The ancient demon’s killing intent erupted, scattering blood across the long sky.
In the celestial palace, the cold Moon Immortal left a trace of her soul behind with a single thought.
"Boom!"
With a deafening explosion, the world was instantly washed in white.
Everything dissolved into nothingness, leaving only the ghastly pale light and the violent, overflowing spiritual waves in the surroundings.
In that moment, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
"Pfft—"
Just then, a blade gleaming with pitch-black light pierced through Qin Xingchen’s chest.
Droplets of fresh blood trailed down the blade, falling into the world below.
"Kid, I have to admit you are truly monstrous, but I don't have much time left. I’ll just have to send you on your way early!"
A sinister, cold voice drifted from behind him.
Before the words had even faded, Qin Xingchen felt a massive force strike his lower back.
He was instantly kicked away, the erupting blood spraying across the sky and dyeing the horizon a deep crimson.
"Brother Chen...!"
A piercing cry echoed from the void.
The Three-Life Sword trembled incessantly, its tangible killing intent instantly shrouding the area. Amidst a blur of mist and illusion, a woman in a silver dress flickered into view beside Qin Xingchen.
Looking at the dying Qin Xingchen in her arms, Sansheng Xue'er’s beautiful eyes turned blood-red, and a ferocious expression contorted her lovely face.
"You dog! I will fight you to the death!"
Sansheng Xue'er looked back at the ancient demon, who was licking his blade, her eyes filled with a cold, bone-chilling, and tangible murderous intent.
If looks could kill, the ancient demon god would have died without even a punctuation mark left behind.
"Xue'er... run! You are no match for him!"
At that moment, a broad hand gripped her cold, jade-like hand tightly.
Qin Xingchen’s breathing was shallow, but the resolve in his tone was unquestionable.
Sansheng Xue'er froze, but the death-defying determination in her eyes never wavered.
"No... I won't go. I will not abandon Brother Chen!"
"Hahaha... Run? Since I have struck, I never intended to let any of you live!"
The ancient demon god brought his palm down. The strike carried the force to shatter the universe, and everything in its path was reduced to stillness.
Watching the palm descend, mere inches away, Sansheng Xue'er stopped resisting. She shielded Qin Xingchen tightly beneath her and slowly closed her eyes.
"Brother Chen, Xue'er will be with you forever."
"Boom!"
The massive palm slammed down, emitting a blinding light.
The terrifying turbulent currents of energy swept across billions of miles, leveling the entire celestial realm.
Sansheng Xue'er slowly opened her eyes, yet her arms were now empty.
Immediately, a heart-wrenching scream tore through the air.
"Chen... Brother Chen!"
At the very last second, Sansheng Xue'er had felt a sudden lightness in her arms. By the time she realized what happened, Qin Xingchen had already flashed behind her.
By sublimating his final potential in a desperate last stand, he had unleashed a terrifying burst of power.
Driven to his absolute limit, the power of the brilliant galaxy surged forth, finally blocking the ancient demon god's lethal strike.
However, Qin Xingchen perished under the force of that terrifying impact, dissolving into cosmic dust that drifted away.
Not even a scrap of his body remained.
Even his soul was completely extinguished.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the vast universe, inside a cold celestial palace, an ethereal and icy woman sat silently in the grand hall.
The graceful figure was draped in a silver-white immortal dress, the hem embroidered with delicate golden patterns.
Her face was peerless—eyebrows like new moons, eyes like autumn waters, lips like cinnabar, skin like jade. She was so beautiful one dared not look directly at her.
The woman’s eyelids trembled, her expression shifting as if she were experiencing an inexplicable change in emotion.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked toward the drifting galaxy.
With the blink of her beautiful eyes, a vast, sea-like aura erupted from her.
This terrifying killing intent plunged into the depths of the star sea. In a trance, the star sea shattered instantly; great stars disintegrated and celestial bodies fell, collapsing into a void of lost dimensions.
"Old thief, how dare you act so recklessly!"
The woman gritted her teeth and lashed out, her voice elegant and ethereal like the sound of immortals, yet the rage and killing intent it carried made one’s blood run cold.
