Chapter 852 - 693: Apocalyptic Scene (Part 2)
These people were all heroes, yet they died in battle with regrets, fighting all the way up to their final moment.
To be honest, even Qin An couldn’t help but feel deep respect for such an astonishing miracle.
After hearing what Qin An said, the man only shook his head slightly and said, "There’s nothing to regret. Being able to die fighting at the very end, instead of being pathetically slaughtered by Heavenly Demons, is the greatest honor for me."
"If I really have any wish, it’s that one day in the future, Mr. Qin will be able to completely kill the Heavenly Demons, so that our world, and even other worlds, will no longer live under the threat of death. That might be the meaning of our existence."
As he spoke, the aura around the middle-aged man grew weaker and weaker, and within just a few breaths, it completely faded.
The hand with which the middle-aged man gripped his spear finally loosened.
He passed away peacefully; at least in his eyes, it was much better than what his other compatriots suffered.
Because he had met the Savior, and would not die in that kind of agonizing way.
Qin An watched as the middle-aged man’s breathing slowly ceased. Then he gently closed the man’s eyes, rose on a surge of Void Essence, and rode the raging wind westward.
Since they’d already agreed to head west, he would keep going west.
Maybe he could find a chance to quell the crisis at hand.
...
At this moment, on the road to the west, a large group of people was fleeing at full speed.
Another large group followed in hot pursuit behind them.
The two sides chased and fled, like a race against life and death.
Anyone observant would notice that the strength of the fleeing group in front was far inferior to that of the pursuers behind.
And among the pursuers, the one in the lead was an existence of the Manifest Saint Realm.
He held a long saber, excitement flickering in his eyes.
He was a Celestial Demon Envoy under the Celestial Demon General Envoy, named Liu Changfeng.
Among that group of Celestial Demon Envoys, he was considered a fairly outstanding one.
This time, the Celestial Demon General Envoy had opened a passage between Defenders and traitors, allowing them to hunt Defenders here. It was simply the most exhilarating thing possible.
Over all these years, because of the Forbidden Area, they had been firmly confined, with a fire constantly smoldering in their chests.
Now that they could finally vent this fire, anyone would feel delighted.
The first thing Liu Changfeng did after arriving in this Colorless Forbidden Land was to pierce right through the Defenders’ city within it.
Although some people managed to escape, those few survivors were already close to death.
He greatly enjoyed this feeling of pursuit, for it gave him the thrill of a hunter catching prey.
That was why he didn’t immediately capture that group of fugitives. He wanted to torture them slowly, only killing them once their hearts had been tormented to the point of collapse.
At this moment, the Defenders now in flight were led by an old man.
The old man was the helmsman among the Defenders of this Forbidden Area, named Yang Huan.
Yang Huan had never imagined that a situation that had been developing so well would suddenly change drastically.
Not only had the Colorless Forbidden Land suffered a catastrophic calamity, but the other Defender Forbidden Areas had as well.
If not for some powerful Defender Forbidden Areas still being able to resist, and even send out some people to aid weaker Defender Forbidden Areas, many of them would likely have been wiped out in an instant.
Yang Huan knew very well that, in the most perilous moment, he had made the most crucial decision.
Though they were fleeing, for him, that flight was the only way to preserve the spark of this Forbidden Area.
Moreover, when he chose to flee, he had used a special method to send out a signal for help.
Perhaps once the Savior saw it, the Colorless Forbidden Land’s crisis could be resolved.
Before that happened, all they needed to do was avoid being killed.
The other Defenders silently followed behind Yang Huan, each face full of despair.
They did not share Yang Huan’s thoughts, and thus felt that this escape was nothing more than a slow death.
But they had no choice, because if they did not run, what awaited them was immediate death.
They understood as well that every moment they managed to delay was another moment gained.
At this time, the pursuing Liu Changfeng was toying with them like a hunter plays with his prey, filling their hearts with despair and stoking an anger within them.
Quite a few even wanted to raise their weapons and counterattack, just to die with some dignity.
But Yang Huan had long since noticed the abnormality and suppressed their impulse.
All the Defenders knew that Yang Huan was waiting, and the one he was waiting for was the Savior.
Yet a certain thought suddenly surfaced in their minds.
Could they really wait until the Savior arrived?
Many had already begun to waver, and their chaotic mental states were easily perceived by Liu Changfeng in pursuit.
Liu Changfeng let out a cold laugh and said, "I know what you’re thinking. Qin An can’t possibly come in that fast. And even if he does, so what?"
"He’s just a Cultivator of the Manifest Saint Realm. You think he can save you?"
After saying this, Liu Changfeng found it extremely ridiculous.
He felt that these Defenders were seeing things in far too naive a light.
Put aside everything else; killing them now was the easiest thing in the world.
Even if Qin An could really rush here, it would take time.
And by the time Qin An arrived, so what?
Could he possibly wipe out Liu Changfeng, a Manifest Saint Realm Cultivator who had reached Great Success, along with all the many Manifest Saint Realm experts behind him?
If he could really do that, Qin An wouldn’t only be at the level of the Manifest Saint Realm.
So, Liu Changfeng almost wanted Qin An to come; he even wished to carry Qin An’s severed head to present to Lord Chief Envoy.
He felt Lord Chief Envoy was overcomplicating things. A mere early-stage Manifest Saint Realm Cultivator—what kind of storm could he possibly stir up?
Afterward, Liu Changfeng’s words were like an incomparably sharp blade, stabbing viciously into the hearts of the Defenders.
The Defenders who had originally only wavered a little clenched their teeth. They too felt they might not be able to wait for Qin An, and even thought about ignoring Yang Huan’s orders, turning around, drawing their weapons, and fighting these enemies to the death.
"All of you, hold the line. Have faith in Mr. Qin! Even if we end up dying, we can still buy some time. Do not waver, and do not fall into despair."
His words once again steadied the wavering Defenders.
Beads of sweat densely covered Yang Huan’s forehead.
He knew this was already the fifth time Liu Changfeng had spoken like that. His goal was to toy with their hearts, to first wear down their will, and let them die submerged in boundless despair.
This was a very seasoned man, but Yang Huan absolutely could not fall into his trap.
Yang Huan himself didn’t know whether, if this happened again, he would be able to stabilize the situation once more.
But he was clear on one thing: if this truly went on, they might really die here.
Yang Huan clenched his teeth and kept running forward.
The cold gleam in Liu Changfeng’s eyes grew stronger and stronger; he was starting to lose interest.
After all, even a hunter dislikes stubborn, unchanging prey.
"Since you insist on this futile resistance, insist on running, then all of you... just die for me!"
He waved his hand, no longer bothering with taunts. The Manifest Saint Realm experts behind him, along with a large number of Unity Realm traitors, all sped up, closing in to encircle those in front.
The sight made despair surge once more in everyone’s hearts.
They knew that Liu Changfeng had lost interest, and what awaited them now was death.
Every Defender gripped his weapon tightly; even facing death, there was not the slightest hint of fear.
Liu Changfeng said coolly, "Since you’ve chosen death, then go die."
Without hesitation, he raised his long saber and slashed straight at Yang Huan in the very front.
Yang Huan reacted, lifting the weapon in his hand to meet the blow.
But just as the saber was about to descend, a figure suddenly dropped from the sky, carrying an endless terrifying aura that shook everyone present to their core.