"Today, I, Wang Nixian, would rather die standing than live on my knees."
When Wang Nixian's words fell, within the realm of Fengtianjie, the thousands of cultivators who had come with him—once filled with despair—felt their battle spirit reignite like wildfire.
Yes.
If one cannot control their own destiny, what meaning does survival hold?
What worth is birth, if one cannot laugh freely? What use is dying if not done with dignity?
The ancestors of the Fengtian Realm had always lived fighting, always striving to leave opportunities behind for their descendants.
Now, to arrive at this final battleground and choose to surrender—would that not be a disgrace to the generations that came before?
If they chose not to fight today, their descendants would only be forced to rise up tomorrow.
"Well said."
Heishui Immortal Monarch smiled faintly, his gaze settling on Wang Nixian.
"Wang Nixian, though I, the Heishui Immortal Monarch, walk a lonely path, I have always carried my pride. The lives of ordinary men have never drawn my attention."
"You, Wang Nixian, are among the few I can consider a friend. In this decisive battle, I ask only one favor."
There was quiet determination in the monarch's voice.
Wang Nixian gave a silent nod.
"If one day I fall, and if there's still a complete body left of me, take it and bury it in my homeland. Let the tombstone bear no name. Ten feet of land shall be enough. That place will be my final return to the ruins."
Heishui Immortal Monarch raised his eyes toward the sky.
"What if your home no longer exists…" Wang Nixian asked softly after a long silence.
"Then bury me in the embrace of heaven and earth."
The immortal laughed, full of bold freedom.
"Agreed."
Wang Nixian nodded. Then, with eyes sharp as blades, he added solemnly.
"But if I die before you, return me to the Ancient Vermillion Bird Star, to the Great Xuan Dynasty, to the Wang family…"
The two locked eyes and smiled.
Both of them were children of fate.
One, the heir of a ruined ancient cultivation dynasty, whose wife and daughter were mercilessly executed by foreign cultivators.
The other, born humble, rising step by step, only to learn he had always been no more than a puppet, a living Gu insect raised by outsiders.
At that moment—
An overwhelming killing intent erupted from them.
"Wang Nixian, I'll go first."
With those words, the Heishui Immortal Monarch raised his right hand. An origin of slaughter surged from his body and condensed on his palm, instantly coating it in a chilling black frost.
The frost spread like a flock of birds through the heavens, casting a freezing shroud across the entire starry sky.
"Kill!"
With a thunderous roar, the monarch stomped his foot against the void and launched himself forward.
In that instant, he became a streak of divine light and charged into battle beyond the world.
"A mere cultivator at the early stage of the third step, yet you dare to act so boldly?"
Beside Zhan Zun, an elderly, hunched woman narrowed her cold eyes.
Holding a dragon-headed cane, she gently stepped into the void, unleashing waves of crushing power.
She vanished and engaged the Heishui Immortal Monarch in a furious clash.
"My cultivator, why would I not fight?"
Wang Nixian's snow-white hair danced in the wind as his cold eyes lit with fierce determination.
"Kill with me!"
"Break free of this formation and embrace your freedom!"
Holding the divine axe, Wang Nixian soared into the air and swung fiercely, slashing through the barrier between realms.
A brilliant, blinding arc of axe light cut through the starry sky, shattering formation after formation woven by the heavens.
"My cultivator, why would I not fight?"
Behind him, thousands of cultivators roared with fury and rushed forward.
They became a torrential wave, surging with unyielding spirit and pride in their humanity, slamming into the forces of the outer world.
"To be born a man, and die a ghost of dignity!"
"My cultivator, why would I not fight?"
"My cultivator, why would I not die!"
A song of blood and war echoed from the edge of the starry sea.
A melody of sacrifice, of fearless determination in the face of death.
"Fools."
Beside Zhan Zun, the eight elites of the third step scoffed in unison.
In the blink of an eye, the eight moved together.
"Weaklings. You should have surrendered."
Carrying unstoppable might, they sneered coldly and collided with the surging wave of Fengtian cultivators.
In an instant—
Blades, light, shadows of spears—flashes of divine weaponry illuminated the heavens.
The sources of various laws clashed in violent confrontation, shaking the entire void with earth-shattering roars.
In moments, human cultivators began falling by the dozens.
Blood painted the galaxy red.
The immortals from beyond were like machines of slaughter, reaping lives with terrifying precision.
Against the combined power of the eight elites, only Wang Nixian and the Heishui Immortal Monarch could barely hold the line. The rest of the human cultivators were being torn apart.
Their desperate counterattacks left only shallow scars on their enemies.
But not a single one of them took a step back.
Trade one life for one wound. Even if thousands must fall, we will reverse the heavens and carve a path to vengeance. One day, we will destroy you.
The warriors of the Fengtian Realm fell one after another.
Zhan Zun stood with his hands behind his back, expression calm and detached, like a deity overlooking the lives and deaths of ants.
Their numbers dwindled…
After several hours—
Of the thousands who had begun the charge, only a few still stood.
Wang Nixian's divine axe was chipped and cracked. His once snow-white robe was now soaked in blood.
Heishui Immortal Monarch fared worse. His body was battered, barely intact. His hair hung in clumps, his face marred by blood.
The few remaining cultivators of the Fengtian Realm were either dead or grievously wounded. Their strength had long been drained, their spiritual seas nearly broken.
Surrounded by dried blood, staring at fallen brothers-in-arms—
Even the strongest hearts ached.
"Will the human race of the Celestial Sealing Realm truly fall here today?"
Their hearts trembled with sorrow and grief.
And still—they clenched their teeth.