Chapter One Hundred and Two: The Flower Beyond the Shore

“My sister... your body...”

Shivering, trembling until her whole body convulsed, An Ruxiang slammed her forehead to the floor in agony, yet her eyes remained wide open, fixed on the photographs scattered inches away before her. In some of them, her younger sister An Ruohuan was seen with her in childhood; in others... they showed the miserable state her sister had fallen into after entering the Prison Paradise.

And no matter which photograph it was, her sister was smiling in every one of them, smiling with a joy that filled An Ruxiang with unbearable pain.

“Ruohuan, all these years after you ran away from home, your sister finally managed to trace your whereabouts, but I never imagined...” An Ruxiang's enraged, tormented body was trembling so hard even her voice shook. “I never imagined you would be framed and turned into this. It is my fault, all my fault for failing to protect you. Sister is here to save you now. Wait for me. I will kill those beasts who forced you into this state! They all deserve to die, every last one of them, dead without a burial place!”

An Ruxiang completely lost control. At that moment, not only her bearing, but even her reason had been utterly shattered. She wrapped her arms around herself, her nails digging deeply into her flesh, tearing away great strips of bloodied tissue. Instantly, ten ghastly wounds appeared across both her arms. Blood sprayed into the air and transformed into countless pale blue flowers. The once pure and sacred mandala had become so seductive and demonic it was almost suffocating.

At the same time, at the very summit of the tower, an equally fierce crimson light burst forth. A blood-red demon flower bloomed together with it, so alluring and uncanny that no one dared look straight at it.

This flower was the same kind Mu You had seen in the corridor earlier.

An Ruxiang said, “This is... a flower from the river of the dead. It is my sister's favorite flower. It really is Ruohuan. I have to save her. I have to go now!”

Around her, countless pale blue flowers blossomed in succession, their size swelling violently as they twisted together into countless emerald vines, forming a giant tree of flowers that lifted An Ruxiang straight toward the blood-red blossom in the sky.

Yet at that very moment, from nearly every level of the tower, innumerable semi-transparent human-shaped beings surged out. Each one was far more solid and distinct than before, flooding the air as they poured toward An Ruxiang.

“Get out of my way!”

Cold light flashed violently in An Ruxiang's eyes. Her limbs transformed into countless vines that swept outward in all directions in a radial barrage, crushing those bizarre assailants to pieces in an overwhelming display of force. Yet a few slipped through the net and reached her. Invisible claws tore open her ample body, but she paid them no heed at all. Propelled by the tremendous momentum of her charge, she smashed them apart and surged onward, unstoppable, all the way to the highest sky.

A vast torrent of scattered soul aura continuously converged into Mu You's final punishment, where it was all transformed by the young girl into pure spiritual energy and poured into Mu You's body.

“Big brother, wake up already! That beautiful Sister Ruxiang has gone berserk! And the S-class death row inmate seems to have sensed something strange over here too and is getting ready to act. Also, that S-class inmate appears to be in a rather abnormal state as well!”

How pure could the original soul power of an S-class death row inmate be? And after the young girl used her own essence at almost any cost to refine it for Mu You, the severely wounded Mu You gradually regained color in his face. His brows slowly furrowed as he opened his eyes, wiped the blood soaking his cheeks, and staggered to his feet.

When Jing Fei saw that Mu You had awakened so quickly, he stared at him as if he had seen a ghost. However, he said nothing more and instead explained everything that had happened afterward in detail.

After listening, Mu You looked up at An Ruxiang, who was rushing skyward at high speed, then glanced at the photographs strewn across the floor and immediately understood why she had lost control.

If the Prison Paradise were to turn the young girl into something neither human nor ghost, Mu You would willingly be devoured once more by the Midnight Soul-Cutting Worm, and then he would turn this place into a true hell on earth, never to know peace again.

Seeing that Dian Shao had also awakened and was now reattaching his broken arm, Mu You instantly teleported in front of him. Dian Shao gave him a faint glance and continued with his work.

Without another word, Mu You dropped to one knee and deftly set the broken bones in both of Dian Shao's arms. With multiple fractures in both arms, the pain of repeated setting should have been unbearable, yet Dian Shao remained expressionless. He was only slightly surprised that Mu You, after unleashing such a devastating attack, seemed completely unharmed.

Mu You would not be so foolish as to tell Dian Shao that he had a trump card like the young girl. Moreover, from the sound of her voice, she was clearly somewhat weakened and would need a period of rest.

“Instructor, are we still fighting?!”

Mu You saw that Dian Shao's right leg was also dislocated in several places, and while setting it, he asked provocatively.

“Why didn't you kill me while I was unconscious just now?”

Dian Shao did not stop Mu You, letting him set the bones as he pleased. He asked in some confusion.

“Kill you? Do we really have that much of a grudge?” Mu You said. “Before, you were the one who struck at me. I couldn't let you push me around. Even if I were to die, I still wouldn't let you bully me.”

As he spoke, Mu You gave Dian Shao's right leg a hard slap. Watching the other man grimace in pain, he then grinned crookedly and said, “That's all. All right, try standing up.”

Dian Shao's face remained cold as he slowly rose to his feet. He studied Mu You for a moment longer before speaking in a solemn voice. “I was raised by a wolf pack since childhood. The moment I came out, I was sent into this Prison Paradise. Although I do not care much for social contact, your strength has earned my recognition.”

As he spoke, Dian Shao lifted his rough right hand. Mu You's smile also gained a trace of sincerity, and he grasped it solemnly.

“You are strong,” Dian Shao said, squeezing firmly.

“You are stronger than I am. I still have enough self-awareness to know that.”

Mu You finished with an easy laugh, and the two men looked at each other and smiled.

When men dealt with each other, even a fight could be refreshingly straightforward. That kind of bond was something forged through battle.

“Just call me Wolf Boy.”

“Better make it Brother Wolf. My name is Mu You.”

Mu You offered Dian Shao a rather delicate compliment before introducing himself.

In Dian Shao's still icy gaze, a touch of simple honesty flashed across his face. It seemed he had not been putting on airs all along; rather, he had simply never had much contact with human beings since childhood, which had led to his present awkwardness.

“Brother Wolf, the S-class death row inmate here should be my friend's younger sister. My friend came to this Prison Paradise willingly, all for the sake of rescuing her. Unfortunately, the three of us are truly somewhat stretched thin in terms of strength, so I hope Brother Wolf will be willing to lend us a hand later.”

Although Mu You was still deeply worried about An Ruxiang, he nevertheless calmly and respectfully explained the entire sequence of events to Dian Shao.

“Little Brother Mu You,” Dian Shao said gravely, gazing at the blood-red flower of the river of the dead high in the sky. Somewhat uncertainly, he asked, “Are you truly certain that the S-class death row inmate and your friend are sisters? Something feels off.”

No sooner had Dian Shao spoken than, just as An Ruxiang was about to reach the blossom, the once-quiet flower suddenly erupted with an earth-swallowing, sky-devouring momentum. An Ruxiang's body was instantly suppressed by that force. The vines of the flower-tree beneath her shattered one after another, and even the surface of her own skin was forced to seep out fine beads of emerald blood. She was sent flying back by the flower's recoil, like a cannon shell hurled back with even greater speed!

“Sister, you...!”

Tears instantly filled An Ruxiang's eyes, as if her eyelids were about to split apart. A look of utter heartbreak spread across her face.

“Could it be that you still refuse to forgive your sister?”