Heavens' Laughter-Chapter 109: Innocent

"Well~ what are you waiting for?" Feng Shen drawled, his voice laced with mockery.

His lips curved into a small, confident smile as he stood motionless, completely unbothered by the storm raging around him.

Feng Shen’s golden eyes remained fixed on the man in front of him, never once blinking.

"Are you going to attack me, or is all that power just for show?" he taunted, spreading his arms slightly, as if inviting the impending strike.

Anita Mui offered no response. He took a deep, steadying breath, closing his eyes for just a moment.

In that brief pause, he centered himself, letting the water flow through him, fully embracing his element.

When Anita Mui’s eyes snapped open, a surge of water rose around him like a cresting wave.

With explosive force, he shot forward; the water trailing him in a swirling torrent.

In an instant, Anita Mui was directly in front of the young man.

With a sharp motion, he thrust his leg forward, sending a powerful jet of water hurtling forward.

Without hesitation, Anita Mui followed up with a kick from his other leg, unleashing a second torrent.

Feng Shen didn’t move an inch, letting the jets of water crash against his body.

The force was enough to puncture weaker foes, but his formidable physique absorbed the impact effortlessly.

The water splashed and hissed around Feng Shen, but he stood unshaken.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose with an air of exasperation, he shook his head. "I swear~…" he muttered, his tone dripping with disdain.

"Huh!?" Before Anita Mui could react…

Feng Shen vanished from his sight, reappearing behind him in a blink.

His voice cut through the rain like a blade:

"All you Water Cultivators are the same—weak!"

With both hands clasped together, Feng Shen brought them down with devastating force, smashing the man’s head into the deck of the flying ship.

The sheer impact splintered the wood and sent shockwaves rippling through the vessel, propelling Anita Mui’s body downward.

Wiping his hands, Feng Shen glanced down.

He saw the man plummeting through the air, his wide eyes frozen in shock.

The sight was too much for Feng Shen to resist, and a chuckle bubbled up before escalating into a full-throated laugh.

"Where do you think you’re going?" he sneered.

Without hesitation, Feng Shen leapt down, diving.

As he descended, he glanced upward. "Ah~ almost forgot!"

Taking a deep breath, Feng Shen unleashed a deafening Dragon’s Roar, his Qi reverberating like a thunderclap.

The sheer force of energy tore through the remnants of the flying ship, splintering the vessel completely.

With its structural integrity obliterated, the flying ship began to tilt, groaning under the strain before pitching into a catastrophic nosedive, hurtling toward the ground below.

"You evil bastard!" Anita Mui roared as he snapped back to his senses.

Shaking off the shock, he forced himself to focus.

Anita Mui’s gaze darted downward, and his heart sank at the sight below: tens of thousands of men, women, and children of all ages still scrambling to evacuate.

If the flying ship collided with them, the devastation would be unimaginable.

"No… I won’t let this happen!" Anita Mui growled through clenched teeth.

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Refusing to allow such a tragedy, he clapped his hands together with a thunderous crack.

In an instant, glowing rifts split the air around him, shimmering with raw energy.

Kraken-like arms emerged, moving with urgency.

They caught up to Anita Mui mid-fall and allowed him to land gracefully on one of their massive, writhing forms.

"I’ll stop this… no matter what it takes!" he muttered.

With a sharp motion, Anita Mui thrust his hand toward the plummeting vessel.

The kraken-like arms obeyed, surging forward like coiled springs unleashed.

They wrapped around the flying ship, their massive arms trembling under the immense weight.

Anita Mui could feel the strain coursing through his entire being.

Every fiber of his body screamed in protest, but he refused to let go.

With gritted teeth, Anita Mui fully soul-bonded with the kraken-like arms, channeling his strength directly into them.

A guttural scream tore from his throat as pain exploded through him.

Anita Mui’s eyes turned bloodshot, bulging as though they might burst.

Veins crawled across his temples like twisting vines, and his bones felt like they might snap under the pressure.

Yet, even as agony consumed him, Anita Mui stood firm. "I will not allow the innocent to die! For the honor of the Crane Empire!"

Feng Shen, perched lazily on his floating cloud, let out a small chuckle as he glided effortlessly toward the man who looked like he was about to break.

