Chapter 129: If You’re a Man, Run with All Your Might
“Whew, whew.”
Le Xiaotian was breathing heavily. As he gazed at the majestic outline of the structure on the distant horizon, a flicker of excitement inevitably shone in his eyes.
That was Phoenix Nest!
The day he would become a transcendent dancer had finally arrived!
He had leaped across plains, crossed mountains and ridges, and run at his absolute limit. After charging forward the entire way, he had reached the final stage of the race.
Glancing around, he saw that the overwhelming majority of the contestants were utterly exhausted, their steps slow as snails.
Yet an unyielding flame burned in their eyes. Even if they fell, they would rise again.
Taking a deep breath, Le Xiaotian poured the mineral water in his hand over his feet.
White steam immediately hissed up from beneath him. Streams of scarlet blood, mixed with mineral water, seeped out through his shoes and sank into the scorching earth.
He twisted his feet, which felt as heavy as mountains, and sensed the pain gradually lessen. The burning sensation also diminished considerably.
His right index finger slid across the sound communicator on his left wrist. He selected repeat mode and set the battle anthem to maximum volume.
Fifty minutes remained. Thirty-two kilometers remained.
This was the final sprint.
As a qualified conductor, any piece of music that passed through his hands became his own.
He would recreate it, granting the music a new life.
Thus, before playing the divine song, Le Xiaotian was imbuing it with his own will.
Having once conducted the Immortal of the Star-Suppressing Tower, this situation was nothing to him.
Of course, a true hero does not boast of past glories. The affair in Fama was already behind him.
Fama was merely a small kingdom. Now was the time to shake the entire Hongkun Celestial Realm!
The moment Le Xiaotian closed his eyes, the world around him changed. A new realm unfolded.
Dust billowed through the air, and endless yellow sand swept across the land. This was a blood-soaked battlefield awaiting its brutal slaughter.
Ahead stood a towering sacred city shrouded in a golden sea of clouds. Its walls rose a hundred meters high, and before its gates stood a million soldiers wielding spears.
When he turned around, he saw their own army of countless thousands. Armored cavalry, infantry formations, spears and round shields, blades, guns, bows, and halberds—everything was present.
At the forefront of the army stood ten thousand catapults, the deadliest weapons of the cold-weapon age.
“Today, I cannot guarantee that all of you will survive. But the world needs you. For the sake of the loved ones behind us, for the land beneath our feet, charge with me! Kill!”
“Kill!”
The roar of ten thousand men shook the heavens.
Amid thunderous rumbling, the million-strong army stood ready, every face filled with murderous intent.
With a sudden howl through the air, enormous boulders shot forth, trailing billowing clouds of smoke wherever they passed.
Then came a rain of millions of arrows, blotting out the sky and sun.
As battle cries resounded across the heavens, the two armies stretching for hundreds of kilometers launched their fiercest charge.
At that moment, “The Strength of a Thousand Men” by RNSNN, from *Hell Is Within Reach*, began to play.
The violin section set its strings ablaze, revealing a grandeur that shook the world. As the bows dragged across them, blood surged through every listener’s veins.
“Kill!”
Battle cries thundered across the land. As both sides ran with every last ounce of burning strength, the two torrents of iron-clad soldiers slammed into each other.
Their eyes were filled with unyielding conviction. Every rise and fall of a blade splashed hot enemy blood across their chests.
A razor-sharp spear pierced an enemy’s throat.
“I stab!”
A shield rose to block an attack, then turned with a sweeping slash that severed an enemy’s head.
“I cut!”
For the sake of protecting the goddess in their hearts—
“Kill!”
The galloping war drums roared. The Goddess of Dawn sang. The furious cries rising from men’s throats existed for this battle alone.
Kill!
In the real world, Le Xiaotian’s grim expression made it seem as though a million-man army marched behind him, unstoppable.
Roar! Roar! Roar!
Run! Run! Run!
As though his very brain were about to explode, every drop of blood in Le Xiaotian’s body burned.
Burn! Burn! Burn!
Wherever the whirlwind passed, the entire arena was stunned.
“Is that—that cripple who was running on adrenaline the entire time?”
