167: War, Yi

In an ancient and lush, fiery-red forest, the entire mountain looked like a burning flame.

Under an ancient tree with cracked bark, her black hair shone like silk, with curls at the ends.

Long-legged and slender-waisted, she coughed up blood in large mouthfuls, the blood spilling from her beautiful mouth and dripping onto her fair, white thighs.

The blood flowed down her thighs, slowly moving downward, merging with the blood flowing from the deep, bone-visible wounds on her calves, staining her jade-like feet red.

A wild wind blew, the dense forest rustled, and the 'flames' moved along with it, flickering irregularly.

Lu Xiaoxiao leaned against the tree trunk with one hand while clutching her chest with the other, her eyes filled with near-despair.

Eve City's squad was too powerful; with multiple body modifications incorporating Eve City's most advanced technology, Red Rose Squad was simply no match for them.

The five of them had been hunted down time and again, scattering to flee separately.

For no reason, Lu Xiaoxiao thought of Xu Jingzhe, that stunningly handsome man.

Whenever Red Rose Squad encountered danger, he would always descend from the sky like a god of war, saving them from peril.

Disregarding her goddess image, she spat out a mouthful of blood, lifted her head in hope, and looked at the gray, murky sky.

If she could return safely to the Pollution Zone this time, she would definitely use all of her family's power to deal with this bunch of unruly guys from Eve City.

In the burial god grounds, Xu Jingzhe woke up with a start.

The three blood holes in his chest remained, already beginning to scab over, but the pain from every cell to every nerve made him feel like he was being roasted on a volcano at every moment.

Crawling out of the clearing, Xu Jingzhe lay on the ground, and a shadow loomed over him.

He lifted his head slightly, his gaze meeting Tang Ruyi's.

Tang Ruyi was expressionless, saying, "To obtain the Ritual Arts inheritance, you must defeat at least ten 'burial gods' to be qualified."

"Otherwise, you get nothing."

She lifted her foot and walked past Xu Jingzhe, entering the clearing.

Xu Jingzhe leaned against the steps to the side, watching Tang Ruyi swing her Tang sword as she fought a golden phantom holding an axe.

An axe cleaved down, fully several thousand meters long, and the energy fluctuations made Xu Jingzhe, standing outside, feel his scalp tingle.

"Clang!"

Tang Ruyi was struck flying by an axe, slamming into the transparent wall and passing out on the spot.

Xu Jingzhe grimaced, clicking his tongue; even if he risked his life, he couldn't defeat ten burial gods.

Not long after, Tang Ruyi woke up and limped out, leaning on her Tang sword.

She sat next to Xu Jingzhe, not saying a word.

"Which burial god is this one you're facing?" he asked.

"The third, Chenxiang."

Xu Jingzhe silently gave a thumbs up; it seemed that if he wanted to obtain the Ritual Arts, he was nine times out of ten going to die here.

Neither of them spoke, and for a time, the small island seemed even quieter.

Here, the passage of time could not be felt.

The greenish sky was always like this, and looking from afar, it blended with the verdant green of the towering trees.

It became a lonely world.

Xu Jingzhe smiled bitterly, remembering an old saying: since you're already here.

He stood up and entered the clearing.

The 'gods and buddhas' filled the sky, standing there, eternal and unchanging, with grand chanting resounding above the heavens, piercing through from ancient times.

This time, Xu Jingzhe had learned his lesson; he didn't use the energy in his body, and Yi did not step out.

When he circulated the energy within his body, the golden phantom Yi opened its eyes, repeating its previous actions.

Xu Jingzhe immediately calmed the restless blood in his body, but Yi did not go back; its right hand pointed toward the sky, a golden longbow appeared in its hand, and it aimed at Xu Jingzhe.

"Boom!"

The energy within Xu Jingzhe's body erupted without a shred of restraint, circulating crazily, his speed and physical strength reaching his current limit.

Deep in his eyes, golden light overflowed; he wanted to catch the arrow shot by Yi.

"Bang~"

The red arrow shot out, howling like ghosts and wolves, carrying a long red trail, causing the entire space to vibrate.

A mountain-like pressure swept over, wanting to crush Xu Jingzhe into a meat patty.

"Time Stop!"

His expression was cold and stern as he unleashed his ability.

"Pfft!"

The red arrow pierced through Xu Jingzhe's abdomen, dragging him a long way and pinning him to the transparent wall.

Xu Jingzhe was stunned, unable to believe it.

He had clearly... caught the arrow, and at the moment it neared his body, he had used his Time Stop ability.

But.

The blood-colored arrow had not been stopped; it still pierced through him.

In other words... his Time Stop had failed.

This was something Xu Jingzhe couldn't accept, and his heart was shaken violently.

Pinned to the wall, he lowered his head, his face obscured.

For a long time, he suddenly lifted his head.

His eyes were as bright as the stars.

He had been biased; Time Stop was just his ability, not Time Stop in an absolute sense.

Since it was an ability, it wasn't perfect.

Some abilities countered each other, while others complemented each other; if he wanted to go far, improving his strength was the most important thing.

"Gaia!"

Xu Jingzhe shouted, the golden pollution core burning, his feet pushing off with force, and his whole body passed through the arrow, rushing toward Yi.

Stepping with Celestial Maiden's Drunken Steps, his movement technique was eerie and unpredictable.

Yi drew its bow again, the arrow shot out, accurately hitting Xu Jingzhe.

The powerful impact pierced through his body, and he was pinned to the wall again, again, and again, large sprays of blood bursting forth like blooming red plum blossoms.

"Damn it..." Xu Jingzhe's vision went black, and he passed out.

The subsequent scenes were Xu Jingzhe waking up, coming out to rest, and recovering his body.

Then Tang Ruyi would take her Tang sword, go in, and battle Chenxiang.

Tang Ruyi would be struck unconscious, and when she woke up, Xu Jingzhe would go back in to battle Yi, repeating this cycle.

Time and time again, seventy or eighty blood holes appeared on Xu Jingzhe's body.

Yet, strangely, these blood holes avoided his vital points every time; his internal organs had never been pierced through once.

Xu Jingzhe and Tang Ruyi lay on the marble steps, gasping for air, looking up at the sky.

"Wh-why don't you have as many blood holes on your body?" Xu Jingzhe asked, puzzled.

He admitted that Tang Ruyi was stronger than him, but not to such an absurd degree.

Why did he have seventy or eighty holes straight through him, his body almost rotting, while Tang Ruyi only had twenty or thirty?

"I lost a set of alloy combat suit," Tang Ruyi said calmly.

Xu Jingzhe couldn't help but laugh, but laughing tugged at his wounds, making it hurt even more.

But he couldn't stop himself from laughing, feeling schadenfreude.

Damn it.

So, it took the price of an alloy combat suit to pass Yi's challenge.

"Here I go!"

Xu Jingzhe stood up again, full of fighting spirit, like an unkillable cockroach.

Tang Ruyi was stunned as she watched his golden back; after a while, she looked past his back toward Yi, and the two figures perfectly merged together in that moment.

...

The ninety-ninth blood hole appeared on Xu Jingzhe's body, and he knelt on the ground, his blood seemingly on the verge of running dry.

His aura was withered, but his will was firm; his mental power reached its peak at this moment, seemingly piercing through his body and condensing into an ethereal figure above his head.

Looking closely, this figure was not himself, but Yi holding the golden longbow.

Xu Jingzhe forgot himself and the world; the grand sacrificial sounds did not enter his ears, and there was only one thought in his mind.

Defeat!

Yi!