Chapter 476: My Lord, I've Succeeded!

"No! Don't! Saint Lord, I—" The man was utterly terrified, struggling desperately to no avail.

Swish!

A flick of the vines flung the unlucky Gold King onto the Flesh Lotus Pedestal. The next moment, countless tiny plant roots sprouted from the pedestal and effortlessly pierced his flesh.

"Ahhh!" he shrieked in agony, but no one paid him any mind.

The Lord of Dawn stared intently at the Flesh Lotus Pedestal. Its petals began to slowly close, and the terrifying power surging across it gradually fell silent.

"Hahaha... It's done!" His manic laughter intertwined with the man's screams, forming a sharp contrast.

But the triumph was short-lived. A mere moment later, the man's screams came to an abrupt halt. His body began to melt away inch by inch, dissolving like thawing snow into a puddle of bloody water.

The Lord of Dawn's smile froze.

"Damned trash! He only lasted that long!?"

"A Gold King is ultimately too weak. A Saint Grade, perhaps, could last a bit longer," the Lord of Primal Desolation said coldly.

At those words, the expressions of Yan Ming and the other Saint Grade drastically changed. They were the only two Saint Grades the Lord of Dawn had brought. Although the Lord of Primal Desolation had brought two of his own, given the current situation, he certainly wouldn't offer up his own people.

This meant that one of the two of them absolutely had to die.

As panic gripped them, the Lord of Dawn's cold, sinister gaze swept over them. "This Saint Lord has nurtured you for many years. It is time for you to share my burden. Which of you will go?"

Yan Ming and the other man stiffened. Neither dared to volunteer.

A flash of impatience crossed the Lord of Dawn's face. "Yan Ming, you—"

"I will do it," an elderly voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone froze. They looked toward the elderly figure—it was none other than Captain Zhou, the man who had saved them from peril time and time again!

There was no fear of death on "Zhou Qiong's" aged face, only a dead calm. He looked at the Lord of Dawn and said evenly, "I am also a Saint Grade. Leave it to me."

"Captain Zhou, you..." The Lord of Dawn had never expected that "Zhou Qiong" would actually volunteer at a time like this. It was one thing for the man to disregard his own safety to save others, but now he was actively rushing to his death?

Could there truly be someone in this world so willing to sacrifice themselves for others?

Su Mu let out a long, low sigh, his expression desolate. "Alas... when this old man founded Dawn's Blade all those years ago, I swore an oath. Dawn's Blade would never disband, and we would share life and death. But now... I am the only one left. I do not wish to live on alone in this world. Since they are all buried in these Divine Ruins, it is only right that this old man goes to join them.

I hope the Saint Lord can grant my wish..."

This outpouring of true emotion moved everyone present. Even a trace of admiration surfaced in the eyes of the Lord of Dawn.

Although he could never make such a selfless sacrifice himself, it did not stop him from admiring a man who could.

Yan Ming, who had originally been chosen, had red-rimmed eyes. He looked at the elderly figure with a tremble. A sudden impulse even surged in his heart to step up and become the host body himself.

However, his desire to live still won out over his emotions. In the end, he only opened his mouth, but no words came out.

At that moment, Su Mu moved. He took staggering steps toward the Flesh Lotus Pedestal, his calm expression betraying not a sliver of fear of death.

The crowd watched him in silence, as if paying their respects.

Ultimately, Su Mu sat peacefully upon the Flesh Lotus Pedestal and slowly closed his eyes.

Countless viper-like tentacles scrambled to pierce his body, sending blood and flesh splattering.

With him anchoring it, the petals of the Flesh Lotus Pedestal began to slowly close. They gradually cut off the crowd's line of sight until they completely enveloped Su Mu within.

Inside the lotus pedestal, Su Mu suddenly opened his eyes, a brilliant, crystalline blue flashing within them. He could feel the invasion of the Merciful Holy Mother of Myriad Blossoms. If an ordinary Saint Grade were here, it wouldn't take long for them to be completely assimilated. But he was no ordinary Saint Grade.

