Divine Harem: My Sect of Heavenly Beauties

Chapter 229: The World

The Leader of the Slave Organisation, one of the most powerful and influential forces in the Qing Empire, now lay in ruins. The ashes of her own destruction were slowly covering her body.

The once-mighty Liu Rutin had met her demise at the hands of someone she had groomed herself. No one could have expected such an outcome.

In the next moment, the sound of hoarse breathing could be heard as a bald man approached her, dragging his exhausted body forward.

One of his legs was missing, so he had to use his spear for support. His body screamed at him to rest, but he wanted to confirm his enemy's death personally.

After years of torment, the fire of revenge burned at its brightest, and he wanted to see his enemy consumed by it.

As he crouched near Liu Rutin, a tired chuckle escaped his mouth. "Did you really think I wouldn't have a plan for your Nascent Soul?"

He glanced at the wooden arrow skewering Liu Rutin and snickered. "This single arrow... I've been preparing it for years, pouring everything I had into it. And it finally proved its worth."

Taking out the arrow, he said, "This arrow doesn't target the body but the soul. I know you're still there, hearing every word, so why don't you come out and tell me how you feel about this situation?"

His words worked like magic as a translucent figure formed above the lifeless body. It was clearly a soul, but it fluctuated, struggling to resist fading away.

Xu Ming looked at the soul and collapsed to the ground, too exhausted to even sit properly. "How does it feel to be killed by your own slave?"

"Bah! If you didn't have any external help, do you think you could have survived?" Liu Rutin spat on the ground, her disdain evident.

Instead of getting angry, Xu Ming nodded. "You're right. Without Senior's help, I might have lost my life for the sake of revenge. But then again, only the results matter."

With a mocking laugh, Xu Ming said, "This is your end, Liu Rutin. The world is finally free from your cruelty!"

Surprisingly, Liu Rutin didn't get angry. Instead, she laughed. "Did you win? Do you truly think so? Yes, I may have lost, and this may even be my last day. But tell me, does it matter?"

"What do you mean?" Xu Ming asked, his confusion evident.

"I have lived my life in luxury and did whatever I wanted," Liu Rutin shrugged. "My life has been nothing but blissful. Now, even if I die like this, does it matter?"

Xu Ming's face darkened as he glared at Liu Rutin, understanding she was trying to affect him mentally. He hated the fact that it was actually working.

She was right. Even if he killed her and freed the world from her cruelty, it wouldn't matter much to her. She had lived the best life until the very end.

"You understand," Liu Rutin's lips curved into a smirk. "You say you've ended my cruel reign and freed the world? Even after years, you're still the naive Xu Ming I picked up from the market."

Her laughter echoed in the desolate ruins as she continued, "I am nothing but an insignificant pawn in the grand scheme of things. Sure, I am dying, but there will be another Liu Rutin who will do exactly as I did. As for slavery itself—hahaha. That is the biggest joke. You think it'll end by killing me?"

"You're a fool, Xu Ming," Liu Rutin laughed, pointing at Xu Ming with her finger. "It wasn't me who wanted slavery. No! I am just an opportunist who wanted to rise through the ranks and become someone important. Guess what I did? I opened a business for something that already existed and had high demand."

Every word of Liu Rutin's sent sharp pangs to Xu Ming's heart as he slowly began to grasp the gravity of the situation.

"Yes! You understand but chose to ignore it!" Liu Rutin's soul fluctuated even more as she shouted hysterically. "I didn't create slavery. No! Those hypocrites in the Empire and Major Sects did. I just used their needs to build the biggest business empire for myself. You and that Senior of yours have done nothing but erase a pawn from the game."

"Shut up!" Xu Ming's rage-filled voice silenced even the winds. "It won't happen! Slavery will end, and I will make sure of it!"

"Oh, really? Are you going to stand up against the Empire?" Liu Rutin mocked, her laugh dripping with derision. "Everyone is a slave. It's better if you understand that. Some choose their master, while others are forced. Ultimately, no one is free."

She looked down and stopped laughing. "I mean, look at you. Aren't you just a slave to revenge? And it's something you chose for yourself. By your own hands, you've chained yourself to revenge."

Xu Ming had had enough. He threw the wooden arrow at her soul form, muttering, "I will do it, even if it means going against the world!"

"Haha! I wish you good luck with that, brat," Liu Rutin laughed as her soul began to fade away. "And thanks for killing me."

"Not so soon!"

Liu Rutin heard a calm, composed voice behind her, and in the next moment, a warm current filled her being as her dying soul returned to normal.

However, she didn't rejoice. A horrific premonition gripped her mind. She hurriedly turned around, only to see a young man walking toward her.

She tried to hide her fear and confront him, but just a single look from him was enough to make her shiver. What is happening? Who is he?

Shen Yu stopped before her and gave the soul form a long stare before sighing. "You understand the world better than anyone, honestly. You are probably one of the few people I almost admire."

A flicker of hope rose in Liu Rutin's heart as she stammered, "T-Thanks. I'm sure we can talk this through since our worldviews match."

However, Shen Yu sighed once again and said, "Unfortunately, I am not someone who forgives so easily. You saw the real world and understood it, yet you chose to work in the way others wanted."

Raising his hand, he continued, "I might have forgiven you if you'd remained neutral. I might have even invited you to join my sect. But you chose the wrong path, and for that, you must bear the consequences."

Before Liu Rutin could respond, several layers of white substance appeared around her, forcing her to endure thousands of nightmares.

Shen Yu looked at Liu Rutin's soul form, but instead of satisfaction, he felt a heavy weight in his chest, as if a giant boulder had been placed on it.

He sighed and waved his hand, shifting the soul form into a different dimension. Then he turned his gaze to Xu Ming, who was still reeling from the trauma Liu Rutin had inflicted.

Patting his shoulder, Shen Yu said, "Don't think too much about it."

Xu Ming nodded but remained on the ground.

Sighing, Shen Yu healed his body and teleported him to the Senter Valley Base. However, he was mindful of Xu Ming's mental state and placed him in an empty room.

As he turned around, he felt warmth envelop him as two slender arms hugged him tightly. A light smile formed on his face as he hugged Song Junwan back and said, "I'm fine, so you don't need to worry."

He then turned toward the settlement, his thoughts heavy. It should be happening soon!

...

The town stood silent, its streets empty and lifeless under the dim moonlight. Shadows of abandoned houses stretched long, whispering of the life that once thrived here. At the center of the settlement, buried beneath layers of soil, lay a bomb—small but terrifyingly powerful, glowing faintly with an ominous light.

Suddenly, a deep, muffled thrum echoed from the ground. The air seemed to hold its breath. Then, in a split second, a blinding light erupted, turning night into day. The explosion roared like a thunderclap, shaking the earth and tearing through the stillness.

The shockwave expanded rapidly, shredding buildings into dust. Walls crumbled, roofs disintegrated, and the ground itself cracked and split apart. Flames surged outward in a fiery wave, consuming everything in their path. The sky turned orange and red, a massive mushroom cloud rising into the heavens, casting a terrifying shadow over the land.

The once-quiet settlement was no more. In its place lay a scorched crater, smoldering and lifeless. The destruction was absolute—nothing survived. The power of the bomb had erased the town, leaving only silence in its wake.