Chapter 63: Never Surrender, Fight to the Bitter End!

“I ought to thank you all properly, after all, you did liven things up for me.” With a wicked grin, Heishan slowly reached out toward the Nalan siblings, wondering how best to crush them for his own amusement.

“Hold it. The Hei San you mentioned? I killed him. If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me. Let those kids go!”

The sudden voice from behind caught Heishan off guard. His foot froze, hand pausing midair. He turned back to look at Gu Qingyi, amusement flickering across his face.

“Oh? Didn’t expect you’d have some skills.”

“I like you. How about this.”

“Kneel down and bow a few times. Serve under me.”

“I’ll let them go. How’s that? Ten seconds to decide.”

……………..

A black-clad figure leaned in close to Heishan, doubt plain on his face. “Boss, if the kid actually agrees, are we really letting them go?”

“What about our mission, then?”

Heishan caught his underling’s worries. A flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes as he spoke lazily, “Are you stupid? So what if we let them go? We just tail them in secret and get rid of them all, right? How far could they run? This way, see, I keep my word and still finish the job. Isn’t that more fun? Am I right?”

“Boss, you really know how to play!” The subordinate nodded thoughtfully, grinning with a sly thumbs up.

Gu Qingyi and his sister Gu Qingxiao exchanged glances, both giving small, resigned nods.

Staring at Heishan’s smiling face, Gu Qingyi seemed to make a big decision. His voice was firm and determined. “Fine, I’ll work for you—but you let them go, at least a hundred miles away. How about it? Got the guts to bet with me?”

“Or are you just scared we’ll escape?” He laughed loudly. “Is that it? You afraid?”

Heishan laughed like he’d heard the joke of the century, clutching his stomach and sneering. In a harsh voice, he said, “Brat, you’ve got some nerve! I’ll take your bet—why wouldn’t I? Let them go. I want to see what tricks you’re planning. Let me tell you, struggling here is pointless.”

At his command, the black-clad men released the captives.

“No—we’re not leaving.” The others looked at Gu Qingyi wistfully, clearly reluctant to abandon him after weathering hardship together.

Seeing their stubbornness, Gu Qingyi lost his temper and shouted, “Just go already! Why are you all still here? Get out!”

Gu Qingxiao shot Gu Qingyi a worried glance. She quickly grabbed the sobbing group and dragged them off.

In moments, they disappeared without a trace.

A black-clad man grew restless, making as if to chase after them, but Heishan immediately stopped him.

Ten minutes passed. It seemed the group had made it beyond range.

Heishan, thinking time was up, gave Gu Qingyi an offhand look. “Well, kid, I kept my promise. Now it’s your turn!”

Gu Qingyi judged the timing just right. His gaze turned icy as, for once, he roared with resolve, “I bow to heaven, earth, and my parents. You? Not worthy of my kneeling!”

The black-clad men shouted, “Brat, you’ve got a death wish!”

With a metallic clang, over a dozen swords were pointed straight at Gu Qingyi.

Heishan raised his hand, signaling them to lower their weapons. He had expected a trick and now, seeing the kid go so far, he felt both furious and humiliated.

His eyes burned with violent intent as he swept his gaze over Gu Qingyi, forcing his anger down as he asked again, “I value your talent. That’s why I haven’t killed you yet. You really won’t reconsider? Or do you just not fear me?”

Gu Qingyi didn’t hesitate. He scoffed, “Everyone dies—some deaths are weightier than mountains, others lighter than a feather. If I have to throw away my dignity to live, what’s left for me? Why should I fear you? Even if I die today, I’ll drag you all to Hell with me!”

Suddenly, a terrifying aura exploded from him, flinging away the black-clad men holding him.

Heishan shook his head, his expression dark. “Refuse the toast, drink the penalty instead. Fine, kill him!”

At his order, the black-clad men leapt up in unison, bringing down a storm of flashing blades toward Gu Qingyi.

Gu Qingyi hurried to meet them, sword in hand.

As soon as his sword appeared, sword light flooded out for ten miles around. The blade, three feet long and golden, gleamed with brilliance.

A fearsome, razor-sharp sword aura swept out from the blade, turning in the next instant into a cascade of sword light that fell like a massive net, covering the entire space.

Every move shifted in a flash, the edge unstoppable. Their swords clashed, tips entangled, sparks flying like jewels under the sun.

Sword energy collided like mighty rivers, silver droplets spraying into the air, each burst dazzling with unrestrained beauty.

Sword shadows danced wildly, like spirits in flight. The harsh clang of steel rang through the battlefield, a relentless battle song.

Neither side gave an inch, locked in a stubborn struggle where neither would yield.

Heishan, seeing his men unable to take Gu Qingyi down for so long, finally lost patience.

“Brat, quit your pointless resistance. Just stick out your neck and accept your fate!” he roared, launching himself straight at Gu Qingyi.

Facing attacks from all sides, Gu Qingyi raised the Skydome Sword with everything he had, forging a massive shield of power.

All those attacks slammed into the shield and, though it held for an instant, it shattered right after!

The impact instantly sliced through all the surrounding trees. Only the patch beneath Gu Qingyi’s feet was left standing—everything else flattened to the ground. The shockwave blasted the nearby lake dry, carving a vast crater.

