"Clang!"
As Chen Ben raised his eyes again, a dense golden radiance shone within them. He pressed his fingertip against the sword tip and flicked it gently, instantly repelling the sword tip that had pierced his chest. Before the thirteenth-realm demon king Chen Feng could react, Chen Ben had already turned and unleashed a heavy punch. This punch was the ninth strike of the Farmer's Nine Punches, the Nirvana Style!
"Boom—"
Amidst the deafening roar, a look of astonishment flashed in Demon King Chen Feng's eyes. Although he disdained this human boy who possessed only brute strength, this punch he delivered was no trivial matter! In that instant, Chen Feng not only swung his sword thrice but also summoned three of his natal flying swords, enveloping himself to maximally shield himself from the punch's aura.
However, with a thunderous explosion, under the punch of the thirteenth-realm Chen Ben, Demon King Chen Feng's body, like a fallen leaf, floated out. His body's sword intent disintegrated, and he landed precariously at the base of a mountain. Using his feet to absorb the force, the mountain base beneath him was instantly annihilated. Chen Feng then let out a cry of "Waa!" and spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Chen Feng, a demon sword cultivator who had seen the world in the Upper Realm, had once sparred with Wei Lingyu, a peak thirteenth-realm martial artist. Although Wei Lingyu's punch was fierce and overbearing, it lacked the terrifying power of this boy before him. At least, Chen Feng would not have been killed by Wei Lingyu. But this boy in front of him was someone Chen Feng absolutely did not wish to face alone.
"Thirteenth realm?"
In the clouds, the Kunpeng Demon Ancestor narrowed his eyes and sneered, "I didn't expect the human race in the lower realm to have achieved the thirteenth realm again. So be it, so be it. Although Lin Zhao, Su Qingjiu, Huang Tingyu, and others have departed, killing this thirteenth-realm young martial artist is still a great merit. Everyone, attack together! There's no need to adhere to any martial world rules!"
"Mm!"
The great demons Ji An and Cang Lan, both at the fourteenth realm, simultaneously unleashed their divine abilities. A steel fork and a long sword, trailing dense water currents, ground their way forward from both flanks. They did not directly engage Chen Ben but rather used the water currents to envelop his punch intent, hoping to use soft force to neutralize Chen Ben's fierce martial arts, thus perhaps killing Chen Ben without shedding blood.
The Kunpeng Demon Ancestor's figure was ethereal as he declared, "Whoever severs this young man's head will be bestowed with fourteenth-realm fortune!"
"Kill!"
A group of twelfth and thirteenth-realm great demons had their expressions change upon hearing this. They charged towards Chen Ben with utter disregard for their own safety.
Chen Ben grinned. The young man now possessed an air of looking down on all. He had reached the pinnacle of martial arts and was surveying its scenery. Furthermore, Lin Zhao, Su Qingjiu, Gu Lingyu, and the others had all returned safely. Thus, Chen Ben had no lingering worries. His sole mission now was to halt the descent of Mount Wuwang.
"Come!"
He raised his right arm, his body transforming into a bolt of lightning. With unimaginable speed, he suddenly appeared below a twelfth-realm deer demon and delivered a punch. With a "bang" of a huge sound, the deer demon, spitting blood, its abdomen seeming to be on the verge of exploding from the punch, was brutally slammed onto the mountain base by Chen Ben.
In an instant, the entire Mount Wuwang trembled. The various ancestral court buildings on the summit crumbled. Chen Ben's punch, as a thirteenth-realm martial artist, significantly slowed down the falling speed of the mountain.
Moreover, the deer demon's body vanished into dust under the punch's aura, unable to withstand even a single blow from Chen Ben.
"Again!"
Chen Ben unleashed his second punch, leaving cracks across the surface of Mount Wuwang. By this time, Mount Wuwang had been deprived of spiritual energy and life.
Countless great demons from the Upper Five Realms attacked, their weapons and magical artifacts all slashing towards Chen Ben's back.
"Hmph..."
