Standing just behind Goku, Gai Nie wore a calm, unreadable expression. He treated the lunging spearpoints as if they were nothing—neither dodging nor flinching—his trust in Goku absolute.
Shaoyu and the others, however, looked tense and vigilant, ready to charge the moment anything went wrong.
"I hadn't wanted to shed more blood," Goku sighed softly. "But you've left me no choice."
The tiny flame at his fingertip pulsed with a strange ripple.
In an instant, the Qin soldiers nearby ignited without a spark, their bodies bursting into flame as screams tore through the air. Within heartbeats they were burned to ash—nothing remained, not even cinders.
A chorus of sharp intakes of breath rose and fell. Fear seeped into every heart.
Soldiers stared wide-eyed at the suddenly cleared space before them, faces drained of color. It was too bizarre—too terrifying. To self-immolate without warning, and in less than two seconds be wholly consumed… The dread ran bone-deep, into the soul. Sweat streamed down foreheads; spines went cold; legs shook. Some dropped hard to the ground, terror crushing what courage they had left.
This was no longer a battle. It was suicide. And the manner of death was ghastly beyond reason.
Panic spread; the Qin ranks recoiled as one. No one dared advance. They looked at Goku the way one looks at a blood-drinking demon. In their eyes there was nothing but fear.
To frighten hardened soldiers like this—one could imagine the terror in their hearts.
Even Yue Shen and her companions felt a chill as they watched the unremarkable little flame at Goku's fingertip. If that eerie ripple washed over them… could they withstand it?
Silence fell, heavy and absolute. The only sound was the pounding of hearts. All eyes fixed on the figure standing so casually in the center—and especially on that small, jade-green flame that made their scalps prickle.
Cold sweat dripped from Meng Tian's brow. At this moment, it truly seemed as the man had said: to snuff out Great Qin might be no more than a single thought.
---
"Too awesome! So cool! Someday, I'm going to be a great hero like Brother Goku!"
Behind him, Tianming shouted in excitement, eyes shining as he plunged into heroic daydreams.
Shaoyu's gaze burned as he watched Goku. With such strength, what great cause could possibly fail?
Goku glanced lightly at Meng Tian, and the general flinched, snapping to full alert. That tiny flame had carved an indelible shadow into every mind here. Who knew when that strange ripple might come again? How could one defend against a death you couldn't even see?
But vigilance meant nothing. With a lazy sweep of his sleeve, Goku sent a powerful gust crashing into Meng Tian, bowling him through a knot of Qin soldiers and slamming him to the ground. Even through the famed Cangyun Armor, he spat blood, face pale as paper.
He looked down at his chest. The armor known for its extraordinary defense had caved in. That had been nothing but a casual flick of the other's sleeve—yet it carried such force. Stunned, Meng Tian could only force a bitter smile. No wonder even Yue Shen and the others dared not clash head-on with this man. His power truly defied belief.
Some say there are people in this world who, by their strength alone, can upend the entire order. Once, Meng Tian would have scoffed at such talk. Now he believed it—because such a person stood right before him, looking down with the gaze of a god.
"If you don't want to die, then get out," Goku said mildly.
Such contempt would be a lifelong humiliation for a great general. Yet, in front of this man, Meng Tian found he could not even feel anger—he barely dared to breathe. In that faint, formless pressure he glimpsed a divine king surveying all living things. A strange urge to kneel and swear fealty surged up from nowhere—
Startled by his own impulse, he bit his tongue hard and forced the feeling down. When he looked back at Goku, his eyes were full of dread and awe.
"Withdraw!"
Meng Tian clasped his fists toward Goku, then barked the order. Without hesitation, he led the battered remnants of his troops away.
With Meng Tian's army gone, Yue Shen and Da/Shao Shiming also withdrew.
Goku probed the surroundings and sensed that Wei Zhuang and his party had already entered the forbidden ground.
"So, they haven't given up," he murmured, faintly surprised.
"What is it, Goku?" Xiao Li asked. Her heart was light; because of Goku, a massacre had been averted. Perhaps the goddess's charge to her would be fulfilled without her lifting a hand.
"Wei Zhuang's group has entered the forbidden ground," Goku said evenly.
"What? The forbidden ground? That's bad—their goal is the Bing Mo Shen!"
