txolops Chapter 96 The Grand Finale
Chapter 96 The Grand Finale
After the invisible ripples spread along the crumbling wall, the city was silent for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, chaos erupted in all directions.
It wasn't panic.
It's the chaos caused by the living.
Some people cried out for their mothers, while others hugged the person next to them and repeatedly touched their face, as if afraid that if they let go, the other person would fall apart.
Many more people stood there blankly, looking up and down at the city bricks beneath their feet, as if they hadn't yet recovered from the cataclysmic collapse.
Huang Chen pressed his hand against the wall, feeling a warm sensation under his palm.
It's not hot.
Like blood slowly flowing through bricks and stones.
He didn't speak, but simply looked up into the city. Broken walls, collapsed buildings, scorch marks, and blood and mud were still there.
But in those lifeless corners, something else has already appeared.
The stove fire was lit again.
The baby cried.
In the distance, someone even shouted in a trembling voice, "There's water!"
There's water in the well!
Ashi supported him, his arm taut.
"Sir, please have a seat for a while."
He kept his voice low, as if afraid that a loud voice would startle Huang Chen.
"Your mind has just calmed down, don't push yourself too hard."
Lao Tie also came over and wiped the dust off his face.
"Ah Shi is right this time."
He grinned, his voice still a little hoarse.
"That thing in the sky just now almost scared the crap out of me, and you, on the other hand, just stood there pretending to be scared. And after you did, you just stood there pretending to be scared."
If you really do fall headlong into this mess, those people in the city who just managed to salvage their souls will lose half of their spirits again.
Huang Chen turned his head and glanced at him.
"Didn't you say you didn't need to pee?"
Lao Tie was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened.
"Damn, you still have the nerve to talk back to me at a time like this?"
Ah Shi almost burst out laughing, but quickly held it back.
"The fact that the adult can still laugh and joke means he's not seriously injured."
Huang Chen slowly withdrew his hand, the tearing emptiness still lingering in his chest.
He tried to sense his sea of consciousness again, but it was still completely silent. There was no light screen, no prompts, and no cold voice that had accompanied him all the way through the battle.
It's excessively clean.
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "How many people in the city are still able to move around?"
'
Ashi immediately replied, "I already had someone clear them out. More than half of them are able to stand up."
Many were seriously injured, but fortunately, the city's safety net was still in place, preventing their wounds from worsening too quickly.
Old Tie chimed in: "Curry still has some pills and dried meat left."
"Let's clear out the collapsed streets first; at least no one will freeze to death tonight."
He paused at this point.
"Huang Chen".
This time, the sound lacked its usual carefree and nonchalant quality.
"You really survived?"
Huang Chen looked at the tattered flag fluttering in the distance, and after a couple of breaths, he finally hummed in agreement.
"They survived."
The old man rubbed his face vigorously, his hands covered in black ash.
After he finished rubbing, he chuckled and turned to yell at the distance, "Stop crying, all of you! Anyone who can move, come with me and move some stones!"
"First, open up the section of South Street!"
That shout was extremely loud.
The crowd, who had been stunned, were jolted back to their senses by his presence.
Someone was wiping away tears.
Someone exclaimed "Hey!" and staggered over to help.
Someone bent down to prop up the fallen beam; their hands were still trembling, but their backs slowly straightened.
Huang Chen watched this scene without stopping it.
The fire was still burning sporadically in the city, and the wind swirled ash that stung our faces.
He stood there for a while, but eventually couldn't hold on any longer and was helped back to the makeshift stone shed by Ashi and Laotie.
That night, no one in Fire City slept soundly.
Cries, shouts, sounds of carrying things, and banging echoed into the late hours of the night. Then, the sounds gradually subsided, leaving only the crackling of the fire and the footsteps of the night patrol as they moved back and forth among the rubble.
Huang Chen leaned against a half-collapsed stone wall, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.
The sea of consciousness is quiet.
But there was another, slower, deeper force circulating slowly in my dantian.
It's not a system.
It was like something that remained in his body after that brush with death.
He didn't rush to touch it.
Someone approached quietly from outside.
Ah Shi lowered his voice: "Sir, hot soup."
'
Huang Chen opened his eyes.
Ashi was holding a black pottery bowl, with white steam rising from its rim.
The boy had fought his way up with him over the years, and his face had long lost its childishness, but he was still careful every time he handed something to him.
Like they were afraid of getting burned.
It was as if she was afraid he would disappear at any moment.
Huang Chen took it and took a sip.
bland.
