I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

The world fell into a deathly silence.

Then, like a pebble thrown into calm water, all the forums, all the streets, and all the refugee camps erupted in chaos.

Gu Yan is still alive.

The Imperial Wall did not die.

He is ranked number one in global combat power.

These messages spread like wildfire to every corner.

But after the wildfire has burned out, what remains is even colder ash.

The voices of the surrender faction rose again, and louder than ever before.

They said that no matter how strong Gu Yan was, she was still just one person.

He might have already joined forces with the Black Tide, otherwise how would you explain his sudden reappearance after being dead for three years?

Some people said that Xu was right, and that continuing the fight would only result in more deaths.

Fear spreads like a plague, more deadly than any calamity.

Lin Jinyu, Pei Yuran, and Chiyomiya Yusheng found Gu Yan the next morning.

The three men stood at the door of his room, their expressions increasingly somber.

Lin Jinyu spoke first, her voice somewhat hurried, her golden pupils burning with two clusters of unease.

"You're going to challenge Xu Huan to a duel, aren't you?"

"no."

You can't go.

"He is a calamity-inducing monster, and no one knows how much power he has now."

"So what if you're number one in the world? He deliberately lured you there."

"That final battle must have been a trap."

Pei Yuran leaned against the wall next to her, holding her sword, her voice as cold as ice.

"I agree."

You can't go.

"If you want to go, I'll go."

Chiyomiya Hanyu stood behind them, not in a hurry to speak.

After the two of them had finished speaking, she slowly opened her mouth, her voice still calm and unhurried.

"Mr. Gu, they are right."

"You are not alone now."

"You are the banner of the entire Great Xia, the hope of mankind."

"You can't get hurt."

"If you fall, those who are still holding on will really have nothing left to believe in."

Gu Yan looked at them.

He knew they were right.

He knew this was likely a trap.

But he also knew that if he didn't go, Xu would use his cowardice against him.

He would say, "Look, your heroes dare not accept the challenge."

At that time, the surrender faction will become even more rampant, and the soldiers on the defensive line will be even more desperate.

He must go to this battle.

It wasn't because he wanted to prove anything, but because he couldn't not go.

"I have to go."

His voice was soft, but steady.

"Xu Huan now represents the will of the Black Tide."

"When he challenges me, he is challenging all of humanity."

"If I don't fight back, humanity's last shred of morale will be gone."

"This battle is unavoidable."

"Believe me, I will come back alive."

Lin Jinyu's eyes immediately reddened.

She stepped forward, grabbed his wrist, and held it tightly.

"You always said you'd come back alive."

"You said the same thing when we went to Luzhou."

"And what happened? You almost died there."

"Gu Yan, it's not that I don't trust you, it's that I'm afraid."

"I'm afraid you'll ruin yourself in your pursuit of victory."

We can see the pressure you're under.

"You always bear it all alone, and you never say anything even when you can't bear it anymore."

"But you still have us."

"We can go for you."

"Really, wouldn't it be better if the three of us went together than if you went alone?"

Gu Yan looked down at her.

Her fingers were trembling, and she was desperately trying to suppress the tears welling up in her golden eyes.

He then looked at Pei Yuran.

Yu Ran didn't cry, but her fingers gripped the hilt of the sword so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Yuzuru stood at the very back, watching him quietly, a light flashing in his deep brown eyes.

He knew they were truly willing to die for him.

That's why he couldn't let them go.

"Jinyu, Yuran, Yusheng."

He called their names one by one, his voice very soft, as if he were reciting something very important.

"Remember this."

"I am Gu Yan."

"I am the jewel of the empire."

"I died for three years and came back to life, not to hide behind a wall and watch you fight for me."

"Xu wants to fight again, I'll fight with him."

I want to win.

"I will win."

"Because I'm taking you home."

Lin Jinyu's tears fell.

She released his wrist, turned her face to the side, and rubbed her eyes hard with the back of her hand.

Pei Yuran closed her eyes, and after a long while she opened them and said something.

"If you die, I'll chase you all the way to the underworld and bring you back."

Yuzuru didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly at him, a very faint smile curving his lips.

That afternoon, the Global Superpowers Association released the first batch of names of those who had completed the God-Making Project.

Ten names, each one read aloud during a live global broadcast.

"America, Thunder Walker, Edgar Holt."

"Russian Federation, Aurora Warrior, Lyudmila Ivanova".

"France, Judge of Light, Madeline Bernal."

"German, the Iron Icon, Heinrich Wolff."

"Brazil, King of the Jungle, Carlos Mendes."

"South Africa, the master of sandstorms, Samuel Nkomo."

"India, the incarnation of the monkey god, Rajesh Singh."

"The Land of Cherry Blossoms, the Demon Blade, Kirishima Kun."

"Australia, Abyss Lancer, Jack Hartman."

"Great Xia, Demon King, Shen Youyao."

Gu Yan stared at the list.

Shen Youyao is here.

Fu Shiwei and Fu Wanqing are not here.

They are still merging.

The emergence of Youyao indicates that the god-making plan has entered its final stage.

He took a soft breath.

One month.

A month later, he and Xu had a decisive battle over the Pacific Ocean.

After Youyao and her group emerge from seclusion, the battle situation may stabilize somewhat.

But he absolutely cannot lose.

Now that the surrender faction is becoming increasingly rampant, he cannot afford to lose this battle with Xu Huan.

If he loses, humanity is truly doomed.

He stood on the city wall, the wind blowing from the north.

Too many things were churning in his mind.

power.

decisive battle.

Xu Huan.

Cecilia, Wanqing, and Shiwei haven't come out yet.

I don't know where Sister Youyi is.

Yu Ran is still waiting for him.

Yuzuru and Jinyu were still by his side.

He gripped the hilt of the demon-slaying sword tightly, his knuckles cracking.

This time, he cannot back down.

I don't want to withdraw either.

It's time to go see Youyao.

......

Gu Yan stood in the arrivals area of ​​the airport.

The wind blew from the runway, carrying the smell of engine exhaust and disinfectant.

This is a military airfield behind the Eighth Line of Defense. It was temporarily converted, and there are still construction waste piled up next to the runway that hasn't been cleared away yet.

He was wearing a faded military uniform and had half a mask over his face, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

The transport plane slowly came to a stop on the runway.

The hatch opened, and the first person to step out was a tall American man, his body wreathed in faint arcs of electricity, his military boots making a dull thud as they stepped onto the gangway.

Then there's the Russian Federation's female warrior, the French Judge of Light, and the Germanic Steel Icon.

Ten people walked down the gangway one by one, each radiating spiritual energy far exceeding that of an S-rank individual.

The last one is Shen Youyao.