The High Priestess, who had held her peace until now, turned toward the ruined goddess statue. Her face changed. "The Dragon Soul has already been taken… Lord Goku, please! You must stop them. If the Bing Mo Shen awakens, the world will be plunged into endless catastrophe!"
"Tch. It's just a sword and a bronze giant. Is it really that frightening?" Goku replied, unconcerned.
"You… you don't understand. Once awakened, the Bing Mo Shen can move mountains and redirect rivers—its terror is beyond imagining. If they gain control, Loulan will be destroyed, and the world will again be consumed by war. The people will suffer untold misery…"
Anxious and pleading, the High Priestess looked to Goku. Only he could stop them now.
"All right, all right. It hasn't awakened yet, has it? No need to panic," Goku waved her off. He truly didn't take the Bing Mo Shen seriously. Even if it awakened, a single finger would be enough to crush it.
Just then, Xiao Li swung onto Xiao Pixiu's back—ready to fly for the forbidden ground.
Xiao Li and Xiao Pixiu existed to prevent the Bing Mo Shen's awakening; of course she would not stand by.
"Kids are always in a hurry," Goku smiled at her urgency, vaulted onto Xiao Pixiu, and glanced at Gai Nie and the others. "Coming to join the fun?"
"The Bing Mo Shen concerns us all," Gai Nie said, clasping his fists. "Forgive my intrusion." He leapt aboard, with Tianming and Shaoyu close behind.
Goku looked at the High Priestess still rooted in place. "Even the kids are going. You, a High Priestess, planning to slack off?"
He dropped down, swept an arm around her slender waist, and lifted her onto Xiao Pixiu's back. With a wave, he called, "Move out!"
A flush climbed the High Priestess's cheeks—no man had ever held her like that. Still, her composure returned quickly. Off to the side, Xiao Li's eyes flashed with a fleeting, unreadable light as she watched Goku lift the High Priestess.
Shaoyu and the others traded looks, a bit startled. Doesn't he know men and women should keep their distance—especially with the High Priestess? Then they remembered Goku's temperament and let it go. With him, anything was possible.
At the forbidden gate, the bronze doors already stood open. The High Priestess blanched. "No! How did they open the seal?"
"Gongshu Chou is with Wei Zhuang," Goku answered lightly. "Likely his handiwork."
He stepped into the passage. A thick surge of demonic qi rolled out from within—clear proof Chi You's Sword had been unsealed.
---
Inside, the light was dim. A demon blade glowing faintly lay pinned to a bed of sharpened stone. Chains crisscrossed it from all sides—an ancient sealing array.
Wei Zhuang, Chi Lian, Bai Feng, and Gongshu Chou stood before the sword.
Gongshu Chou trembled with excitement. "The blade that felled ten thousand heads—the ruler of all weapons—Chi You's Sword…"
As if it sensed them, the sword began to hum of its own accord.
Wei Zhuang lifted his gaze to the blade, a sly gleam flickering in his eyes. Sha Chi flashed as he struck one of the chains.
Clink—
The chain snapped.
With a link severed, the seal array began to fail.
The sword's humming grew louder. Waves of demonic qi surged outward, gnawing at the iron chains bound to the altar. Runes appeared and shattered one by one.
Clink, clink—
Links snapped in rapid succession.
With a deafening crash, the altar collapsed. Freed, Chi You's Sword became a streak of cold light and lunged at the group.
Chi Lian stood first in its path. Her waist bent with a serpent's grace, barely slipping past the thrust.
The blade did not slow. It shot for Bai Feng—he flickered away in the nick of time.
Gongshu Chou also dove aside. Only Wei Zhuang remained in its line.
As the sword streaked in, Wei Zhuang's eyes sharpened. He reached out and caught the point bare-handed. Power roared; his robes whipped in the gale as demonic qi poured into him. It coiled around his body in black waves, and a terrible aura rose from him. The intoxicating rush of strength made his lips curl; he opened his arms, savoring the power flooding his veins.
Runes crawled across his face. A slumbering demon-god seemed to wake within him.
His aura thundered outward; killing intent rolled in suffocating waves.
"Well now… looks like we're a step late," came Goku's lazy voice.
_____
T/N:
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