Revival

Li Hao bowed his head, his eyes congested with blood. Catching merely a glimpse of that silhouette felt like gazing into the cosmic expanse of the starry heavens. A bow across his back, a saber at his waist, a brush held in hand. He bore no connection whatsoever to the legendary giant tortoise of the Wang clan... Yet such a figure had once stood in this very spot countless ages ago, lifting his brush to inscribe two solitary words. None of the others had seen anything; Li Hao himself had caught nothing at first. It was only when his spilled blood resonated with those two characters that he witnessed that terrifying scene. He panted violently. All around, the others noticed something amiss. Hu Dingfang was particularly restless and agitated, feeling a twinge of regret. Moments ago, he had assumed parting with three drops of heart's blood was no great matter, believing Li Hao had made a profit by securing three Blood God Seeds in exchange. Yet now, if glares could kill, Ziyue would have been blasted to pieces where she stood! Hao Lianchuan had initially assumed Li Hao was putting on an act... Gradually, however, his skepticism faded. Li Hao's entire body trembled, perspiration cascading down like rain. If this was still an act, how terrifying was this young man? "Li Hao!" Hao Lianchuan barked. Liu Long's expression turned grim. He swept a cold glance over the nearby experts, keeping his silence. Li Hao's condition was clearly abnormal. After a long while, Li Hao lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot, fraught with crimson veins, displaying a mingled look of agony and sheer shock. He gasped, "I'm fine... It's just... the injuries to my internal organs flared up. It felt like... like a surge of residual force suddenly detonated within me... I'm all right now." Hao Lianchuan cast a chilled glare toward Feitian. Hu Dingfang likewise directed a murderous gaze at Kong Qi. Residual force? Had the assailant left behind a lingering trap? Pinned beneath their glares, Kong Qi felt profoundly wronged. It had nothing to do with him! He truly hadn't ambushed Li Hao—he hadn't even crossed paths with the boy, so how could he have struck him?! Yet right now... he had no way to clear himself. Besides, Li Hao's state genuinely looked like a relapse of severe internal trauma. Helpless, Kong Qi knew arguing would be useless; moreover, as an assassin, making excuses was hardly his forte. The rest of the crowd remained hushed. Li Hao was merely a Hundred-Breaker, insignificant to the broader situation, but the young man's teacher was no ordinary figure. Yuan Shuo was the dynasty's foremost martial master, an existence capable of slaying late-stage Three Sols experts. If Li Hao met with an accident here, it might well unleash a storm of blood and slaughter. A moment later, drenched in sweat, Li Hao managed to climb to his feet. He offered a strained smile. "I'm truly fine... My apologies for giving everyone a fright. Martial masters are often plagued by lingering injuries, but fortunately I have the Blood God Seeds... I should recover soon!" With that, Li Hao swallowed another Blood God Seed. This was his second—the second one he had acquired. Out of the three, only one remained in the blink of an eye. As for consuming them so rapidly... an ordinary person would certainly never go through them at such a pace, but given the grievous extent of his wounds, depleting them faster seemed only natural. In truth, both this seed and the earlier Lunar Nether Blood God Seed were being swiftly absorbed by his five viscera. As a Thousand-Battler martial master who had also nurtured a momentum, his energy consumption was staggering. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't dare ingest them so recklessly; the energy within a Blood God Seed had previously clogged and solidified his meridians with ease. Now, however... two Blood God Seeds had merely repaired the damage to his viscera. At the same time, they replenished the heart's blood and inner force he had spent. A Thousand-Battler was fundamentally different from a Hundred-Breaker. Having swapped a small cup for a broad wooden barrel, Li Hao's inner force was now far mightier than before. His blood differed from what it had once been; his blood transformation was complete. He refrained from looking back up at those two characters... What he had glimpsed was too terrifying. Swallowing the second Solar Radiance Blood God Seed, his aura stabilized considerably, and some color returned to his deathly pale face. Yet to the onlookers, the scene looked entirely different. A Blood God Seed was truly a miraculous panacea! Even if it provided no breakthrough for a martial master, its sheer healing efficacy alone was extraordinary. Hao Lianchuan said no more on the matter, turning instead toward Ziyue. In a grave voice, he said, "Li Hao has already attempted it, and you saw