by <unknown>
"You are all stupid!"
Jiang Tao clenched his teeth and said with a distorted face, "What the f*ck is 'a cultivator’s sworn duty to protect ordinary people'!? 'The blood of the strong must flow for the weak'!? These are all ideologies from a couple centuries ago! Besides you fools, no one else takes this seriously! I don't believe there are only so few cultivators onboard. There are definitely many cultivators like me who are not going to act even until the very end—we are the ones who have made the wisest decision!"
Wei Qingqing's voice was very gentle, yet it carried an indomitable will, "I am cultivating my own truth. As for the other cultivators, it has nothing to do with me. I just want… to have a clear conscience."
"You are… simply… unreasonable!"
"Then quickly get the hell out! You don't need to be so chatty. Don't interrupt this father when he is trying to save the world!"
The obese man spat a mouthful of saliva towards Jiang Tao's feet, which fell dead right in between his legs like a flying sword, scaring the hell out of him.
Jiang Tao's complexion turned from red to purple, much like fresh pork liver. Although his lips parted, in the end, he did not dare to retort. He shrunk his neck and staggeringly receded towards Coach No.15.
Across from him laid a wounded soldier who was moaning in pain.
Without even taking a single glance, Jiang Tao stepped over him.
The red-eyed officer coldly looked and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Stone, gather every brother and take the wounded to Coach No.15!"
"Battalion Commander!"
A bearded man with a shaved head anxiously said, "I am not going! I want to fight till the bitter end with you!"
The red-eyed officer gave him a stern stare and shouted, "Company Commander Stone! I repeat, gather all the brothers and form a second defense line in Coach No.15 to protect the civilians onboard—this is my command!"
"Battalion Commander..." The bearded fellow sobbed.
"Stone, cultivators have a cultivators' duty, and the federation army has its own duty. I am a soldier of the federation army as well as a cultivator. Now is the time for me to fulfill my duty. Your time has still not arrived! Go! Stick to your post and prepare for battle. If we are not able to buy 3 minutes, then it will be your turn. Remember, even if you can hold on for an extra second, that one second will still count!"
The red-eyed officer heavily patted the bearded fellow on the shoulder.
"Yes, sir!"
The bearded fellow gathered every soldier. "Thud!" Every soldier stomped their boots as they stood at attention and saluted, splashing water everywhere.
Afterward, carrying their Thunderfire Boltgun on their shoulder, they put the seriously injured soldiers on stretchers and supported the lightly wounded soldiers as they retreated towards Coach No.15.
"Student Li Yao, you should also go." Ding Yin walked in front of Li Yao and kindly smiled.
Li Yao blankly watched everything.
His forehead was incomparably aching. An inexplicable power from left and right was trying to break from the inside; it was as if a nail was ruthlessly drilling its way out from the top of his head. He felt a buzzing sensation in his entire brain, and his whole neural field was in ebullition.
"Professor Ding, are you planning to sacrifice yourself to buy time for us?" Li Yao asked in a low voice.
Ding Yin nodded and calmly replied:
"Yes. After you have withdrawn, we will choose the right time and detach the armored coach from the train. You will continue on your journey while we cover for you in an attempt to buy three minutes."
Li Yao anxiously said:
"Professor Ding, I know you want to combust your life and overdraft your spiritual energy so that you can transcend your spiritual energy limit by ten times to fire the Taiyi Lightning Railgun—but there is no need to detach the armored coach from the train! Even if you overdraft your spiritual energy, you will not necessarily die; however, if you detach yourself from the train, the armored coach will lose its driving force and you will be engulfed by the tide of Ghost Face Silver Mosquitoes! You will die, you will certainly die!"
Ding Yin sighed and said:
"Student Li Yao, it's not that simple! In the absence of super-compressed crystal cells, the Taiyi Lightning Railgun is a powerful equipment which only Core Formation Stage cultivators can use with ease. We are just low-level cultivators. Even if we combust our own lives and crush our spirits, we would be barely able to operate the Taiyi Lightning Railgun. It is also impossible for us to accurately aim."
