C926
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Sword light danced around Xi Quan, clashing with bursts of flames. In each fleeting moment, a flurry of thousands of strikes ensued.
Where Xi Quan fell, the rock beneath her, as hard as fine gold, cracked open like an immense spider web.
This web was the result of sword light spraying from her body, spreading and slicing through the air.
At that moment, Xi Quan's sword's will spiraled out of control. The deep essence and enigma of the Withered Sword emanated from her, forming a vast circle spanning several acres.
Within this domain, any living creature or ghostly soul that dared to step inside would fall under the spell of the Withered Sword's secrets.
A Silverscale Tribe member, oblivious to the danger, drew near.
"Ah!"
The warrior, adorned in natural silver scales and possessing a seventh-level bloodline, let out a piercing scream filled with agony and terror.
Pata! Pata!
Palm-sized silver scales, gleaming brightly, detached from his flesh and fell to the ground.
His once robust frame rapidly withered, his vitality draining away before our eyes.
"Why aren't you coming out yet?"
Beru, the Great Sage of the Starborn, immediately recognized the calamity unfolding.
The Silverscale tribesman, whose bloodline had reached the seventh level and whose strength was on par with a human in the Spirit Walk Realm, realized his dire plight was due to his proximity to the woman.
He retreated in haste.
Luckily, Xi Quan, overwhelmed by her own sword's will, could not muster another binding sword light, allowing the tribesman to escape.
Had he not been gravely injured, and had the Withered Sword's domain been at its peak, the Silverscale tribesman would not have lasted more than seven seconds before succumbing to death.
But now...
Xi Quan clenched her teeth as innumerable sword lights, fine as gnats, battled fiercely with the fiery sparks skimming her skin.
Slowly, Canli, Qi Yunhong, Yu Yuan, and Tong Laoqian arrived one by one.
The Shadowkin and Wen Lu, however, kept their distance, standing well behind the others.
The desolate and deadly sword's will that Xi Quan had mastered instinctively repelled them. Merely feeling the sword's will emanating from Xi Quan was enough to unsettle their souls and oppress their bloodlines.
"Senior Xi!"
As Yu Yuan approached, his pupils shrank in shock, fixating on the clusters of flames enveloping Xi Quan's body, and he exclaimed in disbelief.
Narrowing his eyes and activating his Third Eye, he instantly perceived nine smaller flames darting within the larger ones, like glowing rings in perpetual motion.
Upon closer inspection, each of the nine darting flames revealed yet another nine points of light within them.
This was the peculiar form of the Flame Rings.
Each cluster of flames was composed of nine shimmering points, with each point containing a similar ring of light...
Yu Yuan was all too familiar with this phenomenon.
"Nine Glories Wheel!"
"Mo Baichuan from Mount Solarian!"
"The Sunlit Order is taking action!"
Canli, Beru, and numerous Otherkin guests, along with Sky Fiends, cried out one after another.
The elite of the Everlands, having recently ascended to the Solar Spirit Realm, customarily ventured to extraterrestrial realms to hunt Sky Fiends and strike down formidable Otherkin as a mark of honor.
Consequently, the Otherkin were often more aware of the Everlands' champions' appearances, spell intricacies, and temperaments.
Recognizing the clusters of flames, many extraterrestrial visitors immediately identified their origin.
Qi Yunhong, Shi Yuxuan, and others didn't immediately connect them to the "Nine Glories Wheel."
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Countless minuscule sword lights, numbering in the millions, infiltrated each flame cluster, dissolving and eradicating the smaller points of light and the essence of fire magic contained within.
After some time, Xi Quan managed to assimilate the flame clusters with her own power, and the pervasive Withered Sword's will that filled the air was also slowly retracted by her.
Drooping her eyelids, she surveyed the surrounding crowd and declared icily, "Anyone who isn't worthy of speaking to me, clear off!"
At her words, most of the onlookers immediately felt the subtle presence of the Withered Sword's will around them.
With grimaces and heavy sighs, they promptly withdrew.
Qi Yunhong, Shi Yuxuan, Tong Laoqian, and the rest were compelled to leave as well.
Those who remained were Canli, Beru, Luo Yue, a handful of equally formidable Otherkin, and several Sky Fiend Demon Gods lurking in the void.
