Chapter 302: The Return of the Outer Gods
The bloody afterglow of dusk dyed the entire earth a strange purple-red, and the cumulus clouds in the sky looked like heavy blocks of lead, as if they would suddenly fall in the next moment.

Outside the camp, the scars of battle are still clearly visible: collapsed temporary watchtowers, burnt wooden stakes, and the crack in the ground is still releasing a faint black mist, quietly connecting the gap between the human world and the foreign land.

After a series of bloody battles, the army received urgent news before they could rest – the Lord of the Underworld and a large number of monsters appeared again, and were approaching this place across the mountains, and their speed was astonishingly fast, like a frenzy in the dark night, and they would launch a new round of fierce attacks in the shortest time possible.

Li Qingyun held up the scabbard, stood in front of the collapsed tent, his chest rising and falling slightly.

While enduring the intense pain, he mobilized the remaining available troops to meet the enemy.

Breaking the twisted formation just now had already consumed a lot of the soldiers’ energy, but the foreign gods did not give them a break and rushed straight towards them.

There were hurried footsteps all around, the clashing of armor and panicked voices, like heavy bells and drums beating in the night.

Compared with usual, everyone’s fear of the “second coming” of the outer god was greater than ever before – because they saw Li Qingyun’s own fragility: the seal was almost collapsing, and he was only relying on a strong force to forcibly suppress the undercurrent of “silence” in his body.

After the previous battle, he was coughing up blood alone in a dark corner, and half of his body was almost entangled in the gray fog, almost making Mu Guiying and He Xiangu think that he was out of control.

But he still struggled to wake up, desperately holding on to this last bit of clarity.

Everyone knows that the next fight will be a matter of life and death, and may determine the fate of the three realms.

Half an incense stick later, the spy ran back in panic:
“Sir, the shadows of the divine army are approaching from the ridge ahead. The Lord of the Underworld is here in person! Countless monsters are gathering on this flat land, as if they are about to form a torrent here.”

There was fear in his tone.

He Xiangu tightly grasped her spear, anxiety rising in her eyes:

“We have just wiped out the remaining enemy forces, and now they are coming with such a strong force… If we fight another head-on battle, we will not be able to sustain the troops. Qingyun, your injuries——”

Her words stopped abruptly at this moment, and she looked at Li Qingyun’s face hesitantly.

There was a cold light in the latter’s eyes, not allowing him to say more.

Li Qingyun raised his hand slightly, suppressing all the noise, his tone was calm but dry:
“Gather the soldiers who are still able to fight, form the most elite formation, and prepare to meet the enemy. Although the terrain here is broken, it is relatively open. It is good to delay for a while. I will be in charge personally.”

His original intention was to end the battle quickly, but he also knew that the pain from the seal was getting worse and worse, so he couldn’t swing his sword carelessly, otherwise he would lose control immediately.

The Lord of the Underworld is obviously well aware of this and will not miss this opportunity.

Mu Guiying was worried:
“Qingyun, maybe let us block the mountain pass first? You can rest for a while, and you don’t have to go to the front line.”

She knew that every time Li Qingyun swung his sword, it was like thrusting a sharp spike into the broken seal, which could immediately break the terrifying existence sealed in his body.

But Li Qingyun did not answer, but just held the hilt of the knife silently.

An indescribable determination made Mu Guiying unable to argue any longer.

She retreated sadly and went to pass on his orders.

When the wind blew, the sky turned as dark as ink, with strange purple arcs occasionally appearing in the clouds.

When everyone had finished forming a line, they saw a huge cloud of dust and strange shadows rising from the distant hillside, as if an endless sandstorm was coming, shaking the earth.

The horses were neighing restlessly, the soldiers’ fingers gripping their swords were trembling, and there was even an eerie chill in the air, as if there were vengeful spirits everywhere.

A strange pressure hit everyone’s chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Li Qingyun stood in front of the army formation, the seal in his chest rolled several times, and the sharp pain was like thousands of silver needles piercing his meridians.

He tried hard to suppress the urge to shout, and forced the gray mist back into his sea of ​​consciousness, making himself look barely harmless.

Facing extremely brutal enemies like the Lord of the Netherworld and the gods of Yuxu Palace, he had no way to retreat and could only fight with all his might in the final battle to the death.

In a moment, a tide of black shadows rolled down the mountain like a huge wave.

The monster array at the front is a mixture of various deformed creatures: there are ferocious giant insects with purple and blue scales; there are undead knights with semi-solid sharp swords flashing; there are also tentacle monsters that look like exotic and poisonous beasts, with mucus surging all over their bodies.

