"Kill! Even if we die today, we'll take a few of them with us."
"Humanity will not perish."
"Death is inevitable, but our human race has no cowards."
"Even if we die in battle, we'll fight to the end, never compromising."
In Pingyan City, men, women, young, and old alike roared with sorrow and indignation, their eyes filled with defiance and fury.
Even children and women rushed out, armed with weapons.
Even if they all died in battle today, they would never compromise or surrender to the enemy.
"Seeking death," a strong expert from the Fish-Dragon race said coldly.
He disdained their resistance.
He conjured a small pagoda, activating it to unleash thousands of radiant runes. The small pagoda soared into the sky, as heavy as a mountain, emanating an aura of immortality and invincibility.
Several human prodigies, who were fiercely fighting the enemy, were crushed alive by the small pagoda. Their bones exploded, leaving only shattered fragments and torn scalp.
"Those were the most promising prodigies of our human race, destined to advance to the Saint realm."
A hunched old man was overcome with grief. Tears streamed down his ancient face.
Humans have very poor cultivation talent, far inferior to other races. To survive in this fiercely competitive Great Thousand World, every resource must be carefully planned.
Every prodigy with the potential to reach the Saint realm was exceptionally precious and received special cultivation resources.
But today, they entered the battlefield before they had fully matured. This was because Pingyan City had reached its most critical moment.
Now, they were being targeted and hunted by the enemy. They truly wanted humanity to never rise again.
Even if they survived this tribulation, Pingyan City probably wouldn't last much longer.
Without new blood, the old Saints were already close to their last breath.
Without the protection of powerful experts, what hope did Pingyan City have?
What hope did the human race in this world have?
Several old men, who had been in seclusion until today, were filled with grief and indignation upon seeing the young prodigies killed. Their bodies erupted with brilliant light, offering their last remaining life as a sacrifice, unleashing their final potential as they charged towards the strongest experts of the Fish-Dragon race. These old men had little lifespan left, but to contribute when Pingyan City faced crisis, they didn't hesitate to enter deathly seclusion, severing all ties with their descendants, just to preserve the strength for one last battle. These old men were resolute in their desire to die, each move a desperate exchange of injury for injury, life for life.
Each of them, by their own power, managed to hold back several top-tier experts, preventing the entire battle from collapsing. The Fish-Dragon expert who had just crushed the human prodigies also faced several targeted attacks.
One old man, severely wounded himself, tried to kill him to avenge the young prodigies.
Unfortunately, there were simply too many enemies.
Besides the Fish-Dragon experts, those terrifying treasure ships also activated brilliant array patterns to attack them.
What was even more infuriating were the experts from various races standing in mid-air, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
It wasn't just the Fish-Dragon race besieging Pingyan City; other ancient races, seeking to gain some benefits, were also involved. This world was just that cruel.
Even a slight weakness would lead to being torn apart by a pack of wolves, with no chance of recovery. The Fish-Dragon expert, in a life-for-life exchange with the old man, was struck by a powerful palm, his entire head nearly exploding, blood gushing out, almost cleaved in half. The old man was also severely wounded by him, countless ribs broken by a single palm strike, blood flowing from his mouth and nose.
His internal organs were displaced, and his soul-fire was almost extinguished.
He was clinging on by sheer willpower, with no possibility of survival.
Even if he survived this battle, he would certainly not live more than three days. The Fish-Dragon expert was still furious; how dare a caged ant wound him?
If he didn't tear the old man to shreds and then make Pingyan City run with blood and pile up with corpses, his hatred would not be appeased.
Under his command, several experts attacked together. The array patterns of several treasure ships also glowed simultaneously, exuding an invincible aura.
Brilliant light enveloped this part of the world, transforming into infinite killing intent. There were also secret arts attacks amplified by four top-tier experts. They joined forces, determined to leave the old man without a complete corpse.
"Fish-Dragon race, one day, our human race will repay this blood debt!"
The old man was pierced through amidst his sorrowful roar.
His hair and beard fluttered, his eyes filled with grief and hatred. The combined power of the treasure ship's array patterns and the four top-tier experts' attacks amplified the might, causing the old man to explode into a mist of blood under the immense energy.
