A world polluted by evil gods (10): “happy”

The rule changes caused by divine power were happening all over the world, and naturally, the Empire was no exception.

In a small town near the Imperial Capital, countless souls of the dead appeared before people overnight. Many residents were so terrified they fell ill, hastily packed their belongings, and fled the town by night. In the blink of an eye, the once-prosperous town became a real ghost town.

Photos of the ghosts were printed in newspapers and quickly spread throughout the Empire. While people were still doubtful, thinking this might be fake news from an unscrupulous press, reports of strange phenomena from all over the world started to appear one after another. Even the most slow-witted people began to feel uneasy.

In the past, ten years ago, Si Qi could have suppressed the news on his own.

But with the rapid development of technology—telephones, telegraphs, steam trains—there were too many ways for information to spread. Si Qi could only watch as the rumors grew more intense and the anxiety spread through society. He ordered the king and parliament to do their best to appease the public and reduce the chance of riots. Beyond that, there was nothing more he could do.

He had more important matters to attend to.

Before setting out, fearing that he might never return, Si Qi made a point to go home. His parents and eldest brother called him into the study and repeatedly told him not to go out casually, and that no matter where he went, he must be accompanied by bodyguards.

His formidable elder brother even found someone who possessed a forbidden object and sent them to Si Qi’s side as a bodyguard—like throwing a sheep to the wolves. It’s worth noting that this brother didn’t have anyone like this by his own side, yet he unhesitatingly gave the best person to Si Qi.

Si Qi, moved once again by his brother’s actions, accepted his good intentions. He had his men take over the unfortunate bodyguard who’d been sent into the lion’s den, and arranged for the family’s guardian knights, who had been with his relatives for years, to take care of them. Then, he led an entire unit and left the Imperial Capital, traveling overnight to the neighboring country.

Several cult organizations like the Omniscient Church, clinging like maggots to the bone, followed after hearing the news. Si Qi didn’t pay them much attention.

Because when he arrived at the capital of the neighboring country and saw the king—wearing a crown, holding a divine staff, looking like a walking calamity—he ordered his men to capture a few Omniscient Church followers and throw them toward the king to test the situation.

These followers, nearly mad with excitement at the sight of a forbidden object, charged forward fearlessly—and began dying one by one within thirty seconds. Their deaths were beyond human comprehension, bizarre and unnatural. Si Qi frowned slightly at the sight.

This time, it might be even more dangerous than containing an S-class divine essence.

Si Qi gathered his subordinates for a discussion, planning how to test the power and rule attributes of the staff step by step, and how to contain it as soon as possible.

Every extra minute they let it run wild meant countless more people would die.

They were now in a race against death. If they won, all would rejoice. If they lost, they would die alongside the ordinary people.

The enforcers, long accustomed to facing life and death, did not hesitate at such a time.

Except for Igor.

More precisely, it wasn’t that Igor was cowardly and wanted to retreat—

But that he simply couldn’t forget the words spoken by the Mirror of Truth.

He spent the whole day in torment, and finally, on the night before the plan was to be carried out, he secretly found Chu Feng.

“I have something to tell you.”

Chu Feng knew Igor’s character. He wouldn’t speak aimlessly at a time like this, so he took the words seriously and said sincerely, “Go ahead.”

Igor said, “You must’ve noticed—our Commander’s strength has been drastically weakened, and his mental state is on the verge of collapse…”

Igor hesitated for a long time but did not reveal the reason why Si Qi had ended up like this. It wouldn’t change the facts and would only hurt Chu Feng.

Even though, for certain reasons, he couldn’t fully accept Chu Feng calmly, he also couldn’t bring himself to irrationally take out his anger on him. He only said, “Maybe you don’t know, or maybe you only vaguely sensed it… The Commander has always been training you as his successor.”

Chu Feng nodded. “I had that feeling.”

Si Qi treated him differently. From the beginning, he had trained him personally, placed high hopes on him, protected him, and entrusted him with many high-level sealed objects.

He could feel Si Qi’s open and sincere attention.

