High Martial Arts: Liver Becomes the Master of the Universe

Chapter 307 Qin Feng's Deep Seclusion: The Final Battle is Imminent! Bloodbath on the Inner Island!
Meanwhile, in the command hall, as roll call was issued, figures with awe-inspiring power emerged slowly from the shadows of the hall or from their respective secluded training locations.

They were the "hunters" carefully selected by the Allied Forces of Ten Thousand Races for Qin Feng.

The first one to emerge was a burly figure whose entire body was made of dark gold rock.

With each step he took, the entire floor of the hall emitted a dull thud, as if it were not a person walking, but a moving mountain.

His face was ancient and unsightly, and his eyes burned with an inextinguishable flame of hatred. He was none other than Shi Lan, the top prodigy of the Shi Clan, who had suffered several defeats at the hands of Qin Feng and had long regarded him as his lifelong enemy.

He was obsessed with killing Qin Feng.

For him, this hunt was both a mission and a destiny.

The second person to appear was extremely bizarre.

He seemed to emerge from the shadows of the air, without a fixed form, just a constantly twisting and changing mass of darkness.

If one doesn't pay close attention, one might even overlook his existence.

He is the most outstanding assassin of the Shadow Clan, known as the "Shadowless Blade"—Wuhen.

In the environment of the Isle of Death, his tracking and assassination abilities will be brought to their fullest potential.

He was a born hunter, a grim reaper walking in the darkness.

Immediately afterwards, a heavy breathing sound, like the roar of a giant beast, rang out.

A massive figure, almost filling half the hall, walked in.

His body was covered in dark golden scales, and on his back was a huge shell that resembled both a tortoise shell and a mountain range, engraved with natural Dao patterns.

His every step created visible ripples in the space; his pure, brute force seemed capable of crushing everything.

Among the Starry Sky Beasts, there is an elite with a legendary ancient bloodline—the Baxia.

His defense and strength are considered the pinnacle within the realm of divine prohibitions.

It is the ultimate weapon born for frontal assault, an unshakeable bulwark.

The fourth figure is full of the perfect beauty of combining technology and law.

He was a mechanical being, but unlike the intelligence officer, his body was made of an unknown metal as smooth as obsidian, with flowing lines and a powerful presence.

Behind him float twelve energy weapons of various shapes, forming a slowly rotating ring.

His optical sensor flashes not red light, but a pale blue data stream that seems to see through everything.

One of the strongest prodigies among the new generation of the Mechanical Race, codenamed "Judgment".

He possesses analytical abilities comparable to a supercomputer, capable of simulating hundreds of millions of possible battles in an instant and finding the optimal solution.

His strength lies in his precision, efficiency, and flawless execution.

His understanding of formations was profound and thorough.

The fifth person to emerge caused the temperature in the entire hall to drop sharply.

It was a withered figure shrouded in a tattered black robe, its face obscured, only its fingers, like withered branches, protruding from beneath the robe.

He was surrounded by a visible gray mist of death, and the air could even faintly carry the mournful cries of countless souls.

He is an elder of the undead race, an old monster who has lived for countless years, and is proficient in all forbidden spells related to death and soul. His name is Death Seven.

His curse is invisible and intangible, making it impossible to defend against.

He is the natural nemesis of all living beings.

The last one, however, forms the most stark contrast to the Seven Dead.

The moment he appeared, it was as if a miniature sun rose in the hall.

A dazzling, warm, and terrifyingly purifying holy light emanated from his body, completely dispelling the deathly aura brought by Death Seven.

He was dressed in magnificent white armor, with a handsome face, long golden hair that flowed like light, and six pairs of wings made of pure light energy stretching out from his back.

The prince of the Holy Light Clan, known as the "Sword of Dawn"—Dawnlight.

He wields the most yang and powerful holy light in the universe, making him the natural enemy of all negative energies such as the undead and demons.

His existence was precisely to counter certain specific enemies.

Shi Lan, Wu Hen, Ba Xia, Judgment, Si Qi, Chen Guang.

Six top experts from different races and representing different fields stood quietly in the center of the hall.

Any one of them, taken individually, would be a hegemon capable of suppressing a star field.

They were all prodigies who had emerged from countless bloody battles within their respective clans, and were now peak domain lords who had entered the forbidden realm of gods.

