Author's Note:
The countdown to completion is on! Around ten chapters left! (Advertisement!) For those interested in the villainous older sister, you can pre-order "After the Villain Killed the Protagonist" from my author page! (I really love Xuanhu, sorry!)
Chapter 149 The Supreme God and the God of War (Part 9)
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"The Demon Emperor has arrived in the God Realm today..."
Faced with Gu Zhong's sincere and concerned gaze, Ling Yan could no longer hide her grievances and began to speak.
What is he doing here?
Gu Zhong frowned in confusion, vaguely sensing that things might not be going well.
"Propose a marriage alliance."
When Lingyan uttered those four words, her expression was one of gritted teeth, and in an instant, Gu Zhong understood the meaning of the so-called marriage alliance.
"How dare the demon race act like this?! This is outrageous! Do they really think there's no one left in the divine realm?"
Anger flashed across her face, and a surge of fire suddenly rose in Gu Zhong's heart. The idea of rushing to the demon realm and giving the demon emperor a good beating began to swirl in his mind.
However, the dire situation in the Abyss of Gods and Demons did not allow her to leave in the first place. She could only suppress her anger and secretly hold a grudge against the Demon Emperor, thinking of repaying him in the future.
"The God Emperor surely did not agree, did he?"
"Not yet, but—"
Seeing Gu Zhong share her anger, Ling Yan's heart, which had been filled with disappointment several times, warmed up. Suddenly, she didn't feel so wronged or angry anymore.
The faint smile that had just crept onto her lips was quickly replaced by worry.
"Um?"
"Gu Zhong—if this war really gets to an extremely bad point in the future, what should I do?"
She was lost in confusion—if she really had to rely on the demon race, what should she do?
"What's the meaning?"
Gu Zhong remained silent for a long while before asking in a muffled voice, his tone trembling with uncertainty.
"Perhaps—the divine realm really needs this marriage alliance? Sister Shaojun said that for the sake of the divine realm, everyone should be prepared to make sacrifices."
Ling Yan's beautiful phoenix eyes turned to Gu Zhong, her gaze distant.
“Ayan, you don’t need to think so much. I will never let things get to this point. You are free—there’s no need for you to do anything for the God Realm anymore.”
Gu Zhong spoke up to comfort her, then paused as if she had remembered something.
"If someone has to sacrifice, it certainly won't be you!"
When he spoke again, every word was powerful and resonant, brimming with a surging and immense determination.
It gave me a sense of peace for no reason.
Ling Yan stared blankly at Gu Zhong, the joy of being firmly protected peeking out, accompanied by a certain budding feeling that she was unaware of, which quietly took root in her heart.
She hurriedly turned her head away, no longer looking at those bright, star-like black eyes.
"That sounds nice..."
Muttering weak words, Ling Yan's hands lay haphazardly on the newly placed sword rack, seemingly at a loss.
Her fingers inadvertently brushed over the slightly dirty blade, stopping at a certain crevice.
The long war had caused cracks to appear in this otherwise decent divine sword, and it was uncertain when it would break completely under the strain, just like the barrier between gods and demons.
"Lord Gu Zhong! Someone from the Divine Realm has arrived!"
The peace didn't last long; someone outside the tent was calling out for Gu Zhong.
"You stay here. If the war breaks out again, you are not allowed to join the battle."
Gu Zhong whispered a few words of advice to Ling Yan, his face serious.
"But I could have helped."
Lingyan's good mood vanished instantly, and she resisted with dissatisfaction.
"Honey—I'll worry about you, believe me. Besides, do you really want to be taken back to the realm of gods?"
Gu Zhong coaxed gently, his eyes filled with an unwavering determination.
Ling Yan opened her mouth, hiding her resentment in her heart, but on the surface she agreed.
As she watched Gu Zhong walk out of the tent and order the guards outside to be on high alert, she was pondering how to sneak out and disguise herself as an ordinary soldier when a sudden wave of drowsiness swept over her without warning, leaving her no time to think about anything else.
"Young Master."
Gu Zhong was not surprised to see the young lord and the vast array of immortals and gods behind her.
With the boundary between gods and demons completely shattered, the divine realm will inevitably enter a state of full preparedness for war. Any immortal or deity with comparable divine power will certainly be drawn to the battlefield to contribute their strength.
Gu Zhong hadn't expected things to turn out this way. But this was for the best; if the demons attacked again, the Zhenyuan Army wouldn't have to bear such immense pressure.
"Lord Gu Zhong. By order of my father, the reinforcements will be under your command. In addition, I need your cooperation in investigating the shattering of the barrier."
