"Disciple Nurturing Quest Issued: Host, travel to Cangzhou, rescue Ji Fuyao, and annihilate the Drunken Immortal Pavilion!"
The moment the voice faded, Lu Xuan hastily pulled up Ji Fuyao’s status panel.
[Eldest Disciple: Ji Fuyao!
Realm: One-star Profound Saint!
Injury: Soul-Burning (Severe)!]
Seeing this, Lu Xuan’s face darkened instantly. A terrifying, boundless killing intent erupted, surging like a vast, raging ocean.
Who dares touch my disciple? They have a death wish!
Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
The System stated, "Ji Fuyao's location has been locked: Willow City, Cangzhou."
Instantly, Lu Xuan felt an incredibly profound, mystical connection with Ji Fuyao, spanning tens of millions of miles.
Lu Xuan casually activated the Corner of a Supreme Great Emperor Formation Pattern.
With a deafening boom, an obscure, ancient spatial power surged around his body. Lu Xuan felt his mind clear; this fragment of a Supreme Great Emperor Formation Pattern contained the most mysterious "Dao and Essence."
In a single thought, Lu Xuan's figure vanished from Azure Mystery Peak, dissolving into a wisp of clear wind.
***
Cangzhou. Willow City.
Ji Fuyao, clad in a fiery red dress, wielded the six-star Emperor Weapon, Heaven-Rending. Every spear thrust carried the might to sweep away a thousand armies. Her spear intent transformed into a wandering dragon, soaring through the void.
Fueled by her burning soul, the Emperor Weapon’s power grew terrifyingly potent—even Quasi-Emperors couldn't withstand a single blow! Even the two One-star Great Emperors from the Heavenly Net Hall found her troublesome.
The Grey-robed Great Emperor said coldly, "This Empress is driven by a deathly Willpower/Persistent Thought. Her might is only increasing!"
The other Great Emperor replied, "Let's avoid her edge for now."
They then turned to the two dozen or so Quasi-Emperors nearby and commanded, "We will seal the void for you. Go and intercept the Ye Family and the Fuyao Dynasty's Royal Dragon Guards!"
As the command was given, the two Great Emperors rapidly retreated, maintaining a distance from Ji Fuyao. Their robes billowed as they chanted incantations, instantly unleashing terrifying Great Emperor Dao patterns that shot into the void.
At that moment, Ye Beichen, the Ye Family Old Ancestor, and Qing Yan, the Royal Dragon Guard leader, were tearing open a spatial rift, preparing to cross the void and escape. Boom! The boundless Great Emperor Dao patterns, with lightning speed, instantly sealed the rift shut. The void was locked down by the will of Great Emperors!
Immediately, the sky was ablaze with endless, brilliant Dao patterns, shimmering like countless stars. The very thunder of the firmament paled before these patterns, and the torrential rain poured down like a river reversing its course. A profound sense of tragedy filled the world.
Despair washed over the faces of Ye Beichen and Qing Yan. Their situation was hopeless—ten deaths and no life! They were caught in the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare! No path to the heavens, no door to the earth!
Watching their plight, Ji Fuyao’s long hair whipped around her as infinite flames burned in her eyes. She channeled a massive torrent of spiritual energy and swung Heaven-Rending, attempting to tear open the void and create a path for Qing Yan and Ye Beichen.
Shing! A spear light, graceful as a startled swan and fluid as a soaring dragon, shot toward the sealed barrier in the deep void. The forbidden formation rumbled like a massive bell, but it did not break. Ji Fuyao thrust a second spear, its intent even more terrifying! But it was useless! Completely useless! The sealed formation, laid down by two Great Emperors, was rock-solid and infinitely complex. Without finding a flaw in the array, Ji Fuyao's current power, even with her soul burning, could not shatter it.
The Grey-robed Great Emperor sneered, "Did you truly think the Heavenly Net Hall's sealing formation could be broken so easily?"