"It is like handing the Thunderfire Boltgun into the hands of a three-year-old child; even if he had the strength to pull the trigger, he would still not be able to hit a target outside the 100 meter range, am I right?"
"This—" Li Yao was tongue-tied.
Ding Yin slightly smiled and said:
"In this case, there is only one way that could allow us to hit the target."
"That is to let them approach! Let them come closer until the target is right next to us so that the muzzle is against their temple—no, not the temple but inside the target's mouth! So when we pull the trigger, the gun will blast off its head!"
"So we have no choice but to detach ourselves from the crystal train. While you move forward, we will enter the Ghost Face Silver Mosquito tide and fire the ball of lightning from within. Only in such a manner can we hit the target."
"We seven have all drawn our own estimation and finally came to the same conclusion. There is no other choice for us besides this."
"Student Li Yao, I'm sorry that I can not compare notes with you again. Finally, I want to tell you..."
"I actually don't know anything about the Nine Yin Mother Sword's technique of binding tenerbrum energy. It was the first time I have heard of such magical equipment, so in the waiting room, I simply pretended to go to the lavatory in order to hide from you. It was not my intention to hide anything from you. Hahaha, shameful, isn't it?"
Li Yao's lips quivered. There were thousands of things he wanted to say, but in the end, not a single word came out.
"Student Li Yao, this is goodbye. May you awaken your spiritual roots as soon as possible and become a cultivator—become a… true cultivator."
Ding Yin heaved a sigh as he slightly poked Li Yao with his finger. Li Yao suddenly turned limp and powerless, completely unable to move.
Ding Yin turned around and left. Examining the Taiyi Lightning Railgun, he repaired it one last time.
"Quickly leave! It's too dangerous here!"
Two soldiers forcibly carried Li Yao to Coach No.15.
"Woosh!" The door between the armored coach and Coach No.15 tightly shut.
Only now did Li Yao recover his strength. Struggling with all his might, he arrived before the gate and stuck his nose against the tempered glass as he looked at the other side of the window.
In the dark curtain of the night, the demon clan giant created by the Ghost Face Silver Mosquitoes came closer and closer.
Again and again, it stretched out its devil claws and ruthlessly clawed at the defensive arrays of the crystal train.
Every time it collided with the defensive arrays, thousands upon thousands of streaks of lightning would burst forth.
The crystal train would shake left and right like a lone boat amidst a turbulent storm.
The frequency of the demon clan giant’s attack was getting higher and higher. In contrast, the electric brilliance released by the defensive arrays was getting bleaker by the attack.
After a stalemate of over ten minutes, a “Swoosh!” sound reverberated and strange ripples appeared in the air. It seemed as if something had disappeared.
The demon clan giant's devil claws unscrupulously clawed over.
The defensive arrays were destroyed completely!
At this moment, the only thing blocking the beast tide from the train filled with ordinary people was the coach which only had seven low-level cultivators inside.
Among w
hich was only a single battle-type cultivator, and that was the red-eyed officer.
"Now!"
The red-eyed officer roared as he heavily hammered a fist onto the detaching array glyphs at the end of the armored coach that connected it with the rest of the train
"Squeak!" The armored coach hobbled as it separated from the crystal train.
The crystal train's speed soared to the limit, and like an arrow shot from a bow, galloped ahead at full speed.
And the armored coach was gradually slowing down.
In the eyes of Li Yao, the armored carriage turned into a deadly arrow that directly shot straight towards the demon clan giant like a lightning bolt.
In his ear rang thunderclaps-like roars of seven cultivators.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let's fight side by side!"
"In this moment, let's behead the demons and exterminate the devils!"
"Evil bastards, cultivators are here! Come here to die!"
