With a look of disbelief, Tang Xiaomin slowly closed her eyes.
"Minmin!"
...
Her strength depleted, she fell into a deep sleep.
At the same time, something surged out from the lava-filled abyss.
Tai Shan, Chu Chen, Qin Yu, and all the other Nine Underworld Kings appeared on the battlefield.
Not only them, but even the undead warriors of the Underworld had arrived.
Just moments ago, Tang Xiaomin had used her last ounce of strength to forcibly tear open a passage to the Yellow Springs, connecting the two worlds.
This act was an defiance of heaven's will.
Unfortunately, she herself fell into a slumber as a result, rendering the impending heavenly tribulation lightning strike meaningless.
...
The Lord of the Underworld appeared, his gaze filled with a mixture of awe and concern as he looked at Tang Xiaomin, who lay in Yan Jue's embrace.
"Didn't you say you were powerful enough to protect her?"
"Why did you let her end up like this?"
At this moment, Yan Jue could hear nothing else.
His eyes were solely focused on the sleeping figure.
Her strength was completely drained. When would she awaken? It was an uncertain future.
When would they meet again? It was impossible to tell.
In this relationship, he had always been the more active one.
At times, he even felt that Tang Xiaomin didn't love him as much as he loved her.
But her actions today finally made him understand the depth of her love for him.
And how terribly wrong he had been.
"Minmin."
The man lowered his head in pain, gritting his teeth in helplessness. Tears quietly slid from the corners of his eyes, falling onto Tang Xiaomin's face.
As she slept, her expression was serene, no longer offering him any response.
The sight of Yan Jue, a man of his stature, weeping for Tang Xiaomin was both surprising and deeply moving.
With the supreme commander gone forever, Yan Jue was now, by right, the leader of the Underworld.
Through the long passage of years, their emotions had been worn away. They had long forgotten what love felt like, what emotions were.
They were like emotionless walking corpses.
Heaven was fair; what it gave you, it would inevitably take away.
What had happened could not be undone. Tang Xiaomin's slumber was a certainty.
The Lord of the Underworld turned to face the cool, mechanized war god hovering in the air and, without a word, brandished his great scythe.
"Director Pan, Tang Xiaomin's situation – you're responsible, aren't you?"
The mask was lifted, revealing Director Pan's face.
He looked at the man wielding the great scythe with confusion.
"You are... Ye Fengxing? But you're dead!"
"Calling me that is fine. I'm asking you, is Tang Xiaomin's situation your doing?"
"Heh..."
Director Pan smiled triumphantly.
"Thanks to you, I had the opportunity to research the special power within Yan Jue."
"As you can see, I've succeeded and incorporated it into my mecha war god. The effect is truly remarkable. I feel as powerful as a god ruling the world right now."
"Of course, all of this is also thanks to Tang Xiaomin. I extracted the special power from her body for my own use."
The Lord of the Underworld had long known that Director Pan was a science fanatic.
"So, it was you."
"So what if it was me? Since you've arrived at my base, let's settle this once and for all."
Seeing the endless stream of undead warriors emerging from the pit, Director Pan's expression became more grave than ever.
At this moment, he had only one thought: succeed or die trying.
"Hmph, such arrogance. I'd like to see how you, a mere mortal, can be so presumptuous!"
Tai Shan roared, charging forward first.
He was a powerhouse, and with a fierce swing of his axe, he struck a mecha war god, smashing it to the ground.
The Lord of the Underworld, wielding his great scythe, moved directly towards Director Pan.
The other Underworld Kings, leading their undead warriors, joined the fray.
In an instant, this island became a battlefield, filled with smoke and fire, the fighting intensifying.
This was a war between technology and extraordinary abilities.
...
Lu Xing arrived at Yan Jue's side, panting, and sighed helplessly as he looked at the sleeping Tang Xiaomin.
However, life had to go on; he couldn't remain in despair.
"Director Yan, Miss Tang exhausted her energy to forcibly open this passage. Her body is still intact. As long as she's given enough time to slowly gather energy, she will eventually wake up."
"She loves you so much, how could she bear to leave you?"
Lu Xing understood him best, and his comfort hit the mark.
Though reluctant to believe it, Yan Jue slowly accepted the reality.
He handed Tang Xiaomin over to Lu Xing, a crimson mist swirling in his eyes as his rage burned to its peak.
"Take good care of her. I'll be back."
As soon as he finished speaking, a bloodthirsty, menacing red sword materialized in his hand.
A frenzied, bloodthirsty aura swept across the entire island.
Without a word, he disarmed a mecha war god and, with a fierce slash, split it in two.
Then, he charged towards Director Pan, his sword a blur of rapid strikes, too fast for the eye to follow.
Director Pan had set his mecha war god to automatic mode, and the mecha valiantly resisted the combined assault of Yan Jue and the Lord of the Underworld.
But he had miscalculated.
Without the burden of Tang Xiaomin, the Lord of the Underworld, fighting at full strength, was terrifyingly powerful.
Although the mecha war god could analyze his combat patterns and respond accordingly,
Yan Jue's strength and speed far surpassed its expectations.
Coupled with Ye Fengxing's assistance, Director Pan gradually began to falter.
Furthermore, his other mecha war gods were entangled by the dense ranks of undead warriors and the formidable allies that Tang Xiaomin had summoned.
At this moment, Director Pan found himself isolated and helpless.
His artillery ammunition was limited, and some of his cannons had fallen silent.
And the mecha war gods he prided himself on were not invincible against the onslaught of these demons and monsters.
Bang!
Yan Jue swung his sword towards Director Pan's throat. Director Pan raised his hand to block, but the immense force sent him flying, crashing hard against the metal wall of the base.
Looking around, only a few mecha war gods were still putting up a desperate fight.
The tide had turned; defeat was inevitable.
"How could this be?"
"How could I possibly be defeated by you? How?"
Director Pan's face was etched with disbelief.
He couldn't accept that his life's work was so fragile against these demons and monsters.
In his mind, with his hundreds of mecha war gods and batteries that could last for another ten days to half a month,
defeating Yan Jue was merely a matter of time.
Reality, however, often diverged from ideals.
"Director Pan, you have lost," said the Lord of the Underworld.
"An island, mere machines... You might have stood a chance in a one-on-one fight."
"But you are facing the entire Underworld, an entire world. You have no chance of victory. The outcome of this battle was decided long ago."
Yan Jue, his face contorted with rage, walked towards Director Pan, his sword in hand.
Tang Xiaomin's condition demanded that Director Pan pay with his life.
Yan Jue moved to strike without hesitation, but a figure suddenly rushed out.
It was Pan Jie, shielding Director Pan.
Director Pan had been reluctant to involve her in the battle and had let her hide in the base.
"Don't kill him, I beg you."
"There's a self-destruct device on this island. I've already activated it. If you spare him, I can stop it, and you can leave safely."
"Otherwise, we'll all die here together."