Ash drifted past my eyes in streaks. I sat in the shattered city—now reduced to ruins—quietly watching the massive pale blue towers scattered across the ground before me. The moment the towers collapsed, every Yinfolk here was reduced to flying ash.
As the cracks continued to widen, every building in the region controlled by Phantom Sage fractured and collapsed. On the ground, bottomless fissures appeared. The place we needed to reach was the fiery red tower ahead and to our right—still a considerable distance away. For now, all I could see was a streak of red light piercing the clouds.
"Should we go now?"
I asked. Not far away, Tan Tian stood, gazing into the distance and shook his head.
"We've already been exposed. There are boundary ruptures outside the regions controlled by Emperor God and Sylvia Yan. I doubt they'll give us a chance to get in."
I leaned helplessly against the sofa behind me. Tan Tian once said that everything in this world was the manifestation of the powers of those three. All things here were shaped by their strength. Now that Phantom Sage was dealt with, those powers had lost their controller and scattered. If Phantom Sage returned, those powers would be restored.
Seeing Tan Tian's worried expression, I seemed to understand what he was thinking. Since we've been exposed, he couldn't leave my side. If he did, Emperor God and Sylvia Yan would seize the opportunity.
Emperor God and his group already realized that entering Snowridge Springs—a special place created by the Hell Imprint—required a key. And I held the Coexistence needed to unlock the Hell Imprint.
Ghost Ancestor had also told me before: the reason Coexistence can't be taken by Hell is because of the Bloodbane Power John Chou implanted in my body, which acts as an absolute suppressant.
"Where are your two subordinates?"
I neither nodded nor shook my head. At that moment, Sylvia Yan walked slowly toward us, then drifted softly to the other side of the boundary rupture, standing only ten meters from Tan Tian. I glanced to the left—a golden dragon carrying Emperor God floated over.
"You've exposed yourself, Tan Tian. When you killed Phantom Sage, we saw everything."
Tan Tian stared coldly at Emperor God, whose face twisted with rage as he roared.
"You despicable, shameless bastard!"
"Save your breath. Talking to a corpse is pointless."
As Sylvia Yan spoke, half her face turned to flame, the fire flowing like water from beneath her feet toward the boundary. I felt a violent tremor, and in an instant, the flames were at our feet. I leapt high, but a beam of golden light sliced past me.
With a clang, Tan Tian appeared before me, raising both hands to block Emperor God's grasp. A thunderous crash split the air, and I saw the space on both sides of me tear open. As the ground caved in, fissures appeared everywhere.
Pillars of fire erupted from every direction, and within them I saw Sylvia Yan's furious face.
"Remember what I said, Rachel Lan."
Tan Tian spoke as Emperor God landed atop the golden dragon's head. He raised a hand, and I saw a sword appear—two dragons, one black and one white, twisted around each other. On either side of the hilt were dragon heads, their jaws locked together.
"Even Dragonbite has been restored by you?"
As Tan Tian spoke, a piercing, frigid current swept over us. Suddenly, brown wrappings—corpse membrane—enveloped me. I couldn't feel the strength, but I saw the ground torn apart and Tan Tian's body shattered in a single blow.
Fragments of crystalline jade scattered through the air. My eyes widened—wasn't that Tan Tian's brown corpse jade?
Sure enough, Tan Tian's body did not re-form. The shattered brown corpse jade dissolved instantly in the fire on the ground. Twisting flames took on Sylvia Yan's shape. Emperor God silently surveyed everything, his sword glowing with stark black and white light.
Stunned, I looked around. Tan Tian's presence was gone. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of violet-black—a massive mouth lined with white fangs appeared behind Emperor God. He couldn't dodge in time; an arm was swallowed whole. The distant golden dragon shrieked in agony.
As Sylvia Yan spoke, half her face turned to flame, the fire flowing like water from beneath her feet toward the boundary. I felt a violent tremor, and in an instant, the flames were at our feet. I leapt high, but a beam of golden light sliced past me.
