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To think he’d bump into old acquaintances in a place like this!

 

All three of them wore expressions of undisguised shock.

 

However, from the look of things, the once lofty and imposing emperors of the Heavenly Court and Underworld were now in dire straits. 

 

The Jade Emperor’s limbs had wounds so deep, you could see his bones. Great Sacred Emperor Equaling Heavens wasn’t much better off.

 If he weren’t mistaken… 

 

“Were the Subterranean Beasts pursuing you?” Ye Zichen arched his brows.

 

“That’s right,” said the Jade Emperor. He, too, seemed a bit confused. “Are those mighty warriors your friends?”

 

“You know them?” Xue Mo couldn’t help but ask.

 

Ye Zichen glanced at her and nodded. “They’re my friends from before I ascended. You go help the others and tell them to retreat. We’ll wait for you here.”

 

“Alright.” Xue Mo nodded, hefted her dagger, and charged into the fray.

 

“So, the great emperors of the Heavenly Court and Underworld have had awfully rough time of things up here, huh?” Ye Zichen laughed, deliberately keeping his tone as light and relaxed as possible. 

 

“Don’t tease us! Drop the ‘great emperor’ nonsense. Just call us by name. I’m Zhang Youren. You can also call me Zhang Bairen,” sighed the former Jade Emperor. 

 

“Dong Yue,” said the former Great Sacred Emperor Equaling Heavens.

 

When he saw their bleak expressions, Ye Zichen quit joking around. “Sure. But tell me, why were the Subterranean Beasts chasing you? No, perhaps I ought to ask, what were you doing in Barren Sands City?”

 

“We arrived in Barren Sands City immediately after ascending. We’re now the city lord’s personal guards,” said Zhang Bairen with another sigh.  

 

The city lord’s personal guards?  Ye Zichen looked stunned. “You’re part of the city lord’s retinue? Then what about the others? The steward said he took a large group with him, so why am I just seeing the two of you?”

 

“Everyone else is dead.” Dong Yue clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth. “All four of them as dead. We’re the only survivors, and we almost fell at the claws of those beasts. Fortunately, you arrived just in time. Otherwise….” 

 

Dong Yue trembled uncontrollably. Ye Zichen could understand; they were the city lord’s personal guards, and they must have been close to those who died. Watching so many of their brothers fall at the hands of underground beasts, yet being unable to stop them… that feeling of helplessness… Ye Zichen had experienced it too. 

 

Although the atmosphere was bleak, Ye Zichen couldn’t let it distract them. He comfortingly patted Dong Ye on the shoulder, then asked, “Then the city lord…” 

 

“He might have discovered something. He told us it was dangerous up ahead, and ordered us to return to the city without him. He, however, continued investigating. As for his current status, we don’t know either.” 

 

When he heard that, Ye Zichen calmed down.

 

“Platoon Leader Ye, what’s going on up ahead?” Chen Guangfa hurried over in the flying ship.

 

Ye Zichen couldn’t help but frown. He’d already told Xue Mo to order everyone to retreat. All this time had passed, so why hadn’t they come back yet?

 

Ye Zichen pulled several bottles of medicine for healing wounds, recovering divine power, and curing poison. He stuffed them into Zhang Bairen’s hands, then said, “Use these to cure your wounds. Get on the flying vessel. I’ll go on ahead to see what’s going on.”  

“Alright. Be careful,” said the former Jade Emperor. 

 

Ye Zichen nodded at his old friends, then furrowed his brows and rushed on ahead. Li Hu and Xue Mo were still charging into the fray. “Why haven’t you retreated yet?”  

“Murong Xue and the others are still inside. The Subterranean Beasts surrounded them,” said Xue Mo with obvious concern. 

 

“What?” Ye Zichen’s pupils constricted. He glanced at vast horde of Subterranean Beasts. This group was countless times larger than the one that had attacked them at the altar. 

 

Their ranks stretched off into the distance, as far as the eye could see.

 

Murong Xue and the others were surrounded! Ye Zichen’s brows knit together, and he immediately summoned two demigod longswords, one for each hand.

 

“Kill your way into their ranks and create an opening for them to escape.”

 

“Crap, how could there possibly be so many of them? Jiang Yong was completely surrounded. He’d long since lost track of how many Subterranean Beast lives his axe had claimed, but there was simply no end to them. Kill one, and two more took its place.

 

“Boss, I can’t hold on much longer,” said Pan Sheng. He seldom spoke, so his words made Jiang Yong furrow his brows.

 

He turned to the surrounding Subterranean Beasts, “Kill them with everything you hold back. Even if we die here, we’re taking them down with us.” 

 

“Big Sister Murong, there are too many Subterranean Beasts!” The twin flowers of the Appearance Association looked like they were nearing the end of their rope. 

 

Murong Xue was controlling waves of fire. She frowned at the dense swarm of beasts, then despite herself, glanced in Jiang Yong’s direction. 

 

“That barbarian!” Murong Xue furrowed her brows and shouted. “Nevermind anything else. We have to get closer to Jiang Yong and Pan Sheng.”  

“But there’s no exit that way!” said Dai Xiaoyu.

 

“Listen to me! We’re going towards them!” 

 

On the outside of the swarm, Ye Zichen and his three companions slaughtered their way in, while the five trapped inside fought their way out.

 

However, even though everyone trapped inside was a rare talent even among sky supremes, especially the Society Heads, they were hugely outnumbered. There was practically no end to the Subterranean Beasts. The human fighters were spending too much divine power to maintain their peak condition. 

 

Jiang Yong was covered in wounds, while Pan Sheng, who’d used his natal blood to power his formations, was pallid and on the verge of collapse. 

 

Murong Xue fired wave after wave of concentrated divine power, like an artillery gun. Even if she had divine recovery pills, they couldn’t keep up with such rapid power consumption. The Dai Sisters had overdrawn their divine power too and were struggling to keep going.

 

Murong Xue had no choice but to stop and recover her divine power. She suddenly took a few steps back.

 

Off to the side, a Subterranean Beast seized the opportunity, leaped into the air, and swung its sharp claws at her. 

 

“Hmph!” She didn’t know how he’d gotten there, but Jiang Yong appeared before Murong Xue and used his own body as a shield. The next moment, he whipped around with his axe and cut right through the Subterranean Beast’s throat. 

 

“Die!” After ending his opponent, Jiang Yong turned toward Murong Xue in concern. “Are you okay?” 

 

In response to his concerned expression and that chest wound so deep, she could see his ribs, Murong Xue’s eyes grew bloodshot. She fought back tears, then sobbed, “Barbarian!” 

 

“Yes, it seems you’re alright.” Jiang Yong laughed heartily, then turned. He raised his battleaxe and stepped forward. “Yao scum! You want to kill us? Come at get us! I, Jiang Yong, won’t let you vermin even one step closer!”  

As the old saying goes, one man can hold a pass against ten thousand enemies. 

 

And that’s exactly what Jiang Yong was doing.

 

Murong Xue stood behind him and watched. Despite herself, her bloodshot eyes welled with tears, which streaked down her cheeks. “You barbarian.”

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Last chapter for 2020! Thanks for reading RPS!