the result... It had no effect whatsoever! Now, isn't it time for you two to make an attempt?" Li Hao had served as the test subject; now it was their turn. Ziyue maintained a calm demeanor without offering excuses. She merely glanced at Hong Yitang of Sword Gate, then looked toward Feitian, saying coolly, "Someone from Feitian cleared the second passage. Have him fly up five meters to test whether the restriction attacks him." Dingchen said nothing. This time, Yama had paid two Blood God Seeds, Feitian had yielded one, the Night Watchers had offered Li Hao, and Sword Gate had provided Hong Yitang... In terms of cost, Feitian had indeed contributed the least. Thus, he merely signaled a Solar Radiance expert with his eyes. Seeing his leader's glance, the Solar Radiance expert from Feitian said nothing. He kicked off the ground and sprang into the air, ascending in an instant—three meters, five meters, ten meters... Previously, anyone reaching five meters would be struck down. Yet this time, no attack came. It truly worked! Delight showed on numerous faces. A fair number of those who had traversed the second passage remained alive; apart from the Night Watchers who had bypassed it entirely, most of the surviving supernaturals had taken that route. According to the rules of the ancient city... they were guests! The others were merely interlopers. Guests possessed legitimate status, so their restrictions were far looser, whereas interlopers could perish for all the city cared! Witnessing this, Li Hao couldn't help but glance at Hao Lianchuan. In truth, having a portion of their forces take the second passage wouldn't have been a bad choice. Otherwise, what would they do if enemies took to the skies? Presently, only Liu Long had cleared the second passage and could likely ascend. As for the others, including himself... Li Hao had no idea whether it would work. Martial masters seemed to possess no supernatural fluctuations to begin with, but he dared not test it; heaven only knew whether a martial master like him would be blasted to cinders. Had they never witnessed the restriction, it might have been different, but after watching Ziyue nearly obliterated, no one dared gamble without Hao Lianchuan's authorization. Even a Three Sols expert couldn't withstand it, let alone them. Hu Dingfang frowned as well, sending a voice transmission: "Hao Lianchuan, we should have had some of our people take the second passage. Even if you hesitated, you should have sent me. If we come to blows with them and Ziyue takes to the air... how do we counter them?" One side could fly while the other could not; the disparity would become glaring. Being grounded was a severe handicap for experts of their caliber. "No rush!" Hao Lianchuan transmitted back. "What's the hurry? If you could fly, wouldn't you be forced to scout ahead? Heaven knows what lies behind that wall... If a golden warrior appears, you'd be courting death! Let them go up first. If things go south, we run!" He recognized that avoiding the passage imposed certain limits. Even so, the situation wasn't necessarily worse. Hadn't Yaocheng perished inside that passage? The Night Watchers had over twenty survivors remaining, which was already an extraordinary feat, and not a single Solar Radiance had fallen... It was nothing short of a miracle! Hao Lianchuan felt that even if they turned back right now, the expedition was already a triumph. Silver Moon's villainous supernatural organizations had suffered devastating losses here. Their very foundations in Silver Moon had been shaken! Ahead, Ziyue felt somewhat relieved upon seeing the test succeed. Hao Lianchuan hadn't lied about the flight restriction being lifted for them. Hong Yitang wore a conflicted grimace. Damn it all! Does this mean I have to take the risk? Ziyue looked at him, and he looked back at her... After a long standoff, seeing that Ziyue had no intention of moving, Hong Yitang understood she expected him to take the lead. Now of all times you know to let me go first? Sighing, Hong Yitang said no more. He lightly tapped the ground and shot upward like a released spring. Only then did Ziyue follow. A hundred-meter-tall wall posed no obstacle to Three Sols experts once the flight restriction was gone. Ascending one after the other, they swiftly rose toward the ramparts. Just as Hong Yitang neared the crest... Boom! A massive greatsword cleaved downward with crushing force! Upon the rampart stood a silver warrior, radiating boundless fury. In the next instant, a scattering of black-armored figures emerged along the wall. There weren't many, but instead of drawing swords, they unslung longbows. Twang! Dozens of long arrows whistled toward the pair! The silver greatsword crashed down with a deafening blast, plunging Hong Yitang back toward the ground. Ziyue, meanwhile, erupted with lightning, hurling a bolt that struck the silver