Chapter 21: Lingering Souls of the Battlefield

The Dim Cave.

After three consecutive days of frontal clashes, the battle between the players and the Cave-Dweller Clan grew increasingly fierce.

Countless Iron-Shell Beetles, controlled by the Cave-Dweller warriors, surged forth from underground, endless to kill, making the players itch with hatred.

The only consolation for the players was that this game lacked a monster respawn mechanism; slain monsters would not revive.

Victory would ultimately belong to them.

Meanwhile, Qi Sheng, operating from behind the scenes, also grew curious about the Dim Cave, wondering what characteristics this domain node possessed.

He decided to begin his exploration before the players could.

Just as the players erupted into battle with the Iron-Shell Beetle Black Tide once more, a wisp of his consciousness followed the Guide's sensory tendrils, penetrating deeper underground until it reached the fifth underground layer.

There, he saw a massive palace surrounded by stone steles.

In front of the palace stood thousands of soldier statues; most had broken bodies, clad in shattered black armor, holding fractured weapons, either standing or charging, each in a different pose, vivid and lifelike.

At the western entrance of the palace, large numbers of Iron-Shell Beetles could be seen, driven by Cave-Dweller warriors, dragging ore into the palace.

Qi Sheng's consciousness followed the Guide into the main hall, where a five-meter-tall, broken statue stood in the very center, coming into view.

The statue's entire body was wrapped in heavy, shattered armor; it held a blood-red, fractured battle blade and knelt on one knee, gazing up at the dome.

Behind it stood a massive furnace; under the control of the Cave-Dweller warriors, the Iron-Shell Beetles entering the palace continuously threw ore into the furnace to be refined.

【Ice Blade!】

The Guide's sudden exclamation made Qi Sheng pause:

"You know this statue?"

【A warmongering madman; after Di Zhao fell, he once ruled as a hegemon over a region.】

"How does he compare to you?"

【Compared to us four Vassals, he is far inferior, of course, but this fellow's strength should not be underestimated. I once tried to recruit him, but he believed himself qualified to become the new Di Zhao and refused to pledge loyalty to me.】

"Is he dead?"

【The flame of life has been extinguished; he is thoroughly dead... Hmm? There seems to be a cluster of informational energy remaining within his body.】

"Try to analyze it."

The Guide did not answer, bringing Qi Sheng's wisp of consciousness closer to the Ice Blade statue; the analysis ability activated at that moment, and instantly, infinite killing intent surged forth like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing.

"We, warriors of Di Zhao... will not retreat."

Accompanied by a hoarse yet firm voice, countless memory scenes flashed rapidly through Qi Sheng's mind like slides.

He saw the desperate situation Ice Blade faced when the world was on the verge of collapse.

That was the time node when the four Vassals had just entered Emperor Tomb Village, before he had transmigrated here.

At that time, the Monster World was gradually corrupting under the sweep of the terrifying Black Black Tide, the ecological environment worsening by the day; the region governed by Ice Blade was similarly eroded by the horrific Black Black Tide.

Facing this desperate situation, Ice Blade began laying out plans for the future.

He sank his palace into the underground, then ordered the non-combatant clansmen to move underground, instructing them to mine and store underground spiritual ores while waiting for the future.

Thus, the massive underground construction project began.

The clansmen did not understand why their chieftain was doing this, nor did they comprehend what he meant by "waiting for the future," yet they all chose to execute his plan and press on.

Before the underground project was completed, the terrifying Black Black Tide swept in.

Ice Blade chose to lead his subordinate warriors into battle against the evil Black Tide, defending the pure land beneath their feet.

The memory fragment jumped.

In the scene, the evil spirits were like a locust swarm pressing upon the border, densely packing and blocking vision; Ice Blade, clad in heavy armor, led the Black Armored Army, raising their blades and pointing at the evil spirits as they launched a charge.

The battle was exceptionally brutal; by the time the evil spirit Black Tide was repelled, only half of the warriors survived.