The Kunpeng Demon Ancestor let out a cold laugh and gently waved his sleeve. A series of complex and dense restrictive barriers enveloped the location where the wisp of clear wind resided. This time, no matter what, he would not let that young martial artist escape. If he managed to return to the mortal world alive, he might become a future calamity for Mount Wuwang and the Sea of Heavens, perhaps comparable to Ding Muchi or Old Daoist Wang.
"Extreme Fire!"
A figure appeared behind Chen Ben. It was a young demon clad in golden armor, wielding a divine sword. Like Chen Feng, he was also a disciple of the Kunpeng Demon Ancestor.
Jin Cheng, one of the demon kings of Mount Wuwang, a thirteenth-realm sword cultivator, whose Great Dao was close to fire. His true form was an ancient three-legged Golden Crow.
As Jin Cheng's sword light descended, the great demons Ji An and Cang Lan simultaneously surged with water currents, immediately creating a fusion of water and fire with the sword light filled with blazing extreme fire. The power of this sword strike was not merely doubled; it viciously cleaved towards Chen Ben's back.
"Die!"
Chen Ben unleashed a punch with ethereal qi, piercing the abdomen of a twelfth-realm great demon. He hurriedly raised his arm, delivering another Nirvana Style punch towards Jin Cheng's sword strike. Instantly, the moisture on his fist and arm seemed to evaporate in an instant!
With a punch, Jin Cheng's sword energy turned to dust. The densely scattered sword qi continued to rage, eroding Chen Ben's physical body, and even a fierce sword scar was left on his fist.
Ignoring his injuries, his next punch did not target the thirteenth-realm demon king sword cultivator Jin Cheng. Instead, he turned and delivered a punch to the base of Mount Wuwang.
Although Chen Ben was young and simple-minded, he was not foolish.
Killing one or two great demons was useless. Halting the descent of Mount Wuwang was what mattered.
...
"Intensify the attack!"
The great demon Ji An's gaze was icy cold. "Although he is a peak martial artist, his cultivation is like a well; it cannot be inexhaustible. As long as our attacks are effective, we can turn him into dust!"
"Kill!"
Innumerable long swords, battle spears, cold arrows, and magical artifacts transformed into streaks of cold light, attacking Chen Ben.
Chen Ben, however, knitted his brows. He condensed a phantom left arm with his punch intent to block the attacks of the numerous great demons. His right fist, time and again, landed squarely on the base of Mount Wuwang, quickly blasting an entire section of the mountain base into a basin.
At the same time, his injuries grew more numerous. Even arrows and short spears pierced his back, and he had no time to pull them out. Blood flowed continuously from his body, and it was unknown when he would bleed out.
...
Mountain peak villa.
Everyone watched with trepidation, yet were powerless.
Su Qingjiu and Zhu Zhi gritted their teeth, wishing they could return to Mount Wuwang and fight with their swords to save that foolish boy. Huang Tingyu, Tang Guangjun, Lin Zhijie, and others looked remorseful, regretting their inability to help.
"Brother Chen Ben..."
Zhang Luobai watched the Water Moon Observation Heaven in the air, her eyes blurring with tears.
Tong Yu's eyes were red. She already knew that under the siege of so many great demons, Chen Ben would not return.
Zhuang Yirong clenched her fists, tilting her head to watch Chen Ben's bloody battle, her eyes brimming with tears. Like Zhang Luobai, she had never witnessed such a scene of slaughter in her life. She only knew that the human and demon realms were ancient enemies. However, the first lesson taught at the mountain peak villa was at the cost of Chen Ben's sacrifice to the world.
"Little Martial Uncle..."
Gu Lingyu steadied her injuries, coughed, and sat beside Lin Zhao, saying softly, "There's no need for so much self-reproach. If it were any of us, we would probably step forward like Chen Ben. In fact... even if he dies defending the world, he would do so willingly. So, Little Martial Uncle, there's no need to blame yourself..."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. Although he said this, his heart felt as if it had been torn to shreds. He had envisioned Chen Ben becoming the first Rebirth realm martial artist of the mountain peak villa, but he had never expected Chen Ben to be its first peak martial artist. Even less did he expect Chen Ben's first battle after entering the thirteenth realm to be his final one.
All of this karma was inextricably linked to him, his "Brother Lin Zhao." If Chen Ben hadn't been so eager to prove his worth at the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, he probably wouldn't have died.
