C1784 Tia Main Planet
The fragmented Asura Talisman, resembling a kite being torn to shreds, swayed above Jee Ningshuang's head.
The ice-cold soul force seeping from her mind further shattered the talisman into even tinier fragments. She had sliced through all ninety-six mysterious soul arrays associated with the Yin Meridians.
Beneath the chilly moonlight, this newly risen supreme of the Sword Sect demonstrated a formidable power that commanded universal awe.
A single person, with one sword, had pacified the overwhelming disaster of the Asuras.
Her solitary and serene demeanor suggested she was an immortal, transcendent and indifferent to the mundane world.
In that instant, numerous formidable figures gazed at her with eyes of admiration, soon giving way to envy towards Yu Yuan.
Back in Hong Qi's era, the unapproachable Great Sword Immortal harbored a deep and abiding affection for Yu Yuan.
And it continued to this day.
Even after Yu Yuan's rebirth as a member of the Divine Soul Sect, even amidst the clash of their factions, the sharp Starfrost Sword had consistently shielded him.
Jee Ningshuang's favoritism towards Yu Yuan was crystal clear to the older generation of cultivators, and now the new generation also witnessed it with their own eyes.
They were indeed green with envy.
"Do you have a problem with me?"
Jee Ningshuang's icy gaze abruptly fell upon Xuanli's face. Resting her finger on the sword's hilt, she arched an eyebrow and asked, "Is it because I've slain many from your Ghost Wizard Sect?"
Xuanli gave a wry smile, "Actually, it's not about that."
Jee Ningshuang stayed silent, giving him space to elaborate.
"The extreme cold sword spell you've mastered seems to counter both me and Youyu. Our soul secret arts are mostly tied to the Yin Meridians, and the profound mysteries they bring from the realm of spirits seem to..."
Xuanli sighed deeply, reluctant to concede that practitioners from his Ghost Wizard Sect, even the deified Youyu, might one day be suppressed by Jee Ningshuang.
He couldn't help but recall ancient battles with the Frost Dragon, where many Asuras and venomous insects under his command were frozen into dust and ice mid-battle.
Could it be that the vast, extreme cold inherently limits the Soul Arts at the very source of the Yin Meridians?
If that were not the case, why would the Dragon Slash Platform still be able to suppress the highest of the Asura after the Frost Dragon's remains were interred there? Why couldn't the Ghost Wizard Sect produce a stronger force?
"Alright."
Yu Yuan offered a serene smile, watching the shattered Asura Talisman slowly fade away. He extended his hand to Jee Ningshuang on the Dragon Slash Platform, "Come with me to the Jade Peak Mountain Range. Once we've dealt with Jiang Xingwen, we'll depart from this vast ocean."
He saw potential in Jee Ningshuang!
Her understanding of the Extreme Cold Dao might indeed curry favor with the extreme coldness deep within the Origin Blood Continent, possibly reaching the highest secrets of extreme cold.
That subterranean chill was so intense that even Beilstein, the Great Demon God, was at a loss.
Now, Jee Ningshuang, having sealed her godhood with the ocean's extreme cold and honed by the Frost Dragon's power in the Dark Domain, could suppress the Yin Meridians of her homeland.
Should she tap into the Origin Blood Continent's extreme cold once more, wouldn't her power become even more formidable?
He had no concerns about how she might act towards him after mastering the ultimate frost power.
After all, his Yang God and Jee Ningshuang would always be drawn to each other.
"Hmm."
The icy figure returned to the Dragon Slash Platform.
Xuanli gazed upward as the platform was bathed in a spectrum of radiant light, leaving the domain of the Ghost Wizard Sect behind.
Once the pair had vanished, Yuen Qingxi, Lianjing, Lin Tianming, and the other cultivators cautiously emerged.
"Is the Ghost Tide over just like that?"
Yuen Qingxi approached Xuanli, his eyes scanning the array of rigid corpses, finally resting on the Unrestrained Stage cultivator. "Lord Xuanli, when Jee Ningshuang drew her sword, I felt a sharp pain in my soul, a profound discomfort. And when the Asura Talisman broke, it was as if my soul itself was tearing apart."
"I felt it too!" Lianjing interjected.
"We..."
The surrounding Ghost Wizard Sect cultivators, still shaken, shared their harrowing experiences with Xuanli.
Xuanli paused thoughtfully before speaking, "Let's not beat around the bush—the ice-cold girl's mastery of the Dao Law of extreme cold should be able to suppress us. However, once Youyu returns from his journey beyond, he should be capable of breaking free from her law's intimidation. Youyu is different; he's not like the rest of us anymore!"
"He is destined to transcend the Yin Meridians and achieve an extraordinary transformation!"
...
In the Jade Peak Mountain Range, Yu Yiyi perched atop the dark cauldron, her gaze fixed on the wailing Jiang Xingwen. Disgust filled her eyes as she listened to Jiang's incoherent mutterings.
"She's beyond saving."
Xuan Ge's brow furrowed as he recalled the cultivators who had perished because of Jiang Xingwen. Observing the soulless remains, he remarked, "Her thoughts have been tainted by the Yin Meridians; her soul is steeped in corruption. Moreover, as long as she lives, she could continue to unleash the Asura calamity."
