Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 171 Thunder Shakes the Northern Border
Down the mountain, Dong'er gazed up at the figure entwined with lightning patterns on the mountaintop, her expression dazed.

Three years.

For three whole years, she never left her side.

She remembered the painful howls he made every time his bones were reforged, and the low growls that tore apart his sea of ​​consciousness.

I remember when his soul fire was about to go out, he still gritted his teeth and refused to give up; I also remember when he was covered in blood in the cold night, he still sat cross-legged and did not move.

She wiped the frost from his brow again and again, leaning against him as she drifted off to sleep, hoping he would open his eyes.

She was never a strong person, but in these three years, she learned how to sleep with silence and live with waiting.

Now, he stood up.

It is like a deity returning to its rightful place.

Lightning patterns converged beneath Chu Ning's feet, and the vibrations in his lightning bones resonated with the spiritual veins of the snow-covered ground.

His soul wheel began to manifest, and a barely perceptible "golden divine mark" slowly emerged at the point where the three souls of his soul wheel converged.

That was not only an advancement in cultivation, but also an echo of destiny.

Dong'er looked at him, her eyes blurred.

She should be happy.

But she felt an indescribable emptiness.

Is it relief, reluctance, or the sadness of being gradually left behind by a certain world?

She bit her lip, unwilling to let herself shed tears.

She knew that Chu Ning had embarked on a path she could no longer walk alongside, but she would still guard that well of spirits, guard the icy plains that belonged to them, and guard that "she" who had not yet awakened.

At the summit, Chu Ning gazed into the distance.

In the realm of the divine tree, where the seal of the Ape Lord was located, the golden lock was already seeping blood, and the branches were charred black.

Amidst the thunderous sensation, the soul fire was slowly leaking out, like a ferocious beast about to break free of its cage, waiting to return in the distance.

“A ten-year limit,” he whispered. “In the past three years, the seal has begun to loosen.”

"Although I am a first-rank official, if he were to break free of his seal now, the outcome would be uncertain."

The Devouring Abyss appeared in his sea of ​​consciousness, and a soul shadow covered in lightning scales stepped out of the void:
“You’re too clear-headed, Chu Ning. Many people become restless and agitated as soon as they enter the ‘Soul Wheel,’ but you don’t even want to hear a single congratulatory message.”

"I have no time to waste," Chu Ning said calmly.

The light of the Soul Wheel quietly disappeared into the depths of Chu Ning's brow, and the lightning patterns gradually subsided. He slowly stood up, and the ice beneath his feet shattered, as if the power of heaven and earth trembled with his breath.

At this moment, his aura was like thunder and flames.

Tun Yuan stood silently in his sea of ​​consciousness, a rare solemnity in his eyes:

"The Heavenly Gate has opened, and you are now qualified to condense your second Soul Wheel and embark on the path to godhood... which is not a pipe dream."

Chu Ning did not respond. He remained silent for a long time, then suddenly said softly:

"Before becoming a god, I need to be a younger brother first."

This simple answer, however, struck like thunder in the sea of ​​consciousness, stirring up a thousand waves in the ocean of awareness.

Tun Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

Chu Ning's gaze hardened as he looked up at the distant celestial pole—the southwest direction.

That's the direction where Yipin Pavilion is located.

"Now, I finally have the strength to return." Chu Ning's tone was low and cold, as if a thunderclap was hidden beneath three years of accumulated snow.

"What I need to do is to fulfill all the promises I made three years ago."

His gaze pierced through the wind and snow, locking onto the southern border, his eyes seemingly able to penetrate thousands of mountains and rivers.

"Prince Duan."

"Back then, you tried to kill me, sending your personal guards and secret agents to put me in a life-or-death situation."

His fingers slowly clenched, the lightning crackled at his knuckles, and the air currents swirled around his body like a vortex.

"Can they still stand in my way for you now?"

He raised his palm, and a thunderous roar erupted, causing the ten-zhang-long glacier to shatter in response!
The ice field trembled like a howl, and the breath of souls lingered.

Tun Yuan remained silent, only smiling slightly, a smile that seemed to carry both mockery and admiration:
"I didn't realize you were such a vengeful kid."

"You shouldn't say that he was utterly depraved, slaughtered the people, disregarded the law, and treated human life like dirt, and that you had to kill him for the sake of the common people and all the people under heaven?"

Chu Ning paused for a moment, but his eyes remained unwavering.

He uttered calmly, "Why would I say that?"

Tun Yuan burst into laughter, laughing without any restraint: "Ha, you're really strange. Why don't you learn from those so-called 'great heroes of humanity'? Aren't they all full of benevolence and morality, always talking about the suffering of all living beings and the hardships of the common people? Before killing, they talk about destiny, and after killing, they say it was the will of heaven."

"Now that you're a first-rank official, shouldn't you align yourself with this 'path of the king'? Otherwise, how will you win people's hearts and establish your prestige? Even just making a gesture is better than saying nothing, right?"

Chu Ning glanced at him, her gaze as cold as a blade cutting through snow:

Why should I be like them?

"I am who I am."

His words were calm, yet each one was sharp and incisive.

