"In Squad 1777, vomiting blood has never counted as an injury."
At this moment, as Wen Jifei said this behind the lines, it was less to comfort those around him than to comfort himself.
He had never seen Qingzi and Wu Xu beaten so badly.
In truth, Qingzi had always been terrified of dying. From the start, his dream had only ever been to win, survive, and return to his hometown.
To that end, he had been saving money the entire time, preparing for a future life.
The idiot was actually thinking about saving money for a future life while facing the threat of the apocalypse and possessing such supreme talent.
Should you call him optimistic, or was there something wrong with his head?!
In any case, no one understood this better than Wen Jifei. And at the same time, no one understood Han Qingyu better than he did. At a time like this, Han Qingyu would never shrink back or run away. Otherwise, he wouldn't be Qingzi; he wouldn't be a lump of dead iron.
"Smile? What the hell are you smiling at? Look how badly the two of you have been beaten!" Watching them, he cursed under his breath, thinking that once they won, he would have to use this to tease the two of them for at least a month.
As Wen Jifei cursed, he suddenly found himself smiling too, blowing out a few heavy breaths to steady his nerves so he wouldn't look too panicked.
Han Qingyu, however, was genuinely smiling—the kind where he simply couldn't help himself.
Old Dog Tian was already spent. When he said, "You can run," his entire demeanor had given it away... Now he didn't even care to avenge his own grandson anymore. These bastards really valued their lives above all else.
And then he had started trying to reason.
In a fight to the death, holding the absolute upper hand, why would he suddenly start trying so earnestly to talk sense?
Because he was about to drop dead.
"Nothing but a sharp tongue... In truth, you are already at the end of your rope," Tian Hetai said. Then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, he continued, "Your source energy surge is similar to mine, isn't it? Aren't you afraid to die?"
In a voice that likewise only the two of them could hear clearly, Han Qingyu smiled and said, "Is that so? I had no idea."
Tian Hetai frowned and looked at him, unconvinced. Having groped along this path for decades, he believed he could never be mistaken.
And why was Han Qingyu willing to talk so much? First, what he said was the truth—time was on his side. Second, certain changes were currently taking place within his body.
Just moments ago, he had originally intended to take another metal block to try and force more life source energy to overflow. But as the absorption began, what he sensed first was the stir of source energy within the two mysterious cleft bones on his person.
Of the two bones, he had possessed the Yu clan's for more than ten days now. During that time, he had tried countless times to probe it, yet had never managed to stir the source energy within—however, he had never tried while vitalized source energy was overflowing. Today was the first time.
After the two currents of source energy pulled against each other in a brief stalemate, the source energy within the mysterious bone began to flow out. The speed was slow, but it was indeed welling forth. That was another kind of source energy surge. Han Qingyu knew nothing about it, but he could sense it:
Following apparatus source energy, liquid source energy, and vitalized source energy, the rudimentary form of a fourth source energy turbine was taking shape within him.
Tian Hetai fell silent for two or three seconds.
"Fine." He spun around abruptly, pointed toward the battle formation in the rear, and shouted, "Send more people to wait for him on the Yellow Springs!"
This was the final resort. Tian Hetai had finally caught on and shifted his tactics to force Han Qingyu into a fight to the death.
Before his words faded, the four men battling Wu Xu in the rear swiftly broke away on their own initiative and lunged toward the Azure battle formation behind them.
Tian Hetai did the same, swinging his mace as he charged toward the formation, while commanding the remaining hundred-plus subordinates from the seven families to begin the final slaughter.
"Engage!" Wang Zhanpo roared, raising his blade.
Before the battle formation, blades bristled like a forest as men surged forward. The roar of source energy apparatuses and the clash of weapons rang out incessantly.
At that exact moment, two whooshes sounded as Han Qingyu and Wu Xu—two streaks of light, one from the left and one from the right—intercepted them at full speed.
Wu Xu led the charge, thrusting his spear straight ahead.
Tian Hetai did not break stride. In mid-stride, his heavy mace tore upward through the wind from bottom left to top right. Clang! Holding the spear with one hand, Wu Xu kept his grip unbroken, but he and Binggu were knocked into the air together.
Midair, he severed his source energy surge.
Like closing the floodgates of a reservoir to dam the torrent.
The surge rose and rose... The limits of what his body and will could bear were battered and breached again and again.
Until the waves reached the heavens.
Boom! A deafening roar that only Wu Xu could feel erupted within his body as the source energy surge surged and tumbled.
Bearing the peak source energy surge of his life, Wu Xu plunged from midair.
Not falling—slamming!
If the sky was a fully drawn bow, he was now a heavy arrow.
Boom!
Wu Xu hit the ground, and Binggu struck the earth.
In front of the Azure battle formation, this non-regular Azure soldier—one arm already ruined—carved out a wide open space with a single spear, purely on his own.
Over ten died on the spot.
Including the four experts from the other seven families, at least twenty men went flying backward.
And behind them, waiting in midair to meet them, was one man and one blade, accompanied by an Azure battleblade whirling through the air along an eerie, erratic arc.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch...
Including two of the experts, Han Qingyu reaped over ten lives in an instant.
At this moment, both he and Wu Xu were laying their lives on the line.
Where was Tian Hetai?!
Han Qingyu was suddenly alerted.
From among the crowd, a figure abruptly lunged, a heavy mace already sweeping toward him.
The strike was swift, yet the sound of its movement felt deceptively slow and immensely ponderous, as though a colossal pillar were stirring a river, or a massive, rugged banner ripping violently through the air—whoosh-rip-rip-rip...
Bang! Midair, Han Qingyu was struck squarely in the back by Tian Hetai's heavy mace.
He had no opportunity to parry; aside from quickly marshaling source energy to shield himself, he took the blow solidly... Tian Hetai had hidden among the crowd, watching Han Qingyu reap his men without lifting a finger, waiting all along for this single blow.
This strike cost a great deal of lifespan... If the boy still didn't die, Tian Hetai would die of rage.
Damn it, that hurts, Han Qingyu cursed inwardly. How embarrassing.
At this moment, before everyone's eyes, Han Qingyu was smashed into a window of the side building, his body shattering through the glass and slamming into the wall.
Crash... Thud!
The sound died down... A dead silence fell over the entire field.
It had all happened far too fast.
Until—
"Qingzi... Qingzi?!"
The first call was a murmur to himself, laden with disbelief; the second tore from Wen Jifei's throat in a desperate shriek. Then he bolted toward the side building.
Whoosh! His apparatus flared. Spurt, he coughed up blood. Crash, he collapsed. Scrambling up on all fours, he stumbled and clawed his way toward the side building.
In this moment, amidst the standing crowd across the field—friend and foe alike—this was the only figure running.
Holding his spear, Wu Xu froze in place. He was frightened by Wen Jifei's reaction, staring at him. In that moment, his gaze shifted from blank confusion to grim conviction... followed by endless despair, colossal guilt, and... a sudden, vast void. Qingzi... he...
"I have a personal request."
"Name it."
"As long as you don't die... Qingzi doesn't die."
"All right."
Chapter 218