At this moment, these six completely different yet equally terrifying and powerful auras converged, forming a terrifying pressure that almost made all beings below the rank of Marquis feel despair.

This is the answer from the Allied Forces of All Races.

Faced with a "monster" that cannot be dealt with by conventional means, they choose to use a team of six even more terrifying "monsters" to carry out an ultimate hunt that is destined to turn the entire outer island of Death Island upside down.

The cold voice of the Prism Emperor gave the final command for the impending storm.

"Find him, and then... kill him at all costs."

The standoff over the Blood Abyss began from this point.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the game, Qin Feng, the prey considered the ultimate target, was not entirely unaware of this.

……

The core of a dead star, a place of absolute desolation enveloped in endless light and heat.

This is the furnace of the universe, a natural and perfect barrier.

At the heart of this furnace, in a simple cave dwelling constructed of unknown divine metal, Qin Feng sat cross-legged.

His body was like an unchanging sculpture, each breath resonating in a mysterious way with the pulse of this dying star.

The purest stellar psionic energy was drawn in and tamed by the invisible force field on his body, turning into trickles that flowed into his limbs and bones.

Deep within his consciousness, in the mental space constructed by the "pure black quality" spiritual power, streams of information were being analyzed and reorganized at an efficiency exceeding the speed of light.

This was precisely the highest-level encrypted intelligence from the undercover agent known as "Thunderbolt."

The intelligence was precisely projected into Qin Feng's consciousness through an extremely secretive subspace channel, traversing a vast distance.

The massive amount of data was categorized and organized in an instant. The strategic contraction of the Allied Forces of Ten Thousand Races, the defensive deployment of the Blood Abyss Base, the remote conference footage of the Emperor-level experts, and even the detailed information of every member of the "Elite Hunting Squad" established specifically for him, were all organized in an orderly manner and transformed into the most intuitive three-dimensional models and information summaries, presented to Qin Feng's "eyes".

Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes, which were as calm and still as an abyss.

The contents of the intelligence did not stir up even the slightest ripple in his heart; there was no astonishment, no solemnity, and certainly no fear.

He simply reviewed it all calmly.

When he saw that the entire army of all races had retreated into the Blood Abyss and abandoned all their outlying island strongholds, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Pity."

A soft sigh echoed in his absolutely silent laboratory.

This sigh was not due to the difficulty in dealing with the gathering of enemy forces, but rather a pure, almost scientist-like regret.

In his plan, he needs to capture at least thirty more high-level domain lords of different races as experimental subjects over the next five hundred years.

These include the "Phantom Spirit Clan," known for their spiritual power; the "Holy Light Clan," which exists in the form of energy; and the "Insect Clan," whose physical structure is the most unique.

The life forms and energy circulation methods of these races are of vital reference value to several key issues concerning "energy conversion efficiency" and "universal physical array inscription" in the theoretical framework of the "Ultimate Secret Technique" that he is building.

He has already identified several potential target squads through "Thunderbolt," and has even simulated the capture routes and methods countless times.

As long as he follows the steps, his progress in perfecting his ultimate secret technique can steadily advance by at least 10% within the next five hundred years.

However, this strategic retreat by the myriad races completely disrupted his research plans.

All the troops assembled in one place, forming a hard tortoise shell.

Finding lone, high-quality test subjects on the outer islands as easily as before has become an impossible task.

This made him somewhat displeased, like a painter who is about to complete a masterpiece only to find that the few paints he needs most have been taken away.

His gaze then fell upon the six names that had been highlighted.

The Stone Clan, Shilan.

Shadow Clan, without a trace.

The colossal cosmic beast, Baxia.

Machine race, judgment.

The Undead, Death Seven.

Holy Light Clan, Dawn.

Behind each name lies detailed information collected by "Thunderbolt" and recorded in the human database.

Their achievements, signature techniques, personality traits, and even potential weaknesses are all listed in detail.

"A hunting squad, huh..."

Qin Feng's fingertips lightly traced Shi Lan's name in the air, his eyes calm and undisturbed.

He gave this team, which could be considered the strongest lineup the Allied Forces of Ten Thousand Races could field at the Domain Lord level, considerable attention, but that was all.

His current strength is far beyond what it was when he first entered the Island of Death.

After more than 1,500 years of secluded training, hunting, and experimentation, his combat system has become nearly perfect.

