Chapter 154: The Resolve of Four

Mo Fei beamed as he watched the scene unfold, then burst out laughing. “Ants trying to shake a tree—how reckless! I’ll send you on your way!”

With that, Mo Fei moved in a blur to get behind Li Ran and Li Zai’an.

“Haha, this is the end!” He raised his claws, ready to crush those below.

Xie Jinxuan struggled to rise, panic flaring in his eyes at the sight. He shouted, “No! Heaven and Earth Shield, now!”

In the instant Mo Fei’s claws came slashing down—

A streak of blue light shot toward Li Ran and Li Zai’an, transforming into a barrier.

Bang—

Mo Fei’s claws slammed onto the shield, leaving two deep gouges in its surface and kicking up clouds of dust. Two seconds later, the smoke cleared.

The Heaven and Earth Shield now bore two cracks, courtesy of Mo Fei’s claws. Satisfaction flashed across Mo Fei’s face.

“So what if you hide behind that? It just means you’ll die a little later. Worthless!”

“And as for this shield? Watch me break it!”

Mo Fei grinned, flaring his aura. With all his strength, he hammered both hands down on the shield.

Boom—

With a deafening crash, the shield disintegrated under his onslaught. Mo Fei’s grin froze. He stared at himself in disbelief.

“What?! My cultivation dropped to the peak of Demon Sovereign Realm?! Damn you cunning humans, I’ll kill you all!” Mo Fei roared.

Xie Jinxuan bellowed, “His strength has been forcibly lowered by a full realm! Everyone, now’s our chance—let’s kill him together!”

“Right!”

Excitement shot across everyone’s faces. They clenched their jaws against the pain and forced themselves to their feet.

The roles of hunter and prey flipped in an instant.

Nangong Wentian broke into a boisterous grin. “Getting cocky earlier, huh? Well, brat, it’s my turn now!”

“Blazing True Fist!”

He formed his hands into fists, flames erupting to engulf them. With a sudden explosion of movement, he charged straight for Mo Fei’s forehead.

The others took the cue, unleashing their trump cards. Their figures flashed like lightning as they rushed at Mo Fei.

“No!” Mo Fei’s eyes widened at the onslaught. He crossed his arms over his chest, relying on his scaled forearms to tank the blows.

Bang—

Nangong Wentian’s punch sent Mo Fei flying. He barely managed to get up before the others swarmed in, raining attacks with merciless fury.

“You… you people have no honor! Shameless humans! Not only did you cripple me, now you’re ganging up too? Unbelievable!” Mo Fei gasped between howls of outrage.

………………

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Molly had also fallen to Li Xun.

“You truly are strong, human.” Molly clutched her weapon in one hand, the other pressed to her chest, staring at Li Xun in shock.

Li Xun offered a mild smile. “Just a bit of luck. Frankly, your own power is nothing to scoff at either, miss.”

Molly suddenly twisted around, panic etched on her face. The scene before her left her stunned and, ignoring her wounds, she leapt toward Mo Fei.

“Mo Fei, are you alright?” Molly bent to help him up.

Mo Fei managed a bitter smile. “Not really. I used the Life-Burning Technique, and only had thirty minutes left to live anyway. Now that I’m this badly hurt, I probably have less than half a minute before I fade from this world for good.”

“But it’s so unfair! I never got to witness our king unifying the world with my own eyes!” His face twisted in rage as he roared.

He met the gaze of the surrounding warriors, eyes brimming with resolve.

Then he turned to Molly. “Commander, devour me. I have no time left—you have to carry our will forward!”

“I know the Demon Race can only use Demonization after reaching Demon Saint Realm, and that using this secret art before Demon Lord Realm means certain death!”

“But if someone at the peak of the Demon Saint Realm—me—is merged with you, a Demon Lord, you can wipe these damn humans out!”

“But if I do that… I’ll never be reincarnated! I can’t…” Molly hesitated, torn by the cost.

Mo Fei shouted hysterically, “Commander, there’s no time to hesitate! You’re our last hope—don’t let our king down!”

“If that’s the case, then I’ll carry your will on,” Molly sighed.

Before everyone’s eyes, a bloody maw split open at her navel, swallowing Mo Fei whole.

Dark energy surged through the world, swirling tightly around Molly to form a giant cocoon.

“This isn’t good!” Li Xun’s heart plummeted as he slashed out several times with his sword.

Clang—

Sword aura tore into the cocoon, but after a moment’s suspense, everyone stared in shock. The enormous cocoon was completely unscathed.

………………

Elsewhere, Murong Qingxue watched the scene with a small smile on her lips.

Lin Mo strode over with a devilish smirk. “Well, Murong, what’s got you grinning? Care to share the joy?”

Murong Qingxue broke into laughter. “Haha! Lin Mo, your army is wiped out. Doesn’t that bother you at all? Or do you just not care about your kin’s deaths, Demon God?”

Lin Mo scoffed. “So what if they’re gone? As long as I’m here, so is the Demon Race! This little farce ends right now—on my terms!”

Before Murong Qingxue could react, Lin Mo whooshed her away, landing them next to Molly.

The stunned group suddenly saw two figures flash over, and as they realized who they were, their jaws dropped.

“What?! Senior, you were caught?!” Nangong Wentian’s mouth hung open.

Li Xun’s face drained of color. “Even Senior lost?!”

At the same time, in Nangong Lin’s courtyard, four women sensed the overwhelming force surging from the battlefield.

Worried sick for their friends on the front line, they paced like ants on a hot pan.

