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Chapter 395 The Final Battle Begins, the Man-Swallowing Ice Cave!?

"Something's happened at the royal court?!"

Chu Kuanglan's heart sank suddenly, and the instincts honed on the battlefield instantly overwhelmed everything.

He gripped Hua Jing's hand tightly, so hard that her knuckles turned slightly white, his voice urgent: "Listen carefully, go find your team immediately. If things go wrong, don't worry about anything else, retreat immediately! Understand?! No hesitation! And don't worry about me!"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly leaned down and pressed his hand hard against Hua Jing's smooth forehead.

next second.

Chu Kuanglan's burly body erupted with astonishing power, and the ice rock beneath his feet shattered with a deafening roar.

The person shot into the sky like an arrow released from a bow.

The roar instantly shattered the brief tranquility of the stronghold, like thunder rolling past the ears of every soldier:

"All troops on alert!!!"

The roar hadn't even faded.

The entire army in the stronghold also saw the pillar of fire shooting into the sky in the distance.
He had just put down his weapon and was leaning against the wreckage, catching his breath.

Even the 60,000 Dawnbreaker and Frostbone Fjord allied forces were still clearing out their spoils.

They reassembled with astonishing efficiency.

Other supporting forces also mobilized.

There are currently over a million troops in this stronghold.

The scene of everything coming to life is quite breathtaking.

Everyone's attention was focused on the towering crimson pillar of light in the north.

No words are needed; all warriors who have been tempered in blood and fire understand.

The real battle is about to begin.

Chu Kuanglan's figure was enveloped in a raging wind.

It crashed into the still-heavy atmosphere of the temporary command center.

"The Bone Kingdom is in big trouble!"

His gaze swept quickly across the hall, and he was about to report the situation to Hong Qitian, who had just been sitting at the head of the table.

However, they found that the first seat was now empty.

Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei have also disappeared without a trace.

Only Shi Gandang, Zhao Haifeng, and a dozen or so fourth-level generals and some core staff officers remained.

The lingering thoughts from the strategic meeting were still visible on his face.

Upon hearing this sentence...

"What?!" Shi Gandang suddenly stood up, his resolute face instantly covered with frost.

Without Chu Kuanglan needing to urge them further, all the fourth-tier experts suddenly unleashed their qi and blood or energy.

Following closely behind Chu Kuanglan's figure.

Transforming into streaks of light that tore through the wind and snow, they soared into the sky above the stronghold.

Only then did they realize it.

Ahead of them were Hong Qitian, Luo Shen, Fang Qingyu, and Jiang Wei.

It was already suspended in the sky at that moment.

A biting, cold wind swept over us.

When their gazes also turned toward the direction of the Bone King's Court.

Even these top experts who had experienced countless battles and were used to seeing big scenes couldn't help but gasp in shock.

There, at the boundary between heaven and earth, which was illuminated by a crimson pillar of light and resembled a purgatory, was the scene.

A figure as majestic as a mountain is stepping on the flames that burn the void.

Step by step, we emerge from the core of the pillar of light!

It stands a hundred meters tall, its entire body seemingly forged from flowing dark red magma and obsidian.

The bulging muscle lines bulged under the raging flames.

Its head is humanoid, but covered with hideous bony armor.

His eyes.

Like two enormous blood moons hanging high in the sky, coldly overlooking the human world.

The crimson light pierced through the vast distance, carrying a terrifying pressure that disregarded all living beings, and nailed straight to the Broken Ridge Gate stronghold.

Behind this fire giant.

The crimson flames resembled the open gates of a molten hell.

Countless ferocious-looking elite ghosts, whose auras were more than ten times stronger than the trash slaughtered during the day, surged out silently and violently like a torrent of dark red iron bursting its banks.

They converge into a boundless ocean.

Its scale and quality.

They were completely different from the grunts who were treated as expendable resources during the day.

Clearly, the Bone King's Court had been hiding the elite of the Ghost Army all along.

It was given to Fang Qingyu and the others who killed the ghosts.

Just like Hong Qitian said.

They're all useless trash that even the Ghosts wouldn't want.

At this moment, Hong Qitian looked at this scene without the slightest panic. Instead, he calmly said, "That royal seed has finally emerged."

Seeing this, Luo Shen frowned slightly and said, "Shouldn't they be secretly doing some dirty things for the purpose of blood sacrifice? Why are they in such a hurry to come out and have a final battle?!"

After those words were spoken, the group fell silent instantly.

Indeed, this behavior of the Fate Demons seems somewhat inconsistent with their blood sacrifice practices.

Because what is now certain is that the spirit of life is definitely performing a blood sacrifice.