warrior squarely. With a booming crash, the silver warrior barely shuddered amidst the crackling electricity. Ziyue snorted coldly. "Hong Yitang... deal with those soldiers!" The archers on the wall posed little threat individually, but their coordinated volleys were dangerous enough to hinder them. Hong Yitang wasted no words, leaping upward once more as an earthy-yellow blade condensed in his hand. He swung his blade! Boom! A black-armored soldier closest to him was cleaved straight through its carapace. At this point, he couldn't afford to worry about preserving the armor intact; destroying the threats came first. A Three Sols expert could shatter black armor easily enough. Bronze armor would prove far tougher, while silver armor would require an Origin God Armament to breach. "Lure him down!" someone transmitted. Ziyue alone was unlikely to overcome the silver warrior. Only by drawing him down could they gang up on him. Ziyue cursed inwardly. You think I don't want to? Yet this silver centurion was no mindless brute... He possessed remnants of consciousness and refused to descend. The pair traded dozens of blows at the edge of the wall, yet Ziyue failed to secure a foothold on the ramparts. Hong Yitang had an easier time, striking repeatedly... Soon, broken suits of black armor tumbled from the parapet. Thud! Thud! Thud! They crashed heavily against the ground. The silver warrior grew increasingly infuriated, emitting a faint, guttural roar as his greatsword chopped down in a berserk frenzy, the sheer force rattling Ziyue's internal organs. Yet no matter how enraged he was, striking a flying Ziyue was no simple task. Below, seeing that the silver warrior refused to descend, several Three Sols experts took action! They could not fly, but as supernatural masters of the Three Sols tier, their reach extended over a hundred meters without losing significant power. Wave after wave of supernatural energy surged upward in thunderous succession! Battered by the barrage, the silver warrior was forced to retreat behind the battlements. "Hong Yitang, get up there and look!" they shouted, having suppressed the silver warrior. They urged Hong Yitang to scale the wall and report what lay within the inner city. Hong Yitang was curious himself. Naturally, he only dared entertain the thought once he saw the silver warrior thoroughly suppressed. With another strike, he knocked a black-armored soldier aside, kicked off the face of the wall to borrow momentum, and vaulted above the parapet. In that instant... the inner city was unveiled before his eyes! Light! Indeed, there was light inside the inner city, just as everyone had sensed earlier. Now, Hong Yitang could see it clearly! The light did not emanate from the city itself, but from a colossal tower rising at its center. A gentle radiance cascaded from its summit, washing over the entire inner city with a faint, muted glow akin to streetlamps at night. Perched atop that tower was the form of a giant tortoise. A tortoise... The soft, steady glow appeared to flow directly from that creature. The entire inner city was dead silent. Yet the architecture remained pristine. Hong Yitang spotted countless buildings, wide avenues, and ancient, ornate structures he couldn't name. Amidst this antique grandeur, however, were anomalous artifacts. For instance, he caught sight of an apparatus resembling an aircraft parked in a courtyard. In that single heartbeat, he took in an overwhelming sight. Yet that was not the crucial detail. What mattered most was verifying whether other soldiers were stationed inside. Was this thousand-man detachment the sole garrison of the entire ancient city? He scanned the city meticulously, spotting canals, bridges, and lakes... yet not a single living soul, nor any patrols like the ones in the outer city. None! The city... held only a solitary garrison! In that moment, realization struck Hong Yitang: this was an abandoned outpost. They had remained behind to guard Battle Heaven City. Had the city faced an overwhelming foe? Had its people migrated? Or had they succumbed to a natural disaster? Whatever the reason, the inhabitants had evacuated in that bygone era, departing entirely. Perhaps a mighty host had once garrisoned this fortress, but in the end, only this thousand-man gate guard had been left to hold the line. Countless millennia later... they still faithfully executed the orders of antiquity. They were still holding their ground! Slaying every invader that dared approach! Hong Yitang couldn't describe the emotion welling in his chest. This unit... was on the verge of total annihilation! Only a handful of black-armored figures remained visible along the battlements. And he was one of their executioners. A single silver warrior and several dozen black-armored soldiers were all that remained of this ancient city. "Hong Yitang!" Hong Yitang dropped back to