The sky over Eastern Sheng Kingdom seemed to be completely occupied by a giant eye.
The Eye of Heavenly Punishment coldly surveyed the mortal realm, its pupils churning with lightning. Countless bolts of World-Destroying Thunder, as thick as mountains, struck down one after another, attempting to obliterate Xiang Yu and the Western Chu War Souls.
At this moment, the World-Destroying Thunder, indiscriminately attacking soldiers and civilians, the noble and the lowly, without restraint.
The villages surrounding the Imperial City, which were once filled with the smoke of cooking fires, are now desolate ruins.
The villagers who were lucky enough to survive huddled under the ruins, watching their relatives and neighbors turn to ashes in the lightning, their eyes filled with despair.
Moreover, endless lightning also rained down from the other eight Demon Grotto.
Moreover, it did not distinguish between friend and foe, and its attack range almost covered the entire Eastern Sheng Kingdom.
At first glance, the entire Eastern Sheng Kingdom seemed to be shrouded in World-Destroying Thunder, with all its people wailing in agony and awaiting death.
"Why... why did this happen..."
Someone knelt on the ground, gripping the scorched earth with both hands, their fingernails cracked, and blood mixed with dirt seeped from between their fingers.
"If... if the Sheng Family were still alive..."
An elderly man with white hair muttered to himself, tears streaming down his face:
"If we hadn't forced the Sheng Family to abdicate, if we hadn't forced Sheng Yu to reclaim his military Fortune... these Demon Grotto, these heavenly punishments, would never have happened..."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a thunderclap, resounding in the hearts of every survivor.
People began to recall--
Recalling the peace and prosperity of the Eastern Sheng Kingdom when the Sheng Family was still alive;
He recalled how, under the instigation of Zhu Wuyuan and the Grand Council, he ousted the Sheng Family and forced them to abdicate...
"We were wrong... we were all wrong..."
Some people beat their chests and stamped their feet, letting out heart-wrenching cries:
"Sheng Family, we shouldn't have driven you away, we shouldn't have—"
All they received in response was the cold gaze of the Eye of Heavenly Punishment and the ever-increasing intensity of the lightning.
--
At the same time, the camp of the Five-Kingdom Coalition was also destroyed.
The once formidable armies of the five nations were now like ants before Lei Ting.
Wherever the lightning struck, both elite cavalry and fortified camps vanished in an instant.
The soldiers' screams rose and fell, only to be completely swallowed up by the next wave of thunder.
The allied commander, his eyes bloodshot, brandished his sword and roared, "Retreat! Retreat now!"
But his voice was quickly drowned out by the thunder, and the sword in his hand melted into molten iron in the lightning.
"Divine punishment... this is divine punishment!"
Someone collapsed to the ground, their face ashen. "We... we shouldn't have come to the Eastern Sheng Kingdom... we shouldn't have..."
The camp of the Five-Kingdom Coalition was soon reduced to scorched earth.
--
The lightning continued, as if it wanted to completely wipe the entire Eastern Sheng Kingdom, along with the Five-Kingdom Coalition, from the world.
The Eye of Heavenly Punishment looked down upon the Eastern Sheng Kingdom, unleashing a torrential downpour of World-Destroying Thunder that repeatedly pulverized the mountains and rivers.
Xiang Yu, clad in tattered armor, brandished his sword, his hair a blood-red rage.
"Kill..."
He roared to the sky, slashing down the Heavenly Thunder with each sword strike.
But the thunder was endless, one after another, as if the wrath of heaven and earth were being poured out upon him and the Western Chu War Souls.
Million Battle Souls were continuously annihilated in the lightning, their armor shattered, and their Sha Qi dissipated.
Yet they continued to rush forward, shielding their comrades from deadly lightning with their own bodies.
"Brothers, this time, we might really be annihilated."
Xiang Yu said in a low voice, but there was no fear in his eyes, only a resolute coldness.
He looked at Longqie, and at his subordinates who had fought alongside him for countless ages, a blood-red smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"We would die alongside the King, without any regrets!"
The Longqie's armor was stained with blood, and its twin blades emitted a piercing sound amidst the lightning.