Igor looked at him deeply. “But have you never thought about the reason for grooming a successor? It’s to replace the one currently in power…”

Chu Feng’s expression changed slightly.

Igor lowered his head. “The Commander… he can’t hold on much longer. On the surface, you can’t see it, but he’s nearly at his limit. He told me long ago that he didn’t want to be corrupted and twisted, like the enforcers who lost control—turned into monsters that harm the world against their own will. So he prepared a guillotine for himself long ago, in case he lost control and needed to be killed… That blade is you, Chu Feng.”

Chu Feng’s face turned pale. Igor continued, “The reason he helped you become stronger wasn’t just to pass on his legacy, and staying close to you wasn’t just about protecting you… He was afraid that once he lost control, no one would be able to stop him. What I’m telling you may sound cruel, but please forgive the Commander—he had no choice. He couldn’t just let himself become part of the disaster, letting a lifetime of effort go to waste. Only you have the potential to stop him when the time comes and allow him to bow out with dignity.”

Chu Feng looked visibly upset but didn’t interrupt Igor, who was clearly overwhelmed with emotion. Igor said sadly, “You know, ever since I saw you appear at the Commander’s side, I’ve felt uneasy. Not just because of your relationship with him, but because I realized—he’s made his decision. He no longer intends to restrain himself or struggle to survive. He wants to unleash his full power at the right moment, die at the peak of his glory, and pass both the baton and the gift to you… This unprecedentedly powerful forbidden object is the opponent he’s been waiting for. You understand what I mean, right? Tomorrow, the Commander will…”

Tears streamed down Igor’s face. Gripping Chu Feng’s shoulders in anguish, he said, “Don’t let the Commander go. He’ll die! I can’t stop him, but I also don’t want to watch him leave. I’d rather die myself than see him disappear! Please, Chu Feng. I know I’m pushing the responsibility onto you, but because of your relationship with the Commander, you and he…” Igor said, humiliated and pained, “Aren’t you two… together? If it’s you, if you say it yourself, the Commander will definitely listen!”

Chu Feng stared blankly at Igor, his mind going blank from the continuous blows of one revelation after another.

After a moment, he said somewhat dazedly, “Of course I don’t want the Commander to die… but is this really what he wants?”

Igor looked at him through tearful eyes. Chu Feng continued, “To stop the Commander from containing that forbidden object, to make him watch as the enforcers face danger and die one after another, while he remains in the legion enduring increasingly unbearable corruption until one day I kill him with my own hands… I—I can’t do that. I’d rather face the forbidden object with him, help him fulfill everything he wants to achieve, and let him present that forbidden object to me with satisfaction, even if the cost is his death…”

Chu Feng gently pushed away Igor’s trembling hands that were gripping his shoulders tightly. He said to him, “Igor, in the Commander’s heart, the nation and the world matter more than anything, even more than his own life. What we need to do is not let him end his life full of regrets, but support him without hesitation, help him fulfill his purpose in life without anything holding him back, and move forward toward his ideals… I won’t stop him. I will stand beside him and face all the dangers, walk with him to the very last moment. I think that’s what’s truly best for the Commander.”

“You know nothing! You don’t love the Commander at all!! You—” Igor only got one sentence out before he couldn’t continue. He broke into sobs, squatting on the ground with his face in his hands, crying uncontrollably. “Why did it have to be you saying those things? You make me feel like all my past affection was a joke! I don’t want the Commander to die, I don’t… I don’t!”

That final cry was like a cuckoo weeping blood, filled with the most painful sorrow and helplessness in the world. Igor fell into complete despair, his tears uncontrollable. He wished he could cry his eyes blind, or just die then and there.

“He’s the cruelest person in the world. He didn’t even like me but still treated me so gently. He knew I couldn’t handle the truth, yet he still let me know everything. I wanted to die with him, but he would rather I stay alive and remain in the legion to assist you… How can someone be this cruel…”

Chu Feng crouched down and gently patted Igor’s head. “That’s the Commander’s kindness. He sees you as an important companion. Even though he knew he was forcing you, he still made that choice, because you’re special to him. You’re the one he can rely on and trust to carry it through.”