the ground, turning to announce, "The city... is empty! There's nothing inside... save for a single tower, atop which rests a tortoise. Beyond that... only this silver warrior and several dozen black-armored soldiers remain." At these words, everyone rejoiced! Truly? To them, this was the best possible news. They had feared that breaching the gate would reveal legions of thousands, forcing them to flee for their lives while worrying whether the ancient troops could pursue them into the outside world. Hearing that so few remained, jubilation swept through the crowd. Inside the inner city, countless treasures awaited them. The Wheel-Turning King roared, "Ziyue, drag him down by force! Slay him, and our path forward will be clear! Hong Yitang, back her up!" With only one silver warrior left, who could possibly fear him? Even Hao Lianchuan and Hu Dingfang felt a thrill of excitement. A defensive Origin God Armament! Was it that tortoise? Most likely! If the Night Watchers could claim it to protect White Moon City, they would hold an impenetrable bastion! If it could seal White Moon City just like this place, barring all entry except for a single bottleneck, they would only need to guard that one passage. Defense would become effortless. If worse came to worst, they could train a few city-destroying bombs on the opening... Who would dare force their way inside? When that day came, the Night Watchers would be utterly invincible across Silver Moon! Moreover, this Origin God Armament had to be extraordinary—so powerful that even after millions of years, it remained self-sustaining, maintaining the defenses of an entire metropolis. This was precisely the kind of treasure they yearned for. Most Origin God Armaments required constant nurturing from their owners, having nearly decayed after eons underground. Boom! The Three Sols experts unleashed their powers once more. Hao Lianchuan shouted, "Everyone who entered the second passage, take to the air! Help them wipe out the black armor, then bring down that silver centurion together!" Some turned to look at their respective leaders... The Night Watchers were truly treacherous! Not a single Night Watcher had entered the second passage. Did they expect everyone else to throw their lives away? "Go!" Dingchen commanded softly. The Wheel-Turning King waved his hand as well. "Move!" The danger wasn't insurmountable. Besides... did the Night Watchers truly believe that having more survivors now meant more of them would walk out alive in the end? Once the rank and file of the other factions were wiped out, leaving only Three Sols experts... did Hao Lianchuan think everyone would remain civil? Or did he think the Night Watchers were carved from iron and immune to death? Delusional! The Wheel-Turning King had already resigned himself to losses. So many had died that losing the remaining three meant little; if they all fell, he would be unburdened, free to act entirely as he pleased! If they pushed him too far, he would butcher everyone below the Three Sols tier! The side with the most survivors had the most to lose. Whether the others shared his thoughts or not, the experts who had cleared the second passage surged upward under their commanders' orders. A height of a hundred meters was hardly an obstacle for Solar Radiance experts. One after another, they leaped into the sky, assaulting the ramparts. Upon the wall, the silver centurion let out a furious roar! This time, the sound was startlingly clear. A lone garrison! Hong Yitang's deduction was likely correct. This was an abandoned vanguard left behind to guard the city. As his soldiers fell one by one, the silver centurion's roar brimmed with sorrow and defiance. Perhaps he had perished long ago. What remained was merely an armored husk driven by residual consciousness... Over untold millennia, his very bones had turned to dust, yet this army had maintained its formation and continued guarding the fortress even in death. One could only imagine how magnificent this host had been in its prime. Thus, he could not accept this defeat! In his zenith, in the golden age of antiquity, how would mere ants dare desecrate Battle Heaven City? This city had once stood tall beneath the firmament! Supreme sovereigns had descended through the heavens, tearing through the void to bestow its name—Battle Heaven! Even the heavens could be defied! They had once raised their blades against the sky, ruling over an entire epoch and safeguarding their age... Memories seemed to awaken in this very moment. A spark of brilliance flickered within the hollow eye slits of the helmet. The swinging greatsword hesitated slightly. In that heartbeat, the centurion seemed to finally perceive the intruders before him. Ants! A rabble of weaklings had decimated the Battle Heaven Army he had once taken immense pride in... even if he had been no more than a lowly gatekeeper