All the monsters roared, raised their blood-red eyes, and stared greedily at the human array.

The evil aura that permeated the air was as thick as ink, and even the void seemed to be twisting, as if it could swallow up the entire army at any time.

Then, a sinister sneer came from mid-air, familiar and terrifying.

The generals looked up and saw an extremely huge shadow appear. It was actually the Lord of the Underworld himself, hanging high in the sky, with eight bone wings spread out in the black mist, and his head was embedded with black gemstone eyes, carrying an infinite sense of oppression and cruelty.

It looked down at the human camp from the sky, looking at them as if they were ants.

The surrounding lightning tore through the clouds, making its outline vaguely visible, adding to the indescribable horror.

Li Qingyun clenched his teeth tightly, and the seal caused a huge wave again.

He forced himself to calm down and thought to himself:
“This time the leader of the Outer Gods will come in person to destroy the human defenses. If I draw my sword to fight him, it will give Silence an opportunity to take advantage of me… But if I don’t fight him, these tens of thousands of soldiers will be torn to pieces by the monsters in an instant. What a cruel choice.”

The Lord of the Underworld seemed to enjoy this process extremely. His roar was low and long, echoing loudly between heaven and earth.

It raised its giant claw-like upper limbs and swung them violently. The group of monsters in front let out a roar like a tsunami and rushed forward madly.

The ground rumbled and shook as if the sky was collapsing. Many soldiers in the army formation turned pale, but they still stayed in the formation, staring at Li Qingyun, waiting for his instructions.

Li Qingyun took a deep breath and steadied himself again.

He could no longer care about the seal. If he did not strike at this moment, the battle line would collapse immediately.

He had no choice but to raise his knife and shout, “Kill!”

At the command, the soldiers roared and rushed towards the enemy, bows and crossbows were fired at the same time, and crossbows also shot powerful arrows from the flanks, tearing a large blood mist from the monsters in the front row in a short time.

However, the monsters’ momentum did not slow down. More deformed figures leapt over their companions’ bodies and roared as they charged into the human formation. In an instant, a fierce fight broke out, with blood and flames splattering.

Swords flashed everywhere, corpses piled up, and blood flowed everywhere. Each scene was like a black torrent crashing into the solid wall of humanity, holding on only by bravery and will.

Li Qingyun tried to swing out his strongest sword twice, but was forced to suppress his strength due to the pain of the sealing cone, and could only use weaker moves to stabilize his position.

But this cannot defend against the terrifying power of the Lord of the Underworld.

With a slight movement of his hand, several waves of evil energy rolled towards the human soldiers, causing gaps in the formation. Some soldiers were corroded or turned into pus on the spot, and their miserable screams echoed in the night sky.

He Xiangu and Mu Guiying commanded the armies separately, killing so hard that they saw stars. Both Ruyi and the spear were broken several times, but how could they stop such a horrible monster tide?

They glanced at Li Qingyun and saw that he was covering his chest with one hand and holding a knife with the other, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had reached the edge of his limit and no longer had the strength to use his former devastating sword moves.

It makes people anxious, but there is nothing they can do.

There were many emergencies on the front line. The monsters of the Outer Gods pushed forward and broke through several trenches of the human formation.

Some people tried desperately to defend themselves, but their necks were torn apart by the flying demon that swooped down from the sky.

The bloody massacre spread all over the land, causing many soldiers to collapse in fear.
If Li Qingyun had not been there, they would have probably knelt down and begged for mercy or dispersed.

But even so, collapse is only a matter of time.

This is the most terrifying thing about the return of the Outer Gods: at this moment, Li Qingyun is clearly powerless.

Facing the overwhelming power of the Lord of the Underworld, if he drew his sword completely, the seal would be shattered at any time and he would turn into a demon; if he did not draw his sword, he would watch his army fall and be torn into pieces by the outer gods.

This was precisely the critical moment when he was most conflicted and painful.

In mid-air, the Lord of the Underworld saw that the human formation was weak, so he howled wildly and flapped his wings, attracting layers of purple electric currents to bombard the formation, causing countless whirlpools to explode on the ground. Monsters took advantage of the situation and rushed in, and blood flowed like a river.

Li Qingyun was thrown several feet away and finally landed on the ground. The pain in his chest became even more severe and he could not bear it for a while.

