Chapter Seventy-Seven: Heart-Rending Agony [Major Revision]

Shuiyao Xian, whose cultivation was far inferior to Lei Dong’s, had never undergone such relentless, grueling training over the years. She arrived at the battlefield more than three minutes after Lei Dong, and the fierce battle that had taken place in those three minutes was beyond her imagination.

Just as she crested a small hill, she saw a massive pillar of light, radiating destructive power, sweeping down from the sky toward Lei Dong. Without time to think, Shuiyao Xian’s hands moved swiftly through intricate gestures, her lips racing through incantations. In a single heartbeat, a long sword appeared before her, radiating a pure white jade glow, its core streaked with ink-green, crystalline yet touched with an eerie aura, as if it had burst out of the netherworld itself.

Having completed the spell, Shuiyao Xian felt as if all her vital energy had been drained away. A wave of dizziness swept her mind, and her legs threatened to give out beneath her. The “White Bone Ink Jade Sword,” a secret and rarely used offensive technique of her sect, wielded immense power but at a tremendous cost of vital energy. If she hadn’t taken Lei Dong’s “Genesis Elixir,” which had allowed her to break through the barrier of the Qi Refining stage and successfully lay her foundation only minutes ago, she would never have been able to wield such a technique.

“I can’t fall now!” she screamed inwardly, biting down hard, forcing her exhausted body to circulate the last remnants of her energy as she wove a final set of incantations.

With a crisp shout, “Go!” the White Bone Ink Jade Sword shot forth like a meteor, colliding head-on with the pillar of light. The impact nearly sent Shuiyao Xian collapsing to the ground.

A deafening explosion erupted as sword and light met. Shuiyao Xian felt an unstoppable force surge from the sword through their mysterious connection, slamming into her body. Her meridians trembled violently, and she was hurled backward through the air, blood surging in her chest until she could not help but spit a mouthful of crimson that traced an arc through the sky.

Her body crashed heavily to the earth, pain lancing through every bone and sinew, leaving her unable to rise.

James Sam, his own attack repelled, glared at Shuiyao Xian with fury. Moments ago, he had nearly crushed his adversary into a pulp and was on the verge of a humiliating and conclusive victory—only to have this woman ruin everything at the brink of success! His face, shrouded in a veil of light, twisted with rage. He howled, “You! In the name of the Holy Emperor, I grant you death—”

Another pillar of light shot toward the struggling Shuiyao Xian.

Dozens of meters away, a thunderous boom just above his head jolted Lei Dong’s mind into sudden clarity. In a flash, he pivoted, driving his left leg into the ground and stopping his forward momentum. Like a great bird, he leaped back over ten meters.

He had barely steadied himself when he saw a pillar of light streak toward Shuiyao Xian as James Sam roared in anger. Without time to think, Lei Dong hurled himself forward, placing his flesh and blood between the light and Shuiyao Xian.

With a tremendous crash, the pillar hammered into Lei Dong’s back, hurling him a dozen meters to land heavily beside Shuiyao Xian. A jet of blood spewed from his lips, splattering over her.

Shuiyao Xian cried out, somehow finding the strength to stagger upright and reach for Lei Dong.

Before she could touch him, another pillar of light seared toward them, accompanied by James Sam’s savage laughter. Shuiyao Xian instinctively tried to shield Lei Dong with her body, but at that instant, Lei Dong—still on the ground—sprang up in a sudden, forceful movement, placing himself before Shuiyao Xian once more and taking the blow squarely on his back.

Another spurt of blood splashed across Shuiyao Xian’s face, but this time Lei Dong stood his ground—his upper body wavering, but his legs unyielding.

Even as his frame trembled, a third pillar crashed into his back. Lei Dong spat blood again, his body shaking violently.

James Sam burst into triumphant laughter, his glee echoing as another pillar of light, blazing with dazzling power, plummeted from the heavens.

“Watch out!” Huang Xiwen’s angry shout rang out as he rushed in a whirlwind, placing himself before the pillar.

A thunderous explosion followed. Huang Xiwen was flung into the air like a stalk of wheat in a raging storm, blood spraying from his mouth in a long arc before raining down to earth.

He crashed to the ground, blood and dust mingling in a cloud. Yet another pillar of light shot toward him from above.

“Captain—!”

Six voices shouted in unison, thunderous with fury, as a tall figure hurtled forward like a tempest to block the light.

Wu Yun!

