The Forsaken's Revenge

To all who witnessed it, this day showcased the ugliness of human nature. When faced with death, people thought only of themselves, not their families.

Some, however, swam against the current. The Night Watch, for example, were willing to pay the ultimate price to protect the world. Other underworld forces lurked in the shadows, refusing to act unless their own lives were at risk. Meanwhile, many martial artists who typically hid in the mountains, like the hidden sects of Shaolin Temple, emerged to battle the fiends. Even most people at Shaolin Temple were unaware, and now that the four hundred and thirty-four of them had come down from the mountain, it was uncertain how many would ever return.

At this moment, battles raged in cities across the globe.

In the university town of Yanjing, Long Ying faced a Golden Monster, two longswords in hand. His life force was ebbing away bit by bit. Though he was one of the five's main attackers, each of his strikes felt like he was merely tickling the creature. A single blow from the Golden Monster could leave their group grievously wounded; in fact, he was still vomiting blood. The monster seemed to be toying with them, holding back from an immediate killing blow.

By his side, two old men lay dead in a pool of blood. They were the elders who had just succumbed, kneeling as their life force vanished. Their own breaths had also faded away at that moment. They were old, their abilities declining, and the aftereffects of their desperate final surges were unbearable.

"I'll activate Death Surge. Maybe it will hold it off for a while. You go!" Long Ying urged his two remaining old friends.

"The Night Watch never retreats! There is no turning back!"

The other two staggered to their feet. After fighting the Golden Monster for so long, they were at the end of their ropes, all of them resolved to die.

"That's right, old Long. You're the head of the dark net. We can go to our deaths, but you can't," one said.

The two elders smiled faintly. "We'll use Death Surge to buy time. We'll wait for your favorite prospect to arrive!"

As they spoke, they drew themselves up to their full height, slowly exhaling. They managed a slight smile, even as they glanced at the bodies of their fallen comrades on the ground.

The Golden Monster, as if its patience had run out, flashed forward, charging the three men with astounding speed.

"Brin—"

"Die!"

Just then, an angry roar erupted as a longsword shot toward the fiend at extreme speed. The creature's expression changed as it raised a crimson longsword to defend itself, its body stiffening.

At the same time, another furious roar sounded out. "Cross Slash!"

BANG!

Chen Zheng had finally arrived, swinging his long saber at the Golden Monster. The monster's expression changed again, its earlier contempt replaced with grim seriousness. It met his attack with its own longsword, unleashing a terrifying power.

BOOM!

The collision of the two forces shattered the ground, the terrible shockwave flinging Long Ying and his companions away. After the strike, both Chen Zheng and the Golden Monster were thrown back. The creature halted, its expression turning grave.

Chen Zheng, though slightly puzzled by the creature's reaction, ignored it and fixed his gaze on Long Ying, gritting his teeth. "Sorry, I'm late!"

"You're just in time. It all happened so suddenly," Long Ying bit out. He glanced at his two old friends, sighed, and said, "I'm leaving this to you. I have to find the next Crimson Fiend."

"Okay!" Chen Zheng replied.

Indeed, there was no time for sentimentality. Their task was to eliminate all hostile threats in Yanjing in the shortest time possible and seize control of the entire capital. Chen Zheng looked at the Golden Monster before him. He drew the scabbard from his back, fixed it at his waist, and sheathed his nameless sword, assuming a drawing stance. To end the battle quickly, he held nothing back, preparing for an immediate draw-and-cut.

"Rat!"

A piercing scream suddenly came from behind Chen Zheng. There, Fu Yu had just finished killing the surrounding blue demons. But in that same moment, his good friend, Rat, had been completely obliterated.

How many more times will a tragedy like this happen? Chen Zheng wondered, his gaze hardening as he looked at the Golden Monster. The killing intent in his eyes could no longer be concealed.

"Why have you come?" Chen Zheng asked Fu Yu, his voice low.

As he spoke, his aura exploded. This time, Chen Zheng didn't use an ultimate technique but pushed his physical strength to its absolute limit, his body becoming a blur.

The Golden Monster's face paled. It swung its blade, sending a slash of golden light toward Chen Zheng. But Chen Zheng flashed, ducking low at the same instant and shouting, "Draw-Cut Strike!"

He reappeared behind the Golden Monster, having sliced it clean in two. The creature's eyes were filled with disbelief. It desperately tried to hold its body together, but it continued to plummet from the sky. Finally, it could hold on no longer and collapsed. The golden light surrounding it dimmed, fading before their eyes.

CLANG...

The crimson longsword fell from the Golden Monster's grasp.

The Golden Monster was slain. This time, Chen Zheng hadn't needed to trade blows; his first real move was a fatal one. However, he could only manage this one strike for now. He felt as if not a single trace of True Qi remained in his body. Thankfully, he managed to stay conscious and didn't faint as he had before. He also hadn't used Life-Death Sprint, so while his True Qi was depleted, it would replenish after some time, unlike before when he had needed several days of rest.

Chen Zheng sighed, squeezing a single word through his teeth, "Chance!"

He walked over to the fallen Golden Monster. He couldn't clean up the scene just yet. After a moment's thought, he picked up the crimson pillar-saber that had fallen nearby. This weapon was the source of the famed red longsword ranked first on the weapon leaderboards; the pillar-saber itself was far more powerful. However, such a weapon would normally be claimed by the Night Watch, to be forged into superior equipment for their most outstanding members.

Holding the Pillar-Saber, Chen Zheng decided to keep it for his own use, for now. But first, he would need to regain his strength. He secured the weapon and paused, his gaze turning toward the distance where Fu Yu knelt on the ground. Of his squad of twelve, five were now dead.