It probably only contained some bone meal and herbal roots.
The heat went down my throat and into my stomach, and I did feel a little better.
Ah Shi squatted down beside him and whispered, "Sir, there are many people outside who want to see you."
They say, "Even just one look is enough."
"What are you looking at?"
'
Huang Chen put the bowl down.
"Let's see if I'm still completely dead?"
'
Ashi quickly shook his head.
"no.
They are…
He stopped mid-sentence.
Old Tie poked his head in from the doorway and answered quickly: "They're just not at ease."
The city cracked just now, and a finger came off, but you're still standing. The city hasn't completely collapsed yet.
Those people now look at you like you're a living ancestor.
Huang Chen didn't bother to reply and just closed his eyes.
"Let them go back to sleep."
I can't sleep.
'
The guy walked in, found a rock, and plopped down on it.
"Could you sleep if it were you?"
Now that this has happened so badly, everyone wants to know the truth. Go stand outside for a while; that's more effective than a hundred comforting words.
'
Huang Chen did not respond immediately.
A moment later, he propped himself up on his knees.
Ashi quickly went to help him up.
"Slow down, sir."
'
Outside the stone shed, night had fallen.
However, quite a few people were still gathered in the open space.
There were elderly people, women, teenagers, and some men with tattered rags wrapped around their hands and wounds on their faces. Upon seeing Huang Chen emerge, their hushed conversations immediately ceased.
All eyes were fixed on him.
Huang Chen looked over.
Among these people, some were people he had saved, and others were people he had never met directly. But today, everyone's lives are tied to this city.
He stood there for a moment, then said, "The city hasn't fallen."
Everyone held their breath.
"Not all the people are dead."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly in the night.
"From now on, repair the wall if necessary, practice your swordsmanship if necessary. If your injuries haven't healed, focus on recovering."
Those whose family members haven't been found will be searched in groups by street after dawn tomorrow. The dead need to be buried, and the living need to be fed.
Don't all just stand here staring at me.
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
Suddenly, a woman with a dusty face, holding a child, knelt down with a thud.
"City Lord..."
She choked up as soon as she opened her mouth, and the rest of her words broke off.
Once this person started kneeling, a whole bunch of others around him knelt down in quick succession.
Huang Chen frowned.
"Get up, all of you."
No one dared to disobey.
But when they got up, many of them still had red eyes.
The crowd slowly dispersed, their footsteps becoming much lighter.
Like a heavy stone blocking my chest, finally half of it has been moved away.
Huang Chen stood there and watched them leave.
The firelight danced in the night wind.
The city ruins looked like a giant beast that had been severely wounded but had not yet fallen.
After that, time seemed to slow down.
It's fast again.
First, it took a few months.
The city was cleared of ruins, corpses were buried, food was distributed, and new rules were established.
Huang Chen's injuries recurred several times, and A Shi stayed by his side every day. Meanwhile, Lao Tie cursed and led people to repair the city, making changes as they went, and then had to bring people in to test the changes.
"This wall is no good; it's not bearing the weight properly."
'
"The crossbow platform over there has been raised three zhang (approximately 10 meters)."
Where's your brain?
The kerosene tanks are so close to the drains, if you lit one, the whole city would smell like roasted rats!
The cursing went on from morning till night.
But the city gradually rose again.
Then, a few years passed.
Then, more than a decade later...
The broken walls became a high city.
Markets sprang up from scorched earth.
The earliest group of people who would only cower in a corner and tremble began to wield knives, to cultivate their bodies, and to try to practice various cultivation techniques that belonged only to the human race under the shroud of the law.
Huang Chen has also gradually made fewer public appearances.
It's not that we're ignoring it.
Instead, the city began to learn to move forward on its own.
He often stood on a high point in the city, watching people come and go, observing the flow of the Dharma net, and watching the armies outside the city set out and return.
Sometimes he would go into seclusion, sometimes he would slay invading monsters, and sometimes he would simply sit on the top of the Tower of Babel for a night, watching the eastern sky gradually rise over the city walls.
Decades have passed just like that.
On this day, the sky above Citron was cloudless.
As dawn broke, the entire city seemed to be shrouded in a layer of very faint golden light.
The city walls were as thick as mountains, with outer layers inlaid with decks made of black iron and spiritual bones. High above, interlocking mechanisms stood, giant crossbows lay at rest, and talismans crisscrossed.
The city gates were wide open, and the flow of people was like a tide, yet there was no chaos.
The city streets are wide and lined with neighborhoods and markets.
Someone is selling newly forged talisman knives.
