The massive body of the Heavenly Cyan Dragon dominated most of the battlefield. The twin horns on its head intermittently unleashed several cyan lightning bolts, their power so formidable that those on Zhu Ziyang's side who still had fighting strength were forced to dodge frantically. However, while releasing lightning, the Heavenly Cyan Dragon's claws and tail attacked simultaneously.
Its dragon claws were razor-sharp, and its tail was immensely robust. Whether struck by claw or tail, an enemy would suffer severe injury or even death.
"Ice Emperor Dragon!" Zhu Ziyang wielded the Ice Dragon King Spear, unleashing the full power of Ultimate Ice. A frost dragon over a hundred meters long materialized behind him, and as he directed the spear's tip, it charged toward the Heavenly Cyan Dragon like a true giant dragon, releasing a torrent of ice spikes and dragon breath.
The Heavenly Cyan Dragon was surprised by the frost dragon, which was nearly as large as itself. It could sense the extraordinary aura emanating from it. In terms of bloodline strength, it was inferior, but alas, it was a divine dragon, while the frost dragon was merely a remnant soul.
With this thought, the Heavenly Cyan Dragon sprang into action. It reared up, exposing its jaw and underbelly to the group. Its mouth opened wide, and cyan lightning rapidly gathered in the air, forming a massive lightning orb in an instant. With a swing of its head, the orb hurtled toward Zhu Ziyang.
Zhu Ziyang remained calm. A silver glint flashed in his eyes, and the world momentarily froze. Then, the Ice Emperor Dragon behind him charged toward the Heavenly Cyan Dragon. Zhu Ziyang himself flickered into the air above the dragon's head. The World-Purifying Life-Reaping Scythe in his hand turned from gold to black. Beneath his feet appeared a boundless black river, adorned with striking white flowers drifting along its current.
The black river resembled the Styx, an abyss of origin, while the white flowers were pure and flawless, symbolizing redemption.
World-Purifying Life-Reaping Scythe, Eighth Soul Skill: Life-Reaping Styx Shore!
The time freeze had little effect on the god-level Heavenly Cyan Dragon. It shook off the sluggishness in an instant and, with a thought, sent the lightning orb crashing into the Ice Emperor Dragon. Thunder and ice collided violently, while the Heavenly Cyan Dragon raised its head, its gaze locking onto Zhu Ziyang above.
At that moment, Zhu Ziyang's eighth soul skill fully materialized. The Styx and its shore flowers intertwined, descending from the heavens toward the Heavenly Cyan Dragon.
"Roar!" The Heavenly Cyan Dragon let out a roar and surged forward, charging straight at Zhu Ziyang's Styx Shore. It seemed utterly unconcerned by the eighth soul skill. Its massive head shattered the Styx, and the dense aura of death seeped into its body along its scales, causing a few scales on its forehead to fall off but inflicting no significant damage.
The Heavenly Cyan Dragon opened its maw wide, attempting to swallow Zhu Ziyang whole.
Zhu Ziyang narrowed his eyes. The fact that his eighth soul skill could be shattered by brute force underscored the terrifying strength of a god-level body. As the dragon's maw descended, Zhu Ziyang swung the World-Purifying Life-Reaping Scythe, its blade striking the dragon's lips. Using the momentum, he leaped away, escaping the dragon's jaws.
"This is impossible!" The dragon's eyes widened in shock. Its lips were injured from Zhu Ziyang's casual strike. This shouldn't be possible—he was a god! How could an ordinary martial soul harm him?
"Oh?" Zhu Ziyang was also surprised. He hadn't expected his casual strike to draw blood. Previously, their combined attacks had failed to cause any real harm to Niu Tian. What had changed this time? He glanced at the World-Purifying Life-Reaping Scythe, then at the enraged Heavenly Cyan Dragon, and realization dawned. His scythe wasn't merely a martial soul—it had absorbed and partially fused with the divine artifact, the Scythe of the Dead. It could be considered a divine artifact itself. Clearly, it was the yet-to-be-fully-fused Scythe of the Dead that had harmed the Heavenly Cyan Dragon!
Understanding this, Zhu Ziyang gave a meaningful smile. The Heavenly Cyan Dragon also seemed to realize the weapon in Zhu Ziyang's hand was extraordinary. Its massive form rapidly shrank, reverting to human form, now clad in cyan dragon-scale armor with a pair of dragon horns on its forehead, exuding a heroic aura.
"I thought I had taken you seriously enough, but I still underestimated you," Niu Tian said. "To think you've already obtained a divine artifact. It seems you're not far from true godhood. What a pity…"
As Niu Tian spoke, his aura shifted again. This time, Zhu Ziyang felt the entire world become viscous, as if he were trapped in quicksand, making movement nearly impossible. A cyan longsword appeared in Niu Tian's hand, its blade radiating a glowing aura, its sharpness almost tangible. Clearly, this was a divine-grade sword.