"Grandpa."
"Grandpa, don't die, I still want to play chess with you."
Many people in Pingyan City were crying. The old man was highly respected; he had dedicated his entire life and exhausted all his efforts for Pingyan City and its people in this world.
All the descendants of his lineage had died in battle years ago while fighting against foreign races.
Even his grandson, only a few years old, died at the hands of ambushing enemies.
His tender head was sent back, a tragic sight.
Heartbroken, he still persevered, driven by a heart that vowed to defend humanity to the death.
On weekdays, he most enjoyed playing chess with children and teaching them the path of cultivation.
All his life's knowledge, he taught without reservation to anyone willing to learn.
Many young talents had received guidance from the old man.
Several secret arts were learned from him.
He sought no repayment; if someone truly called him Grandpa with sincerity, the old man would be content.
Now, he died here, without even a complete corpse. The enemy's actions grieved the human cultivators who had benefited from the old man's kindness.
"Bastards!!"
Several young people rushed forward, seeking revenge.
But they were attacked by that Fish-Dragon expert and other alien experts, directly turning into a mist of blood.
"Today, we will slaughter this city, completely break the spines of these ants, and let them know what reverence means!!" a foreign expert sneered, uttering these cold words.
Outnumbered, the human experts defending the city quickly fell into despair. The Fish-Dragon race and numerous foreign experts massacred recklessly, and the human experts suffered heavy casualties. The defenders became increasingly desperate, filled with unwillingness, their eyes revealing defiance. They desperately wanted to die together with the enemy, but in such circumstances, they couldn't, only able to rage impotently while the enemy laughed wildly!
Some enemies had even entered the city, wantonly slaughtering defenseless women and children. Those guys were incredibly cruel, killing purely to vent their twisted desires.
Even old people who could barely walk had their heads cut off.
Babies in swaddling clothes were impaled by their weapons, red blood flowing from the sharp blades. The executioners' methods were incredibly cruel, infuriating the defending cultivators who were still fighting.
But they couldn't break away because they themselves were besieged by enemies.
For the human race, a most dark and desperate era was descending. The race faced a great massacre; survivors would become blood food and slaves.
Many roared in grief, wondering what wrong their human race had committed to endure such suffering.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
A series of coughs echoed, and the many foreign experts who were previously slaughtering women and children suddenly showed faces of fear.
An old woman with white hair and a hunched figure walked out of the city, step by step.
Her arrival made many foreign experts wary, causing them to retreat and giving the struggling human defenders a moment of respite. The survivors gathered around the old woman.
Each of them was wounded, their aura weak.
Many were swaying, holding on by sheer willpower.
"Granny Yu," a female cultivator wept, "We are incompetent; we couldn't stop these bandits."
Everyone's faces were dejected, showing self-reproach and sorrowful anger. They were incompetent; they couldn't bear the banner of humanity.
At this critical juncture, an old woman still had to step forward to support them, fighting for a glimmer of hope.
"It's enough, it's enough," Granny Yu said with a smile, "No need to blame yourselves; to have done this much is already very good."
Granny Yu comforted the injured people, then walked towards the foreign experts.
A single old woman made numerous foreign experts retreat, fearing she would suddenly attack. This person was a formidable character known as the 'Female God of Killing'.
Even in her old age, she made them extremely wary.
"Old hag, do you think you can change anything by coming out?!"
A voice came from the sky.
A terrifying ripple, like a tsunami, spread.
A figure enveloped in yin-yang energy and shrouded in five-elemental light appeared.
He stood in the void, doing nothing, yet instilling fear in countless powerful experts.
Enveloped in shimmering light, his true form was unclear, but from his eyes alone, his terrifying power was evident. The sound of the Great Dao rumbled as a Saint descended, divine radiance illuminating this part of the world.
Many humans showed despair; this was clearly a Saint-level expert in his peak state.
Granny Yu was already at the end of her lifespan, no longer in her former peak state.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed again.
A tall, incredibly majestic figure, whose mere presence exuded boundless killing intent, as if to tear apart the ancient firmament, appeared.
Also enveloped in shimmering light and the sound of the Great Dao, his true appearance was indistinct.