within their ranks. Yet this truth filled him with unbearable grief and rage! He looked down, and the crowd below froze. That... gaze! These soldiers were supposed to lack expression... They were like puppets; whenever one was slain and its armor prised open, nothing remained inside save a heap of ash and decayed bone. Yet from this warrior, they felt a gaze laden with fury, contempt, and mourning. He had... come alive? Impossible! Who could endure across untold ages? In the annals of the Heavenly Star Dynasty, ancient civilization did not originate a mere seventeen hundred years ago. Before the Star Yuan Calendar, prior history existed, but that too was separate from the ancient civilization. That was a distinct, fallen era whose ruins were classified merely as ancient architecture, not ancient civilization sites. The ancient civilization predated the three-thousand-year mark by a vast margin. Even if it were only three thousand years... no mortal could live that long without perishing! "You... seek entry into the city?" Boom! The crowd was stunned. The silver-armored warrior had spoken! Though the voice carried a strange cadence in an unfamiliar tongue, the words resonated directly within their minds as a spiritual echo, allowing them to comprehend every syllable. Unbelievable! The silver warrior stepped through the air, returning to the ramparts. Beneath the horrified gazes of the onlookers, he stood looking down. Even Ziyue felt her scalp prickle and hastily retreated. The warrior gazed down upon the multitude. Even though he understood that regaining his awareness meant his remaining existence would soon dissolve into nothingness, a flicker of solace touched him. Even if these vermin had disturbed his slumber and slaughtered his subordinates. "Has the Sovereign Emperor returned?" He looked down, met only by blank stares, and sighed with profound desolation. "It seems... he has not... Then again, even Battle Heaven was abandoned..." "Has the Human King... also not returned?" Still, silence. His sorrow deepened. "The Human King... could never be defeated!" Impossible! That was an invincible ruler, the hegemon of boundless realms, an emperor who had swept across all under heaven! "Is this world... still the same world?" He murmured to himself, lifting his gaze to the stars. A moment later, he looked down at the crowd once more. Seeing their terrified expressions, he seemed to chuckle soundlessly. "So weak... so frail! Has the path of energy revived once more?" "And yet... that path leads nowhere!" His tone carried mocking indifference, yet the crowd below was struck with horror. The path of energy? Supernatural power? He looked further, noticing Liu Long, Li Hao, Liu Yan, and the other martial masters... "So... the world is still that world..." He gazed toward the stars again, his voice tinged with lingering defiance and fury. "Those invincible beings would never abandon us! The Battle Heaven Army will march toward the heavens once more, returning in triumph with the severed heads of our enemies!" "You weaklings dare trespass upon Battle Heaven City... yet considering you belong to the human race..." His voice abruptly trailed off. The human race! What cherished memories that word stirred... What had the world become today? He had intended to seize this moment to obliterate these intruders. He possessed the power to do so; the defensive system remained functional! Yet looking out over the desolate city... Battle Heaven City was no more! The city he was meant to defend had vanished! Could an empty husk devoid of people still be called a city? A sudden pang of loss struck him. He let out a strange sound, half-laugh and half-sob, as though weeping. Clad in armor and gripping his greatsword, he stared into the sky. Though nothing was visible, he seemed to behold vast legions of foes, the endless horde of bitter enemies. "Take care of yourselves... Human race... the human race..." He looked to the heavens, gazing higher and higher with boundless sorrow and finality before glancing at the surviving black-armored soldiers. This was no longer his era. It no longer belonged to him. By the creed of his time, invading enemies ought to be put to the sword; only that was worthy of the Battle Heaven Army. Yet seeing martial practitioners among the crowd, his heart softened slightly. Even if that heart had long ceased to beat. They were humans! The path of energy was distasteful, but were they not also part of mankind? This heaven and earth, this epoch, belonged to them now. What purpose was there in slaughtering the descendants of humanity? Had they themselves not explored the ruins left behind by primeval antiquity in their own youth? "Battle Heaven Army, where are you?!" A roar echoed through the ancient city! Across the outer city, silhouettes suddenly manifested. Two bronze-armored figures materialized instantly, the call of