With the appearance of this divine sword, Niu Tian's demeanor grew sharper, his eyes filled with killing intent as he charged toward Zhu Ziyang.
Zhu Ziyang's expression was grave. He knew Niu Tian was now even more formidable. His companions were all restrained by Niu Tian's Slow Domain. Even Ma Xiaotao, the closest to him, was over ten meters away—a distance that was negligible under normal circumstances but felt like a thousand meters in a god-level Slow Domain!
As the longsword thrust forward, Zhu Ziyang raised the World-Purifying Life-Reaping Scythe to block. Niu Tian swiftly retracted the sword and swung downward. Zhu Ziyang parried with the scythe's handle, the clash producing a metallic clang. Niu Tian pressed harder with the sword, while his other hand gathered lightning, striking toward Zhu Ziyang's chest.
Zhu Ziyang crouched, dissipating the force from the scythe while kicking toward Niu Tian's lower body. Niu Tian didn't dodge; instead, he lunged forward, his longsword stabbing toward Zhu Ziyang's back.
Seeing this, Zhu Ziyang had no choice. His eyes flashed, and he instantly appeared a hundred meters away. Why not flee toward Ma Xiaotao or the Snow and Ice Emperors? They were heavily affected by the Slow Domain, their movements sluggish. If Zhu Ziyang went to them, not only would he fail to help himself, but he'd also put them in danger—a poor choice.
Seeing Zhu Ziyang retreat, Niu Tian pressed his advantage. He unleashed several lightning bolts to slow Zhu Ziyang's movements, then charged with his longsword. Zhu Ziyang countered with soul skills while retreating slowly, waiting for an opportunity.
He had a means to kill Niu Tian, but it required ensuring a direct hit, or it would be useless.
Meanwhile, in Ma Xiaotao's eyes, Zhu Ziyang was being forced back by Niu Tian, his body covered in wounds, seemingly on the verge of collapse. Her heart burned with anxiety. In her martial soul true body state, she repeatedly unleashed her strongest ninth soul skill, but it barely mitigated the Slow Domain's effects, increasing her speed from 0.5 to 0.75 times normal—still meaningless to the battlefield's dynamics.
A resolute and determined glint flashed in the Fire Phoenix's eyes. She reverted to human form, closed her eyes to calm her emotions, then opened them abruptly. A golden-red longsword appeared in her hand, still sheathed, its true form obscured, but it was Ma Xiaotao's only hope now.
"Come out, damn it!" Ma Xiaotao gripped the hilt with her right hand and the scabbard with her left, pulling in opposite directions. Veins bulged on her jade hands as golden flames erupted from the sword, igniting her hands. The flames' temperature was so intense that the surrounding air seemed to burn. Though Ma Xiaotao wielded Ultimate Fire, these divine flames were beyond her.
Her hands were scorched in an instant, exposing raw, red flesh. The golden flames grew fiercer, spreading from her hands to her arms. If she didn't let go, the flames would engulf her entire body.
Yet Ma Xiaotao didn't care. Her beautiful face was filled with resolve and fearlessness, her eyes blazing with a domineering readiness to face death, alongside the comforting image of a certain face. Her hands turned to bare bone as the golden flames consumed her flesh, but those skeletal hands gripped tighter, exerting even more force.
Finally, the Fire God Sword revealed a sliver of its blade, though most remained sheathed. This was enough to elate Ma Xiaotao. Ignoring the golden flames nearing her shoulders, she continued pulling with all her strength.
The Fire God Sword began trembling violently, whether moved by Ma Xiaotao's determination or angered by her forceful attempt to draw it. The hilt and scabbard shook, causing her body to sway.
She paid no heed. Sweat on her face evaporated into wisps of smoke the moment it appeared. Her face was unnaturally flushed, her eyes resolute yet tinged with a trace of delirium—a sign she was nearing unconsciousness.
"Zheng—"
A clear, resonant sword hum rang out, drawing the attention of both Zhu Ziyang and Niu Tian. They turned to see Ma Xiaotao holding a peculiar longsword, one side red, the other blue. But more than the sword, Zhu Ziyang's heart ached at Ma Xiaotao's appearance. Her arms were reduced to bare bone, white flames still burning at her shoulders. Her beautiful face showed deep exhaustion mixed with joy, causing Zhu Ziyang a pang of anguish.
Ma Xiaotao had succeeded—she had drawn the Fire God Sword. Though her condition was dire, the sword's presence sparked surprise and wariness in Niu Tian's heart.
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