A second wave of the evil spirit Black Tide could arrive at any moment; Ice Blade chose not to leave, remaining with his warriors at the entrance of the underground palace, standing in strict formation awaiting the enemy.

A new round of the evil spirit Black Tide erupted three days later.

Followed by a third and fourth wave; the endless evil spirits fought Ice Blade until his weapon shattered, and the warriors following him all perished, yet he still did not leave.

On the day the underground palace was completed, the clansmen who had participated in the construction emerged from the cave, hoping Ice Blade would enter underground to evade the next wave of the evil spirit Black Tide.

Facing his clansmen kneeling and begging, Ice Blade swept his emotionless, ice-blue eyes over them and said coldly:

"The pure land beneath our feet is a gift from Di Zhao; I, wielding this blade, swear to guard it until my life withers. I would rather die than retreat."

Driving the clansmen underground, Ice Blade faced his final battle.

Endless evil spirits surrounded and trapped him; the flame of his life flickered like a candle in the wind during the fight, liable to be extinguished at any moment.

When exhausted to the point of depletion, Ice Blade knelt on one knee, gazing at the sole remaining wisp of "Light of Di Zhao" in the sky, infinite fighting intent still burning fiercely in his eyes.

In his final moments, what filled Ice Blade's mind was the scene of Di Zhao crowning him and bestowing territory upon him.

Intense pride and a sense of honor filled his heart; with great difficulty, he raised his fractured battle blade, pointed it at the evil spirit Black Tide, and his hoarse voice echoed through the sky above:

"Iron-blooded lingering soul, battlefield's abandoned valor; even this broken body can slay three million enemies!"

"Beneath Di Zhao there are no cowards; awaken, all of you, and fight alongside me once more!"

As his voice fell, the flame of Ice Blade's life was extinguished, yet his unconscious broken body moved; under the call of Ice Blade's lingering will, the broken bodies of countless fallen warriors also rose to continue fighting the evil spirits alongside him.

The memory fragment ended abruptly there.

【This fellow... even in death he could imprint a fighting will onto his broken body; truly a thoroughgoing madman.】

The scenes from the memory fragment left Qi Sheng shaken.

During the Guide's process of analyzing the memories, he could even feel the unyielding will within Ice Blade's heart when facing desperation.

A casual remark from Di Zhao was, in Ice Blade's eyes, the proudest moment of honor in his entire life, leading him to choose to fight to the death to protect that honor.

【It seems his broken body was sent into the palace by his clansmen.】

"Guide, what did Ice Blade mean by 'waiting for the future'?"

【Unclear; it seems he had some kind of layout for the future. Could it be that he intended to revive through some method?】

Just as the Guide and Qi Sheng were feeling curious about Ice Blade's future layout, the broken body of Ice Blade standing in the center of the main hall trembled slightly, as if sensing their presence; it raised its head to look at their cluster of consciousness, and suddenly, a scarlet light ignited in its dim eyes. Then, a message entered the minds of Qi Sheng and the Guide:

"Guide? Jiu Yin? Yan Ming? Chao Wei?... Whichever of you four old fellows has inherited the will of Di Zhao, carry on with my share of honor. I no longer have the strength to fight; I can only offer this assistance."

As his voice fell, the ground behind Ice Blade split open, revealing a golden crystal stone placed upon an array formation.

The energy of the ore thrown into the furnace for refining was being transported precisely here; after being absorbed by the array formation, it merged into the golden crystal stone.

Even without touching it, Qi Sheng could clearly sense the surging, pure energy contained within the crystal stone.

【This kid Ice Blade...】

At this moment, the Guide, who had always introduced Ice Blade with a teasing attitude, was also shocked.

Qi Sheng finally understood what Ice Blade had meant by "waiting for the future."

Ice Blade believed that one of the four Vassals would inherit the will of Di Zhao and become the new Di Zhao, so he had prepared a cross-century gift for them in advance.

(End of Chapter)