Systemless Villain

277  The Death of the Young Master Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The area outside the temple felt profoundly serene, with lush, verdant trees swaying gently despite the numerous holes and damage that marred the vicinity from recent battles.

Not far from the temple, Zhou Yan, crucified by a sinister pillar of darkness, thrashed about in a fit of deep frustration. His face contorted with anger and desperation.

"Fuck! Why can't I move?!" he bellowed, his voice echoing with a mix of rage and helplessness.

His body, arms, and legs trembled as he struggled to break free from the shadowy restraints, but his efforts were utterly in vain. The darkness held him fast, not yielding an inch.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion reverberated for miles around, sending a plume of thick white smoke billowing high into the sky.

Zhou Yan's expression grew stern as he turned his gaze towards the source of the explosion, which was unsettlingly close.

It was none other than the massive temple, which had detonated into countless fragments.

"The temple exploded? Looks like that bastard Long Tian and the others are dead. This damned darkness should disappear now," he muttered to himself, a sneer spreading across his face.

He vividly recalled the grueling challenges he had endured to obtain the grand prize within the temple. One of these trials had been being trapped with a five-star soul beast named Chi.

He and his two companions had managed to survive, but Liu Qian, Lin Xian'er, and another woman had not. The outcome was clear. No matter how formidable they were, they couldn't have possibly defeated Chi.

Seconds ticked by, and Zhou Yan began to sense something peculiar when he realized the darkness imprisoning him remained as solid and unyielding as ever.

His expression grew darker, his brow furrowing deeply. "Damn it, why is it still here? Didn't that bastard die? No matter how strong Long Tian is, he can't possibly defeat a five-star soul beast," he muttered, frustration evident in his voice.

Then, in that moment, his heart seemed to skip a beat as a sudden realization dawned on him.

With wide eyes filled with a mix of fear and anticipation, he turned his gaze back to the temple, where four figures were emerging and making their way towards him.

"No way!" he exclaimed, disbelief evident in his voice. Even from a distance, it was unmistakable that the four figures were Long Tian, Alexia, Liu Qian, and Lin Xian'er.

Panic set in as Zhou Yan struggled even harder to free himself. But no matter how fiercely he fought, the darkness held him fast, seemingly immovable.

Desperation washed over Zhou Yan. Ever since Long Tian and Alexia had entered the temple, he had been trying with all his might to break free from this dark confinement. He had tried every method he could think of, but to no avail.

He didn't fully understand why, but he knew that this darkness could neutralize his gravity abilities, and perhaps even all forms of supernatural powers.

His hopes of escape were completely shattered by this mysterious darkness.

In this moment, Long Tian, Alexia, Liu Qian, and Lin Xian'er stood before him.

Zhou Yan sighed, a weary resignation in his eyes, acknowledging his utter helplessness while crucified by this strange pillar of darkness.

"You actually managed to come out alive, huh? Truly remarkable," he remarked with a forced grin, masking his fear and frustration.

Long Tian stood at the center, flanked by the women, his arms crossed and a menacing grin on his face. "Nice to meet you again, future leader of the holy knights. I've been contemplating what gift I should bestow upon you after you trapped my girlfriend in that temple," he said, his aura exuding a palpable menace.

Zhou Yan's expression froze, his heart pounding faster, a wave of panic enveloping him, especially when he caught the cold, unyielding gazes of Liu Qian and Lin Xian'er. "Didn't you promise not to kill me?" he asked, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Of course, I promised," Long Tian replied, his tone almost casual. Then, as if ignoring his own words, he unsheathed his dark blade with a swift, fluid motion.

Zhou Yan's eyes widened in horror, but even before he could react, Long Tian moved with such incredible speed that in the blink of an eye, he was standing directly in front of Zhou Yan, his sword raised high.

Zhou Yan's expression shifted to one of sheer disbelief as he saw his right arm severed and falling to the ground. He glanced to the side, only to find his arm detached, blood gushing out in a torrential flow!

Shock and disbelief overwhelmed him, eliciting a scream of agony from deep within. It was a pain unlike any he had ever experienced.

His scream echoed loudly, reverberating through the surroundings, yet even with that, he couldn't do anything to alleviate his suffering.

"You bastard! Didn't you promise not to kill me? You're not a man!" he roared, his voice a mixture of rage and frustration.

Long Tian nonchalantly picked up Zhou Yan's severed arm, deftly removing the bracelet from his wrist and examining it with a satisfied grin.

"I promised to let you live, not to spare your arm," he said, his grin widening.

Zhou Yan's eyes turned bloodshot with fury upon hearing this, especially seeing Long Tian take the bracelet.

"Don't tell me you came all this way and attacked me just for that stupid bracelet? Fuck! If you'd asked nicely, I would have given it to you!" he yelled, his voice tinged with frustration and disbelief.

Long Tian, still scrutinizing the bracelet, turned his gaze back to Zhou Yan. "Wouldn't it be boring if I just asked nicely? Besides, I already told you I wanted to test your abilities. Yes, you're strong, I acknowledge that, but unfortunately for you, you crossed paths with me," he said, his grin never fading.

