Chapter 151: A-Niu Returns Home

A-Niu was foolish.

His arm was snapped by a colossal force, yet he still wouldn't cry out in pain; he only raised his other fist and swung it toward the demon's face.

And so, his other hand was snapped as well.

"Crack."

A-Niu was silly.

His abdomen was sliced open by sharp dragon claws, and his intestines and such spilled out, blood flowing everywhere, yet he wouldn't cry, still smiling foolishly.

And so, the demon, curious about how long his Persistence could last, continued to ravage his body.

"Rip."

A-Niu was stupid.

The demon had clearly said that as long as he was willing to surrender, he would live a life better than ever before—whether it was food or clothing, it would be an unimaginably luxurious existence.

But he refused and was unwilling.

He kept his teeth clenched tight.

Blood accumulated in his mouth, eventually turning into a mouthful of phlegm that he spat onto the demon's face.

"So you're just an inflexible fool," the demon's expression turned cold, losing all interest in the game.

He flicked his hand casually.

The dragon claws carried a surging, colossal force, and amidst the whistling air currents, they slammed toward that already bloodied and mangled figure.

Inexplicably.

A-Niu felt the world before his eyes become somewhat slow and stagnant.

He kept his blood-soaked eyes open, staring wide at those dragon claws as they traced a slow arc through the air, carrying a foul wind, swinging toward him bit by bit.

So slow…

He thought this way, and his usually dull and stupid brain seemed to become agile, thinking of many things in this instant.

Has everyone made it out of the mountains?

Has Big Brother Xu been resting well?

After dying and entering the Underworld, will there be white rice to eat?

A-Niu had many questions.

Many, many questions.

It was as if all the thoughts of a lifetime spent in a daze met their final explosion at this moment; his eyes reflected the sun, causing light to emerge in his clouded pupils.

It hurts so much, my stomach hurts so much, my hands hurt too.

My whole body hurts so, so much.

The honest man, whose limbs had been broken and whose body was covered in his own blood, was in unbearable pain, yet he happily pulled at the corners of his mouth, revealing a tragic smile.

It hurts, but I'm also so happy.

I did it, I really did it; even someone as stupid as me did it.

I successfully stalled this demon, creating more chances for Big Brother Xu and everyone else to survive. This is truly wonderful…

Ah…

Ahhh…

The sun disappeared.

The dragon claws swung onto A-Niu's face, their massive size directly obscuring the sun's radiance.

All A-Niu's eyes could see was a single expanse of darkness.

This reminded him of the night he had spoken with Xu Xi; on that night, Xu Xi had told A-Niu that the meaning of living lies in being happy.

"Big Brother Xu…"

"I, I'm so happy, I'm really so happy…"

Fatigue surged like a tide, quickly drowning A-Niu's consciousness.

He struggled to maintain it.

But his eyelids still drooped and closed.

To this day, A-Niu still felt he was stupid, a mud-legged peasant who should spend his whole life farming.

But he was incredibly excited, because he had lived happily once, a happiness ten thousand times greater than eating his fill, a happiness so deep he couldn't help but want to sleep.

"The lords in the city definitely haven't ever been this happy!"

A-Niu felt even more satisfied.

Though it hurt very, very much, having won against the lords in the sky was a matter of great joy.

"So sleepy…"

After the joy, the sleepiness became even more overwhelming.

A-Niu closed his eyes completely. Strange to say, after closing his eyes, it should have been pitch black, but A-Niu saw a hazy light.

The light was blurry at first.

Then it transformed into a familiar scene.

It was the Qingniu Town that was once rooted on the border, the Qingniu Town where A-Niu had grown up, the Qingniu Town that had once been burned into a sea of fire by demons.

In the town were Big Brother Xu, Little Master Wu, and other townspeople who had died years ago.

How wonderful…

A-Niu stared at this scene foolishly.

Involuntarily, he stepped toward that hazy light, walking into Qingniu Town, his mother's departed voice echoing in his ears.

"A-Niu, come home for dinner quickly."

"Coming, Mother!"

A-Niu quickened his pace, carrying a pure smile of oblivious happiness, changing from a walk to a run as he strode into his home in Qingniu Town.

"BOOM—!!!"

A massive roar thundered, deafening to the ears.

The terrifying sound of collapse echoed within the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

After the dragon claw fell.

A full half of the mountain peak was blown apart by a single strike.

When it moved away, there was only an abyss-like pitch-black hole; nothing was left behind.

Only a few scattered leaves, coated in blood of the deepest red, swayed in the fierce wind, dancing like butterflies as they flew toward the empty, distant blue sky.

…

"Sir, are you not sad?"

"I am sad."

"Sir, are you not angry?"

"I am angry."

The sky was azure, without a cloud for ten thousand miles.

Even the air revealed a sense of silence.

The joy of originally being about to leave the Hundred Thousand Mountains quickly turned into an indescribable sorrow upon realizing A-Niu's disappearance.

Xu Xi looked up at the sky, remaining motionless for a long time.

He had already asked; no one, including Wu Yingxue and the others in the Qiuhuo Army, had seen A-Niu's figure.

There was no longer any need to ask…

It was already clear…

The various pieces of information that he hadn't paid much attention to earlier due to the deadlock of battle now completed a closed loop.

"That fool actually left alone, trying to block a Human Immortal."

"Truly, he's stupid beyond belief…"

This news was too difficult to accept.

Wu Yingxue instantly flared up, gripping her long spear, her face filled with anger, thinking of going to help A-Niu get revenge.

Even without seeing it.

Just thinking about it, one would know.

In the face of such an enemy, A-Niu's end could only be one: death.

However, just as Wu Yingxue wanted to step away, she saw Xu Xi standing in place, with no sign of movement.

Thus, the young girl asked Xu Xi in confusion, was Xu Xi not sad or angry at all?

Xu Xi's reply was that he was very sad and very angry.

The girl became increasingly puzzled.

"Then why do you…"

"Because A-Niu wouldn't want us to do that."

Xu Xi withdrew his gaze from the sky, turned around, and walked forward, continuing to open the path for everyone.

"The reason that fool did this was because he wanted us to walk out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, not die at the hands of demons."

"Going back now would only let A-Niu's efforts go to waste."

Xu Xi's voice was calm.

That simple logic and reasoning made the girl freeze for a moment.

Was Sir truly that rational?

She followed behind Xu Xi.

She saw Xu Xi's fists clenched tighter than ever before, with a slight trembling amidst the tension.

Every step he took left heavy footprints on the ground, as if he were restraining something.

"Let's go, we cannot let A-Niu's efforts be in vain."

Xu Xi supported his tottering body.

He forced a smile toward the girl.

Sir, so you…