Two full moons stood adjacent across the heavens, one blood red and the other scorching emerald, both buzzing and humming with unnatural, eerie sounds while painting the western part of the world crimson and the eastern emerald. The stars were replaced by millions of ghastly souls flying in endless circles, their unsettling cries echoing through the skies, accompanied by the dragging scrape of metal chains that seemed to grind against the very fabric of the world.
The space within a thousand li of a breathtaking mountain was riddled with bends and tears, warped and unstable, as if reality itself was on the verge of collapse. However, even that was insignificant compared to the great mountain drenched entirely in blood. At its feet lay tens of millions of corpses, human and monster alike, floating within a thick river of blood that swallowed the base of the mountain whole.
"Bi Si, you scoundrel! Your time has finally come!"
"Bi Si! Your debt from a century ago, I have come to collect!"
"You villain, I told you I would live to see your demise! It turns out to be tonight!"
"Bi Si! Three centuries ago you reverse refined my entire clan to further your demonic cultivation. Unfortunately for you, I, Li Mu, survived, and today I shall repay the favor tenfold!"
"Bi Si!!! My wife! You stole my wife!!!!"
Curses were hurled from every direction, colliding and overlapping in a storm of hatred. Soldiers numbering in the tens of thousands held a tight formation, their generals and commanders hidden within the encirclement as they shouted threats toward the lone figure standing at the center of the mountaintop. Their eyes burned with rage, yet the fear buried deep within their hearts could not be concealed.
Even with overwhelming numbers, none of them dared to advance. A dying dragon was still a dragon, and a single swipe of its claws could kill a tiger. Only the divine general of death could command such terror and hatred at the same time.
Contrary to expectation, the divine general of death was a young man who appeared no older than eighteen. His snow-white hair flowed down his back, so long it rested upon the blood-soaked ground beneath his feet. His skin was pale like the moon, and his emerald eyes carried a trace of darkness shaped like a slit, giving them a cold, reptilian look.
He wore black and green robes, garments clearly meant for celebration rather than battle. There was no armor on his body. His flesh was torn open by countless deep gashes and stab wounds. Dozens of arrows and spears were embedded into his back, clinging tightly to his body, while his black dragon glaive, soaked in blood, dripped fresh crimson from its tip.
Bi Si's face was elegant, composed, and empty even in this moment. There was no fear, no regret, no rage. His eyes reflected nothing but an empty heart.
'It's been three centuries since I began walking this path…'
Bi Si slowly raised his head toward the millions of souls dancing across the heavens. Every single one of them had once been part of his undying horde, the same army that had terrorized the central plains at his command.
'I have given so much for this… for this very day…'
'The day I was meant to become a God is the day I finally meet my demise? Hehe… the irony.'
He slowly shut his eyes, allowing the cool mountain breeze to brush against his face as his long hair and robes swayed with the wind.
In that instant, his mind surged with memories of his entire life. From a nameless slave of the Bi clan who endured endless suffering under a cruel master, to the moment he stumbled upon the manual of that demonic supreme art, the one that promised immortality and invincibility to any who cultivated it with devotion.
Its demands had been simple at first, almost harmless, but as his power grew, so did its cruelty. Even so, it had kept its promise. He had remained undefeated… until today.
From a slave, he rose to become the patriarch of a noble family. From there, a general. Then a king of a subsidiary kingdom under the Great Gan Dynasty. And finally, the rebel leader of the greatest revolutionary army in the history of the Gan Dynasty.
Through everything, Bi Si pursued only one thing. The immortality promised by his supreme art.
"On the day of the two heavens' descent, sacrifice ten million lives under the eyes of the two moons…" he muttered softly.
For this single goal, he had traveled across the continent, seeking knowledge at its furthest edges.
For this single goal, he had ignited wars that claimed millions of lives.
For this single goal, he had embraced the grotesque method of preserving his youth granted by the art.
He lived for over three centuries, watching everyone dear to him die one tragedy after another. On this final day, after centuries of conquest and slaughter, after capturing and enslaving millions, he had ordered their execution and forced his own army to follow them in death, all to fulfill the required number.
Yet at the final moment, the ritual was ruined.
His body was shattered, his soul fractured, and he stood only half a step away from death.
"YET I REGRET NOTHING!"
His eyes snapped open as his grip tightened around the dragon glaive, the metal bending faintly under the pressure.
