Bizarre: After my daughter died, I slaughtered my way through the entire world.

"You...you guys!"

As Liang Qu looked at the eight figures standing up in front of him, his withered fingers trembled slightly, and his aged face instantly lost all color.

He ruled Kyoto for decades, witnessing bizarre and chaotic events sweep across the city, and seeing bloodshed and rebellions by powerful families.

But never before have I felt so heartbroken as I do now.

The eight men before him were all city defense commanders whom he had personally promoted and trusted wholeheartedly. They were the backbone of the Kyoto Martial Arts Alliance and comrades whom he believed he could entrust with his life.

But at this moment, the way they looked at Ye Cang and the Ye family members showed no steadfastness, only naked sycophancy and uncontrollable ambition.

Behind them stood various martial arts families, extraterrestrial alliances, and forces that had long been secretly colluding with the Ye family.

For power, for resources, and for self-preservation or even a share of the spoils in this catastrophe, they did not hesitate to betray.

He betrayed the city, betrayed millions of civilians, and betrayed the trust he had built up over decades.

"Sir, we're sorry, there's nothing we can do."

The leading general lowered his head, not daring to look directly into Liang Qu's utterly disappointed eyes. His voice was dry and devoid of any remorse, only conveying a sense of "the inevitable trend" as if it were the only natural course of events.

"No way?" Liang Qu repeated in a low voice, then suddenly chuckled, his laughter hoarse and sorrowful. "Is it that you can't refuse the power and position offered by the Ye family, or that you can't suppress the greed in your heart?" The eight people's expressions changed slightly, but they remained silent.

At this point, any further explanation would be futile.

"Alright, everyone has their own ambitions. You may leave now."

Liang Qu slowly closed his eyes and waved his hand, as if he had exhausted all his strength.

That spine, which had stood straight for decades, was now slightly hunched, no longer bearing the majesty of guarding the capital, only the desolation of a frail old man.

He didn't want to ask anymore, nor did he want to stay any longer. His heart was dead; what use was there in keeping him?

Ye Cang glanced coldly at the eight people, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes, but he said nothing more, waving his hand: "Let's go!"

The Ye family and the eight traitors immediately turned around and headed towards the outer city with heavy but resolute steps.

Their figures disappeared at the end of the corridor, leaving behind a deathly silence and a mess.

"Sir, are you really just letting them go?"

Ling Zhanyun strode to Liang Qu's side, lowered his voice, and his face was full of resentment and anxiety. He knew Liang Qu's background all too well.

This old man held ultimate defense authority over Kyoto and controlled an annihilation-level array capable of covering the entire city. If he so desired, he could have annihilated all the traitors in an instant, leaving no survivors.

But he did it. Liang Qu slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the gray sky, his voice eerily calm:

"Since their hearts are no longer here, keeping their bodies will only deliver a fatal blow at a crucial moment. Rather than that, it's better to let them go, cleanly and thoroughly."

"These powers should have been used to protect the innocent, not to slaughter our own kind."

He paused, his tone growing increasingly indifferent: "Go and make the arrangements. Move all the civilians in the city to the inner city. Be quick, and don't forget a single old person or child."

"Then, activate the inner city's protective array to completely seal off both the inside and outside."

Ling Zhanyun was taken aback: "Old sir, what about the outer city..."

"The outer city?" A desolate smile curled at the corner of Liang Qu's lips.

"If they want to go crazy, fight, and rob, then let them go crazy to their heart's content. We can't protect everything in this city, we can only protect those who are meant to be protected."

"We will no longer concern ourselves with this matter."

After saying this, Liang Qu said no more and turned to walk slowly into the depths of the inner city.

His steps were slow, his back lonely, as he disappeared at the end of the long street.

The once formidable guardian of Kyoto now resembles an ordinary old man, overwhelmed by endless weariness and disappointment.

Ling Zhanyun watched the old man's retreating figure, his eyes slightly moist, and nodded heavily: "Yes! Your subordinate obeys!"

He dared not delay and immediately turned around to relay the order.

A series of urgent horn calls rang out in the inner city, deep and solemn, echoing throughout the streets and alleys.

Countless civilians emerged from their homes and, guided by soldiers, led the elderly and children in an orderly fashion towards the inner city's core area.

Everyone's face showed fear, yet also a hint of relief.

Even when this great building is on the verge of collapse, there are still people who have not given up on them.

Not long after.

"Buzz—!!"

A deep, deafening hum suddenly erupted from the rear of Kyoto.

A colossal yellow light curtain shot into the sky, its surface swirling with ancient and weighty runes, resembling an inverted giant bowl that steadily enveloped the inner city of Kyoto.

The light barrier was as hard as divine iron, exuding a vast aura. It isolated the inside from the outside, keeping all the bloodshed, chaos, strangeness, and slaughter outside.

The inner city instantly became an isolated city cut off from the world.

The outer city, on the other hand, had become a battlefield teetering on the brink of collapse.

...Meanwhile, on the outer walls of Kyoto.

Ye Wu stood at the edge of the battlement, looking down at the strange, raging tide that stretched as far as the eye could see. He then looked up at the three figures in the sky that exuded endless pressure. He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his legs trembled slightly.

A bizarre, dark tide surged in from three directions: the eerie glow of lantern ghosts, the stench of red-clad ghosts, the cracking of skeletal soldiers, and the gigantic, eerie roar, all intertwining to create a scene of apocalypse.

The ground shook, the air reeked, and a cold wind howled, stinging one's cheeks.

Above the boundless, eerie tide, three figures stood suspended in mid-air, their auras as imposing as mountains, making it difficult for everyone to breathe. On the left was Shao Siming, the Lord of the Rakshasa Sea, dressed in blood-red robes. His oil-paper umbrella twirled lightly, and with each turn, a large cloud of blood mist spread out, instantly killing anyone who touched it.

On the right is the Ghost Woman, the master of Qinghai No. 1 Middle School. Dressed in white, her eyes are filled with deathly stillness. Her body exudes a chilling aura that freezes the air, and wherever she passes, even the light dims.

And in the very center is still Qin Muge.

He was surrounded by a strange aura of black and red, his long hair moved without wind, and his eyes were indifferent and cold as he looked down at the people below, like a god looking down at ants.

That terrifying, nation-destroying pressure, like the sky pressing down, seemed to freeze the air in the entire outer city.

Just by being swept by his gaze, Ye Wu felt as if his soul was about to break, and he almost knelt down on the ground.

These three figures stood like three insurmountable mountains, blocking our way.

Ye Wu couldn't help but feel a sense of despair.

"Second brother, Mr. Liang... really turned on the protective shield."

Ye Wu's voice trembled as he turned with difficulty to look at Ye Cang beside him.

"What...what should we do?"

He had long lost the dignity of the eldest son of the Ye family; all that remained was a deep-seated fear.

Originally, it was thought that by turning Liang Meng's eight main forces against him, controlling the outer city's troops, and with the Ye family's resources, they would be able to resist the strange tide and even capture Qin Muge.

But now it seems they are courting death.

Liangqu's abandonment of the outer city clearly indicates his intention to leave them to fend for themselves.

The bizarre tide before them was a hundred or a thousand times more terrifying than they had imagined.

Ye Cang's face was so gloomy it could drip water, and his hands behind his back were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He hadn't expected Liang Qu to be so resolute, abandoning the outer city and staying inside the inner city.

In this way, they were truly completely exposed to Qin Muge.