His body merged with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
Giving people the illusion that he was the Dao, and the Dao was him.
As he stepped out of a treasure ship, space and time seemed to collapse.
Golden lotuses bloomed in the sky, and magnificent Dao sounds resonated ceaselessly, as if Ming for him.
Just his emergence caused such a phenomenon.
He resonated with heaven and earth, causing the Great Dao to bestow various auspicious signs upon him.
Many powerful foreign experts smiled. They came prepared for this trip.
Even if the guardian of Pingyan City was not dead, they would help her die. The human race, on the other hand, fell into deep despair. Two foreign Saints at their peak, what could they use to fight against them?
Before the surviving human experts could recover from their despair,
Two terrifying figures, radiating astonishing fluctuations, also flew from the horizon.
One expert had a dragon's head and a human body, with a brilliant divine halo behind his head, like a golden sun.
His physique was strong and robust, much taller than humans.
His entire body was covered in scales.
His hands were claw-shaped, with incredibly sharp tips, as if forged from divine weapons.
He exuded unparalleled might; the mere aura he naturally emitted was unbearable. The other Saint carried a tortoise shell on his back, and with every step, he generated yin and yang trigrams.
His entire body was enveloped in light, sacred and solemn, and his eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything in the world.
Four Saints gathered. This plunged the already desperate human race into an abyss.
Just one was already overwhelming for them; now there were four.
After today, Pingyan City would likely cease to exist. The human race in this realm would also become blood food and slaves, with no chance of rising again.
Grandma Yu coughed a few times and chuckled, "It's truly troublesome for you to come all this way to care for me. This old woman is in excellent health and won't die anytime soon."
"Then I'll send you to your death." The Saint of the Fish-Dragon Clan sneered coldly, looking at Grandma Yu, "I know you have a secret treasure left from ancient times, but how many times can you still activate it in your current state? Saints have long lifespans, far exceeding mortals, but you are now white-haired and old because your cultivation is insufficient, and you need to use your life essence to activate the secret treasure, which is why you've aged like this before your lifespan is up. Today is your day of death, old hag."
Grandma Yu smiled, extended her withered hand, and a crimson small sword radiating sharp sword intent appeared in her palm. That small sword was incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through everything in the world, rumored to be a weapon of an ancient mighty being.
It was precisely by relying on this secret treasure that she was able to protect Pingyan City from being annihilated by foreign races.
Unfortunately, even with a Saint's cultivation, activating this sword was extremely difficult, requiring a large amount of life essence each time.
"I indeed can't activate the Immortal-Slaying Flying Sword many times, but I can do it once or twice. Who wants to go first?"
The expressions of the few Saints remained unchanged, but no one dared to step forward voluntarily. The achievements of the Immortal-Slaying Flying Sword were well-known.
Back then, several Saints had joined forces, intending to suppress this small human Saint.
However, when they returned, they were sent back by the human race in boxes. Those immortal Saints were all cut into pieces, their souls gone, completely vanished. Their remains were placed in different boxes for their clansmen and descendants to slowly piece together.
"Why don't you dare come up?" Grandma Yu looked at the Saints, a sneer of mockery on her face, "As I said, none of you are capable, a bunch of cowards. Now you have two choices: either leave, or die here."
"Is that so?" The Fish-Dragon Clan Saint sneered, "How do you know we don't have a third choice?"
"You do." Grandma Yu hadn't finished speaking.
A short sword, glowing with malevolent light, pierced her chest from behind, its tip emerging from the front.
Her already dwindling life essence rapidly drained away under the power of that short sword.
Everyone looked incredulously at the robust man behind Grandma Yu, who radiated mana fluctuations.
"Second Commander, you!!" A female cultivator looked at the man in disbelief, unable to imagine him doing such a thing.
"Pingyan City is finished. We have been promised protection as long as we help the major strong races obtain the Immortal-Slaying Flying Sword." The man, addressed as the Second Commander, spoke in a cold tone, appearing sinister and vicious.
At this moment, several strong individuals suddenly attacked, killing their nearest fellow clansmen.
Caught off guard, several people died instantly. They never imagined that with the calamity of their race imminent, someone would still believe the enemy's promises!
