Chapter 240: Hell and the Heavenly Human

"Have you decided, Tao Gong?"

In the afternoon of days past, the artisan leaning on a cane sighed, "Once this step is taken, there will be no room for regret."

"Regret?"

The elderly Heavenly Human sighed, as if laughing at himself, "That is a feeling I have not experienced in a very long time."

The artisan fell silent.

Tao Cheng stared blankly at the sunlight outside the window for a long time before asking, "Tell me, if Quancheng could be salvaged, could one truly make amends for the mistakes once committed?"

"Right and wrong are of no importance to an artisan."

"But they are important to me."

Tao Cheng turned his head to look at him: "I cannot continue to make mistake after mistake."

"I will do my utmost."

The artisan leaning on his cane nodded and stepped aside: "You must understand, regardless of success or failure, from this day forward, you will likely serve as the vessel for the Heavenly Human, enduring torment and living in hell."

"Hell?"

Tao Cheng turned back in a daze, looking at the rising flames within the furnace.

Burning ceaselessly, the flames danced.

Illuminating his pupils.

Coming back to his senses, he had already propped up his withered body, unable to hold back a joyful smile.

"That would be the best thing of all!"

And just like that, he strode forward, walking into the raging flames and the hell within.

Never to be seen again.

The flames in his memory dissipated; in the wind rushing toward him, the world seemed to be spinning.

Everything was rising.

Rushing toward him.

The breeze was so pleasant.

He had never imagined that the scenery while falling would be so delightful.

In his trance, he seemed to see the neon lights beneath the night sky flickering on, the wind howling, as if the streets were still bustling, with human voices and shouts coming from afar.

Heavy traffic.

Just like many years ago...

"Tossing and turning for a lifetime, only to end up right here."

He whispered softly, a smile appearing on his wrinkled face: "Everyone, have you been well?"

No one responded.

Quancheng was deathly silent, like a corpse, bathed in the pitch-black rain in silence.

There were no longer the gentle lights of the past.

So cold and indifferent.

Why did he ever get involved with this place?

Even he himself could not understand.

It was clearly just because he was tired of dealing with those people in the Central City, and on a whim, he had set out on a long journey, with no purpose, no direction, wandering aimlessly.

He liked the seaside climate but could not stand the humidity, so he settled in Quancheng.

Just staying here for a few days.

He had no friends or relatives here, nor any heart-wrenching stories. It was hard to even call it affection or attachment; everything was ordinary, plain...

Until the days he thought would last until the end of time met with collapse and destruction without warning.

Should he leave?

He should have left; he should have been decisive and walked away.

He had hesitated because of this.

And when his heart ached like a knife for it, it was already too late.

One minute.

Just a single minute.

And so, everything that might have been salvaged drifted away completely due to his hesitation.

They were all dead.

The banyan tree scorched by the sun, the quiet and deep alleys, the honking of horns on the road, the broadcasts in the school, the bustling crowds on the street, the shop assistant secretly dozing behind the counter, and the fisherman waiting in vain by the river in the middle of the night—all of them, along with this city, were gone.

Everything that was so peaceful and ordinary that it was annoying had vanished. Those dull and plain lives, which at the time were worth more than any treasure to everyone, ended right there.

All that remained were wails and shouts, which from then on would echo forever in his ears...

Save me, please save me.

Such voices, carrying tears that no one answered, were buried in the darkness.

I'm sorry.

Even repentance and pleading were now meaningless.

From that day on, he lived in a hell named shame. So-called sacrifices and feats, so-called endurance and compassion, were simply not worth mentioning compared to such pain.

From the moment he woke up until today, for all these years, he had never dared to return here.

He was afraid of recognizing his own unrecognizable self among the countless weathered bones.

But at this moment, as the high and distant Heavenly Human fell from the sky, he felt incredibly calm; the weight of the earth was calling to him, and everything he had been unable to salvage seemed to have returned once more.

The torment and shame were gone.

So peaceful.

In the fall, as he gradually shattered and dissociated, he bathed in the rushing wind and opened his arms one last time.

For a moment, everything seemed to change.

The cicadas of the afternoon seemed to sound again; on the bustling street, the crowd surged, and a humid, hot wind blew toward him, carrying the scent of grass, trees, and the ocean.

In the crowd, a traveler who had been gone for many years carried his pack, looking around in a daze.

He looked up at everything before him.

Gradually coming to a realization.

"Hey, what a wonderful time..."

Tao Cheng smiled and closed his eyes.

Letting the sound of the tide rise.

Blowing away the old times of the past.

Drip.

A crisp sound rang out.

