“Their children, their brothers and sisters, their parents and grandparents—so many, from every clan, have ended up as hostages in their hands, forced to pay tribute just to survive.” Baxa’s voice was ice itself. “Hundred Blossoms Paradise is just one example. There are countless more, nameless realms snatched and slaughtered by them, entire clans wiped out—too many to count!”
"You're saying Hundred Blossoms Paradise is just one of their death camps?" Lucia Lu shot back, her brows furrowed, voice razor-sharp.
"Exactly! Hundred Blossoms Paradise just happens to be notorious, so it gets attention. But there are countless nameless places out there, snatched by them—who knows how many have died, how many were lost forever."
"Why didn't you ask the Divine Realm for help? Why go this far and turn everything into a bloodbath?" Lucia Lu pressed.
"You think we never tried?" Baxa's voice went glacial. "For years, we've done everything we could—every method, every channel—to try to report this to the Divine Race, praying someone would finally step in and end this nightmare."
But in the end, anyone with even the slightest connection to those upper realm channels—gone. Silenced, one after another.
Divine Lady Lucia, tell me—if you were in my place, what would you do?"
Lucia Lu said nothing.
"Since you Divine Race wouldn't lift a finger, we had no choice but to fight for ourselves!" Serena Tang cut in, his voice urgent and fierce.
Lucia Lu frowned deeper. "When you say 'they,' who exactly are you talking about?"
"The Xuanchen Clan," Baxa answered bluntly. "Our real target isn't the Southern Mystic Empire—it's the Xuanchen Clan itself! Only by destroying them can we save the hostages and give the Wildlands peace."
"You mean Xuan Tu of the Xuanchen Clan?" Lucia Lu asked. "He died two years ago!"
"Plenty of people have vanished in the past two years, so it can't be just him," Baxa replied. "There are others."
Lucia Lu: "Do you know where they're keeping all the hostages?"
Baxa was about to answer when, suddenly, a deafening boom erupted outside.
Everyone jumped, rushing outside to see what happened.
From the void, a massive iron chain shot in, smashing through the entrance.
And with it came a rain of immortal swords, falling like a storm.
It was a sword formation—absolutely devastating!
Cries of alarm echoed throughout the Sanctuary.
Lucia Lu, Ian Yan, and Adrian Drake moved as one—years of teamwork showing in a single glance. With a shout, they leapt into the air, divine power surging as they wove a net to block most of the falling swords.
But then, a tiny black dot shot in, splitting into countless Vajra rings that dove toward the ground.
Any lesser demon struck by a ring was either maimed or killed instantly.
"That's the Divine Artifact Vajra Shackles! Once you're caught, there's no escape!" Ian Yan shouted.
Lucia Lu glanced down—most of those rings were just phantoms, but one was real, locking onto Serena Tang and clamping around his neck.
Serena Tang was yanked off the ground, struggling helplessly as the ring dragged him away.
Lucia Lu summoned her Divine Artifact flute, Entwined Heart, and struck at the Vajra Shackles.
The two collided—Lucia felt a massive force slam into her, pain exploding in her chest and abdomen. She spat out blood and crashed to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the Vajra Shackles had already dragged Serena Tang out of the Sanctuary and vanished.
Immediately, a gigantic ancient beast and a swarm of gods with their faces concealed charged through the shattered entrance—war erupted in an instant.
Lucia Lu stood frozen, staring at Baxa as he hurled himself into battle with the ancient beast, her mind spinning.
What just happened?
How did they suddenly find and break through the Sanctuary entrance?
Did they follow us here?
But they'd all been so careful—Baxa and Serena Tang were even more paranoid, triple-checking that no one was trailing them before coming in.
Still, even if she tried to deny it, Lucia couldn't quite believe they hadn't been followed.