The Demon Ancestor Wuji broke his sacred vow, and the young man bled upon the azure sky.
A beauty's wrath set her flying through the air. As petals fell in the lingering rain, who was merely a piece in the game?
Watching the two figures so close at hand, the Heavenly Demon Patriarch wore a cruel smile at the corners of his mouth and casually struck out with a single palm.
That handprint expanded at blinding speed in the void.
In the blink of an eye, the spiritual qi handprint was the size of a small hill, carrying an overwhelming momentum as it crushed down toward the falling young man.
"No!"
Seeing this scene, Yu Yanran, who was darting upward through the air, felt her eyes split with fury as she shrieked.
In this instant, everything seemed to freeze!
Within her clear pupils, there was only that figure just an eyelash away, and the massive handprint pressing down from behind.
Yet, no turnaround came.
The handprint arrived in a flash, striking the man's body in the blink of an eye.
"Boom!"
A terrifying explosion resounded, and the surging primal qi ripples spread outward in all directions.
Shattered fragments of flesh scattered into the air, and warm blood fell like a fine drizzle, dripping onto the woman's delicate face, which was streaked with tears like pear blossoms in the rain.
The woman's charging figure froze mid-air.
Her gaze was dull, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
"Why did it come to this? Why did it come to this..."
"Hahaha... What a foolish woman!"
Yet the only answers she received were the wild laughter of the Heavenly Demon clan and the raging winds all around.
"Pfft..."
Watching everything happening before her eyes, Yu Yanran's face turned pale as ashes, filled with utter despair.
Rebellious blood surged upward, and a mouthful of crimson blood spewed forth.
Her dark hair fluttered behind her in the wind, and the murderous intent radiating from her had already taken on a tangible form!
"Old scoundrel, dog of a villain, wicked thief, I will fight you to the bitter end!"
Yu Yanran rose to her full height, her longsword ringing softly as an ocean-like vastness of primal qi converged upon it from all directions.
Suddenly raising her head, her delicate face now bore a trace of grim resolve and sharpness.
"Old thief, unless I hack you to pieces, my heart will never find peace."
With bloodshot eyes and teeth clenched, Yu Yanran spoke every single word with venomous force.
Then, flying forth with her sword, she transformed into a streak of azure light, carrying a biting, murderous intent as she lunged at the Demon Patriarch.
Her figure flickered unsteadily in the air, instantly multiplying into countless phantoms—dreamlike and illusory, resembling a shower of brilliant shooting stars.
Behind each phantom hovered a swirling vortex, dragging and sucking in the violent primordial energy of heaven and earth to make her attack sharper and more fierce.
This was the most mysterious and terrifyingly powerful cultivation technique passed down to her by Qin Xingchen:
"The Great Dream Flying Immortal Scripture."
When practiced to perfection, it could tear apart the cosmos and rival supreme Immortal Emperors.
Though she had only reached initial mastery, it was still terrifyingly formidable,
enough to make anyone dare not underestimate her.
The Demon Patriarch looked at the stunning figure attacking him, a sneer of disdain curling the corners of his mouth.
"Hmph, you have some tricks up your sleeve. What a pity—it's still not enough!"
As the old man formed hand seals, arcane runes flickered and vanished into the void before him.
"Rumble!"
A massive black hand reached out from the void.
Without the slightest hesitation, the void hand grasped a heavy sword and slashed toward the sky full of clones.
A vast sword qi surged forth like a tidal wave, hacking down toward the dense crowd of figures in the sky.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Countless clones dissolved into a sky full of primal qi light rain beneath this torrent of sword qi.
In an instant, primal qi danced and billowed, and fierce winds howled as if in an ancient battlefield.
"Old thief, you slaughtered my blood kin! Today, even if I perish, I will make you pay the price!"
"Myriad Transformations into One."
The remaining clones began to shift their positions continuously, flashing and displacing through the air as they all converged toward Yu Yanran.
(The core principle here is that the clones continuously absorb energy, allowing the caster to temporarily surpass their own realm of cultivation during the Myriad Transformations into One.)
"Hum~"
A hazy purple qi began to slowly permeate around Yu Yanran's body.
Amidst the mist and illusions of smoke and rosy clouds,
a white lotus glowing with seven-colored light slowly grew from behind her.
As its petals swayed, a pure, purifying power drifted outward.
"Hmph! Do you really think you can deal with my Heavenly Demon clan by relying on this Purifying World White Lotus? I must say, you are truly naive!"
"Shut your noisy mouth, old thief, and come receive your death!"
"Myriad Transformation Heavenly Aspect"
As Yu Yanran formed hand seals, a massive golden figure slowly materialized.
A brilliant beam of golden light shot forth, and that golden figure stood proudly between heaven and earth like a sacred Valkyrie.
Seeing this, the Demon Patriarch's expression remained unchanged. He thrust his left sword-finger forward, and a large black-and-gold sword condensed once more.
The moment the great sword formed, the void hand swung its heavy sword again and slashed straight at the Valkyrie.
The Valkyrie's golden phantom gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, wielding a giant sword as she slashed horizontally forward.
"Boom!"
The instant the two giant swords collided, the heavens and earth changed color, and the sun and moon lost their luster.
The void collapsed instantly.
The Demon Patriarch wore an air of effortless calm, a disdainful smile curving his lips as he mocked:
"Little girl, is that all the skill you have? If your talent stops here, then you can go down to the netherworld to keep your useless brother company."
"Old thief, don't celebrate too soon. Who wins and who loses is still far from certain."