A gray mist shadow actually began to emerge along his neck and spread like a spider web, causing the soldiers on all sides to be terrified: Is the lord losing control?
But Li Qingyun bit off the tip of his tongue and regained the last bit of consciousness. He raised his eyes and saw the sharp gaze of the Lord of the Nether Abyss, which seemed to be teasing him.

He roared like thunder, as if to say, “That’s it.”

He felt a cold despair surge in his heart, but at the same time, the final tragic heroism ignited: rather than letting the Outer Gods wreak havoc and kill all the civilians and comrades, he would rather fight to the death here to release the power of the sword and let the seal be destroyed under his own control.

“never mind……”

He thought to himself, “If this is fate, I will use this sword to bring peace to the world.”

At that moment, he suddenly became extremely calm, his eyes lit up like magic lamps, and he secretly circulated the remaining divine power in the palace, preparing to launch the ultimate sword move before the seal was broken.

The hallway quickly collapsed in his sea of ​​consciousness, but he was determined to fight to the death.

The more violently the gray fog rolled, the colder his expression became.

The soldiers around him could not hear his inner voice. They only saw him suddenly spit out a mouthful of black blood and hold the knife across his eyebrows. He was like a lone wolf forced into a desperate situation, putting aside his life and death and roaring against the trend.

But at this critical moment, new movements appeared in the air.

The Lord of the Underworld obviously also sensed the danger in him – when the seal was broken, it might give birth to another terrifying existence, and even destroy it along with him.

There was a flash of hesitation in his eyes, but then he roared and released astonishing power. A loud explosion sounded, and a huge wave of shadow swept across the entire battlefield, causing an entire row of soldiers to be blown back dozens of feet, and dust and blood foam filled the sky.

Li Qingyun forced himself to hold the knife steady. The strong wind blew his robes fluttering, but the seal in his body was buzzing and shaking, and was on the verge of collapse.

“Ji” laughed grimly: “Come on! Right now, join me, or we will both turn to ashes!”

He gritted his teeth and growled to himself:
“Don’t let me fall. At least… kill the Lord of the Underworld first.”

Just as he was about to unleash his sword, a strange and beautiful track suddenly appeared in the night sky – a twisted crack suddenly split the clouds, like a snake from the abyss tearing the sky apart, and large amounts of purple lightning and fire gushed out in between.

Upon seeing this, the Lord of the Underworld seemed to sense some secret order and burst into wild laughter. He enveloped the group of monsters with his twisted power, and the army instantly turned around and retreated, as if most of them retreated like a tide after a flash of thunder.

Mu Guiying and He Xiangu were stunned: Why would the foreign gods suddenly withdraw their troops when they were winning a great victory?

Li Qingyun also abruptly put away his knife and watched, realizing that the aura emanating from the crack in the sky was even deeper and more mysterious, as if a higher-level outer god was giving instructions.

The Lord of the Underworld only ordered a temporary retreat, not a rout.

It hung high in the air, staring at Li Qingyun, roaring deeply, but no longer swooping down, as if some giant spirit from some indescribable existence had put away its murderous intent, intending to continue destroying the three realms in another way.

The soldiers looked at the retreating monsters and breathed a sigh of relief, but they were still alert – this “retreat” must be a sign of conspiracy. Sure enough, a moment later, black and purple ripples appeared in the cracks in the air, like eyeballs opening and closing, emitting mysterious ancient sound waves, which swept the sand in the distance into the air, forming a howling hurricane.

Li Qingyun only felt a sharp pain in his heart, and the gray fog was also roaring in his sea of ​​consciousness, as if responding to the shock from outside.

“What’s this?!”

People were in disbelief and disarray. Li Qingyun raised his head with great effort and saw that the crack in the air had expanded several times, with chaotic energy surging inside, as if it was going to tear the laws of the three realms apart from the root.

The Lord of the Underworld looked down, as if mockingly showing the power behind it – perhaps the King of the Outer Gods or a higher level has been connected.

Then it folded its wings, roared again, and led the monster to retreat completely into the depths of the crack, disappearing without a trace.

At this moment, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

All that was left was the blood-soaked ground and the gasping soldiers, like an empty city after a big dream.

Mu Guiying rushed to Li Qingyun and supported him, fearing that he would collapse again.

Li Qingyun shook his head and lowered his eyes. His chest felt like it was filled with razor blades. Every breath he took was extremely painful, but he held on.

“They have retreated again…which means a bigger conspiracy is about to unfold somewhere else.”

