Chapter 213 Goodbye
A wave of poison surged like a tsunami, and the fleeing knights seemed like a small boat in a sea of vibrant colors. There was no way back, the original route had been devoured by the poison. There was no hope of escape, and the demons dancing in the air blocked all escape routes.
The repulsive force of the Qingkun Spear barely managed to maintain a circular isolation zone, but in the face of the pervasive poison, the so-called safety was wishful thinking. From the moment Wen Yao appeared, the poison had permeated the air and soil. Even if one stopped breathing, it would only slow down the attack slightly, but there was no way to avoid it.
"Antidote!" Shax pulled out several vials of deep purple liquid and tossed them to the group. He injected one into the discolored skin first, but the reaction within his body brought a worse omen. This was a universal antidote produced by the Dustless Land headquarters, capable of quickly eradicating even the erosion of natural disasters and having saved his life more than once. But now, the solution was like mud sinking into the sea, bringing no improvement, and instead exacerbating the dissolution of his flesh.
If Shax possessed the innate senses of a martial artist, he would have noticed that the toxin immediately began to mutate after the antidote entered his system. In that brief moment, the poison was precisely analyzed. The plague demon's unique characteristics granted it the ability to evolve autonomously. They mutated, grew, and evolved, then devoured the antidote as nourishment, further eroding the victim's flesh.
The Holy Lance transformed into a portable pistol. Shax locked onto the mid-air demon and fired. This time, it was just ordinary psychic ammunition; he didn't expect a one-shot kill with the Deathly Intent bullet, but simply wanted to force the enemy to reveal their tactics. However, the Wen Yao he had locked onto mysteriously vanished, leaving only a silvery blur in his vision.
Shakes realized that it was the demon's hair, and Wen Yao was beside him just before he fired.
"What snipers value most is the eyes, right?" Wen Yao tapped his lips lightly, "Then I'll confiscate your eyeballs."
Hair brushed against Shax's eyes. The invading toxins robbed her of her sight, dissolving her eyeballs. The lens flowed out of her sockets like water. Shax gritted her teeth and fired three times, but failed to grazed the harrier's wings. The demon laughed loudly, raising her hand to grasp the gleaming blade slashing through the air. She looked at Qingye, the Canxin's eyes bloodshot.
"Your eyes are pretty... but for a Zanshin, hands are always what matter most. Without hands, you can't do anything, right?"
She gently grasped Qingye's knife-wielding hand. The skin began to fester the moment it touched Wen Yao, and the muscles beneath withered like rotten wood. Yet, the nerves were deliberately preserved, transmitting the pain to the brain. Qingye could not break free from her restraints. The difference in their life essences was too great. Wen Yao, with a particle size of 4, could easily crush her entire body with just a slight effort.
Qingye gritted his teeth, forcing a wisp of historical fog through him, using it to pull his horrific hand free. Qingxia seized the opportunity to grab Qingye and evacuate, her eyes filled with despair. Try as she might, she couldn't distance herself from Wen Yao. The enemy possessed the ability to kill them all, but she hadn't put that plan into action yet, simply to savor her prey's despair.
"You volunteered to replace her? You're so gentle, little Qingxia!" Wen Yaogao smiled and held out his hand. "Then I'll confiscate your appearance. I'll transform your face into that of a horse, no, a pig. For a loser like you, the beauty of the immortals is such a waste!"
"Qingxia, don't be afraid! Hold on a little longer!" Silar threw a bladed flying knife, but as the blades neared Wen Yao, they were corroded by the poison and turned to ash. The banshee's claws approached Qingxia's face, her nails piercing her helpless golden pupils.
A drop of transparent rain fell in front of Qingxia's eyes. The raindrop was crystal clear, like a round jewel.
“——Forsaken by fate, a torrent of devastating rain will pour down!!”
Torrential rain poured down, raindrops swirling as Wen Yao's fingertips crossed with Qingxia's. The vast amount of water formed a repulsive vortex, rising from Qingxia and her group, transforming into a waterspout that reached heaven and earth. It swept them along, roaring past, breaking through the poisonous tide with the power of fate.
