Heavens' Laughter-Chapter 123: Sentencing

"…Student Feng Shen! Stop right there! What is the meaning of this!?"

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Zhao Rui stepped forward, emerging from a shimmering teleportation formation. His expression was confusion as he took in the carnage.

The bodies of the Ancestor and the Phoenix — two figures of immense power — lay lifeless before him.

Feng Shen turned his head slightly, a smug grin tugging at his lips. "Oh, teacher Zhao Rui," he drawled, his voice dripping with mockery:

"What brings you here? I would have thought you had evacuated by now."

"Enough!" Zhao Rui barked. "What is the meaning of this madness? Do you realize what you’ve done?"

Feng Shen chuckled, tilting his head as though considering the question:

"Let’s see… I defeated a senile old man clinging to his glory days and a bird too proud to bow."

Zhao Rui’s hands balled into fists:

"Feng Shen, this isn’t a game! Do you understand the implications of killing beings of their stature? The Academy is responsible for you, and this — this disaster — will have repercussions. You’re coming back with me. Now."

The amusement in Feng Shen’s expression faded, replaced by a flicker of annoyance. He turned fully to face the teacher, the dark Qi still faintly emanating from his form.

"Back to the Academy?" he repeated mockingly. "To be lectured? Scolded? Judged by people who are weak? No, Instructor. I’ve outgrown that place — and its limitations."

Zhao Rui’s eyes narrowed. "This isn’t up for debate, Feng Shen. You’ve crossed too many lines, and it’s the Academy’s duty to handle this… situation. You will return and explain yourself."

For a moment, the two stood in silence.

Feng Shen suddenly broke into a fit of laughter. His shoulders shook, and his grin stretched wide, dark amusement gleaming in his golden eyes.

"You really are dumb, aren’t you?" he sneered:

"Don’t you see? I just took down two beings powerful enough to destroy the entire Upper Realm! The entire Upper Realm! And yet, here you are, ordering me to return to that pathetic excuse of an academy?"

Feng Shen stepped forward as he stretched his neck with an audible crack. "You truly are a fool."

Zhao Rui gritted his teeth, but before he could form a response. "…"

Feng Shen raised his hand. Without hesitation, a sharp bullet of dark Qi materialized at his fingertips and shot toward the teacher like a streak of black lightning.

"What the—?!" Zhao Rui exclaimed, quickly raising both hands as he roared, "Protective Formation!"

A shimmering barrier of golden light sprang to life in front of him, its surface rippling with radiant energy.

The dark Qi struck the barrier, and for a moment, it seemed as though the defense would hold. But then the golden light began to dim, its brilliance rapidly fading as the dark Qi seeped into it, corrupting and eroding the formation from within.

Crack.

The barrier shattered like fragile glass, fragments of light dissipating into the air. Zhao Rui staggered backward, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What… I… Impossible… My protective barrier…"

Feng Shen sighed loudly, shaking his head. "Really? That was my weakest attack," he mocked, his voice dripping with condescension:

"And it destroyed your so-called protective barrier? Pathetic."

"You…" Zhao Rui clenched his fists, his body tense as he glared at the young man before him. "Feng Shen, stop this madness! You don’t understand the path you’re walking!"

"Huh? Oh, you weak, weak man," Feng Shen said, his voice low and cold. "I understand it perfectly. The real question is — do you?"

"Enough of your words!" Zhao Rui’s voice boomed with authority:

"You are coming back to the academy, and that is final! I don’t care how powerful you are! It is our duty to be responsible for all our students, no matter their status."

As Zhao Rui spoke, a massive formation began to take shape in the sky above. Runes of golden light spun and intertwined, and a radiant glow shimmered down.

"Hmm?" Feng Shen tilted his head, glancing upward lazily at the growing enchantment. His eyes flicked back to the teacher, his expression twisted with disdain:

"Really? An enchantment? Do you honestly think this will work? You’re underestimating me… and frankly, it’s annoying."

A small vein pulsed on Feng Shen’s forehead, his irritation clear. He couldn’t stand being looked down upon — especially by someone so weak:

"Well… I guess this is where you die!"

