Thanks for the Rocket, Bro

Boom! Boom! The heavy reverberations struck against chests like thudding war drums. Yellow sand swirled, churning dust filling the sky. Through the haze, ferocious faces of colossal behemoths could be vaguely discerned. Not one, not two, but a dense, teeming horde... over ten thousand horrifying demonic monstrosities! Ten thousand monstrosities stampeding in unison—such a sight shook the soul and terrified onlookers down to their very marrow! Amid the yellow sands, Zhao Ju felt a chill seize his heart at the sight. Hiding nearly ten li away from the City of No Return, even they were rattled by this ten-thousand-strong host, to say nothing of the immense pressure borne by Qi Yuan, sitting alone atop the city wall in the face of this horde. At that moment, Qi Yuan stood up on the wall. The wind lightly fluttered his sleeves. Broken sword in hand, a delighted smile spread across his face. "The monster siege has finally started!" In games, beast tides frequently besieged cities. When that happened, player guilds would band together to defend the walls. In this game, however, Qi Yuan was the sole player. Which meant he had to defend the city all by himself. Looking down upon the ten-thousand-strong army of demonic monstrosities, the smile in his eyes deepened. These monstrosities were all pure experience points. Slaughtering them all would net him several levels in a row. As the ten-thousand-strong host charged, Qi Yuan, holding his broken sword alone, leaped down from the battlements. Share the Same Robe! Qi Yuan immediately fused with Xiao Jia. For Qi Yuan now, a giant physique was far more efficient for mowing down enemy hordes. Standing ten zhang tall, Qi Yuan was like a horrifying blood-red fiend. With the crimson broken sword in hand, he resembled a battle demon bathed in blood. Seeing this, Zhao Ju's eyes widened. "What divine ability is that? That looks ridiculously cool!" Terrestrial Myths possessed divine abilities. Divine abilities held unfathomable powers. Liu Wentai stared at Qi Yuan's colossal frame as well. It was not his first time witnessing it, yet seeing it again still sent a shockwave through his heart. It felt as if the behemoth standing in the distance were both a majestic heavenly deity and a terrifying fiend. "It seems the Guardian of the City of No Return plans to unleash a divine ability, strike with a single sword, and then flee!" Zhao Ju voiced his judgment. "We must be ready too. The moment the Guardian retreats, we pull back immediately!" "Understood!" The cultivators present nodded, nerves taut. And Qi Yuan, just as Zhao Ju had predicted when facing ten thousand monstrosities— First turn: straight into the Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique! To Qi Yuan, the Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique was his simplest, most domineering, and highest-damage skill. A single strike severed worlds, capable of eradicating thousands or exterminating a ten-thousand-strong host. The dozens-of-meters-long broken sword descended from the heavens. Wherever its edge passed, it whipped up a heat wave a hundred zhang high. Amid the swirling sands, the blood-red greatsword cleaved into the demonic host like an immortal drawing his blade, tearing straight through their ranks. The terrifyingly orderly demonic army was split open by this single blow. The sheer power of one strike slaughtered nearly a thousand demonic monstrosities! "So strong!" Zhao Ju marvelled in shock. "If I were that powerful, I'd wage guerrilla warfare against the demonic army every day. One strike a day to drive them mad!" With that said, he prepared to leave. After all, while Qi Yuan's strike had inflicted heavy casualties, to an army of ten thousand, it was far from crippling. The powerhouses within the demonic host had suffered virtually no losses. "Let's—" Zhao Ju was about to say when the scene that followed struck him utterly dumbfounded. He had assumed that after wounding the demonic host with a single slash, the Guardian of the City of No Return would immediately flee. Yet what did he see instead? Faced with ten thousand demonic monstrosities, the Guardian of the City of No Return not only didn't run, but charged straight into the heart of their encirclement! "The Guardian's action... is truly unwise!" Zhao Ju couldn't comprehend it. He couldn't imagine any reason for Qi Yuan to do such a thing. Looking cool was all well and good, but getting surrounded by a demonic army got people killed! "Run! Break out now while there's still a sliver of hope!" Zhao Ju was even more anxious than the crimson figure itself, tempted to stand up and roar at Qi Yuan. Liu Wentai was fraught with worry, the image of Qi Yuan's cool, sharp face rising in his mind. He felt that Qi Yuan was not someone to act so rashly. Meanwhile, in the rear of the demonic army, several Demon Controller apprentices broke into arrogant smirks. "This Guardian of the City of