"Millions of people walk that road, but I walk my own. Even if it's a desolate mountain or a blood-soaked path, I don't care."

Tun Yuan's laughter gradually subsided. He stared at Chu Ning's soul shadow with a complex expression, and after a long while, asked:

"You... really don't care at all what others think?"

Chu Ning did not answer immediately.

He gazed silently at the distant snow-covered landscape for a long time before whispering:
"If they see me slaying the wicked, they will call me righteous."

"If they see that I have blood on my hands, they will spit on me and call me a demon."

"The opinions of the masses are no longer my reason for living."

"I just know that some people deserve to die, and some debts must be repaid."

He paused slightly at this point, then added softly:
"And I am not dead yet. So, I will do it."

Tun Yuan looked at him and suddenly fell silent.

After a moment, he murmured, "I see."

"I've seen too many fake heroes, shouting about morality and reaching for the heavens, while stepping on countless corpses. You're the first one who can't even be bothered to make up an excuse."

"Perhaps... you really are special."

Tun Yuan looked at him for a long time, then suddenly chuckled softly:
"Chun Ning."

"You're finally... not like a 'discarder' anymore."

"Like a real living person."

"A person who would walk the divine path for family, for faith, and for hatred."

Chu Ning remained silent.

He raised his head.

Snowflakes fall like feathers, and the wind howls like a song.

His thunderous soul surged within his body, and his thunderous bones resonated in his meridians.

At this moment, he was no longer the boy who was being hunted down like a dog three years ago.

He has already reached the first rank.

With the Thunder Soul within him, the Soul Wheel took shape.

The vow remains unchanged, the blade remains unsheathed.

He is ready to return to the mortal world.

With the power of one man, he shook the king of a region.

The snow fell silently.

Deep within the coffin well, the frigid land has long since transformed into a graveyard of wind and snow.

Between the broken veins of the Fox Ancestor's fiefdom, a divine platform constructed of ten-thousand-year-old black ice hangs silently above the snow waterfall, like a scar left by heaven and earth.

Chu Ningjing stood before the altar, holding the "New Moon Ice Soul" in her hands.

It is pure white, and inside it is sealed a piece of starlight that seems to have been left over from the ancient polar night, like a sleeping cold moon, sealed in a crystal shell.

Qingli's soul then slumbered within it.

The ice spirit trembled slightly, and a wisp of pale blue light appeared in his palm, as if in response, or as if... bidding farewell.

"I'm sorry, Qingli. I have to leave now." He murmured softly, gently placing the Ice Soul into the circular soul array in the center of the altar.

Tun Yuan had already laid out the "Soul Devouring Seal" here, using his own soul devouring secret technique as the base of the array, and introduced the remaining soul fire of the entire Fox Domain under the altar, transforming it into the foundation of the "Well of Souls".

As long as Qingli's soul remains, it can "nourish itself and recover" here, like a seed dormant in cold soil, waiting for the return of spring.

Chu Ning watched silently as the Ice Soul sank into the Soul Array. The ghostly blue light pierced through the altar, as if telling him:

She is listening.

Chu Ning said in a low voice, "I didn't intend to abandon you, but since you are to be resurrected, you can only stay here for the time being."

At that moment, Chu Ning's eyes, which she had been trying to hold back, reddened slightly.

Ice Soul sank into the altar, a beam of light pierced straight into the ground, the Soul-Guiding Array quietly activated, and the soul fires from all directions converged. Fox shadows appeared between the cracks in the ice field, as if the souls of the entire Fox Ancestor Clan had been summoned back to guard Qing Li's side.

Tun Yuan stood at a distance, watching this scene, and remained silent for a long time.

He doesn't need to feel guilty or sad.

He was once a destroyer, but now he is the guardian of souls.

Times change.

He didn't say anything to admit his mistake, but simply raised his hand and placed the final "Swallowing Seal Returning to Ring" spell outside the formation.

One ring gives life to the soul, one ring suppresses the fire, one ring captures the spirit, and one ring protects the seal.

He personally protected her at every step.

Chu Ning did not turn around.

He simply gazed at the slowly fading pillar of light, a distant glimmer of light appearing in his eyes.

Those are the snows of memory, those are the fires of promise.

Indeed, the word "trust" is the gentlest answer.

He said softly:

"Qingli... wait for me to come back."

After the new moon sank into the altar, the icy soul, like a lamp, and the hidden soul, like a lamp wick, emitted a faint, eerie light, igniting a serene blue flame in the wind and snow.

Dong'er stood behind Chu Ning, her gaze never leaving him.

After a long silence, she finally spoke: "I'll stay."

Chu Ning turned around and looked at her.

Her eyes were gentle yet firm.

“This Crescent Moon Ice Soul contains the remnant soul of Qing Li.” Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear. “I can sense its fluctuations, perhaps… because of the bloodline within me.”

Chu Ning was silent for a moment, then finally asked, "Do you know what staying means?"

Dong'er nodded: "It means the broken spiritual veins, the mutated soul fire, the cold and poisonous wind and snow, and the lonely years here."

She smiled, but there was a hint of moisture in the corner of her eye.

“But none of this matters. She is my benefactor and the last glory of the Snow Fox clan. You left too far and too fast... At least let me guard a place for you to return to.”

