Starforce Warriors-Chapter 631: The Return Of An Old Friend

At that moment, despair descended. Xiajing City had never been breached by any foreign force since its successful transformation. It was the only base city in the world that had never been trampled by star beasts.

But now, the city was being overrun. Dozens of Grade Five Beast Kings, along with an overwhelming tide of lower-grade star beasts, poured out of the white teleportation pillars like savage wolves invading a den of defenseless rabbits.

"G-General...?" The adjutant's voice trembled like a sleepwalker murmuring in shock.

In truth, at that moment, nearly everyone inside the command center, officers and strategists alike, could not process what they were seeing. Everyone understood what those teleportation arrays meant. No one wanted to admit it.

"Damn Yiggs bastards." Hua Zhongyue spat out the curse.

He quickly pulled himself together. The relentless assault of the star beasts and the Yiggs coalition had stretched Xiajing City’s defenses to their absolute limit. There were no reserves left inside the city.

White eyebrows slightly furrowed, he ordered. "Deploy all Xumu Guards. Intercept the star beasts and destroy those teleportation arrays."

The Xumu Guards were the last special defense force of the command post. Once they were deployed, the command center would be extremely vulnerable. The location of the command center had long been exposed in previous battles.

The adjutant hesitated slightly, then gave the order in a loud voice. Immediately, the sound of the air being torn apart rang out. Three hundred ancient martial arts experts, clad in star armor, turned into streaks of light and charged toward the teleportation array zones inside the city. A fierce battle immediately erupted as they clashed with the star beasts.

Hua Zhongyue took a deep breath.

"You go as well," he said in a low voice.

There was no response.

"Go. Staying here to protect an old man like me serves no purpose," Hua Zhongyue spoke again. "This is my final order to you."

Still, there was silence. After a brief pause, the air rippled faintly as two Saint-level peak experts left silently. They were once Hua Zhongyue’s subordinates; brothers who had fought and survived the battlefield together. They were the last line of defense guarding the final general of the Great Xia Republic.

Hua Zhongyue exhaled slowly. His gaze swept across the command center, meeting the eyes of everyone within. His expression was calm yet resolute.

"It has been an honor to fight alongside you every day and night. But from this moment on, the command post has lost its purpose. Everyone, arm yourselves and head to the battlefield. If we fail to destroy those teleportation arrays, Great Xia will have no tomorrow."

He had chosen to send out every ounce of strength at his disposal. At this moment, any steel that could be used, even if it was a mere scrap, had to be used where it mattered most.

"General!"

"It has been our honor to serve you."

"Long live Great Xia!"

The officers in the command post saluted in unison.

With a crisp motion, Hua Zhongyue straightened. His body was as straight as a javelin as he returned the salute. At that moment, it felt as if flames were burning in the silent air.

The old, the middle-aged, the young, men and women alike, turned and left without hesitation. They set down their light cores and styluses. They picked up swords and weapons, donned combat suits and armor...

As some stepped through the doorway, they turned back for one last look at the command center and the white-haired general standing inside. They understood. Once they left, they might never return.

Hua Zhongyue watched them go. His aged figure stood like an ancient pine tree, rooted in the cracks of a mountain cliff after having weathered the elements for millennia. Now, he would stand against the final storm until every last drop of strength was drained from his body.

He kept his eyes on the real-time surveillance feed. Suddenly, the sudden sound of footsteps echoed through the room.

"General Hua, it's been a long time." A voice that had been nearly buried in the depths of memory sounded from behind him.

Hua Zhongyue let out a soft sigh.

"I really didn’t want to see you again," replied Hua Zhongyue as he slowly turned around.

An old man dressed in traditional Tang-era robes was standing before him. He seemed similar in age to Hua Zhongyue with his white hair and brows, weathered face, and eyes that were tinged with distant reminiscence.

He looked like a man who had climbed out of his grave. His entire being exuded the stench of decay.

"I would have preferred if you had truly died in that mission a hundred years ago," Hua Zhongyue said.

The old man chuckled, his gaze lingering reluctantly over the furnishings of the command post. "If one has the chance to live, who would ever choose to die?"

He carefully studied Hua Zhongyue. "Look at you, old friend. You've aged far too much. I can feel the scent of death coming off you. Think back to when you were young, with your black hair, tight skin, and a vibrant body, full of life. You were the star of the military academy, overflowing with charm and drawing the eyes of countless young women... Don't you miss those days?"

Hua Zhongyue replied, "The days I miss the most... are the ones when you were still truly alive."

The old man chuckled and said, "I’m not dead yet. Look closely..."

As he spoke, his hair turned jet black, his skin became smooth and firm, his posture straightened, and his eyes shone with youthful sharpness. His muscles swelled with vigor, as he returned to the prime of his youth.

"Can you feel the breath of youth?" asked the old man with a hearty laugh.

He spread his arms wide, his voice filled with warmth and sincerity. "Flowers do not bloom twice, and a man never gets to be young again... But old friend, you have already given everything to this country. Don’t let yourself be shackled by empty ideals and foolish beliefs any longer. It’s time to think for yourself. Come back. Feel youth again."

Hua Zhongyue was silent for a moment. Then, he attacked.