However, if Chen Ben hadn't died, it would have certainly been Gu Lingyu.
For a moment, Lin Zhao's heart was filled with a myriad of emotions, wishing he were the one left behind on Mount Wuwang.
...
Mount Wuwang, with Chen Ben's continuous hundreds of punches, its falling speed gradually slowed. At a certain moment, the debris flying from the mountain briefly suspended in mid-air. Everyone realized that Mount Wuwang had been halted at this very moment!
Although it would continue to fall, its speed would no longer be as terrifying as before.
"That's about it."
In the clouds, the Kunpeng Demon Ancestor's gaze was cold. Over a dozen of his natal wing feathers descended from the sky, finally breaking through the young martial artist's defenses. They left two conspicuous wounds on his chest, piercing through his heart and continuously worsening his injuries. Simultaneously, the great demon Chen Feng's sword, refined from the winds of the three realms, descended, striking Chen Ben's shoulder heavily, blood splashing.
At this moment, Chen Ben was covered in blood. The blood on his right fist was constantly staining it, then drying and evaporating. His injuries had reached an unbearable level. Fortunately, he had not only halted Mount Wuwang but also killed more than ten demon race twelfth and thirteenth-realm cultivators. This was already an unprecedented feat, as these twelfth and thirteenth-realm great demons would continue to be enemies of the human race when Mount Wuwang collided with the lower realm.
A hint of exhaustion flickered across his young face. He suddenly smiled faintly, "Brother Lin Zhao, I have to go now. Today's Chen Ben, have I made you proud?"
In the lower realm, Lin Zhao's eyes were blurry with tears, all his strength seemingly drained away. "Of course, you are the best, the very best Chen Ben in the world. Being your elder brother is the greatest fortune of my life, Lin Zhao!"
Chen Ben said softly, "It is only by meeting Brother Lin Zhao that I, Chen Ben, have not lived my life in a muddled state. In the future... please take care of Mother for me, Chen Ben can no longer care for her..."
"Rest assured."
The next moment, Chen Ben let out a hearty laugh, unleashing his last vestiges of thirteenth-realm power, transforming into a golden meteor and fiercely smashing towards the clouds, his target the Kunpeng Demon Ancestor!
"Boom—"
Amidst the deafening roar, a host of great demons from the Upper Five Realms raised their heads to watch.
In the air, Chen Ben's physical body vanished into smoke, officially sacrificing himself to the world.
The Kunpeng Demon Ancestor had a bloody arm, and behind him, wing feathers scattered. The impact from that boy had almost caused him to fall in realm.
...
The next day.
Everyone at the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool wore mourning attire.
Lin Zhao held a delicate, exquisite box. Inside were Chen Ben's armor and sword left at the camp. Chen Ben had sacrificed himself on Mount Wuwang, his entire being reduced to ashes. All Lin Zhao could do was to establish a cenotaph for him.
Behind him, dense ranks of Snow Domain cavalry, each with solemn expressions, tied white cloth around their arms just like Lin Zhao.
Lin Zhao led the way, bringing everyone to the front of a courtyard in a small town. Holding the box, he knelt down gently.
"Creak~~~"
From within the door, an old lady emerged. It was Chen's mother.
She had actually heard the news. But now, with Lin Zhao leading the people of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool to her door, it truly confirmed the news.
The old lady did not blame Lin Zhao at all. She understood the righteousness of the human realm. As long as it was a fight against the demon race, her son might naturally die, and even Lin Zhao might die. However, the old lady's heart was still broken.
She wiped away her tears, leaned on her cane, and looked at Lin Zhao, saying softly, "Mountain Lord, my Ben'er... was he valiant on the battlefield?"
Chen Ben trembled instantly, tears pouring down his face. He raised the box high and said solemnly, "Valiant above all!"
Behind him, the entire army shouted in unison.
"Valiant above all!"
"Valiant above all!"
"Valiant above all!"
...
In the distance, on a willow tree, Tang Guangjun, the scruffy man who considered himself stone-hearted, suddenly turned his face away, his body convulsing as he wailed uncontrollably.