Igor stayed curled on the ground, clutching his head and crying, trying to shut out reality in the only way he could.

A long while passed before he calmed himself down, afraid that if he let the negative thoughts overwhelm him, the sealed object he carried might seize the opportunity to increase his corruption.

With red eyes, he said to Chu Feng, “I’ll leave the Commander to you tomorrow. If it’s possible… save him. Don’t let him die.”

“I will.”

As he watched Igor leave in a hurry, Chu Feng waited a moment before saying to someone hidden in the shadows, “I thought you would step out just now.”

Si Qi was well-practiced in concealment. Igor had never noticed him from beginning to end. Chu Feng wouldn’t have noticed either, but he had seen the monstrous creature nearby growing larger and occasionally letting out low growls. That’s how he guessed Si Qi had been standing there all along.

“Igor’s just worried about you,” Chu Feng said instinctively in defense of Igor.

He recalled Igor’s earlier words—that his very existence was a blade meant to sever the dragon’s head at the final moment—and felt an indescribable mix of emotions.

He deeply feared that such a moment might actually come to pass. And though it pained him greatly, he didn’t voice that pain to blame Si Qi.

He was willing to respect all of Si Qi’s wishes, even if those wishes alone were enough to break his heart.

Si Qi stepped out of the shadows. “I know Igor is worried about me, but I’m a Legion Commander first, and only afterward someone he knows.”

As the Commander, Si Qi enjoyed the service of hundreds of thousands. Whatever he wanted done, he only had to speak a single word, and countless people would act for him and give their all to fulfill his commands. But this wasn’t because he was born noble or because of the title of Commander—it was because people trusted him. They believed that what he did aligned with their ideals, that he was worth following, even to the death.

Having gained such privilege, Si Qi knew he had to shoulder the responsibilities that came with it. He understood why Igor had lost his composure over this—after all, Igor had been personally saved by him and had joined the legion to repay that kindness, nothing more.

But Si Qi couldn’t comply with Igor’s wishes. In fact, he had shamelessly taken advantage of Igor’s feelings for him and asked him to continue serving the legion even after his death, rather than follow him into the grave.

Si Qi said to Chu Feng, “You made the right decision.”

Chu Feng didn’t respond.

Being praised for something like this didn’t bring him any joy.

Si Qi understood what Chu Feng was thinking. After a pause, he said, “A long time ago, you asked me why I treated you so specially.”

Chu Feng looked up at him.

Si Qi said, “The way I treated you wasn’t solely because I wanted you to kill me at the end. Maybe that’s part of it, but it’s not the whole story.”

His always cold and stern tone softened as he said to Chu Feng, “I’ve spent my entire life fighting against evil gods and containing forbidden objects. But even if I dedicated every day of my life to it, I might never have had the chance to stand before an evil god and protect this world… until I met you.”

“You are the one who can fulfill my dream. You are the person who will complete my life’s work. Because you’re taking over for me, all my efforts won’t have been in vain. Only then can I face death without regret—because I know that even if I leave, you’ll still be here to protect the world.”

More importantly… he had realized that Chu Feng was someone who could understand him.

When he heard Chu Feng say with his own mouth that he would rather face danger with him and walk beside him to the end than stop him from achieving his dream—Si Qi’s heart felt utterly full. It was like meeting a true soulmate, and having no regrets in this life.

He had never been so grateful that Chu Feng existed in this world. He was like redemption itself, a divine presence descending from the heavens, helping him fulfill all his unfinished wishes and make up for every regret.

Si Qi said, “Thank you, Chu Feng.”

Chu Feng quickly lowered his head, not wanting the other to see the redness around his eyes.

In a hoarse voice, he said, “You really are a cruel man.”

Even now, he didn’t reveal his true identity, not wanting Chu Feng to bear the burden of killing his lover. He was asking Chu Feng to be the one to end his life, and yet he acted as though Chu Feng had done him a great favor, thanking him instead.

Even in death, he wanted to clear every emotional obstacle from Chu Feng’s path, sweeping aside anything that might shake him. He was simply too gentle—so gentle it was unbearable.

