Chapter 212: The Last Stand (The End?)

I wasn’t expecting the other rabid humans to power up so easily like that, especially when they already have enough power to take on someone with a high level in terms of cultivation. It was like seeing a last stage boss by the end of the dungeon, you assume that they would have some sort of Berserk Skill that would buff all their stats but you wouldn’t normally expect a transformation after that said Berserk, right?

Boy, I was totally wrong!

Unlike before when the Meatpile Rabid Humans would just constantly attack with their long tentacles and inhuman speeds, they started slowing down, gathering the remaining bodies of the rabid humans that we left when we killed them. At first, I told myself that maybe they were just going to absorb their remaining Qi Energy so they could buff themselves appropriately.

And then I realized that Meatpile Rabid Humans are, in fact, a literal pile of rotten meat and bones and muscles! How did they get big like that? Of course! They must’ve absorbed the bodies of other rabid humans and merged with them!

Gross, but oh well, that’s their thing.

Slowly but surely, the Meatpile Rabid Humans grew in size unlike ever before. When I first met them, they were at least twenty or so stories tall but now, they could easily reach fifty stories. And with that amount of flesh dragging them down, one would think that maybe they would slow down… but no. With that size and with a considerable amount of Qi Energy in them, they could move insanely fast.

Furthermore, they don’t suffer any damage at all! No matter how strong my Summoned Pets or Rabid Human Subordinates were, they deal no damage against the Meatpiles that continued to push through the Settlement. They were like a massive mass of a black hole, devouring not just rabid humans but everything else in its path, including people.

“Hey White, are Meatpiles supposed to be like this?” I asked since I totally underestimated them when I first met them.

With a grim expression on his face, White nodded, not saying another word. He was busily pushing the rabid humans but it seems like there was no end to them. And add the Meatpiles to the mix, and you have what we call a pandemonium… or for the lack of a better term, a rabid human frenzy. I don’t know how to accurately describe it but it was hellish.

‘You should’ve told me sooner, that way we should’ve gotten rid of the rabid humans by burning them.’ I badly wanted to tell White about it but I knew there was no use worrying about spiled milk. The best we could do for now is try to minimize the damage brought upon by the Meatpiles and hope for the best. There was no way we could beat those bad boys, not with our current cultivation levels.

Hours passed and the Meatpiles wreaked havoc on everything they touched. They were unstoppable beasts that brought about the end of the world, literally speaking. And it’s not like we have an unlimited amount of Qi Energy either. We may have eliminated a majority of the rabid humans but we were defenseless against the Meatpiles. One by one, the other cultivators who were a part of the Battalions were picked by the Meatpiles and eaten alive. Their screams could be heard in a split second before it turned into a groan a deathly groan that resonated through the silent night that day.

“Yongrui, if we don’t get out of here, we’re going to die along with this Settlement!” White called out to me. “If you want to retreat then now’s the time. You have no part in this Settlement so I don’t expect you to help us. As for me, I’m tied to this place. My father worked hard and diligently took care of and oversaw this Settlement for five or so years. If I were to leave now, then I’ll just be tarnishing the Maximilien Clan. But as I said, you don’t have any ties to this place… Natalia as well.”

White said it while wearing mixed expressions on his face. After everything we’ve been through, he knew that my safety comes first because I was connected to some sort of mysterious ancient power. And although he badly wanted me to stay, he probably thought that there will be a greater chance at saving the whole Middle Plane if I were to stay safe. Well, he wasn’t wrong but he wasn’t totally right either. Because first, while I do have the mysterious ancient power within me, I’m not really stronger than any cultivators in the Middle Plane. I just had a lot of life and combat experiences, giving me the edge against them. Aside from that, there really is nothing noteworthy about it.

“What are you talking about, White? We’re brothers, and brothers never leave each other especially in times of trouble. Although this situation is hopeless, I’m not selfish enough to leave all of you behind while I tuck my tail and run, I’m not doing that anymore. I’m going to fight with you until the end, White. Well, let’s just hope we don’t die in the process.”