Gao Qin remained quiet, offering only a slight nod in agreement.
Whoosh!
The Dragon Slash Platform returned.
"You monster! Both of you are fiends!"
A deranged Jiang Xingwen, pointing at Yu Yuan and Jee Ningshuang, hurled curses at them, her once-pretty face twisting as ghoul glyphs tried to form.
"She is an Asura Talisman, the trigger for all the others. She was meant to set herself ablaze after each Unrestrained Stage cultivator transformed into an Asura."
Jee Ningshuang made a succinct assessment and, without seeking anyone's consent, swung her sword towards Jiang Xingwen.
The sword's light pierced Jiang Xingwen's brow.
The ghoul glyphs, struggling to manifest on her face, vanished as her soul shattered. Her curses and grimaces ceased abruptly.
Yu Yiyi playfully stuck out her tongue, then quickly withdrew into the Evil Cauldron, becoming noticeably more docile.
"Please continue to protect the Yu family for me."
Gazing towards Elfview, Yu Yuan saw the expectant figure of the family elder and the outlines of his parents, yet he chose not to return.
Xuan Ge declared with gravity, "It is the duty entrusted to me by Chairman Shi! Rest assured, as long as I draw breath, I will let no harm come to the Yu family!"
"Thank you."
Yu Yuan smiled, clasping his hands together before seizing the Evil Cauldron and steering the Dragon Slash Platform toward the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.
"Not at all!"
...
"He's gone."
Perched on a crimson meteorite outside the world, Qin Luo of the Red Devil Sect watched the Spirit Void Taoist, riddled with holes from the starlight, and said, "Until Senior Han returns, put aside thoughts of revenge or returning to the Vast Ocean."
"Huanmo is dead," the Spirit Void Taoist stated blankly.
While Yu Yuan and Ji Ningshuang were contending with Tan Xiaotian and quelling the Asura surge, he and Huanmo were pursued by Jun Chen, Fong Zhong, Old Cash, and other powerful merchants across the Outland Star River.
Qin Luo had been observing from a distance.
It wasn't until he saw Yu Yuan, Ji Ningshuang, Denise, and Lau Ying vanish into the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area that he finally extended a helping hand, rescuing the Spirit Void Taoist.
His timing was just right.
Had he delayed any longer, the head of the Spirit Void Sect would have met the same fate as Huanmo.
"You're still alive; the Spirit Void Sect's foundation remains. What more could you hope for?"
Qin Luo scoffed, gesturing toward the expanse of the Heavenly Source Continent, "The Taiyuan Sect has been wiped out, its disciples turned into Asura, all slain by Ji Ningshuang. Can you imagine how many cultivators perished from the Ghost Wizard Sect, the Crack Archipelago, the Cold Yin Sect, and several empires due to this disaster?"
"Huanmo is dead, yet you live. You should feel fortunate."
The Spirit Void Taoist, his Dharma Transformation shattered by Jun Chen, refused to resign himself to fate and declared fiercely, "I won't rest until I've settled this."
"As you wish."
Qin Luo waved dismissively, signaling that he could do as he pleased, "But remember, don't rush back to the Vast Expanse. If Jun Chen and his ilk decide to kill you there, with Old Monster Zu watching, I won't be able to save you."
The Spirit Void Taoist departed with resentment, clearly not heading toward the Vast Expanse.
"He's wise enough, at least," Qin Luo mused.
...
In the Gray Domain, on the Tia Main Planet.
Zhong Chichen stood before a colossal gateway, from which divine and immortal radiance spilled forth, enticing the surrounding dragons to greedily absorb it.
With a clang and a crack, the archway trembled, slowly parting to reveal a deep, blood-red hue.
"Colorful Patriarch!"
Loong Jie, resembling a serpentine golden mountain range, was visibly shaken by the sight of the blood-red light seeping through the gap. He exclaimed, "That's the scent of the Demon God's flesh!"
Zhong Chichen nodded gravely, "The battle has commenced. Its ferocity is beyond anything we could have imagined. The outcome is anyone's guess."
"Yu Yuan?"
Loong Jie's voice dropped to a whisper, laced with caution, as he uttered the name.
The dragons, which had been hovering near the archway to snatch at the divine glow, cast nervous glances around upon hearing Loong Jie mention that name.
They were in the Gray Domain, a realm now tightly gripped in the hands of that individual. Merely speaking his name here might draw his attention.
"He ventured to the Vast Expanse. By my reckoning, he should be back by now."
A chill spread across Zhong Chichen's face, his frustration and helplessness palpable. "Since he took the Dragon Slash Platform, the Yang God he left behind in the Gray Domain isn't able to traverse space at will. Nonetheless, we must focus on one crucial point—the Demon Phoenix is the sworn enemy of our Nagas! We cannot, under any circumstances, allow her to obtain the Origin Blood!"
"My esteemed senior brother, your profound sense of duty brings me great comfort!"
A stream of blood-red light drifted in, materializing into Yu Yuan's Yang God form. He glanced at the archway and, with a look of alarm, demanded, "Why is it the demonic blood of Lvliu and Yu Zhu?"
