Chapter 143: Fang Xun Dies for the Nation

A tangible, visible oppression often carried more weight than all the pale words in the world.

Upon hearing those words, the townspeople fell into panic once again. Ignoring their exhausted bodies, they struggled onward, desperately climbing toward the summit.

Even though the mountaintop was already packed beyond capacity.

The black miasma surged like a rising tide. The horizon steadily climbed higher before their very eyes, and an atmosphere of despair quietly spread throughout the crowd.

"Where are the officials of Dongshan? Come with me and hold back the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi!"

At that moment, Fang Xun's calm, resolute voice thundered across the mountain.

Against the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi, ordinary people had no means of resistance. A trace of hesitation flashed across the faces of many officials.

Yet in the next instant, dozens of figures answered in unison and descended to Fang Xun's side.

Following behind him, they rushed to the advancing edge of the black miasma, using their own Principle Energy as a barrier to halt its relentless spread.

Yet among them, even Fang Xun, whose cultivation was the highest, had only reached the Spirit Resonance realm.

Even exhausting every ounce of their strength, they could do no more than slow it by the slightest margin.

Their combined power was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

After only a brief moment of resistance, the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi surged forward once again. The barrier they had painstakingly formed was torn apart with ease, forcing them to retreat step by step.

Under Fang Xun's leadership, they gritted their teeth and endured.

Although they were continuously driven backward, they had at least managed to slow the advance of the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi.

Yet...

It all seemed futile.

At eleven o'clock that night, just as darkness was about to fully descend. The black miasma had already reached the mountaintop.

Only a few steps remained between it and the gathered townspeople, as though it would swallow them all in the very next moment.

Cries of despair instantly echoed throughout the mountain.

It was then that Fang Xun stepped forward once more.

His voice rang clear and unwavering, without the slightest trace of fear or hesitation.

"We have nowhere left to retreat!"

"Behind us stand the people of Dongshan Town!"

"As the officials entrusted with protecting this land, how can we stand by and watch them perish?"

"If someone must die..."

"Then let me, Fang Xun, die first!"

Upon the darkened summit, it seemed as though a blazing flame had suddenly ignited.

The fluctuations of Principle Qi around Fang Xun erupted violently, surging severalfold in an instant.

"Lord Fang... he's burning his own lifespan!"

An official cried out in shock.

Even if the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi continued to spread, Fang Xun himself could have simply flown away and escaped with his life.

But now...

To protect the people of Dongshan Town, he had willingly chosen to burn away his own lifespan.

No matter what opinion the people had once held of him, actions spoke louder than any words.

In that instant, many officials were moved by his righteousness.

With furious roars, they too ignited their remaining lifespans, pouring every last ounce of strength into resisting the Severance Qi.

Their desperate sacrifice finally produced results.

The endlessly rising black tide finally came to a halt.

Cheers of survival erupted across the mountaintop.

Yet the moment Fang Xun interrupted the burning of his lifespan, the suppressed Severance Qi seemed to receive an immense provocation.

It erupted once more, surging forward with even greater ferocity.

Left with no other choice, Fang Xun reignited his lifespan.

At that very moment, several streaks of light shot across the heavens.

Among them was none other than the Prefect, Yin Fengshuo.

He swept his gaze across the scene below before letting out a long sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, we arrived in time."

Lu Hanmo looked toward the gathered townspeople atop the mountain before turning his gaze to Fang Xun, who was risking his life to hold back the disaster.

He nodded approvingly.

"Fang Xun, you've done well."

"Once I return to the Sacred Capital, I shall truthfully report your achievements."

Before his words had even finished, Lu Hanmo and the others struck together.

Joining forces, they forcefully suppressed the spreading Severance Qi.

The black miasma visibly receded.

Although the town below had already been reduced to ruins, the people had survived.

Countless tears of joy were shed.

Seeing this, Yin Fengshuo immediately stepped forward in his capacity as Prefect and delivered a passionate, stirring speech.

For a time, the people raised their arms in thunderous cheers, praising Lord Yin's wisdom and leadership.

The very man who had nearly sacrificed his life for them only moments earlier, Fang Xun, was completely forgotten.

Standing silently within the shadows, Fang Xun said nothing.

He could clearly sense that as the Severance Qi throughout the region gradually subsided, the previously weakened Tribulation Qi had begun surging back once again, wrapping itself around him anew.

'I'm still trapped within this tribulation...'

'The atmosphere has already been built up to this point.'

'It seems... dying is no longer optional.'

'I was just one step too slow.'