And this blood sacrifice is not yet complete.

Otherwise, with such a large-scale blood sacrifice, regardless of the ghost's purpose...

The commotion must have been terrifying.

So they will definitely notice.

At this moment, before the blood sacrifice was even completed, the Ghosts suddenly mobilized their entire army.

A little unreasonable.

But now that the ghost of fate has been dispatched, they have no reason not to welcome it.

Hong Qitian did not answer Luo Qinglian's question, but turned to look at the dozen or so fourth-level generals and said, "Prepare to meet the enemy, go and make preparations."

"Yes!"

The fourth-tier generals who had just rushed up immediately agreed.

They then turned and charged toward their own armies.

Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei didn't move.

On the Dawn Army's side, Ji Wuyai and Wei Banmeng were leading the way.

He doesn't need to worry about it.

Therefore, after everyone left, only Hong Qitian, Luo Qinglian, Fang Qingyu, and Jiang Wei remained on the field.

Silently watching this overwhelming scene unfold.

Hong Qitian, looking thoughtful, suddenly turned his head to look at the void and said.

"Hey, do you think this big idiot could also be part of the blood sacrifice?!"

Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei were taken aback by the question.

Because there was no one next to Hong Qitian.

But the next moment, the space rippled like water.

A tall, aloof figure appeared silently.

Her long, blood-red hair remained motionless in the cold wind, and her face was almost identical to Jiang Wei's.

The only difference might be their temperament.

Although Jiang Wei is usually a bit aloof, she acts like a little girl when she's with Fang Qingyu, showing all sorts of emotions and appearing more like a real person.

The sudden appearance of the drought demon
He is, in essence, more like a deity.

At this moment, the drought demon suddenly appeared and, upon hearing Hong Qitian's question, calmly replied.

"Black Duke is the most loyal dog by the royal family's side. Blood sacrifice for the royal family? He doesn't have the guts or the life to endure the endless tortures of the clan."

Hong Qitian listened without saying a word.

The group fell silent once again.

Fang Qingyu, on the other hand, kept his eyes fixed on the drought demon.
Sure enough, this drought demon has already surrendered.

Fang Qingyu had made this guess ever since he discovered that she could find Jiang Wei inside the Great Wall.

Otherwise, Old Man Hong wouldn't have let her in.

At this moment, Jiang Wei also looked at the drought demon with a hint of affection in her expression.

The drought demon seemed to have noticed their gazes as well.

She couldn't help but turn her head to glance at Jiang Wei, who was holding Fang Qingyu's arm.

A barely perceptible hint of helplessness flickered in his ruby-like eyes.

He muttered under his breath, in a voice only a few people nearby could hear: "...naive and innocent."

Silence spread across the frigid high sky.

Only the muffled sounds of the million-strong army urgently mobilizing and gathering below could be faintly heard, echoing the ever-approaching roar from the north.

The carefree look on Hong Qitian's weathered face finally vanished completely.

He slowly turned around to face Luo Qinglian, who was barefoot and whose ice-blue dress fluttered slightly in the night breeze.

Under the starlight and aurora borealis, he solemnly bowed.

"Luo, my dear." Hong Qitian's voice carried a hint of apology, "The rest is up to you."

Luo Qinglian's stunning profile remained fixed on the blood-moon-like eyes of the giant treading on fire approaching from the north.

He accepted Hong Qitian's bow without turning around.

A moment later, a cool and calm response softly rang out:
"Ah."

Hong Qitian then straightened up.

His cloudy gaze swept over Fang Qingyu, carrying the complex emotions and expectations of an elder looking at a younger generation: "Kid, if the sky falls, we old guys will hold it up first. Take it easy later, don't push yourself too hard."

Before he finished speaking, his hunched figure vanished silently into the frigid night sky, like a bubble.

Fang Qingyu remained silent upon hearing this.
He knew what Luo Qinglian was going to do.

She was also aware of the deal she made with Hong Qitian.
This is why Fang Qingyu did not take further action against the Ji family, nor did he target the Luo family.

However, after Hong Qitian left...

The drought demon did not follow.

Instead, he turned and walked towards Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei, staring intently at Jiang Wei, his stern red eyes urging, "We should go, we're running out of time."

Jiang Wei was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Her clear, red eyes instinctively looked at Fang Qingyu.

No words were spoken.

Fang Qingyu naturally stepped forward, placing Jiang Wei between himself and the drought demon.

Where are you taking her?

Looking at Fang Qingyu's wary posture, the drought demon's cold and beautiful lips curled into a very faint smile: "What? You think I would harm her? Don't forget, we are one."