Shaojun nodded to her and succinctly explained her purpose. Her expression was completely formulaic, making it impossible to discern her true emotions.
"I will obey your orders."
"besides--"
Shaojun took a few steps closer to Gu Zhong, leaned close to her ear, lowered her voice, her indifference fading, but carrying a hint of helplessness and anger.
Is Xiaoyan with you?
Gu Zhong looked at Shao Jun's angry expression with surprise; this was the first time she had ever seen Shao Jun lose his composure.
If he could, Gu Zhong would very much like to deny it. The young lord would definitely bring Ling Yan back to the God Realm, and if the God Emperor truly agreed to the Demon Emperor's marriage proposal, then her fate would be beyond his control.
However, Lingyan displayed incredible prowess on the battlefield just now, and it could be said that a battle that should have been fierce was abruptly halted because of her.
The young lord only needs to ask the soldiers present to know that Lingyan must be here.
"Young Master, why did you travel so quickly? Was it all for Ah Yan?"
Gu Zhong did not answer Shao Jun's question directly, but began to talk about other things.
"Lord Gu Zhong, you should know that the situation is urgent. As the incarnation of the Divine Pearl, she naturally possesses the power to restrain the demon race and is extremely important to the divine realm. This place is truly dangerous; what if something happens to her—"
"Young Master, are you worried about the Divine Pearl or about Ah Yan?"
Recalling Lingyan's displeasure and grievance when she first appeared before her, Gu Zhong interrupted Shao Jun forcefully, the source of which was probably here.
"···"
Shaojun fell silent, gazing intently at Gu Zhong before finally speaking.
"This is the best choice for e-cigarettes."
"She doesn't need your self-righteous kindness. With me here, I will definitely protect her."
Gu Zhong's bold words drew a light laugh from the young lord.
"Really? I hope so too, but unfortunately—sometimes things don't go as planned."
After laughing, her brows furrowed, and something was struggling wildly beneath her gentle demeanor.
"I hope you won't regret it later."
Gu Zhong's heart skipped a beat, unable to comprehend the hidden meaning in Shao Jun's words.
Before she could think it through, gasps of alarm came from the front lines. Looking back, she saw the black mist, which had been silent for half a day, begin to roll again.
"The demons are attacking!"
At the same time, a loud warning rang out amidst the panic and chill, reaching Gu Zhong and Shao Jun's ears.
With a thought, Gu Zhong summoned his divine sword from his tent and, without a word, transformed into a streak of light and rushed forward.
The young lord's gaze fell on the camp behind him, and he glanced at it thoughtfully before following Gu Zhong.
The black mist, now more solid than before, roared and churned as it spread outwards.
Thousands of demons emerged from the black mist, densely covering the border line.
The immortals and gods who had just arrived from the divine realm had never seen such a display of power and were thrown into a panic.
"Defense formation!"
Gu Zhong landed in front of the army at that moment and gave the order.
Having gone through several battles, the border troops had adapted to the rhythm of war, quickly lined up to meet the enemy, and calmed the panicked morale.
The number of Crimson Flame Black Armor Demon Generals leading the Demon Clan has increased from one to three.
Gu Zhong's heart sank. He had never imagined that the demons' temporary retreat was a prelude to gathering a more elite force.
She gripped her sword tightly, already burdened with guilt for her oversight and responsibility to the divine realm, now burdened with a promise to a person's fate—no matter how fierce the demons were, no matter how powerful the enemy, she absolutely could not retreat, nor could she fail.
The demon general leading the group was the same one who had fought Gu Zhong before, and black mist was still emanating from the wound pierced by the divine sword.
It glanced at Gu Zhong for a few seconds, then swung its long mace forward, unleashing a massive surge of demons and black mist that rushed toward them.
The three demon generals attacked Gu Zhong in unison, seemingly disregarding martial ethics and honor, with a swift victory being their primary objective.
Why did the demon race undergo such a huge change in such a short period of time?
Gu Zhong had no time to pay attention to him; he leaped out and raised his sword with all his might to meet the enemy.
Three long maces were placed on the sword, causing the already overburdened sword to groan, and the cracks in the sword spread a few more millimeters outward.
Gu Zhong bent his knees to deflect the force, retreating from the pincer attack. He then wove a net of swords three steps away and launched it towards the three demon generals.
The demon general naturally wouldn't sit idly by and wait to die. Countless phantoms suddenly appeared, surrounding Gu Zhong. Black mist transformed into chains, flying towards her from all directions.
"I'm here to help you!"
At this moment, another silver light suddenly entered the scene. A woman dressed in an elegant long robe used her palm as a blade to slice through a large area of black and landed beside Gu Zhong.