367: Chapter 368 The Broken Sword and the Last Line of Defense

The broken sword was stuck at an angle in the charred earth. Only half of the blade remained, and its edge was riddled with notches, yet it still stood tall, like the silhouette of a man who refused to fall.

By the time Wen Youyi arrived, the battle was already over.

At least two hundred corpses of Heavenly Soldiers lay scattered around. Some had been decapitated by a single sword stroke, some were pierced through the chest, and some had even been cut in half at the waist. Within a thirty-meter radius of where the Sword Maniac had made his final stand, not a single enemy remained alive.

"Senior..." Wen Youyi knelt down, looking at the broken sword.

The broken sword was silent.

He reached out to pull it up, but the moment his fingers touched the hilt, the entire sword suddenly shattered, turning into countless iron filings that scattered across the scorched earth.

Wen Youyi's hand froze in mid-air.

"Senior Sword Maniac's Sword Intent," Silver Thorn's voice came through the communicator, "supported him for seven breaths after his death. During those seven breaths, he slew the final seventeen enemies surrounding him. Then... the Sword Intent dissipated, and the sword shattered."

Seven breaths.

Seventeen enemies.

Wen Youyi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, his gaze had returned to calmness—or rather, that specific kind of numbness found in the midst of a great war.

"Mark this spot," he said. "When the war is over, we will erect a monument for Senior."

"What should be written on the monument?" Aila asked.

Wen Youyi thought for a moment and said, "Sword Maniac: Slew countless enemies; his final sword stroke was for himself."

He turned and strode back toward the safe house.

Behind him, on that patch of scorched earth, only the wind blew.

Inside the safe house, Yun Zhi was bandaging Little Girl. The Bright Fur Ball was slumped on Little Girl's lap, having turned completely into a limp mass of silver fur, only occasionally wriggling to prove it was still alive.

"What's the situation?" Wen Youyi asked as soon as he entered.

"The front line of defense is about to collapse," Aila's voice came through the communicator. "The Law Field energy in the East District is down to 12%, the North District is at 9%, and the West... the West District was just breached. The enemy has entered the second line of defense!"

"Who is guarding the second line of defense?"

"Zhao Iron Pillar is there with three thousand men."

Wen Youyi's heart tightened.

Three thousand men against how many? On the main battlefield, there were at least twenty thousand Heavenly Soldiers left.

"Iron Pillar, answer me if you can hear this!"

A burst of static came from the communicator, followed by Zhao Iron Pillar's gruff voice: "Boss! I'm here! I'm busy! If you've got something to say, say it fast!"

"How long can you hold?"

"I'll hold as long as I can! Either way, I'm not retreating!"

The communication cut off.

Wen Youyi clenched his fists.

The second line of defense was being held by Zhao Iron Pillar with three thousand ordinary people. Among them were Cultivators, Mortals, members of the Yao Race, farmers who had just learned how to throw Rumble-7 Model models, and young hunters on the battlefield for the first time.

What they faced were twenty thousand elites of the Heavenly Court.

"Can the Law Field be readjusted?" he asked Senior Brother Zhang.

"It can, but it takes time! And someone needs to manually restart the three nodes simultaneously! Right now, the outside is crawling with enemies; it's impossible to get through!"

Wen Youyi was silent for three seconds.

Then he said, "I'll go."

"What?!"

"The East District node is closest to here. If I circle around the back mountain, I should be able to sneak in. As for the North and West Districts..."

"I'll go to the North District." Yun Zhi stood up.

"You're injured like this..."

"I won't die," Yun Zhi interrupted him. "Take Little Girl with you. For the West District, let..."

"I'll go to the West District." A voice came from the doorway.

Everyone was stunned.

Standing at the door was Lin Jiang.

She was covered in blood, and her left arm hung limply at her side, clearly broken. But she stood very straight, her gaze terrifyingly calm.

"Lin Jiang? How did you..."

