The demon horde and Gu Li’s zombies surrounded the armies of the Three Realms on all sides.
Seeing this, they knew in their hearts that they could no longer escape. Their chances of escaping the encirclement were minimal at best. Even if they succeeded, they’d inevitably sustain massive losses.
“We can’t run,” said an elder of the Beast Region. He looked directly at his bloodstained soldiers then said grimly, “perhaps there is nothing waiting for us but death. Even so, we should die meaningfully.”
“That’s right,” said another elder. “We are the first group of warriors to resist the demon and zombie hordes. We’ve been prepared to die since the moment we first arrived here. It’s just, we didn’t expect all this to happen so suddenly is all. Now, I’d just like to ask you this…. Are you ready? Ready or not, I’ll give you half a minute to yourselves. Once your time is up, your lives shall no longer belong to you.”
The crowd was silent.
Countless warriors closed their eyes. They didn’t complain or curse their fates. They simply shut their eyes and recalled their happiest memories.
Suddenly, someone roared, “for the future!”
Everyone’s eyes shot open as the words exploded through the crowd. They’d been right at the brink of despair. Now, a fire lit within their hearts.
Their memories were beautiful. Each and every one of them had something they couldn’t forget.
Even so, they could never return. They might never see their loved ones again, nor return to the dreamlike landscapes of their past.
However, they could create a future for their loved ones. They could pour their hot-blooded passion into building a new future for those they longed to protect.
They could fall to despair and retreat or they could courageously face their deaths head-on.
They preferred the latter option.
But don’t think they would go down easily. They knew that this would be a battle to the death and planned to resist to the bitter end.
If the enemy tried to swallow them up, they’d at least take out a few of their teeth on the way down.
As the flames of despair blazed within their hearts, each and every one of them unleashed their full potential. They were fully committed. For the sake of those they wanted to protect….
They were willing to soak the earth in fresh blood!
“Kill!”
They were completely disorganized. Each soldier prepared for battle on their own. When their leader gave the word, not one of them hesitated. They simply charged right into the wall of demons and zombies encircling them.
They had no organization, no rhythm, no clear plans or targets.
None of that mattered anymore. All they wanted was to kill those who’d invaded their homes. With each enemy they killed, their chance of victory grew a little larger and their odds of protecting the future grew a little higher!
Perhaps, thousands of years from now, their descendants would stand safely on this very stretch of land and smile. If so, everything would be worth it.
At that time, their descendants might every proudly declare….
“My ancestors were heroes!”
“Kill!”
Their eyes were bloodshot. By now, they’d given up on defense and focused purely on their frenzied offense.
Who cared if they got injured?
These wounds would only add color to tales of their heroic deeds. So what if they got hurt? Now, the only purpose of their existence was to kill their enemies. Kill one and break even….
Kill two to come out ahead!
…..
Ye Zichen’s nostrils flared.
He and Gu Zichen had left the chaotic space. Now, they appeared in Maple City. Despite the pouring rain, they could sense the potent stench of blood and gore even from far away.
Looking around, it seemed the entire area was dyed red with blood.
“Dammit!” roared Ye Zichen. He clenched his teeth and dashed over as fast as he could. “Out of my way!”
At the same time, an elder of the Beast Region hurried to the Great Sage’s side. He fearlessly attacked the surrounding zombies, scattering them……
“Great Sage!”
More than half of his flesh had been devoured. A longsword was still embedded deep within his left eye. Blood flowed from the wound in a nonstop stream.
When he saw the Beast Region expert land by his side, the bloodthirsty light inexplicably faded from his eyes…..
He smiled.
“Great Sage, you….”
“I can’t believe I, Ol’ Sun, fell for a mirage formation…. I can’t accept this.”
Suddenly, his massive body started to shrink. Before long, he’d returned to his true form. Of course, that wasn’t his human shape, but rather his monkey body.
In his true form, his body was a mass of exposed white bones……
Examining him, it was impossible to find even a single patch of undamaged skin. The blade fell to the ground as he shrunk but his left eye was still blind.
“Great Sage!’ called out the elder seriously. “We’re here to treat your injuries.”
“Ha…..” To his surprise, the Great Sage simply smiled.
Suddenly, the zombies returned in full force, swarming towards them. Seeing their vast numbers, the Beast Region elder’s scalp numbed with terror.
“Great Sage, run!”
Most likely, the elder knew he’d fall before the zombie horde if they tried to escape with the Great Sage.
Even so, he couldn’t just leave him!
However, when he reached for the Great Sage’s arm, he felt a mighty force push him away.
Then he saw the Great Sage rise. All four of his limbs were shattered. Even so, he used those twisted, bent legs to stand up.
“Staff, to me!”
The Ruyi Jingu Bang flew through the air, piercing countless zombies, and landed directly in his hands.
He swung his staff.
Using his broken, battered body, he sent the zombies before him flying, fighting his way through the encirclement.
Until….
He used up the last of his strength!
Bang.
He shoved his staff into the earth, then leaned against it and grinned defiantly. “If I die, I’m going to die standing up! Come on then, you evildoers! Let’s see how fast you can eat me!”
“Hmph,” snorted Gu Li. “Is this your last stand?”
He sneered as he watched the warriors of the Three Realms fight with no regard for their own lives.
Then he shook his head contemptuously and fixed his gaze on Great Sage Sun. “Not bad, not bad! To think you’d recover your rationality. Tch, no wonder you’re a war god. It’s amazing that you’re so strong even with all four limbs shattered. Not bad at all, but you still have to die.”
He’d turned to look just in time to see the Great Sage run out of strength and prop himself up with his staff.
His fate was sealed; there were still thousands of zombies standing before him and watching him hungrily.
“What a pity. To think my favorite storybook character would die like this.”
Then, as Gu Li turned, not wanting to watch the Great Sage die, a fierce gust of wind blew past him…..
Meanwhile, someone suddenly appeared before the Great Sage, his entire body emanating heaven-shaking fury!
“Get the hell out of my way!”
