Amid the flying debris, Mu Chen suddenly forced his eyelids open.
A painful groan escaped his lips as he struggled to his feet.
The moment he scanned his surroundings, his eyes widened in shock upon realizing that the blocked entrance had finally opened.
Without wasting a single second, he rushed toward Lan Hai and desperately tried to wake him.
Mu Chen: “Lan Hai! Wake up, brother! Get up quickly!”
But at that exact moment, the severely wounded and completely maddened Demon Dragon slowly turned its head, locking its blood-red eyes directly onto Mu Chen.
At the same time, Han Ji Shen’s unconscious body crashed heavily onto the ground a short distance away from the beast.
The Demon Dragon no longer paid any attention to the fallen Sovereign.
It firmly believed that the Demon Commander had already killed him.
Now, the only thing left in its mind was to destroy as many humans as possible before returning to its own world.
Meanwhile, the military fighter jets hovering above immediately launched one missile after another toward the Demon Dragon.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The continuous explosions only enraged the beast further.
It turned its massive head toward the sky, opened its enormous jaws, and unleashed a colossal energy blast at the approaching fighter jets.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
A terrifying explosion erupted across the sky.
Every fighter jet caught within the attack was instantly reduced to ashes.
Witnessing the horrifying scene, Mu Chen, trapped among the shattered rubble, felt despair grip his heart.
He knew the monster would never spare them.
In a desperate attempt to protect Lan Hai and Qinue’s lifeless body, he quickly grabbed a military rifle lying nearby and fired at the giant dragon with everything he had.
RATTT-A-TATT-A-TATT-A-TATT!
The bullets struck the dragon’s armored scales…
But they bounced off harmlessly.
At that exact moment, the relentless sound of gunfire finally woke Lan Hai.
The instant his eyes opened, the scene before him froze his soul.
He screamed with every ounce of strength left in his body.
Lan Hai: “MU CHENNNNNNNNN!!!”
Just as Mu Chen began to turn around…
In that exact instant, the Demon Dragon drove one of its massive, razor-sharp claws straight through the center of Mu Chen’s body.
SPLUTTERRR!
The beast buried its claws deep into Mu Chen’s chest and tried to pull him out of the ruined entrance.
However, the narrow passage had trapped Mu Chen’s body tightly between the shattered rocks.
Instead of pulling him free, the dragon’s immense strength only tore deeper into his flesh.
Witnessing his best friend in such a horrifying state, Lan Hai’s mind went completely blank.
The ground beneath his feet seemed to disappear as he stumbled forward.
Crying uncontrollably, he rushed through the rubble toward Mu Chen.
Mu Chen now lay limply on the ground, blood pouring endlessly from his chest as his life slowly slipped away.
Lan Hai knelt beside him, frantically lifting Mu Chen into his arms while tears streamed down his face.
Using the very last trace of strength left within him, Mu Chen slowly forced his eyes open.
He looked at Lan Hai and revealed a weak but peaceful smile.
Mu Chen: “You idiot… why are you crying…?”
Lan Hai couldn’t answer.
He simply continued crying as he held his dying friend tightly in his arms, completely powerless to stop death from taking him away.
Mu Chen slowly raised his trembling, bloodstained hand and gently wiped away the tears from Lan Hai’s face.
Mu Chen: “Lan Hai… look at me. I’m finally going to reunite with my mother. You don’t need to cry for me. In this life, I was blessed with a brother like you… and a mother who loved me with all her heart. So… I have no regrets.”
He took a slow, painful breath as fresh blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Even then…
The smile on his face never disappeared.
Mu Chen: “My only regret… is that you’re going to be all alone in this world. But, brother… promise me you’ll never lose hope. No matter what happens, everything happens for the best. You are my strongest friend… and my truest brother.”
He paused, struggling to catch another breath.
Mu Chen: “This life… was worth living because of you. Just promise me one thing… don’t cry whenever you remember me. Otherwise… I swear I’ll come back as a ghost just to beat you up…”
The moment those words left his lips, Mu Chen’s trembling hand fell heavily to the ground.
He drew his final breath…
And died peacefully in Lan Hai’s arms.
Lan Hai: “MU CHENNNNNNN!!! WAKE UP, BROTHER! MU CHENNNNNNN!!!”
Lan Hai screamed Mu Chen’s name again and again, clutching his lifeless body tightly as his heart-wrenching cries echoed throughout the burning city.
Watching the scene unfold, the wounded Demon Dragon let out a mocking laugh, its voice filled with arrogance.
Demon Dragon: “Humph! Humans truly are pathetic creatures. On one side, your great Human Emperor lies dead before my eyes, and on the other, another worthless human cries helplessly over his lost love and fallen friend. Don’t worry, mortal… I’ll send you to join them right now.”
Hearing the dragon’s mockery, Lan Hai abruptly stopped crying.
The overwhelming grief inside his heart instantly transformed into boundless rage.
