Strangled in the Cradle

The air in front of her was torn apart in an instant!

A visible white shockwave was left hanging in the air!

The power of that thrust—

It was more than ten times stronger than when she had practiced on her own!

“Did you feel it?”

Su Yu released her hand and took half a step back.

Lin Xiaoxiao stood frozen in place.

She stared at the spear in her hands, which was still trembling faintly.

An unprecedented brilliance burst from her eyes.

She had felt it!

That ultimate exhilaration—the feeling of perfectly controlling her strength, of uniting her will and body as one!

“I… I understand now!”

Lin Xiaoxiao turned her head and looked at Su Yu.

Her clear, beautiful eyes were filled with stubborn determination and gratitude.

He was even willing to let her comprehend such precious martial intent.

She absolutely could not disappoint him!

“Continue.”

Su Yu sat back down on the sofa.

“Yes!”

Lin Xiaoxiao turned around.

This time, she cast aside every distracting thought.

Tightening her grip on the spear,

she sensed the intimate intent that belonged to Su Yu.

Her movements grew more focused, more forceful with every thrust.

The only sound left in the living room was the sharp shriek of the spear ripping through the air.

…

At the same time.

On the outskirts of the capital,

deep beneath an abandoned industrial zone,

lay one of the Abyssal Cult’s most secret strongholds in the capital.

Cold.

Damp.

The air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood and decay.

At the center of the spacious underground hall,

a scarlet altar built from countless white bones radiated a dim, eerie light.

Several figures cloaked in oversized black robes stood around the altar.

The atmosphere was oppressively tense.

“How is it?”

The leading black-robed man spoke in a hoarse voice filled with bone-chilling menace.

“Have you confirmed the movements of the army sent to exterminate us?”

A stooped black-robed figure immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

“Bishop, we have!”

“Our informant within the military has sent back definitive news.”

“Nie Changkong, the vice principal of Jingwu, has secretly mobilized a force of elite soldiers from the military. They are currently gathering around the outskirts of this district.”

“They will launch their full assault by dawn at the latest!”

“Hmph.”

The black-robed man known as the bishop let out a cold laugh.

Beneath his hood, two ghostly green flames flickered.

“Just as I expected.”

“Shadow Blade, that useless fool, was captured alive. He surely couldn’t withstand the Soul-Seeking Art and exposed the location of this stronghold.”

“That old bastard Nie Changkong thinks he has caught our trail and can wipe us out in one fell swoop.”

The bishop raised his head and swept his gaze across everyone in the hall.

His voice was filled with savage madness.

“But little does he know…”

“This is also the perfect opportunity for us to strike back!”

“Have you confirmed the location of the human Martial Saint?”

The bishop abruptly turned to another black-robed figure in charge of intelligence.

“We have!”

The black-robed man’s voice was filled with certainty.

“There were originally three Martial Saints stationed in the capital.”

“Two have been urgently dispatched to guard the Abyssal Rift in the northern frontier.”

“The remaining one is responsible for holding down the capital’s central district and cannot leave easily.”

“Furthermore…”

The black-robed man let out a sinister chuckle.

“As soon as Nie Changkong launches his assault here at dawn, the Abyssal Formation arranged within our stronghold will activate and erupt with powerful abyssal corruption.”

“That Martial Saint guarding the capital’s center will inevitably be drawn by the aura, forcing him to focus all his attention on this district.”

“He will have no time to spare for anything else!”

“Excellent!”

The bishop suddenly swept out his broad sleeve.

Murderous intent flashed in his ghostly green eyes.

“This decapitation strike must be swift!”

He turned around and faced the scarlet altar built from white bones.

At its center,

a bottomless black vortex slowly revolved.

From deep within it came an oppressive aura so terrifying that even Grandmasters felt their souls tremble.

“For this operation…”

The bishop’s voice quivered with fanaticism.

“The upper echelons of the cult expended a hundred thousand living souls to forcibly tear open the planar barrier.”

“We summoned a true Demon Saint into this world!”

Demon Saint!

At the sound of those two words,

every black-robed figure in the hall drew a sharp breath.

Their bodies began trembling involuntarily.

That was an absolute overlord of the Abyss, an existence comparable to a human Martial Saint!

A true disaster of annihilation!

“Nie Changkong does possess a certain degree of strength.”

The bishop sneered, his tone brimming with disdain.

“But in the end, he is merely a Martial Emperor with over a hundred million in qi and blood!”

“Before Lord Demon Saint, he stands no chance whatsoever!”

“Even if he brings the military’s elite forces with him, they will only be pinned down in this district by Lord Demon Saint’s aura!”

The bishop abruptly turned around.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the thick layers of earth and stone, stabbing straight toward the magnificent academy standing at the heart of the capital.

“And we…”

“Will take advantage of this perfect opportunity!”

“We will bypass Nie Changkong’s blockade and infiltrate Jingwu directly!”

“We have only one target!”

The bishop’s finger suddenly jabbed toward the image projected in the holographic display—a photograph of a cold-faced young man.

Su Yu!

“This genius named Su Yu is far too monstrous!”

“Eighteen years old, yet he already possesses manifested spear intent, with qi and blood exceeding a thousand. His talent is utterly heaven-defying!”

“If we allow him to grow, he will become a great threat to the Abyssal Cult in the future!”

“He must be killed!”

The bishop’s voice thundered through the empty underground hall.

His resolve was absolute.

“We will lead every elite death warrior in this stronghold into Jingwu.”

“We will find him and tear him apart in the shortest time possible!”

“Then, before the human Martial Saint can arrive…”

“We will withdraw by force through the teleportation formation with Lord Demon Saint!”

The bishop raised both hands high.

He looked like a crazed believer delivering a final sermon before the ultimate celebration.

“At the fastest speed!”

“With the smallest possible sacrifice!”

“We will completely…”

“Strangle their peerless genius in the cradle!”

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

All the black-robed figures in the underground hall erupted into fanatical roars at once.

Their killing intent was so intense that it seemed capable of freezing the very air beneath the earth.

The night was deep and dark.

At last, the living room of Jingwu’s freshman dormitory fell silent.

Su Yu had finished teaching for the night and sent Lin Xiaoxiao away. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, and her legs were so weak that she could barely walk.

After closing the door,

Su Yu did not immediately go to bed.

He sat alone on the sofa, repeatedly replaying the scene of Lin Xiaoxiao practicing with the spear.

A thoughtful look flashed through his deep eyes.

“Her force is still not pure enough.”

“Although my spear intent guided her, her control over her qi and blood remains at the crude level of an ordinary martial artist.”

Su Yu silently reviewed the session in his mind.

He was an extremely practical man.

Since he had agreed to teach her, he had to produce results.

“I’ll have to try a different approach tomorrow.”

“Simple thrusts are too monotonous. I need to make her learn to instinctively mobilize her qi and blood under extreme pressure.”