Chapter 202: You Want to Stop Me?

The temperature in the courtyard surged abruptly; the surrounding air seemed filled with blazing fire, and at this moment, even the grass and trees withered and shriveled in an invisible searing heat.

The terrifying aura within Murong Xiaoya, barely suppressed until now, instantly erupted like a stormy tide.

Hu Rui'an and the others all changed expression, retreating immediately and putting distance between themselves and Murong Xiaoya.

Yet among them, only Wu Shang did not retreat—instead, he was pulled by an irresistible force and instantly flew uncontrollably to Murong Xiaoya's front.

"You mentioned Han Chuiyuan just now—do you know where the Han family is now?"

Murong Xiaoya's blood-red flaming eyes fixed on Wu Shang before her, her voice icy, brimming with astonishing murderous intent.

Around her, intense heat radiated like a furnace; Wu Shang, facing her directly, could only barely channel his martial qi to resist the oppressive scorching.

More importantly, beneath her terrifying pressure, Wu Shang felt himself like a tiny boat tossed in a stormy sea—exceedingly small, fragile, and ready to be crushed at any moment.

"Lady Murong… you misunderstand… I don't know where the Han family is."

Wu Shang spoke with difficulty; upon hearing this, Murong Xiaoya's pale face darkened with fury, the blood flames and murderous intent in her eyes intensifying further.

"I don't want to hear any nonsense—I only want to know where the Han family is."

"I will kill every last member of the Han household—not one shall live!"

Murong Xiaoya's gaze locked onto Wu Shang; crimson-gold patterns began emerging on her skin, and tendrils of fire drifted from the empty space behind her—now, the entire courtyard seemed ready to ignite.

At that moment, Li Musheng shook his head, moved his body, and vanished from his spot, reappearing beside Wu Shang.

He casually grabbed Wu Shang's shoulder and gave it a light push backward; Wu Shang immediately felt the terrifying aura pinning him to the ground loosen, and the mountain-like pressure on his shoulders vanished instantly.

Then, his entire body floated gently away from the courtyard, finally landing steadily on the ground.

Seeing this, Hu Rui'an and the others instantly moved, arriving beside Wu Shang to ask after his condition.

Upon learning he was unharmed, they all turned together to face Murong Xiaoya and Li Musheng, who now stood facing each other in the courtyard.

"Will the Prince be alright?"

Wu Shang, still shaken, asked with deep concern.

Hearing this, Hu Rui'an and the others immediately grew uneasy; they knew well Li Musheng's martial strength was formidable.

Yet the oppression emanating from Murong Xiaoya before them was far more direct and terrifying!

Whether it was the endless sea of fire in the city earlier, or the faintly flowing crimson-gold flames that seemed capable of burning all things, they all felt profound dread and despair deep in their souls.

True, Hu Rui'an and Shen Anran had once witnessed Li Musheng punch Shen Juesheng, the old master of Zhanlu Villa, flying away.

But now they could clearly sense that Murong Xiaoya's aura was even more terrifying than Shen Juesheng's.

This made Hu Rui'an and Shen Anran deeply uneasy, their hearts filled with worry for Li Musheng.

Was Li Musheng's confrontation with Murong Xiaoya too reckless?

"We cannot let the Prince be in danger—I'll go explain this clearly to Lady Murong; once she understands, it should be fine."

At this moment, Wu Shang suddenly spoke; he gritted his teeth, determined to return to the courtyard.

But just then, Hu Rui'an sharply grabbed his arm, frowning:

"Don't move now—this place is no longer within your reach."

Meanwhile, within the courtyard, as if scorched by rolling lava:

Murong Xiaoya's blood-red flames flickered violently, molten-gold vortices spinning endlessly as she stared at Li Musheng before her.

Deep in her gaze, a faint, almost imperceptible struggle lingered; she spoke:

"Prince, are you going to stop me?"

Yet the moment these words left her lips, the last trace of struggle vanished from Murong Xiaoya's eyes—now, only blazing blood flames and unrelenting murderous intent remained.

"Lady Murong, your condition is abnormal."

At this, Li Musheng slightly narrowed his eyes and spoke directly to her.

"Prince, are you too arrogant? Do you truly believe you're invincible?"

The crimson-gold patterns on Murong Xiaoya's skin began spreading rapidly, covering every inch of her body in an instant.

Deep within each pattern, molten lava seemed imprisoned; wisps of fire rose, scorching fine cracks into the surrounding air.

Beneath Murong Xiaoya's feet, the green bricks had long since turned to powder, now melted by heat into crimson-crystalline dust, which, under invisible terrifying pressure, formed swirling rings of flame.

At that moment, murderous intent fully consumed Murong Xiaoya's reason; her crimson hair stirred without wind, and the fire mist behind her coalesced into the spectral form of a ferocious Zhu Que.

Then, she stepped forward sharply—the ground beneath her rippled with crimson-gold waves; countless trails of blazing fire, like sun-like streams, twisted through the air as if divine fire serpents, raining down scorching winds and surging toward Li Musheng with dark-red flames.

Boom—

Countless fire-serpent trails instantly swallowed Li Musheng before her; the heatwave and infernal winds they generated tore a massive vortex-shaped hole in the clouds above the entire Mei residence.

Instantly, a pillar of crimson-gold fire pierced heaven and earth; the sky filled with floating fire snakes, causing the entire city's sky to tremble, while the courtyard and surrounding buildings where Murong Xiaoya and Li Musheng stood had become an endless sea of fire.

The instant Murong Xiaoya moved, Hu Rui'an felt an intense sense of danger and, at once, dragged Shen Anran, Wu Shang, and the others away at top speed.

Now, as they fled, they turned back to look—but all they saw was crimson-gold flame radiating extreme heat; Li Musheng and Murong Xiaoya were already gone from sight.

"Prince…"

Shen Anran stared blankly at the sea of fire behind her; then, icy murderous intent and rage surged in her eyes, her entire body trembling slightly.

Hu Rui'an and the others looked grim—but they could not even approach the fire by half a step, let alone help Li Musheng.

Meanwhile, Murong Xiaoya's blood-red eyes glowed as she stared at the flame-enshrouded area; her face, covered in crimson-gold patterns, remained expressionless amid the burning fire—only the satisfaction of slaughter remained.

(End of Chapter)