The Dragon-Keeper Lord carried them forward from the Yong River, leaping over Mizu Pass, entering the Great Ruins, and swimming near Dragoncrest City. Behind them, the waters surged, and another flood-dragon burst from the river.
"My lord, I am bound by oath and cannot leave the Yong River. The Tu Bo pact locks me here—if I leave, I will certainly die. If you wish to reach the star-sea, I cannot go."
The Dragon-Keeper Lord dove into the Yong River, saying, "But I can have the Flood-Dragon King carry you there."
That flood-dragon’s body was nearly the same color as the river itself—this was the Flood-Dragon King. His strength rivaled the Dragon-Keeper Lord’s, and with him carrying Quinn Shepherd and the others into the Great Ruins, even the darkness could not touch them.
Quinn Shepherd led Serena Yunxiang and Crystal Blaze to jump onto the Flood-Dragon King’s back, while Lina the Spirit Fox perched on his shoulder. The flood-dragons chittered affectionately as they climbed onto the Flood-Dragon King, clearly close to him.
The Dragon-Qilin also jumped up, showing great respect for the Flood-Dragon King.
The Flood-Dragon King surged forward, heading straight for the star-sea.
Quinn Shepherd looked back. The defenders atop the Godsever Mountains were no longer visible, but overhead, the stars were swiftly approaching.
Suddenly, bonfires seemed to ignite atop each peak of the Godsever Mountains, dazzling and beautiful. The flames formed a line across the sky, transforming the monotonous darkness of the Great Ruins into something poetic and picturesque.
The Flood-Dragon King carried them into the depths of the star-sea, and the sights of the Godsever Mountains were lost from view.
"Why hasn’t the Patriarch arrived yet?"
The Dragon-Qilin wondered, "He should be arriving soon, right?"
Serena Yunxiang opened her mouth but said nothing. Quinn Shepherd replied, "The Great Ruins’ night is dangerous—he might be delayed. Let’s head to the Sunwell first."
The Dragon-Qilin nodded. "Why did the Saintess say he couldn’t come just now?"
Serena Yunxiang said softly, "Once night falls, of course he can’t come. Fatty Dragon, don’t ask again."
On the peaks of the Godsever Mountains, the Mute Smith’s furnace blazed behind him, Grandpa Blind’s empty eye sockets shone like twin stars, Butcher’s clothes whipped in the wind as he gripped his saber, and Village Chief floated in the air, his yuanqi forming phantom limbs so he seemed whole again.
Each stood atop a different mountain peak.
Crippled Joe and Grandpa Mark shared one peak; Granny Sue, Deaf, and Apothecary took another. The Old Dao Lord, Elder Buddha, Sage Nicholas Tranquil, the Imperial Preceptor, Ariel Skyfeather, and others each claimed their own summit.
Rocky Clayborne, Sean Blacktide, the Skywing Queen, the Whale King, and the Five Immortals were all formidable and each stood atop their own peak.
Everyone’s Primordial Spirit manifested, nearly solid—like gods or demons—standing behind them, quietly awaiting the battle.
In the dark starry sky, eighteen stars grew ever larger, speeding toward them.
Village Chief’s aura erupted; atop his peak, a column of sword-qi shot skyward, like a sheer cliff wedged between heaven and earth, blocking the path of the stars.
"Sun-Tide Thousand-Wave Slash!"
Butcher’s saber gleamed; atop his peak, the blade’s light rose like a great sun, waves crashing, the saber’s force surging like the sea. The waves reflected the rays of the saber, illuminating the dark sky.
"Truly the world’s greatest saber art! The Heavenblade’s reputation is well-deserved!"
Grandpa Mark’s body grew larger and larger; a vertical eye opened on his brow, and a blue dragon coiled around his giant frame. Behind him, a blazing sun rose, wind and thunder roaring: "Kuafu Chases the Sun—Wind and Thunder Surge!"
"Aba!"
Mute Smith set down his wooden box and gave Grandpa Mark a thumbs-up. He opened the box—inside, silver pellets shifted and flowed, ready to change shape at any moment. From Apothecary’s basket, venomous creatures crawled out, spreading like a tide. Suddenly, some spiders leapt from peak to peak, weaving webs.
Gradually, the spiders leapt into the air, weaving webs in the sky.
Behind Granny Sue, the celestial constellations of the Grand Firmament appeared, shrinking rapidly and landing in her palm.
Crippled Joe glanced about nervously, looking ready to flee at any moment.
"Let’s kindle some earthfire!"
Rocky Clayborne laughed heartily; beneath his feet, the Godsever Mountains erupted like volcanoes. He swung his hammer, the mountains grew taller, rising of their own accord.
Whale King laughed: "Three-inch nails, yet your spirit remains undiminished. Watch me—Water Sunders the Starry Sky!"
Behind him, torrents of water surged skyward, as if the ocean itself stood upright between heaven and earth.
"Whale King, lend me your strength!" Sean Blacktide laughed, revealing his true form, and leapt into the sea, like a turtle-shell ship crossing the vertical ocean.
Skywing Queen extended her arm, which sprouted feathers, transforming into wings. The wings rang out, becoming a wild-goose-blade.
Of the Five Immortals, Willow Immortal wielded a whip, White Immortal clutched a ball of thread, Fox Immortal cradled a pipa, and Gray and Yellow Immortals each carried a sack—one gray, one yellow.
"They’re coming!"
Butcher shouted, "They’re trying to force their way through! Be careful—don’t let them cross the Godsever Mountains!"
Those streaks of starlight accelerated, growing larger and faster, merging into a single line—eighteen comets crashing toward the vertical ocean Whale King had raised, about to pierce the sea suspended in midair.