Clenching her silver teeth, Yu Yanran stared fiercely at the old man.
As her hand seals shifted, complex runes flew toward the Valkyrie phantom.
The momentum of the Valkyrie's golden body instantly multiplied several times over.
"Old thief, take another sword from me!"
The Valkyrie brandished her giant sword, pushing forward with an unstoppable momentum.
The void hand also swung its black-and-gold dragon-patterned sword, smashing it down fiercely.
"Boom!"
The two swords clashed, draining the color from heaven and earth.
Yet, any observant eye could see fine, spiderweb-like cracks spreading upward from the point of impact along the black heavy sword.
"Break for me!"
With the final hand seal flying into the Valkyrie phantom, those cracks grew larger and instantly spread across the entire black giant hand.
At last, with a deafening "boom,"
the black hand was shattered into fine dust, turning into tiny black specks that vanished into the void.
"Hmph, little girl, I didn't expect you to have some tricks after all! But this is the end of the line."
The Demon Patriarch's mouth twitched, his eyes gloomy.
A Soul-Devouring Banner flew out from the old man's wide sleeve, expanding instantly to a size of several hundred zhang.
"Let you little girl taste the power of my Soul-Devouring Banner as well!"
The old man changed his hand seals, and the Soul-Devouring Banner shot directly toward the Valkyrie phantom.
The Valkyrie seemed to sense the threat emanating from this banner; the phantom giant sword in her hand gleamed brilliantly, slashing toward the banner with streaks of electric light.
"Bang~"
Yet when the sword body fell, it seemingly shattered the Soul-Devouring Banner, but in truth, it had only struck an afterimage.
In that very instant, the banner had already flashed directly above the Valkyrie phantom.
"It seems this banner is extraordinary indeed. I can only fight with all my might."
Seeing this, Yu Yanran felt a pang of foreboding in her heart.
As she formed hand seals, a kaleidoscopic Purifying World White Lotus drifted out from between her smooth brows.
As the light flowed, terrifying ripples of primal qi spilled outward. The surrounding space distorted, and the earth beneath her feet seemed to tremble faintly.
This was Yu Yanran's natal bound artifact—the Chaos Purifying World White Lotus.
Yanran's stunning face instantly drained of all color.
After summoning the Purifying World White Lotus, her cultivation realm plummeted instantly. Weak as she now was, she still forced herself to stand tall, making it seem as though she had merely exhausted an excessive amount of primal qi.
"Go~"
Yu Yanran gave a gentle push with her delicate hand, and the Purifying World White Lotus flew rapidly toward the Valkyrie phantom, transforming into a seven-colored glow that merged into its Divine Spirit Sea.
The Valkyrie's momentum surged instantly, and her golden dharma body grew even more solid.
"Hum~"
A seven-colored auspicious light billowed upward, and a golden divine ring slowly materialized behind the Valkyrie.
The Valkyrie's golden figure flashed fiercely, darting completely out of the banner's coverage area.
Immediately afterward, she threw a punch at the Soul-Devouring Banner. That golden fist imprint struck solidly against the spiritual qi barrier surrounding the banner.
With a crisp "crack," the spiritual qi barrier shattered like glass into countless fragments.
"You truly don't think you can defeat me with just this!"
"Taixu Banishment"
The old man rapidly formed a strange hand seal with both hands, and the banner instantly shattered and dissipated.
Powerful psychic power fluctuations continuously distorted the surrounding void.
"Hum~"
A deep, dark hole manifested, quiet and desolate within, primordial and boundless.
A terrifying suction force emanated from within the black hole.
The Valkyrie raised her sword and slashed straight at the giant black hole.
Yet before the giant sword could even fall, the tunnel entrance suddenly swelled several times over,
instantly swallowing the Valkyrie whole and causing her to vanish without a trace.
Immediately, the black hole began to rapidly contract and close.
"Whoosh~"
At the very last moment, that brilliant Purifying World White Lotus darted out from the tunnel, and with a single flash, merged back into Yu Yanran's brow.
Yu Yanran's aura withered instantly. Her face was filled with unwillingness and fury, her eyes bloodshot and brimming with monstrous hatred.
At this moment, how heartbroken and helpless she felt! To save her younger brother from the hands of the Heavenly Demon clan, she had not hesitated to betray her lover.
If not for her using the Heavenly Demon Zither Notes to shatter the aura-concealing array, these people could never have found this place...
Things had reached this point, and nothing could be undone. Even with all her cultivation pushed to the limit, she was still no match for this old man.
She never expected that a figure of the Demon Patriarch's seniority would be so shameless, breaking his word despite his status and cutting down her brother right before her eyes.
Even though she had exhausted her most powerful methods, how could the chasm of an entire major realm be so easily bridged?
"It is time to end this."
The Demon Patriarch took a single step forward, and that terrifying pressure rolled over Yu Yanran like an overwhelming tide.
It seemed to contain the vast power of the stars, instantly crushing her meridians.
"Pfft~"
Yu Yanran spat out a mouthful of blood, her body on the verge of shattering under the terrifying pressure.
"Hum~"
A golden phoenix hairpin suddenly flew out, instantly transforming into a golden phoenix bird that braced against the terrifying pressure.
At this very moment, Yu Yanran's delicate body was covered in cracks, her long dark hair fluttered in the wind, and her white dress had long since been stained red with blood.
That terrifying pressure vanished abruptly, and Yu Yanran exhausted her very last shred of strength.
As her long eyelashes fluttered, a pair of phoenix eyes slowly closed, and her figure wavered as she plummeted toward the world below.