Holy Explosion!
When the ten Black Ice Fire Sacred Seeds detonated in the night sky, transforming into a downpour of holy explosions that blanketed nearly the entire Dongtian Wangcheng, the air in the city grew thick with tension.
Inside the city, everyone's breathing turned shallow and labored.
The dense black rain carried an overwhelming destructive force, as if intent on stripping away all life from Dongtian Wangcheng.
“Are they insane?”
“Has a semi-saint gone mad?”
“Am I going to die?”
“Sacred Slave… Indeed, it's the continent's foremost dark force!”
“I knew it, I just knew it—how could the battle between Shengshen Hall and the dark forces end with just a light skirmish tonight?”
“This fight was never meant for spectators.”
“I should have run away earlier…”
Panic spread through the city as everyone lost their composure.
Only then did the people realize the truth.
This wasn't a ring match with rules like stopping at a touch or surrendering.
From the moment the citywide war erupted,
The best choice hadn't been to stay and observe the Tai Xu battle for enlightenment and cultivation.
No, they should have fled far away, escaping the night's turmoil in Dongtian Wangcheng with lightning speed.
“Xu Xiaoshou…”
High above the trade fair site, when Shouye saw Xu Xiaoshou make that final choice, his heart turned ice-cold.
In that instant, Shouye suddenly realized it was too late.
Xu Xiaoshou was no longer the young man he once knew.
In just a short time with Sacred Slave, he had been thoroughly indoctrinated by the dark forces.
This tactic of threatening the lives of Dongtian Wangcheng's residents to force Shengshen Hall to rescue them and temporarily withdraw from the fight
Was something the old Xu Xiaoshou could never have done.
No matter how unreliable he was, he wasn't the type to toy with people's lives!
But now…
“Was it too late after all?”
Shouye suddenly felt foolish.
Even earlier that night, he had held onto hope that Xu Xiaoshou, having joined Sacred Slave not long ago, could still be salvaged.
But in this situation…
There was no turning back!
After this Dongtian Wangcheng purge, Shouye would no longer be naive.
Xu Xiaoshou had taken a stand on the opposite side, with no way to return.
The next time they met,
It would be with weapons drawn.
“Scatter—everyone spread out!”
Above the central district's void, Rao Yao Yao shouted hoarsely.
She couldn't fathom how such a terrifying act could come from Sacred Slave's storyteller… or even from the scruffy swordsman before her!
How could it happen to a young man like this?
Xu Xiaoshou…
Wasn't he just that absurd junior who could only fly high?
In the blink of an eye, he had steeled himself to commit something so dreadful?
At that moment, everyone in Dongtian Wangcheng looked up in despair, their faces ashen.
It was like an earthquake—minor ones you don't need to flee, but major ones you can't escape.
This holy explosion ritual enveloping the entire city left no one able to flee from within Dongtian Wangcheng.
As they watched Rao Yao Yao in the sky,
The red- and white-robed net of heaven and earth expanded with full force, from a single point to a vast expanse, as if trying to escape the holy explosion's core in the central district and flee toward the city outskirts.
Even those who usually trusted Shengshen Hall deeply now felt sudden doubts rising in their hearts.
“Will they choose to save us?”
For most people,
Shengshen Hall faced two options at that moment:
Save others or save themselves.
But as Xu Xiaoshou had anticipated, Shengshen Hall had no real choice.
As the continent's most righteous organization, they had only one way to break the deadlock…
“North district, landing points complete!”
“West district, landing points complete!”
“South district, landing points complete!”
“East district, landing points complete!”
“Central district, landing points complete!”
As if to steady the people's hearts, the thrones and Dao-cutting level red- and white-robed powerhouses declared this with impassioned voices.
A spark of hope reignited in the eyes of Dongtian Wangcheng's residents.
The next second, in the central district, Rao Yao Yao—whose eyes still burned with furious flames—chose to abandon her opponent, drawing her Xuan Cang divine sword and pointing it toward the high sky.
“Protect the city!!!”
In that instant, the crowd erupted in their first cheer of joy amid the despair, grateful that Shengshen Hall hadn't forsaken them.
The sound waves soared into the sky.
Ripples formed in the void.
Then, before the holy explosion rain could fall, Dongtian Wangcheng's protective barrier activated.
Activating a city-level barrier required an astronomical amount of energy.
And the preparation time for it was incredibly long compared to the rapid changes of battle.
But this time,
By using the power of the various red- and white-robed thrones and Dao-cutting experts as energy sources,
The barrier achieved instant activation.
In a mere instant,
“Buzz—”
A wave-like azure-white light rose from the outer walls of the four districts, quickly merging in the void. Like a miracle, it reignited fresh color in the desperate, ashen eyes of the people.
“Junior sister.”
Outside the central district, Situ Yongren looked at the dazed Yu Zhiwen and sighed regretfully. “I have a rough idea of what you're thinking, but what you've seen with your own eyes… Sacred Slave is a true dark force!”