After hearing me say that, White finally felt peace in his mind. He smiled, sighing in relief. “Thank you, Yongrui. I hope you didn’t make a bad decision this time. Because I really feel like we’re all going to die here.” He said.

“Sect Master Yongrui, if you’re not leaving then I’m staying with you.” Natalia backed me up, sending a hailstorm of ice towards the Meatpiles.

“Same here, Master Yongrui.” Zenith added. “I will assist you until the end, as your disciple, and as your woman.”

“Woman?!” Natalia exclaimed, but she didn’t ask for an additional explanation. Also, I averted my gaze from her… just in case.

Just in case.

With renewed motivation and morale, our group, along with the Battalions, continued driving the Meatpiles out of the Settlement. More like, we tried to drive them out but to no avail. Pretty soon, they reached the agricultural area where all the residents are currently evacuated.

Yes, our replenished morale didn’t do a single thing against the overpowerful Meatpiles. So much about the power of friendship and whatnot!

The Meatpiles relentlessly and notoriously swung their tentacles of rotten corpses, fully intending to destroy the entire Graudon Settlement. Even though I could tell that all hope was lost, I still tried to wear a reassuring face. I didn’t want the residents to feel more hopeless than they already well. As a Sect Master, that’s the last thing I wanted them to feel.

White and the others seemed to have the same mindset as well since they forcefully smiled as we continued on. Our bodies suffered countless wounds and our clothes were all torn up but we remained to fight, not intending to leave the residents who were cowering in fear in one of the largest storage spaces in the agricultural section of the Settlement. Since we can’t really stop the Meatpile Rabid Humans, we decided to defend against its tentacles so it won’t hit the storage where everyone was currently located. It was our last option… our last chance at defending against the Meatpiles. It may be unbecoming of us strong cultivators but at least there’s a chance we could keep everyone alive. As long as they don’t die, we can still rebuild this Settlement and hope for the best.

Or at least, that’s what I think.

But then again, I know that I was just being optimistic. Even if we did save everyone, there’s no way they would be able to recover from the damage. Ninety percent of the Graudon Settlement was flattened to the ground. And that means most of the food was flattened to the ground as well. While most of the agricultural portion of the Settlement was still undamaged, the overall amount of crops and cattle lost was major. There was no recovering from it.

Should I just give up? Is there anything I can do against these Meatpiles? I had no idea what to do. Right now, the Settlement is on its countdown as it awaited its demise. What’s the point of fighting?

No, not yet. We can still get by!

“Hui-ying, I’m going to do it,” I said as I blocked one of the Meatpile’s tentacles. “You know, that Skill Stacking thing.”

“Yongrui… are you thinking of using it on your Virus Madness? No, you can’t do it. You’ll die.” Hui-ying panicked, trying to shake me to my senses. “If you do that, the amount of Virus in your body will exceedingly multiply, making you more vulnerable against the Virus and the Virus Qi Energy. You know what that means, right?”

“Yes, I’m going to turn back into a rabid human,” I told her.

“Yes! And if that were to happen, do you think these guys will be safe from you?”

“No, but it’s worth a try. Try keeping my consciousness intact for as long as possible, and then we’ll work from there. I know we can do this, Hui-ying.” I told her.

<Notice: The System will not allow you to Skill Stack.>

“System, please. You know this is the only choice. If we don’t do this now, we’ll let the last settlement of the Middle Plane die. And if you keep my consciousness intact as long as you can, then I’ll have a chance to get out of here and head towards the Black Spirit Sect.”

“Yongrui, you ” Hui-ying stopped talking. The next thing I heard was the prompt from the System. It seems like they finally got what I’m saying.

That’s right, I don’t want another Tang Sect tragedy happening ever again. If I could stop it, then I’ll gladly do it, even at the expense of my own life.

<Do you want to activate your Virus Madness Skill again?>

<Yes/No>

“Ye “

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