In terms of defense, the Dao foundation of the Primordial Singularity, combined with his body that has been tempered and refined over thousands of times, has forged a true "immortal body".

Even when facing an attack from these six people, he was absolutely confident that they could not kill him in a short time.

In terms of speed, [Black Sky Wings], based on a thousand times the speed of light, has become even more unpredictable through his continuous comprehension and integration, giving him absolute initiative in both pursuit and escape.

In terms of attack, the extreme penetration of [Inch of Light], combined with the annihilation properties of "Pure Black Quality" spiritual power, is a one-hit kill against any defense under divine restrictions.

Even against the defenses of Shi Lan and Ba Xia, it is enough to pose a threat.

What truly troubled him was that the existence of this team would greatly interfere with his subsequent cultivation.

What he needs most right now is not a fight, but time.

It is a time of absolute silence and undisturbed time, used to complete the final step of the "ultimate secret technique" from theory to practice.

Once the secret technique is initially completed, his strength will experience a true and explosive leap.

At that time, he would have the confidence to truly "slay through" this island of death.

These six hunters, like flies, will undoubtedly become obstacles on his path of cultivation.

They will search tirelessly, explore using various methods, and restrict his movement, forcing him to waste his precious energy on endless hiding and maneuvering.

"We have to change our plans."

Qin Feng's mind raced, and countless solutions were generated, collided, and optimized in his mind. In just a few seconds, a brand new and most reliable plan was formed.

His eyes regained that all-knowing depth and tranquility.

With a thought, piles of rare divine gold ore automatically floated up in the laboratory.

Under his precise mental control, these ores melted, decomposed, and recombined at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Apply eyeliner extensively."

He uttered concise instructions.

Countless tiny, dust-like nanoscale mechanical insects were rapidly created under his will.

The shells of these mechanical insects are made of "void dark matter," a material capable of absorbing most energy fluctuations, and are inscribed with the most advanced "mimicry concealment array."

Their shapes vary, some resemble cosmic dust, some resemble fragmented rock particles, and some can even mimic the distortion of light, blending seamlessly into their environment.

These were the eyes he prepared for the "hunting squad".

With a flick of Qin Feng's finger, an invisible energy wave spread out.

Millions of miniature mechanical avatars, like dandelion seeds, silently pierced the energy barrier of the dying star and drifted with the cosmic storm to every corner of the outer island of the Island of Death and Fall.

They have no offensive capabilities, and not even a decent defensive capability.

Their only function is to "see" and "hear".

They will attach to meteorites, lurk in rift valleys, and float within spatial turbulence, forming an unprecedented and all-pervasive massive intelligence network.

From now on, every move of the "hunting team" will be under the surveillance of this vast network, leaving them nowhere to hide.

After doing all this, Qin Feng activated the communication jade talisman again. This time, he contacted Canglang, the commander-in-chief of the human race's temporary command post.

"Notify Canglang."

An encrypted message was precisely sent into the mountainside.

……

The human race's temporary command post was located inside the mountain, completely hidden by an array.

Commander Canglang stared intently at the human activity area on the central screen, which had been shrunk to its maximum size.

Over the course of 1,500 years, although his warriors avoided large-scale casualties thanks to the intelligence support provided by Qin Feng, sporadic skirmishes still reduced the number of survivors.

Just then, the communication jade talisman in front of him, representing the highest authority, suddenly lit up.

Canglang's spirits lifted, and he immediately answered the call respectfully. It was a communication from "War Commander" Qin Feng.

"Warmaster!"

"The Blue Wolf".

Qin Feng's calm voice rang out, without any pleasantries, going straight to the point: "The strategy of all races has changed, and all troops have retreated to the Blood Abyss. The cleanup plan on the outer islands has been terminated."

Upon hearing this, Canglang was taken aback, then a hint of joy appeared on his face.

This is undoubtedly good news, meaning that the pressure they are under will be greatly reduced.

However, Qin Feng's next words made his heart sink to the bottom.

"...To this end, the Allied Forces of Myriad Races established a 'hunting squad' composed of six peak-level domain lords of the Divine Forbidden Realm, specifically responsible for searching for and hunting me on the outer islands. This is their detailed information."

As soon as he finished speaking, a massive stream of information flooded the command center's light screen.

Shi Lan, Wuhen, Baxia, Judgment, Siqi, Chenguang... six resounding names, along with their despairing battle records and ability analysis, were clearly presented to Canglang and all the high-ranking officers of the command.