The third ability of the Misfortune Wrist, "Mingliu," is Doom Rain. Once a day, it can trigger a rain of doom, disrupting the chance of attacks within a designated area. When the user's emotions are high, Doom Rain can form a vortex. That vortex, the same one that once drove Ji Huaisu into a desperate situation, now serves as a swirling barrier, shielding him from Wen Yao's attacks while protecting everyone as they return to the settlement of hope.
Wen Yao sheathed his sword, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Only a shard of dried flesh remained on the blade's tip. The man, who should have been nailed to the poisonous tide, had vanished silently. Standing at the base of the vortex, his flesh long since rotted by the poison, he remained a silvery skeleton. The Immortal Machine's kinetic reflex armor, operating at full capacity, deflected the approaching toxins. The True Machine's perfect alloy seeped into his bones, allowing him to retain his human form.
When Chu Hengkong guessed Wen Yao's true identity, he took countermeasures. He opened up his authority to transform his body in advance, and the alloyed bones helped him escape the desperate situation that would have led to his death!
Chu Hengkong unleashed his evil wrist, using the vortex to reach the crowd. His Immortality Technique was operating at full power, causing his skin and muscles to rapidly regenerate. His face was now more hideous than ever, with less than half of his body covered in flesh. He spoke like a zombie. "Fire a flare!"
Shax fired his rifle, his bullets exploding in the air like bombs. After firing the last shot, he passed out. The toxin had seeped into his system, dissolving the sniper's organs. Qingye grasped the long knife with his horrible hand. "I can still strike one more blow..."
Chu Hengkong stopped her. "It's pointless." The killer forced his lips to move. "You can't buy time. You can only rely on the Holy Pillar. Qingxia, are you awake? It's too slow now. Run!"
Qingxia's hands drooped limply, her spear still lodged in her abdomen. The Qingkun Spear's gravity was her only current source of power. Even with the aid of the Vortex of Evil, returning to the settlement at their current speed would take at least three minutes, which felt like a century to them.
"I can't do it." She groaned in despair, "Wen Yao won't let me move, I..."
"Run!" Chu Hengkong roared, "If we don't hurry up, we're all going to die!"
"I can't do it!!" Qingxia screamed.
"It's okay, child," the old man said softly, "It doesn't matter if you can't do it."
It was Silar. Its legs had long been broken, useless in escape, so it had been sitting on Qingxia's back. It struggled to stand up and tried to stroke its granddaughter's hair, but its claws had melted away, leaving only discolored bones. It smiled helplessly and jumped off the horse. It had no wings, yet it floated in the air.
"Grandpa?" Qingxia spoke unconsciously.
"The current speed is enough." Silar said calmly, "I will stop her, and let Ji Huaisu wait for the right moment to attack."
"Okay." Chu Hengkong nodded silently. Qingxia almost collapsed. "Grandpa, what are you talking about? Are you confused? Your feet are broken!"
Under immense pressure, Qingxia didn't know what to say. She couldn't hold out hope for the old man because Silar had already retired. The brave Allied soldier was now old, short and emaciated, his hearing, so precious, now intermittent. What else could the old man do now besides guide the group?
He has long been the one who needs to be protected.
Silar turned back with a smile, his pale hair dancing in the wind, a sly grin on his lips. Qingxia was speechless for a moment, for the old man's eyes remained the same as they had been back then, without the slightest change.
Over the years, his feet were broken, his hands were clumsy, his hearing was failing, but his gaze towards his granddaughter was still caring and kind. She had grown, become stronger, and more powerful. She was the new warrior leader. But in Sirar's eyes, she was still the same little pink bug who needed his help to find food and his care. Nothing had changed.
"Don't underestimate Grandpa!" The old man laughed loudly. "Grandpa is carrying a very powerful 'gift' on him!"
A strong light tore through the swirling curtain of water, cruelly shattering the last hope. The woman, bearing wings, stood in mid-air, letting the doomsday rain wash over her. Wen Yao slashed through the vortex of doom with a single sword strike. Chu Hengkong, after all, was only at particle level 2. His Wrist of Misfortune was high enough, but its output was insufficient, far from enough to withstand the Plague Demon's power.
