The sky had turned completely dark. A cold wind wailed as snowflakes swirled through the air. A sea of ink-black clouds stretched across the horizon, forming a terrifying eye of a thunderstorm. Within it, demonic energy surged and roiled, as if countless demons and ghouls were baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.
Rumble!
Streaks of black-purple lightning tore across the sky, illuminating the ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers below in a ghastly white.
"Did Fairy Hanyue have some special intention in sending me to this realm?"
High above, the man in white (his soul form) looked down at the vast landscape beneath his feet, a trace of doubt flickering across his brow.
"So be it. Causality dictates it, and all things are bound by fate. Since I have arrived here, it means there is an unbreakable connection between me and this realm."
"ROAR!"
Just then, a series of soul-stirring dragon roars echoed from afar. The dragon pressure was immense, as if it would shatter the heavens. Looking over, one could see nine massive dragons winding and coiling within the violent eye of the storm, emitting vast, ancient dragon breath.
"Hm? This is... Ultimate Dragon Pressure!"
The man in white seemed to sense something. His figure flashed, appearing a thousand feet away in an instant.
"This is... the Ultimate Ancient Body!"
The man's expression shifted constantly, a strange, divine luster flashing in his eyes.
"No... to be precise, it should be an incomplete one—the Ultimate Ancient Body!"
The man's gaze faltered, replaced by a look of shock. He then cast his profound eyes downward.
"This child is both fortunate and unfortunate. To obtain this heaven-defying physique after such difficulty, only to have a fragmented soul—how truly regrettable and lamentable!"
For some reason, the soul within the infant was incomplete... it seemed to be missing one soul-essence and three spirit-forms. This meant that despite the child's unique physique, he was likely born without consciousness, destined to be a vegetable or to remain devoid of intelligence.
"Could it be that...?"
At this thought, the man’s expression turned solemn. As the saying goes, the Heavenly Dao is incomplete; it diminishes the excess to compensate for the deficiency. In the shadows, causality had long been balancing all fates!
"Very well! There seems to be no other choice. In this state, this appears to be a good thing for both of us..."
Moreover, the Heavenly Demon Clan would certainly not let him go so easily. And in his current soul state, he was simply no match for them. Therefore, the best solution at present was to use his own living soul to supplement the infant’s soul, merging them into one being.
At this moment, neither man nor soul had a choice. They could only complete each other—shattering and fusing to begin a new life.
"Xue'er, help me buy some time."
The man turned back with a heavy heart, looked at the Three-Life Sword hovering slowly, and spoke indifferently. Without further hesitation, he transformed into a stream of light and fled into the small cottage.
"Hum—"
As if in response to the man, the Three-Life Sword trembled, and a terrifying sword intent erupted instantly.
"Crackle, crackle."
Water-like ripples dispersed. Wherever they passed, the void instantly twisted! The sword intent was like an abyss; time stood still, and space trembled!
"Hahaha! Kid, you’re quite good at running! What, do you think that by coming here, my Heavenly Demon Clan can't do anything to you?"
A hundred feet away, a mass of black mist rapidly took shape. The terrifying pressure descended, instantly shrouding the entire area.
"Hum—"
A brilliant sword beam flashed by. Its sharpness was peerless, and with a single strike, it split the tangible pressure in two.
"Oh? Interesting! However, you are too naive! Do you really think this broken sword can stop me?"
"Heh! Could it be that all members of the Demon Clan are so arrogant and blind to the world? Isn't that a bit too conceited?"
A clear, cold voice rang out. As the Three-Life Sword shimmered, it radiated a faint, seven-colored glow, and a slender figure appeared within it.
"Oh? Are you the... sword spirit of this blade?"
"Tch! Sword spirit? Don't use such low-level terminology to address this immortal. I am the Sword Spirit Immortal!"
The radiance faded, and a woman in gray robes, appearing to be in her twenties, stood proudly in the void. Her posture was graceful, like a goddess walking through the heavens. Her long gray hair cascaded like a galaxy, shimmering with mysterious light. As she moved, she was like a cold, elegant lotus blooming into the world, every gesture exuding grace and immense power.
"Hahaha... whether you are a sword spirit or a sword spirit immortal, you are no match for me."
