Fated, Meaningless

Ge Mu, the Heaven Treasury Warrior who had swept through the battlefield without resistance, was dead.

A human had severed his head the instant they came into contact.

No human or troll had expected this.

After a brief silence, the troll soldiers at the very front of the army—the ones who had witnessed Ge Mu's death firsthand—fell into confusion.

"Heavenly God Warrior Ge Mu is dead? The trolls' only hope died just like that? How is that possible..."

"Is there truly no hope left for the troll race?"

The abrupt turn of events was too unbelievable for them to accept.

Yet no matter how much they refused to believe it or doubted it, the headless body lying quietly on the ground was no lie.

Having lost Ge Mu, the figure of their faith, was the same as losing their direction.

A realization suddenly dawned on them: "With the death of Heavenly God Warrior Ge Mu, this Southern Expedition has completely failed!"

Soon after, disorder began at the front of the troll army. Some stood where they were, at a loss; some were consumed by rage and chased after Zhuang Hong; others picked up Ge Mu's head and tried to reattach it, hoping for a miracle that would bring their spiritual leader back to life.

Most of the trolls behind them, unaware of what had happened, continued charging forward. In an instant, the chaos spread through the ranks.

By the time the other highly respected troll leaders reacted, the troll army had already lost its original formation.

One troll leader raised his weapon with a grief-stricken expression and rushed to the very front, roaring, "Charge with me, for the rise of the trolls!"

"For the trolls!"

Only the trolls who did not yet know that Ge Mu was dead still maintained their high morale.

But morale could not stand for strength. With Ge Mu gone, the troll army's fate had already been decided.

Of everyone present, the Second Prince was the first to react.

When Zhuang Hong charged toward Ge Mu, he had been more anxious than anyone else. He pointed at Zhuang Hong, cursing as he jumped and shouted for him to run.

But when Ge Mu's head suddenly flew into the air, his voice gradually faded until he fell completely silent.

For a moment, his mind was utterly blank.

That was right!

The troll Ge Mu had truly been killed by that man named Zhuang Hong.

Instant Kill!

How had Zhuang Hong done it?

No matter how he had done it, the troll Ge Mu was truly dead.

A surge of wild joy rose in the Second Prince's heart. While those around him were still lost in unbelievable speculation, he suddenly came to his senses and immediately ordered the formation adjusted in preparation for the trolls' next assault. Then he commanded, "The reserve cavalry regiment is to strike the center of the troll army immediately and split their formation in two."

Without Ge Mu, that incomparably sharp blade, the troll army could no longer easily punch through the human formation. Once the formation held back the troll charge for a moment, the reserve cavalry regiment would arrive just in time and divide the troll army!

The Second Prince forcibly suppressed his excitement, trying to appear calmer, but inwardly he still roared madly, Damn! We've won! Fate is on my side!

Meanwhile, Xiang Dongping simply stared blankly in the direction Zhuang Hong had vanished, his mouth opening and closing without a single word coming out.

Spring Light Sword Zhu Tianming suddenly stretched his body and ran toward the chaotic battlefield with his sword in hand.

Dancer asked in surprise, "What is Spring Light Sword planning to do?"

Zhu Tianming replied gently, "Naturally, I'm taking the chance to kill a few trolls and repay the debt of that hammer blow."

Everyone was speechless. They had not expected him to hold such a grudge.

Dancer frowned, covered her chest, and coughed before asking, "Weren't you seriously injured?"

Zhu Tianming said, "Since Ge Mu is dead, even if I am seriously wounded, what can the other trolls do to me?"

You Baojiang suddenly smiled and rose to head toward the battlefield as well. "In that case, I'll take this opportunity to kill a few trolls too. Otherwise, I fear there may never be another chance like this."

After hesitating briefly, Dancer immediately followed.

The other three of the ten strongest warriors exchanged glances, formed a small group to watch over one another, and followed behind Dancer.

When the other warriors saw the six heading toward the battlefield, they were initially stunned before suddenly understanding.

After this great battle, trolls would likely never again be seen on this land. If they missed this battle, it truly would be difficult to find another chance to slay trolls in the future.

Having understood this, the warriors followed behind the strongest warriors toward the battlefield. Their momentum was imposing, and they looked like a force not to be underestimated.

