Choking--

What would you think about if time were paused?

If all the thoughts of our esteemed readers could be extracted, they could probably be compiled into a book.

And that book already existed in the real world. It was called the Criminal Law.

In fact, when time was paused, you couldn't think of anything at all.

Consciousness depended on existence, and the essence of existence was time.

When time solidified, existence vanished, consciousness ceased to perceive, and people lost all ability to think, becoming statues of flesh and blood.

It was a terrifying experience, because people trapped in stopped time might feel that they had already died.

But perhaps it wasn't that terrifying after all, because they probably wouldn't even realize they were trapped in stopped time.

No one knew how much time had passed. To Cheng Shi and the others, it might have been an instant, but to the Dread Demons, it might have been a lifetime...

The effects of Area Fast-Forward gradually came to an end, and Song Yawen, who had been hiding behind Cheng Shi, slowly regained consciousness.

The instant his ability to think returned, he sensed death blooming in its ultimate form.

The Dread Demon corpses above began raining down one after another. Bloodless, rotting flesh mixed with countless tentacles surged into this still-clean space.

The aura of the dead slammed into Song Yawen's face. It was so dense it seemed gelatinous, making his spirit tremble from the depths of his soul.

"What level of Death Domain is this?

"Does a Death Domain of this level really exist??

"If this gets unleashed, won't it summon the True God of Death???"

After firing off his three questions in rapid succession, Song Yawen didn't waste a moment. He remembered clearly that Cheng Shi had said his attack would be the key to saving them.

Watching the tentacle monsters, who had no more flesh to eat, writhe madly toward the six of them, Song Yawen took a deep breath. His eyes instantly turned completely black.

Reaping State, activate!

He raised both hands and clamped them tightly around his own neck.

With a sharp crack, he ruthlessly twisted his own neck until it broke.

Then the standing "corpse" of Song Yawen began slowly dissipating. The dense aura of death around him boiled instantly, the dark wind howled, and green radiance surged. In the blink of an eye, a gigantic black scythe carrying an aura capable of destroying heaven and earth appeared above everyone's heads.

Cheng Shi and the others had only just come back to their senses. When they looked at the Scythe of Death hanging overhead, their breathing froze.

It was huge.

Far too huge.

They had never seen such a terrifying Scythe of Death. Even the tiny skull ornament at the end of the handle looked like a colossal statue carved from a mountain.

Not to mention the blade glowing with a faint green light. It looked like a razor capable of slicing through planets.

Even in the 2100-point game, Cheng Shi had never seen such a gigantic Scythe of Death!

At that moment, he had only one thought: to pray that Song Yawen wouldn't go berserk and send them all to the grave along with him.

"Soul Slumber, Life's End! Burial, Reaping!"

As an indistinct prayer thundered across heaven and earth, the enormous scythe swept downward, wrapped in the muttering voices of the dead.

Apart from the area where everyone stood, the entire visible ruin seemed to crack apart for an instant.

Like a mirror shattering, spiderweb cracks spread across it.

Then...

Sighs of those embracing death rang out one after another, echoing through the sky. The countless enormous tentacle monsters that had gorged themselves on flesh closed their eyes, as if settling into sleep.

Death had never been a world-shaking event.

The instant the scythe fell, the flames of their lives quietly went out.

The living died, and the scythe vanished.

It had taken no more than a few seconds.

But the aura of the dead rising around them had yet to dissipate. The twisted, surging aura gathered once more, condensing Song Yawen, who should have been "dead."

Panting and drenched in sweat, he fell from midair. The moment he landed, he toppled into the blood and filth, his entire body twitching nonstop.

Nangong was the closest. Acting on her instinct as a healer, she reached out to pull him up. But the moment her hand touched Song Yawen's wrist, she found that his body was exceptionally healthy. His condition was even at its peak, as though he were in his prime.

His twitching wasn't the exhaustion of someone who had barely survived unleashing a powerful attack. It was the ecstatic climax of someone overwhelmed with excitement.

"Awesome—awesome—

"I think I saw the appearance of my lord. I saw Him seated upon the Bone Throne, granting me a gigantic scythe.

"Awesome—

"Cheng Shi, you're too damn awesome!!!"

