Chapter 332: Beneath the Great Waves, the Reefs Endure

Chapter 332: Under the Great Waves, the Reef Does Not Collapse

The person standing by the door did not speak, and the one with their back turned did not turn around.

Deathly silence, like a long whip, continuously lashed at Li Jun's fear within.

Behind him lay the open gate; if Li Jun so desired, he could turn and flee at any moment.

This was also the awakening of a gene deep within his body, emerging from anger, issuing a hint—or a command.

Either flee, or die.

Click, click, click.

The bones wrapped in flesh and blood stirred uneasily, attempting to control Li Jun’s body to turn around.

Alas, Li Jun at this moment paid no heed to instinctive thoughts.

From the Nine Dragon Street of the Chengdu Mansion, to the Eighteen Ladders slums of the Chongqing Mansion, to the present Wo Min Area.

From a street-fighting hooligan in a blood-soaked robe, to a wanted outlaw, to now a Jin Yi Wei Bai Hu—

He had fled enough.

But absolutely, he had not killed enough!

The flame of infamy in his eyes, about to die out, blazed fiercely once more. Li Jun patted the clothes stained black-red with fresh blood and stepped forward.

No sudden outburst as anticipated, no thunderous strike of vigilance.

The room’s dim, heavy silence remained, its projected light casting floating dust into relief.

In the silence, Li Jun stood beside that silhouette, his peripheral vision sweeping over a profile with white temples and hollow cheeks.

Before them, the projection revealed a medical tank filled with green liquid.

A head dragged with a mechanical spine floated within, like a suspended jellyfish.

Inside the opened skull, writhing brain tissue was clearly visible, nerve fibers of various colors hanging down like roots, inserting into the seven orifices of the skull.

The face, newly covered with bioengineered skin, twitched its brows and eyelids intermittently.

It seemed the head’s owner was not resting peacefully even in a Huangliang dream.

“Look at Old Ghost like this—seems he’s having a nightmare.”

Li Jun arched his brow. “Didn’t you slip two Huangliang ghosts in to keep him company?”

“You brat, if you can’t find a good opening line, choose to shut up.”

Su Ce spoke without looking aside, his hoarse voice emerging from his mouth.

Li Jun fell silent with a dry smile, crossed his arms over his chest, and tilted his jaw. “Can Old Ghost still be cured?”

“There’s hope, but the time of awakening is uncertain.”

“So serious?”

Li Jun’s brow slightly furrowed. He had repeatedly asked Xie Bi’an to contact Qian Fengting about Gui Wang Da’s recovery, and the answers were always that he was doing well.

But now, it seemed that was not the case.

“In a place like the Punishment Chamber, even ordinary low-sequence beings can’t withstand a day, let alone under the enhancement of a sixth-rank punishment chair. Lu Chengjiang’s ‘Bai He’ ability would further amplify, causing severe damage to the consciousness and spirit of the punished.”

Su Ce said calmly, “Old Ghost is merely an aged warrior of the sixth sequence. To have lasted this long is already quite remarkable.”

“He will wake up.” Li Jun’s tone was exceptionally resolute.

“Old Ghost’s injuries involve the realm of consciousness—something even the sixth-sequence medical officer of the thousand-household Nong couldn’t diagnose. Why does a martial artist like you dare to be so certain?”

“The Lu family of the Liaodong Province on the imperial mainland hasn’t been exterminated yet.”

Li Jun whispered, “If we die without avenging our hatred, wouldn’t that be a great pity? Old Ghost isn’t the type to close his eyes with regret.”

“He’s not like you, who once wore the robes of a hooligan and believed in repaying every slight.”

Li Jun’s words rang out sharply, “If he doesn’t want revenge, I’ll do it for him!”

“Kid, you’re quite domineering.” Su Ce’s voice carried a faint smile.

“The path before people like us is so narrow—how else can we walk it but with domineering strides?”

Li Jun’s voice, though seemingly casual, carried an underlying meaning.

Su Ce smiled without speaking, raised his hand, and waved.

The light and shadow suspended before them vanished instantly, and the room’s dim lamps brightened.

Only then did Li Jun realize he stood at the center of the room, facing a map of the entire Wo Min Area covering an entire wall.