The more Chu Feng thought about it, the more he realized he couldn’t allow himself to dwell on it, or else he would break down.

…

The time for the final assault was set for noon the next day, when the sun would be at its fiercest. At that time, Si Qi would be able to use a sealed object that would have maximum effect.

Before that, the enforcers had to quickly and continuously test the abilities of the “walking catastrophe,” the forbidden object in the hands of the former emperor, in order to gather as much useful intelligence as possible for Si Qi.

Because of this catastrophe, the entire world was in chaos. The country, being closest to the emperor, was affected the most. The people were plunged into suffering and misery, and the capital’s residents suffered heavy casualties. The few who survived had become grotesque, twisted beings—better off dead than alive.

The longer they delayed, the worse things would get. So even if they wanted more time to test the “walking catastrophe’s” abilities, the enforcers had to stop by noon the next day. They returned to the temporary camp, carrying with them the bodies of comrades who had died in the line of duty during the tests.

Igor took the matter extremely seriously. He personally oversaw the personnel deployments and intelligence gathering. After carefully organizing every detail, he said to Si Qi, “The emperor possesses the ability to alter the laws of the world. The shortest interval between uses of this power is only twelve seconds. Possibly due to lack of control, while the power is immense, its precision isn’t particularly accurate. Here is the specific test data.”

Igor handed two sheets of paper to Si Qi, who looked over them carefully before handing them over to Chu Feng.

Igor said, “Dozens of local containment organizations, the Omniscient Church that followed us here, and the emperor’s own army… these various factions are all mixed together. If conflict breaks out, any one of them could become our enemy.”

Si Qi replied, “You’ll be in charge of that side of things.”

Igor responded earnestly, “Leave the rear guard to me. All you need to focus on is containing the forbidden object.”

He would not allow any bastard to interfere with his Commander—not even the slightest threat from behind would be allowed to reach him.

Si Qi nodded. “What are the specific rules that have been altered so far?”

“There are thirty-seven rules in total, and we’ve already found ways to counter twenty-four of them. They include field mutation…” After giving a detailed explanation, Igor quickly added, “Aside from altering rules, there’s another strange power that constantly repels anyone who tries to approach the emperor. According to the enforcers who barely made it back alive, it seems to involve altering probabilities and manipulating all things…”

Si Qi listened intently, his expression serious. Chu Feng sat nearby, completely focused, not daring to miss a single word.

By 1:30 p.m., the sound of gunfire from skirmishes outside grew increasingly intense. The enforcers had located one of the rival groups, and with a little instigation from several sides, conflict broke out between the factions. Taking advantage of the chaos, Si Qi and his forces moved like a blade drawn from its sheath—piercing straight toward the emperor seated in the royal palace. Before anyone could react, they broke through the army’s encirclement and charged directly in front of the emperor.

At first sight, there wasn’t even time for words. A flash of cold light from Si Qi’s sword slashed down at the emperor, tearing through his elegant robes and leaving a bloody gash on his neck. The shockwave blasted into the grand and luxurious palace behind him, bringing it crashing down with an earth-shaking roar.

Si Qi looked at the emperor hovering mid-air in a strange aura, then at the torn collar around his neck, tightening his grip on the knight’s sword.

The emperor recognized who they were. These men in sleek black uniforms and silver masks, loyal and well-trained, had been operating in his empire for over a decade, collecting the forbidden objects that constantly appeared throughout the nation.

As an emperor, he of course had his own elite cavalry to handle such issues, and even powerful figures wielding forbidden objects under his command.

In terms of numbers and establishment, he—the famed and battle-hardened emperor known across the world—should have had the upper hand. And yet, every time conflict arose between the two sides, it was always his forces that lost in the end.

He had long been interested in the Commander of this knight legion and had made many attempts to infiltrate the group and take control of it, only to end up empty-handed every time.

Now, he had obtained a treasure stronger than any forbidden object—one capable of rewriting the world’s rules and countering all others. With it, world domination was within reach.