Chu Ning didn't speak, but just looked into her eyes.

For three years, he cultivated in a state of deep meditation, his voice as powerful as a mountain and as thunderous as a thunderclap. Yet she remained by his side throughout—guarding his soul, protecting the formation, bringing him food, and helping him to sleep; perhaps without words, but she never left.

He had known all along that this affection was so intense it was frightening.

“I can also help Bingpo absorb the soul fire,” Dong’er continued. “After you leave, I will use the Soul Guiding Technique every day to guide Qingli’s soul. When she awakens, I will tell her exactly what you promised her.”

She looked up at him: "But you have to come back alive."

Chu Ning's throat tightened: "Aren't you afraid I'll never come back?"

Dong'er's eyes were brimming with tears: "I'm scared."

"But I'm even more afraid that when you come back, she won't be there anymore."

She gently placed the fox-headed token in Chu Ning's palm: "Take this. If one day you stand on high ground, don't forget that there are still two girls here."

Chu Ning took it, her knuckles tightening as if she were grasping something that almost broke.

He stepped forward and gently embraced her.

The wind and snow fell like cotton wool, swirling around his ears, and the polar chill seemed to dissipate in his embrace.

"I owe you a good future," he said softly.

"I don't want the future." Dong'er shook her head, her voice low and nasal. "I only want the present."

She tiptoed and gently kissed his lips, as if making a vow she had never spoken aloud.

“Let’s go,” she said with a smile, giving him a push, but tears streamed down her cheeks. “If you don’t leave now, I’ll regret it.”

Chu Ning looked back every few steps before finally stepping out of the barrier of the Coffin Well.

He looked back at the desolate snowfield—the last ruins of the Fox Ancestor's fiefdom, the afterglow of the crescent moon's icy soul, and the girl standing in the snow and wind, illuminated by the light.

At that moment, Chu Ning suddenly understood:

The so-called "reluctance to part" in this world is never tears, but that person who has always stood in the same place, leaving a way back for you.

The moment Chu Ning stepped out of the well of coffins, it was as if she had truly left behind a dream that had been sealed away for three years.

Behind him was the silently burning Golden Lock Divine Tree and the ice field barrier that was gradually being repaired by the soul fire.

Looking further into the distance, a cluster of crescent-shaped blue flames hangs quietly in the center of the well, like a guardian lamp, guiding Qingli's way home.

Ahead of him lay the path of the mortal world.

He secluded himself for three years without moving an inch.

Now, with each step taken, everything has changed.

He walked extremely fast, like an arrow drawn taut, leaving a long shadow across the snowfield.

With the "Soul Wheel in its initial stage" realm, Chu Ning is no longer the ordinary person he once was.

His way of seeing the world has completely changed.

In the wind, there was no longer just cold air, but a dark net woven from countless strands of soul and spiritual energy; in the tremors of the earth, he could hear the low murmurs of souls buried beneath the rock layers, as if they were echoes of the ancient memories of this world.

He can sense people's hearts and understand the whispers of the wind.

One night at the edge of the snowfield, he was suddenly awakened from his meditation.

A feeling of excitement he had never experienced before blossomed from the depths of his consciousness, like a glimmer of light drawing his soul to its core, piercing the abyss of his mind.

Chu Ning opened his eyes, and his soul consciousness rose slowly from within his body, gathering in his sea of ​​consciousness, projecting a blurry yet familiar phantom image in the night.

The illusory image was like mist, like a dream, yet so real.

It was a figure.

She wore a dark blue robe, her hair slightly disheveled, her steps hurried, her spiritual energy erratic like a frightened bird, as she traversed a scorched wasteland. The surrounding atmosphere was chaotic and oppressive, as if an invisible net was slowly tightening around her.

She is still alive.

She is on the run.

"Sister..."

Chu Ning murmured softly, her fingers trembling slightly.

He recognized this spiritual aura; even if separated from the heavens and earth, he would not mistake it.

This is Chu Yun's only blood relative.

It was also a concern he never let go of.

But why is she on the run?
Who's pursuing her?

Three years ago, she disappeared during a night raid by the Blood Refining Hall, and her fate has remained unknown ever since.

This sense of soul was both unfamiliar and terrifying, as if she were being driven to the brink of despair by some force that did not belong to the human world.

That night, Chu Ning sat silently in the wind and snow until the aurora faded and the sky turned white.

The next morning, he stood on the mountaintop and looked southwest.

That's exactly the direction "Yipinge" is heading.

Suddenly, a clear line appeared in his mind: Chu Yun's whereabouts, the secrets of the Blood Refining Hall, the inheritance of the Primordial Master... all were in that place.

But he had only just stepped out of the icy plains when he realized that the world beyond this snowy region was no longer what it used to be.

A few days later, as he crossed mountains and forests and approached the border of Daqian, he felt an unusual tremor in the air.

Within his soul, intense killing intent and chaotic spiritual energy were rapidly approaching.

"……This is?"

He frowned slightly, paused, and his mind suddenly expanded, his senses surging outward like ripples on water.

On the distant horizon, a huge black shadow slowly emerged.

