Yet, there were constant occurrences of masters choosing to detonate their life force when they found themselves unable to match their opponents and utterly spent!
The majority among these were Heaven's Judgment warriors, but there were also those from the alien races mixed in.
Such a magnificent scene, rarely witnessed in ordinary times, appeared utterly commonplace today!
It seemed as if the lives of everyone on both sides of the conflict held no value anymore, lacking the importance one might have imagined.
In the midst of this fervent warfare, this contest of ultimate life-or-death brutality, even the most timid and cowardly among them transformed, in this instant, into fearless champions!
And the Heaven's Judgment warriors at this moment had completely lost all restraint!
Most of the Hawk-Bear Allied forces had already consumed the Heaven-Returning Pills they carried.
The ferocious emotions inherent in their nature as Xuan Beasts were fully ignited, and the innate fighting spirit in their very bones manifested to the extreme in this battle! Comrades fell before their eyes continuously, brothers exploded into sprays of blood mist in the air!
Such intense stimulation drove nearly every Heaven's Judgment warrior present to the brink of madness!
At this moment, their eyes saw only the enemy! Only killing the enemy, avenging their fallen brothers!
Behind them, the army of one hundred thousand from the alien races surged forward like a tide, riding strangely shaped steeds and plunging headlong into the battlefield, which resembled a grinding mill of flesh and blood. Utilizing their overwhelming numerical advantage—dozens, even hundreds of times superior to their opponents—they completely swamped the Heaven's Judgment Hawk-Bear Allies in a sea of bodies!
Meanwhile, the war concerning the Supreme Heavenly Ninjas continued to rage fiercely in the skies! The last five Heaven's Judgment Sacred Venerables engaged the last five enemy Supreme Heavenly Ninjas in a battle unto the death.
And those over three hundred Mad Blade Earth Ninjas also slammed into the battlefield with piercing shrieks!
It was precisely the insertion of these Mad Blade Earth Ninjas, second only to the Supreme Heavenly Ninjas in power, that inflicted massive casualties and tremendous pressure upon the Heaven's Judgment allied forces! The balance of power between the two sides tilted completely!
Since these Mad Blade Earth Ninjas intervened, the frequency of self-detonation within the Heaven's Judgment camp rose drastically! Of the six thousand warriors, fewer than half now remained alive!
Another thunderous explosion echoed from the sky, the resulting shockwave whipping violently, causing a volcano several thousand zhang away to flicker several times!
A shadow of sorrow crossed Saint Venerable Deer’s face. He didn't need to look; merely hearing that immense sound told him another old brother had departed from him!
And today, perhaps in the next moment, he too would follow in the footsteps of that old brother! Taking the final path all of them shared!
But he believed even more strongly! That whether it was himself, or all the old brothers, or even every single warrior below, or those currently bleeding, sacrificing, or already sacrificed descendants of Heaven's Judgment—not a single one would have a shred of regret!
Because this was the legacy of Heaven's Judgment spanning ten thousand years!
It was solely for Heaven's Judgment!
Not for the Jialu Continent!
Though the body perishes, the will remains eternal: Never regret!
The Hawk King roared, sometimes soaring through the nine heavens to intercept aerial foes, other times diving low to the ground, his longsword flashing! His blade, although painstakingly forged by Jun Moxie using the essence of Metal power, could not withstand such prolonged, high-intensity, frantic slashing and had long since turned to iron dust. The sword in his hand was already his fourth weapon replacement, and he had probably even forgotten from whom he had seized it!
The Hawk King had also consumed a Heaven-Returning Pill! His body was now adorned with dozens of fresh wounds, several of which were deep enough to expose bone. Yet, he seemed entirely oblivious, continuing his frantic charge, sweeping back and forth across the sky and earth, fast as a shooting star!
Only the Bear King, Xiong Kaishan, persisted in wielding his massive, extra-long greatsword weighing sixteen hundred jin! But this greatsword had now been reduced to a great saw, its edge riddled with nicks and gaps!
Swiping and cleaving with apparent tireless energy, his enormous form stood out in the battlefield crowd like a lone crane among chickens. In this moment, the Bear Clan’s supreme defensive power was undeniably displayed through him!
The Bear King’s stance, holding the line alone and sweeping aside all opposition, provided immense exemplary power to the Heaven's Judgment warriors. Every time a Heaven's Judgment warrior felt fatigue set in, moments where their arms ached from the strain of killing, they only needed to open their eyes to see the Bear King’s massive frame still standing firm, still fighting valiantly, still roaring like thunder, showing not a hint of weariness. Instantly, everyone felt an inexplicable surge of strength filling their own bodies to sustain them!
Thus, they picked up their blades and swords again, continuing the fight, continuing to slaughter the alien scum!
This function provided by the Bear King was unique and could not be replicated by the other Beast Kings!
Because the Bear King was, by nature, an entity perfectly suited for battle!
That colossal physique was the very embodiment of a God of War!
And the Netherworld Ghost Ninjas and Mad Blade Earth Ninjas who arrived this time dared not employ stealth tactics! The current situation was not one of one-on-one, heaven-seizing duels. While invisible, one certainly could not be seen by the enemy, but one's own allies would be equally unable to see them!
On the battlefield, regardless of friend or foe, everyone had already been blinded by bloodlust; only the thought of 'not me, then them' remained! If they truly went invisible, they absolutely would not avoid the dense, incessant rain of blades, spears, and swords. That would truly be gambling with one's life.
