Chapter 673: Guernica

She was a girl less than ten years old, with almost no intact skin on her body. A light touch on a piece of rubble caused her carbonized arm to shatter into a pile of debris... Beside her was a pile of ashes from burning grass, and a conical hat that had been burned out of shape.

Perhaps it was because the air was filled with the smell of burnt flesh, or perhaps it was the irritating chemical components remaining in the ruins, that caused Plum 8's Adam's apple to roll violently. Half a second later, he whipped his head around and retched crazily.

Chen Ling walked through the scattered limbs covering the ground and approached him, sniffing the air lightly:

"It's nitroglycerin... They used fire to slaughter the village."

*Ugh—!!*

Plum Blossom 8’s stomach was convulsing violently, and he retched repeatedly, his entire face pale and twisted.

That experience, which had tormented him for over half a year, surged back into his mind uncontrollably. He began to hallucinate the sounds of desperate cries in his ears, and the ruins before him distorted involuntarily, transforming into a hell on earth engulfed in raging flames.

He saw a woman clutching her child, fleeing frantically through the thick smoke, praying to the heavens to spare her baby, only for a sharp blade to mercilessly cleave her and the infant in her arms into two the very next moment... He saw figures running desperately through the sea of fire, rolling on the ground to no avail as the flames only grew fiercer, until they were finally burned dry amidst the smoke... He saw flowers withering, he heard all living things wailing, the shadow of war looming over everyone's heart, with fire consuming everything.

Everything was so familiar, as if he had already experienced it himself.

In a daze, Plum Blossom 8 could no longer distinguish reality from illusion. His mind shattered, and he collapsed to his knees in agony, his eyes bloodshot:

"Chen Ling..."

"Did we really... escape *Guernica*?"

……

Two figures moved rapidly through the withered forest.

"Mr. Li... Mr. Li, slow down!" Kong Baosheng panted as he climbed over a dirt slope. "It’s just the plants and trees that have withered; people shouldn't be affected... Please, don't be so anxious."

Li Qingshan strode through the path, followed the direction in his memory, climbed down the slope, and returned to the muddy main road.

His eyes were fixed on the direction of Willow Town, his face unable to hide his anxiety.

The anomalies in the Red Dust Realm had turned everything in his memory upside down. Li Qingshan could no longer tell what the true face of the Red Dust was... but at this moment, his greatest concern was the safety of his grandmother in Willow Town.

Would this withering anomaly affect her health? If she suddenly discovered the environment changing, would she be scared?

Had she followed others to the Red Dust Main City?

Li Qingshan had no certainty in his heart. The only thought in his mind now was to be faster, even faster... He needed to see with his own eyes that his grandmother was safe and sound.

"Willow Town is just ahead... We'll be there soon," Li Qingshan said, pointing to the silhouette of the town in the distance.

Kong Baosheng squinted in that direction and suddenly spoke with surprise:

"It looks like a group of people is coming this way."

On the other side of the muddy road, seven or eight figures were walking toward them, looking hurried. Some of the younger children were being carried on the adults' shoulders to speed up their pace.

"Are they from Willow Town?"

"Not sure... I'll go ask." Li Qingshan immediately went to meet them.

After making contact with the group, the two learned that they were not from Willow Town, but refugees fleeing from Penglai Town, which was even more remote.

"Why are you still heading in that direction?" a woman asked, her face deathly pale. "We just came from there. We saw so many burned-down houses and so many hacked-up corpses along the way... You can't go over there!"

"What about Willow Town? Did Willow Town fall victim too?!"

"Willow Town didn't... but the people inside seem to have all fled. They probably headed toward the Main City."

Li Qingshan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to ask something else, the ground suddenly trembled slightly.

*Hum—!*

The group froze, looking around in confusion. Kong Baosheng seemed to see something and suddenly pointed in one direction, shouting in terror:

"Th-there...!!"

At the end of the road, three tall, silver-colored monsters were approaching at an astonishing speed!

The group didn't know what those things were, but judging by their horrific appearance and the slender arms that were gradually transforming into sharp blades, those things definitely held no goodwill toward them.

Gasps of shock erupted from the crowd. Almost everyone was terrified; they had lived peaceful, steady lives in the Red Dust for so many years—where had they ever seen such monsters?

"Run!!" Li Qingshan was the first to react, rushing in front of the crowd without hesitation. "Split up and run!! I'll hold them off!"

"Mr. Li, you..."

Kong Baosheng didn't know that Li Qingshan had already stepped onto the Path of the Gods, and he was deeply confused by Li Qingshan's decision to stay behind.

"I can protect myself." Li Qingshan looked back, staring solemnly into his eyes. "Baosheng, you guys go to Willow Town first. I've already told you my home address... Once I break free, I'll come find you immediately!"

With that, Li Qingshan stomped hard on the ground and charged toward the three silver monsters flying toward them at high speed!

He grabbed his collar and tore it open. With a surge of spiritual power, several military flags bearing the character "Yang" manifested out of thin air behind him. A suit of silver armor instantly encased his body, radiating a blinding light, like an invincible god of war!

True Self Manifestation!

Seeing Li Qingshan's transformation, a flash of shock crossed Kong Baosheng's eyes.

But he reacted quickly, turning to run immediately and following the figures who had split up toward the dirt slope... Mr. Lin was no ordinary person, and Kong Baosheng knew that well. Since Li Qingshan was Mr. Lin's friend, it made sense for him to possess such power. Kong Baosheng knew that staying behind would only put pressure on Li Qingshan, so he decided to do his best to survive.

Li Qingshan, now incarnated as Yang Zongbao, pulled a "Yang" flag from his back with a backhand motion and spun it into a flower with his spear. The next moment, the flag transformed into a silver long spear, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle as he charged!

One man, one spear, he charged straight at the three silver monsters!

After the True Self Manifestation, Li Qingshan’s stature was also immensely tall, not at all inferior even when confronting the silver monsters. The silver spear danced like a dragon, parrying the monster's arm that swung horizontally at him!

*Clang—!!*

A deafening roar swept out. Li Qingshan’s strength was still slightly inferior to the silver monsters, and he stumbled back several steps, his expression looking terrible.

The next moment, the other two silver monsters arrived in succession, their three slender, sharp blades cutting through the air and slashing toward Li Qingshan’s neck from different directions!