Chapter Fifty-Four: The Battle Intensifies

Iraq, Kubakub. Gunfire shattered the deathly silence before dawn, and the desert—quiet for untold ages—was plunged into the most chaotic, cruel night ever recorded by humankind. The darkness before daybreak sent chills through the heart.

Three Chinese marine squads had successfully disrupted the Cangshou defensive lines, but the cost was high: the Tiger Shark and Blue Shark teams were surrounded. Leveraging their superior firepower, both squads fought back fiercely. Despite being less than a mile apart, they were unable to support each other directly, relying solely on quantum communications to maintain contact. The fleet provided maximum fire support.

Yet, humanity’s quantum technology was not fully mature; orders were slow to transmit, unstable, and sometimes plagued by errors in reception and decoding. In Kubakub, where electromagnetic interference was intense, ordinary communications were useless; only the imperfect quantum links kept the teams connected.

Beneath a rocky cliff, Long Shaoxian frowned. “A manual repair? Who did it? The Cangshou?”

Froya shook her head. “Impossible. They serve the Void King, the demon; why would they restore a seal? Besides, anyone capable of repairing an angelic seal cannot be an ordinary person.”

Inside a Cangshou stronghold, the Dragon Shark squad lay in ambush. Dozens of Cangshou bodies lay scattered about. Captain Xing Yao, peering through a night-vision scope at a battlefield eight hundred meters ahead, drew a deep breath and pressed the communicator. “Dragon Shark calling Aurora, Dragon Shark calling Aurora. Tiger Shark is trapped. We’ll provide support from the southeast, helping Tiger Shark break out, over.” Having sent the message, Xing Yao didn’t wait for fleet orders; the unreliability of quantum communications meant he wouldn’t waste precious time.

Just as Dragon Shark prepared to leave the stronghold, an armored formation codenamed “Tiger Pack” launched a rapid assault from the flank. Combining forces with Dragon Shark, they moved to support the besieged Tiger Shark in coordinated infantry-armor tactics.

On the stony cliff, Long Shaoxian gazed at the night sky, lit by battle and smoke. “I need to go in?”

“What!” Froya was startled by Long Shaoxian’s decision. “Are you mad? That’s the entrance to hell—countless Satans are sealed within. Entering is suicide! I know the Eastern Dragons are mighty, but it’s incredibly dangerous. Entering will damage the seal—I won’t allow it!”

“I want to speak with those demons. However evil, they are still products of this planet.” Long Shaoxian’s tone was resolute. “If we retreat now, our journey will be for nothing. Stand back.” He stretched out his hand, dragon blood surging within, and prepared to force the seal open.

Elsewhere, Zang Wusheng blocked Luo Longyu and the others single-handedly, his formidable strength keeping them at bay. Just as Luo Longyu was about to act, Zang Wusheng sensed something, turned to glance at the cliff, and vanished without a trace.

Seeing Zang Wusheng disappear so suddenly, Luo Longyu and his companions were momentarily stunned, but quickly rushed toward the cliff.

Long Shaoxian’s right hand glowed, a dragon seal manifesting. As his palm was about to press down, a sudden malicious wind rose behind him, its terrifying power startling him. He dodged instantly, while Froya shifted a hundred meters sideways, leaving a fading afterimage and turning to look.

Zang Wusheng appeared silently before the cliff, facing the wary Long Shaoxian. “So, China has invested heavily this time—even the ancient Dragons have arrived.”

Long Shaoxian narrowed his eyes. “Bone Collector.”

“Indeed. I worked hard to restore the seal. What are you planning—release the demons?” Zang Wusheng’s gaze was obscure, emotionless.

Long Shaoxian had no time for words. “Move aside,” he said coldly.

“This concerns the planet’s survival. I will not let any race destroy it. We Bone Collectors have traversed the world since antiquity, endlessly restoring demon seals. No race may break them—not even the Dragons.” Zang Wusheng’s tone was calm but unyielding.

“Get out!” Long Shaoxian leapt forward, his blazing fist striking at Zang Wusheng.

Seeing Long Shaoxian attack, Zang Wusheng’s eyes darkened, his aura surging. He dodged Long Shaoxian’s fist by a hair’s breadth, seized his wrist, and slammed him to the ground, then kicked him forcefully, sending him flying.

Froya darted forward to catch Long Shaoxian, who sprang up instantly. Dragon scales shimmered at his brow, and crystalline horns emerged from the sides of his head as he attacked again.

Zang Wusheng was fearless, battling Long Shaoxian fiercely. The two became blurs, their clash resounding, shaking clouds and thunder.

“Boom!”

Another explosion lit the sky. Long Shaoxian, wielding a dragon halberd, pressed it against Zang Wusheng’s sickle. His golden dragon eyes shone as he spoke. “Can you Bone Collectors restore seals? Absurd. You’re merely modifying them. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Zang Wusheng chuckled. “As expected of the Dragons. Yes, I am altering the seals. The demons are powerful, and this world lacks absolute strength. Without it, all resistance is but a slogan to send people to their deaths.”