The two Great Emperors had no intention of fighting Ji Fuyao head-on. They were waiting! They knew Ji Fuyao was burning her soul. Her combat power was temporary, a fleeting moment of glory. Once it passed, she would be utterly defenseless, an ant they could capture at will.
Meanwhile, the two dozen Quasi-Emperors from the Heavenly Net Hall and the Drunken Immortal Pavilion instantly surrounded Qing Yan and the others. Behind them, thousands of Half-Emperors, Saint Kings, and Saints surged like a tide. Ji Fuyao's side had only a dozen Quasi-Emperors and a thousand subordinates. The enemy was strong, and they were weak! The disparity in strength was immense!
The Heavenly Net Hall Quasi-Emperors laughed coldly, "Running away? Why stop now?!"
Wei Yan, the traitor, looked at Qing Yan with a mocking, pitying gaze. "Commander Qing Yan, if you hadn't stepped into Cangzhou, I would never have submitted to the Heavenly Net Hall! Therefore, all of this is your own doing!"
Qing Yan bit her lip, her eyes blazing with fury. "You dog! Even if I die today, I will take you with me!" With that, a murderous glint flashed in her eyes, and she, too, began to burn her soul. She looked at Ji Fuyao. "Your Majesty the Empress, if we must die this time, let us die together!"
Ye Beichen suddenly threw his head back and laughed heartily, drawing his Quasi-Emperor Spirit Sword. The blade shimmered with cold light, and a terrifying, chilling sword intent surged like a vast river. Within thousands of feet of Ye Beichen, thunder was annihilated and the heavy rain vanished. He also burned his soul! The old sword shines again before the battle lines, its cold light as fierce as it was in the past! Three thousand years ago, it was just like this... despair!
The next moment, the rest of the Royal Dragon Guards and the Ye Family Old Ancestors gritted their teeth, their killing intent soaring to the heavens. They roared, "Heavenly Net Hall! Drunken Immortal Pavilion! Today, we fight to the death!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Quasi-Emperors, Half-Emperors, Saint Kings, and Saints—all began to burn their souls! A thousand blazing flames shot into the sky. Every person was consumed by rage, their eyes bloodshot, as they charged directly at the forces of the Heavenly Net Hall and the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. The void became a chaotic sea of humanity! Countless figures clashed in endless disorder. Violent spiritual energy surged, brilliant spiritual runes flickered, and a fierce wind swept through, while the heavy rain battered the world like a river bursting its banks.
Qing Yan extended her jade hand, and an incredibly bizarre spiritual wood twisted across the void, piercing straight through the chest of a Drunken Immortal Pavilion Quasi-Emperor. "Die! Die! Die! Die!"
The melee was absolute! Screams of agony echoed incessantly through the void. Bodies fell constantly, making it impossible to distinguish between the Empress Fuyao’s loyalists and the forces of the Heavenly Net Hall and the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
Just then, Wang Man, who had been suppressed by the Heavenly Net Token, suddenly roared. Blood sprayed from his body as he used his blood-soaked battle-axe to cleave the massive token in two. He, too, burned his soul! Wang Man's eyes were blood-red, and his aura climbed relentlessly as he charged into the void. Utter! Mad! Fury!
Wielding his blood axe, he struck down with the force of a mountain splitting apart, instantly exploding the head of a Quasi-Emperor! Blood rained down! It was a slaughterhouse! "You bastards of the Heavenly Net Hall! You traitors of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion! Die!" Another swing! Another Quasi-Emperor was split in half! For a moment, Ji Fuyao’s subordinates, their fighting spirit soaring, fought so fiercely that the forces of the Heavenly Net Hall and the Drunken Immortal Pavilion couldn't hold their ground!
Wei Yan rapidly retreated, his face contorted in a snarl. "My Lords of the Heavenly Net Hall! Retreat! They've gone completely mad!"