He Xiangu was busy gathering the remaining troops with her troops, and seeing her colleagues lying dead all over the ground, she was unable to muster the slightest bit of joy.

Because retreating would be tantamount to announcing that the next wave of attacks would be more fierce.

Li Qingyun knew that they had reached the peak of the most severe crisis: the return of the Outer Gods, but it would not end here, but would turn into a larger-scale doomsday impact.

If the seal were to break at this moment, “Ji” would awaken, and Li Qingyun might be devoured and turned into another Outer God, and everything would become a dead end.

The night was endless, and the crack in the sky was still flashing with a strange light, as if there was a ferocious beast lurking in the distance.

Li Qingyun sighed, took out a blood towel from his arms and wiped his lips, but found that there were tiny mist-like distortions in the gray blood.

Those were traces of chaos leaking from the seal, which made his palms feel cold: time was running out.

This was the most terrifying thing about the Outer God’s return. It first displayed a strong attack, forcing him to almost break through the bottom line of the seal again, and then suddenly retreated, leaving him exhausted but unable to exert any strength.

The gods of Yuxu Palace are still nowhere to be seen. The next round of attack may be a destructive technique that spans the three realms. Perhaps “Silence” will still be erupting in his body by then.

He was trapped in a dead end with no way out, but he could only hold on, hoping for a chance of recovery.

The soldiers looked at him in awe, but did not dare to approach.

The dark grey lines that occasionally appeared at the torn edges of his shirt made everyone who saw him feel a chill in their souls.

This was undoubtedly a bad omen for the palace seal. If he was forced to launch more powerful sword moves, “Silence” would completely emerge.

Although the Lord of the Underworld retreated in this battle, he calmly achieved his intention: continuing to weaken Li Qingyun’s mind and body, waiting for the best opportunity to capture and kill him.

Li Qingyun walked unsteadily and silently returned to the ruined camp, hiding in the tent without saying a word.

Mu Guiying and He Xiangu wanted to follow him, but he rejected them coldly.

He needs to be alone, even if he will be in excruciating pain in the next second.

He had to think about how to face this peak crisis: the return of the outer gods was only an appearance, and what would ultimately destroy him might be the awakening of “Silence” within.

It was dark in the tent, and the oil lamp swayed in the night wind, casting an eerie shadow.

Li Qingyun sat cross-legged slowly, but his breathing could not calm down. The gray fog rolled like a ferocious beast crashing into the wall of the Sea of ​​Consciousness Palace. He spat out three mouthfuls of blood before he managed to stabilize himself.

His consciousness was almost lost, but he could not faint, because there were countless comrades and civilians outside who still needed his protection, and Zhenren Huanglong and the Lord of the Nether Abyss were also urging him.

At this moment, an idea was stirring in his heart: Should he completely unseal himself and share divine power with “Ji”, perhaps he could wipe out the Outer Gods once and for all?

But how is that different from surrender? Once they merge, will he still be Li Qingyun?
While he was thinking, the illusion of the palace corridor reappeared, thunder roared, and the gray fog turned into rolling waves that swept across the palace.

That deep shadow called out from the other side:

“Is this the limit? If you abandon your mortal desires and coexist with me, then the Outer Gods will be vulnerable. If you refuse, why bother sacrificing for the ants?”

This eerie whisper lingers in my ears.

Li Qingyun was breathing hard, and he still wanted to resist with his sword in mind, but he felt an infinitely sad dilemma, and one foot was on the edge of a cliff.

“The Outer Gods are coming… I have no way out…”

He thought painfully. But when he saw countless human faces crying in the darkness in the illusion, the protective faith in his heart was awakened again, and he roared back:

“What about ants? They are the ones I protect!”

The huge figure in the palace sneered sarcastically, as if he didn’t want to waste any more words.

The palace collapsed again with a loud bang. Li Qingyun was shocked and everything went dark before his eyes.

When he reluctantly opened his eyes, he found that he had coughed up another mouthful of black blood, which had formed dark spots on the ground. There were voices outside and the lights in the camp were flickering. It was possible that the people from Yuxu Palace or the outer gods had made a commotion again.

Li Qingyun wanted to stand up, but a tearing pain made his knees go weak again.

He realized that he could no longer be so passive. If he allowed the conspiracy between the outer gods and the Yuxu Palace to take another step forward, the human world would be doomed.

He is the only one who can reverse the situation, but he is also the most dangerous host of “Ji”.

The so-called peak of crisis is nothing more than this.

As the night deepened, the wind grew colder, blowing through the curtains.

