C1361 Death

Xi Quan had perished just like that.

She, along with her beloved Withered Sword, lay silent within the Earth-Tethered Cage.

Both the Shura warriors and the wandering cultivators knew that the Grand Sword Immortal had been stripped of all vitality, his soul vanishing within the confines of the Earth-Tethered Cage.

It was a true annihilation of body and spirit.

The Shura commander, while casually conversing with Yu Yuan, had stealthily dealt a lethal blow, extinguishing Xi Quan's life in an instant with his exceedingly cruel methods.

Alonso's lips still bore a faint smile, as if he had merely carried out a trivial act.

Gone was the smile from the plump face of the once-mocking cultivator who had blamed Xi Quan. His expression was now as still as water, not a single word of threat escaping his lips.

He didn't invoke the might of Boulderdawn or the Chamber of Commerce to intimidate Alonso, for he knew it would be futile.

His thoughts were consumed with finding a way out of this predicament, a way to escape Alonso's clutches.

Unless something unexpected happened, he would likely be Alonso's next target...

His eyes flickered, the spiritual energy within him coursing like a swift, intricate stream.

"Senior Sister..."

From the Dragon Slaying Stage, Ji Ningshuang radiated intense sorrow.

After softly calling out, she stared blankly at the skeletal remains within the Earth-Tethered Cage and the shattered Withered Sword.

She hadn't drawn her sword because, for the moment, she was incapable of doing so.

In the struggle to escape the Earth-Tethered Cage, she had fully activated the sword force imprinted on the scabbard by the Sword Sect Master. She had maximized the brilliance of her comprehended Stardust sword light to conceal it, finally breaking free from the cage and, in the process, damaging numerous celestial bodies within the Glimmerdrift Nebula.

The effort had drained her of an immense amount of spiritual energy and Soul Power.

Her body had sustained grave injuries; many of her internal organs were severely damaged, and several of her meridians were torn.

Standing beside Yu Yuan, she was secretly channeling as much spiritual energy as possible to heal.

Yet she had not gathered enough strength to wield the Stardust Blade once more and reveal that peerless sword light again.

Xi Quan had come because of her and had fallen at Alonso's hand. With her heart brimming with grief and fury, how could she not yearn to draw her sword?

With a sudden burst, her emotional turmoil caused the wound in her chest to split open, and she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Her complexion turned deathly pale in an instant.

"Eh, Yu Yuan, why haven't you taken her away yet?" Alonso, drawn to the sight of her uncontrollable bleeding, smiled as he looked towards the Dragon Slaying Stage. "I've already said I would keep my promise and let her live."

"However..." The Shura commander's eyes were cold as he shook his head with a sinister smile.

"It won't be easy for her to advance to the realm of the primordial spirit in the future. Her grave injuries will pose hidden dangers. Her sword's will has been clouded, and a shadow has been cast in her heart. This shadow will grow into a formidable inner demon, striking when she attempts to reach the primordial spirit."

"Hehe! Her dear senior sister came to her rescue, only to die before her eyes!"

"She could only watch, powerless, unable to do anything."

"Hahaha!" Alonso let out a wild laugh, unable to contain his glee, echoing across the shattered heavens.

"Next, the Sword of Destruction, Du Yuan, will die, and Rillrender, Yue Mu, will follow. As for the other Solar Spirits of the Sword Sect, they've already perished because of you, Ms. Ji!"

Alonso's words were a double-edged sword, cutting both flesh and spirit. Ji Ningshuang's condition worsened with each syllable.

Though the blood no longer gushed forth, her face was ghostly white, her once vibrant eyes now dull and lifeless as if touched by the Withered Sword's curse.

"Yes, it's all because of me..." she whispered, lost in despair. With each word, with each thought, a Hellbreed seed took root in her soul, destined to erupt into a monstrous inner demon.

Her sword heart and Sacred Heart were no longer pristine, no longer untainted.

In a flash, the Dragon Slaying Stage, sharp as a blade, cleaved through the air towards Alonso. Time and space warped, and the energy barrier that cloaked the fractured cosmos shimmered with the frost wyrm's lingering might, rendering the Dragon Slaying Stage brilliantly radiant and icy cold.

Yu Yuan stood on the Dragon Slaying Stage, his face the picture of indifference, seemingly unaffected by the events unfolding around him.