The entire command post was deathly silent; even the sound of breathing had ceased.

Each name represents an insurmountable mountain.

Any one of them would be enough to make a peak domain lord of Canglang's level feel troublesome.

And now, there are six! Six of them have joined forces, all to hunt down Qin Feng alone!
"This……"

Canglang's voice was hoarse; he could imagine the terrifying pressure Qin Feng was facing at that moment.

"My order," Qin Feng's voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable authority, "is that from this moment forward, all human teams enter the highest level of 'silent stealth' status. Restrict all activity areas, conceal all traces of your presence, and absolutely prohibit any form of contact with the outside world. Your mission is to hide."

"Until I lift the order, even if the troops of all races pass by your hideout, you are absolutely not allowed to attack unless you are discovered!"

"What you have to do is to treat yourselves as a stone, a speck of dust, and completely 'disappear' from this battlefield."

Qin Feng's order was resolute and thorough.

He wanted to eliminate all uncontrollable factors and create a relatively safe external environment for himself.

Canglang took a deep breath, his chest filled with helplessness and worry.

He wanted to say, "Let us share the burden with you," but reason told him that with their limited strength, facing those six divine geniuses would be like throwing an egg against a rock, and they would only become a burden to Qin Feng.

He straightened his spine, which had been hunched for a thousand years, and, with all his might, roared his reply to the communication jade talisman:

"Yes! I will obey the commander's orders!"

After cutting off the communication, Canglang immediately turned around and issued a series of orders to his generals.

Commands were swiftly relayed, and the remaining human sparks scattered throughout the Isle of Death began to enter their deepest levels of concealment at breakneck speed. Meanwhile, within the core of the dead star, Qin Feng, having completed all these arrangements, slowly rose to his feet.

"Then... I will go into deep seclusion and will not make a move until I break through to the Domain Lord level."

He walked to the end of the laboratory.

At the same time, he pushed the entire laboratory's defensive array to its limit.

The entrance to the cave was completely sealed off by tens of thousands of arrays, temporarily severing all contact with the outside world, leaving only a one-way channel for receiving intelligence.

This dying star will become his strongest fortress during his seclusion.

At the same time, countless eyes were watching the movements of the six peak-level Divine Forbidden Domain Lords. If there was any possibility of being discovered, Qin Feng would immediately flee.

His speed was a huge advantage, and he was no slower than these six terrifying prodigies.

Qin Feng returned to the center of the cave, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

This time, he will completely immerse himself in his own world of martial arts.

He wanted to fuse all the knowledge, experimental data, and combat insights accumulated over the past 1,500 years into one, and put it into practice with his already completed "Ultimate Secret Technique" theoretical template, while also creating a large number of formations!
This is a great project that moves from "theory" to "reality".

His mind was completely absorbed into his body.

……

Time, on this forgotten land of the Isle of Death, has once again lost its measure.

As the million-strong army of all races retreated to the Blood Abyss like a tidal wave, and as the last survivors of the human race completely disappeared, the vast outer island region of the Island of Death and Fall fell into an unprecedented and eerie silence.

The fighting and explosions that were once commonplace have disappeared.

The energy surges that used to erupt from time to time have subsided.

The vast and boundless meteorite belt, the silent ruins and plains, and the deep and dark canyons and fissures all seem to have returned to their most primitive and unchanging state of death.

However, beneath this deathly silence, six figures, like lonely death gods, tirelessly roam.

At the summit of the blood-red mountain range, Shi Lan's imposing figure stood silently.

His feet seemed to merge with the entire earth, and his boundless divine thoughts, mixed with the fluctuations of the earth's laws, swept across every inch of land within hundreds of millions of miles like mercury spilling across the ground.

He was sensing, sensing any life stirring that did not belong to this land.

His eyes were filled with determination and perseverance.

The reason is simple: he smelled the aura of the Stone Buddha on Qin Feng… Of the many disciples of the Grand Elder of the Tantric Sect, only one could survive, and that one would have to face the Grand Elder's attempt to possess him…

Shi Lan felt that she had to live to the end.

The Stone Buddha entrusted Qin Feng to kill him, so he must kill Qin Feng!

In a void shrouded in eternal shadow, the Shadow Clan's Unseen form almost completely merges with the darkness.