That was the border of the Great Qian Dynasty—the Great Wall.

But the Great Wall that once defended against countless wild beasts is now shrouded in smoke and fire, with wails of agony preceding the sound of war drums.

"A beast tide...?" His expression darkened.

In the far distance, he saw hordes of strange beasts crashing against the outer walls of the Great Wall like a tidal wave, their spiritual energy churning as if the sky were shattering, the air filled with the stench of blood and lingering resentment.

Before the snowstorm had subsided, war had already broken out.

"Zhao Tianyu..."

He thought of Zhao Tianyu, and of those Great Wall defenders.

He pulled out the Soul Stone from his waist, remembering how the heavily wounded youth had handed it to him on the Great Wall battlefield, whispering:
"Now that we have returned, let us guard the Great Wall."

At this moment, the Soul Stone was slightly warm, just like those blood-stained but resolute hands from back then.

He didn't hesitate.

His fingertips moved slightly, and a faint thunderous breath was drawn.

"Now that we have returned, let us guard the Great Wall for them."

In the northern border region of the Great Qian Dynasty, the Great Wall is in turmoil, and a sudden beast tide has arisen.

At the junction of three states, the wind and snow are as sharp as knives.

Night fell, and the sky was heavy with darkness.

But this night was no ordinary one.

At the front lines, the beacon towers flickered with fire.

On the city wall, bloodstains were still wet, and broken armor and shields were piled up like mountains.

The soul array was broken, the sealing talisman flickered, and the light was like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Beyond the Great Wall lies a vast wilderness stretching for dozens of miles.

The roars of strange beasts were like a tidal wave, and hundreds of races gathered together, their eyes cold as ghostly fire.

One after another, ferocious nightmare beasts, soul-prison ferocious birds, and ancient divine birds with blood-red hooves treading on flames surged out from the snow-capped mountains and dense forests, shaking the earth like thunder.

They roared and surged, carrying chaotic energy and the corrosive power of the soul, like a dark cloud pressing down, swallowing up the entire northern frontier.

The soldiers in the beacon tower were on the verge of collapse.
"The beast tide is coming again... This time, it's stronger than ever before..."

"Get out!"

"General Li...is dead in battle!"

"General Meng Fang is seriously wounded, and the southeast wall has been breached!!"

The shouts of killing were deafening, and the cries were heart-wrenching.

"Quickly—reinforce the defensive barrier!"

"The Soul-Suppressing Stone has been shattered; the defensive barrier won't last much longer!"

And the first thing to collapse is the "heart".

They were once the most valiant of the border guards.

But this time, they saw the "Soul Prison Lion King".

With bony horns on its head and four arms on its back, it seemed as if a god or demon had been resurrected. Wielding the bone of a broken tower, it swept across thousands of troops. With a single strike, it could shatter three layers of soul shields and burn two magic runes. It was simply not a creature of the mortal realm.

"The city gates... are about to fall!!"

"The rear guard has collapsed!!"

Under the sky, the waning moon was obscured by the furious breath of the beast tide, and everything was rendered in a despairing gray.

Atop the crumbling walls, a general, his face stained with blood, roared, "No retreat!! Hold the line! Even if we die, we cannot let these bastards enter the city!!"

He dragged his severed arm, step by step, back to the core of the soul array, his lips already bitten raw, yet he still roared:

"Zhenbei is the last line of defense!! If we lose this place—the three northern prefectures of the Great Qian Dynasty will surely fall!!"

Far away, a figure in black robes stood atop the broken peak.

Amidst swirling snow and surging tides of souls, he remained unmoved, gazing silently at the Great Wall that was crumbling amidst the flames of war.

It's Chu Ning.

He saw the Soul Prison Lion King, the Soul Array that was about to collapse, the soldiers whose blood stained the snow, and the one-armed general who fought desperately.

But he didn't move immediately.

His gaze was as cold and desolate as frost and snow, unmoved, unexcited, and devoid of any reckless impulse.

He is waiting.

I'm watching it too.

If even Zhao Tianyu cannot be tolerated in this world, if even those who truly defend the land are discarded like worn-out shoes, then is the Great Wall, this so-called Great Qian Dynasty, really worth his intervention?
next moment.

Deep within the Great Wall Soul Array, a familiar aura suddenly entered Chu Ning's senses.

A group of people stood on the city wall, fighting to the death in the wind and snow.

His soul burned like fire, and in an instant, Chu Ning "saw" it.

It was a lingering shadow cast by lightning, a realistic painting woven from blood and soul.

Countless spirit beasts roared as they arrived, blotting out the sun.

Its four hooves pounded the ground like thunder, its roar cracking bricks and stones.

Especially the "Lion King" that is the master of the soul tide - six zhang tall, with four arms crackling with flames, spewing red lightning from its mouth, it can leap over a wall a hundred zhang high, and when its giant claws land, half of the array base collapses instantly.

The Great Wall is in ruins, and the beacon fires have been extinguished.

The soul array shattered, and the magic runes collapsed.

But at this very moment, atop the fifth beacon tower on the front lines, a general stood covered in blood.

Zhao Tianyu!
His right arm had already been torn apart in the previous attack, his armor was shattered, and he was left with only a broken spear in his hand.