As the dazzling tide of the Heavenly Human's disintegration spread, drifting down in thousands of strands, it illuminated everything that had been buried in the long darkness.

And so, everything seemed to be given color once more.

Cyan bricks, collapsed gray commercial buildings, dust-covered yellow signs, black ruins covered in spiderwebs, pale remains, and the rain of sin winding and flowing like blood.

Finally, as the brilliant light dissipated, everything that remained fell toward the earth.

Like clear dew.

So light.

A brilliant trail streaked across the dark night and vanished into the earth.

In the deathly silence of the darkness, what was stirred up was wave after wave of tsunami-like madness!

From the light sound of dripping water, a brilliant golden torrent rose from the ground, spreading in all directions, a magnificent and mighty tide gushing forth, sweeping over and enveloping everything!

At that moment, on the scale, the final weight fell.

Lu Changsheng wanted to stop it, but it was already too late. Even as an existence of sin, what power could salvage the final sacrifice of a Heavenly Human?

Boom!

Lu Changsheng's body shuddered violently.

A teeth-gritting sound of cracking rang out, echoing across the firmament.

As if a weight of ten thousand jun had appeared out of thin air, the sin of the human world standing between heaven and earth was actually bent at the spine, almost unable to continue.

Light flowed and washed over, like a tide.

Boom!

Among the four heads, a crack suddenly appeared and spread across a faceless visage.

He opened his mouth and roared in fury.

There was no way to shake off this terrifying pressure that had appeared out of thin air, yet he could not let go at all...

It was merely the death of one person, a meager chip exchanged for a burnt-out soul, yet it instantly reversed the situation, turning everything around!

It was like a single straw breaking the camel's back.

At this moment, Tao Cheng's final soul was completely burnt out, and everything that remained acted like a wedge, jamming into the sin-tainted Quancheng and merging into this city.

And then, ever since Tao Cheng's hasty ascension to Heavenly Human, the assimilation originating from the Heavenly Human spread in all directions amidst the embers of creation that had been prepared for who knows how many years!

When a drop of poison falls into the medicine of supreme goodness, it will fall short of success.

And at this moment, the instant the medicine of supreme goodness appeared within the rolling poison, everything could no longer be pure.

This was Tao Gong's final plan.

From the very beginning, he had been prepared—even if only he remained, even if he sacrificed everything, even if he were to never exist in this world again, he would complete the unfinished business!

For this, he did not hesitate to use the assimilation of the Heavenly Human to take himself a step further and craft himself into a vessel of supreme goodness...

Now, amidst the constant probing and unreserved fierce struggle of the past few days, Tao Cheng's fire of humanity had been completely burnt out, and his soul, his matrix, and everything he was had become a part of supreme goodness amidst the assimilation of the Heavenly Human!

Along with the entire sin-tainted Quancheng!

At this moment, with Tao Cheng's passing, the decree of the Heavenly Human not only did not crack or slacken in the slightest, but instead, accompanied by magnificent blazing light, became even more stable and vast.

It poured entirely into Quancheng.

Sweeping away all sin and suppressing all distortion.

Leaving Lu Changsheng, who was riveting Quancheng and the vortex together, with no time to attend to anything else; the only thing he could do was to try his utmost to prop up this sudden, terrifying pressure.

Just like the weight Tao Cheng had endured when Quancheng fell in the past!

This was the weight of the present world!

With my broken body, I offer it to the Heavenly Human!

Everything hereafter is gifted to you...

From the howling of the wild wind, the mockery of the deceased seemed to come.

What is the weight of the evils of this world, Lu Changsheng?

Now, it is your turn to experience this weight that props up the sky!

"As expected of Tao Gong, even in death, he doesn't look at someone like me, a heretic, in his eyes..."

Lu Changsheng propped up the descending blazing light with all his might, roaring and questioning the old man who had long since passed away into the void: "But can a mere burden stump me!"

The deceased was silent.

The sin of the world roared, and one arm after another appeared amidst the gathering and scattering of the rainbow light, forcibly shackling the rushing blazing light and sealing everything above the dark clouds.

Head-on, he propped up the light of assimilation of the Heavenly Human!

But at that moment, accompanied by the sound of collapse from afar, the body of the great sin shuddered violently.

The spine actually bent... downward by another fraction!

Lu Changsheng looked back.

Amidst his fury, he gradually came to a realization.

Just a moment ago, within Quancheng, one of the pillars formed by the many re-integrated and reinforced higher sins had actually collapsed... and then, another one!

"Following Tao Gong's final order, the recovery of Quancheng begins today!"

As the light flowed across the sky like tears, Lu Yingyue withdrew her gaze from the firmament with an expressionless face and picked up the communicator: "All units advance; kill all evil sins!