Butcher’s saber flashed, countless blades illuminating the sea; in an instant, the saber-light reflected off the water, slashing straight toward those stars.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The blows landed thick and fast. Butcher blocked the first star, but the second crashed down, shattering the Sun-Tide Thousand-Wave Slash. Butcher grunted, knocked into the depths, using Whale King's power to dissolve the impact.
The second star plunged into the sea, only to be snared by webs spun from the abdomens of charging spiders. The starlight, trailing silken threads, smashed into the surface—giant spiders frantically dragged it back, finally slowing its advance.
The third and fourth stars followed close behind—boom, boom, boom—slamming into the water. Suddenly, the sea split open, revealing a blood-red ocean beneath.
Kaihuang Sword—Blood-Ocean Unleashed!
The two stars had no time to stop, forced to charge into the blood-ocean, trying to break the move head-on.
Boom! Boom!
Two ferocious collisions rang out. Two blood-soaked god-demons, limbs severed, burst from behind the blood-ocean, howling in agony.
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But they were still terrifyingly strong. Though they lost the initiative, god-demons are god-demons—they combined their strength and shattered Village Chief’s move.
Yet what greeted them was still the blood-ocean.
Kaihuang Sword—Blood-Ocean Unleashed!
The Imperial Preceptor of the Everpeace Empire raised his sword, unleashing the same Kaihuang Sword—Blood-Ocean Unleashed as Village Chief. Though it was the same move, their styles differed, and the intent behind each was worlds apart.
This move—the Imperial Preceptor had studied it countless times from Deaf’s Sword God Scroll. It was his swordsmanship’s first awakening.
The two god-demons were chilled to the bone. With no retreat, they had to charge headlong into the sword-light, as vast as a blood-ocean.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Countless shrill sounds echoed as divine blood spurted from the ocean, and several god-bones tumbled from the sword diagram.
Other stars crashed in, slamming into the sword diagram. The Imperial Preceptor spat blood—the diagram shattered, and the stars surged toward the Godsever Mountains. Gray Immortal opened his sack and shook it wide; instantly, the sack swelled into a giant maw, swallowing the stars.
Gray Immortal swiftly tied up the sack, ready to slaughter the god-demons inside. Suddenly, the sack exploded—Gray Immortal was blasted backward. Willow Immortal whipped her arm, twisting it like a serpent to catch him.
No sooner had Willow Immortal caught Gray Immortal than she felt a terrifying force from within him—the power of High Heaven’s god-demons. Her face fell; her arm was instantly twisted into a rope by the force!
Willow Immortal spun and rolled, desperately trying to shake off the terrible power. White Immortal saw the danger and rushed forward, stabbing needles from his dish into Willow and Gray Immortal, guiding the sinister power out and saving their lives.
Crack! Crack! Crack! The sea erupted with towering waves. Mighty figures stood on the surface as water surged from every direction. Star Lord Jonas, Lady Hua, and Lord Yan Star led the charge, forming a triangle, while thirteen other god-demons fanned out behind them.
The sixteen god-demons pressed down with such force that Whale King’s arms trembled—he couldn’t hold up the sea, and with a crack, his arms broke.
The god-demons continued to press down. Whale King coughed blood and hurriedly flattened the ocean.
Mountain peaks jutted from the sea. Everyone stood atop the ridges of the Godsever Mountains—waves lapping below, mountain roots beneath the water.
The sea was shallow, barely a hundred yards thick. Sean Blacktide’s turtle-shell ship sailed upside-down along the ocean’s underside. Teng Snake and Black Tortoise watched the god-demons’ reflections through the water, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Village Chief’s brows and beard, white as snow, gazed at Star Lord Jonas, Lady Hua, and Lord Yan Star. He said in a low voice: “Lords, you know what will happen if those treasures are unsealed. Must you really destroy every last citizen of the Everpeace Empire?”
Star Lord Jonas’s face was expressionless. “Blame yourselves for offending High Heaven. We only follow orders. Old Human Emperor, we act on command.”
Village Chief asked, “No room for negotiation?”
Star Lord Jonas shook his head. “I hate you all, but not the people of this world. I don’t want this either, but when Emperor Evan killed Lord Yu, it was too late for talk. Now with your reforms, all hope is lost…”
On the far side of the sea, Sean Blacktide crept beneath Star Lord Jonas. Suddenly, Teng Snake shot through the water, coiling around Jonas, while Black Tortoise struck, aiming to kill as soon as Teng Snake bound him.
“…all hope for negotiation is lost.”
Star Lord Jonas let Teng Snake wind around him. Black Tortoise’s attack followed, but Lady Hua and Lord Yan Star flanked him—one flower, one flute—striking Black Tortoise’s temples and destroying his brain.
Teng Snake shrieked, trying to rescue him. But Star Lord Jonas’s divine sword spun around Teng Snake, slicing it into pieces. Jonas said coolly, “Only by wiping out this generation’s mortals will High Heaven be satisfied.”
“Sean Blacktide!”
Whale King roared, his golden-horned spear blazing with light, thrusting at Star Lord Jonas. Rocky Clayborne gritted his teeth, swinging his hammer as the god-demons behind Jonas charged to intercept.
As they moved, Grandpa Blind, Mute Smith, the Five Immortals, Skywing Queen, and others joined the fray. The Godsever Mountains trembled, pressed down by the force of everyone’s divine arts.
At that moment, the star-sea blazed brighter. Chains rattled, and a sun rose from the abyss, scattering the darkness.
————Due to blizzard, my high-speed train was delayed four hours. I’m exhausted, still stuck on the train, not yet in Changsha. Lots to do tomorrow, so I’ll probably need a day or two off. Apologies!