Chapter 375: War and Disturbance (5)

"How should I put it..." Qingxia pondered the words, "Grandpa is also fighting somewhere in the world right now. He has many companions around him, so he shouldn't be too lonely."

The fact that the man in the fog was a problem was difficult to explain. To prevent the old man from delving into the matter, she quickly changed the subject: "Old man, are you a relative of Grandpa?"

Silain covered his eyes, his voice trembling: "Silar... is my grandson..."

"You're so old!" Qingxia was surprised. "Then don't worry, old man. Grandpa has always been an upright warrior. He is definitely a grandson you can be proud of!"

Silain was overwhelmed with emotions, nearly on the verge of tears. The image of his grandson's smiling face as a child, and the way he'd salute while secretly enlisting, lingered in his mind.

"I've been worried about him." Silane said reluctantly, "Where did that bastard go... Why didn't he come home for all these years?!"

Qingxia scratched his head and said in embarrassment: "Grandpa has no choice. He ran away to a very bad island. There is not even the sun on that island. It is full of heretics. It is basically impossible for everyone to survive, let alone leave."

"Grandpa was considered the strongest man in that place. He stayed in the survivors' settlement, serving as the warrior leader, finding food for everyone and teaching them how to defeat the heretics.

Then one day he found me and raised me. When my grandfather's leg was injured and he could no longer fight, I took over as the warrior leader and took over his responsibility to protect the people's settlement.

Qingxia smiled and said, "We worked hard for a long time, and only recently we finally defeated the local heretics. A few of us took advantage of the victory and left, but Grandpa and the other comrades stayed behind and went to a more distant place to continue fighting the heretics..."

"I think he's still a long way from retiring. He's always been an Allied soldier protecting everyone!"

Slaine looked up at the sky, tears still flowing despite his efforts to stop them.

How could I not understand that?

Seeing that knife. The other party was a warrior who had broken through the wilderness. How could he not know where Silar had gone?

Even if you were trapped in the Heavenly Hell, you still kept fighting...

The old man couldn't utter a word and couldn't stop crying.

Qingxia didn't know what to do. She felt that a surprise attack at this time was too unreasonable, so she said, "Come to think of it, aren't you a family? Grandpa is still fighting, why do you want to escape, old man?"

Silain wiped away his tears and smiled, "I'm getting old and confused... I'm getting old, and I can't think clearly about anything I do."

"oh oh."

Silain turned around: "Huan Ge!"

Huan Ge raised his hand without saying a word.

"I surrender." The old man smiled kindly.

He walked down the stage with ease, as if all his burdens had been lifted from him, and returned to the Independent officers, many of whom were weeping softly.

"I feel bad for my fellow soldiers. But please understand, I just can't fight any longer."

Another old officer wiped his eyes vigorously: "Stop talking, old general... You have been standing on the stage for us for so long at your age, what else can we say..."

"Let's go visit the graves after this."

"I haven't been to the cemetery for a long time. I don't have the face to go..."

"It's not too late to turn back now..."

"How ridiculous!"

Silane took off his uniform and walked slowly out of the arena, leaving all the mess behind. A young man on the roadside threw garbage at him, but he was hit back with a fruit pit.

Qingxia ran over with a plate of fruit in her hands, squatted down, and asked him, "Want some? Grandpa really likes this."

"Oh, thank you." Silane took the fruit. "Can you tell me more about Silar?"

"Sure. He compiled books for me when I was a kid."

"Oh! He can also write books, that's amazing..."

The girl and the old man chatted and laughed as they walked away, no longer paying attention to what was behind them. Scenes from the past years flashed before the old man's eyes.

Ambition. Passion. Sorrow. Rise up. Mourning. Struggle. Desolation. Melancholy. Numbness.

Relieved.

The tears dried up. A long laugh.

·

Silain left the scene relieved. Qingxia had only come to fight and didn't care about the goings-on in the city-state. Behind them, the atmosphere in the duel arena had already reached freezing point.

First, Qing Ye, using the name of Wu Zun, confirmed the impending arrival of reinforcements, effectively undermining the independence faction's advocacy of isolation. Then, a veteran general surrendered before a fight, and even the core figures of the independence faction fled to the other side. Soldiers on both sides were now unsure of their stances, let alone their own emotions.

Should we persist? The allied forces have truly come here because they see the city-state in trouble. This battle should have a good chance of winning. Should we flee without a fight?

The grandson of the old general, stranded on the frontier, persisted in the struggle for 20 years. How dare these soldiers run away again? Are they worthy of their family members and comrades who died in the battle?

Don't you insist? They almost went to civil war for independence, and now they're changing their flags when the situation gets tough. Aren't the city-state warriors just a bunch of shameless fence-sitters?

The soldiers' minds were in a state of turmoil, and even the Allied troops were no better. The heavy drumbeats jolted them from their reverie. The second captain stood on the stage, hands on his hips, his face brimming with impatience.

"I've told you several times that the third round is about to begin, and you haven't even reacted!" Huan Ge cursed. "I really can't understand. Didn't you all start this debate over independence? You were the ones who supported the bill earlier, you were the ones fighting in the streets, and now you're the ones cowering when things get tough. Why are you the ones who are also cowering?"

"You all keep saying that the independence bill is an act of patriotism, and supporting it is a sign of loyalty to the country. Your slogans are resounding and resolute. I know nothing about politics, but seeing you all act like this, I assume you must have made a well-thought-out decision to fight for independence!"

"But now, a few young people have made you all so hesitant with just a few words. I wonder where your careful consideration lies? Are you all as clueless as I am, just jumping on whatever sounds right?"

Huan Ge sneered, "So, is this so-called independent thought an ideology or a business?"