Silar turned his back to Wen Yao and reached out. The Qingkun Spear's gravity suddenly increased several times. The Black Moon's essence within the spear was triggered, pushing everyone away, leaving only the old man and the demon in the vortex.
"The connection between the fallen. Do you think such bluffing will work on me?" Wen Yao looked down at the old man and saw through the key in his body at a glance. "The gift this old man gave you is a 'second life'. Unfortunately, it is of no use to you right now!"
This was the gift that Sirar had wished for long ago. Back then, timid and cowardly, he had prayed to the kind old man, asking for a chance to be resurrected from the dead. This way, he would have the courage to step onto the battlefield, this way, he would have the courage to charge into a desperate situation.
"You're wrong, little girl." Silar said with a smile, "This is a gift of courage!"
He cut open his chest and pulled out the rotten, still beating heart. Dark moonlight shone through the vortex, illuminating the old man as he roared in anger.
"The Blackest Moon, the cradle of beginnings, the first forgotten abyss!
I offer you my whole life, please save my blood relatives with your mercy!"
Wen Yao's expression finally changed, from the mocking, cat-and-mouse sarcasm to the rage of being fooled. She thrust her sword into the old man, piercing his chest, but failing to reverse the prayer that had already taken place. Silar had discarded his second life, using it merely as a medium for prayer. Then his heart vanished, merging into the inky moonlight. The shadow of the cradle of oblivion transformed into a tangible force. The gravity from the First Abyss suddenly intensified, pinning both the old man and the demon to the ground.
His prayers were answered. No matter when or where, Black Moon will never betray his love for his family!
"Old man, do you think throwing away your worthless life will change anything?!" Wen Yao whispered viciously, "You can delay for a while, but not forever. Everything you cherish and love will eventually be destroyed. I will let your warriors smash your settlement to pieces, and let your good granddaughter gnaw on your bones with her own mouth!!"
What a cocky expression. Reminds me of Qing Xia when she was little.
She was so careless with her words, so quick to spew vicious remarks that it took a lot of effort just to teach her to communicate. "Old thing." "Old idiot." He hit her and gave her a piece of jerky. If you want something delicious, you have to change the way you say it. "Grandpa." It took a long time to get a kind word out of her, and Chongming had to persuade her to give up.
"Grandpa, I'm going to steal your position one day." Tell her that if she wants to do that, she needs to learn martial arts little by little. "Grandpa, I'm going to steal your title of warrior leader." Tell her that if she wants to steal it, she needs to gain everyone's trust little by little.
"Grandpa, I will kill all those who disobey me." Tell her that doing so is a heresy, and that everyone hates heretics. Tell her to control herself. Tell her that practicing the Zanxin secret technique will make her stronger. If you can master this, no one will think you are a heretic.
"Grandpa, am I... am I really a knight?"
Of course you are a knight, Xiao Qingxia, you are exactly the same as the knight in the painting!
When did that malicious smile turn into a cheerful one? When did that old man waiting to be schemed against become a grandfather? I can't remember, I really can't remember. I can't remember anything I did before. I can only remember her smug look when she helped everyone hunt, her satisfied expression when everyone recognized her, her pride when she said she would inherit you, her caring look when she said she would take care of you...
In the blink of an eye, the child had grown up. But there was still so much it hadn't had time to teach. So much it hadn't had time to explain clearly. If this continued, one day Qingxia would know the truth. What would it do then? What would it do...
The skin and hair were long gone. His bones, blasted by the raging, poisonous wind, crumbled into white dust. Was Siral already dead? Was the figure pondering here a ghost that hadn't yet left?
It looked back one last time and saw, beneath the distant light tree, a golden flame forming a sword that tore through the sky and earth. The red-haired girl reached out to him, crying like a child despite being so old, her heartbreaking roar carried on the wind.
"--grandfather!!"
I'm sorry, Qingxia.
The old man tried hard to smile.
You have to live well.
The moment Siral departed, the warriors were transported into the protection of the Holy Pillar. The united strength of the formation coalesced, and the Paladin unleashed a powerful blow, sending the purifying light and fire blazing far into the distance.
Isolate the screaming evil spirits and bid farewell to the warriors' souls.
(End of this chapter)
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