He stood atop the broken tower like a rock, his soul power surging forth to forcefully condense the final line of lightning defense.

"Defend the Great Wall—This is the battle!!"

A furious roar shook the heavens.

The old troops of the Zhenwu Division had already suffered heavy casualties, with fewer than thirty remaining.

But at this moment, not a single person backed down.

An elderly lieutenant gritted his teeth, raised his tattered shield, and charged to the front: "We have a city of millions behind us! We have wives and children, civilians behind us. If we retreat, we will be surrounded by a city of ten thousand corpses!"

He knelt down heavily, planted the broken shield into the crumbling wall, and used his blood as a guide to carve another array pattern, forcibly patching the gap in the defensive array.

He gritted his teeth, muttering under his breath, "As long as this wall stands, I'll die on it."

Another wounded soldier bit off his severed limbs, lit his soul lamp, and transformed himself into a torch to sit at the center of the formation and draw in the lightning: "My old bones may not be of much use, but they can at least buy me a little more time."

Zhao Tianyu stomped on the bone spikes thrown by the Soul Prison Lion King, turned around and glanced at him, but only smiled and didn't say anything.

The remnants of the Zhenwu Division behind him were all intact, yet none of them were cowards.

"The deputy commander said that if there is trouble in the North, no matter how bad we are, we will come back!"

"As long as the soul lamp remains extinguished, the heavens dare not grow cold!"

"As long as the Zhenwu Division survives, no one can cross the Great Wall!" These voices, amidst the swirling snow, coalesced into an ancient military incantation.

At that moment, the Great Wall was not a lonely fortress, but a wall forged in flames and solidified by blood and flesh.

The wind and snow fell like arrows, the city walls stretched like a sea, and where ten thousand soldiers held their ground, blood churned and wails shook the heavens.

"Roar!"

A roar as fierce as a dragon echoed from beyond the Great Wall as the "Soul Prison Lion King" smashed through five beacon towers and shattered the main formation on the east side with a single claw. The high-level soul beasts seemed to descend from the heavens, tearing the battlefield apart with a single leap.

"We can't hold on much longer!!"

"The Lion King is near! The defensive formation is about to collapse—"

Figures tumbled backward, the soldiers having exhausted all their strength, even the array diagram was nearly extinguished. The Soul Prison Lion King opened its mouth and spat out a ghostly blue soul flame, incinerating dozens of defenders into charred bones.

Above the sky, the waning moon was dim, and the ice and snow were frozen.

Chu Ning stood quietly in the far distance.

The soul kept transmitting those scenes back.

Zhao Tianyu, Zhenwu Division, Soul Lamp, severed limbs, blood... and under that thunder and fire soul light, countless human bodies and wills supported a narrow chasm.

His eyes, which were originally as cold and aloof as snow, trembled slightly at that moment.

It wasn't because of the tragedy, but because of those real, silent, and unassuming yet exhilarating scenes of "watching over" people.

It is the human heart, it is faith, it is the silent declaration, "As long as I am here, the Great Wall will stand."

He slowly lowered his head, and the "Soul-Suppressing Stone" in his hand was gently warming up.

Zhao Tianyu is still here.

The Zhenwu Division still exists.

—Then he should be there too.

Chu Ning raised his hand, lightning danced on his fingertips, and thunder rumbled within his bones.

That was the "pre-battle heartbeat" that had been absent for three years. It wasn't anger or righteous indignation, but rather a kind of quietly ignited "response".

In response to those soldiers who never bowed their heads, never asked for help, and never cried out in pain.

To fulfill a promise made three years ago.

He whispered:

"You're still here."

"Then, I should keep my word."

He moved, stepping off the lightning track and heading straight for the northern battlefield.

Thunder and fire pierce the clouds, soul light treads on snow.

He came because of a promise.

It was not for the sake of the common people, nor for the sake of so-called righteousness.

Just for one sentence.

"I said I would come back."

"call--"

The wind and snow raged, and the flame of the soul had grown cold.

The entire Great Wall bordering the town looked like a land of death, with a massive army of soul beasts roaring like waves, pressing in from beneath the sky.

The Soul Prison Lion King stood at the front line, ferocious as a mountain, burning the sky and splitting the earth. Where his four arms swung down, even the "Northern Defense Formation" was broken in three layers.

The defenders of the Great Wall fought desperately, their flesh and blood forming a wall.

"The eastern front! The eastern front can't hold on anymore!!"

"The Lion King charged into battle, and the three battalions were almost wiped out!"

"Quick! Everyone assemble—"

Roars, surges, and screams transformed into a final, apocalyptic symphony.

The sky was scorched through by soul flames, the battle formation was shattered, and a soul general, panting while protecting his severed arm, murmured as he looked at his fallen comrades:

"If no reinforcements arrive... we really won't be able to hold out."

"Om."

Chu Ning stood as still as a mountain, and a pale golden "soul wheel" slowly emerged in her palm.

The soul wheel seemed to be alive, with three illusory figures intertwined within it: one resembling himself, one as cold as obsession, and one as blurry as the eye of an abyss.

