In an unknown world,
Countless corpses formed the backdrop of this world, the scorching sun in the sky was as crimson as overflowing blood.
The earth, the sky, the oceans, wherever existence could be found, it was shrouded by corpses.
This was a world of absolute death.
Yet, within this desolate world of the dead, a dark silhouette was slowly moving.
Wherever the dark silhouette passed, the normally silent corpses would reanimate.
Souls had long since returned to eternal oblivion, but the corpses, under some inexplicable power, transformed into undead abominations.
This dark silhouette used no extraordinary powers; it simply moved, it just kept moving.
Behind it, countless undead awakened from death.
This journey seemed to have begun in primordial times.
But the dark silhouette had still not reached the end of the world; this world, much like death itself, was endless.
Suddenly,
The dark silhouette, as it moved, seemed to sense something and abruptly looked up at the sky.
The pitch-black shadow, at this moment, seemed to pierce through the world before it, through the void connecting all realms,
And saw the demise of a certain undead.
Gazing at Theodore, who had turned to ash in inexplicable flames, the dark silhouette tilted its head, as if contemplating something.
"Ah, it's a child I once revived..."
After recalling this, the dark silhouette withdrew its gaze and stepped forward once more.
In this endless world of deathly corpses, it continued its journey without end.
However, its pace seemed to have quickened slightly.
...
Blue Star, Great Yan, Imperial Capital
As Chen Luo approached the protective shield, the silver-haired maiden could no longer suppress the excitement in her heart. She rushed out of the shield and into the young man's embrace.
Casually catching Hu Tao, whose eyes were teary, Chen Luo smiled and nodded to his companions emerging from the shield:
"I'm back."
The crimson legion, gazing at their supreme military lord, at the commander who fought for them, stood in silent awe.
Until...
*Thump...*
Su Xiao, standing at the forefront of everyone, knelt on one knee, struck his chest heavily with his right hand, and then declared loudly:
"Welcome back, Military Lord!"
The ten thousand crimson armored soldiers, as if sharing a single mind, followed Su Xiao, kneeling on one knee and striking their chests with their right hands.
Their unified, resonant voices boomed like thunder:
"Welcome back, Military Lord!"
Looking at the solemn faces, feeling the worship in their eyes, Chen Luo felt a sense of gratification, but also a blush.
The sense of deathly threat he had perceived moments ago had made everyone understand the formidable enemy their Military Lord had faced.
It had always been this way; the toughest challenges were always borne by the Military Lord, and all battles that could cause casualties were detested by him.
The worship of the strong was written into the very genes of every living creature.
Great Yan was a nation forged in the fight against floods.
We are unlike those in Europa and the White Eagle, who plundered wantonly on the seas, laying the foundation of their civilization with barbarism and ferocity.
In our earliest myths, our civilization's enemy was the very heavens and earth.
If heaven and earth were indistinguishable, we would use ourselves as axes to cleave the heavens and shatter the earth.
If the heavens were flawed, we would not beg for mercy from some unknown celestial power, but would mend the heavens with our own bodies.
If floods raged, if the common people suffered hardship, there must be heroic figures to unite the masses, to contend with heaven and earth, and calm the turbulent seas.
The people of Great Yan have always believed in the strength of humanity itself, not in seeking forgiveness from some unknown divine lord.
The people of Great Yan also do not believe in the notion that one is born with sin. If there are tribulations, calamities, or misfortunes in the world,
Then the choice of a Great Yan person is to become fuel themselves, to illuminate this dark human world.
Born in Great Yan, Chen Luo's bloodline and ideology were already determined. No matter how strong he became, he would never forget his identity as a human.
And so it was with the people of Great Yan: those who provide fuel for the masses should not be left to freeze in the cold night.
The one who burns himself before them is, to them, a beacon of progress and the only recognized Military Lord.
...
In the most direct manifestation, the female members of the legion were looking at Chen Luo with eyes that seemed to want to drag him into the bushes for a few rounds.
Chen Luo could still handle these gazes. After his life leap, his exceptionally handsome appearance already made him a frequent target of flirtatious women.
But what made Chen Luo's head ache was that many of the men were looking at him with even more fervent eyes.
If he couldn't sense their subtle thoughts and confirm that they were merely expressing extreme admiration, Chen Luo might have mistakenly believed they wanted to have a few friendly matches with him.
However, the exasperated Chen Luo was unaware that,
Deep within his system panel, amidst countless flowing data streams, a piece of information flashed by.
[Detected that legion members are willing to die for the Military Lord. Recognition level met, condition four for the unique profession "Lord of Ten Thousand Armies" advancement has been achieved.]
[Once all advancement conditions are met, the unique profession "Lord of Ten Thousand Armies" will advance further.]
Feeling uncomfortable under their overly ardent gazes, Chen Luo willed it with his mind.
Everyone felt a surge of strength as they were gently helped to their feet:
"Alright, alright, go back and get some rest. You've fought alongside me for so many days without proper rest."
The next moment, to the astonished eyes of the command staff who had rushed to the scene,
The entire connected crimson armored legion vanished in a flash of white light.
Chen Luo rubbed Hu Tao, who was tightly clinging to his waist.
After the legion's departure, the buffs gained by the legion commanders had also disappeared, and Hu Tao's silver hair had returned to its original color.
Chen Luo casually stroked Hu Tao's hair, tied her pigtails, and then nodded with satisfaction:
"Yes, pigtails suit my Hu Tao best."
Hu Tao simply hugged Chen Luo's waist obediently, letting him do as he pleased.
Gently placing his hands on Hu Tao's shoulders, he rubbed her nose. Looking at her still red eyes, Chen Luo kissed her and said:
"There, there, don't worry, I've killed all the bad guys."
Hu Tao tightly held the hem of Chen Luo's clothes. Hearing this, she nodded gently, but her gaze remained fixed on Chen Luo, as if afraid he would leave again.
As the legion commander with the greatest strength, and possessing the extremely special ancient saintess profession, she had not felt despair even when Theodore had arrived on Earth in his true form.
However, when Chen Luo defeated Theodore and arrived outside the city,
Hu Tao, in a daze, seemed to see a terrifying scene.
She saw a massive dark shadow, obscuring the heavens and earth, peeking at Chen Luo from an unknown place.
The immensely powerful Chen Luo was so small and powerless before that dark shadow.
This inexplicable vision caused Hu Tao's unease to erupt completely.
But as Hu Tao, in Chen Luo's embrace, was about to express this unease, the image that had appeared in her mind had vanished.
It was as if some great power had forcibly erased this memory.
Only the inexplicably uneasy Hu Tao remained, holding Chen Luo tightly.