Gasping heavily, he struggled to get up, flailing his hands and feet as he said:

"That one attack alone made my whole life worthwhile..."

Cheng Shi smiled faintly when he heard this, while Nangong tossed Song Yawen's hand aside with undisguised disgust.

Chen Chong and Cao Sansui were still hopelessly immersed in that world-destroying sweep of the scythe. It wasn't until the Dread Demons' flesh and dead tentacles were about to bury them that Chen Chong hoisted the half-dead Cao Sansui up from the blood and filth.

"It... it's over?"

He still couldn't believe it. So many Dread Demons, such a massive army, and they had all been wiped out just like that?

What exactly had happened just now?

Seeing the curiosity in Chen Chong's eyes, Cheng Shi grinned and said:

"Don't think about it. You don't want to know what happened. Also, this isn't over yet. The Bone Legion has lost its right-wing army. They might send someone else to investigate, so we need to leave immediately."

He also grabbed Xia Wan, who was struggling as she rolled on the ground, and pulled her up. Pointing at her swollen belly, calf, and back, he said seriously:

"Our combat strength has been severely damaged. Cao Sansui, Nangong, and Xia Wan have all lost their ability to fight. Those two are fine, but Xia Wan's condition requires immediate treatment. We need to withdraw first and find somewhere to regroup."

Song Yawen was still lost in the excitement of having destroyed the world with a single slash. Hearing the tension in Cheng Shi's voice, he blurted out:

"Isn't there still you?"

Cheng Shi carried Xia Wan on his back, his face darkening.

"What can a 1,500-point healer like me do?"

"???"

Song Yawen stared wide-eyed, pointing at the hellish devastation outside as he stammered:

"You... you... this whole thing... wasn't all of this done by you?"

As he spoke, his voice warped completely. "If you're really only worth 1,500 points, I'll cut off my head and let you kick it around like a ball."

Chen Chong's face darkened as well. He carried Cao Sansui on his back, grabbed Nangong, and started walking out without the slightest hesitation. At the same time, he thought:

This guy really does have some ability, but he loves showing off too much. It's annoying.

What's even more annoying is that he pulls it off every single time!

The banter of the victors wasn't unpleasant, but the situation didn't allow them to linger. Thus, everyone struggled onward through the muddy ruins drenched in blood, fleeing east with every other step sinking deep.

When they had been standing in the center of the Death Domain, they hadn't felt it so directly. Only after they slowly walked out of that hell of flesh and blood did they truly realize what Cheng Shi had done.

Chunks of flesh, dismembered corpses, slime, black blood.

The group felt as though they had entered a museum displaying every object and form associated with blood and flesh. It was not only beyond imagination but also constantly challenged the sensitive stomach of any normal human being.

This scene was impossible to describe any further.

After this single incident, the five people present had gained a new understanding of Birth.

Could this really be an orderly True God?

Even Xia Wan, a believer of Birth, couldn't help wanting to...

"Blegh—"

Nangong was the first to vomit.

She was already incredibly weak from self-mutilation. Now, as her legs rubbed against the mire of flesh and the rancid, foul smell flooded her nostrils, what it brought her wasn't guidance from Decay, but nausea that made her want to throw up.

Once the first shot had been fired, the situation spiraled out of control again.

"Blegh—blegh—"

No one could hold it in anymore.

Chen Chong was the worst. In order to leave this hell as quickly as possible, he charged forward while vomiting, carrying someone who was vomiting on his back and leading someone else who was vomiting by the hand. The three-layered chorus of retching tugged violently at his ears, driving him to the brink of collapse.

"Xia Wan, you have to hold it in. This is the work of my lord, and it is guiding you..."

"Blegh—"

"..."

Cheng Shi felt a sudden warmth on his shoulder, followed by a series of twitches across his face.

"Your mother... must be very worried about you..."

Enduring the violent struggles of the "life" "birthed" within her, Xia Wan said weakly:

"My mother is dead... She offered herself to Filth and Decay..."

"Oh, uh..."

Because of his foul mouth, Cheng Shi felt a wave of regret inside. I really am scum...

"Compared to my mother, you should worry about my daughter. It might be about to be born..."

Cheng Shi's face darkened. He shouted toward the front:

"Chen Chong, get ready! Xia Wan is going into labor!"