49: End of Slaughter

Shen Xiaochuan stood in place, his breathing steady.

He looked down at the numbers on his wrist; the faith points were still ticking up, 3274, 3275... they had not stopped.

Kawashima Xulang lay on the ground, his right hand clawing desperately at the dirt, his left leg twisted at an eerie angle.

He looked up, staring at Shen Xiaochuan with trembling eyes, and suddenly roared, "I will avenge my brothers!"

The voice was loud, as if he were trying to bolster his own courage.

As he shouted, he quietly raised his left hand, dragging it across the ground to leave a trail of blood.

The mark connected to the skeletal remains of a Dragon ten meters away; although its right wing had been severed, the skeleton was still faintly glowing.

Shen Xiaochuan sneered.

He took a step forward, causing the ground to crack open, the fissure shooting straight toward the underside of the Dragon.

He saw through the other's trick—it wasn't revenge; he wanted to escape.

Just as Kawashima Xulang's fingertips touched the Dragon's skull, Shen Xiaochuan swung his blade.

A bolt of lightning shot out from the sky-rending blade, striking precisely at the base of the Dragon's right wing.

The remaining bones shattered instantly, the green fire extinguished, and the entire skeleton collapsed.

System Notification: The target has lost its ability to fly.

Kawashima Xulang screamed as he was flipped over by the shockwave, his back slamming into a broken wall.

He struggled to get up, only to realize his spine was broken and he couldn't move his lower body at all.

"You..." He wheezed, his face full of terror, "Don't kill me... I can tell you all the secrets of the Japanese Gods' domain... I know where Yamamoto Ichiro is hiding..."

Shen Xiaochuan ignored him.

He turned around and cast his gaze toward the high platform.

Zhang Benyifeng was still standing there, his hand gripping the scepter shaking violently.

He had watched with his own eyes as Xiao Yuciro's arms were severed and his regeneration failed, watched Kameda Mingkai explode into fragments, watched Uchiha Tanghua get cut in half at the waist, and now he saw Kawashima Xulang completely crippled.

His lips were pale as he lowered his voice, "Shen Xiaochuan... let's talk."

Shen Xiaochuan walked up the steps, one step at a time.

With every step, a stone slab beneath his feet cracked.

He stopped five meters away from Zhang Benyifeng.

"You said you wanted me to die a worse death than a pig."

Shen Xiaochuan spoke, his voice not loud, yet it made Zhang Benyifeng shudder all over.

"Now, it's your turn."

Zhang Benyifeng abruptly took a step back, slamming his scepter into the ground: "Wait! I can hand over the defense maps! I know the location of every stronghold! I can even let you take control of the entire Japanese Gods System! As long as you spare my life, I am willing to pledge my lifelong loyalty!"

Shen Xiaochuan did not move.

Seeing him motionless, Zhang Benyifeng thought there was hope and immediately upped the ante: "Not just that! I can help you take down the South Korean divine domain! I can be your vanguard! I can... I can insult the Emperor! Publicly declare that all Japanese are cowards! You can record it and broadcast it across the Blue Star Channel! I only beg for a way to live!"

He spoke faster and faster, his voice nearly laced with tears.

Shen Xiaochuan finally spoke: "Are you finished?"

Zhang Benyifeng nodded like a pecking chicken: "I'm finished! Whatever you say, I'll do! As long as I don't die, that's all!"

Shen Xiaochuan shook his head: "It's too late."

As soon as the words fell, Zhang Benyifeng's expression changed drastically.

He knew the negotiation had failed.

He no longer pretended to be calm, let out a roar, and raised his scepter to smash it fiercely against his own chest.

Blood sprayed out, splashing onto the Formation beneath his feet.

The previously dim runes instantly lit up with a blood-red glow.

System Notification: A-grade talent "War Strategist" detected. Activating. Blood sacrifice of one thousand militiamen in progress. Enemy combat power collectively increased to over 62 points.

The ground began to shake.

A large number of warriors rushed out from all parts of the ruins, their eyes bloodshot, their skin flushed with red veins, charging madly while wielding weapons.

They formed a dense phalanx, surging toward Shen Xiaochuan like a tide.

"Kill him for me!" Zhang Benyifeng shrieked, "Even if it costs every last man, we must drag him to his death!"

Shen Xiaochuan stood in place and closed his eyes.

Three seconds later, he opened his eyes, a hot current surging within him.