A radiant beam of light shot straight towards Alonso's head.

With a deft flick of his silver lance, Alonso scattered the brilliant light. The tip of his lance struck the Dragon Slaying Stage, unleashing a blinding brilliance that left everyone present unable to open their eyes!

In that instant, everyone was rendered blind and deaf.

Unable to see or hear anything, they were engulfed in darkness and silence.

As the blinding light that had stolen their sight and hearing began to fade, Zhou You grunted softly and used space magic to teleport away.

He reappeared at the opposite end of the Shattered Star.

Where he had once stood, a massive crater, dozens of meters deep, now marred the earth. Within it, bursts of holy light, like molten silver, continued to explode.

It was revealed that Alonso had launched another covert attack!

He had hidden a portion of his vital energy deep within the frigid ground, and its sudden eruption had taken Xi Quan by surprise, leading to her tragic death.

Now, he had attempted to replicate his tactic in hopes of obliterating Zhou You!

"Yu Yuan, you've intervened, you've overstepped!" Alonso declared, his face a mask of icy resolve as he stared at Yu Yuan's phantom on the Dragon Slaying Stage. A resonant voice from his very spirit commanded, "Kill!"

Lollar, alongside another platinum Shura, immediately lunged at the fleeing Zhou You.

Lollar, towering even above the male Shura, activated her bloodline talent. Numerous shattered boulders around her took flight, hurtling towards Zhou You.

Once Lollar infused the boulders with vital energy, they shone with a cold, metallic sheen and became immensely heavier.

As the boulders roared through the air, her platinum Shura ally emitted a low, eerie howl.

Thousands of silver arcs of electricity filled the space around Zhou You, crackling intensely.

The slender platinum Shura, with sharp spikes jutting from his back, resembled a bizarre fish as he conjured numerous arcs of electricity with the sweep of his hands.

Zhou You, in response, flicked his horsetail whisk, sending a myriad of light blades soaring through the air, weaving a dazzling dance with the bolts of lightning.

Huge silver stones were shattered into rubble by the sweeping spatial light before they could even approach.

Boom!

Lollar's palms suddenly unleashed massive waves of light. Caught off guard, Zhou You was struck squarely in the chest, his bloated figure sent soaring into the sky.

Seizing the moment, the bizarre, fish-like platinum Shura closed in on Zhou You and engaged him in combat.

Meanwhile, Alonso refrained from further attacks, choosing instead to mend a rainbow-hued light corridor torn by the Dragon Slaying Stage with a crystal ball he held in his other hand.

His icy gaze, however, remained fixed on the Dragon Slaying Stage and Ji Ningshuang, who stood resolute with her sword.

Within the heart of the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit phantom raced onward.

Golden beams and silver bolts of lightning, defying the Stage's formidable defenses, penetrated its interior, seeking to assail his Lunar Spirit.

Alonso had somehow managed to project his force inside!

Though the golden light and silver lightning were rapidly dissolved by the Dragon Slaying Stage's psionic defenses, becoming fainter until they vanished, Yu Yuan was nonetheless startled by Alonso's feat.

The Dragon Slaying Stage, a Divine Artifact, held its status even with its most crucial piece residing in the Everlands. Its power, bolstered by numerous dragon corpses and the latent might of the dragon slayer, was not to be underestimated, especially not by the likes of the current Crucible of Evil.

Yu Yuan, who could traverse at will the miniature world refined by the Abyssal Leviathan, felt a sense of gravity in this moment.

He was indeed taken aback by Alonso's formidable combat prowess.

With a mere flick of his spear, the tip swiftly retracted without a trace of visible force...

It was only after Alonso withdrew his spear that a multitude of golden and silver glows erupted from within the Dragon Slaying Stage.

The relentless brilliance chased after him; had he not been so quick to react, had he not been the master of the Dragon Slaying Stage, had he been the Frost Queen drawn in at the outset, he might well have been struck down.

An unseen Cosmic Order began to coalesce beneath the Dragon Slaying Stage and high above it.

Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit could keenly perceive and detect the subtle shifts taking place.

"Ugh!"

A terrifying light suddenly burst forth from the depths of Alonso's silver-gray eyes, striking fear into the hearts of those who beheld it.