Fall of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance
"Ha-ha-ha, Lu Haoran, you stubborn old man. Today is the doomsday for Hero Martial Arts Alliance, and this day next year will be the first anniversary of your death."
Wild laughter rang out in the sky above the base of Hero Martial Arts Alliance.
Battle cries gradually stopped.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of blood.
Corpses were piled up everywhere on the ground of the Gobi Desert and the base of Hero Material Arts Alliance. The whole place now looked like a slaughterhouse. There were dead bodies of oddly shaped demonic beasts, half-human half-demon monsters, and warriors of Hero Martial Arts Alliance wearing the special uniforms.
Looking down from the sky, countless monsters and demonic beasts encircled and attacked the base of Hero Martial Arts Alliance from all directions like tidal waves crashing onto rocks.
After so many years, the satellite launch base had been relocated because of the changes in space and terrain.
The geography and climate conditions of the Wine Spring region were no longer suitable for satellite surveillance and launching. For this reason, the satellite launch base was moved to another location, and its existing buildings and secret underground structures were handed over to the neighbor—the base of Hero Martial Arts Alliance.
As the vital energy of heaven and earth was recovered, the Hero Martial Arts Alliance made great contributions to the stability of the Heavenly Land. With many talented martial arts practitioners and young masters, it was considered the greatest martial arts power on the Earth. For a time, it was unparalleled.
However, the Hero Martial Arts Alliance was facing a big crisis today.
In the recent battle, it suffered heavy losses. Except some middle-level elites and the masters of its branches in various regions, almost all the members died in battle.
Lu Haoran’s white hair was messy and stained with blood. With a sword in his hand, he stood on the top of the five-star building—the landmark building of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance, looking at the enemies closing in from all directions like tides and trying to contain his anger with a calm look on his face.
Several injured old friends were standing beside him.
All of them were high-level members of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance.
They were the heads and elders of the former Seven Sacred Sects.
A giant lizard looking like a dragon was hovering in the air flapping its wings. On its back, there was an old man wearing an ancient oriental costume. He was a thin and tall man with a protruding mouth, monkey cheeks, triangular eyes, a goatee, crooked hands, and eyes beaming with pride, giving off a domineering aura.
"Ha-ha, Lu Haoran, half a year ago, you led your men to seize the Jiuwei Mount and uphold justice and righteousness in a serious manner. Where is the great prestige that you had at that time?" The old man with a goatee and triangular eyes looked down from the sky and laughed widely. "I guess you didn’t expect that I would come back again, Ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Lu Haoran’s eyes flashed with anger.
"It’s a shame that I was being kind and didn’t kill you at that time. At first, I hoped that you would repent. I hadn’t expected that you would attack the Hero Martial Arts Alliance in collusion with the demonic beasts in the desert. Tao Yuan, you traitorous old dog. You have betrayed your master, ancestors, and your sect. Do you dare to have a fair fight with me?"
"Ha-ha-ha, of course I dare!"
Tao Yuan, the old man with a goatee and triangular eyes, roared with laughter.
He jumped off the back of the giant lizard with wings.
He produced a strange force in midair. Silver scales suddenly grew on his hands, making his hands look like lizard claws. At the same time, lizard scales appeared on his arms, neck, and face, and a huge tail broke his clothes and stuck out. In an instant, he turned into a half-human half-lizard monster that was several times larger than his original size.
"Kill!"
Lu Haoran soared into the air.
The two of them exchanged blows for a short while.
Their figures crisscrossed.
Blood squirted out, and broken pieces of white bones flew in all directions.
Lu Haoran landed on the roof of the five-star building and staggered. His long robe was stained with blood, and there was a huge bleeding hole in the left side of his chest. His skin was torn open, his sternum was broken, and his heart was gone.
"Old Lu..."
"Ah, my old friend."
"Hurry up and get Old Lu out of here!"
In grief and anger, the other five white-haired old men rushed over to help Lu Haoran. However, he was so badly injured that even a god could not save him.
"Ha-ha-ha, Lu Haoran, I’m a god now. How dare you fight me?"
Tao Yuan, who had turned into a half-lizard monster, laughed wildly in the sky.
"What a fresh heart! It’s just a little too old. I don’t know how it tastes."
Holding a beating heart in his right claw, he looked fierce and cruel. He licked the blood between his fingers with his red forked tongue like that of a viper. Then, he suddenly opened his mouth and devoured Lu Haoran’s heart.
"Ah, you bastard."
"If Old Lu hadn’t stopped those people that day, you would have been dead for a long time."
"Old Lu, hold on..."
"My old friend, please wait a moment. We’ll keep you company."
The old members of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance gnashed their teeth angrily. When they saw Lu Haoran losing vigor due to the loss of his heart, they were so sad that they couldn’t contain themselves. They had worked together and fought alongside for a lifetime. Was he going to die here today?
"It’s all my fault. I was being too softhearted that day. I deserve to suffer such a disaster." Lu Haoran’s face was ashen. "Generals... Clay pots will break by the side of wells, and generals will inevitably die on battlefields. It’s not... a regret for us... martial arts practitioners to die on the battlefield for the sake of our homeland. I’m sorry for getting you into trouble... With you, I won’t be lonely on my way to the underworld. At least... we’ve preserved the seeds of fire of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance."
In today’s great disaster, these old men stayed to cover the youngsters and help them escape. Fortunately, they succeeded. They wouldn’t regret staying and being buried under the base of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance.
"Yeah, let’s walk the path to the underworld together."
"I’m going to see you and keep you company very soon."
The old men soared into the air one after another and charged at the half-human half-lizard monster.
However, there was a huge gap between the two sides’ strengths.
Blood spurted out of the old men’s bodies and fell from the sky.
