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Chapter 275 Symphony of Flesh and Blood (Part 9) (Please vote with monthly tickets!)

Boom-! ! ! !

The divine beam of light struck the massive, mountain-like chest of Han Jie Ming Tuo with perfect precision!

Time seemed to freeze for a moment at that instant.

Next!

*Sizzle!*

A piercing, chilling tearing sound suddenly erupted.

The chest of the Cold Jade Nether Beast, covered with a layer of keratin as hard as ten thousand years of black ice, was like a hot knife cutting into solidified grease in front of the Divine Firmament pillar of light.

For the first time, those two enormous, blood-moon-like eyes erupted with pain beyond measure and unbelievable horror.

The moment the divine pillar of light struck its body, it unleashed its unimaginable fighting instincts and terrifying power.

He forcefully pulled the dark stone tablet that was on his back to his chest.

This ancient stone tablet, exuding an aura that suppressed all things, became its final shield.

however.

Useless!

The Divine Firmament Light Pillar slammed into the dark stone tablet!

The deep, naturally cracked surface of the stone tablet instantly lit up with a dazzling light, and countless ancient and mysterious rune phantoms swirled wildly, trying to resist the power of judgment from the heavens.

Stalemate!

The standoff lasted less than half a second!
Snap! Snap snap—!!!
A series of teeth-grinding cracking sounds rang out!

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the black stone tablet, and the flowing rune phantoms flickered like candles in the wind, eventually dimming and collapsing completely.

boom! ! !
The stone tablet was forcibly split in two!

The massive wreckage, split in two and carrying terrifying kinetic energy, crashed into the ice fields on either side like two falling black stars, causing a deafening roar and carving out two bottomless ravines.

The divine pillar of light showed no signs of diminishing!

It pierced deeply into the chest of the cold, dark-faced monk who had lost the protection of the stone tablet.

laugh--! ! !
The stench of burning flesh filled the air instantly!
The hard, bluish-gray skin was pierced through like a piece of paper.

A terrifying, charred hole, more than ten meters in diameter, appeared prominently in the center of its mountain-like chest.

The flesh at the edges flowed and dripped like molten lava, only to be burned to ashes by the remaining golden arcs of electricity!

Deep inside the wound.

You can even see bones that have been charred black as well.

“Ouch——!!!”

Han Jie Ming Tuo let out the most painful scream since the start of the war.

The earthquake caused the entire ice field to groan in pain.

Its massive body staggered backward uncontrollably, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer.

But the most fatal blow.

The injury was not from the chest.

It was the right hand that was tightly gripping Jiang Taixuan.

The instant the black stone tablet shattered, a bolt of lightning separated from the raging pillar of lightning.

It swept past the huge right palm and wrist of Han Jie Ming Tuo at an extremely tricky angle.

Pfft——! ! !
Thick, bluish-gray blood mixed with instantly carbonized bone fragments splattered.

The giant hand, as large as a small hill, along with Jiang Taixuan curled up in its palm, was struck by this condensed lightning.
Sever it at the wrist!

The severed hand, carrying immense momentum, plummeted like a meteorite into the deep glacial fissure below!
"Uhhh-!!!"

Jiang Taixuan's inhuman screams, mixed with Han Jiemingtuo's painful roars, echoed across the vast ice plain, as mournful as a dirge from hell!
Five seconds!

From the moment Jiu disappeared to the moment the Thunder Dragon erupted and severed the giant hand.
The timing was so precise, it was as if it had been calculated by fate!

Five seconds have passed.

Om-! ! !
Two figures, as if repainted from a frozen painting, reappeared in the same spot without warning.

Above the enormous head of the Han Jie Ming Tuo.

The Heavenly Maiden Ba, her crimson skirt like fire, her red hair flowing, her peerless beauty reappeared.

The languid amusement that had been in her bloodshot eyes had vanished, replaced by an obvious displeasure.

It's like being interrupted by an inconsiderate noise while enjoying a wonderful play.

As her gaze, imbued with divine authority, swept across the icy plains below.
This displeasure instantly turned into cold indifference.

The colossal beast beneath her, as large as a mountain, had a terrifying, deep wound on its chest, revealing bone and crackling with golden arcs of electricity, from which bluish-gray blood gushed forth.

