Chapter 299: Resurrection
Xu Yafei's heart died completely. She knew she was no match for Hong Wu.
She gave a tragic smile, her eyes red as she stared at Hong Wu. "Hong Wu, even as a ghost, I won't let you go! And let me tell you something, I've been Zhao Dong's woman for a long time! You useless cur! Hahaha... You can't have my heart, and I won't let you have my body either!"
With that, she snatched a knife from the ground and plunged it toward her heart. Since she couldn't avenge Zhao Dong, this was her final choice.
Hong Wu's expression soured. He roared, "You want to die? In your dreams!"
He lunged forward, grabbed a fistful of Xu Yafei's hair, and yanked it violently.
Xu Yafei screamed, her vision blackening from the pain as the knife was knocked from her grasp.
"You bitch! You think you get to die? You die when I say so!"
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! A series of loud slaps landed hard across Xu Yafei's face.
Yet, Xu Yafei made no other sound. Her eyes were vacant, tears streaming endlessly down her cheeks.
"You bitch! So you can endure it, huh? I'll give you something to endure!"
Completely unhinged, Hong Wu kicked at Xu Yafei's head before grabbing a nearby stool and smashing it down on her.
Xu Yafei coughed up a mouthful of blood and finally succumbed, her vision fading to black as she passed out.
"Bitch!" Hong Wu growled, continuing to kick and punch her limp body.
After a long while, exhausted from the assault, Hong Wu collapsed onto a nearby sofa. He took a long, hard drag from a cigarette, forcing himself to calm down.
Looking at the unconscious woman on the floor, Hong Wu smiled coldly before dragging her into a room and locking the door and windows. He gave her one last look, then turned and left.
Out in the living room, Hong Wu made a call to the Black Dragon Commerce, urging them to send experts immediately. Even though Zhao Dong was dead, Hong Wu had offended far too many people. With no master protecting him now, he felt a genuine sense of panic.
「Three days later.」
A gloomy drizzle fell from the sky, the air heavy and oppressive. On a hill overlooking the East Sea, a black coffin was lowered into the ground.
A crowd dressed in black stood by, their faces etched with sorrow. They had long since cried themselves dry, leaving only numbness in their swollen eyes. As the mound of earth gradually grew, the crowd was forced to accept the reality of Zhao Dong's death.
Zhao Kangyou and Liu Cuirong cried until they fainted and had to be carried away. Xu Qingyue, Tang Xue, and Tang Bing also discreetly wiped their tears before leaving with a sigh.
Jiang Nianyu sat by the grave for a long time, fainting twice from the overwhelming grief.
"Zhao Dong... why... you promised to love me... why..."
After what felt like an eternity, Jiang Nianyu finally left, her soul seemingly gone from her body. A profound silence descended, as if this place were sealed off from the rest of the world.
An unknown amount of time passed as night enveloped the land, the lonely caws of crows echoing mournfully. Under the moonlight, the solitary grave mound looked particularly tragic and desolate. No matter how glorious one's life, in death, they are but a mound of earth...
Just then, a strange disturbance rippled through the silence. The grave mound began to stir!
Indeed, the very soil of the grave was trembling, as if something were about to burst forth!
The tremors grew more and more violent, shaking all the loose earth from the mound!
BOOM!
The violent disturbance startled the countless birds in the forest, sending them fleeing into the sky!
BANG!
With another explosive sound, the grave mound suddenly burst open. The coffin shot into the air, where it shattered into countless splinters. If anyone had witnessed this scene, they would have been scared to death. It was like something out of a zombie movie.
With the coffin obliterated, a figure slowly crawled out of the earth.
"Damn... where the hell am I? How did I get buried?"
Covered in mud, Zhao Dong sat beside the hole that had been his grave, panting heavily. He looked around, completely bewildered, a chill creeping into his heart. How did I end up... in a cemetery in the mountains?
Suddenly, a flood of memories assaulted him, and his head throbbed with excruciating pain.
Just then, a white light flared to life! It emanated from the Jade Pendant his mother had left him, which now sported a tiny new crack. The crack emitted a lustrous white light, bursting with an intense life force that rapidly began repairing Zhao Dong's body.
At the same time, he felt his cultivation realm not only being repaired but also nearing a breakthrough!
BOOM!
A vortex erupted within his Dantian, instantly pulling in all the surrounding Spiritual Energy. An indescribable sensation of surging power flooded through him. Zhao Dong let out a savage roar as searing pain ripped through his body.
A long time passed. When the excruciating pain finally subsided, Zhao Dong's eyes snapped open. His aura had soared to the third level of Foundation Establishment.
Zhao Dong remained silent for a long time, then muttered to himself, "Hong Wu! I bet you never imagined I would come back to life, did you?"
"Don't worry. I won't let you die so easily. I will make you understand the meaning of a fate worse than death."
Zhao Dong rose slowly, his fingers brushing against the cracked Jade Pendant as a terrifying killing intent erupted in his eyes. The power coursing through his body was immense and wild.
Zhao Dong laughed mockingly at himself. If I'd had this power before the fight, I could have killed a man like Kou Hongmin with a flick of my finger!
He sighed. Well, it's a blessing in disguise, I suppose.
He then turned to look at his own grave. He threw a punch, and the grave mound was instantly pulverized. The memory of his grieving parents and friends twisted his heart like a knife.
Without another moment of hesitation, Zhao Dong raced for home.