“Whew... it seems so. Damn, this song is incredible!”
“I can feel limitless strength surging through my body. This is amazing!”
“Ah! If you’re a man, then run!”
“We are unyielding dancers!”
Phoenix Nest was nearly within reach. As the epic battle anthem thundered, everyone Le Xiaotian passed felt the conviction in their hearts—the desire to become a dancer—ignite.
Run!
Run with all your strength!
Burn the last drop of blood in your body—run!
Wear through ten layers of skin on your soles—run!
Shout until your throat and tonsils go hoarse—run!
Put on the fierce face of a king—run!
Leap across the lush grasslands—run!
Run with every beat of your heart and every breath!
Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run!
“Aaaaah!”
Amid wave after wave of hoarse, desperate roars, tens of thousands of martial artists surged with fighting spirit, their eyes blazing as they launched themselves toward Phoenix Nest with all their strength.
Charge! Charge! Charge!
At that moment, inside the central arena of Phoenix Nest—the largest venue in the Martial Extremity Tournament—the million spectators who had originally been sitting back to enjoy the spectacle rose to their feet.
The final and most crucial moment had arrived.
To the east, south, and west of Phoenix Nest, countless exhausted martial artists had gathered. The same had originally been true to the north, where the situation had even appeared slightly worse.
But now, everything had changed.
Just as when he had swept through the nine great cities, Le Xiaotian had become the center of attention in the northern section of Phoenix Nest.
The next moment, every screen throughout the imperial capital, throughout the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Empire, throughout the 308 empires of the Martial Dance Civilization, throughout thousands of minor kingdoms, and across every corner of the land showed the same sight.
The spectators everywhere rose to their feet, their faces filled with shock.
It was a black-haired youth carrying a torrent of iron and blood.
It was a storm of passion roaring toward them, stirring their hearts beyond control.
A terrifying aura of slaughter radiated from his resolute face.
A hint of domineering power showed between his slightly furrowed brows.
His deep black eyes radiated a battle intent that seemed capable of piercing the heavens.
His rain-soaked figure carried the majesty of one who ruled the world.
The mud splashing beneath his feet was mixed with his own scorching blood.
He was a giant dragon from the north!
He bore the light of hope!
His conviction was as unyielding as steel!
There was nothing he feared!
His footsteps never retreated!
His momentum was as sharp as a blade!
He wore the wings of courage!
He was epic in his magnificence!
The great dance conductor, Le Xiaotian, was using his life to embody the courage of a man!
Run with burning blood!
Roar at the limits of endurance!
Wear through the soles of your feet!
Pay any price!
Never stop!
Charge forward with all your strength!
I am the Great Dance God!
As the organizers recorded the dancers’ audio and that thunderous battle anthem began to resound across the globe, humanity erupted completely.
“Come on!”
“Come on!”
“Come on!”
Millions upon millions of voices roared, all for the glory of the Dance God!
Even if Le Xiaotian was not the first to finish in the northern section of Phoenix Nest, even if no one knew that he had come from Wuchuan in the distant northern kingdom of Fama, running 1,500 kilometers to get here—
Even if 99.99 percent of them knew nothing of his glorious past, nothing of the eternal legend that had once shaken two billion people in Fama—
They were all infected by the sight of him running to that impassioned battle anthem.
The scene was simply too astonishing.
Through his running body, he perfectly conveyed the conviction, courage, and will within his heart.
This was true dance!
At that moment, facing Le Xiaotian as he charged toward them, the tens of thousands of martial artists who had completed the course long ago after the fifth checkpoint and had been waiting in place were all left utterly stunned.
They stepped aside for him, their entire bodies trembling uncontrollably.
His presence was simply too powerful!
Le Xiaotian, flying forward like a flaming meteor, was someone no one dared to obstruct.
He flashed like lightning and chased the wind. Sonic booms rang out one after another, crackling through the air.
He charged into Phoenix Nest, burning through the horizon!
Xiaoyun, Yuzhen, Xiaofang—wait for me. Your husband will set Phoenix Nest ablaze.
The overall champion of the All-Star Extreme Challenge Tournament will be me!