At the severed right wrist, the massive cut was as smooth as a mirror, charred black, and also wreathed in destructive golden lightning, preventing the regeneration of flesh and blood.

Painful roars were constantly emanating from deep within the beast's throat.

Jiang Taixuan, whom she had just saved, along with his severed hand, had vanished without a trace, his whereabouts unknown.

a mess!
The woman's gaze slowly rose, passing over the raging wind and snow, and finally landed on Fang Qingyu, who was hovering in mid-air in the distance, his phantom of a thunder dragon slowly dissipating, his aura fluctuating violently, yet he still stood upright like a javelin.

Deep within his crimson pupils, a chilling killing intent, like a tangible cold current, instantly spread out!
Her red lips parted slightly, as if she were about to deliver a divine judgment.

However.
At this critical moment!
Om-! ! !
Without warning, an extremely subtle ripple spread across the void between Fang Qingyu and the Heavenly Maiden Ba.

Like the water surface where a stone is thrown.

Immediately afterwards, two figures appeared silently, as if emerging from the ripples of water.

One male and one female.

The man was tall and strong, wearing a faded old-fashioned military uniform, and his face was as hard as if it had been carved by a knife and axe.

Just by standing there casually, a majestic and imposing aura, as powerful as a mountain, emanates from him.

The woman was dressed in an elegant white robe, with a beautiful and refined appearance, and a gentle demeanor that carried a hint of the poise of someone who had long held a high position.

His gaze was clear and profound, as if it contained endless wisdom and a sense of history.

She stood quietly half a step to the side of the burly man, her gaze softening as she looked at Fang Qingyu, carrying a hint of barely perceptible concern and approval.

The two of them were positioned perfectly between Fang Qingyu and Tiannvba.

Their stance is self-evident.

The woman's crimson pupils narrowed slightly as her gaze swept over the two people who had suddenly appeared, lingering for a moment, especially on the burly, mountain-like man in military uniform.

The cold indifference on his face vanished instantly, like ice melting away.

A languid smile, enough to captivate all, returned to the corners of her mouth, like spring returning to the earth.

She even extended her slender finger and gently tapped Jiu below, whose face remained expressionless, her voice carrying just the right amount of grievance:

"She was the one who started it!"

The woman's smile was mischievous, like that of a little girl tattles.

"You can't blame me."

The burly, mountain-like man in military uniform slowly raised his head upon hearing this.

He didn't look at Jiu, but stared straight at the peerless figure above Han Jieming's head.

There was no anger or sarcasm in his eyes, only a calm as still as ice.

It is this calm that contains a pressure heavier than any roar.

He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it was like the clanging of metal, clearly piercing through the wind and snow.

"Without rules, nothing can be accomplished."

With each word spoken, the surrounding air seemed to grow heavier.

"this time."

The man in military uniform fixed his gaze on Tiannvba's smiling crimson eyes.

"You've crossed the line."

The moment the words fell!
He slowly raised his calloused right hand, which had been hanging by his side.

There was no earth-shattering burst of energy.

But the very act of raising that hand seemed to be pulling at the weight of the entire world.

In the palm of his hand, a point of pure, intense red light began to condense.

The woman's languid smile froze instantly.

For the first time, a clear sense of apprehension flashed deep within his crimson eyes!

"you!"

Her red lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something.

however!
At this critical moment when tensions were high and it seemed as if a war between the gods was about to break out at any moment.

a voice.

Without any warning.
The sound echoed from the ice field.

"So be it."

The sound did not come from the sky.

Instead, it comes from
Beneath the cold, dark steps of the cloak lay the frozen earth shrouded in a massive shadow.

All that could be seen was the relatively flat ice surface where the giant beast had stood.
A shadow!
It has no thickness, no solid form; it is just a flat, pitch-black surface.

now
This shadow actually defied the laws of light and shadow, ignoring the existence of the real body.
Slowly.
He "stood up"!

It resembles a black paper figure forcibly pulled up, peeled off the ice, and standing upright.

Then, it slowly raised its head, which was also made of dark ink.