No regrets!
The Million Battle Souls roared to the sky, without a trace of resentment in their hearts.
Hahaha, all of you, go to hell!
You Remnants of the High Antiquity times, die!
Not far away, the heavily wounded Zhu Lunbin pulled out the War Halberd stuck in his chest, his body covered in blood, yet he laughed maniacally.
He watched Xiang Yu struggling to stay afloat amidst the lightning, and a secret joy welled up inside him:
"I can't escape the credit this time."
If I could report this to Confucian Saint's Legacy, I would surely be able to break through to the True Immortal and directly enter the Heavenly Immortal realm.
He turned and walked towards Zhu Wuyin and Meng Hai, his hands trembling with excitement:
"Daughter, you are truly my lucky star!"
Meng Hai, ever the smooth talker, immediately smiled and echoed, "Congratulations, Master! Such a great achievement is truly rare and hard to come by; it's all thanks to Junior Sister's good fortune."
Zhu Wuyin bring herself to smile.
She originally just wanted to complete the Trial and prove herself.
But she never expected that the Trial would plunge the entire Eastern Sheng Kingdom into chaos in the Demon Grotto, and now it would bring about divine punishment and the destruction of the world.
The cries of millions of lives echoed in her ears, making her feel suffocated and her stomach churn.
"Why bother with such insignificant ants?"
Zhu Lunbin saw through his daughter's thoughts, snorted coldly, his tone filled with disdain:
"You are destined to become an immortal and attain enlightenment. You should know that there is a difference between immortals and mortals. Do not let these trivial matters corrupt your resolve to pursue the Dao."
In his eyes, the hundreds of millions of people of the Eastern Sheng Kingdom were nothing more than pebbles under his feet; no matter how many died, it wouldn't matter to the big picture.
Meng Hai immediately adopted a more "profound" tone to comfort her, "Junior sister, Master is right. Cultivators should transcend worldly affairs and not be troubled by mundane matters."
Zhang Qingyue stood not far away, her face pale.
Although she was the successor of the Literary Dao Sacred Heart, she was still, after all, Mortal.
Seeing this apocalyptic scene, watching countless people turn to ashes in the lightning, I cannot find peace in my heart.
She recalled how she, like these "ants," had struggled to survive in the chaos of war, and how she had suffered unbearable pain from the loss of loved ones.
Now, she has to watch them die, and she is powerless to do anything about it.
"Is this... the price of becoming an immortal?"
She murmured softly, her eyes slightly red, but no one heard her.
"Kill--!"
A furious roar, like a thunderclap, shook the heavens and earth.
With bloodshot eyes, Xiang Yu, carrying the remaining battle spirits of Longqie and others from Western Chu War Souls, shot straight into the sky like a burning arrow, heading towards the indifferent Eye of Heavenly Punishment that looked down upon All Beings.
They knew they would never return, yet they went without hesitation.
"Boom--!"
The World-Destroying Thunder poured down like a tsunami, tearing their Dharma Body apart inch by inch, yet they did not retreat an inch, until they were completely engulfed by the lightning.
But just as they were preparing to be annihilated—
"Buzz--!"
A streak of nine-colored light suddenly shone from the sky, like the Nine Heavens Way descending from the heavens, instantly enveloping all the Western Chu War Souls.
The warm and vast light kept the World-Destroying Thunder three feet away, and not even a single spark could touch Xiang Yu.
Amidst the endless radiance, a figure slowly emerged.
It was Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu turned and glanced at Xiang Yu and the others. "Overlord, you are indeed as domineering and unparalleled as the history books say, but you just don't consider the consequences of your actions."
He learned from Qin Xuehua's conversation that Qin Xuehua, Maitreya, and Donghua originally planned to develop their strength discreetly.
However, Xiang Yu's reckless and impulsive actions attracted the Eye of Heavenly Punishment, forcing them to sacrifice themselves to seal off the Heavenly Dao.
"Fool, you idiot."
The system was also somewhat exasperated. "No wonder the Yue Lao and Dao Ancestor Li sealed you away back then; they were afraid you would become unrestrained and cause trouble."