A voice appeared for a moment, and a terrifying force descended upon Shen Zhi's body. The next instant, she vanished.
Immediately after, the girl who had been in mid-air appeared at Shen Zhi's previous location.
And where the girl had originally been, Shen Zhi appeared!
The light sword descended, and countless beams of light pierced directly through Shen Zhi's body. In almost the blink of an eye, Shen Zhi's body was riddled with holes.
Blood gushed out and sprayed down from mid-air.
"Shen Zhi!" I roared, my body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
I wanted to save her, I desperately wanted to save her, but I was powerless. I could only watch as Shen Zhi's blood dripped down...
"Hahaha! Despair? Pain?" Tiandao laughed heartily. "You are forever mere ants, deluded into resisting. This is your fate!"
"Shen Zhi!" I gritted my teeth and slowly stood up.
"Lu Ge..." a weak voice sounded. I looked down and saw Shen Zhi, now a blood-soaked figure, her hands covering her chest. She had used the Shepherd God's power to protect her head and heart, preventing immediate death.
"Shen Zhi!" my voice trembled.
"Prepare... yourself..." Shen Zhi said, "Form... shift!"
The next instant, the girl who had disappeared reappeared at Shen Zhi's position, and Shen Zhi appeared on the ground.
"How is this possible!" Tiandao's face showed shock for the first time.
The girl struggled to stand up. At this moment, she was only one meter away from me.
The intense pain made her body tremble, but she endured it and reached out her hand. A mass of earthy yellow energy was in her palm.
"Lu Ge... keep going..." the girl said.
I could feel that the girl had lost her elemental power.
So this was attribute transfer.
Tiandao struck instantly, but at this distance, he couldn't stop me.
I grabbed the earthy yellow energy, and the girl's eyes closed...
Holding the earthy yellow energy, I pressed it to my chest. The energy slowly seeped into my body.
Tiandao finally arrived, his terrifying power transforming into countless blades, shredding the girl's body into countless pieces.
This time, I felt no pain, only a slight comfort within my body.
This was what my companion had exchanged with her life for me.
Shen Zhi fell among the crowd. Lin Chun was the first to rush over. "Shen Zhi, hold on! Drink the Water of Life, it can help you recover!"
"No need... waste it..." Shen Zhi said, blood continuously trickling from her lips. "I only have... a little bit of strength left..."
"Shen Zhi!" Lin Chun gritted his teeth, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Throw me... out!" Shen Zhi said.
"No!" Lin Chun shook his head. "No, you can't!"
"Quick... no ti... me..." Shen Zhi said.
Lin Chun gritted his teeth, picked up Shen Zhi, and threw her towards the monster horde.
A look of relief flickered across Shen Zhi's face.
The moment she fell, monsters surged forward, and then...
"Boom!"
A terrifying explosion sounded, clearing a vacuum around them.
Hearing the sound of the explosion, my heart felt like it was being ripped apart. I knew Shen Zhi was dead...
That stubborn girl was dead.
A girl who had endured so much pain and hardship, who had strived to improve herself, all for the sake of controlling her own destiny.
But this time, she still died...
I slowly raised my head, five-colored light shimmering in my eyes.
Seeing this five-colored light, Tiandao's expression turned extremely grim.
"You deserve to die!" I said, and the Wood God's power surged from my short sword, a violent force gathering at that moment.
"You merely gained a slight boost!" Tiandao said.
The next moment, my body vanished from its spot, and my short sword slashed out.
This time, Tiandao dodged, no longer daring to face my attack head-on.
But I naturally wouldn't stop. I attacked relentlessly, my inner rage and sorrow transforming into my immense power, fueling my continuous assault.
Tiandao, unable to dodge completely, was struck by my short sword.
A wound appeared on Tiandao's body.
Although it was small, he was wounded, truly wounded.
"How dare a lowly ant wound my body!" Tiandao roared, his pressure descending.
But at this moment, I feared no such pressure.
Attack after terrifying attack fell, and I unleashed everything I had learned to its fullest extent.
Without the protection of invincibility, Tiandao's fight also became difficult.
And below, explosions sounded one after another.
I knew that one by one, our companions were sacrificing their lives to eliminate those monsters.
Each explosion represented the death of a comrade.
Watching those familiar faces die before their eyes, everyone's emotions were stirred.
Their eyes were filled with tears, and their hearts were filled with unspeakable grief.
But they also knew that they were still in danger, and grief and tears were useless.
Now, their goal remained to kill all these monsters!
The number of my companions was also rapidly decreasing, from over a hundred, nearly two hundred, down to a hundred and fifty, then to a hundred. Now, there were only about fifty people left in total.
Moreover, everyone's condition was poor, their bodies covered in wounds.
At this point, they were desperately drinking the Water of Life, but under these circumstances, the Water of Life's restorative effect had been reduced to a minimum.
The pills were also gone. Now, they were fighting purely with their lives.
Lin Chun also bore several gruesome wounds on his body. He had been fighting on the front lines since the battle began.
He had trained with me the longest and had also entered the trial grounds with me for extended periods of cultivation.
His combat power was naturally higher than others, but even he couldn't withstand such an intense battle.
"Everyone..." Lin Chun looked at the dense mass of monsters around them, his expression solemn. "These guys killed our companions. Let's go!"
Even if he hadn't said it, no one would have retreated.
Anger and sorrow filled their hearts, transforming into their greatest strength as they charged towards the monsters.
And in the sky, the battle had reached a fever pitch.
With each of my attacks, my desperate fighting style forced Tiandao to retreat step by step.
Tiandao's body also bore numerous gruesome wounds!