426: Sacrifice is the dominant theme of humanity!

In the original spot, only a brilliant galaxy remained, consisting of exactly 1,600 thumb-sized blood essence stones, dark red throughout and as crystal clear as if carved from the finest blood jade!

Each one was perfectly round and flawless, emitting surging energy fluctuations and a faint aura of the chaotic Law belonging to the abyss.

The density of this energy was such that one stone could equal 1,600 Xu Fus; being big is certainly an advantage!

"lone swan!"

lone swan inhaled, swallowing all the crystals filling the sky.

"Senior... this..." On the Wall of Flesh and Blood, the heavily injured old man and the group of guards were stunned into numbness.

When had they ever seen such an efficient way to process the corpse of a demon god?

Decomposition, refining, pill Formation... all done in one go, with effortless ease.

This Senior Lu is a ruthless man!

Lu Jiuyuan waved his hand to put away the Guhong Sword and drifted back onto the Wall of Flesh and Blood.

Looking at the dilapidated defensive line before him and the weary yet determined faces behind it, the fervor in his heart brought about by his surge in strength gradually cooled, settling into a more complex emotion.

His gaze swept across the crumbling Wall of Flesh and Blood that stretched for a thousand miles, then looked toward the bottomless Howling Abyss, where the Devilish Qi was temporarily dormant but would certainly not give up, and finally landed on the heavily injured old man.

"Brother," Lu Jiuyuan spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable power,

"The Nine-Headed Demon God has been slain; in the short term, the abyss monsters should not dare to invade on a large scale.

I observe that the defensive line here has broken runes and incomplete Formation, so rather than holding on here and depleting yourselves, why not..."

He paused and stated his idea: "Why not let me take action and attempt to completely Seal this rift, isolating the Devilish Qi, allowing you all to be liberated, go to the rear to recuperate, or serve in a place of greater value."

As soon as these words were spoken, the guards on the defensive line were stunned at first, and then incredible light of surprise burst forth in their eyes!

Liberation? Recuperation? To a place of greater value?

For them, these words were almost an extravagance! For 800,000 years, they were born here, grew up here, and fought here, having long since bound their lives to this defensive line and this scorched earth.

They had never thought of leaving; it was either hold the line or die in battle; they had never considered a third option.

"Senior! Can you... can you really Seal this rift?" a slightly younger guard asked excitedly.

"If you can really Seal it, we... we..."

Someone choked up and couldn't speak, only gripping their broken blade tightly until their knuckles turned white.

However, amidst the suppressed excitement and anticipation, the heavily injured old man slowly and firmly shook his head.

He raised his head, his murky gaze passing over Lu Jiuyuan to look at the dark red sky, then toward the barren land behind the defensive line that belonged to the Human Race, and finally fell back upon the faces of the brothers by his side who had lived and died together, covered in scars.

"Senior Lu, we appreciate your kindness. But... it is unnecessary."

"Unnecessary?" Lu Jiuyuan frowned slightly, not understanding his meaning.

"Yes, unnecessary," the old man repeated. He reached out and pointed to the terrifying wound on his chest, and then to the guards around him who were missing limbs and had failing auras:

"Look at us... after ten thousand years of bloody battles, the Devilish Qi has long since penetrated our bone marrow and eroded our Divine Soul.

Our potential was exhausted countless years ago.

Being able to maintain our current Realm without falling is only because we are hanging on by a single breath of determination for this defensive line."

"If we leave here, our cultivation will not advance an inch, our injuries will be difficult to eradicate, and we might even accelerate our demise because our determination dissipates.

For the Human Race today, we... are already useless bodies."

His tone was flat, as if he were stating a fact unrelated to himself.

"Useless bodies?" Lu Jiuyuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yes, useless bodies."

The old man nodded, a trace of sorrow reappearing in his eyes, yet accompanied by a sense of clarity: "Our Human Race is weak, and resources are limited. Every bit of strength must be used on the cutting edge.

What the Sanctuary provides for are those seeds that still have hope for a Breakthrough, can still open up a future for the Human Race, and give birth to stronger Bloodline."

"And us..."

He paused, his voice sinking lower: "The value of us living is to guard here, using these broken bodies to kill as many demons as possible and delay the spread of the demonic disaster.

Using our blood, our lives, to tell the clansmen behind us who are still alive and still have hope that the Human Race has not yet been exterminated!

There are still people bleeding for them, fighting to the death for them!"

"More importantly," the old man's gaze suddenly became sharp: "Every battle we fight here, every sacrifice we make, will be seen, heard, and felt by the children in the rear."

"Perhaps some child, witnessing us dying in battle here, will have their Soul impacted and be able to make a grand vow to slay all demons and revitalize the Human Race, their will becoming as firm as a rock!

Perhaps some youth with potential, hearing the tragic legend of the 'Howling Abyss' defensive line that has not fallen for 800,000 years, will have their blood boil, their Dao Heart established, and be able to achieve extraordinary things in the future!"

"If our sacrifice can inspire the Soul of a junior, strengthen the will of a seed, and allow them to go higher and further in the future, becoming a pillar of support for our Human Race..."

"Then, our 672 broken lives will have died for a worthy cause, dying for something so worthwhile!"

"Close the rift? Let us be liberated?"

The old man smiled miserably, a smile uglier than crying: "No, Senior Lu. If the rift is closed, the Devilish Qi within a radius of ten thousand miles here will gradually dissipate, perhaps gaining peace for a land.

"But for us, we would lose the 'whetstone' to hone the hearts of the juniors, and lose the 'blood monument' to warn the clansmen and gather Battle Intent!

"For the entire struggling Human Race, perhaps... the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

"Our children are not yet at the time to enjoy a peaceful life!"

"This is our fate, and it is our choice."

The old man looked at Lu Jiuyuan, his gaze calm: "Senior's Divine Might is unparalleled, and you are the backbone of our Human Race.

"You should not waste your strength here, uselessly expending your efforts for us 'dead men' who are already destined to die.

"You have a broader world, a more important mission; our Human Race needs a Supreme.

"Since the fall of Emperor Xuanyuan, we have been waiting for the fifth Supreme to appear for too, too long!"

The old man's words caused Lu Jiuyuan's heart and mind to shake violently.