Rage burned within Zhou Yan, compounded by the humiliation of being defeated by someone younger than himself, intensifying his fury.

But for the sake of his survival, he suppressed that seething anger.

"Anyway, you got what you wanted. Now isn't it time to let me go? If you're a real man, you won't go back on your word, right?" he implored, desperation seeping into his voice.

Hearing this, Long Tian grinned, "I did promise, but they didn't," he said, gesturing towards Liu Qian and Lin Xian'er, who now radiated a deadly, murderous aura.

Zhou Yan's eyes widened, staring at the two women. Memories of entering the giant temple flooded his mind, recalling how he had treated Liu Qian and Lin Xian'er.

He gritted his teeth, knowing full well what awaited him.

"FUUUUCK!" he roared, thrashing wildly in a futile attempt to free himself.

But Long Tian, already having a grasp on his evolving dark powers, quickly gestured with his hand, causing Zhou Yan to stop struggling and freeze in place.

"It's no use. I've just learned that by infusing my dark energy into someone's body, I can manipulate their blood vessels and nerves," he said with a sinister grin. "Which means..."

He then moved his fingers as if they were connected to Zhou Yan's body, causing Zhou Yan's body to suddenly lurch forward on its own, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"You..." his voice was cut off, his eyes wide with terror as his body pitched forward while his hands and feet remained chained.

CRACK!

His spine snapped!

"Aaaargh!" Zhou Yan screamed in excruciating pain, his cries echoing far and wide.

Long Tian quickly manipulated his power to force Zhou Yan's mouth shut, causing the veins in his body to bulge grotesquely, his eyes wide and bloodshot.

At this point, the pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced, a relentless agony that even now he couldn't fully express due to Long Tian's control over his body.

"I'm still keeping my word. I won't kill you, but they will," Long Tian said with a chilling grin.

Zhou Yan's heart pounded frantically, a fear unlike any he had ever felt engulfing him in a wave of despair and helplessness.

Liu Qian and Lin Xian'er now stood before Zhou Yan, swords in hand, their expressions as cold as ice.

Lin Xian'er's voice was icy as she spoke, "Zhou Yan, the future saint of the Xuantian Academy, also the future leader of the holy knights of the empire. Your future was destined to be very bright, but it seems fate had other plans. Who would have thought that someone of your stature would end up in a situation like this? Well, you reap what you sow. Trapping me and Qian'er to fight a five-star soul beast, death was certain, but fate allowed us to survive and even succeed in killing that soul beast," she said coldly.

Her aura flared with a strong killing intent as she pointed her sword at Zhou Yan. "Now, no matter how high your status is, in this isolated world, you will die," she declared cruelly.

"Yeah, you'll die, dick!" Liu Qian added, her hand engulfed in flames.

The veins on Zhou Yan's forehead bulged with a mix of anger and fear. Trapped and helpless, he was filled with cold dread and a pounding heart at the thought of death.

The moment he feared most materialized when Liu Qian suddenly threw a fireball at him, setting him ablaze in scorching blue flames.

Zhou Yan writhed on the crucifix. Unable to express his pain vocally due to Long Tian's control, his agony was evident in his frenzied movements.

The heat, the pain—normally tolerable—now became an unavoidable hell.

Amidst the searing flames, Lin Xian'er's sword pierced his neck, making his eyes widen in a frozen expression of horror.

The next second, the sword moved upwards swiftly, splitting his neck and head in two.

His eyes closed, and his body went limp, blood dripping to the ground, marking his inevitable death.

Liu Qian and Lin Xian'er watched with cold, yet satisfied gazes. They remembered all too well how Zhou Yan had treated them with arrogance and almost killed them. Seeing him now, powerful and influential, dead by their hands, filled them with an indescribable satisfaction.

Long Tian nodded in satisfaction at the sight. "Now that he's dead, I need to take a precautionary measure," he said.

While Liu Qian, Lin Xian'er, and Alexia watched curiously, black flames ignited in Long Tian's hand. He threw them onto Zhou Yan's body, setting it ablaze with intense fire.

The black flames, much hotter than ordinary fire, quickly consumed Zhou Yan's body, reducing flesh and bones to ashes.

In no time, Zhou Yan's body was completely incinerated into ash. Long Tian then waved his hand, causing the ashes to scatter into the air.

A mix of satisfaction, relief, and triumph swirled within him, nearly overwhelming.

"Shall we return to the earth now?" Liu Qian suggested.

"Sure," Long Tian responded with a nod.

With that, the four of them left the location.

Since Chi, the key to activating the exit portal, was dead, and Liu Qian and Lin Xian'er, who had killed it, knew the portal's location, they headed eastward.

It didn't take long before they arrived at the portal, situated on the riverbank near the forest, about five kilometers from the temple's location.

The portal shimmered faintly, a swirl of mystical energy forming an ethereal doorway.