A mighty crash shook the field as Wu Yun took the blow head-on. Blood gushed from his mouth as he staggered forward, but he did not fall.

“Captain!” Lei Dong could no longer hold back. With an anguished cry, he flashed to Huang Xiwen’s side, catching his limp body in his arms. His heart sank; Huang Xiwen’s breath was barely there, blood trickling ceaselessly from the corners of his mouth. In Lei Dong’s spiritual sense, his captain’s meridians were nearly all severed.

“Captain…” Lei Dong cradled him carefully, afraid to cause more pain, his voice trembling with grief.

Huang Xiwen’s eyes opened a crack, unfocused and drained of their usual light. He struggled for breath. “Lei Dong…”

“I’m here…” Lei Dong answered, not knowing what else to say.

Huang Xiwen’s breath was so faint it seemed a whisper. He struggled to speak, gasping in fragments, “You have talent… In the future… you must learn to… control your… emotions. You will be the best… special operations… soldier…” His voice was so weak he could barely finish a sentence, pausing for long moments before continuing, “You… will be… an outstanding… commander…”

Unable to form a single complete sentence, Huang Xiwen still thought only of his comrade’s future. Lei Dong’s eyes filled with tears, blurring his vision until all he could do was nod fiercely, unable to speak.

After a long, ragged breath, Huang Xiwen gripped Lei Dong’s left arm with his right hand, as if trying to summon his last strength. His left hand pointed north, and he gasped, “Bring… bring our brothers… back…”

He had not finished before another mouthful of blood burst from his lips. His right hand suddenly went limp, but his left remained raised, pointing steadily northward.

“Captain—!” Lei Dong’s howl carried far across the wasteland, like a wounded wolf—angry, desperate, forlorn, heart-rending.

His teammates heard his cry and their faces changed as one. Before they could fully react, another pillar of white light hurtled toward Lei Dong’s head. Lang Tianyu and Bei Shiliang roared in defiance, throwing themselves before him.

By now, Lei Dong was consumed by rage, his eyes bloodshot. But faced with such annihilating power, instinct told him that apart from himself and Wu Yun, Huang Xiwen was the most advanced cultivator in their squad. If even he could be killed in a single blow, how could Lang Tianyu and Bei Shiliang possibly withstand it?

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lei Dong darted forward, placing himself in front of the two just as the white light was about to strike them.

A thunderous explosion erupted. Lei Dong staggered, but this time he neither fell nor coughed up blood. He simply held his ground with unyielding force.

With a furious shout—“I’ll fight you to the death!”—Lei Dong’s face twisted in rage, his eyes ablaze. He drove his feet into the earth, leaping a dozen meters into the air to hurl himself at James Sam and the pillar of light he conjured.

The blow knocked Lei Dong to the ground again, raising a cloud of dust, but he rebounded instantly, springing up to charge once more.

Shuiyao Xian stared in disbelief. What kind of warriors were these?

To save innocent passengers, they had crossed the seas to assault this deserted island. To annihilate the enemy, they could employ the most ruthless, efficient methods in a bloody slaughter. Yet to protect their comrades, they would use their own bodies to withstand earth-shattering, mysterious powers. Against an overwhelmingly powerful foe, they charged head-on, refusing to retreat even when bathed in blood, even at the risk of being utterly destroyed.

Tears welled in Shuiyao Xian’s eyes.

But she quickly realized something even more important: how had Wu Yun managed to withstand such a thunderous blow? After all, it was a force that had nearly shattered her own meridians and made her cough blood from a mere brush with its edge! Unless…

She was not surprised Lei Dong could endure three successive strikes—she had long known his cultivation far surpassed her own—but for two members of a seven-person squad to survive such terrifying onslaught could mean only one thing: both were cultivators!

She did not know why these people used no spells, relying only on physical strength, but the fact that they were cultivators was indisputable.

If the others were as well…

There was no time to ponder further, nor to confirm her suspicions. In the sky, James Sam was already forging another massive pillar of light. She glanced at the fallen Huang Xiwen, the staggering Wu Yun, and Lei Dong—struck yet again.

This round—she had to gamble everything.

Biting her lip, Shuiyao Xian’s eyes flashed with unprecedented brilliance. She shouted, “Three o’clock, thirty-five meters!”

ps: I’m sorry—I wrote the Captain’s death... For the sake of the next part of the story, this change was unavoidable. My apologies.