boom--!!!

When Zhao Qingcang's palm touched the Spirit Sealing Coffin, the vast life essence within his body surged wildly towards the stone coffin!

The power of the Spirit Sealing Coffin was replenished like never before, surging dramatically!

The coffin lid, which had been still, began to creak and groan again, pressing down with immense force!

"No!!"

Qin Zeduo let out a roar of resentment.

He could feel a force several times stronger than before acting on his snake head, and his hard skull was being crushed inch by inch.

"Is it really worth it to just seal me away with your two lives?"

Zhao Qingcang's body also began to age rapidly.

Those eyes that once commanded thousands of troops and struck fear into the hearts of enemies have become cloudy and lost their luster.

In just a few seconds.

His body also became incredibly old.

But the hand he placed on the coffin lid remained as steady as a mountain, unwavering.

"Aaaaaah—!"

In Qin Zeduo's final desperate and unwilling roar.

The two snake heads that were wedged into the coffin lid were forcibly pushed back into the coffin.

Boom!...

The heavy coffin lid was completely closed.

The intricate runes on the coffin glowed with a blinding golden light, then quickly dimmed.

Everything returned to silence.

The sea breeze suddenly stopped.

The enormous vortex, capable of swallowing heaven and earth, vanished without a trace as the lid of the sealing coffin was tightly closed.

The once boiling and roaring ocean has strangely calmed down.

Only the enormous stone coffin, floating above the sea and exuding an ancient and weathered aura, cast a chilling shadow under the moonlight, silently recounting the tragic scene that had just unfolded.

On top of the stone coffin.

The two figures remained in their final poses.

Zhao Qingcang's large hand was pressed firmly against the center of the coffin lid, like a majestic mountain, suppressing all evil spirits in the world.

Deng Qihe stood beside him, his withered hand resting on his disciple's shoulder. His extremely aged face, though no longer breathing, still bore a smile of relief and contentment.

The two of them stood there quietly.

It is like a stone sculpture that has weathered ten thousand years of wind and frost. Even though it has lost the spark of life, its spine is still straight and pierces the sky like a sharp sword.

"Tick-tock".

A drop of water, whether seawater or dew, slid down Zhao Qingcang's already graying temples and dripped onto the stone surface of the sealed coffin.

A crisp sound broke the silence.

Immediately afterwards.

A gentle breeze blew by.

There was no bloody scene as I had imagined.

Deng Qihe's body, already exhausted and worn out, transformed into countless glittering points of light in the wind.

Firefly-like specks of light danced and circled Zhao Qingcang twice as a # Nоvеlight # final farewell before soaring upwards and merging into the vast starry sky.

"teacher......"

The last glimmer of light in Zhao Qingcang's weary eyes vanished completely as the points of light disappeared.

His body also began to disintegrate.

Starting from the fingertips, it gradually transforms into golden dust.

But his hand, which was pressed on the coffin lid, did not loosen even for a moment until it completely disappeared.

Changmen Port, temporary command post.

The command post was completely silent.

Although the surveillance screen had long since gone black, the complete disappearance of Zhao Qingcang's energy fluctuations allowed every soldier of the Great Xia Dynasty present to clearly perceive—

The two towering white jade pillars that supported the summer sky collapsed.

"Thump."

The bearded lieutenant general, who had been clamoring to charge into battle, suddenly collapsed to his knees and knelt heavily on the ground.

This tough man, who bleeds but never sheds a tear, covered his face with his hands and let out a suppressed sob.

"The Marshal... is gone..."

Some took off their military caps, some wept uncontrollably, and some bit their lips tightly until they bled.

In the corner.

Qi Zhenyun turned around.

This usually gentle and mild-mannered old man was already in tears.

He walked to the command platform and pressed the button to issue a notification to the entire army with trembling hands.

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

The sound of electricity rang out.

Qi Zhenyun's deep voice, filled with endless sorrow and solemnity, resounded in the earpieces of every Great Xia warrior.

"The entire Xia army, heed my command!"

"I am Qi Zhenyun, the acting commander-in-chief."

"Just now... our supreme commander Marshal Zhao Qingcang, together with former Marshal Deng Qihe, successfully sealed Qin Zeduo, an SS-level professional from the Sakura Kingdom, in the Nagato Sea by sacrificing their own lives."

The voice paused for a moment.

Qi Zhenyun used all his strength to shout out those last four words:

"The two marshals... died heroically in battle!"

Qi Zhenyun straightened his back and gave a perfect military salute in the direction of the Changmen sea area.

He strained with all his might and roared into the microphone:

"Attention, all troops!"

"Salute to the Marshal!!!"

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Marshal!!!"

The next second.

Whether they are generals or privates, seriously wounded soldiers or logistics personnel.

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty faced the sea and raised their right hands in unison.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Marshal!!!"

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Marshal!!!"

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Marshal!!!"

The mournful roar coalesced into a visible sound wave that soared into the sky, scattering the dark clouds.

...

Meanwhile, in a secluded courtyard in Donghai City.

Zhou Huai suddenly sat up in bed, his chest heaving violently, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

He was panting heavily as he looked around.

The familiar ceiling, the familiar room, and the faint scent of herbs still linger in the air.

"Young Master!"

Uncle Fu, who was guarding the bedside, was startled by the sudden commotion. Then, his face lit up with joy, and he rushed forward, his voice trembling.

"You...you're awake?"

"I was terrified when I saw you suddenly faint. I couldn't wake you up no matter what I did!"

Uncle Fu looked at him nervously, his cloudy old eyes filled with worry.

Zhou Huai snapped out of his daze, looked at Uncle Fu's face full of concern, and then looked down at his own hands.

He tried clenching his fist.

The knuckles are distinct, the palms are warm, and you can even feel the subtle movement of blood flowing in the veins.

"I'm fine."

Zhou Huai spoke, his voice a little hoarse, but his thoughts were incredibly clear.

He looked up, his eyes not showing relief at surviving the ordeal, but rather a strange look.

"To be precise, I've never been in such good shape." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

At this moment, Zhou Huai's mind was perfectly clear, without the slightest dizziness or the excruciating pain of his soul being torn apart.

It was as if the gloom that had long shrouded the spiritual world was suddenly parted by an invisible hand, revealing a clear sky without a single cloud.

This feeling... is so abnormal.

He seemed to realize something, his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly threw off the thin blanket covering him.

Those legs, which had long since lost all feeling, came into view.

He stared intently at his toes, trying to control his legs.

The next second.

Zhou Huai's pupils suddenly contracted.

That big toe, which had been stiff for so long, actually... curled up slightly.