"I came all this way just to kill a troll, didn't I? I absolutely can't miss an opportunity that comes once in a thousand years."

"I'm not like you. I came here for all humanity, for my homeland and my people!"

"Huh? Didn't I hear you say earlier that you came for Ge Mu's head?"

They did not dare charge in alone, but they could at least pick up scraps behind the strongest warriors. Besides, with so many soldiers around them taking the trolls' attacks head-on, as long as they had sharp eyes and ran fast enough at critical moments, there should not be a problem.

If they really managed to kill a troll...

They could brag about it for the rest of their lives.

However, when they truly entered the battlefield and faced the trolls, they discovered that the battlefield was nothing like they had imagined.

Before long, they regretted it.

"On a momentary impulse, I failed to get a troll's head and threw my life away instead..."

Liu Yueling watched Zhuang Hong's figure gradually disappear into the distance. She then looked back at the troll army, which had already descended into chaos, and murmured in disbelief, "Ge Mu just died like that?"

After waiting for a while and seeing the troll army thrown into complete disorder by repeated cavalry charges, she drew her longsword, mixed into a group of warriors, and charged toward the battlefield.

After cutting off the troll Ge Mu's head with a single strike, Zhuang Hong immediately hoisted the Sangbo Priest's body over his shoulder and sprinted into the distance.

For the time being, he did not care to pay much attention to the troll army behind him or the human army in the distance.

After all, helping them kill the troll Ge Mu was already quite loyal of him.

Besides, in an army battle, one more or one less of him was Not a Big Problem.

This world's Other Self was currently slung over his shoulder, and the intense urge to feed surging from within him was nearly impossible to restrain.

The scent emanating from this troll was even ten times more enticing than a Blue Core Combination Void Spirit!

If he devoured it, the power within his body would surely surge by a great deal.

"Can this troll give me a brand-new ability? Can that ability let me sleep without any worries?"

The more Zhuang Hong thought about it, the more excited he became. His mental state had never been better, and his steps grew even faster.

His Other Self was already on its last breath. He had to devour it before it died, lest the nutrients be lost.

"Woof woof!"

Xiao Bai's eyes widened as he squeezed every last bit of potential from his four short legs, desperately chasing after Zhuang Hong.

After running after him for so long, he was exhausted like a dog. Yet the distance between him and Zhuang Hong only continued to grow, making him cry out sadly.

But no matter what, he had to keep chasing. How could he let his prey escape without even getting a bite?

He deeply regretted not taking the chance to hug Zhuang Hong's leg earlier.

As for the troll Sangbo Priest slung over Zhuang Hong's shoulder...

He was now on his last breath, caught in a state between life and death.

This was the darkest moment of the Sangbo Priest's life. He had never imagined that he would ever feel such despair.

This despair was not because he knew he was about to die. It was because, after striving his entire life, he had still been unable to reverse the trolls' gradual march toward extinction. Then, after the troll race had finally produced a Heavenly God Warrior and finally gained a glimmer of hope...

The Heavenly God Warrior had died!

The Sangbo Priest sighed within his hazy consciousness. So be it. It is all meaningless now! Trolls, humans, the land—none of it has meaning. Even this world has no meaning. Everything is fated. We are merely puppets between heaven and earth, unable to break free no matter how we struggle...

He placed his last bit of attention on Zhuang Hong. The sense of dread I felt before came from this human. But why did he capture me?

The Sangbo Priest's heart had been pierced by the Dragon Tendon Whip. The only reason he had lasted until now was the qi he had accumulated over many years. He still wanted to see what Zhuang Hong's purpose was.

Before long, Zhuang Hong carried the Sangbo Priest to an uninhabited place far from the battlefield. He ducked behind a large boulder and set him down.

Zhuang Hong activated Dimensional Sight and scanned the surrounding space. After confirming there was no other danger, he turned his gaze back to the Sangbo Priest.

"Let's begin!"

With a thought, the Dragon Tendon Whip embedded in the Sangbo Priest slowly withdrew and transformed back into the Dragon Tendon Sword. Zhuang Hong gave it a hard flick, sending the blood on it flying, then casually sheathed it.

Then he bent down and thrust his hand into the Sangbo Priest's heart.

Splat!

The Sangbo Priest had a final burst of awareness. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at his ravaged chest, his mind filled with questions. What is he doing?