The army of tens of thousands drew in sharp breaths. Vanguards raised their shields and sealed their formation. Archers pulled back their bowstrings. Commanders and generals held their breath as every gaze locked onto him.
"That rascal is about to make a move!"
"A dying dragon is still a dragon! Don't lower your guard!"
"Villain, I'm not afraid of you! Come on, let's get it over with!"
"BI SI, WHERE IS MY WIFE?!!!"
Bi Si listened to their trembling voices and frantic movements, inhaling their fear as though it were sustenance. His emerald eyes burned brighter.
"Be it in life or in death. My Undying horde only answers to me…"
Buzz!
An unnatural chill swept across the mountain as the winds howled violently, carrying a suffocating pressure that caused countless eyes to dart around in panic.
Dong!
As his weapon struck the ground, a strange bell-like war drum echoed across the mountain. Dark green flames erupted from the torches scattered across the terrain, the very torches prepared for his ritual. The millions of souls orbiting beneath the two moons halted instantly, their attention drawn to the voice of their divine general of death.
"He is using that technique again? Impossible!"
"That's impossible! His meridians have been ruptured, and his soul damaged. He shouldn't be able to!"
"He must be burning what remains of his lifespan to deal with us! Even now, you refuse to repent of your sins!"
"BI SI, HAND OVER MY WIFE BEFORE YOU DIE!!!!"
Veil of the Dead!
"Heed my call one last time, my soldiers. Rise from the graves, pits, ditches, fields, and deserts. Ride for your general one last time!"
Dark green miasma burst from his body and spread across every corner of the mountain, seeping through cracks beneath shields and into every corpse scattered across the battlefield, entering through their noses, eyes, mouths, and ears.
The bodies began to tremble. They twitched, fidgeted, and jerked violently as unintelligible sounds escaped their mouths. Limbs convulsed, fingers clenched and unclenched, and slowly, one after another, they began to rise.
Tension exploded.
Corpses scattered among the army rose as well, their presence striking terror deep into the hearts of the living. Before commanders could issue orders, the formation collapsed entirely as soldiers fled in every direction.
At that final moment, hope was gone.
The divine general of death did not fight alone. He fought with the dead. Every corpse, whether ally or enemy, belonged to him. Facing him meant facing an army that could never be depleted.
The memories of the horrors they had experienced against this demonic horde resurfaced in their minds, and none of them wished to endure it again.
However…
Cha!
Everything froze.
Heads slowly turned toward Bi Si.
One of the corpses stood behind him, its arm wrapped around his neck like a lover's embrace, its teeth buried deep into his throat.
With a violent pull, black blood erupted outward, spraying across dozens of zhang.
Bi Si staggered slightly, his hand hovering over his torn throat, yet his expression remained unchanged, his eyes still empty, his mind still calm.
A flicker of realization passed through his gaze.
Demonic arts were cruel. Once weakness appeared, they turned on their master.
At that moment, the soldiers understood.
All the zombies charged toward Bi Si with savage intent.
Harrumph!
Bi Si grabbed the corpse by the head and crushed it instantly, blood and brain matter splattering across his face.
The next wave reached him.
His glaive moved.
With a single swing, dozens of bodies were torn apart, split in half and blasted away by the sheer force of the strike, their remains scattering in all directions.
Even with his throat torn open, he stood as fierce and ruthless as ever.
A dying dragon was still a dragon.
Keeeeeeesssssshhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiii!
The sky screamed.
Millions of souls descended like a tidal wave, their resentful cries forming a horrifying symphony that engulfed the heavens.
Bi Si remained silent. His expression did not change.
With mechanical precision, he raised his glaive above his head, and a dark emerald qi burst from his body with terrifying power, but only for a brief moment.
Blegh!
The dragon glaive slipped from his grasp and crashed to the ground as Bi Si clutched his throat, coughing up violent streams of black blood. He gagged and gasped, struggling for air as if drowning within his own blood.
Gah!
One after another, vengeful souls surged into his body, tearing through his flesh, mind, and soul all at once. His body swayed violently, staggering left and right as he fought to remain standing.
At the same time, dozens of zombies rushed him.
Broken weapons pierced his chest, his back, his neck, and his arms. Others leapt onto him, sinking their teeth into his flesh and ripping it apart.
They tore him down.
The army watched in silence.
The man who had ravaged the central plains, who had slaughtered over thirty percent of its population, who had commanded death itself…
Was now being devoured by the very evil he created.
This… this is justice!