Fang Qingyu listened without saying a word.

Although Da Lei had told him that Hanba was actually the most loyal guardian of Lady Nuba.

But Fang Qingyu was still a little worried about him.

Fang Qingyu remained silent.

A hint of helplessness flashed in the drought demon's eyes.

His tone unusually urgent as he explained, "The gods are about to descend, and the power of reincarnation that has been accumulating within her has not yet been fully refined and integrated. If we don't take advantage of this time when chaos is about to break out and the entanglements of cause and effect are at their most intense, are we going to wait until all the gods descend and a great calamity is looming before we hastily respond?!"

Fang Qingyu frowned, the starry river in his eyes slowly flowing: "Does it have to be at this time?"

He was referring to the fact that war was about to break out.

Following his gaze, the drought demon glanced at the overwhelming mass of death demons.

He glanced again at Luo Qinglian's aloof and independent figure beside him.

Looking at Fang Qingyu, he said softly, "With her here, the outcome of this war was already decided. Otherwise, do you think Old Man Hong would have left?"

Her red eyes stared directly at Fang Qingyu.

"If you don't trust my stance, do you not trust Hong Qitian's guarantee, which is based on the entire Arctic race?"

Fang Qingyu fell silent.

Indeed, the fact that Old Man Hong dared to leave at this time shows that he had absolute confidence in this victory.
"Qingzi." Jiang Wei also came over at this moment, her soft voice sounding. She gently pulled down Fang Qingyu's arm that was blocking in front of him, walked to his side, looked up at him, her clear red eyes full of trust and comforting smiles.

"She won't hurt me. Wait for me to come back."

Her smile was pure, just like the first time we met.

Fang Qingyu gazed at her smile, and the last bit of tension in his heart relaxed.

He raised his hand and gently brushed away Jiang Wei's red hair, which was ruffled by the night wind, and patted her head: "Okay. Keep in touch, and be careful."

Jiang Wei nodded vigorously, her smile as bright as a star.

The drought demon said no more. The space around it slightly distorted, and a scorching, dry aura, completely different from the frigid Arctic, spread out.

She reached out her hand to Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wei glanced at Fang Qingyu one last time, her crimson eyes filled with longing, before stepping into the distorted spatial ripples beside the drought demon.

There was a flash of light and shadow.

The two of them, along with the strange fluctuations in that space, vanished without a trace in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, at the edge of the noisy high-altitude battlefield.

Only Fang Qingyu and Luo Qinglian remained.

The biting wind whipped up the hem of Luo Qinglian's ice-blue dress.

She remained with her back to Fang Qingyu, her gaze silently meeting the blood-moon eyes of the fire giant.

Below, the million-strong allied army has initially completed its battle formation.

The people in the crowd emitted a low hum, waiting for the order.

Silence filled the space between the two.

After a long silence, Luo Qinglian's cold voice, like an ice bead falling onto a jade plate, broke the suffocating tranquility.

She didn't turn around; her voice was soft but clearly reached Fang Qingyu's ears:

"do you hate me?"

Fang Qingyu hovered in the air, his starry eyes calmly fixed on Luo Qinglian's aloof and elegant back, without giving an immediate reply.

hatred?
The woman before him, in order to prolong her own life, had sold innocent people like Lin Yu like commodities. If he hadn't happened to save them...

Lin Yu and the others should have already been reincarnated.

From that time on, Fang Qingyu had no good feelings towards the Luo family.

After returning from the city of injustice.

Fang Qingyu chose to remain silent.

It's not because of forgiveness.

It was because she made a deal with Hong Qitian.

A deal that ultimately cost her her own life.

She will make a glorious sacrifice to atone for the Luo family's sins and to put an end to what she has done.

Death was the only price she could pay.

This is also the only ending that Fang Qingyu can accept.

So whether or not you hate someone at this moment is no longer important.

I just hope she can do what she says.

Fang Qingyu remained silent.

It is, in itself, a lack of response.

Luo Qinglian understood the answer.

A relieved smile suddenly appeared on her stunning profile.

"I've lived for almost three hundred years," her voice became ethereal, "Do you believe me if I say I'm not afraid of death?"

She still didn't look at Fang Qingyu when asked this question.

Luo Qinglian didn't care whether she received a response or not, and continued speaking to herself: "All along, what I've been afraid of has never been death itself."

What I fear is that after I die, no one will be able to protect this precarious human race.

“Hong Qitian is no good, he only has one knife left, and his son is no good either, they are still just one step away from death. So, I used to think that I can’t die, I must live, even if I live a life that is unrecognizable, a life with blood on my hands, I must hold on to this breath.”

