NOVEL NEXT Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Tragic!
A certain canyon near the borders of the Great Xia Kingdom.
At this moment, the canyon's original form had completely disappeared, transforming into a sunken depression filled with countless ravines and cracks.
Wei Qing stood in the midst of it, his head lowered.
Only his left arm remained hanging at his side. The spot where his right arm used to be was now an empty void.
Even so, his entire body exuded a thick, blood-soaked aura. He looked like a blood beast that had awakened, making people instinctively back away in fear.
In front of him lay a giant that had completely fallen and lost its vitality. The "01" mark on its neck was already beginning to fade.
Wei Qing had won, but it was a bitter victory.
Missing his right arm, he now raised his head to look in the direction of Deep Blue City in the Great Xia Kingdom.
He lifted his foot, leaving a bloody print with every step, intending to lead the surviving comrades of the First Battle Zone onward to provide support.
Just then, a slip of paper floated out from his chest.
There were only two words written on it:
"Head North."
Wei Qing stared silently at the note for a long while. He clenched it in his hand, crushing it, his mood turning incomparably gloomy. Without looking back, he shouted, "Those still alive, follow me north!"
———
Third Battle Zone Headquarters.
The area resembled a site ravaged by endless natural disasters, riddled with scars and devastation.
Ye Qiu sat on the ground, his hair disheveled. Before him lay a blood-stained command seal.
His expression was vacant, alternating between wild laughter and bitter tears. Finally, he clung to the command seal, lying prone on the ground, screaming into the dirt.
Across from him stood five of the nine apostles of the Old Holy Covenant. The corpses of the other four apostles were scattered across the battlefield.
This battle had been unimaginably brutal, but in the end, they had claimed victory.
"This man has gone mad. The remaining spiritual contract warriors of Great Xia are no longer a threat."
"Who would have thought he would take down four of us with him? This has been a costly loss for the Old Holy Covenant."
"Still, considering the reward for that item, the losses are acceptable."
"Kill all the remaining Xia people here to eliminate future troubles."
As they prepared to act, sudden turbulence rippled through the sky.
The unusual spatial fluctuations made them instinctively raise their heads. A man appeared from above.
He glanced at Ye Qiu, who was crying and screaming, and his gaze turned colder than ever. "The losses are acceptable? Good. Then let me make them unacceptable for you!"
Lin Jingxuan silently murmured an apology in his heart.
He had rushed here as fast as he could, but he was still too late.
Ye Qiu had gone mad. The only thing Lin Jingxuan could do now was avenge him.
"I know a bit about troop formations. Let me see how skilled the apostles of the Old Holy Covenant really are."
With that, Lin Jingxuan reached out, and the command seal in Ye Qiu's hands flew into his grasp.
The combat spiritual contractors from the Second Battle Zone who had followed him quickly spread out, positioning themselves like stars scattered across the battlefield.
At that moment, a slip of paper flew out of Lin Jingxuan's chest:
"Avenge them. Head North."
Without a word, Lin Jingxuan crushed the paper. With a heavy heart, he waved his hand. "This grudge... will only end with death."
———
Fourth Battle Zone, within a Ruin.
As one of the unexplored regions of Blue Star, each ruin came with its unique set of rules. Entering a ruin meant complete isolation from the outside world.
Shen Zheqi led his troops in a brutal clash with the Li Family rebels, resulting in casualties on both sides.
But just as the battle was reaching its peak, many within the Li Family rebels suddenly turned their blades on their own allies, helping Shen Zheqi's forces slaughter the remaining traitors.
Compared to the other battle zones, the Fourth Battle Zone was relatively intact, with minimal losses.
Perplexed, Shen Zheqi watched as someone stepped forward from the defectors. This man was also a member of the Li Family.
"Towering trees are felled by the wind. A hundred years ago, the elder already understood this truth. From that time, he officially severed ties with the patriarch in public."