Sand and rocks whirled as a towering tornado swept up around them.

Gu Qingyi gritted his teeth and took the hit head-on.

He staggered back, wounds reopening and new injuries stacking onto old ones.

His internal energy was in chaos, his injuries beyond severe.

Blood soaked his clothes, streaming until he could barely stand. He jammed his sword into the ground and leaned on it to avoid collapsing.

He wiped the blood from his mouth, forcing himself upright.

Seeing Gu Qingyi standing after all that, the black-clad men stared in shock. “Didn’t expect this kid to be so tough! The nineteen of us attacked together and he’s still alive—just badly hurt.”

“He’s dangerous. Everyone—go all out!” They frowned and, without holding back, launched their fiercest strike.

Blades whistled through air, nineteen swords thrusting straight at Gu Qingyi.

Looking at the killing intent bearing down on him, Gu Qingyi knew if he didn’t use everything he had, he’d die here.

In an instant, he drew his sword, roaring, “Ten Thousand Swords Return!” and “Ten Thousand Swords Pierce the Heart!”

Suddenly, the black-clad men’s swords seemed to move against their will.

They dropped from their hands, and countless flying swords—who knew from where—came swarming like a tide, of every shape and type, all flying straight at Gu Qingyi.

In the end, they hovered in the air beside him.

“Kill!” Gu Qingyi shouted, his face grim.

Tens of thousands of swords surged forth to stab at the black-clad men. Seeing this overwhelming force, they all activated their shields.

But the number of swords was too much—their shields couldn’t hold.

In the blink of an eye, the shields shattered, and some were run straight through by their own blades, dying on the spot.

Their bodies were riddled with holes, then skewered by several thousand swords at once.

Shock froze in their eyes as, helpless, they died mid-air—such humiliating deaths they’d never forget, even in another life.

“This one’s not normal—fall back!” The rest, realizing the danger, broke away and fled.

They tried their strongest moves to blast aside the flying swords behind them, but could only clear a few away—with more still swarming in relentless pursuit.

Seeing disaster looming, Heishan lashed out with all his strength, smashing a wave of swords to dust.

But when Heishan turned and saw so many of his men dead or wounded, rage boiled over. Glaring at Gu Qingyi—the cause of all this—his anger simply exploded. “Come die, brat!”

He shot forward, feet leaving the ground, and unleashed a palm strike at Gu Qingyi, the force of his wrath behind it.

Gu Qingyi saw the attack barreling down and hurriedly raised his sword to block.

He managed to barely catch the blow, but the force of it knocked him back.

With a thunderous crash, he was sent flying into the dried-up lakebed.

The force of impact blew the crater even wider, sending muck and sludge flying everywhere.

All his wounds compounded by the chaotic energy within him—his battered body reached the limit.

His ribs were shattered, yet still he tried to rise and fight back.

But at this point, he was completely powerless.

In the blink of an eye, he lay trapped in the pit, unable to move.

Pain wracked him, nearly causing him to lose consciousness.

His whole body caked in mud, his chest barely rising and falling as his breath faltered.

Blood streamed from his seven orifices, his blurry eyes gazing up at the blue sky, reaching for a beauty he could never quite touch. His hand fell lifelessly beside him.

“Didn’t expect… to face death again!”

“This time, I really might die here. I just hope… the others are safe now.”

“Is this the end? Maybe that’s fine, too.”

With a swish, more than a dozen figures landed beside Gu Qingyi in an instant.

Heishan stood over the half-dead Gu Qingyi, rage radiating from him, barely holding back from dragging him out of the mud just to shred him.

“Brat, I only wanted to recruit you. Now look at all the brothers I’ve lost because of it!”

“I ought to carve you into a thousand pieces,” Heishan raged, roaring like a madman. “Don’t you play dead. I know you’re still alive.”

“Get up or I’ll hunt every last one of them down.” He turned as if to leave. “Bet they haven’t gotten far!”

But as Heishan turned, Gu Qingyi’s hand shot from the mud to grab his pant leg, leaving the leader baffled.

“What’s with this kid?” Frowning, he stared down. “Half dead and still trying to stop me?”

“I… I can still fight,” Gu Qingyi mumbled, his vision hazy, lips trembling.

“You’re this eager to die? Fine, I’ll grant your wish!” Heishan snapped. Seeing Gu Qingyi stubborn to the end, his temper finally snapped. Lifting his foot, he prepared to stomp him into the mud.

“If I’m going to the Yellow Springs, at least I’ll have company!” Gu Qingyi laughed, pulling a brocade pouch from his breast—the one Murong Qingxue had given him to use in desperate times.

As Heishan’s foot came down, Gu Qingyi squeezed the pouch with the last of his strength.

Sensing something was wrong, Heishan roared, “You madman! Let go, you damn lunatic!”

In an instant, a terrifying energy exploded from the pouch, freezing Heishan and the others on the spot.

A sword light split the sky, cleaving through the void. In a heartbeat, it swept through the group—Heishan and all—before their horrified eyes.

Their bodies shattered to dust in an instant, as if they’d never existed.

A small smile flickered on Gu Qingyi’s lips as his eyelids at last drifted shut.