Chapter Forty-Four: Falling into the Valley

The witch let out a sudden, piercing howl, hurling Wujue straight across the room. Twisting midair, Wujue planted a foot on the ceiling and sprang back into the fray.

"What do we do? We can't handle her!" Wujue called out to Tell, seeking a plan.

In response, Tell leapt into the air. From the Eight Trigrams Mirror on his chest, a strange glow flared, projecting an image of Xun'er before the witch. The witch froze instantly, if only for a heartbeat. Seizing the moment, Tell passed the mirror's light through the image, letting its gentle power wash over her, gradually soothing the afflicted soul.

He could see that much of the virus within the witch was being expelled—success was within reach. But suddenly, alarms blared all around them. Doors to countless rooms in the fortress flew open.

The mutated prisoners, long confined, now poured out in chaos, tearing through the stronghold in wild destruction.

"This is bad! The fortress is out of control. The self-destruct sequence may have been triggered," Tell warned, forced to halt the exorcism. The image vanished, but strangely, the witch remained rooted in place, motionless for the time being.

Just then, a voice echoed in Wujue's mind—it was Huron, informing him he was close to seizing control of the fortress. Soon, he would fly everyone out of there and head directly to the valley, though most of the fortress would be destroyed in the process, with only the core preserved. He told Wujue to have Xiao Yang and Xiao Han prepare to enter.

Receiving the message, Wujue immediately relayed it to Tell: "Go inform Xiao Yang and the others—the fortress is about to take off. We're heading back to the valley to regroup with An Yi and the rest."

Tell agreed at once and, in a flash, slipped outside, quickly finding Xiao Yang and Xiao Han locked in fierce battle. He brought them back at once.

Wujue, meanwhile, abandoned his standoff with the witch and went in search of Huron.

Racing through the halls, he soon reached the control chamber, where he found Huron desperately manipulating the array of instruments. The main screen in the center was filled with messages—some pleading, others vile insults.

"Huron, you damned fool! Still trying to stir up trouble? The Heaven's Wrath Clan is invincible. As long as a single germ exists in this world, we can be reborn. Even if you destroy our Ninth Squad, countless others will replace us!"

So, it was true—the force controlling everything in the fortress was the tiniest, most invisible of germs, as Huron had once told him. Over billions of years, the Heaven's Wrath Clan had evolved this perfect weapon.

They could control the bodies of any race, adapting and manipulating at will. The so-called warriors of the Heaven's Wrath Clan were all made powerful by possessing elite bodies from other tribes.

"Such terrifying things exist in this world," Wujue murmured, moving close to Huron. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Get Xiao Yang here, fast! We need his backdoor program to break their control completely. Otherwise, I can't stop them," Huron replied urgently.

Just then, Xiao Yang's voice rang out from outside: "I'm here! Watch and learn!"

Clad in armor, Xiao Yang flew into the control room, jammed a USB drive into one of the instruments—though not a perfect fit, it was enough to let him launch his backdoor. Moving quickly, he forced his way into the enemy system. After a few deft maneuvers, most of the instruments in the room fell under his control.

"Done. Damn viruses, get ready to die," Xiao Yang said with a grin.

Suddenly, the main screen flickered. From behind it, a swarm of indistinct, shadowy shapes surged out—a dense mass, impossible to make out.

Huron shouted, "Those are the true forms of the viruses! Beware—they can devour anything. Don't let them touch you!"

"Devour?" Wujue sneered, smashing a nearby instrument with a fist, ripping out handfuls of sparking wires and hurling them at the mass. Instantly, the black cloud sparked and crackled, then caught fire.

Inspired, Xiao Yang quickly reprogrammed the system. "Everyone out! I'll overload the instruments and burn them all to ashes."

Without another word, Huron dragged him, and together with Wujue and the others, they leapt from the control room.

Tell slammed the door shut with all his might. A thunderous explosion shook the fortress.

In the next instant, darkness swallowed the stronghold. Everything seemed to freeze in place.

"Did we succeed?" Xiao Han asked softly.

