Chapter 438 - 180: "Even if a Mayfly Enters the Sea, I Will Still Burn My Blood to Incinerate the Heavens.

Chapter 438: Chapter 180: "Even if a Mayfly Enters the Sea, I Will Still Burn My Blood to Incinerate the Heavens.

"Y-yes..." The voice on the other end was panicked and helpless. "Tian Yi is dead. The Night Watchers have been activated. Some kind of unknown weapon rained down from the sky and wiped out a large number of the Ghost Tide."

"Those are the Mortal Realm’s cruise missiles. The supply is limited."

"Your job now is to report intelligence to me. When you believe you need support, I will launch more cruise missiles. There’s a delay of about thirty-seven breaths between launches, so calculate your lead time accordingly."

"In about two hours, a hundred Flying Ships from the Mortal Realm will arrive at the Yellow Springs Entrance Defense Line."

"Please hold on."

He didn’t elaborate. A moment later, an acknowledgment came back through the Sound Transmission Talisman.

"..."

After taking care of everything, Chen Fan stood on the Flying Ship Deck, gazing at the darkness that rushed past on either side. His face was expressionless, and he remained silent for a long time.

’This Ghost Tide is coming for me.’

’The Ghost Race... they’re being both overly cautious and incredibly decisive.’

He had hidden so much of his true power. The only strength he’d shown the world was a single Jiangbei Defense Line. Even so, the moment the Ghost Race learned of it, they had still launched a lightning-fast offensive to destroy him.

For such a massive Ghost Tide to appear so suddenly at the Yellow Springs Entrance Defense Line, the price the Ghost Race paid couldn’t have been small.

He looked at the number of remaining Celestial Pillars indicated on the translucent map before him.

The Mortal Realm had a total of ninety-eight Max Level Celestial Pillars.

Fifteen had just been launched, leaving eighty-two. He had already used one before his departure, firing it at the Ghost Tide outside the Jiangbei Defense Line, which allowed him to determine its effective blast radius: roughly ten kilometers.

The range hadn’t increased by much.

But the destructive power within that radius had increased dramatically. Even a Great Ghost would be annihilated by a single strike.

He hadn’t encountered any stronger Ghost Objects.

Based on how quickly the Great Ghosts had fallen, he felt that even a stronger Ghost Object would undoubtedly be killed if hit by a Max Level Celestial Pillar.

"We need reinforcements!"

A few minutes later, the voice of the man in charge of the Yellow Springs Entrance Defense Line came through the Sound Transmission Talisman.

Without hesitation, Chen Fan tapped the translucent map before him three more times.

Near the Mortal Realm Port, among the hundreds of Celestial Pillars standing there, three Max Level ones began to tremble. Their outer shells shattered, revealing slender, more compact pillars within. These rose slowly into the air, changed direction, and shot off toward the Yellow Springs Entrance Defense Line.

...

Finally—

After Chen Fan had launched a total of fifty-four Max Level Celestial Pillars, the voice of the commander at the Yellow Springs Entrance Defense Line finally came through.

"The Ghost Tide... The Ghost Tide... it’s gone."

Chen Fan let out a sigh of relief. The Yellow Springs Entrance Defense Line had held, though the price was steep.

’Tian Yi is dead.’

’The Night Watchers have been activated.’

The Mortal Realm’s entire reserve of ninety-eight Max Level Celestial Pillars had been depleted by fifty-five, but in the end, the line had held. If the Yellow Springs Entrance Defense Line had been breached, the threat to the Mortal Realm would have been immense.

He couldn’t possibly build a defense line across both Jiangbei and Jiangnan.

The line would be far too long. The Mortal Realm simply didn’t have enough Ghost Stones, and even if it did, construction would take time. It wasn’t something that could be completed in the blink of an eye.

Then, the voice came again.

"We found Tian Yi! He’s not dead yet—he’s still breathing, just barely—but he’s on the verge of death... I’m using an altar to temporarily sustain his life."

"I’m on my way."

...

「Two hours later.」

One hundred fully equipped Flying Ships arrived at the Yellow Springs Entrance Defense Line. This was Chen Fan’s first time visiting the line. As his Flying Ship drew level with the City Wall, he walked out onto it.

He immediately took in the scene outside the defense line.

The ground had been razed, lowered by several dozen feet.

The air was thick with the mixed stench of burning flesh and blood. Countless fragments of Ghost Corpses, interspersed with Ghost Stones, littered the ground beyond the defense line.

"I’m the commander of the Yellow Springs Entrance Defense Line."

A middle-aged man strode forward to greet him, speaking urgently.

"Take me to Tian Yi."

"This way."

The man hurried to lead the way.

Soon, in a Sacrificial Tower set up on the City Wall, Chen Fan saw Tian Yi. He was lying naked in an altar, his eyes tightly shut. His body was covered in cracks, a truly horrific sight.

But not a single drop of blood flowed from the fissures.

Only a faint, crimson flame could be seen flowing out from within them.

...

He didn’t know anything about healing. Normally, an altar could easily heal injuries like broken bones or external wounds, but Tian Yi’s condition was clearly something else entirely.

His fractures and external wounds had already been healed.

But there was no blood left in his body.

It was a miracle he was still alive. Chen Fan was at a loss for what to do. However... the moment he’d heard the news, he had dispatched a Flying Ship to retrieve someone who might have a solution.

About the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, a Flying Ship shot out of the darkness and came to a halt at the edge of the City Wall.

The Medicine King Valley Master, leading a group of Elders, rushed off the Flying Ship carrying bags of all sizes. They hurried to Tian Yi’s side and began a quick, careful examination.

Soon, the Medicine King Valley Master stood up and gave his diagnosis.

"Domain Lord Chen, this man must have used a special Secret Technique to rupture every blood vessel in his body, burning his blood to ash in exchange for an immense burst of power."

"It’s a suicidal Secret Technique, one that cannot be stopped once started."

"But—"

"—inside a hidden compartment of the Jade Token he wears around his neck, there was a Rare Heavenly and Earthly Treasure. It is of the yin attribute, which coincidentally neutralized a small portion of the raging crimson flames."

"It’s what’s kept him alive."

"However, his blood vessels have completely shattered, and he’s only hanging on by a thread. If he has a Life Token in the Eternal Night Hall, it would have surely shattered by now."

"Even in the altar, he can only survive for three days at most."

"There is one method that might save him, it’s just..."

The Medicine King Valley Master lacked confidence. He had never encountered such a thorny problem before. The solution he had in mind was purely theoretical, and for a moment, he hesitated to voice it.