The locations of the hundred households of the ten great cities were marked with bright yellow dots, their names inscribed in small, fashionable script beside them.

Nearly overlapping with the yellow lights were black marks representing the four major companies of the Wo Min Area.

The background of the entire map was a dense mass of red.

No annotation was needed—Li Jun knew that crimson represented the Hong Hu.

Only those skilled in manipulating hearts possessed the ability to radiate across the Wo Min Area, including the wastelands between cities.

The three-colored lights flickered incessantly, alternating between light and dark like surging tides.

Amidst the intertwined black and red expanse, the yellow beacon symbolizing the Jin Yi Wei households seemed on the verge of being swallowed.

“From this map, what do you see?”

Su Ce, hands behind his back, tilted his head upward.

“Enemies like the sea, surrounded on all sides.”

Though Su Ce showed no obvious killing intent, Li Jun’s voice remained dry and taut.

“The Hong Hu erodes the people’s hearts, while the Chong Qi monopolizes the economy. One has no regard for life, the other spares no expense. These seemingly kneeling Wo Min folk are silently gnashing their teeth, ready to tear our throats and devour our flesh at any moment.”

“Three years ago, what I saw from above was the same as you.”

Su Ce laughed, “But now, I see that under the great waves, the reef does not collapse. As long as the Jin Yi Wei of the Wo Min Area haven’t all perished, they must kneel before this official!”

Under the great waves, the reef does not collapse.

Li Jun chewed over these eight characters, a taste of cold, hard gunpowder rolling between his lips and teeth.

“Many will die.”

“Who can live a lifetime without death? Some seek to dominate the world and leave their names in history, others pursue transcendence of consciousness to become Buddhas or ancestors, some wish to ascend beyond the heavens to explore the cosmos. Whatever their purpose or choice, none wish to live only this one life.”

Su Ce turned around, facing Li Jun for the first time.

“The martial sequence lives but one life. In my first half, I killed enough of my own people for the sake of the sequence. In my latter half, I only wish to kill these foreigners with two hearts.”

This thousand-household of the Wo Min Area Jin Yi Wei was far shorter than Li Jun, yet in this moment, as he made a downward gesture, Li Jun felt a sense of reverence.

“It’s still too early to speak of such things with you.”

Su Ce smirked, waved his hand, “Sit down and eat.”

Only then did Li Jun suddenly realize that in this room resembling a war command center, there was actually a small square table.

On it lay some home-cooked meals, yet they stirred an intense appetite.

Until this moment, Li Jun's rigid, tense nose finally caught that intoxicating aroma.

"To prevent poisoning, these ingredients were shipped from the imperial homeland. Not fresh, but the chef's skills are good—I had him prepare it according to your hometown's flavors."

Dare to fight or not, one must maintain their bearing.

Li Jun showed no hesitation now, plopping down with a thud.

He grabbed the bowl from the table, scooped half a bowl of rice with a chopstick still dripping oil from the garlic sprout stir-fry, and began to eat.

"Authentic. Lord of a Thousand Households, where are you from?" Li Jun, mouth full of rice, asked indistinctly.

Su Ce did not move his chopsticks, only watched Li Jun devour his meal with gusto.

"Both banks of the Xiao Jiang River."

Two words escaped Li Jun's mouth: "Yazi?"

Su Ce squinted his eyes. "Believe it or not, I'll give your turtle son a lump?"

Both bearing official ranks, yet more like rude commoners, they cursed each other in their native accents.

"I never expected the head of the Jinyiwei in Woju to be a martial sect heir."

Li Jun ate with such speed, like a gust of wind sweeping away remnants.

After a moment, his throat rolled, swallowing the last bite clean, not a grain left. The empty bowl landed with a thud.

"Though this last meal was satisfying."

He looked up at Su Ce. "What's your plan? Send me on my way directly, or capture me alive to sell? If the latter, I suggest taking me to the Chengdu Mansion—the Qingcheng Group offers a higher price."

"A warrior of the independent martial sect, who ends conflicts, why so eager to bow and await death?"

Su Ce's face wore a smile that wasn't a smile. "Where's the defiant air you showed earlier, pointing at the King's nose in the hall?"

Li Jun failed to notice—this time, Su Ce referred to his own lineage with the word "independent," not "wild."