Whoever Comes, Dies

"Cursed undead! You slaughtered tens of thousands of my tribesmen. If I don't avenge them, I am not worthy of being chief!"

The Barbarian chief had been hunting beasts on Mount Awakening. He suddenly returned to his tribe, gathered all his people, and uttered those bewildering words.

"Chief, what is this madness? Our tribesmen are perfectly fine. No one has—"

Splat!

A massive battle-axe crashed into the chest of the man who had just spoken. Blood sprayed across the ground, dyeing the territory red and stunning the gathered Barbarians into silence.

An absolute silence fell over the crowd.

No one dared to utter another word.

"Gather the Barbarian army! We march to Nether Death Valley and slay the evil spirit, Jiang Cheng!"

This scene was not unique to the Barbarians.

Overnight, the leaders of the sixteen major races in the Northern Wasteland had also changed. After kneeling before the statues of their priests, they all issued the same order.

March to Nether Death Valley. Slay the evil spirit, Jiang Cheng.

In an instant, the entire Northern Wasteland was plunged into chaos.

Powerful factions, long hidden in deep mountains and dense forests, suddenly emerged. They led armies of hundreds of thousands, even millions, all marching toward Nether Death Valley.

The rulers of the five great empires were terrified. They marveled that such terrifying forces had been hidden right under their noses, but they were wise enough not to stand in their way. They threw open their city gates, clearing a path for the powerful armies.

The divine summons was too terrifying to ignore.

An army numbering in the tens of millions had gathered in an instant, with more forces pouring toward Nether Death Valley every moment. The empires simply could not afford to provoke them.

As for the players of the Northern Wasteland, most were content to wait and watch. Only a small fraction prepared to rescue Jiang Cheng.

After all, they didn't believe that this skeleton, Jiang Cheng, was the same person as their idol, the Supreme God Jiang Cheng.

They had no reason to sacrifice their time for a mere skeleton.

Besides, the gods themselves had intervened in this event. Any player who joined the fray would be nothing more than cannon fodder. It was better to just watch from the sidelines.

Blood Hell Forbidden Land.

Redno lay on the blood-colored ground, barely breathing after his defeat at Natalie's hands.

But then, he seemed to sense something. His expression changed.

He struggled to his feet and warned the triumphant Natalie.

"Your disciple is in danger."

"My disciple?"

Natalie pointed her Black Raven staff at Redno, then abruptly withdrew it. She turned her gaze to the towering stone statue in the sky.

"Is this... the Sun God? No... the divine power is too weak. It's not him."

"Such evil power. Has something possessed the statue?"

She turned back to Redno.

"Wait, how did you know I took a disciple?"

Having just savored her revenge, Natalie looked down suspiciously at the dying man.

"She came to the Blood Hell Forbidden Land," Redno urged, his voice filled with anxiety. "I saw that she was kind-hearted and possessed extraordinary talent. A promising student."

"So I gave her your treasured Soul Mate Tree. You should hurry and save her, or it will be too late."

"Are you telling me what to do?"

Natalie glared at him.

"I only took her as my disciple as part of a transaction. We have no true bond. Her death means nothing to me."

"You... you're still so heartless. Sigh."

Redno sighed helplessly, his expression full of regret.

"Hmph, I've always been callous and indifferent."

Natalie laughed, mocking herself.

"The bond we shared growing up couldn't withstand the grudge from when I killed my husband. Haven't you already experienced that firsthand?"

"However," she added, "she is still my disciple."

Boom!

The Black Raven staff in her hand shattered, flowing like liquid into her black robe.

In the next instant, she vanished.

Her voice echoed from the empty space.

"How could I let some minor character bully her?"

Atop the rain-soaked Willow God Mountain Range, Lan Xingyue stood bathed in a fine drizzle. She spoke to the man behind her, a Dharma Demon known as Torrential Rain.

"Little Rain, how long have you followed me?"

"Master, it has been three years, seven months, three days, eleven hours, seven minutes, and fifty-nine seconds."

Torrential Rain seemed to sense something, and his expression grew downcast. Still, his instincts compelled him to calculate the time down to the very last second.

"From now on, no more."

Lan Xingyue's tone was devoid of emotion, as if this disciple meant nothing to her.

"Yes. Thank you for your guidance over the years, Master."

Torrential Rain was surprisingly calm, his tone just as empty as hers.

But after speaking, he didn't leave. He simply continued to stand behind the Dharma Saint.

A long time passed. The gloomy rain soaked his robes until they clung to his body, yet still, he did not move.

This puzzled Lan Xingyue.

"Since we are no longer master and disciple, why are you still here?"

"That's right."

A smile touched Torrential Rain's lips, his expression hinting at smugness.

"Since we are no longer master and disciple, you can't control me. From now on, you kill your enemies, and I'll kill mine. We have nothing to do with each other."

"Very good."

A smile graced the Dharma Saint's beautiful face.

"You've learned to outmaneuver your master."

"Hey, you're not my master anymore," Torrential Rain teased. "Don't say such things."

The Dharma Saint glared at him, her eyes carrying a warning.

"You should be aware, the first wave of Barbarians is two hundred thousand strong."

"No, no, no, beautiful lady. Your math is poor."

Torrential Rain wagged his finger.

"You've miscalculated. Let me tell you, the number of Barbarians coming this time should be precisely 207,361."

He pointed toward the narrow mountain path ahead.

"The Path of Awakening, here in the Willow God Mountain Range, is one of the four main routes to Nether Death Valley. The drop below is a deadly abyss, but the road itself is wide enough for ten people to walk abreast. You can't possibly guard this pass alone."

"And the Barbarians are known for their immense strength. The powerful ones can shatter rock and shake the mountains themselves. This terrain won't pose much of a challenge for them."

Feeling the massive tremors shaking the ground and gazing at the clouds of dust rolling in the distance, Lan Xingyue remained calm.

She uttered four words.

"It doesn't concern me."

"All I will do is ensure that whoever comes, dies."