The three souls revolved together, the soul wheel hummed softly, and the atmosphere of heaven and earth seemed to be stirred.

This was the first time he had truly used the "Soul Wheel" in battle.

"The Soul Wheel is the mark of a first-grade powerhouse."

—But the Soul Wheel is not just a decoration; it is a real "soul engine" that can fuse soul power and lightning power to unleash power far exceeding its own.

Right now.

Changes occurred suddenly.

An indescribable aura pierced through heaven and earth and suddenly descended.

As if scrutinizing from an extremely high place, carrying an irresistible divine pressure, it pressed down lightly across the entire battlefield.

In an instant, the world stood still.

It was as if an invisible hand had swept across the sky above the battlefield.

Strange phenomena appeared.

The waning moon cast no light, and the snow appeared silvery.

Among the horde of soul beasts, those previously roaring and raging soul seeds suddenly stiffened, their bloodshot eyes began to contract, and an unprecedented fear appeared in their eyes.

Some soul beasts lay prostrate on the ground, their hair standing on end, as if they had sensed the presence of their master.

Not only the spirit beasts, but even the soldiers on the Great Wall sensed something.

"You...you felt it?"

A heavily wounded soldier raised his head and looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with unprecedented shock.

"Who is this oppressive force?!"

"The defensive array... is shaking?"

At the same time, the beast tide that should have been surging across the land was abruptly halted.

Without being commanded, they retreated half a step as if suppressed by some instinct, as if bowing their heads in submission in a certain direction.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Chu Ning took a deep breath and whispered:
"Thunder penetrates the soul bone, and the soul guides the heaven and earth."

As soon as he finished speaking, he put two fingers together with his left hand and gently swiped them forward.

This stroke, without a knife or any special technique, is simply "guided by the soul," using the mind to mobilize the power within the body.

Instantly, his soul wheel trembled, and the lightning patterns on his palm lit up.

next moment.

"boom!!!"

A bolt of lightning descended from the sky like a waterfall, sweeping away the beast tide.

That was no ordinary lightning, but "soul lightning" released from the soul wheel in his sea of ​​consciousness, an attack that combined lightning power and soul power. Once it hit, it was like lightning striking the soul, even shattering the soul core of the strange beast in one blow.

In the night sky not far away, a faintly visible abyss of thunder tore open between the snow clouds. It was the "thunder realm" formed by the perception of the soul and spirit, as if a "thunder gate" had been suddenly opened from the snowy sky.

Thousands of lightning bolts surged like a thunder tide.

They did not fall from the sky, but rather erupted from the soul wheel within Chu Ning's body.

Each bolt of lightning is engraved with soul-patterned lightning techniques, carrying the "judgment power" of the soul's origin.

All fifty charging soul beasts were instantly annihilated in the lightning strike, leaving not even a trace of their soul fire behind.

"What... what kind of Thunder Soul is this?"

"This can't be an ordinary person! He's not a heavenly general... he is..."

The soul beasts retreated in panic, and the herd of beasts scattered in disarray.

Life returned to the battlefield, and amidst the flashes of lightning, Chu Ning arrived, stepping through the snow.

He stood beneath the waning moon, clad in a black robe.

The pale golden soul wheel that appeared in his palm was no longer blurry, but extremely clear, complete, and as calm as the sun.

Above the Soul Wheel, three souls are intertwined—the mortal soul, the human-controlled soul, and the divine-intentioned soul.

At this moment, all eyes were on the lone figure walking towards them.

He didn't shout or make a fuss; he simply walked quietly, step by step, into this battlefield on the verge of collapse.

There were no troops behind him.

Beneath his feet, however, lay a path paved with lightning.

"The Lion King... the Lion King has rioted!!!"

The Soul Prison Lion King finally roared. It did not understand fear, but the pressure of the soul made it instinctively furious.

Its four arms roared into the sky, tearing through the gale, as if it intended to shred the approaching creature first.

It opened its mouth, as if to incinerate a million thunder souls.

But right now.

Chu Ning stopped in her tracks.

"boom--"

He raised his hand, and his soul wheel resonated deeply.

Thunderous energy surged, the thunder seal shattered, and soul power surged like a tide.

In that instant, the sky cracked, the earth collapsed, and snow and frost shattered.

He simply pointed, pointing to the Lion King.

"Break."

"boom."

Beneath the entire Great Wall, it's as if a cauldron with a million thunder patterns is pressing down.

That command was "divine punishment".

The Soul Prison Lion King's head exploded, its soul fire went out, its limbs collapsed, and its corpse fell to the ground, stirring up a hundred-foot-long blood wave that directly crushed the vanguard of soul beasts that were trying to charge behind it.

All the beasts were terrified.

The army fell silent.

Then...

"No...it can't be..."

At that moment, the defensive formation shone brightly, the soldiers knelt on the ground, and heavy snow fell.

The wind and snow are silent at this moment, yet they sound more powerful than the thunder of a thousand armies.

The world resembled a shattered battle map. The beast tide fell into an unusual stagnation after that attack, blood and snow scattered, and remnants of souls lingered.

Amidst the swirling snow, the soldiers of the Great Wall gazed at the figure slowly withdrawing his fingertips, their hearts filled with lingering unease.

