Chapter 495: It's Yours

Chapter 495: Chapter 21: It’s Yours

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

The glare of artillery fire tore through the night sky, plummeting toward camps scattered across Mountain City.

Amidst the deafening explosions, shallow craters erupted continuously across the ground. Speeding pickup trucks were blown apart mid-journey, sending towering pillars of fire into the air. This scene was like a microcosm, playing out in every corner of Mountain City.

Panic-stricken residents hid in buildings and cellars. Some huddled tightly in corners, bodies trembling, not daring to make a single sound. Others knelt on the ground, praying for the flames of war to end quickly. Still, others hid by their windows, their faces filled with a mix of hatred and sheer vindication as they watched the warlord soldiers being gunned down one after another.

**RAT-A-TAT-TAT!**

“Charge!”

“Brothers, follow me!”

Amidst the gunfire, the unstoppable army from the Alliance Country fully breached the interior of Mountain City. The densely packed troops fanned out along the streets. Fully armed and coordinating flawlessly, they pulled their triggers in rapid succession. Storms of bullets rained down, encircling and annihilating the stubbornly resisting warlord forces. Smoke filled the air as artillery shells exploded on the ground, illuminating the faces of the soldiers. In their eyes reflected the crimson streaks of the bullet hail.

Behind them, armored vehicles of the Alliance Country rumbled through the fortress gates, surging forward like steel behemoths. The mechanical CLACK CLACK of their treads crushing the ground seemed to weigh heavily on people’s hearts, compelling an increasing number of warlord soldiers to drop their weapons and surrender.

**BOOM!**

Yet, amidst this exact scene, the walls of a stone bunker collapsed. A figure enveloped in a black Qi Flame smashed through all obstacles, charging out like a black chariot. The nearest warlord soldiers stood by the flagstone road, just putting down their weapons and raising their hands to surrender to the advancing Alliance Country army.

However, a gruesome **SPLAT** echoed.

Blood splattered and bone fragments scattered. The warlord soldiers were rammed so hard their bodies exploded, leaving only their combat boots and the lower halves of their calves standing in place. The figure wrapped in the black Qi Flame continued its relentless charge, completely ignoring their gruesome fate as it rushed straight for the walls of Fortress Mountain City.

“This…”

Witnessing this, the expressions of the charging Alliance Country soldiers shifted slightly. Even the elite soldiers inside the armored vehicles felt their pupils constrict. They could clearly see the figure wreathed in black Qi Flame getting closer and closer, about to ram them into bloody mist and meat paste as well.

**ROAR!**

At the critical moment, a beastly roar erupted. An invisible Spiritual Shock swept in from afar. The figure looked as if struck by a heavy blow; his feet left the ground, and he smashed through a street wall on one side. Amidst the rumbling, dust billowed into the night sky, accompanied by the CRACKLE of shattering bricks hitting the ground.

The Alliance Country soldiers were visibly shaken, instinctively halting their movements to look over. They saw a cloud of black mist drifting in from one side of the street, seemingly spreading through the air. Two pairs of crimson, slit-like pupils—brutal and fierce—didn’t even spare them a glance as the entity charged straight toward the ruined street.

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

A series of muffled thuds echoed, resounding in everyone’s ears. It sounded like a Beast King venting its fury, or a humanoid chariot rampaging uncontrollably. The ruined street in their line of sight collapsed and caved in, with more and more shallow craters bursting open. The walls of buildings along the way were brutally smashed by the man and the beast, the commotion moving further and further away from the soldiers.

Finally, a cold, sinister voice echoed through the night sky. “Get lost!”

In the distance, the black mist suddenly turned ethereal.

Ao’Er, still wrapped in his black Qi Flame, finally broke free from Ghost Element’s restraint. Although his face was pale and his aura weakened, he took the opportunity to leap forward, intending to vault over the fortress wall and escape.

The Alliance Country soldiers and members of the Red Flame Army, who had taken over the defense line on the high wall, had long noticed the commotion. Seeing this, they gritted their teeth, fighting back their fear as they pulled their triggers. The hovering aircars in mid-air also detected the anomaly, pivoting their weapon modules to focus fire on him.

**RAT-A-TAT-TAT!**

**BOOM! BOOM!**

A frantic barrage ensued. Artillery shells hammered the ground, tearing it apart, while a hail of bullets formed a fiery red curtain. An ordinary Superpower Level expert would normally retreat far away when faced with such a staggering bombardment.

However, a thunderous boom rang out.

The ground caved in, and all the smoke from the explosions suddenly dispersed. With his black Qi Flame condensing into solid armor, Ao’Er stomped the ground and dashed out of the concentrated fire. His cold eyes swept over the hovering aircars and the many soldiers on the fortress wall.