There were guards patrolling outside, looking nervous, afraid of another attack from the Outsider God, but everything was eerily quiet at the moment.

Li Qingyun reluctantly stroked the knife and stood up. In the light, he saw that half of his face was stained with gray bloodstains. He looked extremely hideous. He was stunned and wondered: How long can he maintain his humanity?
If the Outer Gods attack next time, will he have to break the seal himself?

Would that lead to a more horrific disaster?

He struggled with his emotions until dawn, then he gritted his teeth and stepped outside, deciding to discuss with Mu Guiying and others how to first destroy the source of the main sacrifices of the gods in Yuxu Palace in order to reduce the power of the foreign gods’ further attacks.

If he could destroy the enemy before his seal completely exploded, he might still have a chance of survival.

But as soon as he stepped out of the tent, he saw dark clouds rolling on the horizon, the silver-gray sky was as low as lead, and black and purple electric snakes flashed in the clouds, indicating that a new round of extremely severe weather was about to come.

That is a symbol of the power of the outer gods. I am afraid that a more violent killing game is unfolding at this moment.

All these scenes proved that the return of the Outer Gods was inevitable, and no matter how he endured, he would eventually have to fight back with a knife.

The pain of the seal shook his sea of ​​consciousness, and his hands trembled constantly, but he still had to calmly order his subordinates to gather and advance towards Chuzhou City.

All I could think of was this: I hope I can end the hostility before my sword breaks. Even if I die, it is better than seeing all souls being slaughtered.

It was like a scene from a movie quickly unfolding: under the gray and black sky, the remnants of the human race set foot on the misty road, with blood and dust intertwined and floating in the air; Li Qingyun walked at the front of the team, his eyes full of determination, but revealing endless desolation.

He looked coldly at the black light rolling in front of him. The strong wind blew his hair into disarray. His face was pale with a hint of gray, but his steps remained firm.

Because he knew that this was the most critical moment – the peak of the crisis, the return of the Outer Gods, and he had to give it a try, regardless of life or death.

Perhaps the next head-on confrontation will be the moment when “Ji” breaks out of his cocoon.

He could only move forward, leaving all fear behind.

The wind suddenly roared and the earth rumbled, as if a monster from the deep was roaring and crying, waiting for the final blow of this trip.

Li Qingyun raised his sword and waved his arm, asking his subordinates to follow him and attack the darkness in the city, chanting:

“If I lose this battle, there will be no way for me to survive in this world; if I win this battle, I will live and die with the sword spirit.”

The soldiers responded, and although their steps were disorderly, they did not retreat.

The sounds of war drums and incantations were heard again from the ruins outside the city, as if opening the curtain for a deadly battle among the three realms.

The atmosphere was almost suffocating. Everyone felt as if their hearts were gripped by an invisible pressure. They could only ignite a faint sense of pride in the name of Li Qingyun.

The night was dark, and blood and cries were buried in the earth.

The next scene will surely be the flash of swords again, the outer gods will laugh wildly in the depths of the crack, and the gods of Yuxu Palace will be waiting secretly with poison talismans hidden in their sleeves.

Li Qingyun’s seal was only a hair’s length away from breaking.

Countless mysteries linger over the battlefield, converging into a dark tide of treacherous conspiracy.

When the situation becomes turbulent, we will see how he will once again point his sword against the sky and gamble his soul.

At that time, perhaps it is the real question of unity and division: Li Qingyun, or “Ji”? If the outer gods are more powerful, can he still protect this broken world?

At the peak of the crisis, the footsteps of the outer gods broke through the dust, and blood-red arcs crawled all over the sky and earth.

It was the final prelude, the torrent of fate rolling in. He seemed to hear the deep palace calling him again, his whole body tensed up to burst, but he still gritted his teeth and waded into the endless darkness.

The knife trembled slightly, but emitted a tough cold light. Just like his fate, it was in a dead end and could not retreat even a single step.

Under the bloody night, the Outer Gods come again, but it is only the end of the prologue, and the doomsday tide is about to completely engulf the world.

The seal of Li Qingyun, the center of this storm, is also about to explode.

Little did he know that the next time the sword sounded, it would be not only his last sound to the external gods, but also a life-and-death battle between himself and “silence”.

No matter what the result is, it is bound to shock the world and no one in the three realms can avoid it.

The wind and thunder were bleak, and the huge army entered the broken walls of the city gate. The silent night was like a beast’s mouth, swallowing them one by one…

……

(End of this chapter)