The barrier Ye Yu set on the perimeter shattered completely.
The smile on Tushang’s face hadn’t even faded before a blazing sword-light split his divine body clean in two.
Before blood could even appear—
—the area around Tushang became a world of swords.
Countless strands of white sword qi crisscrossed, weaving a grinding net that shredded him on the spot, body and soul alike.
Seeing this, Ye Yu couldn’t help pausing for a beat.
A white figure rode the air over, seized Ye Yu’s right hand, and pulled him out of the sea of blood.
A peerless goddess, sword in hand—beauty saving the hero.
In that instant, Ye Yu could only think Heng Xuanzhen was jaw-droppingly cool.
No exaggeration—so cool it was explosive.
How could a woman be this cool?
They shot to a massive boulder halfway up the gorge.
Heng Xuanzhen spoke softly. “I knew you wouldn’t die that easily.”
“So I cast a Soul-Seeking Shadow Array and found where you were.”
“Now I just want to say—I’m paying back the life you saved me. If we meet next time, you and I...”
Before she could finish, a savage roar ripped the air.
Ye Yu and Heng Xuanzhen blanched and looked down.
In the center of the gorge floor, Tushang reappeared. This time his whole body was gray-black, and two enormous wings had sprouted from his back.
“So you didn’t come alone, brat—and you even had a partner ambush me! Fine. I don’t care who you two are today. I’m going to chew you both to pieces!”
“Sea of Mourning Tears!”
The words had barely fallen when the once-clear sky thickened with black clouds.
Countless black raindrops hurtled down.
Heng Xuanzhen threw up a sword-qi barrier at once, but two drops still splashed onto her.
The outer divine robe on her body began dissolving at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Such terrifying corrosion—she was seeing it for the first time.
Frowning hard, Heng Xuanzhen tore off the ruined robe on the spot and put on a new one.
Then, almost by reflex, she glanced at Ye Yu to check on him.
Only then did she notice—
—Ye Yu’s robe had already been burned by the blood pool into a hole-riddled mess.
But the black rain wasn’t landing on him at all.
A faint flush touched Heng Xuanzhen’s face. She looked away and considerately handed him a brand-new divine robe she hadn’t worn. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Ye Yu frowned at the bright red robe.
“This color’s a bit too gaudy. You keep it. I’ve got a fresh one.”
He declined her kindness without hesitation and changed his own outfit.
Mm—warmth returned at once. All those drafty spots were covered again.
Drip.
Just then, a bead of black rain struck Ye Yu’s shoulder.
The new robe tore again on impact.
Fortunately, Ye Yu’s monster-hardened body was strong enough to brute-force the rain’s corrosion.
Still, staring at the fresh hole in his new robe put him in a foul mood.
Seriously? Is this not over yet?
Are you just not going to let me wear a robe?
Heng Xuanzhen’s expression turned grim. The rain’s corrosiveness was far too strong, and the sword-qi barrier was riddled with holes.
It was only a matter of time before it failed completely.
But... was that guy really planning to kill them with just this trick?
That was a bit too childish, wasn’t it?
A vague wrongness prickled at Heng Xuanzhen’s heart.
So while feeding sword qi to maintain the barrier, she looked down again.
She caught the mocking curl on Tushang’s lips.
At the same time, the black rain around them seemed to freeze in time, hanging motionless in midair—
—and then each drop began to explode.
Heng Xuanzhen’s right hand closed on the empty air; a phantom divine sword bloomed in her palm.
She leveled it before her, settling into a guarding stance.
But the world around them flipped in an instant.
Everything dissolved into darkness.
Only then did Heng Xuanzhen realize it.
The black rain hadn’t been the true killing move; it was only there to draw their eyes.
What Tushang really wanted was to drag her and Ye Yu, without them noticing, into his divine domain.
When a god-blooded being reaches the Ancient God realm, they open a domain of their own.
Within it, their power increases dramatically—
—it’s a little world that belongs to them alone.
Here, anything he wishes, he can make real.
For example, plunging Heng Xuanzhen into utter darkness and sealing away her sight.
“Tsk, tsk. Sword intent—are you from Ancient Sword Gorge? Didn’t expect that after all this time, your line still isn’t extinct.”
Heng Xuanzhen simply closed her eyes and felt the world around her.
She spoke softly. “You know of Ancient Sword Gorge?”
“Of course I do,” Tushang sneered. “When your Divine Alliance was overrun back then, a lot of fallen god-clan corpses ended up in my belly. So when it comes to the sword path, I know a thing or two.”
“Oh—did I eat any of your friends? Your master, maybe?”
“Want me to say their names out loud for you?”
At that, Heng Xuanzhen’s brows knit tighter; divine power rippled faintly around her.
Whoosh.
A tearing sound split the air.
Tushang shaped his fingers into sword qi and pierced straight through Heng Xuanzhen’s heart.
“Honestly, I don’t really want to kill you. But you’re strong—that makes you a threat. To keep you from pulling tricks like that brat did, I’ll take you out first.”
“Look on the bright side—it means you can reunite with your sectmates in my stomach. Isn’t that a kind of homecoming?”
Heng Xuanzhen raised a hand and gripped the sword qi lodged in her chest. Eyes closed, chin lifting slightly.
She spoke again, a whisper. “I’ve got you.”
That single line wiped the color from Tushang’s face.
Instinctively he tried to withdraw the sword qi and turn to flee—
—but to his shock, the sword qi from his fingers wrapped back around and sealed his whole body.
So Heng Xuanzhen had exposed an opening on purpose—just to grab him?
That nerve... was astounding.
Tushang laughed. “Sure, you’ve got me. But can you kill me? Don’t forget—I can’t be killed.”
“Whether you can be killed isn’t for you to decide,” she said. “It’s for me.”
“Fury Sword—Sever the Soul.”
With Heng Xuanzhen’s low command, countless multicolored streams of sword qi chewed Tushang’s divine soul to pieces without damaging his divine body—
—leaving only an empty shell behind.
In an instant, the domain collapsed.
Tushang and Heng Xuanzhen both dropped to the ground.
Ye Yu stood between them, wearing a very complicated look.
What just happened? Why did everything go black—and then you two toppled over?