'That brat Yin Fengshuo ended up stealing all the glory.'

Fang Xun sighed inwardly.

Far away in Shangyu County, Li Shun, who had been leisurely reading a book, suddenly activated Threefold Self-Reflection.

This time, most events unfolded exactly as before.

The only difference was that, through Shentu Xin's phantom, Fang Xun slightly accelerated the leakage of the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi.

At eleven o'clock that night, before Yin Fengshuo and the others could arrive, everyone in Dongshan had already been driven into true despair.

Fang Xun slowly turned around, looking at the countless terrified faces behind him.

A bitter smile spread across his face.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he ignited every last fragment of his remaining lifespan.

His entire body transformed into a blazing inferno, illuminating the darkness in an instant.

"No one retreats!"

Fang Xun roared.

An incomparable power exploded from within him, forcibly driving the incoming black miasma backward by several feet.

Yet what followed was an even more violent counterattack from the Severance Qi.

The black tide came roaring toward him.

Fang Xun truly did not retreat even a single step.

Using his own body as a wall, he shielded the people of Dongshan from the ravenous Heavenly Dao Severance Qi.

But he was already at the end of his strength. How much longer could he possibly endure?

The moment every last trace of his lifespan had been completely burned away...

His figure was finally swallowed by the endless sea of black mist.

"Uncle!"

Witnessing the horrific scene with his own eyes, Fang Han felt as though his heart had been torn apart.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.

Desperately, he struggled to charge into the black miasma and recover Fang Xun's body.

Yet the officials beside him firmly restrained him.

With Fang Xun dead, nothing remained to halt the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi.

The black tide immediately resumed its steady ascent.

Within moments, it had already risen to everyone's ankles.

Amid the screams filling the mountain...

Yin Fengshuo and his group finally descended from the sky.

"Fortunately, we arrived in time."

After surveying the situation below, he visibly relaxed.

Then his brows furrowed as he coldly demanded, "Where is Fang Xun?"

"Why don't I see him?"

Instinctively, he had intended to use this opportunity to reprimand Fang Xun.

Yet only moments earlier, everyone present had personally witnessed Fang Xun sacrifice himself for the people, disappearing without even leaving behind a corpse.

Now, hearing Yin Fengshuo's lofty questioning...

The anger within the gathered townspeople erupted like a volcano.

Fang Han was the first to curse.

"You corrupt official!"

"My uncle burned away his own lifespan to protect the people!"

"It was bad enough that you delayed your arrival!"

"Now that he's already been buried within the black mist, you still have the nerve to stand there pretending to care and ask where he is?"

"You worthless parasite living off your official position!"

"You deserve to go down there and accompany my uncle in death!"

With Fang Han taking the lead, the long-suppressed fury of the surrounding townspeople finally exploded.

Eyes reddened with rage.

The mountain echoed with an endless torrent of furious curses.

Even though Yin Fengshuo was the Prefect of an entire commandery, faced with thousands upon thousands of furious accusations, he stood frozen on the spot.

Only after a long while did he finally regain his senses.

"What?"

"Fang Xun... is dead?"

Shock filled Yin Fengshuo's face.

"And he died saving the people?"

"How could that be?"

This was nothing like the Fang Xun he knew.

His instincts immediately told him something was wrong.

Yet tens of thousands of witnesses all spoke with one voice.

There was no possibility they had all fabricated the same story.

"H... How could this happen...?"

Yin Fengshuo stared blankly at the rolling black mist beneath his feet.

Although he had always regarded Fang Xun as a thorn in his side, wishing nothing more than to eliminate him...

Upon suddenly hearing of his death, he felt no satisfaction whatsoever.

Instead...

An inexplicable emptiness settled within his heart.

"How could you die so easily...?" he murmured unconsciously.

"Corrupt official!"

"Stop pretending to be righteous!"

"If you hadn't arrived so late, my uncle would never have ended up like this!"

Fang Han's furious roar finally snapped Yin Fengshuo back to reality.

Subconsciously, he looked up toward the heavens.

Although it was already deep into the night...

For some unknown reason, the distant sky had actually grown brighter.

A moment later, realization struck him.

The primary proxy's sudden death had failed to produce the intended effect of transferring the tribulation.

The hidden Celestial Phenomena cultivator orchestrating everything behind the scenes had most likely suffered the tribulation's backlash and perished.

At midnight, as the day was drawing to its end...

Li Shun suddenly received a transmission from Kong Zhao.

It contained only four words.

"Return to Dongshan immediately!"