Chapter 158: The Death of Tiana

"Puff!"

A severe, jarring pain struck his chest, followed by a violent surge of vital energy within him. Yang Guang coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood directly into the air, staining the falling snowflakes a bright crimson.

Tiana naturally knew that Chen Sinian had already ascended to the rank of a Saint, while Yang Guang had only recently broken through to the Grandmaster realm. The two were in completely different leagues, entirely incomparable.

"Stop fighting! Stop, please stop!"

Watching Yang Guang crash into the wall and collapse onto the ground, clutching his chest in agony and struggling to crawl back up, Tiana felt her heart breaking. She hurriedly cried out to Chen Sinian.

At that moment, Chen Sinian acted as if he had turned a deaf ear, walking toward the sprawling Yang Guang step by step with the unhurried ease of a leisurely stroll.

"What are you doing? He is your child too!"

Seeing Chen Sinian's cold expression and the murderous intent gleaming in his eyes, Tiana was seized with terror. Trapped inside her cage and unable to break free, she could only urge him forward with desperate persuasion.

Having already reached Yang Guang, Chen Sinian paused in his tracks when he heard Tiana mention that Yang Guang was also his child.

Seeing this, Tiana felt a momentary glimmer of hope, believing her words had managed to stop him.

"A child? He is nothing more than a tool to me."

Chen Sinian turned his head slightly, casting a sidelong glance at the helpless Tiana inside the cage. A faint, mocking smile touched the corners of his lips as he spoke.

"He was merely a tool I raised. Now that the tool has outlived its usefulness, how could I possibly harbor a tiger and invite future disaster?"

Chen Sinian's words instantly plunged Tiana from her fleeting hope into a freezing abyss of despair, her face turning pale as her eyes filled with utter hopelessness.

Now is the chance!

Lying prone on the ground, Yang Guang felt as though his ribs had shattered beneath the agonizing pain in his chest, sending waves of scorching torment with every breath he drew.

The immense disparity between them was glaringly obvious; any blind and reckless assault would be entirely futile. Therefore, Yang Guang chose to remain flat on the ground, biding his time.

Just then, Chen Sinian turned away to speak with Tiana—this was the absolute best opportunity.

"Die!"

A piercing wave of murderous intent erupted instantly. Holding his breath and ignoring the agony wracking his body, Yang Guang poured all his strength into the long saber in his hand. Springing directly off the ground like a sharp arrow, he thrust straight toward Chen Sinian.

"No!"

Tiana saw the scene with crystal clarity, yet in her eyes, Yang Guang's move was tantamount to walking straight to his death.

...

It stopped!

Yang Guang had unleashed the full-powered strike of a Grandmaster, yet it halted abruptly right in its tracks. Although Chen Sinian was not even looking at him, how could a Saint-tier powerhouse be so easily ambushed by such a trick?

In Chen Sinian's eyes, Yang Guang was nothing more than an infant wielding a toy blade. Without even turning his head, he easily caught the saber with his bare hand.

Staring in shock at the uninjured Chen Sinian before him, Yang Guang's heart plummeted straight to the bottom.

The gap was absolute—a crushing, overwhelming disparity. Yang Guang understood that under such a difference in power, he no longer possessed even a shred of a chance at victory.

Crack, bang!

Yang Guang's saber was crushed to pieces right in Chen Sinian's grip, the shattered blade fragmenting and scattering in all directions.

Looking down at the thoroughly despairing Yang Guang, Chen Sinian curved his lips into a slight smile and said softly.

"Do not forget, all your skills were taught to you by this lord."

The moment the words fell, Chen Sinian's expression shifted. A fierce gleam flashed in the depths of his eyes as he leaned forward, his free left hand violently seizing Yang Guang by the hair and slamming him mercilessly into the ground.

Bang!

Blood splattered instantly across the floor. Fortunately, Yang Guang possessed the cultivation of a Grandmaster; otherwise, his skull would have shattered from the impact. Even so, the blow was more than enough to render him completely unconscious.

"Hmph, trash!"

Chen Sinian casually hoisted Yang Guang's head up. The young man's limbs hung completely limp like a deflated ball, fresh blood streaming from his nose and mouth.

"Stop, please stop! I beg you, I beg you to let him go!"

Gazing at Yang Guang in Chen Sinian's grasp, Tiana dropped to her knees inside the cage, weeping bitterly and wailing in agony.

Turning around with a cold sneer, Chen Sinian looked at Tiana, casually tossed Yang Guang's body right against the bars of her cage, and glared at her with a ferocious expression as he chided,

"You are nothing but a treacherous bitch. This lord offered you kindly advice before, yet you stubbornly refused to listen, forcing things to turn out this way just to satisfy yourself."

Watching the unconscious Yang Guang lying just outside her cage, Tiana nervously reached out to stroke his cheek, sobbing as she replied,

"I'll listen, I will listen to you! As long as you spare Guang'er, I will do whatever you say. I will trade my life for his."

Seeing that Tiana was finally willing to yield and nod in agreement, Chen Sinian slowly smiled, speaking with casual indifference.

"Your life was forfeit long ago. Now, if you want this lord to spare his life, it is not entirely impossible. Just tell me the second half of the technique manual, and this lord will let him live."

With a panicked look in her eyes, Tiana hurriedly nodded at the man before her, speaking with utmost sincerity.

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything! Just don't kill him, I can tell you anything."

A short while later, Tiana finally revealed the secrets of the latter half of the technique to Chen Sinian.

"I've told you everything. Can you let him go now?"

Kneeling pitifully inside the cage, Tiana pleaded with Chen Sinian, her eyes brimming with tears.

Having finally obtained everything he desired, Chen Sinian turned to glance around the surroundings and sighed softly, "This secret chamber was originally built to imprison you. Now that this lord has learned what I wanted, this place no longer has any reason to exist."

With that, Chen Sinian spun around abruptly, swinging the broadsword in his right hand with all his might toward the iron cage. The intense blade aura remained dazzling even in broad daylight. Like a knife cutting through tofu, the massive iron cage, along with Tiana trapped inside it, was cleaved cleanly into two halves.

This single strike represented the true, unreserved might of the Saint realm.

Tiana felt only a flash of blinding white light before she collapsed and split apart, shock frozen in the depths of her eyes.

Glancing at the lifeless Tiana without a shred of emotion in his eyes, Chen Sinian casually hoisted the nearby Yang Guang up by his side and turned to leave.

The snowflakes in the sky grew heavier, falling slowly like blooming petals to gently blanket Tiana's corpse.

...

"Cen Sinian, will you always love me?"

A young Tiana looked up at Chen Sinian, who was earnestly studying the martial techniques of the Tidi tribe. Her eyes held a trace of shyness, and her bashful tone was filled with the romantic devotion of a young maiden.

"Ah? Pr... Princess, I am merely a slave."

Lifting his head from among the numerous scrolls, Chen Sinian looked at Tiana with a stunned expression, his youthful face carrying a hint of awkward reserve.

...

"We will make it out. Once we get out, I will marry you."

Amidst the boundless snowstorm, Chen Sinian and Tiana huddled together for warmth while their last remaining guard succumbed to hunger and cold nearby.

...