Blood dyed the five-star building red.
"Tao Yuan, Lu Xun and the others won’t let you get away with it!" The last old man roared furiously in the air.
Tao Yuan’s triangular eyes flashed with ferocity. He roared with laughter. "Do you mean Lu Xun, one of the Four Geniuses? The world has changed dramatically. When will he arrive? Moreover, ha-ha, I wouldn’t be afraid even if he were to join hands with Qiu Shuiming, Luo Xuanxin, and Xiao Dong—the other three of the Four Geniuses, not to mention him alone. Ha-ha."
Tao Yuan was fearlessly arrogant and unrestrained.
"You old bastard! Even if you were not afraid of the Four Geniuses, you would be in great trouble when Li Mu shows up. Do you know that this base was built by Li Mu, the God of Martial Arts? He has embarked onto the great path, and he will come back someday. At that time, you would be unable to redeem yourself for what you have done to offend him even if you were to die nine times." The old man roared as he rushed forward regardless of the consequences.
A look of fear flashed across Tao Yuan’s face covered with small silver scales.
"After all, that man is a martial arts legend in this world.
"However, things in the world are different than before."
"If Li Mu dared to show up in my presence, I would beat him to death," Tao Yuan said fiercely, "I’ve already obtained god-like power, so I am not afraid of him at all... You old bastard. Go to hell!"
Boom!
Blood mist permeated the air.
Li Mu was a little shocked.
He and the Husky had been flying for two days and two nights in a row. Theoretically speaking, the distance that they had traveled was equivalent to thousands of circles around the Earth, but they had not arrived at the Wine Spring yet.
Along the way, they flew over numerous mountains. They had flown among the Mount Qilian for one day and one night, but they still didn’t fly out of it.
Back then, Li Mu went to Mount Qilian to hunt down the terrorists who had killed the border guards. In the end, he killed all the terrorists. For this reason, he knew Mount Qilian quite well. However, the Mount Qilian that he used to know was completely different now.
On the vast expanse of land it covered, there were countless peaks tens of thousands of meters tall.
The mountain ranges were covered in snow.
There was a vast expanse of glaring white snow.
Mount Qilian was a famous mountain in the Hexi Corridor. In the past, it was sometimes covered with snow, but now, it had completely turned into a snow-covered mountain where blizzards and snowstorms occurred frequently. Even snow leopards and falcons could not survive in such a harsh environment.
"All the famous mountains and large rivers that we have encountered along the way seem to have mutated. However, ordinary places and towns have not changed much. Is this a universal phenomenon in the world? All the famous mountains and rivers have grown larger and become boundless as if they were connected to the depths of the chaotic battlefield."
Li Mu found something new.
A day later, he finally got out of Mount Qilian.
He could see Wine Spring in the distance.
"I wonder how Lu Xun and the other three geniuses are doing with their practice in martial arts on the Earth and how those disciples who entered Mount Shu are doing now. By this time, they should have become the mainstays of martial arts on the Earth. I also want to see Master Lu Haoran... I can finally see them this time."
Li Mu was looking forward to seeing them as soon as possible.
"The base of the Martial Arts Alliance that you mentioned is right ahead, right?" The Husky General twitched its nose and said doubtfully, "Why have I sensed the smell of death and blood? There is a strong evil smell over there."
Li Mu said, "I’ve sensed that too."
He was greatly surprised.
"What happened?"
He flew quickly toward the base of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance with the Husky.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the destination.
Li Mu’s heart sank when he saw the scene.
Broken limbs and white bones, broken weapons, and collapsed buildings were everywhere. This place was like ruins.
The main building of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance had been destroyed. It seemed that some monsters had vandalized this place.
Li Mu walked into the ruins and observed carefully.
He could see fresh bloodstains on the wall. There were also dead bodies of some strangely shaped monsters, which looked like demons that had reached high cultivation levels and transformed themselves into human forms. Most of the dead bodies were those of half-human half-demon creatures with ferocious-looking faces. They died together with some disciples of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance wearing the special uniforms of the Alliance...
"When did such monsters appear on the Earth?"
"Li Mu, Li Mu, is this place the martial arts center of the Earth that you mentioned? It seems that it was destroyed... woof, about one or two days ago." The Husky sniffed the ground and said, "I can smell the odor of a lizard. A big lizard must have come here."
"A lizard?"
Li Mu rubbed his temples.
He walked through the ruins and found that the satellite launch base had been completely abandoned, or more precisely, as part of the headquarters of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance, it had been destroyed in the battle with the monsters.
Li Mu tensed up.
"The Hero Martial Arts Alliance should be the greatest power of martial arts in this country, but it was destroyed in the end. The other sects and martial arts practitioners in the country are probably facing a precarious situation... The enemy is very cruel.
"Lu Xun and the other three were already Natural Experts when they left Mount Shu. How could they fail to defend the Hero Martial Arts Alliance?"
The only good news was that Li Mu did not find the bodies of Lu Xun, Lu Haoran, and the others among the piles of corpses. Perhaps they were still alive.
"What on earth has happened here?"
Li Mu had no idea.
However, the situation was even worse than he had imagined.
"The closest branch to the headquarters of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance is based in Dunhuang. Let’s go to Dunhuang and see what the situation is like. If that branch still exists, we can figure out what happened."
After flying for a day and a night, Li Mu and the Husky arrived in Dunhuang.
This ancient city well known for the Mogao Caves and the Crescent Spring was much livelier than Li Mu had imagined. It was about nine o’clock in the morning. The streets were already crowded with all kinds of people, including the locals and many foreign tourists. The city had a strong commercial atmosphere.
As expected, Li Mu saw some people wearing the uniforms of the Hero Martial Arts Alliance.
"Great!"
He hurriedly followed them.