Someone was practicing a newly created body-refining fist technique. They were shirtless, their flesh bulging, and when they stomped their feet, the bluestone ground hummed.
Children ran out of the school carrying wooden guns, shouting as they ran: "Training in formation this afternoon! Don't be late!"
'
In a corner, an elderly man with gray hair was teaching several children to recognize ancient human characters. He pointed his finger on the wooden board, writing each character slowly and deliberately.
"salary.
'
"fire."
"people.
'
The sound was not loud, but it was steady.
The Tower of Babel stands in the center of the city, extremely tall.
The tower is forged from black gold stone and blood spirit ore, wrapped with Dao patterns on the outside and connected by a magic net on the inside. Standing on the top of the tower, the entire City of Firewood can be seen, and even the newly opened spirit fields and martial arts camps outside the city can be clearly seen.
Huang Chen stood there.
The wind lifted the hem of his robe, making it flutter.
Over the years, the bloodthirstiness on his body has long since subsided and is no longer visible. But whenever someone looks up at the top of the tower, their heart will still instinctively tighten.
It's not fear.
It is respect, it is pressure, it is a suffocating feeling that comes when you are close to the edge of judgment.
He looked down over the city, his gaze sweeping over the neighborhoods.
In the barracks of the northern city, the sounds of military drills thundered.
In front of the Xifang Equipment Building, rows of new-style battle armors hung on the high rack, their armor plates opening and closing with a click-clack as they shimmered with spiritual light.
Inside the academy on the east side, a young monk sat cross-legged, with fine wisps of light hanging from the net above his head, rising and falling with his breath.
Compared to the ruins that were once piled high with corpses, this place now resembles a different city.
A living city.
Suddenly, a commotion arose from below the tower.
Huang Chen looked down and his lips twitched slightly.
My buddy is swearing again.
He was wearing heavy armor that had been modified countless times, with a hammer and a string of measuring tapes hanging from his waist, and he was glaring at several young craftsmen.
"You call this a pivot? This is a bottleneck!"
'
"The armor raises its arm, and the shoulder armor slices off its own head first. Who would wear that? You would."
'
Several craftsmen nearby were sprayed with so much water that their faces turned red, but none of them dared to stand up to him.
One of the bolder ones muttered in a low voice, "Master Craftsman, this is already the third edition..."
The guy with the sharp ears immediately perked up.
"What's wrong with the third edition? Does the third edition mean you can fool the front lines?"
If Da Luo slaps you down, how many breaths can your third version withstand? Tear it down and start over!
'
He was cursing when he suddenly seemed to realize something and abruptly looked up at the top of the tower.
Being so far away, he naturally couldn't see Huang Chen's expression clearly, but he still habitually grinned and made a gesture towards Huang Chen.
It's like saying: What are you looking at? I'm busy.
Huang Chen didn't move.
A moment later, footsteps were heard from behind the tower.
Ah Shi has arrived.
Over the years, he had grown taller, with broad shoulders and a thick back, standing like an unyielding spear. The sheer power of his aura was so intense that even the Dao patterns within the tower were forced to tremble slightly.
However, when he walked behind Huang Chen, he still concealed his sharp edge and bowed with his fists clasped.
"grown ups.
'
The form of address remains unchanged.
Huang Chen asked, "The northern route is back?"
'
"I'm back."
Ashi replied.
"We expanded out for three thousand miles, gathered seven refugee settlements, and brought back more than 80,000 people. Among them were some elderly people who knew how to grow spirit grains and identify mineral veins, who have been handed over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for resettlement."
'
He paused for a moment, then added another sentence.
"There were two ignorant demon army outposts on the outskirts, so we took them out without a second thought."
'
Huang Chen hummed in agreement.
Ashi looked down at the city walls, his gaze falling on the human warriors arrayed in neat formation in the distance, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
"Sir, those kids in the Southern Camp are getting more and more arrogant. Last night, during their victory celebration, they insisted that if they were given another ten years, they could push the border outwards even further."
'
Anyone can brag.
Huang Chen said calmly.
Ashi smiled.
"yes.
That's what I said too. Then they disagreed and challenged me to a fistfight.
As a result, the entire battalion was wiped out.
The wind was strong at the top of the tower, making his voice sound deep.
But the joy in his words was undeniable.
Huang Chen glanced at him sideways.
"You're becoming more and more like a buddy."
Ashi was stunned.
"My lord, that's not a compliment."
"Um.
'
Huang Chen should be at peace.
"That's not true to begin with."
