Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 116 Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all living beings as straw dogs.

A five- or six-year-old child fell into the mud, his knees a bloody mess, his cries piercing the air. His little hand reached for his mother, barely grasping her clothes before being engulfed by flames of blood, not even having time to utter a single "Mother." The firelight illuminated his pained, contorted face as it gradually faded into nothingness.

On a street corner, an elderly woman with white hair staggered away, leaning on her cane. She stopped every few steps, carefully shielding her grandson. But a blood-red shadow swept past her, and half her body exploded, blood splattering onto her grandson's face. As the severed limbs fell to the ground, the old woman's eyes remained open, fixed on the child, as if to say:

"Come on."

The little grandson slumped to the ground, clutching the still-warm arm, unable to cry out, only murmuring repeatedly:

"Grandma doesn't hurt anymore, she doesn't hurt anymore..."

The city's waterways are no longer clear; fragmented body parts churn on the surface, including a child's severed leg, a woman's long hair tangled in branches, and a man's torn chest, still bearing traces of his protective posture.

Behind a broken wall, a family of three huddled together. The father held his son tightly to his chest, while the mother covered his eyes with her hands.

"Dad, is it dark yet?" the child asked softly.

Just as the father was about to shake his head, a shockwave swept across, causing all three heads to tremble and blood to spurt from their seven orifices. That warm embrace instantly transformed into a cold statue of death.

Not far away, a pharmacy exploded, flames shooting into the sky. The shopkeeper tumbled out of the fire, half his body charred and burned. His face was cracked and bleeding from his eyes, yet he still staggered back into the inferno, shouting repeatedly:

"Lan'er! Aheng, don't be afraid, Daddy's here!"

The next moment, a bloody palm struck down, blasting him into the depths of the flames, where he disappeared without a trace, leaving only the smell of burnt meat in the air, a pungent and pungent odor.

Someone shouted, "Help!" The voice was hoarse, like gravel grinding against the throat.

Someone knelt down and begged, "Please, please stop hitting me. I don't want anything, I just want to live..."

Some mothers threw their infants into the distance, hoping they would escape the calamity; others desperately bit off their tongues to commit suicide, just to avoid having their souls corrupted by evil forces.

The entire city was transformed into a purgatory.

Cries, wails, prayers... shattered into countless waves of despair, drifting through the thick smoke and blood mist, tearing at the soul and shaking the heavens.

At this moment, all the so-called "human warmth"—the care of parents, the trust of children, the promises of husbands and wives, the mutual assistance of neighbors, and the benevolence of doctors—was crushed into dust in the raging flames and waves of blood.

On the high platform, several martial artists attempted to set up an array to block the blood shadow, but were instantly devoured. The array shattered and scattered before it could be completed.

The sky was dark, blood-red flames swirled in the clouds, and corpses piled up like mountains.

Even the elite troops of the Zhenwu Division had suffered heavy casualties. Some soldiers abandoned their armor and weapons, some officers died roaring in anger, and some veterans even burned their souls and chose to self-destruct in order to barely hold off a bloody figure for a moment.

Even so, it still couldn't stop the arrival of the Devouring Abyss clone, turning the entire city into a hellish inferno.

Is this the human world?
No, it was the war that spilled over into the mortal realm.

Heaven and earth are ruthless, regarding all living beings as straw dogs.

At that moment, despair filled everyone's hearts.

Who can stop all of this?
However, just as the six battlefields were locked in a fierce battle, with bloodshed rampant, houses reduced to ashes, and the lives of countless people hanging by a thread.

"call out."

A ray of light descended from the heavens.

Gentle and silent, like a spring breeze caressing your face and willow branches swaying lightly.

Yet it was also extremely cold, like autumn waters breaking through mountains, a single line of cold light cleaving through the void.

It made no noise, yet it silenced the world instantly.

The battlefield, which had been erupting with deafening roars, was suddenly silenced by an invisible hand, leaving only the pounding of hearts.

