Chapter 2997: We Can Hear

War!

The gods and generals of Zhutian roared, their battle intent surging to the heavens. Most of them had little lifespan left, so they forcibly pushed their combat power to its peak. Though they didn't know if they could win this war, they understood that holding this city wall meant preserving hope. No matter which of the great emperors returned, they would have a chance to turn the tide.

However, reality proved even harsher than they imagined.

With just one strike, a breach was torn in the city wall. After all, it had been hastily constructed, nowhere near as fortified as the Nan Chu city wall, which had been refined through countless trials, so its defenses were far from robust.

"Come."

Xuan Huang charged ahead, facing nine Mo Jun alone and battling into the cang qiong. Yue Huang followed suit, also taking on nine genuine Mo Jun—the complete variety—and they fought into the void.

"Ants."

The demon soldiers and generals laughed ferociously, swarming like ants as they assaulted the city wall.

"Bold to think Zhutian has no one!"

The descendants of emperors, heirs of the emperor's path, and reclusive elders charged forward relentlessly, clashing with the heavenly demons.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The war between the two realms erupted in full force, one side attacking and the other defending in a fierce struggle. Amid the cries of battle, sections of the city wall crumbled, and figures fell in droves—both heavenly demons and Zhutian warriors. Lives were as expendable as grass, with blood flooding the ruined walls and thick blood mist ravaging the skies.

The battle was brutal.

Not a single Zhutian cultivator retreated, bathing in the blood of the heavenly demons as they fought with frenzied madness.

The gods and generals were human, yet each one fought like a madman.

They battled as long as they could; if not, they would self-destruct without hesitation.

Gazing down from above, amid the black masses of the demon army, blood flowers bloomed one after another—striking and vivid. Each bloom marked the end of a life, body and soul utterly destroyed.

In this way, they built a blood-red great wall for the emperors behind them.

The female emperor wept, her eyes closed, yet tears streamed from the corners.

This scene was eerily similar to the great war from ages past, with countless lives lost, bodies shattered, corpses piled into mountains, and blood flowing like rivers—all for that faint glimmer of hope.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The merciless war did not pause for the female emperor's tears; instead, it grew even more savage.

As long as people stood, the city wall stood.

This was the unyielding resolve of the Zhutian gods and generals. Because of this tenacity, they struck fear into the hearts of the heavenly demons, who repeatedly assaulted the wall only to be repelled time and again. No longer did they underestimate these "ants" in their eyes—each one fought like an unyielding madman. This wasn't just warfare; it was a fight to the death. A single misstep could trigger a self-destruction, affecting multitudes each time.

For the first time, the thunderous booms faded.

The demon army retreated, from the Mo Jun down to the lowest soldiers, their weapon-gripping hands trembling.

Glancing back at the city wall revealed a heart-wrenching sight.

Aside from a few, the rest were white-haired and elderly, swaying unsteadily, their armor in tatters and bodies drenched in blood. They had fought until they were no longer recognizable as human.

War was cruel.

Even knowing their loved ones' bodies lay below the wall, they had no time to glance at them.

"Kill! Kill for me!"

The Third Tian Mo Di roared, charging forward, only to be blocked dead in the western void by the peak experts. The emperor's form was disheveled, and the quasi-emperors' appearances were equally grim, all fighting with broken bodies driven by an obsession—to keep this emperor trapped here.

"Kill."

The emperor's command was effective. After a brief respite, the demon army surged like a tide once more.

"War!"

The gods and generals steadied themselves and charged forward again. In an instant, tens of thousands self-destructed, like a beam of blood light rushing into the demon ranks and blooming into dazzling blood flowers.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The thunderous roars echoed from the Tai Gu Road and the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity. Tai Gu Road was in battle, and Zhutian was too, with countless demon pillars descending and foreign realm supremes arriving, including great emperors and heavenly emperors.

"Truly underestimating my Ming Realm."

Ming Di's shout shook the cang qiong as he single-handedly fought eight heavenly emperors, nearly collapsing the underworld.

"Zhutian is not without its people."

Dao Zu's cold hum resonated like ancient thunder, shaking the immortal dome. The forces he faced were even more massive: five E Mo heavenly emperors, three Tian Mo great emperors, and one emperor-level sacred demon.

War!

The human realm was already awash in blood, with the common people's roars filled with raging fury.

The Dong Huang female emperor's immortal body was stained with blood, clad in emperor's battle armor as she routed three heavenly emperors in succession.

The common people had their obsessions, and so did the emperors.

Whether she was Ji Ning Shuang or Dong Shen Yao Chi, she would fight with her life to protect that ancient vow: as long as people remained in Zhutian, so would it stand. At least, until her husband returned, there would still be a home called Da Chu.

This day was the most grueling for the three realms.

Because the female emperor had separated, the hidden veil in the void had weakened to its limit, allowing countless demon pillars to descend.

"Generations of great emperors! Show your spirits!"

The common people's roars came from the depths of their souls, struggling on the brink of life and death as mountains and rivers shattered.

"We can hear."

A response seemed to come from the void, ancient and distant, hoarse and weathered.