No Return is an utter brute!" "Charging into our ten-thousand-strong host all alone—he's courting death!" "Does he really take us for pushovers?" These Demon Controllers whetted their blades, their words dripping with insolence. Watching that terrifying figure, Wu Tong let out a cold sneer. *As expected of the White Emperor's disciple—plenty of nerve to storm an army alone. Too bad you ran into me,* Wu Tong thought to himself. He spoke, his voice booming across the host: "All Nation Protectors, mobilize! Besiege the Guardian of the City of No Return!" He no longer wished to wear down the Guardian with ordinary monstrosities; he would suppress him directly with overwhelming force! In any case, he held that great figure's supreme origin strike and had no fear whatsoever of the Guardian. At Wu Tong's command, dozens of Nation Protectors swarmed toward Qi Yuan. Mighty monstrosities surged toward Qi Yuan as well. In merely a dozen breaths, nearly a hundred Nation Protectors had covertly surrounded Qi Yuan, who was slaughtering in every direction. Over ten li away, Zhao Ju watched with growing despair. "Now... the Guardian likely won't make it out." Besieged by so many Nation Protectors alongside a sea of demonic monstrosities, the Guardian had lost his final chance of escape. Liu Wentai's heart tightened, his emotions a tangled mess. He trusted Qi Yuan's immense power, yet the pressure Qi Yuan faced right now was simply unimaginable. In a situation like this, without a Sovereign stepping in, how could it be resolved? Alas, the Sovereigns of this world stood far above mortal concerns; why would one ever appear in such an insignificant place? "If only I weren't so weak... otherwise, I would gladly fight by the Guardian's side!" Liu Wentai lamented. Meanwhile, upon the battlefield, Qi Yuan was like a god of slaughter. One man, one sword—everything within his sight was cut down. Now, every monstrosity he slew yielded a Monstrosity Origin extraction rate of ten percent. Mid-slaughter, his eyes grew increasingly bloodshot as greed, wrath, pride, and other emotions churned within them. Qi Yuan fought with growing fervour. "More, bring me more!" With so much experience laid before him, Qi Yuan was like a taotie starved for hundreds of thousands of years. A single sweep of his sword felled more than a dozen monstrosities. These creatures could not hinder him in the slightest, nor could they inflict any harm upon him. Back in Tianjue, Qi Yuan had battled three thousand peers of equal cultivation. In Dijue, he had even prevailed against extraterrestrial demons of higher realms. These ten thousand monstrosities might seem numerous, but to Qi Yuan, they were nothing more than experience-yielding fodder. His combat skills had already been honed to the absolute pinnacle. Those of the same rank could be slain with a single stroke! He tore through the demonic army as though stepping into an empty field. Suddenly, Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. He glanced a thousand meters away. "An elite mob?" He had spotted a Nation Protector. When that Nation Protector met Qi Yuan's gaze, an inexplicable terror seized his heart. *This City of No Return is too sinister. I'd better fish in troubled waters,* the old man thought, slowly backing away. He didn't dare retreat too conspicuously for fear of Wu Tong noticing. Yet how could Qi Yuan let the prey he had set his sights on slip away so easily? "Die!" A distance of a thousand meters took Qi Yuan merely a single breath to cross. With a sweep of the colossal broken sword, sword qi tore across thousands of meters. Beneath Qi Yuan's strike, that elderly Nation Protector fared no differently from an ordinary demonic monstrosity. Against the might of this blade, death was the only answer. In his dying moments, his pupils dilated, eyes filled with regret. If only he had retreated faster; if only he hadn't come at all. This scene did not escape Wu Tong's notice. Anxiety surged within him; in this brief span of time, the Guardian of the City of No Return had already wiped out a tenth of the demonic army. If this continued, even if he took the City of No Return, his forces would be decimated. He hurriedly roared, "Guardian of the City of No Return, come and meet your death!" With that, Wu Tong charged straight at Qi Yuan. His subordinates looked on in bewilderment. Since when was their master so reckless? Hesitating for only a moment, they followed behind Wu Tong, closing in on Qi Yuan. Qi Yuan heard Wu Tong's shout, a look of displeasure crossing his eyes. "I still prefer mute NPCs. When I kill them, I can do their voice acting myself. NPCs like you who never shut up are the ones I hate the most." Qi Yuan looked at Wu Tong. "No wonder you're so confident. Turns out you've just stepped into the Terrestrial Myth realm." Holding his broken sword, Qi Yuan looked at Wu Tong with eyes as calm as an ancient well. Merely a Terrestrial Myth—he could slay him