Howling toward Death

"Nrr-huff..." Frothing at the mouth, the old horse let out a feeble whinny before its reins were abruptly pulled taut. It halted, turned its head, and looked alongside its master toward the "stray" curled up by the roadside, desperately trying to hide. "Still alive, kid?" The Master of Soldiers raised an eyelid, sighing in sudden realization. "Must have been rough." "...Not rough, not rough at all." Old Tom's face twitched violently as he fought to keep his composure, casting a wary sidelong glance at him. "Are you... out on business, sir?" "We'll see. Let me have a look..." The Master of Soldiers smacked his lips, thoroughly listless. "Those dog-fucking bastards always tell me to mop up the floor after them. Who the fuck wants to deal with their goddamned mess? What a pain!" "Then..." Tang Qian wiped away cold sweat, bowing his head. "Don't let me keep you." "..." The Master of Soldiers looked away, gave the reins a flick, and rode the half-dead old horse onward, leaving only a parting remark: "Get over here soon. I'll be waiting." Tang Qian remained silent, not uttering a word. A putrid wind blew in from the distance. Within the blood-red vortex high in the sky, wolf howls rose in succession alongside ceaseless, grief-stricken shrieks. Pierced by Tianyuan's blazing light, the Bell-Hanging Wolf of Corpse and Bone roared once more. It snapped its jaws open, viciously tearing into the radiance before it—plundering, plundering, and plundering again! Fan Yun sneered coldly. His right wrist gave a slight tremor, snapping off cleanly at the joint out of thin air, without spilling a drop of blood. Amidst rumbling thunder, the Sun-Reflecting Arrow screamed through the sky from the edge of the earth once again, ferocious with killing intent. Yet a Mountain Wolf abruptly materialized, catching it in its jaws. With a loud snap, the arrow shattered into dust. A giant hand that had been lying in wait within the void suddenly manifested, lunging straight for the Priest-King. But an instant later, the phantom in its grasp crumbled into fragments, clutching nothing but empty air. Instead, the Frenzied Slaughter vile fiend of the Blood Eye seized the opportunity, galloping forward with wild, maniacal laughter in a fierce assault. Above the sky of the entire Kingdom of the Woods, the faint silhouette of a colossal worm biting its own tail slowly surfaced. Its massive segmented limbs squirmed section by section, whipping up spatial turbulences and temporal distortions, fanning the flames and thrusting the situation into even deeper chaos... Sin of the Shadow Sun: Gap-Eye! The towering shadow of a lofty spire flickered like a phantom as countless head-like bubbles rose from the darkness out of nowhere, scattering erratically. Meanwhile, in the Empire's forward base, someone was already drenched in sweat, anxious enough to drop to his knees and kowtow, frantically urging an old man from behind: "Things have reached this point—why hasn't the An family made a move?!" The old man remained impassive and motionless, merely casting a cold sidelong glance back. "Does the Wilderness Market need you to teach us how to do things?" *Boom! Boom! Boom!* Amidst shrill, enraged roars, the vile fiend of the Decaying Wind was suddenly pierced and grievously wounded by a blaze of radiance descending from the heavens. Yet with a slight shudder, the blaze hurled it bodily toward the completely demented Priest-King. Without the slightest hesitation, the wolf of corpse and bone opened its maw, swallowing it whole! Its aura skyrocketed once again! As reason and hatred gradually faded from its eyes, greed originating from the depths of its soul surfaced within this endless slaughter. It laughed uproariously, chewing with abandon, yet could not fathom why it was also howling in misery, weeping tears like rain. Laughter and mournful wails echoed in waves. Falling upon the earth alongside the crimson rain. Far away, even farther, upon the highest peak of the White Nation where Ji Jue had once stood, within the ruins of the ancient Audience Hall, someone took their eye away from the sniper scope. Fury was impossible to contain. "It's already fucking come to this..." White Owl lifted his head, glaring at the mask held in the hands of the Kitan Artisan. "What are you still crouching there for? Move!" "We're barely getting started..." From the other side of the mask came a helpless