Instructor Hong's pupils suddenly contracted. He reached out and grabbed Baili Pangpang, who was about to fall into the tunnel. With his other hand, he drew a straight knife from his waist and stabbed it into the rock wall next to him, stopping his fall.
Lin Xi Chen quickly drew her sword and drove it into the cliff face, bracing herself to prevent both her and Shen Qingzhu from plunging into the abyss. With one arm, she supported Shen Qingzhu, while her other hand—trembling—gripped the hilt with all her might.
With one arm severed and covered in blood, Ma Yitian stood vertically on the rock wall, coldly smiling at the three people in front of him, when he suddenly froze.
"Where's that kid? Oh.... It seems like i got lucky today...."
He scanned the area up and down once more, confirming that Lin Qiye was not in the passageway; his initial doubts were dispelled, however, by the fact that he had already inflicted serious injuries on Lin Xi Chen.
Before the Flame Vein Earth Dragon spewed fireballs, he used his ability to leave the cave. After flying forward underground for a long time, he found that the explosion had not occurred, so he turned back in confusion and flew back into the cave.
Only then did he realize that neither the Flame Vein Earth Dragon nor anyone else was there!
Confused, he didn't know what was happening, but he soon noticed a passage that had suddenly appeared above his head. He guessed that they might have gone to the surface through this passage, so he quickly chased after them, trying to kill Lin Qiye.
When they arrived, they found that Lin Qiye wasn't there at all, and they were completely dumbfounded.
Shen Qingzhu frowned, about to say something, when Baili Pangpang's eyes darted around and he spoke first:
"Lin Qiye... he's dead."
"Dead?!" Ma Yitian was stunned. "How did he die?"
"He was thrown into the magma by the Flame Vein Earth Dragon... and burned to death." Baili Pangpang stared intently at Ma Yitian, speaking with seven parts grief and three parts sorrow.
"What did Lin Qiye do wrong? Why did you have to kill him!! Damn it, damn it!!"
Seeing Baili Pangpang's sudden, bulging eyes, Instructor Hong was stunned for a moment, then stared at Ma Yitian's eyes with a ferocious expression, as if he wanted to cut him into a thousand pieces!
Ma Yitian raised an eyebrow. "Then how did you survive? Why didn't the Fiery Vein Earth Dragon kill you? And what's the deal with this passage?"
Baili Pangpang:...
"Actually, the Flame Vein Earth Dragon saw that we looked kind, so it let us go and even opened a road for us to go back," Baili Pangpang said in a serious tone.
Ma Yitian stared at Baili Pangpang, then sneered, "You think I'd believe your nonsense?"
As soon as he finished speaking, half of his body turned into black light and surged into the rock wall beneath his feet. Immediately afterwards, the surrounding rock wall seemed to come alive and began to surge wildly!
A dozen or so solid spikes suddenly burst forth, heading straight for the four people's bodies!
However, when he stabbed, he deliberately avoided the vital points of Shen Qingzhu and Baili Pangpang, but he really intended to kill Instructor Hong and Lin Xi Chen.
"With one of the two god agents escaping, even if I return alive, I won't have a good ending. But if I can bring back the young master of the Baili family and that genius, maybe I can make amends..."
Ma Yitian's face was full of madness!
The sharp spikes appeared suddenly and in very tricky positions. Even though Lin Xi Chen had pushed him out of danger, Shen Qingzhu, who was already exhausted, was still pierced by two spikes in his right leg despite his best efforts to dodge. The pain made him pale, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent.
As for Baili Pangpang, who was being held back by Instructor Hong, just as the ground spikes were about to pierce his body, a tremendous force came from his arm. Instructor Hong, his body flashing with blue light, pulled Baili Pangpang and bounced back and forth on the two walls like Spider-Man, narrowly avoiding most of the ground spikes.
Only a few blades grazed his cheek as Instructor Hong couldn't dodge in time, leaving several deep bloody marks.