“No! I’ve got to go see what’s happening!” Gu Qingxiao bit her lip, then shot into the sky.

“Qingxiao, wait for us!”

The other three rushed after her, ignoring Li Xun’s earlier warning, and leapt into the air, following right on her heels.

………………

Murong Qingxue, surrounded by so many questions, could only shrug.

“What can I say? I lost the fight, that’s all.” She sighed.

Li Xun set his jaw. “Don’t worry, Senior. I’ll get you out!”

With that, he leapt at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo scoffed. “Ignorant fool! A firefly daring to challenge the sun and moon?”

Unhurried, Lin Mo sent a palm strike at the charging Li Xun.

Boom—

The strike slammed Li Xun into the ground. The others hastily rushed over to help.

Li Ran and An Peisheng brandished their weapons, stepping defensively in front of Li Xun.

Lu Tingxue and Qiao Ling’er supported Li Xun and anxiously fussed around him.

“Sect Master, are you alright?”

“Brother Li Xun, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Not dead yet,” Li Xun forced a weak wave.

Cough—

He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, leaving Lu Tingxue and Qiao Ling’er helpless.

Qiao Ling’er looked ready to cry. “Tingxue, what do we do?”

“Stay calm, Ling’er. First, let’s treat Brother Li Xun’s wounds,” Lu Tingxue bit her lip.

“Okay!” Qiao Ling’er immediately started tending to Li Xun.

Lin Mo watched with utter disdain, then strode forward to face everyone.

“Humans, I’ll give you one chance—submit, or die. I’ve got little patience, so choose!”

“Don’t look down on us, Demon God!” An Peisheng’s arms bulged as he gripped his twin axes tight.

“Oh? You seem displeased.” Lin Mo glanced at An Peisheng before raising his palm and striking.

Bang—

Caught off guard, An Peisheng was flattened into the ground, leaving a massive crater.

The others gaped in horror, staring at the lifeless An Peisheng. Lu Jingquan hurried to pull him from the pit.

Crack—

Molly’s cocoon split open.

A nine-foot-tall demoness emerged, shapely and sheathed in thick feathers, with pitch-black eyes and black energy roiling around her.

“No! That’s peak Demon Lord Realm—another demigod! Humanity is doomed!” Murong Qingxue exclaimed from the sidelines.

“Hahaha! Perfect, Molly—you finally made it.” Lin Mo shot her an approving look.

Molly bowed deeply with one hand. “My king, thank you for waiting! Please, allow me to slaughter these humans and avenge our kin!”

“Go!” Lin Mo nodded.

“By your command!”

Molly blurred into a black streak, charging straight at the group.

Everyone knew they couldn’t hope to rival Molly now. As tension mounted, Lu Tingxue and Qiao Ling’er stared in terror.

Yet suddenly, An Muran, Mo Lin, Luo Sen, and Li Ran stepped forward. Each understood what must be done—someone had to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The four exchanged glances, then burst into bold laughter.

“A hundred battles show true courage, a thousand years pass as we lay down our lives. We’ll brave any blade or fire, even if we burn in the wildest storms.”

“Haha! Let’s walk the Yellow Springs together, brothers. Death is a small price for honor!”

“Sect Master, forgive us for acting on our own this time. We won’t be there for the days ahead!”

“Take care, everyone—we’ll go on ahead!”

“No… don’t!” Lu Tingxue reached out, momentarily forgetting her work.

“May snow cover my path as I offer my body to the world! Burn the soul!” Li Ran stroked the Snow-White Sword, his body blazing with fire.

“Let dust drift forever, and my body become hope for this world! Forbidden technique—With My Body, Calm the Sword!” Mo Lin’s form merged completely into his blade.

“May I dwell in this world for just a moment longer! I’ll sacrifice myself to the Gate of Greed—devour all that stands before us!”

The weapon in Luo Sen’s hand exploded, forming a massive gate that swallowed him whole.

“Just a speck of mortal dust, our fleeting time on earth vanishes in the end! Return everything to nothing—Forbidden Art: Gate of Oblivion, open!”

An Muran used his physical shell as the gateway, his spirit as the path, and his innate power as chains.

“There will always be mortals who dare face the might of thunder. If you wish to die, I’ll grant your wish!” Molly roared.

She accelerated suddenly.

Then, two massive gates appeared out of thin air, unleashing chains that tightly bound all four of Molly’s limbs.

Molly struggled furiously but couldn’t break free. Before she could recover from the shock—

A gigantic sword materialized, slicing clean through her shoulders.

“Damn you humans! I’ll kill every last one of you!”

A surge of fury exploded from Molly, instantly shattering the chains.

Just as she exulted in her freedom, the giant sword detonated, leaving her gravely wounded. Then, two huge gates extended ghostly hands that seized her legs and wings, trying to drag her inside. As Molly hovered on the brink of being swallowed, Lin Mo intervened.

With a casual strike, he smashed both gates to dust—An Muran, Mo Lin, and Luo Sen faded to nothing.

“Molly, you disappoint me—you really needed me to act myself?” Lin Mo turned to look at her.

Molly trembled. “My king, it was a careless mistake. Please, grant me another chance.”

“Brother Li Xun, what you did for me… that’s a debt I can never repay. Maybe in another life!” Li Ran turned to look at Li Xun.

As his voice faded, Li Ran raced toward Molly and Lin Mo.

Bang—

Li Ran’s form crumbled to ashes right before their eyes, and the Snow-White Sword shattered a moment later, disappearing along with him.