He gently laid Mu Chen’s body on the ground and slowly stood up.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of fear left in his eyes.
Only an icy, killing intent remained.
He bent down, picked up a heavy iron rod lying among the rubble, tightened his grip until his knuckles turned white, and roared at the towering Demon Dragon.
Lan Hai: “You took the woman I loved… and you took my brother from me! I won’t let you die so easily… Your death will come by my hands alone!”
With those furious words, Lan Hai completely ignored his own safety and charged straight toward the towering Demon Dragon.
Gripping the heavy iron rod with both hands, he swung it with all his strength and smashed it directly against the dragon’s massive head.
BANG!
But it was nothing more than an ordinary iron rod.
The impact didn’t injure the Demon Dragon in the slightest.
The giant beast threw back its head and burst into laughter.
Demon Dragon: “Hahaha! A tiny, insignificant insect actually believes it can kill me?!”
The dragon casually exhaled a small breath of energy.
The overwhelming pressure generated by that single breath instantly sent Lan Hai flying through the air, slamming him heavily into a solid concrete wall.
CRASH!
But the sadistic dragon had no intention of stopping.
It continuously used its energy breath to hurl Lan Hai’s battered body against the surrounding walls again and again, tossing him around like a ragdoll.
His body was broken beyond recognition, and his vision gradually faded into darkness as he stood on the verge of losing consciousness.
At that very moment, countless memories of Qinue suddenly flashed through his mind, followed by every precious moment he had ever shared with Mu Chen.
He remembered the day he first met Mu Chen and rescued him from being bullied during their college days.
He remembered the day Mu Chen came to live with him after his mother’s death…
and the moment they accepted each other as true brothers.
The unbearable grief, the overwhelming rage, and the pain of losing them both erupted like an uncontrollable wildfire deep within Lan Hai’s soul.
At that exact moment, the mysterious ancient pendant hanging around Lan Hai’s neck suddenly blazed with a brilliant celestial light.
VROOOOOOM!
In an instant, a massive, sacred, and infinitely powerful golden aura erupted from Lan Hai’s body, tearing through the darkness.
On the other side of the ruins, the severely wounded Han Ji Shen slowly regained consciousness.
The moment he opened his eyes and looked toward Lan Hai, the sight before him left the immortal Sovereign completely speechless.
Lan Hai’s body was floating high in the air, suspended effortlessly above the ground.
His dark hair rapidly grew longer, dancing wildly in the spiritual wind, while his eyes blazed with an intensely concentrated golden light that burned like the sun itself.
Without uttering a single word, Lan Hai slowly raised his hand toward Heavenly Desolation.
Responding to his silent command, the divine sword violently pulled itself free from the ground and shot across the battlefield before fitting perfectly into his palm.
Lan Hai gently ran his finger along the razor-sharp edge of the divine sword, softly chanting an ancient incantation.
As the final word left his lips, Heavenly Desolation erupted with a dazzling golden radiance, shining so brilliantly that it seemed as though a second sun had risen upon the battlefield.
Witnessing the sudden transformation, the Demon Dragon was overwhelmed with terror.
The primordial aura and terrifying pressure radiating from Lan Hai’s body were so overwhelming that the beast’s massive body slowly began sinking into the earth beneath it.
It couldn’t move…
Not even a single muscle.
Staring helplessly at the scene before him, Han Ji Shen was completely stunned by Lan Hai’s divine transformation.
His entire body trembled as the words escaped his lips.
Han Ji Shen: “This… this primordial aura belongs only to a God… And not just an ordinary God… The legendary Sword God?!”
Lan Hai slowly raised the glowing Heavenly Desolation toward the heavens.
His voice echoed across the battlefield with a majestic authority that seemed capable of shaking the very foundations of the universe.
Lan Hai: “The 12 Arts of Sword Form… Form 1: Destroy the Enemy!”
SHWWWWIIISHHHHH—⚡
Lan Hai casually swung his sword through the empty air.
That single slash cleanly split the enormous Demon Dragon in half before it could even let out a scream.
The power of the attack was so overwhelming that everything within a ten-kilometer path ahead—towering buildings, mountains of rubble, and countless ruins—was sliced cleanly down the middle.
The entire area was wiped out by a single strike.
As the attack came to an end, the majestic golden aura surrounding Lan Hai slowly faded away.
His body returned to its normal state, his eyes gently closed, and he lost consciousness before falling from the sky.
The moment Han Ji Shen saw Lan Hai falling, he ignored the pain from his own severe injuries and instantly flew into the air.
Before Lan Hai could hit the ground, Han Ji Shen caught him securely in his arms.
Looking down at the unconscious young man, a new light of hope slowly appeared in the ancient Sovereign’s eyes.
A faint smile spread across his face as he whispered softly to himself,
Han Ji Shen: “It seems… a supreme God is finally returning to this universe…”
His gaze remained fixed on Lan Hai’s peaceful face.
Han Ji Shen: “The Sword God.”