Hearing these heartbreaking words, everyone inside and outside the arena broke out in cold sweats. All the soldiers present quickly stood up and shouted, "Captain, this is absolutely not happening!"

"Since you don't have any, then show your military spirit!" Huan Ge shouted, "The second captain is going to fight, what should you say?"

All the soldiers, whether Allied or independent, stood up straight and shouted, "Captain Huan Ge, we will win!"

"Louder!"

“Huange!” “Huange!!” “Huange!!!”

Subconsciously, the soldiers shouted their commander's name. The cheers gathered into an invisible wave, like a howling wind.

The dejected mood was swept away, and the second captain, with his reputation, forced the stage forward. He beat the drum for the last time, took the lead and shouted: "The third match, the final winner."

"Independent faction, Captain of the Second Squad of the Jingsha City-State Divine Guard, Huan Ge!"

"The Allied Forces sent Chu Hengkong, the senior inspector of the Huilong City Resurrection Force!"

Amidst overwhelming cheers, Chu Hengkong walked towards the battlefield alone, spear in hand. He thrust the Kanglong Spear onto the stage and said with a smile, "What are the rules?"

"There are no rules." Huan Ge also laughed, "Any esoteric techniques or weapons can be used. There are no prohibitions on either orthodox or unorthodox methods."

"good."

Both sides took up their positions, and Huan Ge laughed out loud, "Let's bet our martial arts, dignity, and honor—"

"Let's fight it out fair and square!"

In an instant, silver light pierced the battlefield.

The voice fell, and the spear's momentum was unleashed. The Kanglong Spear descended with a crimson aura, a first blow of overwhelming force. Nothing could defend against it from the depths of the Second Abyss. Huan Ge lowered his center of gravity, ready for battle. He struck out with both palms, unexpectedly cutting the spear off with his bare hands!

"A body tempered by thousands of blows, fearless of divine weapons. Meeting the blade with bare hands!"

“Good perseverance.”

Chu Hengkong praised and drew back his spear. The Kanglong Spear drew two streaks of blood as it was withdrawn. This first strike was so sharp that even Huan Ge was injured by its aura.

Unmoved, Huan Ge clapped his hands together. A naginata appeared from nowhere. He wiped blood on the blade with one hand and on the hilt with the other. The naginata was instantly covered in blood, and the inscription "Ichimonji" appeared on the hilt.

The sharpness of the naginata was quite astonishing. One glance at it revealed that it was definitely not inferior to the dragon spear in Chu Hengkong's hand.

"The name of this sword is Qidao Ichimonji. It's the bloodthirsty demonic sword I found during my travels. It rejoices at the smell of blood and roars when bathed in blood." Huan Ge made a mysterious slash, "Watch this, Jumonji Slash."

His swordplay appeared incredibly slow, yet in reality, it was incredibly fast. At first glance, it looked like just a swing of the naginata, but the crisscrossing slash was already coming. Chu Hengkong didn't dare to be careless, smashing his spear to break the blow. The tip of the Kanglong spear pierced the earth, and he pushed it forward with brute force, delivering a powerful thrust from bottom to top.

Huan Ge held the sword in his left hand and raised his right hand high, summoning another divine weapon of the same caliber as his naginata. It was a massive golden axe, its blade as rough as rock. He brought the axe down with a thud, intercepting the dragon spear's thrust!

"The Vaklia Divine Axe, a gift from the locals after I rescued a certain Dust Island." Huan Ge narrowed his eyes. "Can you withstand the blow that splits the mountain and cracks the earth?"

The divine axe flashed, and Chu Hengkong suddenly felt the weapon in his hand extremely heavy, almost unable to lift it. Huan Ge took the opportunity to lift the axe and switch to the naginata to suppress it, the axe blade in his hand shining brightly.

"One Qi, a thousand years, eight times—"

"Million Smash!"

Pressure surged instantly, as if an ancient being had descended upon the city-state, its terrifying aura nearly suffocating everyone. Yet, that was merely the axe-wielder's pressure; the true power had already been unleashed with the axe's impact. Absolute strength, absolute speed, the power control that high-level martial artists pride themselves on was fully demonstrated in this single strike.

If this strike had struck the ground, over a third of the Second Meridian would have been instantly destroyed. The duel venue would naturally be annihilated, and the remaining soldiers and civilians would have had no chance of survival. Was Huan Ge, blinded by the situation, using such tactics during the sparring match? Was he harboring sinister intentions amidst this chaotic situation?

No. No! It was a simple reason, simply because he knew his opponent would definitely be able to take it!

"Eight times."

The divine sword is unsheathed.

"Steel Edge Flow: Returning Attack!"

With a swift slash, Chu Hengkong faced the giant axe head-on, holding his spear in his left hand and his knife in his right, blocking Huan Ge's attack firmly.

The force of the sword's intent backfired on Huan Ge's arm, creating a momentary flaw in his perfect stance. Chu Hengkong took this opportunity to shift his position, sliding behind Huan Ge and thrusting the Kanglong Spear directly into his back!

"I have a knack."

The thrust hit, but no trace of blood was seen. The spear blade pierced the huge burden on Huan Ge's back, but could not advance an inch further. The Kanglong Spear was slowly pushed out, hindered by...

The other hand in the baggage!

Chu Hengkong raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Master Huan Ge's physique is indeed extraordinary."

Huan Ge ripped the bundle open. People finally got to see what he had inside. It wasn't a magic weapon, it wasn't a weapon. It was four tightly curled arms, bound by iron chains!

“Drink!”

Huan Ge shook off the iron chains, and all six arms stretched out at the same time.

He took off his mask, revealing his true face: "Victory or defeat has just begun!"

(End of this chapter)