sigh. "Wait a little longer. Wait. Don't rush." White Owl raged. He gritted his teeth. Wait. Everyone was waiting. The Federation, the Empire, the Wilderness Market, Tianyuan, the White Stag, the wolves, Tianyuan, the White Stag, the Tower and the wolves, the Four Divisions and Six Sects... In that boundless chaos, countless figures held their breath, completely focused. Waiting for that vital, decisive instant... Waiting for the third wolf to be fully born from the Priest-King's ruined shell! The Wolf of the Woods, forged from flame and lamentation, was on the verge of completion! Ji Jue was waiting too. Outside the Kingdom of the Woods, standing upon scorched earth still smoldering with residual flame, Ji Jue turned back, silently gazing at the vortex of blood-red rain and the life-and-death struggle within. Yet he did not know what he was waiting for... Waiting for a miracle? Waiting for a shift in the tide, waiting for that bastard Sower to finally show his head...? Wait, just wait a little longer. Wait again! He waited until hoarse, frenzied laughter and desperate wails drifted in from the wind, sweeping across the White Nation and reverberating amidst matching sobs and roars. At this very moment, all the people of the White Nation—living corpses, infected wretches, swooning sick, and even the few fortunate survivors—stared with bloodshot eyes at the burning expanse. They could no longer suppress the raspy shrieks welling from the deepest corners of their souls. Even if it was utterly meaningless; even if they were destined to perish. At this moment, the beasts exerted every ounce of strength in a futile roar. Howling toward death! *"When reality is left scarred and battered, when all that you pursued is reduced to ruins, I want to see just how many people can still retain longing in their hearts..."* Lord Huaxu's playful voice seemed to echo once more from his memories, steeped in derision. *"You, who claim to have abandoned sweet dreams—now that you've recognized reality and yourself, can you still harbor illusions about the future?"* Ji Jue remained indifferent, unaffected. He did not move. Yet even if he did move, what could he achieve? Just like the tempest that had once wreaked havoc upon Tacheng... What could a single person do by exhausting all his strength? Even if he reached out again and again, how many hands could he grasp amidst the surging, turbid current? Even if he truly became the King of Chaos at this very moment, could he really redeem everything? After the Blade of Reform fell, after eternity was severed, wouldn't it merely give birth to yet another blood-soaked cycle of gruesome suffering? To accomplish this single shred of insignificant benevolence, one would have to incur tenfold the karma, a hundredfold the sins... Amidst such endless aftermath, could any real fruit ever be borne? Ji Jue closed his eyes, unable to stop himself from laughing. Laughing at himself. Endless aftermath? An eternal poison? Could there be any excuse more laughable than that? From start to finish, all he had been doing was seeking an excuse to remain a bystander—a lie that allowed him to grit his teeth, endure, and continue waiting. Yet even now, he could not fool himself. Endure? "Fuck that. I can't endure this shit for one more second!" Ji Jue cast his gaze downward. The mirror-smooth spine of the sword reflected his eyes, as though another version of himself were looking back at him. Watching him cast off his shackles; watching him forge his resolve. Violent black flames sprouted from the reflection, spilling into reality and engulfing that silently laughing face. The Seven-Horned Crown re-emerged from the fire, wild and unrestrained! "Fuck your Federation, fuck your Empire, fuck your Sower... and say goodbye to your dog-fucking grand ambition!" Ji Jue drew his sword, turning back decisively. A boom like thunder seemed to reverberate through the void as boundless, soaring phantasmal light manifested from within his soul. A single heart, shattering the shackles; a single stride, severing all confusion. Thus, Supreme Goodness reigned through unwavering resolve, and Ascension revealed itself through enlightenment. Like the movements of the heavens and the rotation of the stars, once the singular heart sprouted from awakening, there was no longer any retreat or wavering! Even if death was certain and life impossible, even if the aftermath was endless, no matter how fleeting the fruit borne or how heavy the sins incurred... —This was what was called [Heaven Moves Vigorous]! *Rumble! Boom! Boom! Boom!