Seeing this, the Grey-robed Great Emperor’s expression turned icy. "I'll handle this!" The other Great Emperor remained focused on Ji Fuyao, preventing her from offering aid, maintaining a purely defensive stance without engaging her fully.
The next instant, the Grey-robed Great Emperor slammed a palm down. An incomparably terrifying Emperor-realm pressure surged like a tidal wave, crushing the void. The Heaven-Reaching Palm, resembling a colossal mountain or an entire continent, descended directly upon the heads of the Royal Dragon Guards and the Ye Family members!
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Everyone instantly spat out a mouthful of vital blood! The gap between a One-star Great Emperor and a Quasi-Emperor was the difference between heaven and earth! In an instant, the Fuyao Dynasty's forces collapsed like a landslide, sent flying thousands of feet away. Blood streamed from Wang Man's seven orifices, his eyes still blood-red, but he could no longer stand. Qing Yan was drenched in blood, her face etched with despair. Crack! Ye Beichen's Quasi-Emperor Spirit Sword snapped in half. Despair! Utter despair! The Fuyao Dynasty loyalists were completely defeated.
At that moment, Ji Fuyao's aura became incredibly weak. Burning her soul had its limits; it was a flash in the pan. Clutching the Emperor Weapon Heaven-Rending with both hands, she barely managed to stand in the void.
Seeing this, the Grey-robed Great Emperor sneered, "A mere firefly, daring to compete with the sun and moon!"
Ji Fuyao's fiery red dress fluttered in the wind, the heavy rain washing the blood from her body. She looked toward the Grand Dao Sect, her eyes dimming. She whispered, "Master, I'm sorry. I never got the chance to repay your kindness..." As she spoke, two clear streams of tears rolled down her cheeks. She was crying. In this final moment, she felt that Azure Mystery Peak was the only place of true safety. In two lifetimes, only her Master, Lu Xuan, had been so utterly selfless toward her.
Seeing Ji Fuyao weep, Wang Man, Commander Qing Yan, the Royal Dragon Guards, and the Ye Family Old Ancestors, including Ye Beichen, were all overcome with sorrow, hot tears streaming down their faces. They had burned everything they had, but they couldn't turn the tide! Were they truly going to die here?
Qing Yan, a thread of blood at the corner of her mouth, struggled to rise from the void. She looked toward the Grand Dao Sect and cried out, "Peak Master Lu, where are you? Peak Master Lu, can you hear us? Empress Fuyao is calling your name! Why do you not appear?"
The next instant, Wang Man also cried out, "Peak Master Lu! You are the Southern Wilds' Apex Great Emperor! You must be able to sense what is happening here! Appear! Please, appear now!"
Thump! Thump! The Ye Family Old Ancestors dropped to their knees in the void, praying with immense reverence. "Peak Master Lu, we are calling your name! Why do you not appear?"
In the entire battlefield, all the former Imperial loyalists knelt. They called out Lu Xuan's name!
Ji Fuyao watched the scene with a bitter expression. She couldn't hold on any longer! The soul-burning had left her severely injured, barely clinging to life. She managed a faint, self-deprecating smile. "Master, where are you?"
In that moment, a faint flicker of hope ignited in her heart, like a tiny light in the deepest night. Could her omnipotent Master truly hear her? Cangzhou was tens of thousands of miles from the Grand Dao Sect! Even the divine sense of an Apex Great Emperor couldn't reach that far! And even if Lu Xuan could sense her call, how could he possibly arrive in an instant?
Although Ji Fuyao and the Royal Dragon Guards were calling out, deep down, they knew it was nothing more than a dying fantasy.
Despair! Profound, crushing despair!
Just then, Ji Fuyao's delicate body trembled. Unable to support herself, she plummeted from the void, her consciousness fading. She whispered one last time:
"Master, are you there?"
Suddenly, a voice answered!
"I'm here. I've been here all along."