C1 Wedge

In the Holy Heaven Realm, at the terminus of a vast canyon, before a twisted barrier, stood Chen Yi. His nearly three-meter-tall, blood-red form bore hundreds of sword wounds, both large and small; he was soaked in blood, a crimson figure of war.

"Chen Yi, you've reached a dead end. Surrender the Blood Holy Bead, and I'll grant you a swift end," a voice echoed, prompting him to lift his head. Hovering before him was a radiant figure, glowing like the sun.

"Over three hundred years of flight, and it has come to this," Chen Yi sighed, a sense of resignation in his voice. The image of a beloved face flashed through his mind, and with a hint of sorrow in his eyes, he murmured, "Yue, I can no longer protect you. From now on, you must fend for yourself..."

Resolved, Chen Yi inhaled deeply and fixed a steely gaze upon the luminous figure above. Abruptly, he produced a blood-red bead.

At the sight of the bead, the figure's excitement surged, "The Blood Holy Bead!"

"You desire it, don't you?" Chen Yi taunted with a smirk. "Well, I refuse to hand it over!" With those words, he spun and charged toward the distorted barrier behind him.

The barrier marked the entrance to the Destiny Ruins, a Death Forbidden Area within the Holy Heaven Realm, where survival was all but impossible.

"Planning to take the Blood Holy Bead into the Destiny Ruins? Chen Yi, have you no regard for your sister's life?" the figure in the air called out with eerie calm.

Chen Yi, on the cusp of crossing the barrier, halted abruptly and turned. There, in the figure's grasp, was a yellow-clothed woman, bound and captive.

"Yue!" Chen Yi's voice broke in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock. "How... How is this possible?" He had entrusted her to his most trusted friend; how could this be...

"Nothing is impossible, Chen Yi. The wise adapt to their circumstances! Three months ago, I pledged myself to Lord Sword Abyss. I should thank you for entrusting Chen Yue to me, granting me this opportunity to distinguish myself," a new voice interjected.

Suddenly, a finely dressed middle-aged man materialized behind the figure in midair.

"Lu Hee..." Recognizing the man, Chen Yi's realization turned to fury, "You betrayed me!?"

"Betrayal?" The man chuckled, shaking his head. "I was never your subordinate. How could it be betrayal? I have simply been serving Lord Sword Abyss."

"Lu Hee, well done," praised Sword Abyss Monarch, before turning his attention to Chen Yi. "If you wish to save your dear sister, give me the Blood Holy Bead."

Chen Yi's response was silence, his head bowed in contemplation.

With a cold "Humph," Sword Abyss Monarch flicked his finger, and the arm of the yellow-clothed woman burst into a mist of blood. Imprisoned, she couldn't scream, but her contorted face spoke volumes of her agony.

"Damn you!" Chen Yi roared, "Stop this at once!"

"Hand over the Blood Holy Bead," Sword Abyss Monarch demanded, unphased.

Chen Yi fell silent again, the weight of his decision heavy upon him.

"Impatient," Sword Abyss Monarch raised his hand to maim the woman further.

"Stop! I'll give it!" Chen Yi cried out, tossing the bead with a mix of anger and defeat.

Catching the bead, Sword Abyss Monarch's lips curled into a satisfied smirk.

"Release my sister!" Chen Yi demanded.

"Release her?" Sword Abyss Monarch sneered. "As you wish, I'll 'release' her to you." With a swift motion, he struck the woman's back.

"STOP!!!" Chen Yi's pupils dilated in horror as he lunged forward, but it was too late.

With a resounding "Bang!" the woman disintegrated, her blood scattering to the winds.

Chen Yi stood petrified, the world around him falling silent. He was a statue amidst the drifting blood, his sister's lifeblood.

"Sword Abyss, you old fiend!" Chen Yi's voice thundered, his eyes blazing red with fury. "You will pay with your life!"

With a roar, the air grew heavy with tension. Chen Yi's battered body erupted with a fearsome energy, transforming into a colossal orb of light that surged towards the two figures above.

"They're in trouble! He's self-destructing!" Sword Abyss Monarch and Lu Hee's faces twisted in panic as they fled.

But the rumble of the impending blast signaled it was too late. The valley shook with the force of the explosion, engulfed by the devastating energy unleashed by Chen Yi's wrath.

Yet, in that very moment, a brilliant shaft of light burst forth from the warped entrance of the Destiny Ruins, streaking toward the epicenter of the explosion...