Her voice paused, and she finally turned her head slightly for the first time.

"Until you appeared."

For the first time, Luo Qinglian's voice carried a complex emotion that was difficult to describe.

The final, settled sense of relief, "illuminated the path forward that no one dared to hope for. Hong Qitian saw it, and I saw it too, so my thoughts changed."

She slowly turned around.

The ice-blue dress shimmered with a dreamlike luster under the starlight and aurora.

That face, which could eclipse the stars, no longer bore the weight of three hundred years of vicissitudes.

All that remains is a serene tranquility, stripped of all artifice.

She looked directly into Fang Qingyu's starry eyes, which seemed to hold the stars in the sky.

In his eyes, clear as a cold pool, there was no sophistry, no excuses, only a hint of pleading.

"I don't ask for your forgiveness, Fang Qingyu."

Her voice was incredibly clear, carrying a calm acceptance of judgment.

"This path of three hundred years is one I chose myself."

“Every step, every single thing, whether right or wrong, I, Luo Qinglian, have never regretted. The sins I should bear, the karmic debts I should repay, I will bear them today.”

Her gaze was fixed on Fang Qingyu's eyes, and she spoke each word clearly:
"Now, I only hope that after I die, you won't target the Luo family, okay?"

The night wind howled, whipping up tiny ice crystals that slapped between the two of them.

Fang Qingyu quietly looked back at her.

Her starry eyes reflected Luo Qinglian's figure at that moment, as well as the sky behind her that was dyed red by the giant's flames.

for a long time.

Fang Qingyu nodded slowly.

"Ah."

Luo Qinglian smiled.

It was a smile that Fang Qingyu had never seen on her face before.

The smile hadn't faded.

Luo Qinglian had already turned around.

The icy blue figure transformed into a streak of frigid light that tore through the sky.

They charged headlong into the raging flames and surging lava army to the north.

The clear, cold voice instantly resounded throughout the entire Arctic battlefield.

The message, clear and authoritative, reached the ears of every soldier below.

"Soldiers, follow me to kill the enemy!!!"

"kill--"

"kill--"

"kill--"

The long-suppressed fighting spirit was completely ignited by this cold command.

The million-strong coalition army erupted in a roar like a landslide and a tsunami.

The torrent of steel no longer held back, but followed Luo Qinglian like a raging tide that had burst its banks, charging headlong into the fiery giant that scorched the heavens and boiled the seas, along with the boundless army of ghosts behind it!
The reporters were excitedly recording this scene.

Because this is the first time in federal history.

This is the first time we've launched such a large-scale offensive against the Fate Demon!

at the same time.

In the middle of the vast ice field leading from the Great Wall of the Arctic to the main battlefield.

A relatively remote area.

Several figures were flying rapidly at low altitude, braving the biting cold wind.

The person in the lead, dressed in white, exuded a cool and aloof aura that seemed to blend seamlessly with the frigid wilderness; it was none other than Su Wanqing.

Behind her followed three members of the Su family at the third rank.

"Stop." Su Wanqing's cold voice cut through the wind.

She floated in the air, unfolding a map in her hand.

The fingertip precisely points to the location marked with a prominent red cross on the map.

This was the starting point where the previously lost Federation squad was ambushed and mysteriously transmigrated.

"Coordinates confirmed, this is the place. Go down."

Su Wanqing put away the map and, without any hesitation, her figure, like a light snowflake, fell vertically downwards into a deep and narrow ice crevice.

Three guards followed closely behind.

The cold wind howled mournfully through the narrow crevices in the ice.

The ice wall was steep and smooth, reflecting the faint sunlight filtering down from above.

Su Wanqing landed lightly at the bottom of the ice crevice filled with loose snow, stepping on the soft snow without leaving a trace.

She looked around, her gaze sweeping over the knife marks left on the ice wall, the charred burn marks, and the large patches of blood that had long since frozen into dark brown splattered blood.

“Follow the evacuation route they marked, and proceed.”

Su Wanqing's voice sounded exceptionally clear in the small space.

She took the lead and walked down the winding path of the ice crevasse.

The three guards immediately followed in a triangular formation.

He cautiously observed his surroundings.

The interior of the crevasse was more deep and complex than expected, with numerous branching passages, resembling a maze.

They followed the crooked, southwestward-pointing retreat route on the map precisely.

The battle marks on the surrounding ice walls became increasingly dense.

This shows the haste and brutality of that squad's retreat.

The space gradually became more open without us even realizing it.

The ice walls on both sides grew higher and farther away.

"Wait... this doesn't seem to be where we just left!"

