Invincible Dad-Chapter 599: Pointing Towards the Heavenly Outer City!_1

Chang'an City burst into flames.

Hundreds upon hundreds of Moon Clan members cackled madly as they wantonly slaughtered ordinary people and the Human Race Martial Artists who tried to stop them. The scene was too horrific for words. Blood streamed from every home, pooling into rivulets with an overpowering, sickening stench.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

Soaked in blood, the Moon Clan had descended into madness. The Martial Artists of Chang'an had gone mad as well, but their madness was born of rage—of watching their kin slaughtered before their very eyes. Madmen often act without considering the consequences.

BOOM!

A Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor, completely spent and devoid of Spiritual Energy, turned for one last look at Chang'an City. An expression of despair gave way to acceptance as he closed his eyes and suddenly self-destructed. Three of the seven Moon Clan members caught in the blast died instantly, while the remaining four were sent flying back, screaming in agony.

This single explosion was like the first falling domino. A chain reaction of self-destructions followed, one after another, roaring without pause.

Crown Prince Ji Gui, who had been observing the battle from above, felt his eyes redden. As far as he was concerned, the Moon Clan had already conquered Chang'an City. The priority now was to minimize casualties. After all, today's attackers were the Moon Clan's elite. Every single death was an unnecessary loss.

But in the tight confines of the city, when dozens or even hundreds of his warriors surrounded a single Human Race Martial Artist, it was impossible to prevent them from self-destructing in a final act of desperation. The only way was to kill them instantly, leaving no opportunity to do so.

"Aim for the vitals," Crown Prince Ji Gui's icy voice commanded from above.

The Moon Clan warriors grew more cautious. They were used to their own kind self-destructing upon capture, but now, it was the Human Race Martial Artists who were doing so.

COUGH.

With his right leg severed and his body covered in countless gory wounds, Zhao Wumian of the Chou Hour fell from the sky onto the city wall. He coughed up mouthfuls of blood, his life clearly fading.

An arrogant Upper Crescent leader stepped on Zhao Wumian's chest, looking down on him. "Give it up. Chang'an City has fallen. You Zhu Lang can't possibly defend it," he sneered. "Surrender, and I can spare your life!"

"I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees," Zhao Wumian bit out, word by word.

"Stubborn fool!" The Upper Crescent leader sneered. "If that's the case, then I won't kill you. I'll let you watch with your own eyes as this city is destroyed. Without Xu Yanyang, that man and his sword, this Chang'an... is nothing!"

Zhao Wumian fell silent. After a long moment, he finally spoke. "Senior Xu Yanyang defended it for one hundred years. We can defend it for one hundred years, five hundred years, even a thousand years!"

"Hold?" The two Lower Crescent leaders who had attacked alongside their superior both laughed mockingly. "We have 100,000 elite Moon Clan warriors, and we've lost less than a tenth of them. And your Human Race? Three of the four city gates are broken, and more than 30,000 of our people are inside the walls! How many of your Martial Artists are even left?"

The taunts were like knives twisting in Zhao Wumian's heart. Without the protection of the Formation, defending this city was an impossibly difficult task.

But the city had not yet fallen. A strange expression crossed Zhao Wumian's face. "And you're so sure the city has fallen?"

"What do you mean?"

Unlike the two Lower Crescent leaders, the Upper Crescent leader felt a sudden sense of foreboding. He saw Zhao Wumian's eyes gleam, as if he had just made a momentous decision. Then, with great weight, Zhao Wumian uttered two words:

"Sword, come."

As if in response, the eyes of Zhang Henshui, Zhang Suzi, and the three other surviving Watchmen, all barely clinging to life, turned red. They roared in unison, "Sword, come!"

Five rays of light rose from their backs. Even the corpse of their fallen comrade began to glow.

This was only the beginning. A faint glow emerged from every Martial Arts Grandmaster in the city, whether they were bathed in blood, severely injured, or on the verge of death. They all looked up, smiling silently as they gazed at the sky, awaiting the promised sword.

Where is the sword coming from?

The Upper Crescent leader's pupils contracted. He shot back a hundred paces, but when he looked at Chang'an and the sky above, there was nothing. "You're bluffing!" he snarled, his expression turning ugly.

Zhao Wumian didn't answer. He struggled to sit up on the wall, gasping for breath. Spotting a wine flask on the ground, he picked it up and gave it a shake.

SLOSH.

It was half-full.

Zhao Wumian bit the stopper off and took a long swig. He glanced back at the war-torn city and closed his eyes, overcome with weariness. His fingers tapped a rhythm on the flask as he hummed his favorite poem:

"When will the moon be clear and bright?

With a cup of wine, I ask the blue sky.

I know not what season it is tonight,

in the palace of the heavens on high...

It turns 'round the red pavilion,

dips 'neath the ornate doors,

and shines upon the sleepless...

There should be no hate..."

"There should be no hate? You shouldn't have any hate, Zhao Wumian!" Zhao Wumian took another heavy swig from the flask, his gaze falling upon the Upper Crescent leader. "My grandfather, and his grandfather before him, our clan was born in Chang'an and died in Chang'an. They didn't want me to have any hate," he said, his voice laced with sorrow.

"This city is the final resting place of countless heroes. How many waited a lifetime, bound by a single promise? Do you know what it's like to watch the woman you love marry another and bear his children? Do you know what it's like when countless Paoze lie buried in foreign lands, and their children ask you when their parents are coming home?"

"You... how could you expect me not to hate you!"

Zhao Wumian staggered to his feet and hurled the flask away. The light emanating from his body grew brighter. He stared coldly at the Upper Crescent leader. "I hate that I couldn't drive you out in my lifetime! I hate that I couldn't protect this city, and that I must resort to that sword!"

"What sword...?" The ominous feeling in the Upper Crescent leader's heart intensified, even though he could see nothing. His instincts screamed at him to retreat immediately or die.

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!" he barked three times in quick succession.

The Moon Clan scouts were stunned, but they obeyed and blew the horns.

BWAAAAAA—

At the horn's call, all the Moon Clan warriors outside the walls retreated a hundred paces. Even those who had already entered the city turned and withdrew, their faces etched with confusion.

"What is happening?!" Crown Prince Ji Gui roared. "Who ordered the retreat? Who?!"

"Crown Prince, something is wrong..." The Upper Crescent leader retreated to Ji Gui's side, his expression grave. "My instincts tell me that if we stay any longer, we will be in mortal danger."

"Your instincts?! First, tell me, was your brain eaten by something in the Forbidden Grounds of the Sea of the Moon?!" Ji Gui was so furious his vision went dark, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

How many years had the Moon Clan waited? Under his brilliant command, Chang'an City had finally fallen. And now, someone was ordering a retreat. Absolutely idiotic!

The Upper Crescent leader's face went stiff. He didn't dare utter a word, now wondering if he had overreacted.

"Keep killing!" Crown Prince Ji Gui commanded coldly. "I don't want to see any living thing left."

"But what if there really is a sword..." the Upper Crescent leader insisted.

"Where is the sword!?" the Crown Prince demanded.

The Upper Crescent leader was speechless. He didn't know. He couldn't know that the sword was on the Shushan Sky Ranking in Hua Country, forged from a wisp of source essence from nearly every Martial Ancestor in the nation.

For 300 years, this sword had gathered power. It pointed from afar.

「At Heavenly Outer City!」