not—I had everything under control the whole time!"

This time, the mouths of all the sura present began to spasm. They glanced around at the contorted, grotesque bodies lying around the field, the bodies that their king had allegedly had under control. Except for that human, Musi Yu, there were hardly any hunters who would be able to survive the sura king's advances.

The sura elder suggested again, "Your highness, I believe this human may be unaware of who your concubine is."

The sura king nodded. "Indeed. Human, do you know where Musi Yu is?"

"Musi Yu, the warlord of the third realm? He's dead."

"What?!" Rage exploded from the sura king, tinging the skies with red as a sea of blood seemed to manifest all around him.

Wang Yanyi curled into a small ball.

"Tell me!  Who was it who dared to kill my concubine?!"

"The champion of the Void Cup, Zhang Lie!"

"Where is he?"

"The human city of Qi."

The sura king's eyes brightened. "A city of humans!"

As he walked out of a training chamber, Zhang Lie felt a sudden chill pricking his neck as he headed to meet with Sun Mengmeng. "I heard you found one of the herbs that I needed!"

Sun Mengmeng and the other members of Team Zenith all seemed rather bedraggled, with visible wounds all over their bodies. "Yes, Captain!"

Sun Mengmeng handed him an ornate box. As he opened it, a chilly wind blew, and the entire room was covered with a thin layer of frost.

A crystalline fruit that looked like an ice cube lay within, giving off a chilly aura that quickly spread throughout the room.

"Indeed, a crystal rime fruit!" Zhang Lie expected that it would be one of the primary ingredients in Potion #4. "Thank you for your hard work—this surely couldn't have been easy to retrieve."

Zhang Lie asked about what they had encountered during their trip, and the members of Team Zenith regaled him with their experiences. Fortunately, none of them had suffered a debilitating injury, and the success of their expedition washed away any lingering pain from their wounds.

Zhang Lie pocketed the fruit and brought out several soulshards and techniques that he had taken from Musi Yu's body. "Right, I obtained some treasures as well. Have a look at these, and pick out what you like."

After distributing the soulshards and techniques around,

Zhang Lie headed to the training chamber in which the Hong siblings were cultivating. After what had happened between the Hong and Musi clans, the Hong siblings cultivated with their life on the line, understanding that they would need overwhelming strength to protect each other.

Zhang Lie smiled benevolently at them. "You don't need to train so hard. Calm down and take it easy; your bodies need breaks too."

The Hong siblings hurriedly stopped their cultivation and bowed down to him. "Master!"

"How's your progress been so far?"

Hong Xiao replied, "I managed the foundational breakthrough in the dimensional world."

Hong Xi nodded. "I've had significant improvement with regards to [Eclipse] as well."

"Good, very good. I have a big gift for you. Close your eyes." Zhang Lie extended a finger and touched it to the two siblings' foreheads sequentially, transmitting them [Black Sun] and its corresponding techniques.

When they processed the parcels of information that Zhang Lie transmitted their way, their eyes turned round. "This is—"

Hong Xi gasped in surprise. "Isn't [Black Sun] the technique used by members of the Musi clan?!"

Zhang Lie smiled. "Do you like Musi Yu's present to you two?"

Musi Yu, warlord of the third realm?! That fellow would hardly send the two of them a gift, considering he was the mastermind behind the Hong clan's downfall. Hong Xiao and Hong Xi glanced at each other, then simultaneously looked toward Zhang Lie.

It seemed unlikely, but if anyone could do it, it was their master.

"Master, did you kill Musi Yu?"

Zhang Lie grinned. "Do you like this gift?"

Hong Xi and Hong Xiao knelt down on the floor simultaneously, causing Zhang Lie to jump up in surprise. "What's the matter?"

"I, Hong Xiao—" 

"—and I, Hong Xi," the two siblings intoned, "kowtow to the savior who has avenged the Hong clan!"