Chapter 1698: At Wit's End

Jian Changsheng couldn't understand.

Why were these Military Path Demigods, who were just arrogant and unwilling to let him touch the hilt, now rushing out one after another to help him... Although there was still disdain for him in their eyes, their expressions were visibly solemn.

Jian Changsheng seemed to realize something and silently called out to Bai Qi in his heart:

"...Was it you?"

Bai Qi did not respond immediately.

It was not until a long time later that he spoke faintly:

"Since they couldn't see the situation clearly, this Marquis helped them see it... Although they are arrogant, they are all famous generals of the past, capable of discerning the world's situation and knowing right from wrong."

"...Thank you." Jian Changsheng took a deep breath and thanked him sincerely.

Using the Ancient Armory of the Military Path, the Sword of Humanity, to kill the Calamity-Dread was Bai Qi's idea. He had also helped him fight his way here, even turning enemies into friends... Without him, Jian Changsheng could never have done it on his own.

"This Marquis is helping himself." Bai Qi replied faintly.

"Only by restarting the world can this Marquis have a chance to be reborn... Don't forget, in the next world, your body is this Marquis'."

"Cherish it well... This should be your last battle."

Jian Changsheng's hands subconsciously tightened.

Yes...

This was his last battle.

According to the oath, the body of "Jian Changsheng" in the next world would belong to Bai Qi... This world was about to end, and this final short period before the restart was his last chance to say goodbye to everyone.

嗡——!!

With the combined efforts of more than a dozen Military Path Demigods, this Sword of Humanity that reached into the clouds slowly rose amidst the tremors!

An Eighth-Order Jian Changsheng could never pull it out, but the power erupted by the combined efforts of more than a dozen Military God Path Demigods absolutely exceeded the limits of this era...

Pulling out this strongest sword of slaughter of humanity was never the work of any individual, but the stars of the Military Path in the long river of human civilization.

"Stop exerting yourself here; that little bit of strength you have is useless." A Military Path Demigod snorted coldly at Jian Changsheng.

Jian Changsheng: ...

Just as Jian Changsheng was about to retort, the Demigod spoke again:

"We can pull out this sword, but we can't see where the enemy is... You go up and guide the sword body."

"Remember, we only have one chance for this strike."

Jian Changsheng was slightly stunned.

Amidst the violent roar, thick, solid black killing intent surged from the giant sword, leaving Jian Changsheng, who was close at hand, covered in blood!

As this giant sword, which gathered the slaughter of humanity, left its sheath, any matter that approached it would be attacked indiscriminately... even Jian Changsheng, who had been recognized by it, was no exception.

Even though Jian Changsheng was already Eighth-Order, he couldn't withstand a strand of killing intent unintentionally drifting from this Sword of Humanity. If he stayed any longer, he would eventually die as his flesh and blood were completely obliterated.

Jian Changsheng couldn't imagine what it would be like if this strike were truly unleashed.

"...I understand."

Jian Changsheng held the broken sword, his figure like a swimming dragon, nimbly soaring into the air toward the sword body that reached into the clouds!

As the Ancient Armory of the Military Path slowly left its sheath, the thick clouds in the sky were sliced in two by the drifting killing intent. The two surging cloud seas retreated to both sides as if they had touched magma...

Even the deep frozen sea nearby was isolated by the invisible killing intent, and a straight fissure piercing the sea surface extended frantically as the giant sword rose!!

……

Beneath the frozen sea.

A massive, blood-drenched giant shadow was struggling and writhing in the murky seawater.

Sun Bumian's Waking Lion claws were deeply embedded in the Calamity-Dread's back. Under the fierce burning of the seven-colored flames, the Calamity-Dread was like prey nailed into a steel-toothed trap, bleeding while struggling to escape forward.

And in front of the Calamity-Dread, a broken figure, tightly wrapped in bandages around the lantern, was floating up and down in the churning water like withered grass...

簇——

With a soft sound, the Waking Lion's left arm, which had been stabbed into the Calamity-Dread's back, erupted with a brief flash of fire, then visibly disintegrated and dimmed... gradually turning back into an ordinary human arm.

A flash of anxiety crossed Sun Bumian's bloodshot eyes.

The entanglement and fighting along the way had exhausted all his thousand-year accumulation of reincarnation. He could no longer maintain the Demigod rank and could only watch helplessly as he lost his strength bit by bit, as well as his ability to restrain the Calamity-Dread.

Sure enough, after the Waking Lion's auspicious aura faded, the Calamity-Dread gradually recovered from the pain. It, which had been deliberately guided toward the Ancient Armory of the Military Path, suddenly changed direction, attempting to shake off Sun Bumian while fleeing.

It seemed to sense an extremely dangerous aura brewing in the Ancient Armory of the Military Path!

"Just a little bit..."

"Just a little bit more and we would have reached the Ancient Armory of the Military Path!!"

Sun Bumian watched helplessly as his strength faded and his life force disappeared rapidly, yet he had no way to stop it. An unprecedented sense of despair and powerlessness washed over him...

Sun Bumian didn't know what Jian Changsheng's plan was; he only knew that he and Jiang Xiaohua had tried their best, but they couldn't drive the Calamity-Dread into the Ancient Armory of the Military Path. They couldn't kill the Calamity-Dread, and all the sacrifices made by the Twilight Society members before this would also fall short.

Just as Sun Bumian was sinking into despair, Jiang Xiaohua's desperate shout resounded through the sky!

"——SPADE！！！！!"

His messy, matted white hair danced wildly. Jiang Xiaohua, with only half his body and one arm left, seemed to have reached a dead end... But he didn't fall into despair and regret like Sun Bumian; instead, he called out Jian Changsheng's name at the first opportunity.

He knew that he and Sun Bumian had failed, but... he believed in Jian Changsheng.

轰——!!!

The next second, the surrounding seawater seemed to be sliced by an invisible aura, suddenly splitting in two. As the two vertical walls of turbulent water retreated frantically, a bottomless abyss was outlined beneath the Calamity-Dread...

In the astonished eyes of Sun Bumian and Jiang Xiaohua, they saw a giant sword towering into the sky, being pulled out of the Ancient Armory of the Military Path bit by bit...

Clouds rolled, killing intent roared;

Above that giant sword of heaven and earth, a figure wearing armor and dancing with black ribbons was rushing into the high sky like a swimming dragon, then suddenly suspended directly above the sword tip...

The black divine ring of killing intent flowed behind him. He held the broken sword in his right hand and pinched a sword finger with his left, his eyes staring fixedly at the massive, scarred giant shadow between the giant waves separated by the killing intent.

In his eyes were shock, bitterness, and monstrous killing intent!!

What kind of price had the Twilight Society paid to wound the Calamity-Dread to this extent?

Jian Changsheng hadn't seen any of the other familiar members of the society, and even for Sun Bumian and Jiang Xiaohua, it was the first time he had seen them in such a disheveled state...

They really were at their wit's end.