the Battle Heaven Army awakening their dormant spirits. Outside the city, the black-armored carapaces that had lost all function, whose inner bones had long turned to ash, seemed to shudder. The Battle Heaven Army was here! "My comrades, our era... has ended!" The silver warrior roared in sorrow and fury, "The Human King has not returned, the Sovereign Emperor has not come back, yet mighty enemies still threaten this realm! Will you follow me to wage war against the heavens once more?" "We will fight!" In that instant, the entire city seemed to tremble! The surviving black-armored soldiers appeared one after another. It was as if time had folded back to that distant past! Below, Li Hao and the others were utterly dumbfounded. What... what was happening? The city... had come to life! "Fight!" "Fight!" "Fight!" Roars echoing from primeval antiquity resounded throughout the fortress. The silver warrior sensed his soul extinguishing, his spirit eroding away... The relentless toll of time and the erosion of ages were dragging him swiftly toward final demise. "If you ever behold the Human King or the Sovereign Emperor... tell them that we... are still fighting!" A cry tore through the hearts of all who heard it. The silver warrior pointed his blade toward the heavens and roared, "For humanity, we fight once more!" "Kill!" "Kill!" Armored figures leaped into the air as if restored to life, raising their blades to strike toward the sky, even though nothing hung above them! Silver cracked; black armor fractured; bronze shattered... The spectacle defied all comprehension. It truly defied reason! First, the silver centurion had seemed to revive, yet instead of striking down Ziyue and the others, he had turned his blade toward the empty firmament. Whom were they fighting? Where was their enemy? What were they doing in these final moments? Fear, awe, shock... A torrent of emotions enveloped everyone present, including Li Hao. He recalled the names: the "Human King," the "Sovereign Emperor"... Who were they? Was that silhouette he had seen the Human King, or the Sovereign Emperor? Had his own ancestor, the swordsman who had unleashed the Sever Self strike, also been a member of their ranks? Against whom did they brandish their swords? For whom did they fight? Humanity? Did other races exist beyond humankind? Like the Black Panther—did that count as the demonic race? Were their enemies demons? Countless thoughts raced through Li Hao's mind. He stared blankly at the silver warrior cleaving at the sky, his heart swept with shock and bewilderment. In midair, the figures ascended higher and higher! They strode across the void, vaulting upward, brandishing their blades! Their murderous intent shook heaven and earth! Had these warriors displayed such might from the beginning, fewer than ten people standing here would have survived! Terrifyingly strong! Only now did they realize the true power of these soldiers. Even the black-armored troops had once been formidable experts. Li Hao could even sense that they might have once been martial masters—not mere Hundred-Breakers, but Thousand-Battlers! Thousand-Battler martial masters as common foot soldiers? Li Hao was shaken beyond words. Could they have been even stronger? Had the endless ages degraded them into mere shadows of their former selves, meaning they were far more powerful in their prime? He remembered the silver warrior's disdainful, aloof gaze. He had looked upon them like insects! Even the Three Sols experts were no exception. In his eyes, Three Sols were likely nothing more than ants. And he was merely a centurion of antiquity! High above, the silver warrior unleashed his final roar: "Slay the foe, in honor of humanity!" Kill! Amidst an ocean of killing intent, the black armors shattered to dust, their sword qi piercing the clouds. A slaughterous aura shook heaven and earth! Boom! With a thunderous roar, the silver warrior vanished into the fathomless dark, dissolving without a trace. In that final instant, Li Hao saw the silver armor disintegrate entirely! Dead! Perhaps they had perished countless millennia ago. Yet only in this moment had he truly fallen. The onlookers stood frozen like wooden statues. Hu Dingfang, a general of the military, was overwhelmed by absolute, unadulterated shock! "What... what kind of army was that..." He couldn't fathom it! He truly could not comprehend what sort of army this had been. To raise their swords against the sky after endless ages, striking at an unseen enemy, expending every ounce of their existence solely to deliver that final blow! As a commander, he understood all too well. Such an army... was invincible. Unstoppable! To retain such morale after millions of years—could such a force truly belong to the mortal realm? Before the inner city gate, total silence reigned. Even though the entire garrison had been wiped out, no one showed any