Martial Ascent to Divinity

At first glance, these demons seem quite ordinary, with bodies covered in pustules.

Or like hairless rats two meters tall with muscles, or cockroaches three meters long with black tumors on their backs, or ten-meter-long pythons with rings of cysts.

Their heads, however, are unlike those of normal demons.

Each head of the Omen Legion demons is a huge transparent glass dome.

Inside the glass dome, a green liquid swirls.

Within the liquid, rotting brain matter softly floats.

It looks like some kind of technological product.

It's said that ever since the Fishman Sect and Poisonous People Island provided technology breakthroughs from the technology era, some of the heads of Omen Legion demons turned into glass domes.

Fishman Sect and Poisonous People Island, therefore, garnered the favor of the Lord, Plague Prophet, of the fourteenth layer of Demon Purgatory.

This new kind of Teller of Death is called the Angel of Death, carrying not only plagues and poisons but also having a massive destructive range, making them hard to eradicate.

Even though the layers of Demon Purgatory are constantly at war internally, the usage of Angels of Death is strictly forbidden.

"Are you forcing us Martial Saints to act?" Lv Yuanhao shouted.

Zhuhuo Er grinned and said, "Indeed, both sides' Great Demons implicitly agree not to use Angels of Death, but if you don't come out, as Celestial Ladder ends, they will explode, boom..."

"Even if your Human Race army moves swiftly to arrive here, they will only see corpses everywhere. Go now."

Then twelve Angels of Death slowly moved, positioning themselves along the edges of the aperture.

Panic spread instantly among the crowd.

Those with even a little knowledge of demons knew the terror of Tellers of Death, even more so of Angels of Death.

They are doomsday.

"You still have time to decide, reach your master and claim the Blood Prison Fruit, or wait for Celestial Ladder to end, and let plagues and poisons hold your funeral."

"When the sun rises, sound the Announcement Horn."

After Zhuhuo Er finished speaking, he turned and left, the path closed.

The inner circle fell into silence.

Whether students or pioneers, whether from Dragon Country or foreigners, whether human or alien, all were silent.

"Do we have another choice?"

"When he mentioned Magic Bag Beans, we should have understood why he is forcing us out of the aperture."

"At this moment, what demons want to do no longer matters. What matters is what we should do."

"Is anyone still afraid of getting involved now?"

"Now, there's no debate about whether to save people, right?"

The crowd remained silent.

Some people looked at Zhou Leng.

"Zhou Leng, please say something. No matter what others think, in my heart, you are already the United Senior Brother of the Eighteen Academies," Lv Yuanhao said.

"That's right, it was thanks to Zhou Leng before."

"If not for Zhou Leng, without rescuing those three or four thousand people, we would be even more desperate now."

"Yes, Zhou Leng is the United Senior Brother of the Eighteen Academies in my heart! After Celestial Ladder, after Demon City, I still recognize it!"

The crowd looked toward Zhou Leng.

At that moment, Zhou Leng suddenly thought of Zhang Xinglie, thought of Zhao Dongjun.

Countless middle and high school classmates admired Zhang Xinglie.

Countless Blue Star Human Race members worship Zhao Dongjun, including Zhou Leng and Zhang Xinglie.

In despair, people instinctively choose the most reliable power.

So, can he bear it?

Zhou Leng remained silent for a moment, then said, "I understand everyone's heart, and frankly, I will hesitate, be greedy, be fearful, also afraid of death. But..."

"...when there is no retreat, I will move forward with hesitation, greed, fear, constantly forward."

"My father did not retreat on the battlefield, and I am the same."

"I cannot promise much, but I can ensure that once the battle begins, I will be the first to step out of the aperture."

"Just like last time."

The blood surged in everyone's heart.

Lv Yuanhao raised his hand and said, "As Senior Brother of He Yin Martial Arts Academy, I nominate Senior Brother Zhou Leng as the United Senior Brother of the Eighteen Academies!"

"I agree."

"I agree too."

"Seconded!"

One by one, Senior Brothers raised their arms.

Finally, An Huangui from East China Martial Arts Academy also raised his hand.

Many were surprised to see him; after losing twice in a row, he actually was willing to support.

Many nodded lightly.

Tian Chengchang looked at the back of An Huangui raising his right arm high, and fell into silence.

He, a dignified sophomore, is not even as good as a freshman.

Chang Luan, sitting in the crowd, looked at An Huangui, a shadow passing through his eyes.

Eighteen schools, seventeen Senior Brothers raised their hands.

Passed unanimously.

Zhou Leng got up, cupped his fists toward everyone, and said, "Thank you all for your support. Since that's the case, Zhou Leng will not refuse, and will rise to the occasion, facing the challenges together."

The crowd stood up and applauded in congratulations.

They applauded not only for Zhou Leng.

But also for the upcoming path to survival.

"Now, let's discuss an attack plan..."

"First, confirm that this place is no longer safe..."

"Secondly, we must prepare dual options to seize the timing when Celestial Ladder ends..."

The crowd discussed fervently, offering ideas, formulating plan after plan.

The Pioneers provided demonized drones, Demon Spirit Masters offered high-altitude reconnaissance Demon Spirit Techniques, further investigating the demons' situation.

Soon, they encountered some difficulties.

For instance, how to grasp the timing of Celestial Ladder's end?

They discussed these difficulties, but some aspects were hard to implement.

After a while, they temporarily adjourned, everyone resting, to continue discussions in twenty minutes.