"You should lose weight!" Instructor Hong was pulling along this nearly 200-pound fat man, whose movements were too slow, and he was struggling to bounce between the two vertical walls.
Baili Pangpang blushed, but he didn't stay idle. He took out [One Transformation into Three Thousand] from his pocket and flicked the sword, sending a rain of swords flying towards Ma Yitian!
With half his body blending into the rock wall, Ma Yitian sneered. Hundreds of ground spikes burst forth in front of him, precisely blocking all the sword shadows and completely sealing off their upward path.
"My forbidden realm can assimilate itself with its surroundings. In such an extreme environment, you cannot defeat me."
Ma Yitian's body sank a little deeper into the rock wall, and the originally circular passage instantly narrowed. At the same time, spikes burst out, as if trying to pierce the four of them to death in this narrow space.
Instructor Hong narrowed his eyes and calmly said, "He was already seriously injured before, and now he's just at his last gasp. If we go all out... we might not be unable to defeat him!"
Baili Pangpang and Shen Qingzhu nodded at the same time, their gazes more serious than ever before. Lin Xi Chen gritted her teeth, snapped off the stakes piercing her hands, and then summoned her sword.
Right now, it truly is a matter of life and death.
In this narrow passage, only one side is destined to survive.
Rip—!
Shen Qingzhu tilted his sword slightly again, and he was about to fall into the passage. He was not flustered at all. Instead, he gently stretched out his other hand and snapped his fingers heavily upwards!
Boom—!!
A violent explosion erupted in the narrow space, shattering the numerous spikes overhead. The scorching heat almost cooked Instructor Hong and Baili Pangpang alive, but they did not hesitate and seized the opportunity to strike suddenly!
Instructor Hong's body shone with blue light. He first threw Baili Pangpang upwards with a forceful flick, and at the same time, he lightly bounced between the two rock walls, moving upwards like lightning!
Baili Pangpang took a deep breath, took out a black ring from his pocket, and black light surged, transforming into a blade which Baili Pangpang held in his hand and forcefully slashed at Ma Yitian.
[Soul-Severing Blade]!
Ma Yitian grinned maliciously, and the rock wall beneath him churned violently, transforming into a giant hammer that smashed down on the black Soul-Severing Blade!
Baili Pangpang's lips curled up slightly.
The next moment, the giant hammer pierced through the Soul-Severing Blade as if it were nothing, and slammed heavily into Baili Pangpang's body!
At the same time, the Soul-Severing Blade pierced through all the rocks in front of Ma Yitian, leaving a deep gash on his chest!
The Soul-Severing Blade only injures the soul, ignoring armor.
Baili Pangpang was struck by the giant hammer, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he was smashed into the rock wall behind him. The immense impact knocked him unconscious.
Given the vast disparity in strength between the two sides, Baili Pangpang had no choice but to resort to this suicidal tactic to create an opportunity for Instructor Hong.
Aaaaaahh...
Ma Yitian, whose soul was injured, turned pale. The excruciating pain from his soul filled his mind, and his consciousness became blurred. He wailed in agony.
Just then, Instructor Hong appeared in front of Ma Yitian, his eyes wide with rage, his body radiating blue light, and his fists rained down on him!
Thump—!
Ma Yitian's body was embedded in the rock wall by the blow, and he was in a daze. Instructor Hong did not stop. He pulled Ma Yitian out of the rock wall and punched him hard upwards!
Immediately afterwards, he pulled out the straight sword from the rock wall, leaped up, and stabbed it into Ma Yitian's chest with lightning speed!
Then came a powerful punch!
Thump—!!!
Covered in wounds, with blood splattering everywhere from his chest where he had been stabbed, Ma Yitian was sent plummeting vertically down the passage by the punch, falling into what seemed like an endless abyss...
There, molten lava and flames surged.
After completing the set of movements in a flash, Instructor Hong quickly leaped between the two walls, grabbing the unconscious and falling Baili Pangpang while Lin Xi Chen was griping Shen Qingzhu who was about to slip.