with a single stroke. Even if three thousand came, it would only take him a bit more time to slaughter them all. "You truly are a Terrestrial Myth," Wu Tong said, surprise flashing in his eyes. Six months ago, he had broken through to become a Terrestrial Myth. Not a single one of his subordinates knew about it. Yet the Guardian of the City of No Return had seen through him at a glance, proving he too must be a Terrestrial Myth, and a seasoned one at that. "So what if you're a veteran Terrestrial Myth? Trapped within my battle formation, death is your only end!" Wu Tong declared with confidence. Indeed, any veteran Terrestrial Myth besieged like this would meet only death. Qi Yuan looked at Wu Tong and flicked his sword. "Since you're going to die anyway, hurry up and twist off your own head to hand over. Life is tough; you should make things convenient for others." Wu Tong sneered at his words. "You are a Terrestrial Myth, and so am I. Why would I fear you?" Without the origin strike granted by the Sovereign, he would indeed fear Qi Yuan. Now? Victory was firmly in his grasp. Qi Yuan looked at Wu Tong. "I achieved Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, and my cultivation long surpassed village-tier cultivation. Slaying you takes but a single strike!" Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment had inflated Qi Yuan's confidence. Like a coal boss who had struck it rich overnight. "Incomprehensible nonsense!" Wu Tong paid him no further heed. "Taste my divine ability!" Behind Wu Tong, his subordinates watched with pounding hearts. This was a divine ability—the ultimate technique of a Terrestrial Myth! A Terrestrial Myth was called a myth precisely because they wielded divine abilities. A ruthless glint flashed in Wu Tong's eyes. "Ever since I broke through to Terrestrial Myth, you are the first to witness my divine ability. Dying beneath it is an honorable death!" With those words, Wu Tong waved his hand. Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang Chaos Palm! As his palm thrust forward, yellow sands surged, forcing all the demonic monstrosities to retreat. Hidden within the palm strike was a single purple droplet, drifting toward Qi Yuan. Qi Yuan's eyes widened, and he pointed at Wu Tong, cursing, "You lack martial virtue!" What bloody divine ability! This was an origin divine ability! An origin divine ability that only a Sovereign could possess! Back in Dijue, facing nearly three thousand extraterrestrial demons, he had become intimately familiar with origin divine abilities. Wu Tong blinked in surprise, then quickly understood: Qi Yuan was the White Emperor's disciple, so it was only natural for him to recognize an origin strike. A smile touched his eyes. "How is an origin divine ability not a divine ability?" Hearing this, Qi Yuan paused, then said to Wu Tong, "That line has style. It's mine now." Qi Yuan decided that once he learned an origin divine ability in the future, when slaying enemies with it at the Golden Core or Divine Infant stage, he would say: *Isn't an origin divine ability still a divine ability?* The effect would be comparable to saying: *Isn't the Milky Way still just a river?* "To make sure no one ever finds out I plagiarized that line from you, I'll just have to go on a killing spree today and silence you all!" Qi Yuan stated coldly. Wu Tong found his words utterly baffling. "Since you know the might of an origin divine ability, you won't have a 'future' anyway." A smug smile appeared in Wu Tong's eyes. Once Qi Yuan died, the City of No Return would fall into his hands. His mission for the Sovereign would already be halfway complete. "Die!" The purple droplet shot toward Qi Yuan as heaven and earth fell deathly still. Qi Yuan's colossal body felt locked down, utterly unable to move. Origin divine abilities tapped into fundamental essence; short of the Sovereign realm, a Terrestrial Myth had no means of retaliation. Facing an origin divine ability, death was the only outcome. Qi Yuan also smelled a potent sense of crisis. If this strike landed on him, he would perish without doubt. The gap between a Terrestrial Myth and a Sovereign was like that between Divine Infant and Purple Mansion—a qualitative divide. Yet even now, a smile curved at the corner of Qi Yuan's lips. "You sneak-attacked me without martial virtue and think you've won? But you forgot one simple fact: I'm not an old man, I'm a young guy!" In Qi Yuan's memory, young people who lacked martial virtue could ambush and defeat old masters. But there had never been a case of an old man ambushing and beating a young guy by ditching martial virtue! Back in Dijue, those extraterrestrial demons had shamelessly ambushed him without martial virtue, but Qi Yuan had only grown stronger through battle, even figuring out techniques to evade origin attacks with his eyes alone. Nearly a hundred of them, in fact. Watching the purple droplet, Qi Yuan remained completely unflustered