Kill those who retreat! Kill those who hesitate! Kill those who hoard!"

The cold and stern voice, accompanied by spiritual quality fluctuations, echoed in the ears of all the Chosen Ones, bringing a blood-stained obituary and order: "After I die, Tong Ting of Yacheng shall succeed; after Tong Ting, Jiang Fei of Chuancheng shall succeed... All units advance, no retreat!

—Use the blood of the evil and foolish as a funeral sacrifice for Tao Gong!"

No one responded.

The channel was deathly silent.

And what resounded through Quancheng were countless roars and screams.

The blazing light echoed like a tide, illuminating one blood-stained face after another; amidst the sorrow and fury, only killing intent and ferocity rose.

The sword of the Heavenly Human was unsheathed from the blood once more, and the light left by the Heavenly Human shone upon all!

In the temporary camp, there was deathly silence.

Even after Lu Yingyue turned off the intercom, there was still no sound. Amidst the roaring and shaking in the distance, faint, trembling gasps came from the corner.

Several times, the special envoy from the Central City opened his mouth, wanting to speak.

But he could not say a word.

First Tao Cheng's death, then Lu Yingyue presenting Tao Gong's final order and taking power to control the situation—everything happened too fast, smooth and fluid, as if it had been arranged long ago.

But the authority of a dignified Haizhou Garrison Commander was being passed around so privately; even if he killed her, he could not pretend not to see it.

Just before he opened his mouth, Lu Yingyue's cold gaze glanced over.

"Rest assured, I have the authorization."

She said, "According to federal precedent, when a garrison commander sacrifices himself and the situation is critical, the cities in the state can hold their own elections; the signatures are all here."

As she spoke, she tossed over a thin sheet of paper, "If the format is wrong, let Xu Chaoxian write you another one!"

The envoy caught it in a panic, his hands trembling as he looked at it carefully.

Looking at those signatures that had been written long ago, his vision went black, and when he saw the final signature and seal, he could not help but spit out a mouthful of old blood.

"This... is this not... improper..."

"Is it?"

Lu Yingyue turned her head to look over in confusion.

Under her feet, she was still stepping on a head that had been cut off not long ago; on the mud-covered face, the appearance of a young girl faintly remained, but the eerie charm that bewitched hearts and distorted reality was gone.

"As things stand, does the Central City still have any opinions on the situation in Haizhou?" Lu Yingyue asked, "The envoy might as well speak clearly."

The envoy was silent, as quiet as a cicada in winter.

"That's right."

Lu Yingyue nodded and waved her hand impatiently: "Since you have nothing to say, don't trouble you gentlemen to worry about this borderland."

Bang!

The skull of the evil object disintegrated under her trampling.

Lu Yingyue pushed the door open and walked toward the battlefield where blood flowed like a river, leaving only her final words:

"—The affairs of Haizhou shall be handled by Haizhou itself!"

"Haha, hahahahaha... Die, die, die, die, die! Die for me!"

The blood mist and sin flow squirmed, cracked, and exploded!

The sound of wild laughter was endless; amidst the collapsed buildings, the massive altar disintegrated.

That incomplete figure raised his hand and reached out into the void; immediately, ten thousand acres of thunder light gathered, molded into shape amidst the changes in spiritual quality, and broke through the air!

Amidst the drifting dust, the holy image cracked.

The sin-tainted ones blocking the way turned to ash in the torrent of thunder light, and the blessings and pillars left by the higher sins completely disintegrated under the continuous bombardment of firepower!

But the wild laughter did not cease; the crystals of infinite thunder left his hands, not stopping until everything in sight was turned into ruins, evaporated into ash and dust!

As footsteps gradually approached, beneath the collapsed broken wall, a sharp, terrified voice rang out: "Lou... Lou Yanyue!!!"

"Hmm? You recognize me?"

Lou Yanyue's 'footsteps' stopped in place; she lowered her eyes in contempt, looking down at the dying sin-tainted one, examining the terror, despair, and shock in his pupils.

She could not help but grin: "What? Just ruined my face, surely you can't even distinguish me in this state?"

Her legs and left hand had already been severed at the root.

At this moment, they had incredibly been replenished; the form reshaped by her own spiritual quality was like pure white crystal, and one could faintly see the flow of blood inside.

And on that face that still faintly retained a hint of childishness, the scar across it was still ferocious.

The eyes, which were most important for spiritual quality molding, had returned to their original positions!

Even if they always looked a little uncoordinated...

The blood and tears caused by the rough transplant slowly slid down from the corners of her eyes, making that youthful smile even more ferocious, like a wild beast.