sign of rejoicing. Every expert wore an expression of grim solemnity and bewilderment. After a long silence, the Wheel-Turning King muttered in a low voice, "What... what realm was he in?" He couldn't tell! In that final moment, the power unleashed by the silver warrior was perhaps greater than even certain Rising Light experts! Was that possible? "Rising Light?" Hong Yitang swallowed hard. "Perhaps... perhaps so!" If a centurion was at the Rising Light tier... what of a myriad-commander? What of a legion commander? What of a supreme commander? How powerful were the experts of the ancient civilization? The spectacle surpassed everyone's imagination. And that had merely been the burst of power from a centurion's lingering sliver of consciousness—had he truly been confined to the Rising Light level? Why couldn't he have been far stronger? In this moment, the designation of that ancient military unit was etched into everyone's mind: the Battle Heaven Army! An army that, even after countless ages, still raised its blades to battle the heavens. Li Hao stared blankly at the sky, replaying that sword strike in his mind—the strike of the silver warrior, the strikes of the black-armored soldiers... His ancestor's strike had felt indistinct and impossibly distant. Yet in this moment, he felt he could truly understand the swordsmanship of these soldiers. It seemed to embody a distinct momentum! An unswerving, unstoppable resolve! A sword was meant to be wielded like this. Striking at the heavens or severing oneself remained far beyond Li Hao's reach, but the strike before him was something he could aspire to. Even the strikes delivered by the black-armored soldiers felt sharper and purer than his own. Those were blades forged through genuine slaughter! Murderous intent, soaked in blood. Could a swordsman who had never killed truly call himself a swordsman? As Li Hao remained entranced by the revelation, someone broke the silence with an ill-timed remark: "He's... gone, and that sword is gone too... How do we enter the city?" Though shaken, the crowd gradually snapped back to reality. Those figures had vanished. They were relics of antiquity—figures from a forgotten prehistoric civilization that lay beyond recorded history. Moreover, they were not living beings. Now, their immediate concern was that the greatsword, which might have served as the key, had disappeared, destroyed along with the warrior in the void. How would they open the city gate? Furthermore... could those who had cleared the second passage fly straight over the wall? While those who hadn't would be left with no chance at all! A flash of excitement gleamed in Ziyue's eyes. The more formidable that ancient unit was, the more thrilled she became. It meant the city held treasures—treasures of unfathomable power. After all, how could an ancient city capable of sustaining such an army lack extraordinary artifacts? And she could fly! Hong Yitang could also fly, but was Hong Yitang a match for her? Just as the thought crossed her mind, several figures closed in around her. Hu Dingfang, the Wheel-Turning King, and Dingchen! Near Hong Yitang, Hao Lianchuan and Kong Qi quietly moved into position as well. No one had leisure to ponder the silver warrior any longer. They had realized the gate could no longer be opened. Under such circumstances... those capable of flight could not be allowed to enter first. Otherwise, if the city contained defensive mechanisms and those inside triggered them, would the rest be wiped out? No one knew! Hong Yitang protested bitterly, "Come on, my wife and daughter are right here! How could I run off?" Why were they staring at him? Ziyue's expression turned frigid as she surveyed her surroundings. Both the Wheel-Turning King and Hu Dingfang were formidable, neither weaker than herself. As for Dingchen, being able to lead Feitian's forces proved he was no pushover either. The three kept their eyes locked onto her. Clearly, the moment she took flight, she would face their combined, thunderous assault! In the blink of an eye, the balance of power had shifted. The Night Watchers and those unable to clear the second passage surrounded those who had! No one was getting inside! A fair number of those who had traversed the second passage remained alive. Most were from Red Moon, as they had sent the largest contingent inside. Yama had a few survivors as well... but their leader, the Wheel-Turning King, had not entered, so they were less of a concern. The primary threat was Red Moon. The surviving Red Moon members groaned inwardly. Their numbers were few, while the Night Watchers commanded the largest force present—and none of the Night Watchers had taken the second passage. Ziyue took a deep breath and said coldly, "There is no need for this... We took risks to enter the second passage! If you feel it's unfair, you can go through it yourselves!" The