68: Death has arrived!

Nether Sword's figure instantly transformed into dozens of afterimages, his long sword unsheathed, weaving a tightly knit, impenetrable net.

"Swish swish swish!" The sound of swords clashing.

Nether Sword seemed to have an obsessive-compulsive disorder, precisely slicing all one hundred crossbow bolts into two!

However, what shocked him even more was yet to come—the severed crossbow bolts suddenly exploded collectively, sending thousands of iron fragments hurtling out at a terrifying, supersonic speed!

"Clink clink clink!" A dense barrage of impacts sounded like a rainstorm.

For fifty years, Nether Sword had only Cultivated one move, his defense was weak, but even at its weakest, these iron fragments could not harm him.

He fully activated his Divine Sense, precisely locking onto every incoming iron fragment, then shattering them one by one with spiritual power.

When the last piece of iron shrapnel fell, fine beads of sweat had already seeped from Nether Sword's forehead.

He never expected that these Mortals, with no cultivation whatsoever, could achieve such terrifying attack speed.

Although the power was not enough to truly injure him, it had made him take them seriously.

Chen Xu roared: "Guard Squad! Attack!"

This Guard Squad, comprised of a thousand slaves, expertly formed three horizontal ranks, their brass breech-loading rifles automatically reloading.

"Bang bang bang bang!" Deafening gunshots merged into a continuous roar, thousands of bullets streaked through the sky, leaving twisted trails in the air.

Nether Sword's pupils constricted; he had never seen such a bizarre attack method—those tiny metal projectiles could actually break the sound barrier, emitting sharp whistling sounds.

His long sword danced in front of him, forming a silver blur, the "clang clang clang clang" of impacts incessant, each sword stroke precisely splitting the incoming bullets.

Just as Nether Sword was struggling to cope, all the thermobaric steam cannons on the city wall were ready.

Boom boom boom!

Hundreds of specially made thermobaric bombs shrieked through the air, trailing white vapor.

Nether Sword instinctively wanted to cut down these strange cannonballs, but the previous explosion of the crossbow bolts, and the iron fragments released, had nearly injured him.

He was very cautious, sweeping his sword to create a Sword Qi barrier.

Hundreds of thermobaric bombs struck the Sword Qi barrier, triggering explosions. The defenders on the city wall let out agonizing screams as the high-temperature air blast instantly scorched their skin black.

"That was close..." Cold sweat seeped from Nether Sword's forehead. Fortunately, he had sensed the deadly threat contained within these strange weapons.

To be threatened by a group of Mortals was a great humiliation!

All of you, break!

With a loud shout, a thirty-meter-long Sword Qi slashed down vertically, neatly slicing through the sturdy city wall as if it were tofu.

Hundreds of warriors, who were preparing to load cannonballs, were cut in half by the Sword Qi before they could react.

Blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the city wall a crimson red.

Two years, two years of hard work, yet it was so easily defeated. He had overestimated modern weapons and underestimated Cultivators.

Chen Xu donned the Orc Ancestral Bloodthirsty Armor and turned to everyone, saying, "Activate the evacuation plan! Everyone, proceed to Dwarf Furnace City via the underground railway!"

To facilitate the transport of supplies, an underground railway was built between Dragon-Han City and the Dwarf Furnace City, with steam trains running on it.

Zhang Ye stepped forward: "What, you want to be a hero? With me here, there's no room for you to be a hero. You leave, I'll stay!"

Chen Xu forced a smile: "What are you thinking? Do you think this is a TV show? I'm not foolish enough to cover the rear. Everyone leave!"

Of course, someone had to cover the rear.

Chen Xu looked at the remaining Guard Squad and slaves, a flicker of reluctance in his eyes; after all, they had been together for two years!

It was all his strategic error. If he hadn't rushed to develop electricity and had used all resources to develop weapons, perhaps the outcome today would not be this.

"Brothers, I've always considered you family!" Chen Xu's voice choked. "I'm sorry for what I've done to you, but now, I need you to help me one last time, to hold back the invaders. For those who stay, I swear in the name of the City Lord—not only will your freedom be restored, but each of you will also receive a hundred gold coins as a settlement fee!"

Guard Squad Elder John was the first to step forward: "City Lord, these two years, you have allowed us to live like true humans for the first time!" He turned to the slaves behind him and shouted, "For our children to continue living freely on this land! We will fight the invaders to the death!"

The slaves gripped their weapons, their eyes gleaming with a willingness to die.

They knew this might be their last battle for the city that had given them dignity.

Hundreds of brass rifles simultaneously spat out angry tongues of fire, the muzzle flashes forming a brilliant net of fire in the twilight. The piercing screams of bullets tearing through the air rose and fell, a metal barrage pouring down like a storm, sparking countless fires around Nether Sword. The Guard Squad members' fingers clutched the triggers tightly, refusing to let go even as the gun barrels turned red and deformed. They knew every bullet could buy the women and children in the underground passage one more second of escape time.

Noisy!

Nether Sword's sword light was like the Grim Reaper's scythe, each flash taking away dozens of lives.

As Elder John's head flew high, a relieved smile still lingered on his lips. Blood soaked every brick of the city wall, gleaming a tragic golden-red in the setting sun.

The slaves spontaneously linked arms, their calloused hands clasped tightly. Among them were white-haired Elders and newly adult youths, and in each person's eyes burned a fierce determination to face death.

Slaves in the front row were torn apart by Sword Qi, and those in the back immediately filled the gaps, using their broken bodies to continue blocking.

Blood seeped from between their clasped fingers, forming shocking crimson streaks on the bluestone slabs.

In the nursery, young mother Martha held her baby tightly, softly humming a Dragon-Han City lullaby.

When Nether Sword's Sword Qi broke through the door, she used her body to shield the child in her arms from the fatal blow. Three one-year-old toddlers huddled together, crying. They still didn't understand why the adults were all still, or why there was red "water" everywhere.

Nether Sword stood on the street strewn with corpses, the pool of blood at his feet reflecting the setting sun like blood.

This city, once full of hope, now only echoed with death.

Nether Sword was not in a hurry to pursue Chen Xu and the others.

His mission was to kill everyone!

Only when his Divine Sense could no longer detect any life did Nether Sword lock onto the dozen or so people escaping underground.

The steam locomotive let out a muffled roar, the clanking of wheels on the tracks, the last heartbeat of Dragon-Han civilization.

Inside the carriage, there was a deathly silence; all the Transmigrators could not face such an outcome.

Trying to run!! All of you, die!

Nether Sword pursued them, locking onto the fast-moving underground locomotive, and slashed down with his sword.

A blinding sword light, like divine punishment, violently split open the hundred-meter-thick rock ceiling! Crushed rocks fell like meteorites, and the entire carriage was sent flying by the furious Sword Qi, tumbling out into the light at the end of the tunnel!

Chen Xu, Zhang Ye, Cheng Xue, and sixteen other Transmigrators were all thrown out, landing heavily on the ground.

The only thing to be thankful for was that they were still alive, and before them stood the massive, towering Furnace City.

Chen Xu shouted: "Open the gates!"

On the city wall, Dwarf General Grom advised: "King, we cannot open the gates, otherwise our Furnace City will also be destroyed."

Dwarf King Gelong's beard and hair bristled, the muscles on his bronze face twitched, as he stared intently at the golden sword light tearing through the rock layer and diving down from the sky, letting out a roar that shook the underground cavern: "We Dwarves cannot be ungrateful; they brought us new technology! Open the gates! Let them in! All Furnace City Gun gate — raise! Target locked! Full firepower!"