"Ugly is ugly, but my useless nephew has been crying for twenty years, and he finally acted like a man once. As his aunt, I can't let his painstaking efforts go to waste..."

She tapped her finger on those borrowed eyes and suddenly asked:

"Where is Jianyuan? Where is Ji Jue?"

In the ruins, that buried face froze for an instant, then turned into ecstasy: "I..."

Boom!

Thunder light gathered like a blade and slashed down.

Instantly, not even bones remained.

"Lies."

Lou Yanyue withdrew her gaze indifferently and looked around.

Not here...

But it didn't matter.

There were still so many places in the city; if she killed her way through one by one, she would eventually kill the person who deserved to die, and if she searched one by one, she would eventually find the person she wanted to find.

Amidst the dancing dust, she raised her head and walked toward the war and chaos spreading in the distance.

Wherever she passed, everything was scarlet.

"Brother Shan, what do you think we should do when we get back?"

In the silent corridor, the sound of dripping water came.

Tong Shan's footsteps paused for an instant; he really wanted to say that one should use titles when working, call him Captain when doing tasks, or use code names—he had emphasized this many times, why did they never listen?

But at this moment, he did not dare to look up.

He said in a muffled voice, "Anything is fine."

And so, Jiang Xuan laughed, "When the time comes, let's all have a couple of drinks together."

"Hmm."

Tong Shan responded sluggishly.

"Give the flowers on the balcony to Xu Guan; if there's a chance, thank Little Ji for me. I've also saved some money, donate it to the orphanage, or give it to Da Liu, consider it poverty alleviation..."

Jiang Xuan rambled incoherently, leaning against the wall and propping up his body.

But blood slowly flowed down from the hole piercing his chest, falling to the ground, shallowly gathering into a pool, winding and spreading...

"I can't walk anymore."

Jiang Xuan's mouth twitched, and he said softly: "I'll leave the rest to you all."

Tong Shan did not speak.

He only heard the final farewell from his friend.

"You should go, Brother Shan," he said, "there is still a road ahead."

At the moment he turned around, Tong Shan could not help but look back. But on that cracked face, there was only a brilliant smile, without a trace of gloom.

Just like a farewell at the time clock when getting off work.

Relaxed and relieved.

Tong Shan froze for a moment and nodded slowly.

"Goodbye."

And so, Jiang Xuan laughed silently, listening to the footsteps gradually fading away.

He closed his eyes and waited quietly.

Until at the other end of the corridor, chaotic footsteps came in a hurry, like a torrential rain, in close pursuit.

When the sin-tainted ones broke in here, they saw that heroic and joyful smiling face, finally waving at them.

Today I am a stubborn stone.

Sorry to trouble you all, stumble here!

At that moment, a violent roar soared into the sky, and countless lights of steel like a torrential rain spread, piercing everything and tearing everything apart.

The loud noise echoed, blowing into the distance from the wild wind.

The sound of corpses breaking rang out.

"Die!"

Tang Qian roared, pulled his axe out of an incomplete skull, turned back, swept across, cut at the waist, and then grabbed a blade that pierced through; his incomplete six arms no longer had any weapons.

Even one of his legs was broken.

But it didn't matter...

He grinned on his blood-stained face, and then, opened his mouth!

Toward the unprotected throat.

Tear and bite!

And then, a large group roared and drank blood, biting off the necks of their final opponents.

Blood rained down, staining that pale face red.

"Boss, it's all fucking ambushes ahead."

He panted, holding a crude gold coin he had counterfeited himself: "Retreat, I still have two ancestors I can summon, they'll keep you safe!"

Tong Shan did not speak.

He just leaned on the broken flagpole and staggered over.

He pressed a blood-stained fingerprint on an IOU that had been written long ago and handed it to him with both hands: "Da Liu and A Xue, I'll leave them to you."

Tang Qian was silent, glanced at the dying siblings behind him, gritted his teeth, and nodded.

And so, Tong Shan laughed.

"Protect them well."

He turned back and looked at the sanctuary shrouded in shadows, "I'll be right back."

In the vast sanctuary, a violent aura rose...

Under the transmission of the alarm, the Chosen Ones stood ready and arrived one after another to guard the pillar of great sin in Quancheng. Closing his eyes, he could feel it: the Sin of the Heart Hub, Weiyang; the Sin of Entropy, Youshuang; the Sin of Ether, Ranhuai...

Three Rebirths, seven Metamorphoses, and twenty-nine Invocations!

Very good, very fair.

One-on-one.

One Heavenly Human, a nest of snakes and rats!

He laughed silently, dragging the flagpole, and strode toward the open darkness.

The darkness swallowed his figure.