Zang Wusheng pressed Long Shaoxian back, his sickle’s sharp light inches from Long Shaoxian’s brow.

“Do you know the Void has already targeted this planet? Xuanyuan corpses are being used, Xuanjin has been stolen, and the Void’s main force is waiting for the Gate of Myriad Phenomena to open. If we don’t learn the Void’s next move from the demons, the Fifth Epoch will truly end!” Long Shaoxian struggled to shout.

Zang Wusheng was indifferent. “So what? Earth has been destroyed four times already; one more makes no difference. War is always like this—either you die or I do. Victory always demands a price.”

“You’re even more evil than the demons!” Long Shaoxian’s arms felt numb; Zang Wusheng was overwhelmingly strong.

Zang Wusheng sneered. “We’re the same. The Dragons once waged war everywhere, exterminating countless races. I thought you understood the essence of war, but clearly, you never will. You’ll never grasp what true war means!” With that, he forced Long Shaoxian back in the void, leaving him powerless to respond.

Luo Longyu and his companions arrived just then. As they steadied themselves, Long Shaoxian shouted, “Break the seal, quickly!”

Luo Longyu looked up to see Long Shaoxian completely suppressed, barely holding off Zang Wusheng’s sickle with his dragon halberd, his head in imminent danger.

“You break the seal—I’ll help Long Shaoxian!” Luo Longyu said instinctively. The Wheel of Corpses manifested behind him, and he shot skyward like a cannonball.

“Be careful, Brother Luo! The Bone Clan’s physical strength rivals yours!” Tong Wushao shouted, but all Luo Longyu heard was the wind rushing past.

“Hmm? Another?” Zang Wusheng glanced at the incoming blood light, swung his sickle to force back Long Shaoxian, then turned and grabbed Luo Longyu by the throat, lifting him high.

Luo Longyu was incredulous, caught so easily. Zang Wusheng offered no explanation, tossing Luo Longyu upward and swinging his sickle fiercely at his abdomen.

Bang!

A crisp sound echoed as the sharp sickle struck Luo Longyu’s belly. It didn’t break his body, but the massive force slammed him into the desert, creating a huge crater, sand flying, the ground trembling.

The immense recoil made Zang Wusheng stagger, nearly losing his grip on the sickle.

“Hmm? No wonder your vitality is undetectable—your body’s strength is corpse path, the legendary corpse path. Rarer than any demon.” Zang Wusheng ignored Long Shaoxian, rushing toward Luo Longyu, his sickle trailing a chain of dark gold inscribed with endless runes, glimmering like mysterious codes, clearly meant to bind Luo Longyu.

Whoosh!

Two beams shot up from the crater where Luo Longyu landed, his silver corpse wheel brimming with murderous intent. In that instant, Zang Wusheng felt as if he had plunged into a sea of blood, surrounded by drifting corpses, the sky shattered, cosmos reversed, sun and moon reflected in the corpse wheel. The surge of terror slowed his movements.

“Heaven-Slaughter Nine Forms!” came a furious cry. Zang Wusheng snapped out of it to see a black blade twisting the sky, crushing down like a mountain. Alarmed, he halted his motion in midair, forming a seal and intoning, “Burial Heaven Nine Secrets!”

With a series of explosions, nine coffins lined up before Zang Wusheng in the night sky, the void saturated with death as if the underworld had descended.

Force fields collided, annihilating each other. Luo Longyu unleashed four forms in succession; Zang Wusheng opened four coffins, each radiating deadly light like four death gods, clashing with Luo Longyu. The resulting turbulence suppressed even Kubakub’s intense electromagnetic interference.

The fleet seized this moment to locate all three strike teams, Tiger Shark and Blue Shark’s positions now clear.

“Concentrate all ships’ long-range firepower, cover the perimeters of Tiger Shark and Blue Shark! Order the Sea Whale squad to support immediately!” Wang Ruihan commanded decisively.

With that fleeting battle update, the carrier strike group unleashed its full arsenal, inflicting massive casualties on the Cangshou forces. Two Yun-9 transports swiftly took off to reinforce Tiger Shark and Blue Shark, escalating the conflict to a fever pitch.

Luo Longyu unleashed four forms; the fifth was beyond his mastery.

As Luo Longyu rose from the crater, Zang Wusheng squinted, then smiled knowingly. “So, four forms is your limit. I haven’t mastered all nine secrets either, but I have one more. Burial Heaven Fifth Secret!”

With Zang Wusheng’s roar, the fifth coffin opened, black radiance blooming. A death palace manifested, its terrifying power enveloping the land. The desert beneath became burial soil, decaying and ruined—the overwhelming force field suppressed all others. Within this burial ground, Zang Wusheng was the sole god.