He did not release any aura, nor even a trace of divine thought.

He floated there quietly, like a non-existent shadow.

His way of perceiving is different; he is listening to the lament of space.

Any high-speed movement or any covert teleportation will leave "ripples" in space that are imperceptible to mortals, and he is the ultimate hunter who chases these "ripples".

On the vast, ruined plains, the colossal star beast Baxia, now in its true form, moved with extreme brutality.

His body, as large as a continent, would cause violent earthquakes with every movement.

He trampled over this land inch by inch in the most primitive and unreasonable way.

Any possible hiding place, whether in a meteorite crater or an underground cave, was razed to the ground by his unreasonable trampling.

He believed that in the face of absolute power, all pretense was meaningless.

In the cold, icy expanse of space, the Machine Race's judgment reveals a different style of search.

His body remained motionless, like a cold metal statue.

But from his body emerged hundreds of millions of detectors, smaller than dust particles. These detectors formed a vast array, conducting a comprehensive scan and analysis of every inch of space across thousands of dimensions, including energy, matter, soul, and information.

His mind, like the most sophisticated supercomputer, processed massive amounts of data, trying to find that unusual "variable" in this deathly silence.

In another region, the bizarre combination of Death Seven of the Necromancer Clan and Dawn of the Holy Light Clan forms a clearly defined domain.

Death Seven was surrounded by a visible gray aura of death.

Wherever this aura passed, everything withered, and even the light dimmed.

He was using the laws of death to sense the existence of "life".

In his ultimate realm of death, every living being will be as conspicuous as a torch in the night.

In stark contrast to him, Chenguang radiated a holy light as brilliant as the sun.

His light is supremely yang and powerful, purifying all evil and dispelling all shadows.

Qin Feng, that kind of "fierce god" who has killed countless people, must be covered with endless evil energy and resentment. Under the illumination of his holy light, he will have nowhere to hide.

Death and holy light, one dark and one bright, one positive and one negative, weave a net of heaven and earth in a peculiar and complementary way.

These six geniuses, who stood at the peak of the Domain Lord level, used every method they could think of.

However, the Isle of Death suppresses the range of mental energy detection, which means that even for them, the detection speed is still very slow.

The Island of Death is too vast.

Their search lasted a year, ten years, a hundred years...

Time seemed meaningless in this contest of patience.

They were like six most persistent fishermen, casting their nets day after day in a seemingly empty Dead Sea, waiting for the one and only big fish to reveal even the slightest trace of itself.

Their target, Qin Feng, had long been isolated from the outside world.

Deep within the inaccessible core of the dead star, he had already immersed himself in the deepest level of cultivation.

His consciousness was completely contained within his body.

Under his "inner vision," his body had transformed into a vast universe.

Billions of cells are like stars in the universe.

The ever-flowing blood is the Milky Way that runs through the starry sky.

Muscles, bones, internal organs, meridians... these are the basic laws and framework that constitute this universe.

At this moment, he is using the [Primordial Singularity] as the core, his "pure black quality" spiritual power as the chisel, and his own endless knowledge reserves as the blueprint, to carry out a vast project that is unprecedented and unparalleled in the future within this "inner universe".

Under his precise control, basic formations were inscribed on different internal organs and meridian nodes.

"Spirit Gathering Array", "Body Refining Array", "Transformation Array", "Fortification Array"...

Tens of millions of basic formations, each with different functions, were lit up one by one within his body, like stars.

This is an incredibly tedious process that demands an outrageously high level of precision.

Any slight mistake could lead to an energy conflict, which could result in the loss of all previous efforts or even physical collapse.

But Qin Feng's heart remained as calm as an ancient, frozen lake.

His "pure black quality" spiritual power allowed him to reach the pinnacle of his thinking ability and control.

His three secondary skills—array formation, weapon crafting, and medicine—were already comparable to those of a Domain Lord, providing a solid theoretical foundation for this transformation.

Time, in this extreme confrontation between internal and external movement and stillness, flows by second by second.

The tranquility of the Island of Death is the last gasp before the storm arrives.

Everyone knows that whether the hunter finds the prey first, or the prey breaks free from its prey's defenses... the moment this tranquility is shattered will be earth-shattering.

This will surely be the final prelude to the thousand-year-long war on the Dead Island.

……

The inner island of the Island of Death and Fall.