He said no more.
Yu Zhiwen wasn't foolish.
After this explosion, whatever had happened between Xu Xiaoshou and Yu Zhiwen before,
It was all over.
“The protective barrier might not withstand the impact of the sacred explosion. I'll use the 'Tian Zun Tower' that my master granted me—lend me your strength!”
Seeing the beauty remain silent, Situ Yongren pulled out a delicate small tower, tossed it into the air, and poured his spiritual energy into it fully.
In no time, the Tian Zun Tower's heavenly mechanism dao patterns activated, manifesting a grand tower illusion that enveloped nearly the entire Dongtian Wangcheng.
“Junior sister!”
With no response from Yu Zhiwen, Situ Yongren shouted urgently.
At that moment, he pushed his heavenly mechanism arts to the limit, veins bulging on his neck.
Yu Zhiwen seemed to snap back to reality just then.
She gazed at the distant vanished figure, her star-like eyes filled with struggle.
She had already started to pursue him.
But now, she felt the distance between her and Xu Xiaoshou growing wider, like an insurmountable chasm.
It was all about stance.
Just two simple words,
But behind them lay the gaze of countless major figures,
Even the scrutiny of the entire world!
“Alright.”
As if agreeing to assist Situ Yongren in using heavenly mechanism arts to secretly undermine Sacred Slave earlier, Yu Zhiwen responded mechanically.
Then, her star pupils flared as she unleashed her full power.
No matter what, the lives of Dongtian Wangcheng's people were the priority.
As for that person…
Even if her heart conjured many excuses and instinctively defended that figure,
At that moment, a trace of bitter ripples stirred in Yu Zhiwen's heart.
“Has Xu Xiaoshou really changed?”
The holy explosion rain descended, first striking the protective barrier.
A massive boom erupted.
In that instant, the black energy rain collided with the azure-white barrier, igniting the sky above Dongtian Wangcheng!
The twisting barrier…
The collapsing space…
It was as if doomsday had arrived, presenting the terrifying power of the dark forces to the city's residents—a sight they would never forget.
“Rumble—”
The barrier withstood the calamity force of the Black Ice Fire Sacred Seeds, but it was never designed to handle a sacred power assault from the start.
Thus, the destructive force of this holy explosion was far beyond what the barrier could endure.
The red- and white-robed thrones and Dao-cutting experts could handle the dispersed holy explosion raindrops in individual combat.
But protecting the entire city was a completely different matter from safeguarding themselves.
As the barrier finally cracked under the sacred force amid the horrified gazes of the city's people,
The long-accumulated Tian Zun Tower illusion finally took shape.
“Thud!”
Accompanied by a muffled drumbeat that seemed to strike deep in everyone's souls, the Tian Zun Tower illusion radiated a magnificent, pure sacred power.
Then, the unexploded, overflowing holy explosion rain was rapidly absorbed into the tower.
Tian Zun Tower was a defensive sacred artifact,
But it wasn't created to protect a city.
Its true purpose was merely to shield its host alone.
Therefore, when the tower's illusion had to withstand attacks across the vast expanse of Dongtian Wangcheng, its concentrated defensive power was forced to the minimum.
At that time, Situ Yongren and Yu Zhiwen, who were sustaining the tower's power, grew increasingly pale.
The two were drenched in sweat, bearing a force beyond their cultivation levels.
The barrier blocked the calamity of the Black Ice Fire Sacred Seeds.
The Tian Zun Tower repelled the explosive sacred force of the holy explosion rain.
But what remained…
When the barrier shattered completely and the Tian Zun Tower illusion burst under the sacred onslaught,
The resulting shockwave, combined with the extremely compressed explosive power of the holy explosion rain, could even slightly rival the aftermath of a Tai Xu battle!
This wave meant little to the mighty,
But for Dongtian Wangcheng's spirit refiners and fragile structures, it was still devastating.
“It's over…”
Rao Yao Yao held her Xuan Cang divine sword in reverse grip, her expression turning indifferent as she watched it all unfold.
She hadn't lifted a finger to protect the city so far.
Because, in her eyes, this holy explosion ritual posed no real threat from the beginning.
But undeniably, it was a blatant scheme!
With such a powerful strike that fully distracted and drew in all the red- and white-robed experts,
At that moment, everyone from the dark forces had escaped without a trace.
Including the one who struck—Xu Xiaoshou, Sacred Slave's storyteller, and that scruffy swordsman.
Even at the trade fair site, that untrustworthy Tai Xu ghost beast…
Of course.
It would be strange if someone like that kept their word!
Rao Yao Yao silently observed everything.
She couldn't abandon her post to chase them.
Because this final shockwave, though seemingly insignificant, covered the entire area of a Tai Xu battlefield, and no one could fully resist it.
Not Wang Dachui, Ye Xiao, the gravely injured Teng Shanhai, or the soul remnant Yi.
It wasn't that they were weak.
Their strength lay in individual combat, not area protection.