"Oh? Is that so? Then I’d truly like to see what kind of strength you possess to be so arrogant."
"Hahaha... since that is the case, I shall destroy you, this so-called sword spirit, and then go slaughter that little brat!"
"Hmph! Big talk. I’m afraid you lack the skill!"
Sansheng Xue'er was about to strike when she seemed to think of something. Her red lips curled into a provocative smile.
"This place is too restrictive. Do you dare to follow me to the edge of the heavens for a fight?"
"Hmph! If I were afraid, I wouldn't be a man!"
The black mist knew the woman had concerns, but he himself was wary of the figure deep within the universe. Thus, he readily agreed to her proposal. The two figures flashed, transforming into streaks of light and flying toward the depths of Taixu.
"Hahaha... prepare to die!"
Seeing the vast void around them, the black mist no longer held back and initiated the attack.
"Appear, Sea-Shaking Furnace!"
"Rumble!"
The void shattered. A furnace made of pure black copper lunged out, growing hundreds of times larger in an instant. Like a meteorite from beyond the heavens, it smashed fiercely toward the woman in the silver dress.
"Hmph! You truly are a despicable villain!"
Sansheng Xue'er looked at the rapidly descending furnace, a sneer of disdain curling her lips. Members of the Demon Clan were indeed treacherous and cunning!
"Keep acting smug while you can, and see how I use you to sacrifice my flag!"
A wild, manic laughter came from within the black mist. Immediately, a torrent of demonic energy gushed out, pouring entirely into the furnace.
"Hum—"
The power of the furnace surged, carrying the weight of mountains and the force of the universe. The lid opened, and it bore down directly upon Sansheng Xue'er.
"Hmph! A mere forbidden artifact dares to contend with the Three-Life Sword! How utterly overconfident!"
"Three-Life Sword Art: Shattering Kill!"
Seeing the Sea-Shaking Furnace close at hand, Sansheng Xue'er showed no signs of panic. Her jade-like fingers tapped lightly, and an illusory formation plate slowly took shape at her fingertips. The formation patterns shifted and evolved... in the blink of an eye, a massive god-slaying formation pattern manifested.
"Go!"
Sansheng Xue'er’s red lips moved slightly, and the massive formation pattern slammed into the demonic, mist-shrouded Sea-Shaking Furnace.
"Rumble!"
A dazzling seven-colored brilliance erupted. The churning chaos of energy surged and danced. From afar, it looked like a cosmic star-burst at the dawn of time.
"Hm? Is this... a God-Slaying Formation?"
"You have some discernment after all. Not bad! How is it? Do you like it?"
Sansheng Xue'er’s beautiful eyes narrowed, her lips curling into an evil expression.
"Crackle, crackle."
Under the violent bombardment, the Sea-Shaking Furnace began to show signs of collapse. Cracks spread across it, rapidly racing from the point of impact throughout the entire vessel.
"Yo! Looks like your broken furnace isn't going to hold up!"
The woman looked at the disintegrating furnace, a triumphant smile on her lips. Between her cherry lips, she was actually sucking on a lollipop she had found from somewhere.
The black mist roiled violently, but no sound emerged.
"Hey, don't just stay silent, that’s so boring!"
The woman continued to tease.
"BOOM!"
Just then, a massive explosion erupted. The Sea-Shaking Furnace finally shattered into countless fragments under the tearing force of the kill-move, scattering in all directions. The vast, ocean-like turbulence of energy surged chaotically, and the void was instantly torn to shreds.
"You have some skill after all. It seems I underestimated you, but that was just a warm-up!"
"Flame Demon Hand!"
An illusory giant hand reached out from the roiling black mist, grabbing toward the massive "Kill" character. The hand’s power was heaven-shaking, demonic energy surging as if it were the hand of a god, capable of tearing apart mountains, rivers, the sun, and the moon with a mere flip.
Seeing the stellar hand descending, the woman did not panic. Her red lips moved, and a faint, ethereal immortal sound echoed out.
"Three-Life Sword Art: God-Slaying!"
The woman pointed her jade finger toward the void. At her fingertip, a silver-gray ring instantly manifested. She pushed her hand forward, and the ring turned into a stream of light, flying toward the god-slaying formation pattern.