The Demon God of the Sky Fiend Clan was a formidable opponent, able to challenge cultivators at the Unbound Stage in the extraterrestrial Star River. His combat prowess and standing were on par with that of Xi Quan.
Yu Yuan was another notable figure.
"Go back, I'll stay and see what's going on," Mia from the Shadowkin said, lifting her veil to reveal her time-worn face. She gestured for Wen Lu to leave, her green eyes briefly meeting Xi Quan's gaze from a distance. "Later, I'll fill you in on what happened."
She was the chieftain of the Shadowkin, drawn to this place by the holy weapon she had detected on Wen Lu's neck.
"Oh."
Wen Lu, not wanting to be too close to Xi Quan, quickly withdrew.
"Was it Mo Baichuan's doing?" Yu Yuan called out.
In his past life, he had been on good terms with Mo Baichuan from Mount Solarian. Although their friendship wasn't as profound as that with Zu Ann, there was mutual respect, and he had crafted many pills for Mo Baichuan.
The Nine Glories Wheel was a personal gift from Mo Baichuan himself.
Back then, Mo Baichuan wasn't nearly as powerful as he is now, nor was he one of the leading figures of the Sunlit Order.
"A single Mo Baichuan couldn't have caused me such harm," Xi Quan said, wincing in pain as she spoke, as if the act of speaking aggravated her internal injuries. "It was the combined forces of Feng Pu from Menend Hill and Mo Baichuan from Mount Solarian. The two Lords, along with their respective mountain's followers, are to blame for my current state."
"Two Unbound Stage cultivators, plus the might of two mountains!" Mia of the Shadowkin inhaled sharply.
She was well aware of the weight those two carried and the formidable nature of their mountains.
True to her moniker, the "Withered Sword," Xi Quan had a reputation for excessive killing, to the extent that even her own allies were endangered. It was no surprise she ended up confined in the Sword Prison.
Mia silently reflected.
"And what of Green Willow?" Yu Yuan pressed on.
At the mention of the supreme leader of the evilkind, Green Willow, the atmosphere among the Otherkin present grew tense.
Even the Sky Fiend Demon Gods above peeked out from within their demonic aura, clearly concerned.
Archdemon Green Willow, the commander of the evilkind's extraterrestrial forces, had slain innumerable Otherkin champions and consumed the souls and remains of many Sky Fiends. His name alone was enough to instill terror throughout the Star River.
"Loong Jie was released by the Sword Sect, and then he rallied several dragons to besiege Green Willow in the Serpent Spine Mountains," Xi Quan said with a sneer. "Before I charged into the forbidden area, Green Willow's injuries were likely more severe than my own. Loong Jie, the venerable patriarch of the Nagas, will be a formidable force once he regains his strength, especially with the support of the elder dragons from Dragon Lake. Green Willow is in for a tough fight."
Her expression betrayed a hint of schadenfreude.
"Loong Jie..." Yu Yuan's face took on a shade of concern.
He was acutely aware that the old dragon, once confined in the Sword Prison, had been subdued again by Ji Ningshuang in the Godsblight Marsh because he had just been released, his vitality severely depleted.
As the eldest and mightiest dragon known in the Everlands, Loong Jie would certainly be no less formidable than Green Willow once he returned to his prime. And with the additional support from the elder dragons of Dragon Lake, Green Willow was indeed in a precarious position.
"Is it because Green Willow devoured Loong Qi?" Yu Yuan inquired, intrigued.
"That's part of it," Xi Quan replied, composing herself. "The main reason is that Dragon Lake, seeking to reclaim Loong Jie, proactively showed goodwill to the three great upper sects during the descent of the Boulderdawn Sect. They offered to ally with the upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep to oppose the sinners returning from beyond our world."
"It's worth noting that during the era when the Boulderdawn Sect reigned supreme, subjugating giant dragons as mounts was a mark of prestige. That period represented the deepest humiliation and darkest days for the dragon race."
Xi Quan paused, then got to the crux of the matter. "The three upper sects, along with the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, have dispatched numerous experts to the Moonfall Sanctuary. They've also summoned all sects to send their strongest in support. Those who refuse to join or contribute will be held accountable after the fall of the moon!"
