Martial arts have become extinct worldwide, yet I am forced to have a large family.

"Boom—!"

Thunder roars.

Dark purple lightning flashed wildly through the thick clouds, tearing the sky to pieces.

The survivors of Southsea City below looked up at the impending judgment, their hearts filled with utter desolation.

Some roared in frustration, some pounded on the ruins in anger, but most fell into complete numbness.

This level of power is beyond the scope of human understanding.

Even the God of War of China was defeated, so what can these ants do?

Despair became the final dominant color of this city.

"Am I... going to die?"

Tao Tao leaned weakly against a broken stone pillar, gazing up at the sky, her face devoid of any fear.

Her breathing was light, even carrying a hint of relief.

Her parents passed away a long time ago, and the world held little appeal for her.

But on the verge of losing consciousness, a figure suddenly entered my mind.

That was the only person she wanted to see again in this chaotic world.

Unfortunately, this wish was destined to be unfulfilled.

Perhaps that person has already died under the claws of those ferocious monsters.

"Dad...Mom...Uncle Yangyang..."

"I'll come down and join you..."

Tao Tao watched as the enormous pillar of lightning, powerful enough to obscure her vision, descended, and calmly closed her eyes.

boom--!

A violent roar exploded in my ears, but the expected excruciating pain did not come.

Only a gust of scorching wind brushed across her face, scattering the stray hairs on her forehead.

When Tao Tao opened her eyes again.

A familiar figure appeared in her line of sight.

The figure flickered and hovered in mid-air, its body shrouded in dazzling golden light, and its right hand actually grabbed the purple lightning that had just fallen.

That's right, we caught them.

The raging lightning, powerful enough to destroy everything, became a tamed python in his hands, unable to break free from the restraints of his five fingers no matter how much it twisted and struggled.

"Yang Yang... Uncle?" Tao Tao murmured blankly, tears streaming down her dusty face.

"Is he here to take me to heaven?"

"No, he's here to save us!"

"Another Ninth Realm cultivator?" Principal Huang was lying disheveled in the pile of rubble, his face filled with shock.

He turned to Shen Qingtong and asked, "Old Shen, do you guys have any other trump cards up your sleeve?"

Shen Qingtong was completely dumbfounded, staring blankly at the dazzling figure in the sky.

"No... I don't know... Logically speaking, we should have already turned to ashes. But now..."

"At the same time, two martial gods were born!"

"Heaven will not forsake the South China Sea, Heaven will not forsake our nation!"

High in the sky, the demon god's purple pupils contracted violently.

As it looked at the suddenly appearing golden figure, its playful expression was replaced by a gloomy look.

"Another one sent to their death?"

"Killing one or two of these pseudo-ninth realm cultivators who were forcibly elevated through external forces is the same to me!"

"No matter how many come, none can be a match for me!"

The demon god let out a nasty laugh, but suddenly realized something was wrong.

Liang Gaoyi, who had been chained and suspended in mid-air, had disappeared.

The Demon God's originally calm state of mind was slightly disturbed.

When did this happen?

Why is it that, with my senses, I couldn't detect his movement at all?

Below, a golden figure gently placed Liang Gaoyi on a flat stone platform.

"I'm sorry, senior, I'm late."

His words carried a suppressed tremor.

Liang Gaoyi was on the verge of exhaustion.

He struggled to open his eyes; his vision was already somewhat blurry.

"Cough cough...! You are... Yang Xian! How could you...?"

"Yes, I've used up the rest of the 'Torchfire'." Yang Xian's eyes were red, and tears streamed down his face.

"Let me tell you a secret that nobody else knows..."

"Actually, I also have F-level talent. I'm just like you, not the peerless genius that everyone talks about."

"It's all fake..."

Liang Gaoyi ignored these remarks.

Whether it's true or false, it doesn't really matter anymore.

Because he knew that Yang Xian was still his junior from school.

That's enough.

Golden light began to emanate from Liang Gaoyi as he uttered his final words:

"Junior Yang... I broke my promise... I couldn't take you home in person."

"From now on, the South China Sea... will be your responsibility to protect it..."

The sound grew fainter and fainter until it finally disappeared into the wind.

Liang Gaoyi... he's dead.

He didn't die in the dramatic way one might imagine, and he didn't even leave behind any earth-shattering last words.

But he did indeed keep his promise and protect the South China Sea.

He used his own life to successfully hold out until Yang Xian arrived.

"..."

Yang Xian reached out his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly, and slowly closed his senior's eyes.

He could accept Liang Gaoyi's heroic death on the battlefield in order to protect his homeland...

But it is absolutely unacceptable that this hero, after giving his all, would be wantonly humiliated by that demon and leave with utter despair.

"Senior, why don't you take a rest first..."

"I'll take you home after I finish what I'm doing..."

Yang Xian slowly stood up.

He looked at Du Gu's gradually cooling corpse not far away, and then at this once prosperous but now devastated core area.

An unprecedented rage surged within my soul!

A battle blade formed from pure lightning slowly took shape in his right hand, its tip pointing at the black figure.

Yang Xian's voice echoed through the ruins of the entire city, carrying a chilling murderous intent.

"I don't care who you are..."

"Right now... I just want your life!"