Therefore, despite profound reluctance, despite absolute unwillingness, they had no choice but to abandon this heaven-defying killing move—one capable of turning the tide in any solo engagement—and engage in a straightforward, desperate melee!
Mid-air, Saint Venerable Deer let out a great laugh, dragging his mangled body towards a Supreme Heavenly Ninja from the alien race before him.
His right leg was nowhere to be seen; when exactly it had been severed, it no longer mattered to Saint Venerable Deer at this moment!
The alien opposite him also roared with a contorted, ferocious expression, his eyes burning with desperate madness as he counter-charged!
Thirteen figures emerging together, vying for the primary war merit!
A total of thirteen Supreme Heavenly Ninjas—what an immensely powerful force—yet here they were, mysteriously ambushed; and by the Heaven's Judgment Sacred Venerables!
If the ambush had come from the Three Great Sacred Lands, they were confident they could have weathered it. But these senior Heaven's Judgment Sacred Venerables, although fighting in human form, were fundamentally still a collection of Xuan Beasts.
"Xuan Beast Kings," and all having reached the Sacred Venerable tier. Their offensive and defensive strengths surpassed those of the humans from the Three Great Sacred Lands.
In this massive engagement, of their thirteen brothers, only two remained!
And both were covered in wounds, their power severely diminished!
Although the eight Sacred Venerables that appeared on the enemy side were now down to just the last two, and they appeared even more battered than their side, this Supreme Heavenly Ninja was still on the verge of tears, though none would fall!
Thirteen versus eight; each of them possessed the strength of two Sacred Venerables, meaning their combined force was nearly three times that of the opponent, yet the outcome was this? Before setting out, no one would have ever anticipated such results!
He lunged viciously toward Saint Venerable Deer. This Supreme Heavenly Ninja had discerned that this detestable old Deer was likely the commanding figure among the Heaven's Judgment Sacred Venerables, and that all the schemes and calculations of this day probably stemmed from his planning!
It was because of this hateful beast that eleven of his brothers had their souls utterly annihilated right before his eyes! They hadn't even been afforded the chance for reincarnation!
Hate!
Even if he died, he would drag this damnable old Deer along with him!
As he lunged, for Saint Venerable Deer, it was exactly what he wanted!
Including this current opponent, he had already taken down three Supreme Heavenly Ninjas from the enemy side—it was more than worth it!
He could die in peace!
Both approached each other, grinding their teeth—their eyes reflected the same identical madness and unwavering resolve!
Neither man held a weapon now; even the sturdiest weapon would have long since shattered against the intense impact of the Sacred Venerable level clash! They charged forward bare-handed.
Almost as their bodies were about to collide, both men did the exact same thing—they self-detonated!
With a massive 'boom,' their bodies slammed together, followed by a world-shattering tremor!
These two Sacred Venerable powerhouses simultaneously incinerated all their remaining life force and soul power! Neither had any intention of returning alive, fearful that the other might survive, and both even discarded the minimal energy required for reincarnation—unfurling the most brilliant fireworks in the sky simultaneously!
This was the final bloom of all their soul power in the world, the most dazzling brilliance!
With a colossal bang, the unprecedentedly violent explosion cleared an area of several hundred zhang radius on the ground tens of zhang below! Fully seven or eight thousand, nearing ten thousand, warriors engaged in combat were flung outward like bouncing balls. Among them, many unlucky ones caught the direct brunt, instantly reduced to scattered chunks of meat by the blast wave, then flung far away...
"Big Brother!" Saint Venerable Bear roared, his grief sounding like a sob. Suddenly, his mind went utterly blank!
Eight old brothers—gathered for two thousand years, growing up together from birth, climbing through hardships together, consuming the Thousand Poisons and Myriad Evils Fruit together to force their way to the Supreme realm, traveling together, fighting in the Heavenly Conquest twice, battling the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young Master, and then being sealed together in the Nine Nether Realm, living side-by-side...
When the eight brothers were young and adventuring through the mortal world, how spirited they were! How renowned the name of the Eight Venerables of Heaven's Judgment! Who in the world dared look them straight in the eye?
If one brother suffered any bullying or grievance, all eight would surely enter the fray together!
Now, apart from himself, the other seven brothers had all been reduced to nothingness in this battle! They died without leaving a whole corpse!
From childhood to old age, how could they part? How could they part? He could not bear to part!
Even if only the path to the Yellow Springs lay ahead, even if it meant returning to oblivion, he would accompany his brothers!
If anyone bullied them, he would still strike out at any time! Using his life, he would protect them! No matter where they were, whether in body or in soul!
Saint Venerable Bear violently snapped his head around, staring fixedly at the last remaining Supreme Heavenly Ninja opposite him!
His eyes were blood-red, his face distorted!
"Come here!" Saint Venerable Bear said without any discernible emotion: "Hurry! Don't delay my reunion with my brothers!" When he uttered the word 'brothers,' his gaze became distant and fervent. The faces of his seven brothers flashed one by one before Saint Venerable Bear's eyes, and then faded away.
Saint Venerable Bear seemed to sense his brothers departing, and a sharp pain gripped his heart. With a sudden, gut-wrenching roar, he cried out: "Wait for me!"
Just like when they were adventuring in the martial world and he was playfully left behind by his brothers, that urgent cry!
It was still the same sentiment from those years! Brothers, wait for me! Together!
No matter what is done! Whether alive... or dead! Together!