The gaze is drawn to the two sides facing off in the air.

That utterly indifferent voice emanated from this two-dimensional "shadow":

"Although she used force..."

The shadow's gaze seemed to fall on the drought demon.

"But her people."

The shadow paused slightly, and the "head" made of thick ink seemed to turn towards the charred wound on Han Jiemingtuo's severed wrist.

"He was also killed by your people."

The shadow's voice was flat and emotionless, as if stating a given fact.

That's all.

"Even if both are cleared up."

"."

Deathly silence once again enveloped the icy plains.

The man in military uniform paused slightly with his raised right hand. The red light gathered in his palm did not dissipate, but the terrifying aura that was about to erupt faltered.

His gaze slowly descended, landing on the eerie two-dimensional shadow on the ice surface.

His eyes revealed an undisguised deep-seated disgust and revulsion.
It was as if I had seen the most filthy thing in the world, the thing that should never exist.

The man in military uniform frowned deeply and stared at the shadow for a full three seconds.

finally.

He squeezed out a single word coldly from between his teeth:

"roll!"

The shadow seemed oblivious to the man in military uniform's malicious gaze and cold rebuke.

The head, made of thick ink, turned slightly, as if glancing at the woman, and nodded very lightly.

immediately.

The standing two-dimensional black shadow was as if it had been pressed back onto the ice by an invisible hand.

The action of standing up was played in reverse.

He lay back down on the frozen ground covered by a huge shadow.

It was still that shadow belonging to Han Jieming Tuo.

It was as if that bizarre scene had never happened.

Tiannvba looked at the spot where the shadow disappeared, a complex emotion flashing deep in her crimson eyes, which then turned into a languid look.

She looked again at the man in military uniform and the woman in white beside him, a perfectly measured hint of resentment appearing on her exquisite face, as if her feelings had been betrayed:

"Ugh, how boring."

She waved her pale hand lazily, as if to dispel some worries.

"Then I'll be going now?"

As he spoke, he lightly touched the air with his bare feet. The huge Han Jie Ming Tuo beneath him seemed to receive a silent command. Despite the excruciating pain in his severed wrist and chest, the massive head slowly turned to the north, and the huge feet, as thick as pillars of heaven, lifted up, ready to take a step.

however.

Just as Han Jie Ming Tuo was about to take his first step.

As if suddenly remembering something, Tiannvba turned her head again.

Those crimson eyes, like molten lava and containing endless starlight, passed over the man in military uniform and the woman in white robes, and landed precisely on Fang Qingyu, whose breathing had not yet calmed down in the distance.

On her stunningly beautiful face, a smile that could captivate all beings bloomed once more.

Her red lips parted slightly, and her voice was languid and melodious, like a lover's whisper:

"Little guy"

"You're lucky this time."

"If it weren't for the fact that you took care of 'her' for a period of time..."

Tiannvba paused slightly, her smile deepening, but a murderous intent suddenly seeped into her languid tone.

"hehe."

After a soft, ambiguous laugh, the woman vanished completely.

Fang Qingyu's pupils suddenly contracted.

It wasn't because of that blatant threat.

It was because of the information revealed in the other person's words.

“'Her'?! Taking care of?!”

Jiang Wei!!!

How could she know Jiang Wei?! And even know that she had taken care of her?!
A chilling sensation instantly shot from Fang Qingyu's tailbone to the top of his head.

How is Jiang Wei doing now?!
She forcibly activated the Crimson Blaze's source; will she become weak and unconscious?
A wave of immense worry washed over Fang Qingyu like an icy tide.

Ignoring the current stalemate and the terrifying god, he suddenly turned around, ready to unleash the divine power beneath his feet, preparing to return to the place he had come from.

"and many more!"

A steady, powerful hand, with an irresistible force, gently pressed down on Fang Qingyu's shoulder.

It was that burly man in military uniform.

He had appeared silently beside Fang Qingyu without anyone noticing.

"Kid, what's the panic?" The man's deep voice rang out, carrying a strange, reassuring quality.

"Do not worry."

He glanced at the direction where the Northern Heavenly Maiden Ba and the Cold Jade Nether Cart had disappeared, then looked at Fang Qingyu, his tone resolute.