She slowly raised her lotus-like arm, waving it through the air as if playing a game of chess with the stars or painting an invisible scroll.
Her gestures were unpredictable, moving with the grace of a dancer one moment and the dreamlike freedom of a poet the next.
As her movements shifted, colorful rays of light converged in the brilliant galaxy, and in the blink of an eye, an illusory scroll appeared before her.
Looking closely, this scroll faintly exuded the power of a mighty world.
Even after the scroll took form, the woman did not stop.
She pointed her slender, beautiful finger toward the void ahead. With that touch, the space ahead collapsed with a roar. Turbulent currents of the void spilled out, causing the stars in this sea of galaxies to shake as if struck by a universal earthquake.
At the point of her finger, the void continued to cave in, and a gate to another realm faintly emerged.
"Go!"
The woman parted her red lips, and her jade hand swept forward. The illusory scroll flew into the rift and disappeared.
"Brother Chen, do not blame Xiner for being cold-hearted! It is just that the primordial evil demon here is too powerful... If Xiner leaves this realm, it will surely break its seal... and by then, this entire universe will cease to exist."
As she spoke softly to herself, two lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks.
How many tens of thousands of years had it been since she last felt the sensation of weeping? Yet now, she could no longer hold back the tears welling in her eyes.
The causes and conditions here were intricate and tangled. Although she stood beyond the Great Dao of Time, many karmic ties were not simply things one could let go of just by wishing.
Even upon becoming an immortal, how could one truly be devoid of desire, much less emotion?
Yet, many things must always stand above these so-called feelings of love.
In the Hengjie Star Region:
In the sky, the ancient demon god looked on with intoxication at the rain of blood.
He could no longer sense Qin Xingchen’s presence in this world; the troublesome monster had finally met his end.
"No wonder the demons here are so incompetent; this kid was truly a monster. But, that is all he was!"
"Hum~"
Just then, the void rippled.
In the vast sky, space suddenly caved in. As the void trembled, a gate to another realm slowly emerged.
"Whoosh~"
A stream of light flew out from the open gate, charging straight toward the blood mist that had not yet dissipated, vanishing into it in a flash.
"Hum~"
Within the blood mist, a vortex suddenly appeared. A terrifying suction force spilled out.
The dissipating blood mist was sucked into it at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The illusory scroll slowly unfurled.
It contained a small world of its own. Inside, Qin Xingchen’s soul began to condense. Countless mountains, rivers, plants, trees, birds, and beasts dissolved into points of light, flying into his body.
His figure became increasingly solid. Though it was only a soul, he had regained some of his strength. Amidst the mist and illusions, divine rings began to appear behind him.
One, two, three... until nine divine rings appeared in unison.
The moment the nine rings manifested, the mountains and rivers of the small world collapsed completely, turning into celestial power that flowed into Qin Xingchen’s phantom body.
As his soul finished condensing, the illusory scroll vanished entirely.
Seeing the soul that had suddenly appeared before him, the ancient demon god looked surprised, then understood.
"What a grand gesture, sacrificing a small world to reshape a soul. But so what? I can kill you once, and I can kill you a second time!"
"Go!"
Just as Qin Xingchen’s soul opened his eyes, a sharp feminine cry echoed from the depths of the vast universe.
"Hum~"
Simultaneously, an ancient mirror flew out from the realm gate, expanding rapidly in the air. In an instant, it became like a giant disc, shrouding the ancient demon god below.
Under the suppression of the ancient mirror, the ancient demon god’s massive body froze momentarily. Waves of binding force radiated out, pinning him down completely.
Hearing that long-familiar voice, Qin Xingchen’s heart was stirred.
He knew that with his current strength, he was no match for the ancient demon god.
If he hesitated, he would only waste the woman’s efforts.
Therefore, he did not hesitate further and fled toward the mountain range with Sansheng Xue'er.
"Stop him!"
The ancient demon god roared, looking at Shentu Zhantian, who was still in a daze.
The demon ancestor, hearing the shout, snapped back to reality. Not daring to hesitate further, he turned and pursued the fleeing figure.
He, too, knew that if this kid were to escape, the consequences would be unimaginable.