Tyrannical nightmare power surged silently, resisting the erosion slowly but firmly.

The Merciful Holy Mother of Myriad Blossoms was merely the Divine Corpse of a demigod, while the nightmare power he wielded came from the True God Xuan Tian. Even if there was a gap in sheer volume, its status was undeniably superior!

For the other party to try and assimilate him was simply unrealistic.

He hadn't sacrificed himself for noble reasons. He simply didn't want the two Saint Lords to die here. They were important pawns meant to be used against the Lord of Illusory Ashes.

He was going to use the Saint Lords, and he was taking both Divine Corpses, too!

A Gold King could only hold on for a few seconds. Even a Saint Grade would struggle to hold out until the Lord of Dawn successfully suppressed the corpse. To prevent any accidents, he chose to step up himself.

Outside.

The Lord of Dawn had no time to lament Su Mu's sacrifice. He had merely spared half a second of sentiment for the man's actions.

Once the lotus closed, he hurriedly began the suppression, his eyes full of desire for the Divine Corpse!

Just as all of the Lord of Dawn's attention was focused on the lotus, a sudden change occurred on the Lord of Primal Desolation's side.

A subordinate walked silently to the Lord of Primal Desolation's side and sent a telepathic message: "My Lord, although your strength will surely increase after obtaining the Fallen Sin Maitreya, the same is true for the Lord of Dawn. Our Primal Desolation Realm has always been suppressed by the Dawn Domain and the Illusion Ash Realm. Why not take this opportunity..."

The Lord of Primal Desolation narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"My Lord, now is the perfect time to kill the Lord of Dawn! When he exhausts a massive amount of power to suppress the lotus, you can launch a sneak attack. Once the Lord of Dawn is dead, the Dawn Domain will fall entirely into your hands. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Hmph, do you really think the Lord of Dawn is a fool? He may look completely focused, but in truth, he is secretly guarding against this Saint Lord!"

The Lord of Primal Desolation sneered in his heart. He appeared boorish, but there were no idiots among those who managed to become Saint Lords.

At that moment, the subordinate chuckled. "My Lord, precisely because he is guarding against you, he will naturally overlook the people next to him."

The people next to him?

Before the Lord of Primal Desolation could figure out the meaning of those words, a shocking turn of events suddenly unfolded.

Yan Ming, who had been guarding the Lord of Dawn's side the entire time, unexpectedly raised the longsword in his hand and viciously pierced it right through the Lord of Dawn's chest.

"Ah!!" the Lord of Dawn screamed in agony. He looked at Yan Ming in disbelief, his eyes filled with a mix of shock and fury. "You..."

"Lord Yuanhuang! I've succeeded!" Yan Ming shouted in ecstatic joy toward the Lord of Primal Desolation.

The Lord of Primal Desolation was dumbfounded. Huh???

Swish!

Countless vines shot out, instantly piercing through Yan Ming's body.

Dripping with blood and on the verge of death, Yan Ming still looked fanatically at the Lord of Primal Desolation, shouting aloud, "Lord Yuanhuang! Avenge me..."

"Yuanhuang! You despicable bastard!!" The Lord of Dawn's expression was savage, his eyes resembling those of a man-eating beast.

"To think you dared plant a spy by this Saint Lord's side..."

"I did not!" The Lord of Primal Desolation's eyes widened, his face full of horror and bewilderment. He had no idea where this spy had come from.

Squelch!

A gleaming snow-white long saber thrust out of the Lord of Primal Desolation's previously injured chest.

A Bronze-Colored Gear was pushed out, falling to the ground with a crisp clatter.

He turned his head in disbelief, only to see the subordinate who had just offered him the scheme wearing a savage expression.

"Lord Dawn! I have also succeeded!!"

"Ah! Die!!" The Lord of Primal Desolation lashed out in a violent rage, turning that subordinate into a mist of blood with a single punch.

He glared furiously at the Lord of Dawn. "You actually planted a spy by my side!"

The Lord of Dawn: "..."