Instructor Hong carried one on each shoulder, gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and used all his strength to bounce between the two walls, moving quickly upwards in a Z-shape through the passage.
Without Baili Pangpang's elevator, he could only use this most cumbersome method, but carrying one fat person on his back was still very strenuous, even though Instructor Hong could enhance his elasticity.
But he had no choice.
They are his soldiers, Hong Hao's men, and not one of them can be left behind!
Instructor Hong carried the fat man on his shoulders and used a bouncing method to move upwards for more than two minutes. His muscles ached terribly, and the blue light flashing around him grew weaker and weaker.
How far is it from the Earth's surface...?
Instructor Hong was unaware.
From the moment he started bouncing with two people on his back, his energy was no longer allowed to be distracted by calculating the distance; he devoted everything to his feet.
Jump! Keep jumping! Don't stop!
If you stop, all four of them will die!
Just then, a wisp of fire appeared faintly in the seemingly endless, deep passage beneath their feet.
A wave of heat rushed towards them from their feet, startling both Instructor Hong and Shen Qingzhu, who both looked down at the same time.
In the pitch-black, deep passage, the raging fire tornado, like an erupting volcano, filled the narrow rock walls and surged upwards at an astonishing speed. Wherever it went, the surrounding rock walls seemed to melt and collapse into the bottomless cave.
It resembled a roaring fire dragon, its ferocious maw wide open, as if trying to swallow everything whole.
But they all knew that it wasn't a fire dragon, because at the very top of the flames was a familiar human face.
It's Ma Yitian's face.
"Die, die, die, die, die... I'm going to die, and I'll take you all with me!!" In the flames, only half of Ma Yitian's face remained, but it was still incredibly ferocious. He stared intently at the three people above him, his eyes filled with madness and resentment!
How is that possible?
Shen Qingzhu's eyes were filled with disbelief. "His heart has been pierced, how could he still be alive?!"
Instructor Hong's expression was somewhat grim. He spoke in a deep voice, "His mental energy fluctuations are completely chaotic... He must have taken some kind of drug to forcibly prolong his life."
"That mad dog!"
Instructor Hong's legs trembled slightly from exhaustion. As he looked at the rapidly approaching fiery tornado and the quickly collapsing rock wall below, his heart sank completely.
Ma Yitian was determined to take them down with him. Even if Shen Qingzhu could extinguish the flames, he couldn't handle the extremely high-temperature magma within them. This magma would melt the surrounding rock walls, causing the passage to collapse...
Having lost their foothold, the three of them could only fall back into the cave and perish in the lava.
Right now, there's only one way.
Before the rampaging fire tornado reached their section of the cave, it first killed Ma Yitian, causing the flames and lava he had assimilated to fall back into the cave.
Instructor Hong glanced at the approaching fiery tornado beneath his feet, made up his mind, drew his straight sword from his waist, and plunged it deep into the rock wall.
Then he drew Shen Qingzhu's sword and stabbed it into the rock wall as well.
Two straight sword left a foothold on this completely vertical rock face.
"The black light that Lin Qiye just pierced through the ground was very conspicuous. The other instructors will surely arrive soon and try to rescue us... If possible, Xiao Chen, please try everything you can to get them out as soon as possible. I trust you."
Instructor Hong placed Baili Pangpang's body on two straight swords deeply embedded in the rock wall and calmly spoke to Lin Xi Chen and Shen Qingzhu.
Shen Qingzhu frowned slightly. "What do you want to do?"
"Just do what an instructor should do," Instructor Hong replied calmly.
Shen Qingzhu narrowed his eyes but remained silent.
Instructor Hong took a deep breath, as if he had thought of something, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"No, I can fight... I can use Nyx's Divine Ruin to stop time long enough for everyone to get out of here." Lin Xi Chen held Instructor Hong's hand, her gaze fixed firmly on him.
