Chapter 1270: Chapter 1268: Before the Dawn
After battling fiercely for three days and three nights, the Outer Heaven beings retreated with their considerable spoils of war, proudly leaving behind a battlefield riddled with devastation.
Everywhere in the pit, rivers of blood flowed, cascading down rocky slopes, spraying corpses, dismembered limbs, and countless chunks of flesh and bone.
On the cliff faces at the very edges, all manner of skin, flesh, and bloodstains were also present, with piles of bones forming small hills, stuck to one another. Ordinary people approaching would likely be overwhelmed by the stench of blood and faint.
The surviving warriors of East Victory were numb and rigid in their expressions, even carrying a touch of confusion.
The enemy has retreated, am I not dead?
In just a few days, from extreme joy to deep sorrow, from heaven to hell, the huge contrast before and after left many survivors unable to cope, their thoughts fragmented.
"I give you ten days. Submit or die. After ten days, any who remain in the pit will be shown no mercy!"
A wave of sound crashed over, spreading throughout the entire pit. It came from countless Outer Heaven Demons, and one could clearly sense the cruelty and unfulfilled desire in their words.
Ten days.
This was the final ultimatum the Outer Heaven Demons gave to the world of East Victory.
What to do?
...
"Brother Wansheng, why not chase them down while we have the advantage?"
After returning to Overlapping Land, Blood Sea Blade Emperor couldn’t help but ask curiously.
"Continuing to fight fiercely, we certainly could break through East Victory’s defenses, but the Outer Heaven Army would also suffer heavy losses! Capturing the world of East Victory has never been my goal. What I aim to do is to secure the first phase of victory at the lowest cost, understand?"
Wansheng Madman said indifferently.
The other giants all bared their teeth inwardly.
How could they not know that an all-out assault today would only force the warriors of East Victory into a corner to resist? On the contrary, after demonstrating overwhelming superiority, by leaving a buffer of time, the minds of East Victory’s warriors would be occupied with more thoughts.
A first offensive is vigorous, a second loses strength, and with a third, exhaustion follows.
Previously, East Victory put up a desperate fight because the difference in strength between the two sides was not vast, and there was still hope of victory.
Now? After witnessing the invincible strength of Wansheng Madman, the warriors of East Victory should understand that they stand no chance at all.
Not to mention, every one of the giants of East Victory was injured, and they would certainly not recover in ten days.
The huge disparity in strength, coupled with a psychological disadvantage, and further fermented by time, would be enough to send the morale of East Victory’s warriors plummeting!
The battle after ten days would be incredibly easy!
"Brother Wansheng truly deserves to be the foremost individual beneath the Supreme Lord. I am far inferior."
Blood Sea Blade Emperor was thoroughly impressed.
In some sense, audacity and strength are greatly correlated. Delaying for ten days might risk complications, but for Wansheng Madman, it meant nothing.
In the current world of East Victory, at most, the Supreme Lord could possess a body for a short while, but it would damage the soul. And without the Supreme Lord, who could stand against Wansheng Madman?
Not to mention an opponent, there’s no one who could withstand even ten moves from him!
The foremost individual beneath the Supreme Lord was not a title given lightly.
Ignoring the reverent gazes from others, Wansheng Madman looked up at the sky.
Out of the fifteen worlds, the overall strength of East Victory’s world could only be ranked in the middle. To him, this place was merely a transition. The few strongest worlds were the stages where he planned to wreak havoc widely.
At that time, he was determined to achieve unparalleled feats and, with that momentum, ascend to become the Sky Origin Realm Supreme Lord, free and unfettered in the heavens and the earth!
...
The pit was a vista of desolation and deathly silence.
Many warriors were still arriving in droves, and upon learning of the events that had taken place, their bodies reeled, chilled to the bone. They were not afraid of death, but the despair of being powerless was making everyone feel as if the end was nigh.
"What’s there to fear? No matter how formidable Wansheng Madman is, if one million, ten million, a hundred million people block him together, can’t they kill him?"
This was the sentiment of some of the younger warriors.
"You may have a million people, but so do the Outer Heaven Demons. Besides, with the speed of Wansheng Madman, how could you block him? All twelve giants of East Victory are seriously wounded and won’t likely recover the strength to fight again in ten days."
With those words, the young ones were left speechless, their bodies turning ice-cold.
"I don’t mean to discourage you, but you’re all young, you still have a few days. You might as well leave this place."
"As long as the green hills are there, one need not fear running out of firewood. You are the future of East Victory’s world; you cannot die. Find a place to hide, preserving your valuable lives for the days to come,"
Some sect elders and family patriarchs began ordering the withdrawal of the promising talents from their clans.
Before this point, they, of course, had made arrangements; they could not permit their legacies and bloodlines to be severed. However, when facing certain death, it made sense to leave some extra paths open.
It made no difference if these old folks died, but why should the youth perish needlessly?
"No, Master, I must contribute my last ounce of strength for East Victory!"
"Patriarch, I refuse to be a deserter!"
"Junior Brother, the Junior Sisters all died at the hands of demons, and my life was saved by Senior Brother at the cost of his own. If I can take down even one demon, that’s one less to face. If I go down, I can do so with a clear conscience."
The ones who had come here were not the type to fear death, let alone the young and vigorous. No matter how much their families and sect elders urged or commanded, they refused to leave, determined to fight to the very end.
They weren’t being ignorant or headstrong; it was just that the people they knew, the people they loved, had all died at the hands of the demons. The faith that sustained their survival was the desire for vengeance.
To kill even one was gain enough!
They would not leave!
In the end, countless masters could only look up to the heavens and sigh, no longer asking the younger generation to leave, their hearts filled with both pain and solace.