'
Ashi grinned, wanting to laugh, but held it back.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
The bell below rang three times, and another group of newly arrived humans slowly entered the city. Some carried bundles, some held children, and some, upon reaching the city gate, their legs gave way and they knelt down, looking up at the two ancient characters, weeping uncontrollably.
The torch.
Huang Chen looked at them, the pale gold mark on his chest feeling slightly warm beneath his clothes.
Just then, a very faint aura suddenly appeared behind them.
Old-fashioned, gentle.
Like a handful of dry grass that has been dried in the sun during a famine.
Huang Chen's eyes flickered slightly, and he slowly turned around.
At the top of the tower, in the empty space, stood a shadowy figure, seemingly out of nowhere.
An elderly human.
He looked the same as before, his robes tattered, his back slightly hunched, and his face deeply lined. But this time, he was no longer covered in blood, no longer panicked, and no longer looked back at the demonic figure behind him.
He just stood there quietly, watching Huang Chen.
And looking down at the city beneath my feet.
Ah Shi seemed oblivious, still standing to the side with his hands at his sides.
A breeze blew across the top of the tower, and the illusory image swayed gently.
Huang Chen's throat moved, and after a long while, he spoke in a low voice.
"You saw it?"
'
The old man didn't speak.
He simply nodded slowly.
A slight smile appeared on that wrinkled face.
Not big.
It was even brighter than the morning light that filled the city.
Huang Chen looked at him, his eyes flashing with emotion, which he then suppressed.
He didn't approach, nor did he reach out. It was as if he was afraid that if he touched it, the old shadow that had finally settled down would dissipate again.
The old man raised his head and looked at the entire City of Fire.
I gazed at it for a long time.
Then he turned back and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting to Huang Chen.
The next instant, the wind swept across the eaves of the tower.
The illusory figure silently dispersed, turning into extremely faint dust that drifted into the entire city.
Ah Shi seemed to realize something at this moment and paused for a moment.
"My lord, just now..."
"fine."
Huang Chen turned around and looked down at the distant sky.
High above, the sea of clouds was suddenly torn apart by several streaks of light.
A powerful group of demon immortals came from the north, surrounded by a retinue of followers and billowing demonic clouds, clearly intending to directly overwhelm the region.
The golden-feathered demon saint at the very front even deliberately released its oppressive aura, causing the clouds to collapse downwards.
Many cultivators in the city looked up instantly.
In the barracks, the war drums were struck with a loud thud.
A Shi's eyes turned cold, and he began to exert force slightly with his feet.
"Sir, I'll go."
"Standing."
'
Huang Chen only said two words.
Ashi immediately stopped moving.
High in the sky, just as the group of demon saints and immortal lords were about to press forward again, the leader, the golden-feathered demon saint, suddenly stopped.
It looked as if it had been hit head-on by something, and its expression changed drastically.
It's not that the physical body is obstructed.
His soul trembled violently.
In the city below, an invisible net is silently spreading out. Mixed within this net of law is something even colder, like a knife forged from the blood and tears of millions. If it moves even half an inch further, that knife will fall down along with cause and effect.
At the same time, at the top of the Tower of Babel, a gaze rose up.
Calm, indifferent.
The Golden Feather Demon Saint's scalp instantly blew open, and even the feathers on his back stiffened for a moment.
"detour!
'
It was almost screamed out.
The demon lords behind them hadn't even reacted yet: "Holy Lord, those below are just humans—"
"Shut up!
Go around!
The demon lords were stunned by the roar, and when they looked down at the city, their expressions changed in the next instant.
Countless humans in the city were looking up at them.
No one hid.
No one is causing trouble.
That look in his eyes was sharper than a knife.
Looking up at the top of the tower, a chill ran down their spines, as if some terrifying being was watching their vital points. The demon lords who had just been trying to show off their power immediately withdrew their demonic clouds, abandoning even their formation, and hurriedly changed direction, circling far away from the city of Xinhuo.
The stray beam of light flew crookedly, like a flock of crows startled by a hunter's bow.
At first, there was silence below the city.
Then, someone chuckled.
The laughter quickly spread.
In the barracks, someone slammed their rifle barrel down hard, the sound like a blow to everyone's chest. Meanwhile, in the western part of the city, Old Tie stood on the scaffold and spat at the few streaks of light fleeing in panic on the horizon.
"What the hell?"
After he finished cursing, he turned around and yelled at the people next to him.
"What are you looking at! Keep raising the armor!"
'
The wind was still blowing at the top of the tower.