He saw himself not as a tyrant or a world-destroying god, but as a ruler protecting his people. He was doing everything in his power to control this treasure for their safety. He saw nothing wrong in possessing such power—and certainly wasn’t about to hand it over willingly.

So when he saw that the Knight Legion’s Commander had come in person to confront him, even as the sovereign of a mighty empire holding ultimate power, he still found the situation difficult and infuriating. He growled, “A peacekeeping organization initiating conflict against another nation? How absurd and laughable!”

“The Legion’s mission is to reclaim all forbidden objects. Whether you’re an emperor or a commoner, it makes no difference,” Si Qi said coldly. “If you still have any sanity left, then you shouldn’t become the cause of this world’s destruction. Hand over the forbidden object.”

“I’m doing this for my people!” the emperor roared. “Only I can protect them and ensure their survival!”

“And what exactly have you protected?” Si Qi sneered, stepping slightly to the side to reveal the scene behind him—a street filled with smoke, corpses, and rotting flesh.

A flicker of confusion flashed in the emperor’s eyes, but it was soon replaced by anger. “If it weren’t for your attempt to steal my treasure, my people would never have suffered this terror!”

Si Qi raised an eyebrow, then understood.

Chu Feng said, “His mind is completely broken.”

He was mistaking the corpses and monsters for his people, seeing a ruined world as if it were still intact. Trapped in an illusion, he had no idea that he himself had already shattered the empire beyond repair.

Perhaps this emperor once thought of wielding divine power to resist the evil god, once thought of protecting his nation and his people. But he lacked the qualifications and could not bear such responsibility. In the end, he was crushed by the power and became one of the world’s calamities—just like Si Qi, who feared he would lose control.

Si Qi said, “No more talking. Kill him now.”

The emperor roared in fury, “Don’t you dare!”

“What I want—no one can stop me.” Si Qi shot him a cold glance, with not a trace of mercy in his eyes.

He no longer regarded the emperor as a living person, but as a forbidden object that had to be destroyed and contained. Regardless of what the emperor thought, the moment he lost control and caused massive disasters to the outside world, he had become a being that deserved to die.

Under the bright midday sun, Si Qi drew a syringe-like sealing object from his waist.

Inside the tube, a golden liquid shimmered and flowed slowly under the force of gravity like the most beautiful jewel in the world. Si Qi pressed it to his neck and injected it in one breath into his veins.

The next second, an incomparably powerful aura erupted. A pale golden light enveloped his body. Under the sunlight, he looked like a sun god—mighty and commanding. Behind him, the monster’s form swelled to more than ten times its size, looming over the entire palace, letting out a deafening roar that shook the heavens and the earth.

Boom—!!

Two figures collided mid-air like meteors crashing to the ground, creating a thunderous explosion.

The deputy commander, who had been leading the troops to assist or prevent ambushes from enemies lurking nearby, turned pale at the sight and exclaimed, “They’re going all out this fast?!” He shouted to the enforcers around him, “Run! Don’t stay here!”

A local enforcer, confused, wiped the sweat pouring down from the heat and asked, “Aren’t we going to help the Commander take down the Emperor?”

“Idiot! Are you trying to die?!” the deputy commander snapped. “At this level of battle, helping is suicide!” It felt like every time the commander fought, his only job as deputy commander was to lead the retreat and clean up afterward.

As he finished speaking, several cult members spying from the shadows screamed in agony as fire engulfed their bodies. They struggled on the ground for a few seconds before their fat and blood combusted, leaving only shriveled black corpses—silent and lifeless.

One enforcer was so terrified his liver and guts trembled. Feeling the temperature rising behind him, he dared not say another word and fled at full speed.

As they fled, waves of terrifying explosions sounded from behind. Several members of enemy factions escaping with them trembled and asked in disbelief, “What kind of monsters are those? Are we supposed to steal something from monsters like that?! What a joke!!”

Just as the words left his mouth, a golden sword light slashed through the air, narrowly grazing his scalp before flying several hundred meters ahead into a group of buildings. Instantly, bricks and stones exploded, shooting into the sky and blasting in all directions—smashing this fleeing group dead-on.

Cough… cough!