Swish!

He drew a jade-colored dagger from nowhere as he struck like lightning, aiming directly for his opponent’s throat. Despite his age, the power behind his strike was undeniable; Saint-level cultivation radiated from his body as his inner qi rippled through the air.

The ‘old man’ merely smiled as he effortlessly caught the dagger with two fingers as if catching a stray blade of grass.

His gaze lingered on the jade-colored weapon for a moment, as if lost in thought. "A Liren Jade dagger... Back then, each of the Eight Men carried one. It could pierce the bone shield of a Grade Six Beast King. Eight drops of blood were etched onto its blade, symbolizing the truest friendship and the deepest—"

"Shut up!" Hua Zhongyue roared. His beard and hair bristled as he flooded his body with inner qi, yanking the dagger free and thrusting again.

The ‘old man’ flicked his fingers.

Ding.

A sound like a jade chime being struck echoed through the air.

Hua Zhongyue was sent flying backward as he spat out a stream of blood. He crashed heavily into the light core console, the impact denting the metal desk and sending a shower of sparks bursting into the air.

"Do you still not understand? The gap between us, just like our ages, is far too great, old friend."

The ‘old man’ shook his head with a look of pity in his eyes. He gestured, and Hua Zhongyue’s body was lifted into the air. Then, with a flick of his fingers—

A second Liren Jade dagger shot out like a streak of light, piercing through Hua Zhongyue’s left shoulder, pinning him against the metal wall of the command post.

The ‘old man’ also had a Liren Jade dagger. Number 4. He, too, had once been one of the Eight Men.

"I'm sorry, but my time is running out." The ‘old man’s’ voice turned urgent as he locked eyes with Hua Zhongyue.

"Old friend, please—please don’t disappoint me. Say yes. Join us. Trust me, if you let go of your obsessions, if you join us, you can step beyond this world and witness the true universe."

"I refuse," Hua Zhongyue replied, shaking his head.

His spotted, wrinkled hand struggled to rise, the twisted blue veins visible beneath the rough, weathered skin. He grasped the Liren Jade dagger, and slowly, inch by inch, pulled it out.

Opposite him, the ‘old man’s’ expression revealed undeniable disappointment, which gradually turned to ice.

"Old friend... don’t force me to forsake a hundred and twenty years of friendship and truly kill you." His voice carried undisguised reluctance. "Do you have any idea what I sacrificed to spare your life? How much effort it took to earn the chance to come see you in person on this mission?"

He was unwilling. But Hua Zhongyue did not answer. He clutched the Liren Jade dagger firmly, his expression unwavering. It was like sunlight was blazing in his eyes.

He did not respond to his opponent, but recited poetry.

"To cast oneself upon the blade’s edge, how could life be cherished? If even one’s parents must be set aside, how can one speak of wife and child? A warrior's name is carved in stone; there is no room for selfish thought. To lay down one's life for the nation, to face death as if returning home!"

His voice rose higher and higher. The poem, White Horse Ode, was written by the ancient poet Cao Zhi. It was not just the Dragon Group’s creed; it was the Great Xia army’s code.

In an era where star beasts wreaked havoc, where ancient martial legacies rose and fell, where noble martial clans grew corrupt and detached, in an age where ambition swelled to the point where it treated the nation itself as a shackle, this poem had been chosen as a guiding beacon.

In a time when the Star Council deliberately weakened Great Xia’s influence and forced its soldiers and Dragon Group warriors into ever tighter corners... This poem had been chosen as an unyielding bastion.

Words written over 2,400 years ago still perfectly captured the faith, ideals, and steadfast resolve of every soldier in Great Xia. The fervent recitation rang through the air like blazing sunlight, searing the ‘old man’s’ very soul.

A moment later, Hua Zhongyue’s entire body burst into flames.

***

The sudden upheaval within the city drew the attention of the three Grand Commanders on the battlefield atop the city walls. Why had teleportation arrays appeared inside the city? It was impossible to answer, but in truth, it no longer mattered.

"Hold them off!" Hua Qinglian shouted toward Li Donglou and Chu Yuncheng. He immediately disengaged from the battlefield and shot toward the city.

The teleportation arrays and the invading star beasts had to be dealt with as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the civilian casualties would be unimaginable. But just as he flew a hundred meters...

Whoosh!

A pillar of light suddenly descended from the sky. Despite his Great Saint-level cultivation, Hua Qinglian had no time to react before the milky-white beam enveloped him entirely.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the battlefield. When he reappeared, he found himself standing within a vast expanse of white clouds. A massive celestial disk platform stretched beneath his feet. Thick clouds rolled endlessly around him, their boundaries hidden from sight.

Hua Qinglian’s heart sank. He had been teleported. He quickly activated his inner qi and focused as he scanned his surroundings. His spiritual force surged outward like a tidal wave, spreading through the endless sea of clouds.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of footsteps echoed clearly as the swirling clouds shifted and churned. A silhouette appeared, until it solidified into a man emerging from the mist.

Hua Qinglian’s eyes sharpened. His entire body trembled. For the first time, the always-stern and expressionless Grand Commander showed a flicker of shock, which then transformed into undiluted fury.

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