Huang Chen turned his gaze away from the horizon, and the corners of his mouth finally moved.
The curve was extremely faint.
Yet it is real.
When Ashi saw it, he was stunned at first, and then he laughed too.
"Sir, they run quite fast."
'
"If you're too slow, you'll have to stay."
Huang Chen said.
After saying that, he turned and walked into the tower.
Ashi followed closely behind.
As I reached the top of the tower steps, I heard Lao Tie cursing again from below.
"Who turned off the furnace fire door?"
! "
"open!
"Turn it up, damn it!"
"If this furnace of Xuan Bone Iron is ruined today, I'll send you all to the North Camp to carry city bricks!"
'
Huang Chen didn't stop walking.
Ashi followed behind, his shoulders trembling slightly, as if he wanted to laugh but dared not laugh out loud.
The tower was dimly lit, and the array patterns on the steps glowed in circles, like quietly flowing fire.
Huang Chen reached out and gently ran his fingertips across the stone wall.
Warm.
Just like that night when it was pressed against the crumbling wall.
Looking up at the top of the tower, a chill ran down their spines, as if some terrifying being was watching their vital points. The demon lords who had just been trying to show off their power immediately withdrew their demonic clouds, abandoning even their formation, and hurriedly changed direction, circling far away from the city of Xinhuo.
The stray beam of light flew crookedly, like a flock of crows startled by a hunter's bow.
At first, there was silence below the city.
Then, someone chuckled.
The laughter quickly spread.
In the barracks, someone slammed their rifle barrel down hard, the sound like a blow to everyone's chest. Meanwhile, in the western part of the city, Old Tie stood on the scaffold and spat at the few streaks of light fleeing in panic on the horizon.
"What the hell?"
After he finished cursing, he turned around and yelled at the people next to him.
"What are you looking at! Keep raising the armor!"
'
The wind was still blowing at the top of the tower.
Huang Chen turned his gaze away from the horizon, and the corners of his mouth finally moved.
The curve was extremely faint.
Yet it is real.
When Ashi saw it, he was stunned at first, and then he laughed too.
"Sir, they run quite fast."
'
"If you're too slow, you'll have to stay."
Huang Chen said.
After saying that, he turned and walked into the tower.
Ashi followed closely behind.
As I reached the top of the tower steps, I heard Lao Tie cursing again from below.
"Who turned off the furnace fire door?"
! "
"open!
"Turn it up, damn it!"
"If this furnace of Xuan Bone Iron is ruined today, I'll send you all to the North Camp to carry city bricks!"
'
Huang Chen didn't stop walking.
Ashi followed behind, his shoulders trembling slightly, as if he wanted to laugh but dared not laugh out loud.
The tower was dimly lit, and the array patterns on the steps glowed in circles, like quietly flowing fire.
Huang Chen reached out and gently ran his fingertips across the stone wall.
Warm.
Just like that night when it was pressed against the crumbling wall.
The stray beam of light flew crookedly, like a flock of crows startled by a hunter's bow.
At first, there was silence below the city.
Then, someone chuckled.
The laughter quickly spread.
In the barracks, someone slammed their rifle barrel down hard, the sound like a blow to everyone's chest. Meanwhile, in the western part of the city, Old Tie stood on the scaffold and spat at the few streaks of light fleeing in panic on the horizon.
"What the hell?"
After he finished cursing, he turned around and yelled at the people next to him.
"What are you looking at! Keep raising the armor!"
'
The wind was still blowing at the top of the tower.
Huang Chen turned his gaze away from the horizon, and the corners of his mouth finally moved.
The curve was extremely faint.
Yet it is real.
When Ashi saw it, he was stunned at first, and then he laughed too.
"Sir, they run quite fast."
'
"If you're too slow, you'll have to stay."
Huang Chen said.
After saying that, he turned and walked into the tower.
Ashi followed closely behind.
As I reached the top of the tower steps, I heard Lao Tie cursing again from below.
"Who turned off the furnace fire door?"
! "
"open!
"Turn it up, damn it!"
"If this furnace of Xuan Bone Iron is ruined today, I'll send you all to the North Camp to carry city bricks!"
'
Huang Chen didn't stop walking.
Ashi followed behind, his shoulders trembling slightly, as if he wanted to laugh but dared not laugh out loud.
The tower was dimly lit, and the array patterns on the steps glowed in circles, like quietly flowing fire.
Huang Chen reached out and gently ran his fingertips across the stone wall.
Warm.
Just like that night when it was pressed against the crumbling wall.