Crimson gold runes appeared on his skin, his eyes transformed into the shape of phoenix eyes, and a powerful aura swept across the entire field.

Heroic Spirit Possession of Guan Yu activated once more.

The phantom of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade appeared in his hands, the blade wrapped in lightning, stretching a hundred meters long.

He gripped the hilt with both hands and raised it high above his head.

Thunderclouds rolled in the sky, and a thick bolt of lightning struck the blade.

The entire weapon emitted a piercing hum.

"Thunderous Overlord Slash" fused with the power of the Heroic Spirit, completing its charge.

Shen Xiaochuan brought the blade down in a slash.

The lightning poured down like a waterfall, tearing through the sky.

The Saber Qi pierced through the entire phalanx; wherever it passed, the warriors' bodies instantly charred, their bones shattered, and they turned to ash before they could even scream.

A hundred-meter-long scorched valley appeared in the center of the battlefield, three meters deep, with the surrounding rocks melted into a glass-like state.

The thousand-man phalanx was wiped out in three seconds.

System Announcement: The blood sacrifice Formation has been dismantled.

Zhang Benyifeng stood frozen in place, his scepter dropping.

His legs went weak, and he knelt directly on the ground.

"No... impossible... how could you possibly break the War Strategist Formation..." He muttered to himself, tears and snot streaming down his face, "I'll do anything... I'll really do anything... you can even make me act like a dog... I beg you... don't kill me..."

He began to kowtow, his forehead thumping loudly against the stone slab.

"I can say all kinds of bad things about Japan! I can go to the novice zone and give speeches! I can tell the whole world how despicable they are! You can make me do anything! Don't kill me! I don't want to die!"

Shen Xiaochuan walked down into the scorched valley step by step, the sky-rending blade lightly tapping the ground, lightning dancing along the tip of the blade.

He walked up to Zhang Benyifeng, looking down at this once arrogant deity.

The other party had completely broken down, crawling on his knees to hug his leg: "I am willing to betray everything! I can be a traitor! You can lock me up! Just don't kill me! I can still be useful! I can help you fight others! I really can!"

Shen Xiaochuan pulled his leg back and raised his hand.

A flash of the blade.

Green lightning streaked across; Zhang Benyifeng's head flew two meters into the air, the severed neck charred and carbonized.

The corpse stood stiff for two seconds before crashing to the ground.

System Notification: The four major Japanese Gods factions have been completely wiped out.

The battlefield fell silent.

Flames were still burning, and thick smoke rose.

Kameda Mingkai was left with no corpse, Xiao Yuciro had died while fleeing, Uchiha Tanghua's corpse was surrounded by eerie green ghost fire, and Kawashima Xulang lay paralyzed on the ground, his eyes filled with despair.

Shen Xiaochuan stood in the center of the ruins, the sky-rending blade hanging toward the ground, the blade still clean, without a single drop of blood on it.

The faith points continued to tick: 3280, 3281, 3282...

He looked up at the sky.

The wind carried ash across his face.

Footsteps came from the distance; it was the rescued Huaxia Deities retreating.

They stopped when they passed the scorched valley, turned in unison, and bowed deeply to Shen Xiaochuan.

No one spoke.

Shen Xiaochuan did not respond.

He just stood there, his gaze calm.

The data fluctuations on the Blue Star Channel had already begun to rise, and global signal strength soared.

Multiple divine domains, including the United States, NATO, and South Korea, simultaneously popped up red alerts.

In the real world, the lights in the White House war room were fully illuminated.

The President threw his cup and shouted, pointing at the screen: "Contact all allies immediately! Block the spread of information! Do not let that video leak out!"

In an underground chamber in Tokyo, Yamamoto Ichiro stared at the screen, crushing his teacup into powder in his hand.

He stared at the image of Zhang Benyifeng's corpse, gnashing his teeth: "Shen Xiaochuan... just you wait."

In the London Magic Tower, Alicia closed her notebook and said in a low voice: "It's over."

She opened her communicator and entered a line of code.

The next second, Shen Xiaochuan's watch vibrated.

New message notification: [Key resource point coordinates locked].

He looked down at it, not in a rush to reply.

He was still waiting.

Waiting for a signal.

Waiting for the era that belongs to him to officially begin.

Shen Xiaochuan gripped the sky-rending blade tightly, the tip pointing toward the ground.