Words cannot accurately describe the desolation and ruin of this world; it is more like a graveyard completely abandoned by the Great Dao, a scene of annihilation that will only appear after the end of the universe.

The sky was neither azure nor pitch black, but a muted purple tinged with endless years of resentment and hatred.

Above that purple sky, what floated were not clouds or stars, but enormous fragments of star debris large enough to block out the light of day.

They hovered there silently, their sharp edges still gleaming with the embers of long-cooled star cores at their broken ends, like tombstones abandoned here after the defeat of ancient gods and demons, silently telling of their once earth-shattering glory and their current eternal stillness.

The outlines of mountains and rivers have long since disappeared from the earth.

Instead, there are vast, boundless ravines, through which flow not liquid rivers, but the "Tragedy of the Dao Seal," formed by the convergence of pure, violent, and conflicting chaotic energy.

The energy torrent was viscous and slow, sometimes displaying dazzling colors like glass, and sometimes transforming into pitch black that devoured all light. With each flow, it caused ripples to appear in the surrounding space.

Any life form below the rank of Marquis, even if only slightly touched by its aura, will have its soul and body completely decomposed in an instant, erasing all traces of its existence and turning into the purest nothingness, leaving not even a speck of dust behind.

There is no longer any so-called "spiritual energy" in this world.

The air was filled with fragments of Dao seals scattered from the fall of countless powerful beings over billions of years, as well as an eternally lingering aura of slaughter.

These Dao seal fragments are as sharp as divine weapons. With each breath, it feels as if billions of invisible knives are swallowed into the lungs, cutting wildly within the body.

Ordinary creatures here would be pulverized from the inside out in the blink of an eye.

Only those at the Marquis level can barely resist this ever-present erosion by relying on the Dao Seal they have condensed. But even they find it difficult to move forward, as the rate of consumption is hundreds or thousands of times that of the outside world.

In the very center of this desolate land, on a massive fragment that drifted here after collapsing from some unknown world, stands a solitary city.

This city is named "Unyielding".

It is the last and only line of defense for the human race on this inner island.

The city's foundation is that huge fragment of the world, the edges of which still retain long-dead mountains and dried-up riverbeds.

The materials used to build those towering city walls were enough to drive any major power in the outside world mad.

It was made primarily from the immortal remains of powerful marquises who died here throughout human history, crushed and then fused with several of the hardest divine metals in the universe.

The walls are entirely dark gold in color, and upon closer inspection, one can see the faint outlines of bones within the divine gold.

Every brick in the wall gleams with the indomitable fighting spirit of the fallen heroes, and even after thousands of years, the sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses still faintly echo within it.

However, this magnificent city, which symbolizes an indomitable will, is now scarred and battered.

Huge claw marks were deeply etched into the city wall, as if to tear the entire city apart; terrifying fist marks were branded on it, and the surrounding laws are still being annihilated to this day.

There were also some grotesque cracks that stretched from the top of the city wall all the way to the bottom, as if it would collapse completely at any moment.

The walls were already covered with layers of dark bloodstains, the blood of those who had been enfeoffed as marquises of all races, and the blood of human heroes. They were indistinguishable from one another, and had solidified into the most shocking medals on this desperate battlefield.

The city was deathly silent.

The towering buildings had long since collapsed in the continuous warfare, and among the ruins, not a single ordinary soldier could be seen alive.

On this inner island, those below the rank of marquis are all ants, not even qualified to survive.

This place is a blood and flesh millstone belonging to the highest combat power of a race.

In the center of the city, the only thing that remains relatively intact is a central temple carved from a single piece of obsidian.

Inside the temple, the atmosphere was as oppressive as solidified steel.

Dozens of figures stood or sat quietly. Each of them was once a powerful figure at the Marquis level, who could hold sway over a star field in the universe and command the awe of billions of living beings.

But at this moment, they looked like a group of wounded soldiers who had just crawled out of a pool of blood.

The one seated at the head of the table was the supreme commander of the human race in this area, Lord Qingtian.

He was a gaunt old man with eyes that seemed to hold the sun, moon, and stars, and whose aura was profound and unfathomable.

However, beneath his wide battle robe, the left sleeve was empty. His arm had been severed thousands of years ago in a bloody battle by three marquises from myriad races using a forbidden weapon. To this day, the wound is still entwined with a strange Dao seal, preventing it from regenerating.