With a ripping sound, a white-fanged rod pierced the dragon's head. A thunderous crash followed as the golden dragon crashed to the ground, blood spraying everywhere. I stared at the struggling beast—its massive body writhed, but the movements grew weaker until it stopped. Tan Tian pressed a hand to the spear-like rod impaling the dragon's head, glaring coldly at Emperor God. The surrounding flames surged like a sea, but were quickly scattered.
"Even with Dragonbite and Heartflame, you can't kill me."
As Tan Tian spoke, a stream of brown liquid pooled in his palm, forming an octagonal corpse jade. He swallowed it whole, and his eyes turned violet-black. His skin was covered in white fangs, and with a hissing sound, purple beasts erupted from his body, tearing at the flames until they vanished.
"I've seen your Manifest Aspect, Tan Tian."
With a hiss, Tan Tian pulled out a fang-covered spear. Emperor God reacted and blocked the attack, but his body was slashed with wounds deep enough to expose bone. Instantly, a mass of flames enveloped Emperor God, and as Tan Tian's spear pierced the fire, Emperor God vanished.
"If Phantom Sage were added, you three might really be able to put me to sleep here. But unfortunately, everything of Phantom Sage in this world has already been ended by me."
With a hissing rush, fire and a black dragon intertwined, flying toward Tan Tian. He raised his fang spear and instantly moved into the air. Suddenly, silver-white globes of light lit up all around us, and the sky overhead turned pitch black.
"Stellar Sign."
As Tan Tian roared, the silver globes shot streaks of white light like meteors. The black dragon and flames darted through the explosions that erupted where the lights struck the ground, closing in on Tan Tian. Purple beasts lunged from all sides.
"Now's your chance, Rachel Lan!"
Tan Tian's voice echoed in my head. I felt a wave of heat behind me—the corpse membrane had opened. As I turned, crimson wings unfurled and carried me over the sea of fire. At a flaming pillar ahead, purple beasts shattered it instantly. I flew past the pillar. Staying here would be useless; as long as I escaped safely, Tan Tian would withdraw.
I drew Belle. Suddenly, flames twisted up and lunged at me, but just as I was about to act, the purple beasts devoured the fire, and it vanished.
With a sharp whoosh, a blast of scorching air hit me from behind. As I turned, a spiral of flame appeared before me. The purple beasts that rushed in were scattered instantly, but Tan Tian appeared in front of me again, shielding me with his body. I seized the moment to fly away. Tan Tian's body turned to ash in the fire, but I saw the brown corpse jade once more, floating in the air. Emperor God was already there, sword in hand, the black dragon head on the left suddenly moved and bit down on the corpse jade.
"Where are you going, Rachel Lan!"
I didn't hesitate. The air around me pulsed with heat and dread as I pushed forward, my crimson wings slicing through the chaos of flame and shadow.
Rachel Lan's voice trembled in my mind, echoing with fear and resolve. "Don't look back. Just go!"
The boundary between worlds shimmered, distorting my vision. I saw Tan Tian's form flicker—half ash, half memory—still fighting to shield us from the infernal onslaught.
Sylvia Yan's flames surged, twisting into monstrous shapes that clawed at reality itself. Emperor God raised Dragonbite, its twin dragon heads snarling, and the world shook with their power.
I felt Belle pulse in my grip, its edge humming with spectral energy. I struck out, carving a path through the firestorm, desperate to reach the Styx Sea.
Behind me, the golden dragon roared, its agony a chorus of lost souls. Violet beasts swarmed, devouring flame and shadow alike, clearing my escape route.
Tan Tian's voice lingered in the burning air: "Don't hesitate, Rachel Lan. The fate of both worlds depends on you."
I plunged through the last wall of flame, heart pounding, senses stretched to the breaking point. The Styx Sea beckoned from beyond the chaos, its surface rippling with dark promise.
Behind me, the battle raged on—Tan Tian, Sylvia Yan, Emperor God locked in a dance of destruction, their powers colliding in bursts of light and shadow.
I didn't look back. The darkness parted, and I hurled myself into the unknown, carrying the weight of every soul with me.