He fell heavily to the ground, hit by a barrage of stones. Clutching his head, he crawled out from under the rubble, face covered in dust, dirt, and blood. When he opened his eyes, he saw what should have been a bustling street reduced to a deep cratered ruin, leaving him completely stunned.

Was this… was this really power a human could possess?

Trembling, he turned to look at the sky in the distance. The three figures clashing at high speed inspired only fear—no one dared covet anything anymore. A single thought popped into his mind: If more people like this existed in the world, could the great evil god really descend?

The next second, his vision spun. In the ever-darkening scene, his headless corpse was casually pushed aside by a black-clad man wielding a knife. The man told his comrades beside him, “Kill every last one of these cult scum!”

Thud. His head, eyes wide open in death, rolled to the ground, becoming just another unremarkable corpse among the many.

Up in the sky, Si Qi’s arm was suddenly gripped and twisted by a force that came without warning. His bones, harder than steel, cracked and shattered instantly, breaking his arm into several pieces.

Chu Feng shouted, “Commander!”

“Watch out for sudden spatial distortions,” Si Qi said, expressionless, as he yanked back his arm. The “Blood of God” he had injected rapidly healed his injuries. The broken bones fused swiftly, and the next second, he charged out again. “Focus on the fight!”

Chu Feng’s face tensed as he followed Si Qi in pursuit of the Emperor.

But the next moment, Si Qi stumbled and was nearly tripped by a flying rock, nearly crashing into a sharp metal blade jutting from the ground.

Chu Feng froze in panic.

Si Qi flipped his body, narrowly avoiding the death strike aimed at his throat, his expression grim.

At that moment, he sensed killing intent seeping in from all directions, as if the entire world harbored immense malice toward him. From the stones at his feet, the drifting leaves in mid-air, to stray bullets flying from afar, and even the very air constantly entering his lungs—everything seemed intent on killing him.

In that split second, he suddenly recalled the intel Igor had once shared with him.

“There’s a strange and unique power that targets anyone who gets close to the Emperor. According to the enforcers who barely escaped, it seems to modify probabilities and manipulate all things…”

In battle, Si Qi tripping on a stone; a sharp blade conveniently appearing exactly where he fell; even someone like him, who is instinctively sensitive to killing intent, now feeling fatal threats from all directions—this all clearly matched Igor’s description.

Si Qi glanced at Chu Feng. Seeing Chu Feng moving normally, seemingly unaffected, he frowned.

Hiding within Si Qi’s consciousness, the noodle-like creature Xiu Xiu—visibly uneasy ever since hearing Igor’s warning yesterday—finally couldn’t help speaking:

[Master, the world is rejecting you!]

Si Qi was annoyed that this evil-god-corrupted thing chose now to distract him, but a deep instinct from his soul still made him subconsciously listen.

[You’ve experienced this before during your previous missions! No matter what you did, you were always targeted! Danger that should’ve been extremely unlikely always happened to you! But the Lord God is immune to this because he’s the child of the world!]

Xiu Xiu urgently added, [Master, please don’t act recklessly now! I don’t have much world power left in me, and I can’t guarantee I can take you to another world if you die! You absolutely must survive!!]

Si Qi didn’t comment. Even if that noodle-like thing hadn’t said anything, he had already decided—until he obtained divine power, he would never allow himself to die so easily.

Xiu Xiu spun nervously in his consciousness space, wanting to help but unsure what to do.

He watched helplessly as Si Qi was rejected by the world, continuously harmed yet refusing to give up. There was almost no part of his body left uninjured.

Tears of sorrow fell one by one from Xiu Xiu’s single eye, landing on the World Tree leaf that was the only thing his master had left him. Instinctively, he tried to wipe away the droplets with his paw, not wanting to soil what now felt like his only source of comfort.

As he wiped, Xiu Xiu’s gaze focused on the leaf. His internal database habitually surfaced countless memories involving his master and the World Tree leaves. Then…

His pitiful expression suddenly froze.

Those rejected and hated by the heavenly laws are struck by lightning.