The guard named Su Yan, who had been silently following behind Su Wanqing on her left, suddenly spoke up.

He was the most perceptive of the three wind-elemental cultists.

Su Wanqing paused slightly, her cool eyes looking at him.

Su Yan was staring intently at his head at that moment.

Everyone immediately looked up in the direction he was looking.

His expression changed instantly!

As far as the eye can see, there is not a trace of ice fissures left.
Only a single, uniform, deep blue ice dome, like a giant pot lid, fits perfectly over their heads.

But they were clearly walking along the downward-sloping crevasse.

I have never passed through any structure that resembles a portal.

A chill instantly gripped everyone's hearts.

A hint of seriousness flashed across Su Wanqing's beautiful face.

"Don't panic."

However, he quickly spoke up to reassure everyone.

"If they could get out of here, so can we. Keep moving forward, stay alert, and watch out for anything unusual."

The group took a deep breath, suppressing their unease, and once again protected Su Wanqing, continuing to follow the route marked on the map as they ventured deeper into the enormous ice cave.

The refracted light from the ice crystals cast ever-changing shadows on their faces.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the empty, deathly silent ice cave, sounding exceptionally clear and eerie.

The space is becoming more and more open, and the terrain is becoming more and more complex.

Giant ice stalagmites, hanging icicles, and frozen icefalls are everywhere.

The temperature seemed lower than at the entrance.

deathly silence
Only the sounds of their footsteps and heartbeats echoed.

"Third brother, don't you think it's a bit too quiet in the back?"

Walking at the rear of the group, Su Huan, the guard responsible for covering the rear, couldn't help but lower his voice and speak to Su Lie, who was walking in front of him.

His voice sounded particularly abrupt in the silence.

Upon hearing this, Su Lie subconsciously glanced back.

Behind them lay the winding path, obscured by massive ice pillars, a desolate, deathly blue expanse, utterly unremarkable.

"What are you being so paranoid about! Focus on being on guard!"

Su Lie reprimanded him in a low voice.

But the hand gripping the knife handle unconsciously tightened its hold.

Su Wanqing walked at the front, her senses always extending to the maximum extent.

They continued descending for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The road ahead was blocked by a frozen icefall, beneath which lay a deep ice cave. The route marked on the map pointed directly into the depths of the ice cave.

"Miss, there's a hole ahead, and the path leads inside."

Su Yan pointed to the entrance of the ice cave and whispered.

Su Wanqing nodded and was about to take a step.

at this time
"wrong."

A startled cry pierced the deathly silence of the icy cave.

It was Su Huan's voice.

From the very back of the line!

Su Wanqing, Su Yan, and Su Lie suddenly turned around.

At the very back of the line, where Su Huan had just been standing, was now completely empty.

Only the heavy battle sword in his hand fell with a clang onto the smooth, mirror-like ice, making a piercing sound and vibrating on its own.

The ice beside the sword was as smooth as a mirror.

The image clearly reflected the suddenly contracted pupils of Su Yan and Su Lie.

And the horror that drained the color from their faces in an instant.

Su Huan, a living, breathing person, a peak third-tier martial artist, was just a few steps behind them. The moment they turned around, he vanished without a trace?

There were no signs of struggle, no sounds of fighting, and not even a trace of extra energy fluctuations.

It was as if it had been swallowed up by some entity.

And they had no power to resist.

This scene instantly sent chills down the spines of the remaining people.

Only Su Wanqing remained calm and said softly, "That small team back then was probably there because of this, suddenly appearing on the front lines of the main battlefield."

"Let's go out first and see if we can get in touch with him."

Hearing this, the two finally managed to calm down and followed Su Wanqing back the way they came.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened on the way back.

But this time...
Su Wanqing kept staring at the dome above her head.

Only then did I realize that when I reached a narrow pass, the dome above my head changed instantly.

mean.

This is the point where they stepped into another place.

The three of them did not linger. After an ice crevice appeared overhead, they flew towards it.

He took out his emergency communicator and contacted Su Huan.

The other party responded quickly.

"Hey? Su Huan, where are you right now?"

Su Wanqing's voice was very calm.

However, Su Huan's voice sounded extremely panicked at that moment.

"Miss!! I don't know where this place is, but it's huge, and it's covered in blood."

Su Wanqing frowned as she listened.

It seems Su Huan stumbled upon the right place by accident!
So Su Wanqing began to think about how she could guide him to bring the two sides together.

But before she could finish speaking...

A large hand suddenly snatched the communicator and said into the other end, "Kid, don't panic. Release all your energy, I'll come get you."

(End of this chapter)