"Your people are all safe."

Fang Qingyu's tense body relaxed slightly, but the doubt in his eyes did not completely disappear.

The man in military uniform pointed in the direction where the drought demon had disappeared.

“Our people spotted her the moment she showed up in her lair.”

“We just kept chasing her, making her run this way.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Qingyu was deeply shocked!
Are you chasing after a deity?
He suddenly looked at the man in front of him, dressed in an old-fashioned military uniform, whose aura was as heavy as a mountain, and then at the woman in a white robe with a gentle and graceful demeanor not far away.

The two of them held the same title.

【Martial Lord】

They are all fourth-tier beings!

Who are these two people?!

Seemingly noticing the shock and confusion in Fang Qingyu's eyes, the woman in white smiled slightly, took a few light steps, and came to stand in front of Fang Qingyu.

Her smile was gentle and kind, like a spring breeze.

"Thank you very much this time, Captain Fang."

The woman's voice was clear and melodious, filled with heartfelt gratitude.

"Thank me?"

Fang Qingyu was taken aback, and even more puzzled.

It was clearly the other party who appeared, forced back the Heavenly Maiden Ba, and averted his life-or-death crisis, so why should he thank him instead?
The woman smiled and nodded, looking gently at Fang Qingyu, and formally introduced him:
"My name is Jiang Ying."

Jiang Ying!

The current head of the Jiang family in Liuli Guangcheng!

One of the most important giants on the Arctic front.

Fang Qingyu's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately realized why the other party had appeared at this moment.

But doubts welled up in my mind again.

Why doesn't Jiang Ying personally take action to clean up the mess?
Jiang Ying easily understood the question in Fang Qingyu's eyes.

The smile on her face faded slightly, replaced by a hint of seriousness and helplessness, and she said softly:

"Actually, if you had arrived just one step later..."

Jiang Ying's gaze fell upon the huge charred slash mark and scattered stones and bloodstains on the ice field below.

"Jiang Taixuan is dead."

"Killing Jiang Taixuan is not difficult. The difficulty lies in how to quell the doubts and anger of the entire Arctic front, especially those older generation of strongmen who fought alongside him and regarded him as their spiritual pillar!"

"This is not something that a few photos or videos can make everyone believe that the hero in their hearts has long since degenerated into a monster that feeds on the flesh and blood of its own kind!"

"This will take time. It will require irrefutable evidence. It will require uprooting the entire criminal network that is dependent on him and involved in his activities! It will require all those who have been deceived to witness the bloody truth!"

"The complete chain of evidence has only recently been formed."

Jiang Ying's tone carried a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.

“I was originally prepared to personally take action to clean house and, at the same time, use swift and decisive measures to rectify the family and give an explanation to the entire Arctic front.”

She changed the subject, turning her gaze back to the man in military uniform beside her with a hint of inquiry.

"It's Old Master Hong."

The man in military uniform took over the conversation, his voice deep and resonant.

The old man said

"There aren't that many stages in this world."

"Only life and death."

His voice paused, as if repeating a resounding proverb.

He felt

"A voracious appetite is a good testing ground for you young people."

Fang Qingyu's lips twitched slightly as he listened.

This is very much in line with the old man's personality.

It was just as I had guessed.

However, this is indeed a great way to train a person.

Strength is one thing
Hero or sinner, it's all a matter of a single thought.

Participating in it genuinely brings a lot of insights.

This was at least the first time Fang Qingyu had shown such obvious killing intent.

Then, Fang Qingyu took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent emotions, and solemnly clasped his hands in greeting to the man in military uniform and Jiang Ying:

"Thank you both very much this time."

The man in military uniform simply nodded slightly in response.

Jiang Ying smiled gently and said, "Captain Fang, you don't need to be so polite. You have rid Liuli Guangcheng of a great scourge. It is my Jiang family who should be thanking you."

Fang Qingyu nodded, his gaze sweeping across the ravaged battlefield below, finally settling on the area where his giant hand, severed from his grasp, had crashed into the edge of a glacial fissure, sending up countless shards of ice and rocks.

With a swift movement, he transformed into a bolt of lightning and fell.