These were the emperors of Zhutian's past generations.

They were the true monoliths, guarding the endless ages of the Tai Gu Hong Huang.

Now, they too were aged and depleted, their lamps nearly extinguished.

The entire Tai Gu Hong Huang was shrouded in thick sorrow, even the blowing winds carrying a sense of age.

"I'm afraid we can't wait for Zhutian's reinforcements."

Hong Lian female emperor murmured softly, her once clear eyes now dull and murky, her gaze dim. Her snow-white hair reflected the passage of time. The emperor who once burned the eight desolate gods was now faded and aged, remembering only someone named Mo Yuan.

"Di Huang."

Dong Hua female emperor whispered, her white hair fluttering, her dim eyes recounting a tender love story. Even the supreme affection could not withstand the ancient mission; she had lost count of how many reincarnations had passed.

"The common people still have hope."

Tai Xu Long Di said faintly, his white hair and body enveloped in deathly aura. Even the blood dripping from his mouth turned to ash as it fell, yet he remained as steadfast as a carved stone statue.

Hope!

This word made the past supremes' expressions turn dazed, staring blankly at the vast expanse, desperately searching for that sliver of light. But everywhere their eyes reached was darkness, with no trace of illumination.

"I want to see how long you can hold out."

A sinister laugh suddenly rang out, carrying an irresistible demonic nature, cold and violent.

"You are truly pitiful."

Xuan Yuan Di replied indifferently, glancing into the depths where he could see that most detestable demon of all ages.

Ah!

An angry howl erupted, shaking the cang qiong with lightning and thunder, making the entire Tai Gu Hong Huang tremble.

"Can't hold on? Don't provoke him anymore."

Dou Zhan Sheng Huang spat blood, glaring irritably at Xuan Yuan Di, who did this every few days.

Ah!

No sooner had the roar faded than another wolf howl rang out, startling Dou Zhan Sheng Huang's body.

"You really are sick!"

The speaker was Gui Di, cursing Xuan Di, that extremely comical emperor who howled like a wolf every few days—who knew why. If not for their mission, the emperors present would have dragged him out and beaten him senseless. They were all nearly spent, yet he still had the energy to shout.

Xuan Di said nothing. After his howl, he acted as if nothing had happened, though he'd overexerted himself and coughed up several mouthfuls of old blood. Once he steadied himself, he drew glares from all sides—from Zhutian's emperors and even those of the ancient heavenly court. The message in their eyes was clear: howl again, and we'll kick you to death.

Though it was amusing, after the silence, the emperors' gazes grew dark and lifeless once more.

Time had stretched too long, and that light of hope was gradually fading. Without Zhutian's reinforcements, their eternal schemes would come to nothing, and the common people of the myriad realms would all perish in the catastrophe.

On Tai Gu Road, the fighting continued.

The demon army had assaulted the city wall for the umpteenth time and been repelled just as many times.

Looking at the corpses below the wall, there were both heavenly demons and Zhutian warriors.

Some heroic spirits had self-destructed, leaving no remains, only their roars lingering in the surging blood mist.

"Kill! Kill for me!"

The howls came incessantly from the First Tian Mo Di, and from the Second and Third as well. The three emperors were furious beyond measure—one trapped in a cauldron, one submerged in a sea of thunder and fire, and one blocked in the western cang qiong. Their remaining demon army held an absolute numerical advantage, yet after so long, they hadn't even captured a single ruined city wall.

"Kill."

The demon army regrouped at the emperor's command and charged toward the wall again.

"If war is what you want, then come."

The son of the realm split his armor and stood alone, guarding one side and routing the demon soldiers and generals.

Like him, every god and general was an unyielding monolith.

After several battles, too many gods and generals had fallen, and those with depleted lifespans had self-destructed countless times.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The war dragged on, with lives ending every moment, bodies piling into mountains.

Their defense was not without hope.

Glance to the other side of the wall: Wu Lei and Ruo Xi were gradually merging, and only they could do so. As for Chu Xuan and Chu Ling, they remained unconscious, but eternal light from their bodies drifted into Ruo Xi.

"You two need to hurry; we're about to break!"

Xiao Ling Wa shouted frantically, no longer in child form but transformed into a Bawang Long body, rampaging through the void in a bloody fight with a Mo Jun. His massive dragon form was covered in wounds, and his blood flowed like rain; his body had been shattered more than once.

Not far away, another colossal figure loomed.

It was Xiao Yuan Huang, who had reverted to his original form, towering a thousand zhang, wielding his staff to smash swaths of enemies. His blood-soaked body was even more battered than Xiao Ling Wa's, and he fought on the verge of exhaustion.

"Without a Wu Di to hold the line, we really can't keep this up."

Kui Niu was in the worst shape, half his body destroyed, his battle axe shattered. He was ready to self-destruct—or rather, every god and general on the field had that resolve.

"Hold on."

The female emperor murmured softly, her words powerless except for these two that embodied hope.

The merging process was not smooth.

Can Zhu was dead, but the killing intent lingered, requiring a merge to truly erase it. With that intent disrupting them, the fusion was difficult. She needed time, but the gods and generals might not last that long.