The next moment, a black figure came from the horizon, stepping on the snow. He was dressed in a black robe, and a lightning wheel slowly appeared in his palm.

He didn't make a big fuss or say a word; he simply walked into the wind and snow, into the center of everyone's attention.

His steps were extremely slow, yet they seemed even more awe-inspiring than the thunderclap.

"Chu...Chu Ning?!"

"It's the one who killed Li Wujiu three years ago... the one who protected the Great Wall."

"Chu Ning is back! He's really back—"

Shouts rang out from among the soldiers, spreading like wildfire throughout the entire defensive line.

The army formation, which was already on the verge of collapse, was solidified again at this moment.

Those heads that had been bowing low, those trembling blades, now seemed to have found their last foothold.

The bugle call resumed from the broken beacon tower, echoing like thunder across every inch of the Great Wall's ruins, awakening a dormant will.

The soldiers rushed to their positions almost instinctively, while those who were severely injured and suppressed by the roars of the soul beasts struggled to their feet.

They knew that the real counterattack had begun.

Amidst the ruins, a figure covered in blood but standing upright slowly rose to his feet.

He held onto the broken gun, his eyes bloodshot, but he never fell.

Someone tried to help him up, but he waved them off.

"I'm not dead."

He only uttered three words, his voice low and hoarse.

He looked up and saw the one-armed figure walking through the snow, his eyes seeming to be ignited by both ice and fire.

"You finally came……"

He didn't shout, but his gaze pierced through the wind and snow.

Chu Ning sensed it.

He walked slowly over, looking at the familiar face he had fought alongside three years ago, but his gaze suddenly froze at a certain moment.

He saw that Chu Ning looked much older, and his left eye was no longer as bright as it used to be.

It was an empty abyss, as black as a well in the night, devoid of spirit and light, yet seemingly concealing endless, silent thunder.

“Your eyes…” Zhao Tianyu subconsciously reached out his hand, his voice already choked with emotion before he could finish speaking.

Chu Ning smiled faintly, reached out and touched his eye socket, his tone as calm as if he were talking about someone else's story: "Going to the far north always comes at a price."

Zhao Tianyu's eyes trembled slightly.

He wanted to say something, but found his throat tight and he couldn't utter a single word.

He remembered the boy from three years ago, fighting fiercely against Li Wujiu at the Great Wall; he remembered the moment the knife severed his right arm; and he remembered the silence that followed the snowstorm.

Now, three years later, he has returned, still alive, but has lost an eye.

He is neither a god nor a saint chosen by destiny.

He is just an ordinary person who has come this far step by step with ordinary hands.

Zhao Tianyu suddenly found it somewhat ridiculous.

This world has made those who should be remembered the most silently bear the greatest cost, while those who rely on blood and power sit on high platforms, riding horses and commanding troops, praising countless achievements.

This person simply mentioned "the price" in a casual way.

The pent-up anger and grief that had been building up inside him surged up once more.

He suddenly realized that what he had followed and what he had sworn to protect with his life was not the military flag of a certain dynasty, but the man in front of him—a man who was willing to destroy himself to protect them for the sake of his promise.

Zhao Tianyu said in a low voice, "You live more like a 'human being' than anyone else in the world."

Chu Ning didn't answer, but just smiled and patted his shoulder.

The two stood side by side, facing the lingering remnants of the beast tide, like mountains standing side by side in the wind and snow.

At that moment, it was as if a thousand troops and a thousand words had been transformed into a single action.

They looked at each other and smiled.

No need for pleasantries.

Everything was clearly explained at the moment the lightning broke through the prison.

Zhao Tianyu said, "There are still seven hundred guards in the rear who have not yet gone into battle. They are former members of the Zhenwu Division. If you take command, they are willing to fight for you."

Chu Ning nodded, his gaze as calm as a cold night:

"I just ask one thing."

"Are you still willing to guard this Great Wall?"

Zhao Tianyu gritted his teeth and wiped the blood from the corner of his lips: "Guard."

Chu Ning gripped his hand with lightning in his hand, and the Snowbreaker Blade condensed from his Soul Wheel into a lightning blade, its edge pointing diagonally at the surging beast tide ahead.

"Then it's up to me."

"Slay another king."

“Formation!!”

"Reorganize the military formation!"

"With Chu Ning as the core of the formation, the battle formation is activated once more!"

The wind and snow suddenly stopped, and the world fell silent.

It was as if some indescribable will was slowly awakening.

Just as the beast tide advanced to the edge of the soul array, the tremors of the earth suddenly stopped, and the roars of all the soul beasts ceased at the same moment.

They raised their heads, their ears trembled, and their pupils contracted, as if they had sensed something that made their very blood tremble.

That wasn't an enemy, it was divine might.

"what happened?"

"They...they stopped again?"

The soldiers on the ruins of the Great Wall were stunned. Their ears, deafened by the fierce fighting and shouts, suddenly heard a discordant sound in the deathly silence:

That was the sound of thunder carried by the wind, without a trace of fire magic, but a divine soul shock descending from the sky, like thousands of thunder gods roaring in unison from the cracks in the heavens.