"As the battles between Great Xia and the alien races leaned increasingly toward victory, over the years, many major forces secretly reached out to members of the Li Family, resulting in more and more traitors within."
"Zergs are not the only enemies. For those with grand ambitions, there are no eternal foes."
"Great Xia does not belong to the Li Family. It was only because the elder stood tall a century ago that it persists to this day."
"The elder had long known that the tide was irreversible. This sense of inevitability became even clearer after that genius, Han Zhan, emerged like a comet."
"Fratricidal drama may expose the filth in the shadows, but the future filth will be ours to clean up."
He handed a slip of paper to Shen Zheqi.
On it was the familiar handwriting of their teacher, Li Shutong:
"Lead the Fourth Battle Zone. Preserve your strength. Pass through the ruin and head north."
———
An Unnamed Island.
Corpses were strewn everywhere.
Every combat spiritual contractor from the Eighth Zone had their faces obscured by a hazy light. Even in death, their true identities remained concealed.
It was a mark of resolve, as well as protection for their families and loved ones.
At the forefront stood the leader of the Eighth Zone, "Wu," his foot crushing the head of a previously boastful attacker.
The losses in the Eighth Zone were severe, but the elite forces sent by the Empire had been completely annihilated. Compared to them, these losses were acceptable.
"Leader, should we continue building the teleportation gate?"
Wu crushed the head beneath his foot with a single stomp. Hearing his subordinate's question, he shook his head.
"The gate to Deep Blue City is no longer necessary. Activate the other one. We head north now."
———
Deep Blue City Battlefield.
Li Shutong and Void clashed countless times in mid-air, then separated once more.
Gongyang Jin and the Scarlet Queen continued their duel, neither able to gain the upper hand.
On paper, the Zerg had the advantage, with Nightmare and the Blood Puppet Beast still waiting for their moment.
"Have you played all your cards?" This was the first time Li Shutong had spoken since the battle began. "Consortiums like CanShang and Changsheng, the Old Holy Covenant, the Empire, and those greedy, decaying elders within Great Xia. These are all your trump cards, aren't they?"
"You figured it out?" Void's voice emerged from an endless vortex of darkness, carrying a hint of surprise.
"No, I didn't need to guess. From the moment you acted against me, I assumed everyone was my enemy."
Li Shutong's words shocked everyone.
This was someone who dared to consider such far-reaching implications, someone who had the boldness to pit himself against the world.
"You knew, but you did nothing. Isn't it too late to say this now?"
"Did nothing?" Li Shutong's expression remained calm. "Do you think my students, the eight battle zones painstakingly built over a century, can't compare to your temporary alliances?"
Li Shutong said calmly, "They won't go all out. That is their greatest flaw."
"If Changsheng Corporation deployed all their top 10 bio-warriors. If CanShang Technology didn't just sever communications and troop transport ships but chose to encircle and annihilate the Second Battle Zone. If all twelve apostles of the Old Holy Covenant were mobilized. If the Empire weren't so arrogant and sent their main knight regiment to slaughter the Eighth Battle Zone…"
"Then I, Li Shutong, wouldn't be standing here. I would have directly surrendered."
But that's impossible.
Just as Li Shutong said, these temporary allied factions, regardless of their goals or interests, could never achieve true unity in their cooperation with the Zerg. They would inevitably guard against each other.
The balance between cost and benefit would always be their primary concern.
This is why Li Shutong had the courage to oppose the world.
"Heh, even if everything you said is true, have you thought about how you're going to deal with me?"
As he spoke, Void's figure expanded once again.
This time, it was no longer half the sky, but the entire sky that was engulfed and consumed by darkness.
It had broken through the Nine Suns Seal and successfully fused with the essence of Void.
Beyond the ninth rank.
Everyone, including all the Zerg, instinctively wanted to kneel and worship.
Faced with such terrifying pressure, it was as if they were gazing upon a true god.
And now, that god intended to kill them all.
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