as nearly a hundred techniques to evade and counter origin attacks flashed through his mind. After one ten-thousandth of an instant, Qi Yuan smiled. "Found it!" "Break!" Parting his lips, he blew a breath toward the purple droplet. That indestructible origin divine ability, capable of leveling an entire city with a single drop, was actually blown apart by Qi Yuan's single breath! With a smirk, Qi Yuan looked at Wu Tong. "Thanks for the rocket, bro!" Following Qi Yuan's voice, the dispersed purple droplet underwent a violent transformation, multiplying into two droplets, four droplets... thousands of droplets... tens of thousands of droplets! Tens of thousands of purple droplets gathered around Qi Yuan, hovering motionless. Seeing this, Wu Tong froze in utter disbelief. "What is going on?" He couldn't understand. The demonic army and the Demon Controllers likewise felt an overwhelming sense of dread. Tens of thousands of purple droplets hung stationary before Qi Yuan. This time, Qi Yuan gently blew toward the purple droplets once more. "Like a sudden spring breeze sweeping through the night, ten thousand skulls split open in plain sight!" The wind stirred the purple droplets, and the motionless water suddenly burst apart. Countless droplets shot like arrows, raining down upon the demonic army. Broken sword in hand, Qi Yuan beamed with high spirits. "Ah, nothing beats the feeling of using cheats!" The purple droplets fell upon the demonic monstrosities. Even the mightiest monstrosities couldn't withstand it for a single breath; they died instantly, vanishing into nothingness. These droplets were like an enhanced Corpse-Dissolving Water, performing a mass vanishing trick. Anything they touched met certain death. "No!" "What is this?!" "You..." Terror gripped Wu Tong as well; the scene before him was beyond comprehension. Wasn't that origin divine ability supposed to be his trump card? How had the Guardian of the City of No Return turned it to his own use? Could it be that the Guardian was that very Sovereign? He couldn't fathom it. "No!" A droplet struck Wu Tong. He struggled desperately, but in vain, dissolving into nothingness. Under the onslaught of the purple rain, every demonic monstrosity and Demon Controller died upon contact. It was an extraordinary spectacle—like rain falling from the heavens, and wherever the deluge passed, living beings collapsed and perished. In merely three breaths, the entire ten-thousand-strong army of demonic monstrosities had vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed. Deep within Qi Yuan's eyes flickered an intense murderous intent. This time, he had extracted an immense amount of Monstrosity Origin. His whole body radiated a terrifying aura, just like a true demonic monstrosity. Holding the broken sword, his body shrank back to normal size. Looking at the yellow sand filling the sky, he said softly: "'A sudden breeze stirs, rippling the spring waters.'" He glanced at Zhao Ju and Liu Wentai in the distance, then flickered away, returning to the City of No Return. Meanwhile, in the distance, Zhao Ju stood thoroughly stupefied. "Am I... hallucinating?" Liu Wentai was struck dumb as well. What had just transpired went far beyond his imagination. Wu Tong had launched a divine ability against the Guardian of the City of No Return. The Guardian had gently blown on Wu Tong's divine ability, and suddenly the ten-thousand-strong army of demonic monstrosities was... gone. No matter how one looked at it, it felt completely absurd. "Sigh, this is beyond ridiculous!" Zhao Ju sighed. "I misjudged him. He wasn't acting cool—he genuinely is cool!" Liu Wentai nodded in agreement. One man stepped forward and slaughtered a host of ten thousand demonic monstrosities! The Guardian of the City of No Return could probably be called the number one beneath the Sovereigns! "Still, the only fly in the ointment..." Zhao Ju continued ruefully, "is that if the Guardian had slaughtered the ten thousand monstrosities, coughed up blood while leaning on his broken sword, and died of exhaustion in the end, today's feat would have become a legendary swansong remembered for a thousand years." Liu Wentai: "..." ... Inside Jialan City, Dong Long stood atop the walls, his hair silvery-white and his face lined with deep wrinkles. He was fraught with worry over the battle ahead. Wu Tong was an opponent several times more troublesome than Mi Sang. Once the City of No Return fell, Jialan City would bear the brunt of the assault; he didn't know how long they could hold out. At that thought, a shadow of gloom crossed Dong Long's aged face. Just then, Dong Long's spirits lifted as scouts dispatched to observe the City of No Return were galloping back. Tension coiled in his chest, yet his expression remained composed as he sat atop the high tower. No matter how drastic the upheaval, as commander of an army, one had to remain unflinching even if Mount Tai crumbled before his eyes.