Zhou Leng pondered for a moment, then went alone to a deserted place, recalling the Divine Texts he had learned.

He searched through the database, finding some Divine Texts.

Finally, Zhou Leng pieced together a vague and concise Divine Text in his mind.

"When does Celestial Ladder end?"

"When the sun rises."

Zhou Leng breathed a sigh of relief, thanked Celestial Ladder, then returned.

Although everyone did not fully believe it, there was no better timing; they could only choose that time.

They solved each problem one by one, ultimately preparing.

Once preparations were made, everyone rested.

Zhou Leng and Xu Qingjin's sleeping mats were placed together.

The two of them gazed up at the sky.

The high sky was pitch-black, only the Celestial Ladder emitted a gentle glow.

Xu Qingjin whispered, "I suddenly remembered you from our childhood."

"Really?"

"When we were in the first grade, do you still remember?"

"I remember."

Neither of them spoke again.

Zhou Leng still remembers that during the first grade's spring tour, hospital visits, and movie outings, to prevent getting lost, the teacher would make two rows of children hold hands.

At that time, Zhou Leng always held Xu Qingjin's hand.

So much so that when they went to school together, Xu Qingjin's mother would still insist they hold hands and not get separated.

"Get a good rest, you'll need to protect yourself tomorrow," Zhou Leng said.

"Don't worry, I will. And you... don't push yourself too hard, retreat when you need to."

"Alright."

The two of them closed their eyes and gradually fell asleep.

As dawn approached, the over ten thousand people within the aperture woke up, warmed up, and prepared.

Finally, everyone lined up into a wedge formation, with the arrowhead pointing towards the Magic Bag Garden.

Zhou Leng stood at the apex of the arrow, in front of everyone.

"Charge with me."

Zhou Leng shouted loudly, jogging forward.

The whole army advanced.

A dense crowd of Demons stood ahead, layered like city walls.

Suddenly, the Demons squinted their eyes, why did the sun suddenly rise?

No, the sun hadn't risen.

It was the light of united strength appearing on everyone.

The slightest light, gloriously everlasting.

Zhou Leng and all the people in the later and middle Blood Transporting Periods charged to the forefront.

Human arrows collided with Demon shields.

The battle began with a roar.

Zhou Leng moved forward, one step, one Demon, one palm, one corpse.

No looking back, no retreating, only advancing forward.

The eastern horizon glowed with faint white light.

The sun hadn't risen, but a new light had arrived.

Tens of thousands of humans and Alien Races surged like a tide.

Advance, advance, advance again.

The wind blew, howling.

The grass bent, bones cracked.

Dust flew, blood splattered.

Around Zhou Leng, it seemed like a silent world.

The lives of ten thousand rested on his shoulders.

Everything ceased to exist, only moving forward.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Zhou Leng took a deep breath seeing the dense horde of Demons ahead, and loudly said, "Switch!"

Subsequently, Rao Mingxian was the first to rush forward, replacing Zhou Leng.

The speed of the entire team suddenly slowed down.

Only then did Rao Mingxian understand the immense pressure Zhou Leng was under.

Only then did he understand how majestic every step of Zhou Leng was.

In just one minute, Rao Mingxian couldn't withstand the pressure and shouted, "Switch!"

Molten Hammer took over, and then others followed suit one after another.

Previously, they were all on Zhou Leng's flank.

Until they stood in Zhou Leng's position, they realized how difficult it was to take a step forward.

As Zhou Leng walked, he manipulated his Qi to recover. Although slower than meditating, it was the only option.

Before long, Zhou Leng charged forward again, standing in the very front.

The ten-thousand-strong army accelerated once more.

Like this, the army continued rotating and advancing without pause.

But more and more people were eternally left on this land, being carried by the Demons to the Magic Bag Garden.

No one could see it, but it was etched in their hearts.

Even though the ten-thousand-strong army constantly advanced, the Magic Bag Garden seemed to drift further away.

However, thanks to the human will to survive, the excitement of united strength, the continuously advancing steps, and each person's diligent practice in martial arts, and the cultivation of cooperation and organizational skills in Dragon Country over the years, these young students gritted their teeth and persevered.

The main attack was carried out by the crowd in front, while the students in the rear and on both sides focused on defense.

As soon as their Qi blood and physical strength were exhausted or they were seriously injured, they immediately switched out.

Everything was conducted in an orderly manner.

The eastern sky brightened gradually.

The team moved closer to the Magic Bag Garden.

The Demon Duke with the Ring Snake Crown stood in the Magic Bag Garden, smiling as he looked at the humans.

"I see it!" Zhou Leng shouted.

The spirits of those nearby were lifted.

"I see it!"

"I see that Demon Duke!"

Everyone shouted, quickly spreading the word until everyone knew.

In the melting furnace of ten thousand individuals, the flames suddenly soared.

"Kill!"

"Forward!"

The team advanced once again.

Zhou Leng and some others exchanged glances, rotating to the rear.

Around the Star of Dim Light stood many Demons in the Blood Transporting Period, mostly Candleholders.

"What do you think, how many will make it to me in the end?"

"Besides that Giant, none of the others can."

"That Giant could probably feed four or five Magic Bag Flowers. I'll save the most delicious one for Mom." The Star of Dim Light smiled.

The Demons showed expressions of respect.

The Star of Dim Light said, "Based on the human's usual tactics, they will, at the last moment, employ... yes, a decapitation attack. The rest of you, handle them, leave one in the forefront for me."

"Yes, Your Highness."