A sword immortal, however, was different.
As the explosive aftermath began to ravage and destroy Dongtian Wangcheng, Rao Yao Yao spun her Xuan Cang divine sword and soared straight into the clouds.
She felt a bit glad she had brought the Xuan Cang divine sword from Guizhe Sheng Mountain.
Only then could she embody the pinnacle of a sword immortal—offense and defense in perfect harmony!
“The wind…”
Unlike the terror in the city,
As Rao Yao Yao ascended, she simply closed her eyes and sensed it.
Around her, the wind howled.
Furious, wild, rampaging everywhere.
But it was a familiar elemental force, her innate talent awakened from birth.
Gentle, it could awaken the dawn.
Frenzied, it could shatter a realm.
And whether calamity or blessing, in the eyes of a Tai Xu below the saints,
Rao Yao Yao's single sword could command this unruly power!
At that moment,
She opened her eyes and swung her sword toward the west sky.
“Wind rises, summoning clouds and weaving dreams!”
With a soft, resonant call,
The boundless wind elements wandering the world were summoned like divine orders.
Rao Yao Yao's sword swept west.
The void's explosive forces shattered like fragile clouds under the vast heavenly dao power, then merged into this spirit technique.
From their chaotic, scattered rampage, they were drawn into obedient vortices, surging straight into the clouds.
“Boom!”
The explosion didn't reach the ground; instead, it was carried away by Rao Yao Yao's technique and detonated high in the ninth heaven.
Pulled back from the brink of death, the people of Dongtian Wangcheng erupted in unanimous cheers.
Some celebrated surviving the catastrophe.
Some praised the glory of the sacred hall.
But most spirit refiners were utterly immersed in that sword strike, unable to extricate themselves.
“Forbidden technique!”
“Summoning clouds and weaving dreams… That's the power of a forbidden technique! Rao the Sword Immortal protected the entire Dongtian Wangcheng with one sword!”
“Incredible! Long live Rao the goddess!”
“I declare that from now on, Rao the Sword Immortal is the next sword immortal I've recognized after the eighth!”
“Nonsense, does Rao the Sword Immortal need your recognition?”
“Heh, just blowing off steam.”
The great disaster had passed, and dawn was breaking.
With the city restored to calm, these spirit refiners, accustomed to life and death, became lively once more, their banter flowing freely.
They weren't like ordinary folk, sinking into citywide fear and gratitude to the heavens after a disaster.
Instead,
Witnessing the might of Tai Xu and sword immortals stirred in them only the drive to pursue it relentlessly.
There was reverence, yes,
But life, death, and distance wouldn't make these spirit refiners back down.
“Drip, drip, drip…”
The sky's cracks mended.
After the celestial phenomena were destroyed, the rules reformed and healed.
Even the clouds on the horizon, stirred by the sword immortal's strike, fell as rain under the rising sun.
Sunlight and rain.
Wind and cheers.
The rain grew heavier…
And this time, the new rain after the storm wouldn't bring the heart-pounding fear of a rainy night to Dongtian Wangcheng's people.
Because everyone knew
This was the power of rebirth after calamity.
It represented new beginnings!
High in the void,
Rao Yao Yao, holding her Xuan Cang divine sword in reverse, stood alone with the wind.
She pondered, for even she had lost track of all her enemies' positions.
But it didn't matter.
Rao Yao Yao tilted her head slightly and asked softly, “Did you memorize the locations?”
“Mhm.”
Though the void was empty, a young voice responded:
“The ghost beast Wu Xia headed south; there are people waiting for him there—probably from Xuyue Hui Palace. He's still tied to Xuyue Hui Palace in the end…”
“Sacred Slave's storyteller fled north; Ba Zun'an is in Yun Lun Mountains, likely going to meet him.”
“That scruffy swordsman vanished; he last headed east. He's very strong, probably approaching sword immortal level… As for his identity, you can figure that out yourself—I won't overstep.”
“Yanwang's Huang Quan has mastered space-time powers; his last movement was west. I didn't dare follow him—he might have detected me… Oh, and Soul Sever and Wound Profound Sword are indeed in his hands.”
Hearing this, Rao Yao Yao couldn't help but twitch her lips.
Soul Sever, Wound Profound Sword…
Two of the nine supreme divine artifacts in the hands of a dark force leader—that was no good news.
“What about Xu Xiaoshou?” she then asked.
After all, this final purge of Dongtian Wangcheng came from that young man.
“Xu Xiaoshou…”
The voice in the void suddenly turned strange, pausing before continuing: “He disappeared. His vanishing technique—I still can't understand it.”
“Oh?” Rao Yao Yao raised an eyebrow. “Even as a Dao cutter, you can't understand it?”
“A Dao cutter…”
The voice murmured, trembling slightly, as if recalling some terrifying experience.
After a long pause, it chuckled bitterly. “A Dao cutter isn't all-powerful, at least not on the surface—it's still one level below Tai Xu!”
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