Hong Zhenyue and Jiang Ying exchanged a glance and followed.

Amidst a pile of ice and rock fragments shattered by the immense impact, a severed hand, covered in dark red scales and charred and festering, was deeply embedded.

Within the lines of the severed palm, a figure with only the upper half of its body was curled up.

It was Jiang Taixuan!
His lower body, along with his legs, had already been reduced to dust in the terrifying impact of the Thunder Dragon's attack and the subsequent fall from the sky.

Its remaining upper body was also badly damaged, its chest was sunken, and its left arm was completely corroded into a deathly gray by the eerie blue cold air, like an ice sculpture.

Only the withered head remained "intact" because Fang Qingyu deliberately avoided the final condensed lightning bolt.

Even though Jiang Taixuan was dead at this moment...
The remaining cloudy eyeball was still filled with resentment, unwillingness, and a deep-seated fear.

Fang Qingyu walked forward expressionlessly, ignoring the venomous gaze, and reached out his hand, which was covered with faint lightning, to grab Jiang Taixuan's blood-stained head.

"What are you doing?!"

Seeing this, Jiang Ying asked curiously.

Hong Zhenyue also cast an inquiring glance his way.

Fang Qingyu, holding Jiang Taixuan's head, turned around and said softly with a smile.

"This battle was never fought by me alone."

"Little Jiang Wei, inside the stomach of the Taotie, single-handedly held off the Taotie Blood Shadow, preventing Jiang Taixuan from having the opportunity to devour flesh and blood to strengthen himself. Otherwise, none of us would have survived to the end."

"And Jiang Chengyue."

"He was inside the city, blocking Jiang Taixuan's men."

Fang Qingyu paused, then picked up the head in his hand, which still exuded an aura of decay and resentment.

"So I think it's necessary to take something back to let them know that what they did was not in vain."

"The head of a sinner"

"It will always be better than simply calling it a mission."

"It carries more weight, doesn't it?"

……

The plaza in front of the City Lord's Mansion in Liuliguang City.

Time seemed to freeze amidst the bloodshed and desolation.

The wide ground was no longer smooth.

Everywhere were charred craters left by energy bombardment, deep scratches from sword cuts, and large splatters of blood that had frozen into dark red ice crystals.

Dozens of figures, like blood-stained reefs.

It remained firmly anchored on the main road leading from the city lord's mansion to the outside world.

The person in the lead was none other than Jiang Chengyue!

His combat uniform was already soaked in blood, which had congealed into a dark brown color.

A deep, bone-revealing knife wound slashed diagonally from the left shoulder to the right rib. Beneath the tattered clothes, the rolled-up flesh and broken bone fragments were clearly visible, frozen white by the cold air.

Jiang Chengyue leaned on an ancient, nicked longsword, its tip deeply embedded in the blood-stained crystal ground, supporting his swaying body.

Each heavy breath.

All of this aggravated the horrific wound on his chest, bringing excruciating pain and gushing blood.

But he still stood tall!

Those bloodshot eyes were fixed intently on what was ahead!

Behind him were dozens of his comrades, who were also covered in blood.

There were men in worn-out garrison uniforms and members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' grassroots patrol teams.
At this moment, almost everyone was injured, supporting each other, leaning or sitting.

Some had even fainted and had to be carried to the back by their companions.

Many were seriously injured and weak, yet miraculously, not a single one collapsed.

No one died.

"Jiang Chengyue!!!"

A hysterical, frenzied roar shattered the deathly silence of the square.

Jiang Hongyuan stood less than 20 meters from the defensive line, looking like a madman!

His uniform, a symbol of his high position in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was also stained with blood. His hair was disheveled, and his face bore several bloody scratches from flying shards of stone.

The group behind them had dwindled from its initial imposing size to less than twenty people!
Moreover, they were all wounded, their morale was low, and their faces were filled with exhaustion, fear, and a hint of wavering.

What terrified Jiang Hongyuan even more was that many of his original men had quietly left the group and stood at a distance, watching silently.

Photo!

Those damn photos!
Time passes minute by minute.

Every second felt like a red-hot branding iron, searing into Jiang Hongyuan's heart.

