âEveryone says we should follow heavenâs will, but Iâve always believed people can conquer heaven. Thatâs what generations of departed elders told me.â
Lao Baziâs gaze fixed on the Fifth-Realm Great Demon before him.
He bore many wounds nowâon his arms, legs, chest, backâŠ
None were easy to look at.
His Qi and Blood had fallen to rock bottom. Facing the Fifth-Realm demonic beast, he couldnât even grip his sword tightly, but he remained standing tall, refusing to fall.
âKid Mu!!â
Fighting far away, Mu Cang turned at the shout.
He saw Lao Bazi, drenched like a man dipped in blood, swaying unsteadily. âI fear I wonât live to see that dayâŠâ
âDo me a favor⊠bring me back after this fight ends. I want to see⊠what the Mortal World has become.â
As Lao Baziâs voice faded, veins bulged on his forehead, and his hand tightened on his Long Saber.
He charged straight at the Fifth-Realm demonic beast.
Just as the beastâs claws slashed across his throat, his own Long Saber plunged into its heart channel. Amplified by his final surge of Qi and Blood, the force shattered the beastâs heart meat.
Mu Cang didnât roar with fury like last time.
He remained silent. A single tear squeezed from between his closed eyelids, traced a path through the blood on his face, and fell.
Mu Cang gripped his spear tighter, carving through the chaos until he reached Lao Baziâs fallen body.
âFarewellâŠâ
He whispered the words, then turned his gaze forward.
Mu Cangâs spear aura had fully formed. He possessed the strength to hold ground against ten thousand!
As that last sliver of sunset vanished,
the drumming atop the city wall finally ceased.
The drumsticks slipped from Du Aâniangâs hands, clattering to the ground. Her face was drained of color, her wrists a bruised and swollen mess.
Few ordinary women could endure beating the war drums for a day in such heavy snow; most would have died much sooner.
The drums fell silent. The sky darkened.
But the bloodshed on the Desolate Plain never paused for a moment.
From day to night, from night to the first glimmer of dawn.
Wave after wave, assault after assaultâŠ
The bodies of martial artists were ultimately less resilient than those of cultivators or the Yaozu, forcing shifts and rotations. It was through these constant rotations that humanity managed to hold their ground on that Desolate Plain.
Some returned missing limbs; others never returned. Countless uncollected bodies littered that stretch of landâŠ
Heavy snow fell, settling on every shoulder.
In the icy wilderness, figures still fought tirelessly, their faces so obscured by blood it was impossible to tell one from another.
One fell, another took their placeâŠ
âŠ
Chen Changsheng sat motionless, seemingly indifferent to the unfolding conflict.
âYu Xuanâ felt an inexplicable unease looking at him.
It seemed Chen Changsheng held absolute confidence in his heart.
She closed her eyes, directing her vision back to the Desolate Plain.
âTheyâve actually arrived at a stalemateâŠâ
âYu Xuanâsâ brow twitched slightly. This was somewhat unexpected.
Only 30-odd cultivators remained in the Divine Domain; the rest were ordinary martial artists. Yet, they were holding their own against nearly ten thousand waves of Yao.
She glanced sideways at Chen Changsheng. âWhat other tricks do you have up your sleeve?â
Chen Changsheng paused, turning to look at her. âIâm merely an observer.â
He didnât believe he had done anything.
The predecessors of the Divine Domain had long since arranged everything.
From Jiang Shouyi to Song Gudao, it all seemed preordained.
Chen Changsheng added, âNow, it is mankind battling heaven itself!â
âYu Xuanâ scoffed lightly. âHow can man conquer heaven?â
âThatâs what most in this world believe.â
Chen Changsheng stated. âBut there are a very few who believe humans can certainly overcome the Heavenly Dao.â
âYu Xuanâ replied, âLetâs wait and see.â
âŠ
Currently, both sides on the Desolate Plain were locked in a stalemate.