Despite the wound on her chest gushing blood, Lin Xi Chen's condition was even more dire than Shen Qingzhu's; she was barely holding herself together thanks to the divine power of Nyx.
"Lin Xi Chen! This is an order! No need for sadness, no need for guilt. To die uprightly in front of our soldiers in this way is the best end for us instructors."
Instructor Hong brushed Lin Xi Chen's hand away and spoke seriously, while slowly closing his eyes and reaching up to touch his chest...
"I was still a little annoyed when Lin Qiye interrupted me earlier, after all, it's rare for me to show off."
"However, I didn't expect the second chance to come so quickly."
"It's still a bit of a shame..."
Instructor Hong sighed inwardly.
Suddenly, he froze on the spot.
His hand groped at his chest, and after a moment, he lowered his head blankly...
"Where's my emblem?" Instructor Hong was dumbfounded. He clearly remembered putting the emblem in the lining of his clothes!
"Xiao Chen... Thank you." Shen Qingzhu planted a kiss on Lin Xi Chen's lips, leaving her dazed and in a state of shock.
Shen Qingzhu reluctantly drew his lips away from Lin Xichen's; a faint smile played on his lips as he caressed her face, as if trying to memorize her features. "After this battle, the Star Sword and my emblem... Lin Xichen, they will be yours. You wield dual swords, don't you?"
He gently bent down and took the black ring from the unconscious Baili Pangpang's hand...
Then, from the straight sword... he leaped down!
The descending gale, mixed with the heat, made his blood-stained black military overcoat flutter loudly, and a familiar emblem gleamed in the palm of his right hand.
When Instructor Hong saw this, his pupils suddenly contracted!
When...?
Suddenly, he shuddered, remembering how Shen Qingzhu's hand had brushed past him when he used the sword to create a foothold on the rock face...
He...
Instructor Hong stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the figures falling into the fire tornado.
The heatwave ruffled Shen Qingzhu's hair. He watched the firelight grow ever brighter, slowly closed his eyes, and calmly spoke:
"As Lao Tzu said, today, I don't want to see anyone else sacrifice their life..."
"Hong Hao, I don't like you. I haven't liked you since I entered the camp, but I have to admit... you're a good instructor."
"Good people shouldn't die."
Clang—!
With a soft sound, a thin silver needle popped out from the side of the emblem. Shen Qingzhu used force to pierce it into his body.
Immediately afterwards, his aura began to surge wildly!
"Pool" Realm, Peak of "Pool" Realm, "River" Realm, Peak of "River" Realm...
His fingers gently rubbed the surface of the black ring, and with the infusion of his peak "Chuan" realm spiritual power, a massive black Soul-Severing Blade over two meters long appeared in his hand!
He had used the Soul-Severing Blade; that fat bastard had lent it to him…
Ah, right, he had also told him that if they couldn't wipe out all the "Believers", he would have to sink his ashes into the sea...
"Damn it, I said "if we can get out alive this time". That dead fatty wouldn't have forgotten, right? He wouldn't be so stupid as to dig up my body and scatter my ashes into the sea... If he does, I won't let him off even as a ghost!"
Oh, I forgot... If nothing unexpected happens, there probably won't be any bodies left this time.
"F@#%, Shen Qingzhu!! What do you mean "Thank you" with that half-ass kiss!? And the caress...!" As the fire tornado bearing Ma Yitian's face drew closer, Shen Qingzhu gave a self-deprecating laugh when he heard curses from Lin Xi Chen. He could see Instructor Hong trying his best to hold Lin Xi Chen back so she wouldn't jump down with him, "Shen Qingzhu! Get back here! Shen Qingzhu!!"
However, being buried in the same mountain as one's brothers doesn't seem so bad.
Amidst the howling wind and flames, Shen Qingzhu raised the Soul-Severing Blade high in his hand... and swung it down with all his might!