The already few human cultivators fell into chaos, no one daring to trust anyone, all worried that the other was a traitor plotting against them.
Many foreign experts all sneered.
"Pathetic ants." A foreign expert coldly remarked, looking at the human cultivators who had fallen into chaos and couldn't even make a final struggle. The Second Commander of Pingyan City's garrison pulled out the short sword that had pierced Grandma Yu's body. This short sword was specially made for assassinating Saint-level powerhouses. This old woman, who had dedicated her life to her people, staggered a few times before collapsing. The Immortal-Slaying Flying Sword also fell, making a crisp clanging sound.
"Ants are just ants. They are useless except as slaves and blood food," said the Fish-Dragon Clan Saint.
"In the name of the Emperor, your words are unimaginably arrogant!" A black figure appeared beside the Fish-Dragon Clan Saint, who was enveloped in divine light, and a short sword directly pierced his throat. The speed was incredibly fast. This Saint, who had been dominating and stirring up heaven and earth, had no time to react before he saw his own blood gushing from his throat.
He instinctively tried to circulate his power to repair his body, but to his horror, he found that his power was rapidly fading.
It plummeted at an unimaginable speed, even faster than the night he was with the female fish-dragon he liked. That night, at least, lasted a minute.
His cultivation, however, didn't last a minute; it simply collapsed completely.
His huge body also plummeted towards the ground. The three Saints, realizing the danger, lost their previous arrogance and transcendence. Their faces were filled with terror.
How could the opponent have stealthily approached them without being detected by their divine sense?
Such a thing had never happened before.
Even Supreme-level and Emperor-level beings, who were more powerful than Saints and could easily crush a Saint, absolutely could not approach a Saint silently. The Saints flew backward at extreme speed, wanting to escape this strange and terrifying enemy.
Yorn naturally wouldn't stop there.
If he didn't have absolute certainty, how could he have revealed himself and made a move?
He continuously pulled the trigger of his bolter, aiming at the Saint with the dragon's head, human body, and divine halo behind his head. The specially made bolts, designed to target extraordinary cultivators, followed the trajectory of fate and struck the opponent with a 105% probability. The Saint's entire head exploded. The divine halo of the headless corpse still radiated light and a terrifying aura.
It just looked strange without a head. The Tortoise-backed Saint suffered the same fate.
Both of their heads were directly blasted off.
Only a headless corpse remained. The last Saint tried to form a seal to activate a secret art attack, and the terrifying power surging from his body tried to push Yorn away.
Yorn, however, was not moved. As the opponent gathered strength and attempted to activate the secret art, he directly swung his blade and split the opponent's head open. The entire process was so fast that it had to be measured in milliseconds.
Other strong individuals hadn't even clearly seen what happened. The four Saints were dead. The stronger the beings, the faster the outcome is decided.
Especially in close quarters.
Any action that wastes time is a path to death.
Yorn had fought against the psykers within the battle group.
He knew how formidable psykers were. The best way to defeat them was not to give them an opportunity to use warp energy.
If he gave them a chance to strike, he himself could be overturned. The best method was to engage in close-quarters ferocious assault, with high-intensity continuous attacks.
If the opponent's mind wavered even slightly, they would die.
It was a pity these four xenos were too foolish. They didn't even have a single melee weapon.
Psykers in the battle group always carried a staff in one hand and an axe or chainsword in the other; at the very least, they would carry a bolter. These idiots didn't carry anything when engaging in combat.
Had they never considered close-quarters combat?
Many foreign experts watched in horror as the bodies of the four Saints hit the ground with thudding sounds. Their immortal bodies, imbued with supreme laws, shattered into pieces, as if they were not Saints but ordinary creatures. They were chilled to the bone with fear. This suddenly appearing black-armored creature was too bizarre!
How could it silently instantly kill four Saints?
When did such a terrifying existence appear in this world?
"Run!" The Fish-Dragon Clan expert who had just been clamoring to slaughter the city roared.
He turned and flew towards the sky at his fastest speed.
No matter what the opponent's origin was, it no longer mattered.
At this moment, he had only one thought: to escape.