"Not yet," Huron replied. "The fortress might be about to go berserk."

With a tremendous roar, the fortress lurched violently beneath them, tossing everyone in a jarring upheaval.

"Where are we going?" Xiao Yang couldn't help but ask.

"I set it up earlier," Huron said quietly. "The fortress will fly directly back to the valley. Don't forget—someone's waiting for us there."

A heavy silence fell. Wujue and the others all knew Huron meant Xun'er, still waiting for her mother, the witch.

"Where's the witch? With the fortress out of control, might the others also recover?" Xiao Yang pressed.

But the sounds of monsters shrieking and battles raging continued to echo from within the fortress.

Outside, the night wind howled through the valley. An Yi stood quietly beneath the empty night sky, nothing but darkness around her.

Then, out of nowhere, the massive fortress appeared, swaying unsteadily as it homed in on their location. An Yi gasped, "Xun'er, look! They did it—they brought the fortress here. Maybe your mother is on board!"

But the fortress, seemingly out of control, hurtled straight for the valley floor. An Yi's brow furrowed with concern.

Swiftly, she ushered Xun'er into a mountain cave. By the time she turned back, the fortress was nearly upon them, plummeting toward the earth.

Clearly, the fortress was no longer under control. From above, the sounds of ferocious fighting still rang out. An Yi frowned. "Useless men—looks like I'll have to help them myself."

Rolling up her sleeves, she strode forward, gathering her full strength. She braced herself and, with a mighty push, caught the crashing fortress, staggering back more than ten meters before coming to a stop at the cave entrance. There, with a sudden surge of power, she managed to halt the fortress in its tracks.

Chaos reigned on the fortress deck as people and monsters alike were tossed about by the impact. Finally, with a resounding shout from Princess An Yi, she let go, and a figure tumbled out from within.

The first to land was Xiao Han. Rubbing his head, he rolled along the ground, groaning, "Heavens! I've never been so dizzy in my life! Who caught us, anyway?"

Looking up and seeing An Yi, his face lit up. "Princess, you're a lifesaver!"

But after only a few steps, he collapsed again.

Next, another figure floated out effortlessly, landing lightly outside and gazing at the fortress. "At last, a moment's peace. Thank the heavens."

It was the Mirror Hero, Tell.

Spreading his arms, he cut an opening in the fortress with mirrored light, then lifted a corner of the hull. Huron and Wujue crawled out, looking utterly exhausted.

"Where's Xiao Yang?" An Yi asked anxiously. "Is everyone all right? Did you find the witch?"

Wujue emerged wordlessly from the fortress, his gaze drawn to the space behind An Yi. As if summoned, Xun'er had awakened.

She stared at the battered reflection of the fortress outside, then stepped forward, her voice trembling: "Mother..."

Yes—the witch herself now peered out from the fortress, but she was utterly changed: gaunt, ashen-faced, her eyes hollow and terrifying.

Bathed in moonlight, she gazed at the world, her eyes finally settling on Xun'er. Slowly, she reached out a hand into the air.

With a cry, Xun'er collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"This can't be... this can't be... why..." she sobbed, crawling forward. An Yi tried to stop her, but Xun'er's overwhelming magical force pushed her aside.

In a frenzy, Xun'er rushed to her mother's side, clinging to her desperately and sobbing for the mother she had lost for so long.

The others could not hold back their tears. How many families had this catastrophe destroyed? How much love had it buried?

Xiao Han pounded the ground in anguish. "If only we'd gotten here sooner!"

Huron turned away. "Don't be foolish. Nothing in this world goes the way we wish."

Tell drifted closer, preparing to gather the mirror's light and end the witch's suffering. But Xun'er, sensing his intent, shouted, "None of you come near! My mother will go to heaven by my own hand."

She lifted her face to the witch, her expression torn between pain and struggle. Gently, she smoothed her mother's tangled hair and caressed her cheeks. Suddenly, a powerful violet aura gathered in her palm.

Doomsday Divine Warrior, Chapter 44: Fallen Into the Valley—End of Update.