"boom!!!"

The next instant, the entire night sky seemed to be torn apart.

Nine lightning pillars suddenly flashed across the sky, falling from the farthest and highest point, as if severing the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Lock of the Divine Firmament, and instantly piercing into the front line of the beast tide.

Then, a series of loud explosions were heard.

Before dozens of wild beasts could react, they were reduced to dust in the lightning. Their soul cores exploded, their flesh and blood were gone, and even their lingering spirits could not escape, being completely devoured by the lightning.

That was a "thunder tide," a true thunder soul tide.

It is not a man-made technique, but rather the manifestation of the most primordial thunder soul that is naturally present in the "soul wheel consciousness".

An old soldier's eyes reddened as he murmured, "This is... Soul God Thunder? Only those above the first rank can trigger a Soul Consciousness Thunderstorm!"

Before they could recover from their shock, another bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.

This time, it wasn't a thunderous tide, but a "heavenly spear" that pierced the night sky, striking the most terrifying dragon leader in the beast tide with perfect precision.

That Kui Long was originally the king who was in charge of the rear guard, and he never showed up. He even thought at one point that he didn't need to take action.

But when the Lion King was instantly killed, it had to reveal itself prematurely. Just as it took to the air, it was struck by lightning.

Its five claws and spines were shattered by the lightning, its three pupils suddenly contracted, and before it could even roar, its throat was pierced.

"Uh!"

Kui Long struggled and rolled across the wasteland, his soul veins ignited by lightning and flames, exploding from the inside, his soul core shattering into dust between his three eyes.

It didn't even take a single step.

—They were instantly killed.

The entire Great Wall was deathly silent.

The snow fell again, but not a single soul beast dared to take another step forward.

All the soul beasts retreated in unison.

Before the lightning pressure subsided, a figure finally emerged from the center of that lightning surge, treading through the snow.

His black robes fluttered in the wind, lightning crackled around him, and a golden soul wheel slowly rotated in his palm.

With each step, lightning veins appeared in the ice and snow beneath his feet, pressing his soul energy three feet into the ground.

"Broken Tide Front".

Chu Ning's voice was extremely cold, as if it came from the depths of frost.

Although Kuilong was not completely dead, the power of its soul bone was still churning, and he would not allow it to catch its breath any longer.

With a single finger strike, the thunderous soul, like a blade, pierced through the heavens.

Chu Ning simply withdrew his hand slowly.

The lightning faded, and his knuckles trembled slightly, yet he remained as steady as a rock.

At this moment, no one remembered that he had once wielded a rusty old knife.

No one knows that his divine weapon, the Snowbreaker Blade, which accompanied him through countless battles and was stained with blood and lightning, is now sealed deep within his soul sea and has never appeared in the world again.

Because he no longer needs a knife.

After reaching the first rank, the Soul Wheel is initially formed, and the Divine Soul takes form.

He finally reached the true pinnacle of "martial arts".

Above that, everything can be used as a tool, and whatever the mind directs becomes a sharp edge.

At first, he was an ordinary man, and a rusty knife was all he had to rely on.

He cleaved through raging beasts and vanquished evil spirits, repeatedly teetering on the brink of death while gripping that rusty knife with the unwavering resolve of life itself.

Later, he obtained the Thunder God Weapon and fought with the Broken Snow.

The Thunder Soul, imbued with the killing intent of heaven and earth, possesses the power to shake mountains and shatter seas with every strike.

In that knife, he learned control and submission, and also where the boundary between divinity and mortality lay.

But today, he understands that weapons are never the answer for martial artists, but rather a transition to the answer.

True martial arts is about "using the body as a weapon".

The true Tao is that "a single thought in the mind can become a myriad of sharp edges."

He no longer needs the form of metal.

His fingers can be sharpened.

His soul can be a sharp blade.

His path can be a sharp edge.

This is a sliver of the true meaning of the highest level of martial arts: all external things are empty, only the mind is immortal, and wherever the mind is directed, everything becomes a blade.

Chu Ning stood atop the Great Wall, his thunderous souls like a sea, his fingertips sharp as blades. He did not wield a sword, yet he slew the Kui Dragon; he did not exert any force, yet he shook the tide of souls.

His "martial arts" are no longer dependent on material things, but have become an echo of heaven and earth themselves.

"Om-"

The Soul Wheel materialized into a shadow, upon which the three souls resonated. A phantom rose from the wheel, like a reflection of the sky, its blade shadow stretching a hundred feet, piercing through mountains and seas.

"boom!"

Kuilong bursts.

This attack completely annihilated any trace of its existence; before the blood mist could even splatter, it vanished into nothingness under the thunderous soul.

Heaven and earth stood still.

The beast collapsed.

Chu Ning slowly descended and stood on the city wall, his robes unmoved, and a wisp of golden lightning still lingered in his palm.

"I said I would come back."

"To guard this Great Wall for you."

At this moment, no one retreated from the Great Wall.

Zhao Tianyu roared, "Zhenwu Division, heavy formation!"

The entire army was greatly encouraged.

And the beast tide completely receded!
This was not an easy victory.

This marks the debut of a "new god".

(End of this chapter)