In an instant, the black blade sliced the face in the flames in two. Under Ma Yitian's expression of extreme pain and resentment, his last remaining soul was completely annihilated, and his face disappeared into the flames.
Soul and spirit annihilated!
The figure in the black military overcoat also fell into the raging flames.
"Shen Qingzhu!!!!" Instructor Hong roared angrily downwards, his eyes bloodshot, "You went against me during training! You went against me during assessments! Now that it's my turn to heroically sacrifice myself, you're trying to take the lead!"
"How could I have trained such a rebellious soldier like you?! Damn it!!!"
Instructor Hong's voice was loud, echoing through the narrow passage like rolling thunder.
But Shen Qingzhu could no longer hear.
Endless flames licked at his body, and everything around him seemed to fall into deathly silence, with only pain scorching his body.
It sounds like someone else aside from Lin Xi Chen is cursing at me... Damn it, who's got the nerve?
When I get the chance, I'll definitely give you a good beating.
However... it's highly unlikely that this opportunity will come.
The [believers] haven't perished, nor have I become a true powerhouse. What are the Night Watch squads like in the capital? Are they ridiculously strong? Speaking of which... I didn't even get to witness the Night Watch's oath-taking ceremony.
Haha, after all that work, it turns out I'm not even a night watchman.
These regrets are just that—regrets.
Damn it, at least die like a night watchman, with dignity...
I wonder if the oath I recited will have any effect?
...
Amidst the raging flames, Shen Qingzhu, his body charred black, suddenly opened his eyes and smiled.
I almost forgot, I am Shen Qingzhu, what kind of bullshit rules are these... If I say they're useful, then they're useful!
Amidst the endless crimson, he parted his dark, chapped lips and let out a silent growl:
"I, Shen Qingzhu, swear under the red flag of Great Xia..."
He gripped the emblem tightly in his hand, showing no sign of letting go even though his palm was mostly charred. The flames licked at the few lines of shining words on the back of the emblem, making them gleam.
"If the darkest night ever comes..."
The flames continued to spread through the passageway.
Even though Ma Yitian was dead, the raging flames, driven by inertia, still surged toward the narrow passage. Instructor Hong loosened his hands, which were covered in bloody fingernails, gritted his teeth, picked up the unconscious Baili Pangpang, and leaped upwards.
...
"I will stand before ten million people..."
...
Instructor Hong repeatedly lifted his aching legs, leaping and bounding between the rock walls on either side. The surging flames beneath him moved incredibly fast, and even though he had given it his all, the gap between them was still narrowing.
His body was trembling, but he absolutely could not stop.
He had already watched one of his soldiers die before his very eyes, and another... absolutely could not die!
"Hang in there, Instructor... We can't let Qingzhu's efforts go to waste..." Lin Xi Chen and Instructor Hong carried Baili Pangpang out of the cave.
Every step made her wince from the pain and her severe blood loss. Yet, she could not shed a tear; she could only silently etch the few memories she shared with Shen Qingzhu deep into her mind and press forward.
...
"Sword drawn, facing the abyss..."
...
The raging flames were only a meter away from Instructor Hong's figure, and the leaping flames almost touched their bodies. Instructor Hong did not lower his head, but stared intently at the hole above his head, his veins bulging all over his body!
...
They fell into the flames of the cave.
The now unrecognizable Shen Qingzhu slowly closed his eyes, his hand, which had been tightly gripping the emblem, completely lost sensation and slowly loosened...
"Blood stains the sky!!"
Thump—!!!
A sudden buzzing sound echoed throughout the underground world. In that instant, all the air in the cave and passage was sucked out, and all the flames vanished without a trace.
In this vacuum-like world, Shen Qingzhu's carbonized body crashed heavily to the ground, and rubble from the melting and collapse rained down from all directions...
BOOM—!
With a buzzing sound, the entire underground cavern was completely buried, and all fell silent...
In a dark, silent world...
Only a thin piece of jade shimmered with a faint light... along with a ring that emitted a brilliant radiance.