In Li Yao's field of vision, the armored coach was getting smaller and smaller, much like a small boat engulfed by the frightful billows and terrible waves created by the Ghost Face Silver Mosquitoes.
But in the next second, the Taiyi Lightning Gun’s roar reverberated as incomparably dazzling streaks of lightning that were akin to a giant dragon that had been in deep slumber within the sea jumped up, brandishing its claws and baring its fangs as it tore apart the demon clan giant right from the middle!
The demon clan giant let out ear-piercing, blood-curdling shrieks as if it was in great pain.
Countless Ghost Face Silver Mosquitoes were electrocuted to ashes, while the rest of them stagnated for a while before they, once again, gathered together to form a giant.
Taking advantage of the moment while the giant stopped, the crystal train had galloped a dozen kilometer ahead.
The demon clan tried to catch up, but once again, a ball of lightning rose into the sky and ruthlessly exploded just above its head, confusing and disorienting it for a while as it repeatedly wailed.
Third time… Fourth time… Fifth time...
Every time the demon clan giant wanted to charge forward, it would be completely blocked by the giant net of lightning created by the explosion of the ball of lightning, rendering it unable to move.
Li Yao watched in a daze.
God knows after how long, some burning hot liquid trickled down his face.
He very well knew that with their cultivation, it was simply impossible for Ding Yin and the others to operate powerful magical equipment like the Taiyi Lightning Railgun, which fired balls of lightning that had the strength equivalent to an attack from a Core Formation Stage cultivator with all its strength.
They, in order to madly supply the spiritual energy, even damaged their meridians, overdrafted their lives, and using their flesh, blood, and soul as a price—forcibly fired the Taiyi Lightning Railgun!
Foundation Building Stage cultivators like Ding Yin and the red-eyed officer could only forcibly fire the Taiyi Lightning Railgun 3-5 times by completely burning their lives.
In contrast, Wei Qingqing and the others were only Refinement Stage cultivators, who were not even battle-type cultivators; their spiritual energy reserves were simply not enough.
Perhaps forcibly firing just one round of Taiyi Lightning Railgun was enough to make them burn their lives and crush their souls, causing them to fall on the spot.
They were all using their valuable lives to buy three minutes for a car full of ordinary people, who were also complete strangers to them.
And that was just because—they were cultivators!
TLN:
[1] Meaning rare.
Chapter 113: Drawing the Sword |
Seventh time… Eighth time...
One after another, dozens of balls of lightning exploded in the sky and weaved a giant net of lightning which was comparable to natural lightning, tightly enclosing the demon clan giant formed from the Ghost Face Silver Mosquitoes within.
Letting out a furious roar that shook the sky and the earth, with a casual wave of its hand, it tore apart the electric net in a short period of time.
For a long time, there was only complete silence amidst the beast tide; no ball of lightning exploded again, seemingly as if the seven cultivators had already fallen.
Suddenly—
A shining human silhouette flew over a hundred meter into the sky and proudly stood on top of the demon clan giant's head.
Wings that were about 20-30 meters spread out. These wings that were purely composed of intertwining light and flames constantly surged out from a tattoo on the back of the human silhouette.
It was the red-eyed officer!
The red-eyed officer's whole body was completely naked; from top to bottom, there was not a single piece of clothing on him; all the scars on his body were completely revealed. Forcibly carrying the few thousand pound Taiyi Lightning Railgun on his shoulder, he was like a god who bravely stood between the heaven and the earth with a body that was basking in the dazzling blue brilliance from the ball of lightning!
"Bastards, take a look!—This is what a 'cultivator' is!"
The red-eyed officer madly laughed. The streaks of lightning coiling around him turned brighter and brighter and became more and more turbulent before finally turning into a sun-like ball of blue aura as his entire body completely melted and violently blasted open!
This final explosion was fiercer than anything before, reducing the entire head of the demon clan giant along with its shoulders to ashes.
