317: Blood debts must be repaid in blood!

"A blood debt must be paid in blood," Lin Yuan said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the corpses of the Blue Star Martial Artists who lay in pools of blood, unable to rise again. "They killed our compatriots, and they must pay the price. Senior Ji, those who can fight, follow me. The rest of you, recuperate here."

"I'll go with you!" Ji Fengyun straightened his back without hesitation. Although his injuries had just healed, the Battle Intent in his eyes burned fiercely.

"I'll go too!" Lu Mingchuan stepped forward.

"Count me in!"

"Me too!"

Soon, nearly a hundred Blue Star Martial Artists who were lightly injured and relatively strong stepped out, their eyes burning with the flames of vengeance.

Lin Yuan nodded, raised his hand, and shot out streaks of flowing light that sank into the bodies of these Martial Artists: "This is a temporary power boost, lasting for three hours. Now, let's go."

Before his words finished, his figure had already transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky. Ji Fengyun and the others felt an unprecedented surge of power within them and immediately followed suit.

The next three hours became a nightmare for all the villains operating on the fringes of this battlefield.

One stronghold after another was uprooted. The villains who had hunted Blue Star humans in the preceding days met an apocalypse they never imagined. Lin Yuan did not personally eliminate everyone, instead leaving most of the enemies for Ji Fengyun and his group to handle—this was revenge, but also tempering.

In every battle, Lin Yuan acted like an invisible guardian, ensuring no Blue Star Martial Artists fell. Whenever someone was in danger, a perfectly timed energy barrier or a rain of healing light would descend promptly.

Under this almost cheating level of protection, the Blue Star Martial Artists unleashed astonishing combat power, fully venting their long-suppressed anger and hatred.

When the last red dot vanished from the map, the afterglow of the setting sun stained the desolate horizon of the Guixu Battlefield red. The Blue Star Martial Artists stood atop the ruins of the final destroyed stronghold, covered in blood but full of vigor.

In this battle, they not only avenged their fallen compatriots but also harvested a large amount of energy crystals and battlefield points, enough to raise the strength of the entire team by a notch!

"It's over..." Ji Fengyun stood on the highest point of the ruins, looking at the dark red sky in the distance, letting out a long breath. The suppression and despair of many days were finally released at this moment.

Lin Yuan's figure appeared silently beside him: "No, Senior Ji, this is only the beginning."

Ji Fengyun turned to look at this young man, whom he once needed to look up to, and now truly did, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Lin Yuan... thank you. If you hadn't appeared in time, we probably would have..."

"No need for thanks." Lin Yuan gently shook his head. "I am also a member of Blue Star. However, Senior Ji, I have a question I want to ask you."

"Ask away." Ji Fengyun gave a wry smile, seemingly having guessed what Lin Yuan was about to ask.

"Why?" Lin Yuan's gaze locked directly onto Ji Fengyun's eyes. "Why did you choose to take the Martial Artists into the heaven-reaching pagoda, but leave billions of ordinary people behind to die?"

This question was like a sharp knife, plunging straight into the most painful scar in Ji Fengyun's heart. The surrounding Blue Star Martial Artists also fell silent, nervously awaiting the answer.

Ji Fengyun's fists involuntarily clenched, his knuckles turning white. He remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly, his voice filled with deep pain and helplessness:

"Because... I had no choice."

He raised his head, tears glistening in his eyes: "When the Burial God Abyss suddenly accelerated its expansion, I rushed back to Blue Star immediately. I tried everything. We Martial Artists, as Blue Star's strongest force, did not retreat!

But facing a disaster of that magnitude, our strength was like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot; millions were injured or killed almost instantly, leaving only hundreds of thousands of Blue Star Martial Artists alive under my desperate protection! Just when despair set in, the heaven-reaching pagoda projection suddenly contacted me..."

"It told me it could open an escape route, but it could only carry lives that possessed a Martial Dao Foundation. I knelt and begged it, asking it to relax the conditions, even if it meant taking just a few more ordinary people... but it coldly refused. Rules are rules, it said."

Ji Fengyun's voice choked: "In that moment, I faced the cruelest choice of my life. Either take the Martial Artist kindling and leave, preserving a shred of hope for Blue Star civilization; or wait for death together... I... I..."

This former strongest expert of Blue Star, who once commanded the winds and clouds, was now sobbing like a child.

Lin Yuan listened quietly, the coldness in his eyes gradually melting. No wonder so few Blue Star Martial Artists were left. He patted Ji Fengyun's shoulder: "I understand. Senior Ji, you don't need to blame yourself. If it were me... perhaps I would have made the same choice."

These were not polite words, but genuine feelings. After truly witnessing the horror of the Burial God Abyss, Lin Yuan understood that feeling of powerlessness better than anyone. Ji Fengyun truly had no better option in his situation.

"But now," Lin Yuan changed the subject, a sharp light flashing in his eyes, "we have a new choice. Senior Ji, my compatriots, are you willing to come home with me?"

"Home?" Ji Fengyun suddenly looked up. "Are you saying... back to Blue Star? But the Burial God Abyss..."

"The threat of the Burial God Abyss has been eliminated," Lin Yuan said calmly. "I found a new home for the Blue Star Survivors in the Star Domain near the six-star Xuanxiao Great World in the Primal Plane—the three-star Small World, Cangwu Realm. Spiritual Qi is abundant there, the environment is stable, and it's enough for hundreds of billions of people to recuperate. Perhaps some of your relatives... are still waiting there."

These words were like a bomb, stirring up massive waves among all the Blue Star Martial Artists. Many instantly burst into tears, and some even fell directly to their knees, weeping loudly. Their relatives, whom they thought they would never see again, might actually still be alive? And they had a new home?

"There are still nearly a billion survivors!" Lin Yuan nodded affirmatively. "Although they experienced some hardship, they are all safe now."

Ji Fengyun took a deep breath, forcibly calming his excitement: "Lin Yuan, of course we want to go back! But... the rules of the Tower of Will... once you enter, you cannot leave unless you complete a specific trial or die in battle..."

"Rules are meant to be broken," Lin Yuan said, a confident arc curving his lips. "I have already found a way to leave. But before that..."

He looked around at everyone, raising his voice slightly: "My compatriots, now I want to know, are you willing to leave with me, or do you wish to stay here?"

Beneath the blood-red firmament of the Tower of Will, the scent of scorched earth mixed with blood. After Lin Yuan presented the two choices, the Blue Star Martial Artists, who had been suppressing their excitement and homesickness, fell into a brief silence.

Many subconsciously looked toward the depths of this cruel battlefield. What burned in their eyes was not fear, but the unwillingness and craving fueled by days of bloody combat and rich spoils.