**WHOOSH!**

He swung his arms like giant fans, whipping up a fierce gale. The flagstones on the ground shattered with loud cracks. The high-speed bullets seemed to hit immense resistance, deflected by his forceful aura before they could even get close. Even the high-altitude artillery shells, in the instant they were about to hit him, were knocked away by the explosive air currents erupting from his body, flying backward to blow up a building on the side.

**BOOM! BOOM!**

“What incredible strength,” Yue Zhenhong and several Alliance Country commanders remarked, their expressions grave as they guarded atop the fortress wall.

The ground in their line of sight rumbled and exploded once more, sending flames rocketing into the sky. Yet, the figure cloaked in black Qi Flame remained completely unscathed, stomping the ground to charge straight toward them again.

**SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!**

With a flick of his finger, the black Qi Flame shot through the sky like a high-speed, deadly spinning drill. Its ear-piercing screech pierced through everything. Its power seemed to surpass that of a howitzer strike, nearing the full-force impact of a low-speed missile.

“Together!”

“Right!”

Yue Zhenhong and the others treated him like a mortal threat, hastily erupting their own Qi Flames to block him collectively.

**BOOM!**

White Qi Flame lit up the dark night, while blue arcs of light tore through the darkness. The Martial Artists and Armored Transformers unleashed all their techniques. The Fist Seal Qi Flame and the blazing arcs of Life Energy merged into one, shooting forward like a miniature sun. The air beneath the radiant dust trembled wildly. At the street level beneath the wall, the black and white energies collided with a deafening crash.

**BOOM!**

A muffled explosion rang out, lasting for merely a second. The surrounding Alliance Country warriors watched with bright, expectant eyes.

Then came a tearing sound, followed by an earth-shattering boom.

However, the combined strike of several Superpower Level experts was instantly crushed. The white-blue blazing arc that resembled a small sun violently exploded. Although the black drill dimmed slightly, it met no resistance, smashing through like a hot knife through butter as it hurtled straight toward the fortress wall.

“This…”

Yue Zhenhong and the others paled slightly, completely unprepared for such a massive gap in strength. The black drill was about to hit them, which would inevitably blast through the wall beneath their feet and allow the enemy to escape.

**CLANG!**

**CLANG!**

The sound of clashing metal echoed through the sky.

A black Ink Blade intercepted the attack right in front of Yue Zhenhong and his group. The blade vibrated slightly under the impact of the spinning drill, grinding out showers of flying sparks. The shockwaves rippled outward in all directions, like a hurricane sweeping across the wall. Lu Chao stood before them, his trench coat snapping wildly in the wind.

“Special… Commissioner Chen?”

Dust danced in the air as silence fell. Yue Zhenhong barely managed to collect his wits. His grayish-black hair had been blown entirely backward by the blast wave, allowing him to recognize Lu Chao’s back. The other Superpower Level experts around him looked shocked, feeling a trace of astonishment.

They wondered, “Has Special Commissioner Chen’s strength increased yet again since he left Ring City?”

As these thoughts arose, the Alliance Country soldiers manning the fortress defenses and the personnel inside the supporting aircars overhead all looked at Lu Chao from every direction with excited eyes. They had finally seen the commander-in-chief of this fortress operation.

“Leave this to me,” Lu Chao said in a casual tone before suddenly swinging his blade.

**WHOOSH!**

The high-speed spinning Qi Flame drill was sent flying backward. It was so condensed that it looked like a real piece of alloy smashing into the ground below the wall.

**BOOM!**

Mountain City’s flagstone street shook violently as a shallow crater was blasted open.

Ao’Er, who had intended to blast straight through the defense line, halted his steps and looked up at Lu Chao.

He thought, “Lu Weilong actually failed to stop him?” A hint of confusion flashed through his eyes as he frowned.

Unaware of his thoughts, Yue Zhenhong and the others on the wall felt slightly worried and wanted to say more.

“Lu Weilong is dead.” Lu Chao stood at the edge of the wall, looking down at the grounds, buildings, and streets of Mountain City. His dynamic vision, sharp as an eagle’s, locked onto Ao’Er, sending a chill down the latter’s spine. “Go suppress the Red River Army.”

**SWISH!**

As soon as the words fell, Lu Chao instantly vanished. When he reappeared, he was already on the ground, seven or eight meters below the wall, slashing his blade toward Ao’Er.

**BOOM!**

The air exploded and the earth quaked. An intense shockwave erupted on the street below, carving out a shallow crater three to five meters wide.

In the next instant, both Lu Chao and Ao’Er vanished. They looked like two streaks of black light crisscrossing in mid-air, leaving behind a blur of afterimages.

“Lu Weilong is dead?” Yue Zhenhong and the others were a bit dazed, Lu Chao’s words still echoing in their minds.