Only after a minute was the beast tide able to once again quickly gather to draw a human form; its vivid facial features revealed a sliver of fear and confusion.
Perhaps it could simulate a human-like form and could even simulate the wisdom akin to humans.
However, never would it be able to understand why these humans would charge forth to die without even showing a single trace of fear.
It possessed a terrifying computational power, and according to its estimations, these people were all the strongest humans on board the crystal train. As long as they let it feast upon the ordinary people, they would have a 90% chance to escape.
"Humans..."
The demon clan giant shook its head as it clumsily chased after the train.
Its claws were barely able to graze the coach at the end of the train, tearing off an iron sheet.
The passengers on board the train could even hear vague "buzz buzz" noises, as if a large group of mosquitoes was buzzing by their ears.
"Brother, go to Coach No.14!" the bearded fellow, "Company Commander Stone", said to Li Yao.
Li Yao had a terrible headache, and his pair eyes were in a daze. He subconsciously replied, "They—"
As Company Commander Stone swept a glance around, every soldier of the federation army who still had the strength to stand gathered by his side.
They were like a group of statues carved from stone who didn’t reveal a single trace of emotion on their visages and the emotion in their eyes had come to a halt. A short while following the reassurance of the veterans, even the young soldiers who were horrified and restless just a moment ago became bustling with bravery as their entire bodies became engulfed in a dense, bloody aura.
"We are regular soldiers, and you are a disabled veteran. We will form the second defense line, while you will form the third defense line!" Company Commander Stone said.
For a moment, Li Yao was surprised. Clenching his teeth, he nodded his head, and without a single word, walked towards Coach No.14.
His entire body was hot, and his brain felt as if it was burning with some kind of utterly mysterious power, one which was frantically bombarding his "Pineal Gland".
At this moment, he was intensely eager to become stronger—intensely eager to become a true cultivator!
In Coach No.14, all the wounded soldiers had been transferred to this location. The lightly wounded soldiers quietly wiped their firearms and checked their ammunition as they formed the third defen
se line.
The heavily wounded soldiers lying on the ground were clenching their teeth, trying their best not to groan.
They truly could not endure. At this moment, they began to hum the song of the federation army in an impassioned tone.
"Give me a gun," Li Yao said to a lightly wounded soldier.
The other party took a glance at him in surprise. Then, his lips pursed into a smile as he threw a Thunderfire Boltgun to him.
"Kacha Kacha!"
Li Yao strenuously started loading the boltgun, as if the burning spirit in his brain was going to be fired from the barrel instead of the bullets.
In Coach No.15, Company Commander Stone raised the Thunderfire Boltgun, and pressing the self-destruction spirit glyph on the gun, he loudly shouted, "Soldiers, destroy your guns completely!"
"Snap! Snap!"
Dozens of Thunderfire Boltgun heavily fell on the ground before they split into pieces, turning into pieces of scrap.
"Draw your Chainswords!"
Dozens of Chainswords glistening in cold luster that were firmly held by dozens of blood-seething federation soldiers were raised into the sky as they interleaved into a steel jungle, from which an aura of slaughter emanated.
In accordance with the army regulations, when heavily surrounded by the enemy, where the enemy was stronger than you, and in the case when you had no routes of escape, the federation soldiers should first destroy their firearms, and then use their Chainswords as they engage in close combat with the enemy!
"Bighead Sun, when I count to three, activate the detaching array glyphs and detach Coach No.15 from the crystal train. We are going to slaughter these filthy swines together! Do you understand!?" Company Commander Stone shouted in a loud voice.
A young soldier with a rather large head smilingly agreed as he rolled up his sleeves in preparation for battle and said, "No problem! This father has been a train soldier for two years, yet I still haven’t had the opportunity to touch a single hair on a demon beast. Today, I can finally have some fun!"
Dozens of soldiers burst into laughter together: "Alright! Today, let's touch the hair on these bastards!"