276: Chapter 276 Though not of our kind, I am willing to live and die with you.

As a surge of hot blood rushed through him, Xu Ruyu no longer held back, pushing his Haotian True Qi to the limit. His sword light moved like a Dragon, and coordinating with the prototype of the Five Elements Evolution Chapter, he occasionally emitted a trace of Acetylene True Fire from his fingertips to burn through the Yao Race's carapaces, or simulated nitrogen explosions to trigger small-scale shockwaves amidst the dense Yao ranks.

He was like a tireless killing machine, charging left and right through the Yao Race, leaving a trail of severed limbs and broken bodies wherever he passed.

But his strength, in the face of this boundless Yao army, was ultimately a drop in the bucket.

The comrades around him fell one by one.

Liefeng was torn apart by three wolf-demons; before dying, he threw his twin blades, pinning the skull of a Yao to the ground.

A young girl skilled in illusions exhausted her Soul Power and was smashed into a bloody mist by the raw strength of the Yao Race.

The old Clan Chief finally burned his Divine Soul to perform a forbidden technique, transforming into a brilliant orb of moonlight that self-detonated. He took down dozens of surrounding Yao with him but also exhausted his last spark of life, passing away with a smile while leaning on his broken staff.

In the end, on the entire earthen slope, Xu Ruyu was the only one of the Taihu Clan left standing.

He was covered in blood, unable to distinguish between his enemies' and his own.

His leather armor was shattered, his body bore over a dozen wounds deep enough to see bone, his left arm hung limply, and the sword in his right hand had snapped in half.

The Void Source Energy within his body was nearly depleted, and his Meridians throbbed with waves of searing pain.

His vision began to blur, and the battle cries in his ears seemed to grow distant.

Surrounding him were mountains of corpses and even more Yao Race slowly closing in, their eyes flashing with cruelty and greed.

They seemed intimidated by this human's final tenacity, temporarily halting their attack to form an encirclement that slowly tightened.

Just then, at Xu Ruyu's feet, a young Taihu Clan warrior who hadn't quite breathed his last—his abdomen sliced open and intestines spilling out—used the last of his strength to grab Xu Ruyu's ankle.

The warrior was very young, appearing no more than sixteen or seventeen, his face still holding a hint of childishness, though now twisted in pain. He looked at Xu Ruyu, and in his eyes, there was no fear of death, only a trace of relief and... a plea.

"Leave... leave quickly..." the young warrior's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, yet exceptionally clear. "You... are not of our tribe... you... shouldn't die here..."

"Take the chance... before they close the circle... run... run toward the back mountain... there... there might still be a chance..."

Before he could finish, the young warrior's hand slipped away powerlessly, his eyes rapidly dimming, finally freezing with a trace of lingering attachment to life and a warning to his companion.

Leave?

Xu Ruyu looked at the boy's rapidly cooling corpse at his feet, then looked around.

The old Clan Chief, Liefeng, the one-eyed veteran, the female warrior, the illusionist girl... faces that were old, rugged, delicate, or youthful were frozen into indelible images amidst the blood and smoke.

They had called him brother and marched to their deaths alongside him.

They had used their lives to buy a negligible amount of time for the women and children behind them.

Now, the last comrade-in-arms, before dying, told him, this 'outsider,' to escape.

An indescribable bitterness, grief, and a sentiment that transcended life and death erupted in Xu Ruyu's chest like a volcano!

He was not a person of this era; he wasn't even truly part of the Taihu Clan. This was just a test, an illusion.

However, these people's blood was warm, their feelings were real, and their sacrifices were tangible!

How could he escape alone? How could he fail those cries of 'brother'? How could he fail this final youth's 'chance of survival' bought with life, only to use it for an outsider like him to run away?

If he left like this, even if he passed the so-called 'Heart-Nature' test, would he, Xu Ruyu, still be human?! Would he be worthy of the Dao he Cultivated?!

"Heh..." Xu Ruyu laughed softly, a laugh filled with desolation and resolve.

He slowly stood up straight; though he was swaying, his spine was as straight as a rod.

He threw away the broken sword in his hand and, using his still-functional right hand, pulled a heavy war blade—blood-stained but relatively intact—from a nearby Yao corpse.

He looked up at the surrounding Yao army, which was pressing closer in dense, endless numbers.

Those hideous faces, bloodthirsty eyes, and low growls converged into a torrent of death.

"I am not a member of the White Fox Tribe," Xu Ruyu spoke, his voice raspy yet calm, carrying across the silent battlefield. "But today, I fight with them, and I bleed with them."

"They call me brother, so I am their brother."

"My brothers' vengeance has not yet been fully exacted."

"My brothers' clan has not yet retreated far enough."

He gripped the war blade with both hands, and the last trace of Void Source Energy in his body was frantically squeezed out. He even began to burn that special Origin that had been created after his Transmigration and its fusion with the True Explanation of Taixu Source Energy.

Traces of pale golden flames faintly seeped from the wounds on his body and from his seven orifices!

This was the sign of life and Soul burning!

"Therefore," Xu Ruyu took a deep breath of the blood-scented air, his eyes erupting with an unprecedented, brilliant light—a light that was pure, scorching, unstoppable, and without any Impurities!

"I, Xu Ruyu, today—"

"Am willing to shed the last drop of my blood for the Taihu Clan!"

"Am willing to fight to my last breath for my brothers!"

"Yao Race scum—"

"COME AND FIGHT!!!"

The last three words exploded like a clap of thunder, carrying his resolute will of burning life and Soul. It transformed into an invisible shockwave that actually made the front row of the Yao Race subconsciously step back half a pace!

In the next moment, Xu Ruyu moved!

No shrinking back, no detours, no techniques!

Like a moth to a flame, like a meteor crashing into a mountain, he raised the war blade high with both hands and launched his final and most resolute charge of his life toward the densest and most powerful part of the Yao army!