The soldiers of the Zhenwu Division had their pupils shrink, and their weapons trembled inexplicably; Xie Chengjun's body stiffened, and he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and his mind trembled.

Even the few blood-red figures that were roaring and fighting suddenly stopped, like startled wild beasts, looking up at the sky for a moment, their fighting spirit turning into a trace of fear.

"What kind of power is this...?"

Xie Chengjun suddenly looked up.

At the highest point of the heavens, the wind and clouds swirled and the vast sea of ​​clouds collapsed layer by layer like a frightened wave.

"boom."

The first blood shadow was about to pounce again, but before it could even utter a cry of alarm, its entire blood body exploded, turning into a cloud of blood mist.

"Uh-huh..."

The Devouring Abyss, located in the distance, suddenly tilted its head back and spat out a mouthful of black blood. Its soul trembled, its chest was torn apart by a strong resonance, and its face instantly turned as pale as paper.

The second bloody shadow was rushing towards Xie Mingli when, caught off guard, half of her body was suddenly torn to pieces.

The third and fourth blood shadows tried to resist with their blood energy, but the suppression was as easy as cutting through rotten wood; a single palm strike severed them, tearing them apart by the roots.

Just as the fifth blood shadow gathered its killing intent, a golden light swept across it, instantly turning it into ashes.

……

The entire city fell silent instantly, as if the air itself had frozen.

The fighting ceased, the bloodshed vanished, and the chilling atmosphere dissipated.

Tun Yuan staggered and knelt on one knee, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, his eyes wide with horror:

"who is it?"

Xie Mingli stared blankly at the sky, her eyes reflecting the figure descending on the wind, her soul seemingly frozen in place:
"he is……"

Xie Chengjun spoke in a daze, his voice hoarse like ashes in the wind, yet carrying a hint of disbelief, awe, and relief.

“Li Jing'an from Yipin Pavilion…”

"Tun Yuan, I didn't expect you to recover so quickly... You're much more resilient than I imagined."

With a soft sigh, the wind and clouds vanished, and time seemed to stand still. A figure in a black robe descended slowly, as if traversing endless void, and silently stood before Xie Mingli. With a flick of his long sleeve, he absorbed the rolling blood-flame palm shadow into his sleeve, turning it into nothingness. Li Jing'an, the Inspector of the First-Rank Pavilion, had appeared.

His expression was calm, his eyes as still as an ancient well, yet his sharpness was hidden in the shadows, like a god or a sword.

“I had only sealed you in Qingyang County for less than a month, and in the blink of an eye you possessed Chu Ning and broke free of the seal… You really are never content to stay still for a moment.”

He glanced sideways at the blood-flame image that Tun Yuan had transformed into, and said in a calm tone, "It seems I have to clean up the mess for my poor disciple again."

Upon hearing this, Tun Yuan's blood flames surged, and he coldly snorted, "It's you again, you little brat from the First-Rank Pavilion."

"You? Kill me? Don't even think about it."

"Although I haven't recovered even a tenth or a twentieth of my peak strength, you're just a mere fifth-rank martial artist. What can you do to me?"

His gaze was sinister, his vertical eyes flashing with bloodlust: "I have countless clones. As long as one of them remains in this world, I will not truly die. You may kill one of them, but how can you seal away even a single thought?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an merely smiled, but without a trace of warmth: "This time... it's different."

With a flick of his sleeves and a flick of his fingertips, the primordial energy of heaven and earth suddenly resonated in a strange way.

In an instant, the Primordial Qi Cultivation Method quietly began to operate, and all the Qi meridians surged like waves, flowing into his body. His Qi was restrained and steady, yet it was also like a deep abyss churning.

He spoke softly, his voice low but thunderous, penetrating deep into the sea of ​​consciousness within the blood flames:

"Chu Ning...why aren't you waking up yet? You've been wallowing in this for too long, it's time to move on."