A mere second later…

Feng Shen shot forward like a bolt of black lightning, his dark Qi leaving a trail of corruption in its wake. He appeared before the teacher in an instant.

"Enough of your games!" Zhao Rui, bolstered by the power of the formation, swung his fist with newfound strength, flames of golden energy spiraling around his arm.

Their clash sent shockwaves rippling through the air, the impact of their collision splitting the earth beneath their feet.

Zhao Rui gritted his teeth, the enhanced power coursing through him, giving him the strength to hold his ground.

Feng Shen, however, barely seemed fazed. He smirked, his dark Qi flaring wildly as he grabbed the teacher’s fist mid-swing. "Impressive," he mused mockingly, tightening his grip. "But not enough."

Before Zhao Rui could react…

Feng Shen twisted his arm, forcing the instructor to his knees. The golden light from the formation flickered uncertainly.

"You should’ve evacuated when you had the chance," Feng Shen sneered, raising his free hand, dark energy pooling into a deadly spear of Qi:

"Now you’ll be nothing more than a soul that belongs to me."

As the spear of dark Qi hovered, mere inches from Zhao Rui’s neck, a sudden metallic clang echoed.

A sword pierced Feng Shen clean through his back. He froze, his eyes widening slightly before narrowing in annoyance.

Slowly, he turned his head to glance over his shoulder, his gaze landing on the hilt of the weapon lodged in his body.

"What’s this?" Feng Shen muttered, raising an eyebrow.

With a casual motion, he dispelled his dark Qi spear, reached back, and pulled the sword free. Blood dripped from the blade as he held it up, inspecting it with mild amusement.

A slow, wicked smile spread across his face.

"It seems you didn’t evacuate with the others," Feng Shen said. He turned around to see a tall, stoic figure standing in the distance.

Yuan Bo.

Before Feng Shen could taunt further, the sword in his hand quivered, then shot out of his grip like a living thing.

It flew back to Yuan Bo, who caught it effortlessly, spinning it once in the air to flick the blood from its blade.

"It’s unfortunate," he began, his voice calm but tinged with disappointment, "that you caused so much damage… for no reason at all."

Feng Shen’s grin faltered slightly, his eyes narrowing as he listened.

"I was prepared to let you off with a warning," Yuan Bo continued, his gaze piercing. "A slap on the wrist, as they say. But seeing you show killing intent toward a peer of mine…"

His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. "I have no choice but to discipline you myself."

Feng Shen’s smirk returned, sharper and more arrogant than before. He pointed mockingly at Yuan Bo and then at himself.

"You? Discipline me?" He let out a small laugh. "What is it with you people and this delusion that you’re above me?"

As Yuan Bo steadied his stance…

Zhao Rui, who had been kneeling in pain, suddenly shot up from behind. His palm was aimed downward, ready to deliver a devastating strike to student Feng Shen’s spine.

Feng Shen, however, merely rolled his eyes, as though sensing the attack before it even began. With a fluid motion, he turned and delivered a backhand strike.

CRACK.

Zhao Rui’s neck snapped instantly, his head twisting at an unnatural angle. His lifeless body was flung through the air like a rag doll, landing in a broken heap several meters away.

It was then did the enhancement formation dissolve into countless particles of light, cascading downward like scattered fireflies.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Yuan Bo’s eyes widened, his usual calm composure faltering as he stared at his fallen peer. He hadn’t expected Zhao Rui to die so quickly. ’That idiot…’

Meanwhile, Feng Shen glanced at the crumpled body with a look of detached indifference. "He should’ve stayed down. What a fool."

Then, with a sharp pivot, his piercing gaze returned to Yuan Bo.

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"Well then, shall we get this over with?" Feng Shen spread his arms, inviting the next attack as dark Qi began swirling around him once more:

"Show me your pathetic little tricks, teacher. Let’s see what you’ve got."

"So be it…" Yuan Bo muttered, his voice low.

In an instant, countless swords materialized in the sky, their numbers so vast they seemed to blot out the heavens.

Blades of every kind — gleaming, jagged, ancient, and pristine — hovered in a mesmerizing yet ominous display.

Yuan Bo raised his sword high in his hand.

"For the countless sins you have committed," he declared:

"I sentence you to death!"