The Outer Heaven Giant could never have imagined that the ten days of reprieve not only failed to dampen the morale of the martial artists from East Victory, but instead inspired a sense of tragic determination in everyone. They all swore to use their last drop of blood to make the Outer Heaven Demons pay with their lives!
The experts from the other realms were not disheartened, but to everyone’s surprise and anger, it was the Giants who showed cowardice.
On the eve of the great decisive battle, Xuanyuan Lang and Black White Master both disappeared, and from the five great shamans of Miaojiang, four left, leaving only one elder from the Black Spider Tribe.
"Utterly shameless!"
The Sect Leader of the Demon Exorcism Sect roared repeatedly, only to trigger his injuries, causing uncontrollable coughs of blood.
"Great Battles Emperor, won’t you leave too?"
Atop the mountain, Che Renzhong approached the other man from behind.
"What are you implying, do you think I, Yue Lingxing, am that kind of person? Us Yues might be selfish and have done many unjust things, but I’m no coward who flees from battle! If slavery is the only way to live, I’d rather die!"
The Great Battles Emperor said with a cold laugh, the corners of his mouth tinged with blood.
He was armed with a divine weapon, but after activating it several times in a row, he was not only severely injured, but his foundation had also started to wobble, even showing signs of regression in his martial abilities.
Che Renzhong saw all of this very clearly, and his appraisal of the man shifted somewhat.
"Only one night remains."
Che Renzhong said.
The Great Battles Emperor didn’t speak, simply lifting his eyes to gaze at the crescent moon obscured by mist. For some reason, the visage of a woman suddenly appeared before him.
She was the woman he loved most, the one he had sworn to stay with until old age. However, when he was just starting out in the Martial World, he was blinded by the dazzling lights. In order to make a name for himself and shake the world, he joined the Hundred Battles Tower.
Later, his shocking talent was discovered, and the then leader of Hundred Battles Tower personally took him as a disciple and gave him his only daughter in marriage. He did not refuse.
To avoid displeasing his father-in-law and wife, he even had to forget that woman.
Years later, when Yue Lingxing achieved fame and success, he couldn’t hold back the ties in his heart any longer and returned to that village.
The familiar, cozy little building was in ruins from the wind and rain, with a gravestone in front overgrown with wild grass, bearing the two characters "Yue’s."
Later, he heard from the villagers that the woman had always been waiting for him, never marrying, until the end of her life, still hoping for his return. The two characters on the gravestone were also her last words.
Yue Lingxing would never forget that day. He, who had never shed a tear before, wept aloud in front of that small, ruined tombstone. Since then, there was no more Yue Lingxing in the Martial World, only the Great Battles Emperor who conquered every battle.
He thought he had forgotten, but it had been etched into his bones all along. Even after tens of thousands of years, the face of his beloved remained clear in his mind.
The Great Battles Emperor’s eyes slightly moistened.
"Care for a drink?"
On the north side of the slope, Situ Changkong passed a flask to Xue Changqing.
Xue Changqing did not take it.
"This flask of wine, I bought it from Cloud Sky Tower before I left the East Victory Continent. I always wanted to try it, but couldn’t bear the cost. Now, I can finally have my wish," said Situ Changkong, prompting a laugh from Xue Changqing.
He had heard of Cloud Sky Tower, where the wine was the most expensive in the whole East Victory Continent, costing hundreds of silver for just an ounce. Situ Changkong, never one for crooked paths and who loved to act as a chivalrous hero, certainly couldn’t afford it.
The several pounds of wine here must have been his savings from decades.
Popping open the flask, Xue Changqing took a sip of wine, then handed it back to Situ Changkong, who tilted his head back and finished it in one go.
"Not saving any?"
"If we don’t drink it now, I’m afraid it’d be wasted," Situ Changkong replied.
Xue Changqing said, "Brother Situ, thank you for the wine. If we survive, I will certainly invite you to Cloud Sky Tower, reserve the top floor and drink with you for three days and nights."
Situ Changkong nodded, "It’s a promise."
Then, the two sat in silence, each on their own, but both understood that the likelihood of fulfilling this promise was slim.
"Nine-tenths of the experts from Pudu Peak came, and in these days, many must have died."
At the foot of a mountain, bathed in moonlight, a bewitching woman in black clothes laughed.
"Seventy percent are dead, less than a few hundred remain. By tomorrow, we’ll probably be annihilated."
The woman dressed in white, standing in stark contrast to the lady in black, had a haggard yet delicate face, exuding a sense of holiness and grace.
She was the contemporary head of Pudu Peak, Ci Xin Yao, and Ji Morou’s master.
Glancing at Ji Morou in the distance, her clothes stained with blood, the woman in black said, "Your Righteous Path is always so indifferent to personal emotions, willing to sacrifice anything for so-called righteousness."
Ci Xin Yao replied, "Is that why you betrayed Pudu Peak back then, to seek refuge in the embrace of the Dreamy Sect?"
The woman in black snorted coldly.
"How is my niece Ren doing? She should be your biological daughter, right? I’ve heard she gave birth to a son; that’s both your grandson and mine."
The woman in black turned abruptly, barking, "Don’t flatter yourself!"
Ci Xin Yao asked, "May I know the child’s name?"
A long silence followed, with no response.
Ci Xin Yao turned to leave, the fleeting look of disappointment and pain on her face did not escape the woman in black’s eyes, and it sent shivers through her.
"Ren Xiaoyao, his name is Ren Xiaoyao!"
The voice of her Junior Sister came from behind.
Ci Xin Yao hesitated for a moment, then walked away more briskly than before, her lips curling into a faint smile.
Her name was Ci Xin Yao, and her Junior Sister’s name was Ren Xiaoxiao.