This awakening statement was like a morning bell piercing through the blood prison, striking the depths of the Devouring Abyss's soul.

Tun Yuan's expression changed drastically!

"Impossible... Your soul should have been completely devoured by me long ago! How could you possibly still retain a self?"

However, what responded to him was the sudden awakening of Chu Ning's memory sea, which had been as still as stagnant water, like a flood bursting its banks.

Familiar scenes flashed before my eyes:
—The setting sun was like blood, and the wooden house was slightly tilted. His older sister sewed the tattered corner of his clothes for him. The stitches were crooked, but they were full of love: "Ning-ge'er, you must learn to protect yourself. You must not fight with anyone for your older sister again."

That was the first warmth he experienced in his life.

In the center of the dungeon arena at the Benlei Martial Arts School, he collapsed onto the cold stone slab, his knees a bloody mess. Wang Kui said coldly, "If you can't get up, then get out of the martial arts school!"

"I...want to become stronger."

That was his initial obsession.

In his youthful arrogance, he stood in front of Qingli and said, "Don't be afraid in the future, I'm here for you."

That was a promise he never uttered.

The unwavering determination and pride displayed by Xie Mingli's sword strike, and the hint of worry in Qingli's eyes when she looked back, all ignited my heart like a lamp.

What he saw last was Li Jing'an's figure in the blood-red world, standing in front of him without hesitation.

"Chu Ning, you can't stay asleep any longer."

"How can I fall asleep?"

"Tun Yuan, I am Chu Ning!"

"boom."

Within the Blood Prison Sea of ​​Consciousness, a golden light, like the rising sun, burst forth from the void.

The long-dormant will is reshaped by the impact of countless memories, and fully awakened by the call of obsession, original intention, and protection.

What horrified Tun Yuan the most was the blue lightning pattern that slowly emerged from beneath the blood flames, like the lightning of dawn, quietly growing in the Sea of ​​Life.

That wasn't his power!
That was... Chu Ning's last remaining will's counterattack.

"You...you can actually awaken on your own?" Tun Yuan roared, his soul trembling, and his once stable control began to waver.

Li Jing'an's eyes were like torches as he stared at the crumbling blood flame statue: "Chu Ning, I once said that whether or not we can destroy it now depends on you."

"Although you didn't succeed, I know you won't really give up."

"Now, take back your body."

His sea of ​​consciousness surged, and lightning patterns, like the flames of dawn, exploded deep within the soul of the Devouring Abyss.

That was Chu Ning's will.

Chu Ning, who had been consumed by blood flames and whose mind had been destroyed, struggled to rise again at Li Jing'an's call, like a setting sun rekindled.

"Swallowing Abyss...get out of my body!"

A sharp shout resounded throughout the soul.

Deep within the crimson flames, a pure and radiant light suddenly bloomed.

Chu Ning's divine soul manifested, his robes fluttering, his brows sharp, facing the illusory figure of Tun Yuan from afar.

Devouring Abyss roared in fury: "How could you possibly awaken? I clearly..."

“You’re wrong,” Chu Ning interrupted him coldly. “You’re devouring memories, not will. You’re taking my body, but you can’t take my soul.”

Li Jing'an sat cross-legged, his two fingers joined together to suppress the external blood flame energy, assisting Chu Ning in calming the fluctuations in his sea of ​​consciousness. His voice was steady, like a pillar supporting the sky, infusing Chu Ning with strength:
"Don't be afraid. He may be strong, but you are not alone."

"Continue to operate the Hunyuan Qi Refining Method to maintain its resonance with me."

Chu Ning closed his eyes and concentrated, the wisp of blue lightning deep within his soul growing stronger. He recalled the details of his early cultivation of the "Primordial Qi Refining Method," remembering the wonder of this technique: its ability to resonate with other techniques.

"I cannot give in to despair."

"I can't... let them shed tears for me again."

(End of this chapter)