Although Si Qi had not committed any great atrocities, his soul was so dark and terrifying—its hue even murkier than that of cultists—that once targeted by an emperor wielding divine power, he would inevitably become the first person the world’s laws tried to obliterate.

Golden pillars descended from the sky. Lightning as thick as water tanks crashed down like intelligent serpents, locking onto Si Qi midair, biting into him with unrelenting ferocity. The ground beneath cracked open like an irregular spiderweb.

Fearing that any further delay would be the end of him, the blood-soaked Chu Feng charged at the emperor, who was surrounded by an aura of immense might. The two humans bearing fallen divine power clashed above the ruined palace in a battle so apocalyptic it felt like the end of the world.

“Move!” Si Qi shouted from within the lightning and charged straight at the emperor.

There was no way he could bear the lightning’s might alone. If the heavens wanted him dead, he’d like to see how many strikes this so-called emperor—who had power but no divine essence to anchor it—could withstand!

Boom—!!

Si Qi grabbed the emperor and dragged him together into the pillar of lightning that lit up the sky like daylight. The blinding flash made it impossible to see anything clearly. Even the swirling debris below turned a ghostly white.

Boom—

Si Qi slashed the emperor out of the air and smashed him violently into the ground. His blood-red eyes radiated with the might of the sun god, lightning crackling around him. Chunks of charred flesh fell from his body like burnt coal, quickly regenerating anew. He looked like an unstoppable god of war, raising his greatsword for another heavy strike.

Boom—!!

All the factions hiding throughout the city were paralyzed with fear, trembling as they stared up at the scene. No one could remain calm under such divine wrath. Thunderous roars filled the air, as though the world itself were bellowing in fury, its emotions so intense it seemed ready to annihilate all creation.

Boom—!!

Si Qi’s entire body was in pain. The agony tore through his nerves, driving him to the brink of madness and robbing him of reason. His eyes were red enough to bleed, filled with bloodshot fury as he glared at the man before him. The tip of his sword drove deep into the emperor’s heart, as if piercing through the world’s hardest wall.

“Ahhhh!!” Si Qi roared, gripping his greatsword tighter as the murderous aura around him grew stronger and stronger.

Boom—!!

Lightning struck him again. His bones cracked, his muscles tore open, yet the exposed bones of his hand still clung tightly to the hilt. Si Qi clenched his teeth and drove the sword down with all his strength.

“—Die!!”

The snow-white blade pierced cleanly through the emperor’s flesh and burst out his back. Fresh blood coated the sword. Si Qi’s eyes were savage, and as the emperor howled in rage, he twisted the blade violently.

A head-sized hole appeared in the emperor’s body. The emperor grabbed Si Qi tightly, pulling him down toward the ground and coughing up a mouthful of blood. He shouted in fury, “You’re coming with me!!”

Chu Feng watched as the massive black beast, which could block out the sky, and the vaguely humanoid white figure fell together into the earth. He rushed forward, trying to shield Si Qi from the deathblow.

“Get out of the way!”

Si Qi understood Chu Feng’s intent. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but he felt nothing. One hand plunged into the emperor’s mangled chest and retrieved a flawless white crystal, which he threw back toward Chu Feng. “Go!”

The next moment, the emperor’s body began to surge and ripple wildly, as if an unstable energy core were collapsing and expanding simultaneously. Then it exploded, unleashing a wave of power powerful enough to destroy the world, engulfing Si Qi in an instant.

In just a blink, a massive crater thousands of meters wide appeared in the center of the city. The shockwave sent Chu Feng hurtling hundreds of meters through the air before he barely managed to stabilize himself. His face pale, he stared down at the aftermath, clenched the crystal tightly, and flew downward without hesitation.

“Commander!!!”

At the bottom of the crater, an invisible barrier had wrapped around Si Qi just before the explosion hit. Now, nearly unrecognizable from his injuries, he fell rapidly.

A massive mechanical arm appeared out of thin air and gently caught him in its palm. Then it quickly vanished again, becoming transparent.

Phew. Good thing he made it in time. Xiu Xiu wiped the cold sweat from his brow and let out a long sigh of relief.