He simply sat there quietly, like an ancient sacred mountain about to collapse, still majestic, yet filled with the desolation of a hero's end.

To his left was a burly man, as imposing as an iron tower, Marquis Liewu.

His personality was just like his title: fiery and fierce, as if his whole body was wrapped in an inextinguishable flame of war, scorching the surrounding void and causing it to distort slightly.

However, the left half of his powerful body had turned completely charred black, corroded by the primordial demonic energy of a demonic lord from the abyss. Even with his overwhelming battle fire, he could not completely expel it, but could only barely suppress it.

The demonic energy clung to him like a maggot, constantly devouring his life essence.

On the other side was a female marquis dressed in palace attire, with an expression as cold as ancient ice, known as the Marquis of Iceheart.

Her path was the ultimate path of freezing, and her eyes seemed to hold the first wisp of cold air from the beginning of the universe.

But if you look closely, you can find a trace of sorrow that can never be melted away in the depths of that frozen place.

Her Daoist partner, in order to cover her during the last great battle, self-destructed his Marquis-level Origin Dao Seal, perishing together with five great enemies.

Inside the temple, including the Marquis of Qingtian, only thirty-seven human marquises remained.

They are the last spark of hope left by humanity in this land of death, and the last guardians of the graveyard.

Each of them was severely wounded, their paths broken, and their auras weak and feeble, like candles flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment. Yet their eyes remained as sharp as unsheathed swords, piercing the heavens with their brilliance.

After a long silence, Qingtianhou's hoarse voice slowly rang out, each word seemingly uttered with all his strength: "The last batch of resurrection marks sent from the outer islands... were used up in the last great battle."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like an invisible hammer, striking everyone's heart hard.

The mark of resurrection is their only solace in dire straits, and their greatest source of confidence to risk their lives for others.

Now, even that last bit of confidence has been exhausted.

This means that the next fall will be a true death and annihilation, with no possibility of a second chance.

The atmosphere inside the temple instantly became several times more oppressive.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Marquis Liewu slammed his intact hand onto the jade table in front of him, causing the entire temple to tremble.

He abruptly stood up, demonic energy surging from half of his charred body, his crimson eyes burning with raging fury: "So what if you've exhausted your strength! Then let's fight! My human race, from the primordial chaos to the present day, has never had a coward who surrendered without a fight!"

His voice boomed like thunder, echoing throughout the temple with an indomitable and tragic intensity: "Without the resurrection mark, I'll kill even more satisfyingly! A head lost leaves a scar big enough to fill a bowl! Even if I self-destruct before I die, I'll take three or five bastards from all races with me! One is enough to make it worthwhile, two will be more than enough!"

His roar ignited the fighting spirit that had been suppressed by despair in everyone's hearts.

"Well said! Marquis Liewu, count me in!"

"Death is death, what is there to fear!"

Bingxin Hou did not speak; she simply raised her delicate hand, and a crystal snowflake gathered and drifted away in her palm.

Her clear, cold voice rang out, tinged with a barely perceptible tremor and a hint of anticipation: "We... have held out here for ninety thousand years... the children on the outer islands should... have been safely evacuated by now..."

Her gaze drifted beyond the temple, as if trying to pierce through this shattered world and see the starry sky of her homeland, a place she could never return to.

These old folks died here without complaint or regret, only hoping that the young sparks of humanity could escape and continue the hope for the future of humankind.

Everyone was silent.

Lord Qingtian closed his eyes, and after a moment, he slowly opened them.

His eyes had regained their calm, stillness, a calmness born from having seen through life and death and disregarding everything else.

"we do not know."

He said slowly, "The passage to the outside world has long been sealed off by all races. Our connection with the outside world was completely severed 30,000 years ago. But,"

He then changed the subject, his voice hoarse but each word resounding with undeniable power: "We must believe that our perseverance and our sacrifices are meaningful!"
Every extra day we hold on here is a chance for the future of humanity to catch its breath!

We are the human race's defense line, the backbone of the human race!
As long as we stand here, the armies of all races will not be able to seize even a single fragment of the universe!

He slowly stood up, and his crippled body appeared incredibly majestic at that moment.

He looked around at each of his wounded comrades in the hall, his eyes filled with boundless respect and determination.

"Gentlemen, prepare for... a fight to the death."

(End of this chapter)