He settled beside him with a bored expression, resting his cheek against his hand.

Feng Shen’s eyes flickered with disinterest, then casually glanced downward at the civilians below, their desperate cries faintly reaching his ears.

"Let me ask you this…" he sighed. "Do you want to die... or let those helpless civilians die?"

Feng Shen slowly looked back at the man:

"Quite the predicament, isn’t it?"

Such a question left Anita Mui momentarily speechless.

For a fleeting moment, his focus wavered, drawn to the gravity of those words.

But Anita Mui quickly shook his head, rain mingling with the sweat streaming down his face, as his resolve reignited.

"I will never sacrifice the weak for my own life!" he roared. "Kill me if you must, but I will not allow the innocent to perish!"

Anita Mui’s determination burned brighter than ever.

This wasn’t just about the civilians below—it was about a promise he had made long ago to his younger self.

A vow to stand as a shield for those who couldn’t protect themselves, no matter the cost.

"So fucking lame…" Feng Shen muttered under his breath.

Rising lazily from his cloud, he hopped onto one of the massive kraken-like arms.

Silently, Feng Shen approached the man, as he leaned in close to whisper in his ear, his voice low and venomous:

"Do you really believe those people down there are innocent? For all you know, you’re protecting a rapist, a murderer, a thief. You don’t know them… So why bother protecting them?"

Anita Mui’s eyes narrowed, blood dripping from his lips. He spat it out, his voice unwavering as he yelled back:

"It doesn’t matter! As long as even one innocent soul is among them, I won’t take that chance! The innocent deserve to live—especially the children. They have their whole futures ahead of them!"

Feng Shen casually patted the man on the shoulder, a gesture that sent a violent tremor through his entire body, causing blood to spill from his mouth once again:

"Well, it seems you’ve chosen the path of the fool. Such a shame. Oh well, time to die."

In the blink of an eye, Feng Shen’s hands shot around the man’s throat, and with a sickening crack, he snapped his neck.

The life drained from Anita Mui instantly, his body going limp as the kraken-like arms dissipated into the air.

"Now that’s done…" Feng Shen leapt back onto his cloud. "I can continue a beautiful dance of slaughter!"

He looked upward, watching as the rain gradually slowed to a stop.

With a slight tilt of his head, Feng Shen stretched his hands out to catch the falling droplets, letting the water drip off his fingers and fall below.

But his gaze soon shifted downward, where he saw the flying ship plummeting uncontrollably, descending far faster than before.

The ship nose-dived straight into a massive crowd of men and women below, the impact crushing them instantly.

An explosion erupted from the collision, a violent wave of destruction obliterating everyone in its area.

Feng Shen’s lips curled into a genuine smile as he observed the chaotic sight below.

His attention soon shifted to the two massive birds locked in a fierce battle, their talons clashing and screeches echoing across the Upper Realm.

"Well~ it seems they’re having fun..." Feng Shen mused, his tone light and filled with amusement.

His gaze then drifted to another flying vessel in the distance.

Floating lazily through the air, Feng Shen turned toward it:

"Once I’m finished… I’ll be sure to join in on that bird fight."

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Down below…

"Are you all fools!?" The Phoenix Emperor roared, flames erupting around him, engulfing his closest advisors in a fiery inferno.

Their screams were drowned by the crackling heat as they perished before his eyes:

"The Crane Empire is attacking us! It’s right before us, under our noses!"

The Phoenix Emperor’s eyes burned:

"I want every man and woman to stand up and defend our lands! I don’t care if they’re evacuating or what nonsense they’re doing!"

The Phoenix Emperor’s fists clenched at his sides.

"But… Your Majesty, you must understand, our army is currently helping those who aren’t strong enough to—" Before the advisor could finish his plea…

His body was instantly consumed by flames, his screams cutting off abruptly as the fire roared around him.

That advisor’s charred form collapsed to the floor, his life extinguished in an instant, all under the eyes of the remaining advisors.

Silence…

"Father, do not fret. You must calm your aging heart," the 1st Prince of the Phoenix Royal Family spoke, as he stepped forward:

"I will lead the charge. I will rally our men and crush those who dare stand in our way, protecting our lands with every ounce of my strength."