In the heart of Wanren City stands the Sword-Asking Platform.

Around the massive Sword-Asking Platform, huge spatial images are projecting in real time the thrilling final battle of the winners' bracket inside the Xuanlei Pavilion.

However, compared to the cheers that erupted when Shen Yunhao defeated Shi Junfei in Xuanlei Pavilion, the area around the Sword Inquiry Platform was now gripped by panic!

Pang Shunan stood stiffly in place, his legs feeling like lead. He was as if his soul had been ripped from his body, his face as pale as paper, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a sound.

Fear, shock, confusion, disbelief... countless emotions tightly gripped his heart, almost suffocating him!

What lay before him was a living hell!

Countless twisted, thick, dark purple vines covered with eerie suction cups swayed in mid-air, exuding a bloodthirsty and violent evil aura.

The blood had stained the ground in the center of the Sword-Asking Platform a strange dark red, and various severed limbs, bone fragments, and other debris were scattered on it. The pervasive stench of blood left Pang Shun'an's mind blank.

What exactly happened here?

Let's go back to before half a cup of tea.

As the crowd parted, Huang Wenlong, along with several Xuanhuang Sect disciples, approached Pang Shunan and Ma Tianyu, who were watching the match.

Considering this is the Sword-Testing Platform, and that it's happening in front of so many people, Huang Wenlong wouldn't do anything outrageous. He's just here to humiliate them and get some verbal satisfaction.

Little did he know that this would be the last time he acted arrogantly and domineeringly in his life...

Originally, Pang Shunan did not want to have a conflict with the aggressive Huang Wenlong and simply tolerated him. However, Ma Tianyu, who was standing next to him, couldn't stand it and retorted a few words.

These few words were enough to ignite a firestorm, leading Huang Wenlong to decide that even if it meant incurring punishment from the Sword Pavilion, he would still teach these two arrogant rogue cultivators a lesson.

The conflict erupted instantly!

The result was obvious: the other side had the numbers and the advantage, so Ma Tianyu's side was no match for them. Many of the onlookers were initially indignant, but after recognizing Huang Wenlong's identity, they became too lazy to meddle and instead started watching the show.

It wasn't that Huang Wenlong had any high status, but rather that he was helping a nobody, a rogue cultivator, and an ordinary person, and he gained absolutely nothing in return...

For some unknown reason, the law enforcement officers of the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion did not appear immediately.

And so...

"Buzz—!"

Just as Ma Tianyu was sent flying by a palm strike, and Huang Wenlong sneered as he stepped forward to grab Pang Shunan's collar, a deep, eerie, and seemingly abyssal buzzing sound suddenly erupted from Pang Shunan's arms without warning!

Immediately afterwards, eerie purple rays shot out from his chest, expanding instantly like living things, transforming into countless twisted and bizarre purple vines in the air.

What happened next was nothing short of a disaster...

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Accompanied by a chilling, muffled sound as flesh and bones were instantly torn apart and shredded, those eerie wisteria vines, centered on Pang Shun'an, spread wildly outwards, piercing, twisting, and binding!

The first to be affected was Huang Wenlong, who was right next door!

Before the sneer on his face could even turn into terror, his entire upper body was swept away by a thick wisteria vine and exploded like a watermelon being smashed by a giant hammer!

Blood, bits of flesh, and bone fragments splattered everywhere. The remaining lower body stood upright for half a second before collapsing.

Those lifeless eyes stared wide open, frozen in utter, incomprehensible astonishment.

He could never believe that he would die in such a way at the hands of a mortal he regarded as an ant!

Of course, he wasn't the only one whose life was taken by the wisteria. The group of Xuanhuang Sect disciples behind him, and even the onlookers who had come close to watch, were also caught in the crossfire. Before they could even scream, they were pierced, entangled, and torn apart by several wisteria vines!

All that remained was a scene of utter devastation, with severed limbs and a rapidly spreading, thick, pungent stench of blood!

Just a few breaths!

The corner of the Sword-Asking Platform had been transformed into a deathly silent slaughterhouse, where hundreds of vibrant lives vanished in an instant!

"Thump!"

Ma Tianyu collapsed to the ground, his back soaked in cold sweat.

If he hadn't been beaten back by those people, he would probably have become one of those pieces of flesh scattered on the ground!

At this moment, his gaze toward Pang Shunan was filled with disbelief.

These...were all done by Pang Shunan?

On the other hand, Pang Shun'an himself looked up blankly at the hellish scene he had "personally" created, his face turning deathly pale.

"Why...why is this happening? No...it wasn't me...it wasn't me..."

He was trembling all over, uttering unconscious murmurs, overwhelmed by the immense shock and intense guilt like a tsunami.

Suddenly he remembered something and took out a... dull white jade talisman from his pocket.

This was given to him a month ago outside the Misty Rain Pavilion by that mysterious person, who said it could be used to protect himself.

These terrifying wisteria vines before our eyes... all originated from here!

Meanwhile, not far away, in the crowd.

Mu Shuangshuang's lazy and amused expression froze instantly, replaced by utter shock.

"This...this is...Mo Yan's wisteria? How is this possible!"

Having been bullied by those wretched vines for so long, Mu Shuangshuang naturally knew perfectly well that these murderous wisteria vines... were clearly the Dark Abyss Demon Vine itself!

"But... Mo Yan should be asleep! How did she end up here?"

"Miss!"

Beside her, Mo Chengxuan's voice was urgent and low, "It's time to go! The enforcement team from the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion will be here in an instant! Once your identity is exposed, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Shuangshuang snapped out of her shock, her brows furrowed, and a cold glint flashed in her deep brown eyes.

Regardless of where these wisteria vines came from, she really shouldn't stay here any longer!

"Go!" she decided immediately, her figure disappearing like smoke as she was about to blend into the chaotic fleeing crowd.

However--

"What kind of monster dares to commit such an inhuman act in Wanren City?!"

The next second, an old man's roar, filled with boundless rage, thundered like a thunderclap from the heavens, instantly overwhelming all the chaos and screams! The powerful pressure enveloped the entire Sword Inquiry Platform area as if it were a tangible force!

Several figures exuding sharp sword energy broke through the air and hovered above the Sword Inquiry Platform!

The elderly man at the head of the group had his hair and beard standing on end and his eyes wide with anger. He was none other than the law enforcement elder of the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion, responsible for the security of Wanren City!

Mu Shuangshuang paused, looking at the powerful auras in the sky, her eyes narrowing slightly: "Too late... Leaving the city now is like walking into a trap..."

"What's the meaning?"

The girl took a deep breath and felt a chill run from her feet straight to her head.

"This is... a conspiracy, a conspiracy against me and my husband! The city gates are probably full of traps!"

"..."

After a moment's thought, Mu Shuangshuang immediately made a decision and ran off in another direction.

"Let's go! Let's keep the main character calm first. If that damn Fujiko really goes berserk, we're doomed. We'll wait until my husband comes out before we talk about anything else!"