"Hum—"
As the ring flew in, the massive "Kill" character began to twist and evolve... In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a twisting black hole, swallowing the heaven-shaking stellar hand.
"BOOM!"
The black mist tried to cast a spell to retract, but it was already too late. The swallowing force exerted from within the black hole could not be easily reversed. Thus, he could only watch helplessly as his demonic hand was devoured.
"Hide!"
The woman pointed lightly at the void ahead, and ripples spread from her fingertip. In an instant, the ripples surrounded the black hole and began to contract inward. The black hole collapsed continuously from the outside in, its volume shrinking bit by bit. In a flash, it turned into a speck of dust and vanished.
Everything should have been over, yet the sky remained gray, without a single ray of light falling.
"I really couldn't tell; you do have some skill! I certainly underestimated you!"
"Oh? Is that so? You did underestimate me, and you also underestimated Brother Chen!"
"Hahaha! Do you really think that is the extent of my strength? I might as well tell you: your ending, and that of the little brat, will be the same. I will slaughter you all one by one!"
As the black mist surged, a sinister red light shone from within! It transformed into a blood-colored rainbow, shooting fiercely toward Sansheng Xue'er. Only as it drew near could it be seen that this was a blood-colored halberd of immense power. The halberd cut through the air, carrying terrifying momentum as it charged toward her.
"Oh, so you've decided to get serious?"
Sansheng Xue'er’s smile gradually faded. A look of gravity appeared on her lovely face. She gripped her hand lightly, and a silver-gray longsword appeared in her grasp.
"Sigh, really, having to dip into my own savings for every battle!"
Sansheng Xue'er looked helpless, as if feeling a bit of heartache. Although she had already transcended the Three-Life Sword, they still shared an unbreakable connection. Thus, under normal circumstances, she was unwilling to use this blade... What if she damaged the sword by accident? That would be a huge loss!
However, her worry was unnecessary. (The mother-embryo of the Three-Life Sword was forged from two streams of Yin and Yang energy derived from the primordial Taiyi energy. Furthermore, Qin Xingchen’s understanding and evolution of the Dao were all reflected in this sword, and it was later fused with Nine-Heaven Imperial Immortal Gold.) One could say that in terms of material alone, it had already reached the level of immortality.
The halberd was upon her in an instant. Sansheng Xue'er dared not hesitate; she raised her sword and slashed down at the blood-colored halberd.
"Swoosh!"
A sound of air being torn echoed—the strike had missed! Just as she was about to hit the shaft, the blood-colored halberd flickered and turned to strike at the light barrier below.
"You are truly shameless!"
The woman let out a sharp cry and flashed her lithe body, attempting to intercept it. However, she had already lost the initiative, and it was to no avail.
"Hahaha! Don't be in such a hurry! Once I slaughter that brat, I'll deal with you!"
"Cunning fiend! You are utterly shameless!"
Sansheng Xue'er had never imagined that this so-called Heavenly Demon General would be so lacking in martial honor. However, it was too late!
"Brother Chen, Xue'er is sorry. I have failed your trust!"
Even as Sansheng Xue'er put her full effort into using her ultimate speed to chase him down, she remained just a fraction of a distance away. No matter how she pursued, she could not intercept the halberd that would arrive in the blink of an eye.
Was everything really about to be destroyed? A feeling of unwillingness, bitterness, regret, and shame welled up in her heart.
The halberd, like a swift meteor, arrived in an instant. In the next moment, it seemed capable of completely annihilating the small cottage.
"Hum—"
Just then, a transparent light barrier lit up, only to shatter completely. Yet, it was this pause that allowed Sansheng Xue'er to close the final gap.
"Break for me!"
Sansheng Xue'er let out a shout, delivering a slicing blow that struck the blood-colored halberd heavily.
"Hum—"
The halberd flew backward, hurtling toward the edge of the heavens.
"Insidious wretch, you almost succeeded!"
Sansheng Xue'er’s beautiful eyes were filled with fury as she rushed after the blood-colored halberd. The front lines had to be kept outside the reach of the heavens. Otherwise, a battle between experts at the Star Monarch Realm—even a single error—would be a catastrophic disaster.
In the lower realm, within the dilapidated small cottage, a loud cry rang out! It was as if a new life had begun, or perhaps, as if a cycle had turned!