Niu was stupid.
His arm was snapped by immense force, yet he still wouldn't cry out in pain. Instead, he raised his other fist and swung it towards the demon's face.
So, the other arm was also broken.
"Snap."
Niu was foolish.
His abdomen was slashed open by the sharp claws of a dragon, his intestines spilling out, blood flowing everywhere, yet he didn't cry. He just kept laughing stupidly.
Thus, the demon, curious how long he could endure, continued to torment his body.
"Rip."
Niu was ignorant.
The demon had promised him that if he surrendered, he would live a life far better than before, with food and clothes beyond imagination.
But he refused.
He stubbornly kept his teeth clenched.
Blood pooled in his mouth, eventually forming into a glob of spit that he spat onto the demon's face.
"So, he's just a stubborn fool," the demon's expression turned cold, losing all interest in playing further.
With a casual flick, the dragon's claws, wrapped in immense power, swept through the air, roaring with a tempest of force, slamming into the already bloodied figure.
Strangely, Niu felt the world around him slow down.
His blood-soaked eyes widened as he watched the dragon's claw slowly trace through the air, cutting through the wind, inching closer to him.
So slow...
He thought to himself. His normally dull mind seemed to sharpen, thinking of many things in that instant.
Had everyone left the mountains?
Had Xu Xi rested well?
Would there be big bowls of rice in the underworld?
Niu had many questions.
So many.
It felt like all the thoughts he had carried his entire life were finally erupting at this moment. His eyes reflected the sun, bringing a glimmer to his dull gaze.
It hurts... so much... my stomach hurts, my hands hurt... everywhere hurts.
The kind-hearted man, whose limbs were broken and body drenched in his own blood, was in unbearable pain, yet he was grinning with joy.
It hurts, but it's so joyful.
He had done it. Even a fool like him had done it.
He had succeeded in holding off the demon, buying Xu Xi and the others more time to survive. It was wonderful...
Ah...
Ahhh...
The sun disappeared.
The dragon's claw struck Niu's face, its massive size blocking out the sun's light.
All Niu could see was darkness.
It reminded him of a night when Xu Xi had talked to him. On that night, Xu Xi had told Niu that the meaning of life was happiness.
"Xu Xi..."
"I... I'm so happy... I really am..."
Tiredness washed over him like a tide, quickly drowning his consciousness.
He struggled to stay awake, but his eyelids eventually closed.
Even now, Niu still thought of himself as stupid, a mere peasant meant to till the soil for life.
But he was thrilled beyond belief. He had lived happily once, a happiness that surpassed even eating until full a thousand times over. He was so happy that he couldn't help but feel sleepy.
"The lords in the city must have never been this happy!"
Niu felt even more satisfied.
It hurt so much, but winning against the 'lords of the heavens' was a grand victory.
"I'm so tired..."
After the joy faded, the weariness became even stronger.
Niu closed his eyes completely. Strangely, instead of darkness, he saw a blurry light.
The light first appeared vague, then transformed into familiar scenery.
It was Qingniu Town, the town at the border where Niu had grown up, the same town that had been burned to ashes by demons.
Xu Xi was there, Wu Yingxue, and other townspeople who had passed away early.
It was wonderful...
Niu stared at the scene, his steps carrying him toward the faint light, into Qingniu Town. His ears heard the voice of his late mother.
"Niu, come home for dinner."
"Okay, Mom!"
Niu quickened his pace, transforming into a run, his pure smile radiant as he dashed into his home in Qingniu Town.
"BOOM——!!!"
An ear-splitting explosion reverberated through the ten thousand mountains.
After the dragon's claw descended, half a mountain was shattered in an instant.
When it was lifted, only a deep, dark abyss remained, with nothing left.
Only a few broken leaves, stained with bright red blood, swayed in the wind like dancing butterflies, soaring toward the vast, empty blue sky.
...
"Sir, aren't you sad?"
"I am."
"Sir, aren't you angry?"
"I am."
Under the clear, blue sky, ten thousand miles of endless clouds, even the air seemed quiet.
The joy that had almost erupted upon leaving the ten thousand mountains instantly turned into indescribable sorrow upon realizing Niu's absence.
Xu Xi gazed at the sky, motionless for a long time.
He had already asked everyone, including Wu Yingxue and the others in the survival army, but no one had seen Niu.
No need to ask further...
It was already clear...
Various pieces of information, which had been ignored due to the intense battle, now came together, forming a complete picture.
"That fool... he left alone, trying to hold off the Human Immortal."
"He really is... an idiot..."
Knowing this was too hard to bear.
Wu Yingxue instantly erupted, gripping her spear with fury, determined to avenge Niu.
Even without seeing it, just imagining it was enough to know.
Facing such a foe, Niu's end could only be one thing - death.
However, Wu Yingxue was about to step forward when she saw Xu Xi standing still, not moving at all.
So, the girl asked Xu Xi, weren't you sad or angry?
Xu Xi's answer was that he was both.
The girl was even more confused.
"Then why..."
"Because Niu wouldn't want us to do that."
Xu Xi withdrew his gaze from the sky, turned, and continued to lead the group forward.
"That fool did this to let us leave the ten thousand mountains, not to die at the hands of demons."
"Going back now would only waste Niu's efforts."
Xu Xi's voice was calm.
The simple logic made the girl pause for a moment.
Was the sir so rational?
She followed behind Xu Xi.
She saw his fists clenched tighter than ever before, trembling slightly.
Every step he took left deep impressions on the ground, as if restraining something.
"Let's go, we can't let Niu's efforts go to waste."
Xu Xi, barely keeping himself upright, forced a smile at the girl.
Sir, you...