"I was on perimeter guard. When the Heavenly Sting Unit charged in, I was separated from the group," Lin Jiang walked in, glancing at Little Girl. "It's good that this child is alright."

"Your arm..."

"It's broken, but it doesn't affect my walking," Lin Jiang looked at Wen Youyi. "I'll go to the West District node. All three Law Fields must be restarted simultaneously to be effective. The two of you aren't enough."

Wen Youyi stared at her for three seconds, then nodded.

"Fine. Yun Zhi goes to the North District, Lin Jiang to the West District, and I'll take the East District. Little Girl..."

"I'll take her." Aila's voice came through the communicator. "The Hidden Dragon can still fly. I'll take her up to provide aerial cover for you."

"The Hidden Dragon has already been smashed to pieces!"

"It can fly even if it's smashed," Aila's tone brooked no argument. "I've piloted worse ships back in the Sky Patrol. It's settled."

Wen Youyi didn't waste any more words.

He knelt down and looked at Little Girl.

"Little Girl, it's going to be very dangerous next. Are you afraid?"

Little Girl shook her head: "I'm not afraid."

"Why?"

"Because you are all here."

Wen Youyi was stunned for a moment, then he smiled.

He reached out and patted Little Girl's head.

"Right, we are all here."

"When the war is over, I'll treat you to ten rainbow potatoes."

Little Girl's eyes lit up: "Is that a promise?"

"It's a promise."

On the way to the East District node, enemies were everywhere.

Wen Youyi moved rapidly close to the ground, using every tree and rock for cover. The master key was already useless; his only weapon now was an energy dagger he had scavenged from a fallen Heavenly Soldier.

Another squad of Heavenly Soldiers appeared ahead. A five-man team, they were currently searching the area.

Wen Youyi crouched behind a rock, holding his breath.

The sound of footsteps drew closer. He could hear their conversation:

"...This godforsaken place, even the trees hit people."

"Supposedly there's a kid who can communicate with the forest. If we catch them, it's over."

"Where is that kid?"

"Don't know, probably in the rear."

"Search faster. Once we're done, go to the front to provide support."

The footsteps passed by the rock. Wen Youyi gripped the dagger, remaining motionless.

Only after the footsteps faded into the distance did he slowly peek out.

The squad of Heavenly Soldiers had gone far.

He continued forward.

The North District node.

Yun Zhi had already killed seven Heavenly Soldiers along the way.

The wound on her left shoulder had reopened, and blood stained half her body red. But she didn't stop, nor could she.

Ahead, the node control room came into view. But standing at the entrance were two Heavenly Soldiers.

Yun Zhi took a deep breath and gripped her longsword.

Two Heavenly Soldiers—she could kill them.

She was about to rush out when she suddenly felt her legs go weak—she had lost too much blood, and her body was failing her.

She leaned against a tree, panting heavily.

Right then, she felt something supporting her waist.

Looking down, she saw it was a tree root.

Silver-blue roots emerged from the soil, gently propping her up and helping her steady her body.

"You guys..." Yun Zhi was stunned.

The roots swayed gently, as if saying: "Don't be afraid, we will help you."

Then, more roots emerged from the ground, silently creeping toward the two Heavenly Soldiers.

Before the Heavenly Soldiers could react, their ankles were ensnared by the roots. They looked down, but before they could see what it was, more roots had already coiled around their necks—

Crack.

Two crisp sounds.

The two Heavenly Soldiers slumped to the ground.

Yun Zhi stared at the roots, dazed for several seconds.

Then she whispered, "Thank you."

The roots swayed and retracted into the earth.

Yun Zhi took a deep breath and strode into the control room.

The West District node.

Lin Jiang stood at the entrance of the control room, looking at the massive Energy Core inside.

She hadn't encountered a single enemy along the way.

It wasn't luck; it was because her route happened to avoid the search range of all the Heavenly Soldiers.

The things she had learned three hundred years ago in the Heavenly Court were finally being put to use.