A few seconds later, they witnessed the flickering clashes in the street below—a transcendent battle where neither side seemed to have the upper hand. Exchanging complex glances, they made a decision fueled by awe.

“Then, let’s go.”

With Special Commissioner Chen here, the defense line was undoubtedly secure. As for them…

**SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!**

The figures departed. The Superpower Level experts from the Alliance Country charged into various parts of Mountain City one after another, cooperating with the Red Flame Army to suppress multiple resisting forces.

The rumbling continued endlessly, and the street below the fortress wall was already in total ruins.

**BOOM!**

A wall collapsed, and the streaking black light briefly halted. Clutching an alloy dagger, Ao’Er slid into the hall of a concrete building. His face was ghastly as he stared at the man in front of him.

“You killed Lu Weilong?” he asked, feeling shocked and suspicious.

In terms of pure defense, Lu Weilong was, to a certain extent, even a few notches stronger than himself. How could he be dead?

“Dead men don’t need answers.”

**SWISH!**

Lu Chao suddenly swung his blade. The muscles in his right arm expanded by half a circle, infusing his blade with a mountain-shattering momentum.

**CLANG!**

Ao’Er’s face darkened as he blocked the blade with a reverse grip on his dagger. A berserk force surged into him, which he neutralized inch by inch and redirected into the ground. The concrete floor cracked and shattered. One could visibly see the muscles on his body contracting inch by inch, while the black Qi Flame cloaking him quietly shrank inward.

In the next moment, he sneered.

“You think you can beat me?”

**BOOM!**

Another air explosion erupted, blasting a crater within a five-meter radius. Ao’Er had actually merged the air explosion technique into his Martial Skill. Spinning like a drill, he seized the momentum to erupt with power, launching a fierce counterattack as he continuously stabbed with his dagger.

“Come on!”

**SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!**

Ao’Er’s eyes were icy. His muscles synchronized to explode with strength, thrusting out over a dozen strikes in a single instant. Every stab whipped up a fierce gale, fused with the residual power of an air explosion. Even if they were dodged, they would pierce several meters forward, shattering the building walls and concrete pillars behind his target.

**RIP!**

Lu Chao’s black trench coat was damaged, torn open by the strikes. Over a dozen afterimages of black thrusts rampaged in all directions, enveloping every single vital spot on Lu Chao’s body.

“Let’s see how you kill me!” Ao’Er’s eyes were cold and bloodthirsty as he spun like a high-speed top. The sharp thrusts attacked strictly from blind spots, making them impossible to dodge. Even though Lu Chao swung his Ink Blade, he couldn’t defend against all of them.

**SLASH!**

The trench coat was cut open yet again, looking as if flesh and blood had been pierced.

“Didn’t you kill Lu Weilong?

“Come on, let me see just how much…”

**BOOM!**

A muffled explosion tore through the air, and Ao’Er was sent flying backward. All of his words were abruptly cut off. His eyes went wide as he crashed through a concrete pillar, then smashed consecutively through the wall and window behind him.

**CRASH!**

The already tottering concrete building collapsed completely, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

But then…

**WHOOSH!**

The dust cloud blew apart instantly, like physical water waves being parted to both sides. A black figure charged straight in like a loose arrow, shooting right at him.

“You…”

**THUD!**

Ao’Er’s eyes bulged as the condensed black Qi Flame on his chest violently shuddered. The incoming Fist Seal slammed down like a giant hammer, striking his chest and abdomen and instantly driving him into the ground.

**BOOM!**

The earth cracked open, blasted into a shallow crater with five- or six-meter-long fissures webbing out in all directions. The intense impact threw Ao’Er’s qi and blood into chaos, and the scale-armor-like black Qi Flame on his body grew slightly faint. The moment his body hit the ground, the sheer force of the impact bounced him up nearly an inch into the air.

And in that split-second opening…

**BUZZ!**

A foot stepped down, pinning his head to the ground. An invisible aura erupted explosively, shattering his Qi Flame and smashing him back into the earth.

**THUD!**

The ground within a hundred-meter radius shook violently. An invisible shockwave, accompanied by a fierce gale, rattled the windows of the dark street. Lu Chao stood tall, looking down condescendingly at Ao’Er, whose head was pinned beneath his foot. Streams of blood oozed from Ao’Er’s mouth as the fractured ground caved in yet again.

“You…” Ao’Er opened his mouth. His horrified, disbelieving eyes seemed to ask, ‘How could an Exploration Level expert erupt with such power?’

As if to answer him…

**SPLAT!**

His head burst apart, sending blood spraying everywhere. Lu Chao glanced at the headless corpse, watching the crimson blood pool out and dye the ground red.

Then, sensing something, he turned his head slightly to look at the drifting black mist and the two lantern-sized crimson vertical pupils.

“He’s yours.”