Both needed a breakthrough point.
Yet, that very point was the hardest to find.
On the Yao side, there were no longer any Eighth-Realm Great Demons.
On the human side, there was also no cultivator to match the power of an Eighth-Realm Great Demon.
Assessing the situation, Mu Cang instantly sensed the danger.
Humanityâs frontline forces were mostly ordinary martial artists. Their endurance was far inferior to the Yao. If the stalemate dragged on, exhausting them, the predictable outcome was clear.
By the second half of the night, the strain was evident. The deadlock began to shiftâclearly in favor of the Yao, who now held the upper hand.
âHOLD THE LINE!!â
Mu Cang commanded. âIâll find a way!â
He left the Desolate Plain alone. In a flash, he returned to the city, passed through the gap in the wall, and arrived back on the Desolate Plain.
Mu Cangâs gaze locked onto the sword hanging above the Snow Mountain.
âSenior Jiang!â
Mu Cang called out. âBefore Chieftain Song departed, he told me that if we faced a crisis, to come to you to seek a solution!â
The sword suspended above the Snow Mountain drifted down.
Jiang Shouyiâs last remaining wisp of a Remnant Soul manifested. He looked at Mu Cang before him and then spoke. âThe solution was left behind long ago. Itâs hidden within the second-floor partition board in the study of his small courtyard.â
Hearing this, Mu Cangâs heart skipped a beat. âI understand!â
âGo.â
Jiang Shouyi dismissed him with a slight wave of his hand. And as Mu Cang turned to leave,
Jiang Shouyiâs Remnant Soul dispersed into the wind and snow. He had fulfilled his final purpose.
Returning to the Divine Domain, Mu Cang immediately rushed to Song Gudaoâs former residence. Entering the little courtyard, he frantically searched the study.
Reaching the second cabinet, he flipped open the partition board. Inside lay a sheet of paper.
When Mu Cang grasped what was written on it, he froze momentarily.
âThis isâŠâ
In that instant, he comprehended it perfectly.
He returned to the Desolate Plain.
Surveying the chaotic fray before him, he shouted,
âCultivators of the Divine Domain, to me!â
Upon his command, a dozen or so cultivators disengaged from their fights.
Upon seeing Mu Cang, they hesitated.
Finally, one spoke. âGreetings, Chieftain.â
Mu Cang started at the title.
Then, each person bowed respectfully.
âGreetings, Chieftain!â
Mu Cang snapped back to reality. âI need you to flank me! Clear a path through the bloodshed, right through the center of their line!â
The cultivators exchanged glances.
âAs you command!â
Mu Cang slashed his own hand. Bright blood welled and flowed freely. One hand firm on his spear, he dragged its point behind him as he charged forward.
Blood trailed from the spear tip, etching an unbroken crimson line in the earth.
The dozen cultivators followed instantly, forming a protective screen around his flanks.
By the time they fought their way through the Yao line from one sideâŠ
Only seven cultivators remained standing.
Mu Cang himself was deathly pale from massive blood loss; each step was a precarious wobble.
âForgive the imposition!â
Having said that, Mu Cang plunged alone into the heart of the Yao formation. But not to kill demons.
His figure darted incessantly between clumps of humans and clusters of Yao. Wherever he passed, blood traced onto the ground.
A long while later, a grand formation drawn in blood materialized on the Desolate Plain.
Mu Cang had nothing left. He collapsed to his knees.
His vision blurred. With the last shreds of his will, he pulled himself upright and settled into a cross-legged position.
His palm pressed down onto the blood line etched into the earth.
âVoom.â
Suddenly, the Desolate Plain shuddered!
The interconnected blood lines blazed with crimson light, transforming into an immense formation.
âARRAY, ACTIVATE!!!â
Mu Cangâs voice roared, tearing his throat. âBLOOD QI FROM ALL SIDES, ENTER MY DIVINE BODY!â