Never to be seen again.

The earth shook, and above the firmament, the image of the burning star burnt away the darkness and hung high once more!

A moment later, the scarlet wheel of stars shook violently, and drops of thick ink appeared out of thin air, spreading rapidly, sowing pollution, distorting, and rewriting, until the magnificent manifestation disintegrated.

Under the echo of the divine essence of the higher sin, the viscous rain of sin sprinkled down from the firmament, reaching everything.

Thousands of strands, stretching in a line.

Like a curtain, obscuring everything.

But immediately after, the curtain trembled violently again amidst the silent tide, almost boiling, disturbing, distorting, scattering in all directions, and becoming difficult to form again.

"The first one? So fast?"

Tang Qian looked back in surprise, but soon, his expression changed, shocked.

The second one...

Boom!

The sanctuary cracked, a blood-red tornado shot out, spreading and rendering a large area of scarlet; countless bone fragments and minced meat sprinkled and gushed.

And under the suppression of the higher sin, the originally dried-up psychokinesis actually rose again like a tide.

No longer demanding precision and detail, he squandered it violently, not caring even if he dragged himself into it... Broken to pieces, he would not hesitate!

The world froze for a moment, and the rain of sin across the sky froze in its original position, unable to change.

And then, a crisp sound of breaking rang out.

—The third one!

In the darkness of the sanctuary, the roof collapsed with a bang, and countless fragments fell like a torrential rain.

The lights flickered, lighting up the blood sea and the hell.

Everything was scarlet.

Everything in sight was nothing but severed limbs and broken bones, bloodstains splashed, and collapsed ruins. Like a storm galloping past, wherever it passed, all evil and foolish things were crushed into mud!

At this moment, the last surviving high priest sat dazed on the ground, retreating backward with hands and feet, ignoring the blood flowing from his severe wounds. He retreated until he was under the holy image, with nowhere left to retreat!

No matter how he called, the divine power of the higher sin never manifested again.

As if they had been completely abandoned.

Cast into true hell by the god he worshipped!

All he could hear was the sound of breaking coming from the depths of a nightmare.

Carefully, earnestly, meticulously, crushing all resisters into powder, one by one, piece by piece, strand by strand...

"Hmm? There's still... one..."

In the darkness, that hunched figure staggered forward.

Just like that, carrying the two broken blades that pierced his body, step by step, he stepped over the bones.

Full of holes, stumbling.

Like crawling, wading through blood, crossing the remains.

Walking toward him, step by step.

Until that tragic appearance was also illuminated by the residual light...

It was as if he was forcibly stitching the shattered remains together with psychokinesis, maintaining integrity, and triggering effects.

He did not know how many times he had been crushed, only to be pieced together again.

Under the crisscrossing cracks, the broken internal organs were already displaced, and the distorted and broken legs were propped up with pulled-out steel bars.

Under the pollution of sin, pitch-black blood slowly seeped out from the crack in his neck, dripping and falling to the ground with a sizzling sound.

Only on the face where white bones were exposed, those eyes burned with flames even fiercer than purgatory.

Staring fixedly at the final enemy before him.

"There's still one."

"Heh... heh..."

The high priest struggled crazily, eyes wide, but his neck felt as if it were shackled by invisible iron pliers, shrinking inch by inch; the wailing and choking sounds gradually ceased.

Crack, a light sound.

No more sound.

Boom!

Accompanied by the explosion of the remains, the sanctuary wailed, and the final pillar disintegrated.

Countless fragments collapsed, piled up, and fell, falling from Tong Shan's side, but he still did not stop his footsteps, climbing the mountain piled up by bones and remains with hands and feet.

Until he stepped the broken holy image under his feet!

He was already standing at the highest point of the sanctuary...

He turned back and looked at the drifting world behind him.

Under the shroud of the vortex's projection, sin rained down, surging and splashing, drowning everything.

The silent and decadent city was once again shrouded in chaos, and wails and cries rose like a tide, as if the apocalypse of the past was repeating itself.

Everything was gradually sinking.

Falling into a hell where light could no longer be seen.

For a moment, his lips twitched, wanting to roar with all his might. But even with a shout using all his strength, he could not hear an echo.

So, he held his breath.

Using his final strength, he raised the flag again, toward the gloomy everything before him, the turbulent world.

The broken flag was like a nail, piercing into the holy image.

Letting the wild wind howl and the rain of sin splash, the flag surface stained by the blood of evil objects fluttered again, making a hunting sound, like flames, glowing with dazzling blazing light.

Hereby, announcing to all:

—The flag of the Heavenly Human still stands above the present world! ===== CHAPTER 241 =====