She entered the control room and began operating the complex rune interfaces.

It had been three hundred years, but she still recognized these runes. The things her mentor had taught her were never forgotten.

"Jiang, remember, the core of a control System isn't energy; it's 'Balance'."

"Balance?"

"Yes. Every System has a weakness, but the weakness isn't where the energy is strongest; it's where it is most 'balanced'. Break the balance, and the System collapses."

Lin Jiang's hands danced across the rune interface.

The energy of the West District node was slowly recovering.

The East District node.

Wen Youyi finally reached the entrance of the control room.

The door was open, and a single Heavenly Soldier stood inside.

Just one.

Wen Youyi gripped his dagger and crept inside.

The Heavenly Soldier had his back to him, staring at the runes on the console, seemingly studying how to destroy it. Wen Youyi approached silently and raised his dagger—

The Heavenly Soldier suddenly turned around.

Their eyes met.

When Wen Youyi saw that face, he was stunned.

It was a young face, just like the countless Cultivators he had seen in the Ranch World, bearing that peculiar vacant look of someone marked by the "destiny system."

The young Heavenly Soldier was also stunned. He looked at Wen Youyi, then at the dagger in his hand, his lips quivering.

Then he spoke:

"Are you... Wen Youyi?"

Wen Youyi did not answer.

The young Heavenly Soldier's expression suddenly became very strange. It wasn't fear or anger, but a kind of... confusion.

"My name is... Lin Mo," he whispered. "Tianyuan Realm... Qingyun Sect... Outer Sect Disciple..."

Wen Youyi's pupils constricted sharply.

Qingyun Sect. Outer Sect Disciple.

"You..."

"Thirty years ago, I was marked by the destiny system and 'guided' to the Heavenly Court," Lin Mo's voice was very low, as if talking to himself. "They said I had good talent and could become a Heavenly Soldier... so I became a Heavenly Soldier..."

He paused and looked at his own hands.

"I've killed many people... so many... but I always remember... that bamboo forest behind the Qingyun Sect... in the spring... there would be many birds..."

Wen Youyi fell silent.

He didn't know what to say.

This young man had once been his fellow disciple. Now, they were enemies.

Lin Mo looked up at him.

"Can you... kill me?"

Wen Youyi was taken aback.

"I don't want to kill anymore," Lin Mo said, "but I can't control myself. That System... it will make me forget all this and keep killing. In a moment, I'll forget again. While I still remember..."

He pointed to the center of his chest:

"Here is the core. Stab it, and I'll be free."

Wen Youyi gripped the dagger, motionless.

"Hurry," Lin Mo urged, "I'm going to forget."

Wen Youyi took a deep breath and raised the dagger.

Lin Mo closed his eyes.

The dagger pierced in.

There was no blood.

Only a faint glow surged from Lin Mo's chest, enveloping his body. His expression became peaceful, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he had finally reached what he was waiting for.

"Thank you..." he whispered.

Then, his body began to disintegrate, turning into countless points of light that drifted into the air.

Wen Youyi stood where he was, holding the dagger, not moving for a long time.

Until Yun Zhi's voice came through the communicator:

"North District node restarted."

Then followed Lin Jiang's voice:

"West District node restarted."

Wen Youyi took a deep breath, walked to the console, and activated the East District node.

All three Law Fields lit up simultaneously.

Light once again enveloped the entire New Homeland.

The Heavenly Soldiers on the battlefield were stunned. Just as they were about to breach the second line of defense, that damned energy shield had returned.

Covered in blood, Zhao Iron Pillar stood before the trench and grinned.

"Come on! You bastards! Bring it on again!"

Behind him, three thousand remnants roared in unison.

In the distance, inside the safe house, Little Girl hugged the Bright Fur Ball and stared at the light outside the window, whispering:

"Uncle Wen and the others succeeded."

Aila stood behind her, looking at the sky that had lit up once more, and said nothing.

Her eyes were a bit red.

(End of Chapter)