Intense pain swept through Zhang You's entire body, making him bare his teeth and grimace.
"I told you to stay back! I'll avenge them myself!"
Zhang You's eyes were bloodshot.
His face was full of grief, and his voice carried anger and self-reproach for failing to look after his teammates.
After countless battles, he and these teammates of his had long since become brothers as close as flesh and blood.
Even with only one hand left, he would raise his broadsword high and charge forward!
He grew faster and faster, his movements fiercer and fiercer.
He was fighting without regard for his life!
His gaze was resolute, as if he had already resolved to take the Four-Eyed Ghost down with him.
The Four-Eyed Ghost seemed frightened by his ferocity. It retreated again and again, dodging Zhang You's slashes as a deep, muffled growl rumbled constantly from its throat.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
Every slash came with a hoarse roar from Zhang You.
Squlech!
His blade chopped into the Four-Eyed Ghost's arm, exposing stark white bone as blood gushed out.
Another slash landed on the Four-Eyed Ghost's palm.
He kept dodging the Four-Eyed Ghost's hammer-like fists.
The pain from his left arm swept through his entire body, numbing half his face. Beads of sweat broke out across his forehead, only to be washed away by the rain.
He exhaled in great gasps, wielding his sword with one hand as he gathered all the Qi in his body into his right hand and the blade.
The rest of his body now had no Qi protecting it whatsoever.
If the Four-Eyed Ghost struck him, death would be his only fate.
But he wasn't afraid of death.
He had cast life and death to the back of his mind the moment he first set foot on this path.
He simply hadn't expected his teammates to go before him, or to leave so suddenly.
Zhang You's spirit as he charged bravely ahead without regard for life or death deeply shook Duan Ming.
So a person could disregard his life to such an extent...
One slash, two slashes, three... Although every blow struck empty air, Zhang You put all his strength into each one.
"At this rate, he'll die!" Peng Sisi said, also startled by Zhang You's actions.
She could clearly see that there was no Qi on Zhang You's body. All of it had gathered in his right hand and his sword.
"Kill!"
Zhang You kept roaring.
His broadsword carried the force to break through a thousand soldiers as it slashed into the Four-Eyed Ghost's chest.
As the Four-Eyed Ghost let out a piercing shriek, Zhang You's strength finally gave out. He dropped to one knee, bracing his battered body with the tip of his sword against the ground.
He gasped for breath, glaring like a tiger at the Four-Eyed Ghost before him.
Twenty seconds!
He only needed twenty seconds to rest. Once he recovered his strength, he could kill this beast!
But the beast would not give him time to rest.
The Four-Eyed Ghost's face twisted after the slash to its chest. It opened its bloody maw, the corners of its mouth stretching back behind its ears, until it gaped a full 180 degrees, revealing over a hundred bloody fangs.
The man before it was kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath. Though its intelligence was low, it knew this was the best chance to kill him.
"Phew!" Zhang You let out a breath, knowing he no longer had twenty seconds to rest. "To die for the human race is to die a worthy death!"
"Leave the rest to me."
Zhang You looked in puzzlement at Duan Ming, who stood before him.
He saw green Qi around Duan Ming. It was very strong!
Duan Ming silently watched the Four-Eyed Ghost before him.
The creature was extremely fast and strong. If it landed a punch on him, even if he reacted quickly enough to wrap Qi around the spot before it hit to strengthen his defense, he would probably lose all ability to fight even if he survived.
He absolutely could not let it hit him!
The Four-Eyed Ghost, which had been about to kill its prey, began to shrink back as it looked at the young man before it. It sensed a trace of a terrifying aura from the youthful boy, and that aura made it uneasy.
Then Duan Ming did something that baffled everyone.
He used a Snake-Tiger Beast's tooth that he had with him to cut open his palm, and blood dripped onto the ground along with the rain.
The next second, Zhang You couldn't help holding his breath.
A weapon that looked like a Tang sword appeared out of thin air in Duan Ming's hand.
By gathering Qi in one's eyes, one could see a layer of green Qi enveloping the blade.
"Power of God: Demon Cutter!"
A cold light flashed in Duan Ming's eyes as he raised his sword and charged!
"He cut his palm open. That must be the activation condition," Peng Sisi murmured.
This was the first time Peng Sisi, Qin Yan saw Duan Ming fight.
What speed, what swift swordsmanship!
The Four-Eyed Ghost was certainly powerful, but as long as it couldn't hit Duan Ming, it was all in vain.
Duan Ming leaped into the air and kicked off the wall beside him, vaulting through the air to land in front of the Four-Eyed Ghost and evading its successive attacks with both hands.
Then he raised his sword and slashed!
A crescent-shaped blade wind visible to the naked eye sliced through the middle of the Four-Eyed Ghost's body, cleaving it in two!
Splat-!
The two halves of the Four-Eyed Ghost's body fell to the ground, its four eyes still rolling.
The rainwater was instantly stained red with blood.
Zhang You's mouth fell open in surprise, and he couldn't speak.
They hadn't seen each other for over a month, and he had grown even stronger!
Though his strength was inferior to Zhang You's, his speed and swordsmanship were far beyond his!
He began to feel ashamed of himself, then sank into profound grief.
Duan Ming deactivated his Power of God, and the demonic sword in his hand vanished into thin air.
"Your teammate is out of danger now. I'll take a look at your hand. If it isn't treated soon, your entire arm will be ruined." Peng Sisi crouched beside Zhang You.
"Can you save them?" Zhang You looked at the bodies of his two teammates.
He had never backed down before a monster, but now his eyes were full of pleading.
Peng Sisi's expression grew grave, and she slowly shook her head. "No. My Power of God can only heal; it can't bring the dead back to life. If they still had a breath left in them, I might have had a way, but..."
"My mistake in command got them killed." Zhang You clenched his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth where he had bitten through it. His heart was full of self-reproach.
Peng Sisi placed a hand on Zhang You and began treating him with her Power of God.
Just then, the rain stopped.
Zhang You looked up in confusion.
No.
The rain hadn't stopped.
An old man had appeared behind him, holding an umbrella over him.
The old man seemed to have weathered many a storm himself, and he wasn't frightened by the monster's corpse.
"You protect the people, and the people hold an umbrella for you!"
Those words finally made the man, who was nearly thirty, break down in tears.
They were people too.
Living, breathing people!
They felt pain and cried.
But when faced with matters of right and wrong, they hadn't chosen to retreat or live comfortable lives.
Because they were there, because they shed their blood, the lights could shine in countless homes across Jiang City, illuminating the long night.
They were not only an indestructible wall, but also a lamp, a lamp that brought light to the darkness.
As long as they were there, the human race would never know night!