* Amidst a sudden, cataclysmic roar, heaven and earth seemed to convulse. The instant the ferocious fiery shadow rekindled, a fissure appeared once more in the crimson sky. Beneath the stunned gazes of all, amidst the phantasmal glow of countless dim stars, a pitch-black great star materialized out of thin air. Rising inch by inch against the thick, viscous blood, it resembled an eye opening after the shattering of the sky, looking down in contempt. Inside the Kingdom of the Woods, beneath the giant tree, Shehri's expression changed abruptly. He felt something in the deepest part of Shangri-La surging with wrath, slowly ascending and no longer concealing its presence. It plundered all the offerings with savage violence, climbing toward the summit at a breathtaking speed. In mere seconds, it was running neck and neck with him. It was even standing a head taller! That chilling, terrifying aura was so familiar it plunged him into an icy abyss, suffocating him. Until he finally realized where the discrepancy lay. Amidst the dead silence, he turned around in horror, looking toward the highest tier of the Audience Steps—at the figure that had appeared beside Ni Lin at some unknown moment. Beneath the Seven-Horned Crown, black flames rose and burned. Strands of crimson vows like briars wound around his body, wantonly plundering all life and spiritus from the surroundings. A nightmare reborn! *When did he...* His pupils contracted involuntarily. He parted his lips to speak, but in the next instant, he met the contemptuous gaze cast down from the highest tier of the steps. "Shehri?" Ji Jue glanced down at that twisted face. There was neither anger, hatred, nor loathing—only the tranquility that followed a final resolve, completely devoid of joy or sorrow. "Originally, I had many questions for you. But whether I ask them or not doesn't seem to matter anymore..." The fiend in the flames chuckled softly, indifferently looking away. "The time has come. You may die now." "How insolent!" Shehri howled into the sky, unhesitatingly commanding all the Transformed Wolves to converge upon this spot and launch a siege. At the same time, he mobilized all the power accumulated within the Kingdom of the Woods under his control, unleashing his strength in a desperate, suicidal surge. He even went so far as to awaken the treasure bestowed upon him by the Sower. As if freezing time itself, a beam of black light tore through the air, slashing down! A direct hit—on nothing! Right before his eyes, that burning figure, along with the dying Ni Lin, vanished completely. Gone without a trace. As if they had merely been an illusion. He couldn't comprehend it, couldn't even grasp what had just happened. *Did he run?!* In that single moment of bewilderment, he finally saw the only thing left behind in their place... A pitch-black blade had left a scratch across cold steel. The steel creation that had suddenly appeared before him was taller than a man, weighing several tons, gray, dull, and round. It looked somehow familiar. It sent an uncontrollable tremor through him as a wave of bone-chilling dread and murderous intent washed over his senses. By the time he realized what it was, his instincts had already sent him hurtling backward. Pouring every ounce of strength into his flight, he screamed at all the wolves: "Hurry—" *Click!* A final, crisp snap from the depths of hell. Under the command of [Deus Ex Machina], the strategic megaton-class fusion bomb cheered, screamed, sang, and roared. From the day of its creation, after waiting through an eternity of time, it had finally arrived at this radiant, scorching moment that shattered all of creation! Hereby conveying the divine decree of its supreme master, proclaiming the sole fate befitting such lowly grass and chaff: —Death! Light. Pure, blinding, flashing, resplendent light surged, sprouted, and expanded from the void. Like a ravaging tsunami, like the bursting of the four seas, it soared into the heavens, searing the eyes of countless onlookers. Amidst the violent ruin that caused heaven and earth to tremble, it delivered a long-awaited greeting to the world before it. As the mournful wails died away, an icy, phantom-like chuckle rang out from the far end of death. *Gentlemen, long time no see!*