Wheel-Turning King replied placidly, "Very well! But you must exit the city with us and traverse the second passage together..." "Bullshit!" Ziyue snapped. "Wheel-Turning King, who do you think you are? By what right?" She had nearly died inside that passage. To walk it a second time would be sheer madness! Rather than agree, she would rather fight her way out, vaulting the wall to enter the inner city directly. The Wheel-Turning King frowned slightly. "If you refuse to go... that's acceptable too! But you cannot enter the city alone!" Ziyue asked frostily, "What do you propose?" The Wheel-Turning King didn't answer immediately, turning instead to Hong Yitang. "How tall is that tower in the inner city?" "Around... a hundred meters? Roughly the same height as the city wall." The crowd fell into contemplation. That meant one had to ascend to have any hope of seizing the treasure. Otherwise, grounded as they were, were they supposed to stand by and watch the flyers claim the prize? "Does the inner city have a flight restriction?" No one could answer that. If it didn't, all was well; if it did... traversing the second passage would be their only choice. Dingchen spoke up: "Why not send someone inside first to open the city gate?" Who would go? Ziyue and the other leaders were out of the question. If someone was to enter, it had to be a weaker member... That way, no one could hoard the treasures. After all, regardless of how many treasures lay inside, taking and keeping them required substantial strength. ... The factions bickered back and forth. Li Hao paid them no mind. Nor did he participate in the encirclement. He stood gazing up at the starry sky. The silver warrior's parting words continued to echo through his mind. His thoughts still lingered on the sight of those soldiers charging toward the heavens, brandishing their blades. Li Hao had been profoundly shaken. In his short life, he had never experienced such a sensation... boundless faith, immense conviction. Even in the face of despair, their belief remained unshakable; they were convinced that victory would be theirs! They firmly believed their King and their Sovereign Emperor would fight their way back rather than abandon them! They believed their foes could be vanquished. Even if their strength was trivial, striking that final blow was their way of declaring that humanity would not be disgraced! "The Blood Saber Art..." he murmured. In this moment, he seemed to understand why the ancient civilization possessed the Blood Saber Art, why it had developed a secret art designed for mutual destruction. Because when those warriors raised their blades toward the sky, they cared nothing for life or death—only whether they could strike down the enemy. "What kind of people, what kind of cause, what kind of purpose... could make you all so resolute?" They hadn't even bothered to slaughter the intruders, disdaining to do so. Even though these invaders had trespassed upon their home, they seemed indifferent. Their initial wrath had stemmed purely from the intrusion; later, when the silver warrior looked upon them again—especially when his gaze fell upon Li Hao and his companions—something had shifted in his eyes. Gratification? Pleasure? Or something else? Li Hao couldn't tell for certain, but he knew the warrior had relinquished his killing intent. With that final strike, though the warrior might not have wiped them all out, slaying several Three Sols experts would have been effortless. Was it because... they too were part of humanity? The concept of race? This was the first time Li Hao had felt such an emotion. It turned out that being part of mankind could elicit praise, pity, and even comfort from another. Yet the world today was entirely populated by humans! Humans killing humans was the prevailing norm. If humans didn't kill humans, whom else would they slay? "The path of energy, the path of martial arts..." Li Hao felt a momentary trance. Conviction! He realized what he lacked compared to the veteran martial masters and the soldiers who struck at the sky. Conviction! They all possessed it, but what of him? For whom did his sword fight? Why did his sword kill? Merely to survive? Thoughts surged through him like rolling waves. He felt as though... he was truly taking his first steps onto the authentic path of martial masters—the martial path! Before this... he had never understood. He truly hadn't! Though this scene had yielded no treasures or tangible benefits, merely witnessing that skyward strike thrilled him more than his breakthrough to Thousand-Battler. Inner city treasures, defensive Origin God Armaments... They were all external crutches! A martial master's strength lay within. The martial path was rooted in invincibility! Of course, in the back of his mind, Li Hao wavered ever so slightly: if those treasures were offered to him... he wouldn't mind taking them all.