He could almost see the patriarch's furious face and his own tragic end!
"You damned traitor! A disgrace to the family!"

Jiang Hongyuan pointed at Jiang Chengyue, his fingers trembling violently with extreme anger, his voice hoarse like a broken gong.

"If anything were to happen to the Ancestor, even the slightest thing!!!"

His eyes were bloodshot and filled with despair. His voice suddenly rose, filled with a heart-wrenching venom, as he cursed wildly:

"You! And all those damned branches behind you! Your parents, wives, and children! Not one of you will escape! You will all pay the most terrible price for your stupidity and betrayal today!! I will make you..."

But he didn't finish his sentence.
"Ancestor? Ha!"

A cold, calm voice, yet seemingly containing the might of thunder from the heavens.

Without any warning.
Above the ever-present aurora borealis over the City of Glazed Light
A deafening explosion!

It instantly overwhelmed all of Jiang Hongyuan's roars and curses.

Everyone in the entire City Lord's Mansion Square.

Whether it was Jiang Chengyue and his bloodied comrades behind him, or Jiang Hongyuan and his terrified remaining soldiers, or the silent onlookers of his clansmen.
Look up suddenly!

He stared in horror at the sky.

Above the translucent, eternally daytime sky of the Glazed City, composed of energy...
A blinding golden light suddenly shone.

Like a shooting star streaking across the night sky.

The golden light, carrying an aura of destruction, plummeted rapidly from beyond the sky.

Under the horrified gazes of everyone
The golden light quickly magnified.

boom--! ! !
It crashed down.
On the blood-stained crystal ground between Jiang Chengyue and Jiang Hongyuan.

boom! ! !
A deep, guttural bang.

The ground was smashed into a deep crater.

Gravel mixed with frozen blood and ice scattered everywhere!
Smoke is everywhere!

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated
A round, plump creature, stained with dark red blood and ice shards, its hair and beard withered.
Head!!!

Quietly.
Lying at the bottom of the cold pit!!!
On that withered, twisted face, a bulging eyeball was frozen with the extreme resentment and fear before death.

Where the other eye once stood, only a hollow space remained, corroded by a chilling blue aura and covered in frost!
Dead!

Absolute silence enveloped the entire city lord's mansion square.

The sounds of the wind, breathing, and even heartbeats vanished in that instant.

Jiang Hongyuan's face was contorted with madness, resentment, and hysteria.
Like a fragile glass mirror.

The instant I saw the head at the bottom of the pit
Shattered with a deafening roar!

"Uh uh uh"

He made a meaningless gurgling sound from his throat, as if he were being choked.

His eyes widened to their limit in an instant, his eyeballs bulging out of their sockets from extreme shock and disbelief!
The muscles in his face twitched wildly as if in a spasm!

The color drained from his face as quickly as the tide receded, leaving only a deathly ashes!
"Ancestor?!"

A piercing scream, distorted and seemingly squeezed from the depths of the soul, finally broke free of the throat's restraints, tearing apart the deathly silence of the square.

Pfft!
Jiang Hongyuan's legs went weak, as if all his bones had been removed, and he collapsed heavily to his knees.

The remaining soldiers behind him were struck as if by an invisible hammer, collapsing instantly.

His face was filled with despair and despair!

Finished!

It's all over!!!
And at the very front of the defensive line.

Jiang Chengyue stands tall, leaning on his sword.

They also clearly saw the shape of the head at the bottom of the pit.

That face, stained with blood, etched with exhaustion and resilience.
First stunned.

immediately
An indescribable emotion, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly overwhelmed all his defenses.

It's unbelievable!
He felt an overwhelming joy at saving his family.

There is also the comfort of a belief that has sustained him to this day, which has finally been proven worthwhile.

The scalding liquid could no longer be contained!

Like pearls from a broken string, stained with blood and icy water from her face.
It surged and rolled down.

Jiang Chengyue suddenly raised his head.

Tears welled in his eyes as he looked through the eternally bright sky of the Crystal City, where the aurora borealis flowed.
Deadly.
Look beyond the sky!

The figure hovered high in the sky, its body slowly enveloped in golden lightning, like a thunder god descending to earth.
(End of this chapter)