This was the first strike unleashed by Gu Jianlin.
There was no need to hone any techniques; the combined skill of the Ghost Slayer Path was already flawlessly innate. The Sword Drawing Slash empowered by Divine Speed Force, accompanied by the Dimension Slash that tore through space-time, the ability of Space Jump, and the final act of Space Freeze!
Four elements fused as one!
But that was not all. The lingering essence of an ancient blade technique's Extreme Intent in his mind awakened an eternal desolation and an unparalleled arrogance, rousing the long-silent Jiuyin. It even unleashed a potent aura of bloodlust, its blade's ringing echoing like a dragon's roar!
Tang Ling was shocked to realize that the boy she was holding had vanished!
The wind stirred her snow-white hair, her beautiful eyes brimming with terror.
"Where is he?!"
Lin Lan roared, forcibly interrupting the Space Jump.
The gale whipped through the short hair of the Charming Ladies, their enchanting eyes mirroring the descent of a blood-red figure from the heavens!
Space shuddered faintly.
This ancient Ancestor, after undergoing Primordial Return, intended to obliterate the entire space.
At this rate, no one could survive!
Boom!
A massive blood-red dragon's shadow descended from above, resembling a meteorite crashing from the heavens. The swirling blizzard evaporated in an instant, and the terrifying pressure scattered the snowdrifts below. The solid permafrost caved in abruptly!
In a fleeting moment, time had frozen solid!
It was as though the entire world plunged into the underworld, where, for just an instant, eerie Mandala Flowers bloomed, their countless petals falling away!
This was a blade technique unimaginable to humankind. The awakened Jiuyin soared skyward like a jet-black dragon, and wherever it passed, space-time decayed and shattered, leaving behind ghastly fissures that exposed the primordial darkness of the universe.
In a flash, Gu Jianlin appeared in mid-air. His long, jet-black hair flowed like a cascade, embodying the most powerful and violent Ancient Supreme. With an imperious, contemptuous posture, he unleashed a single strike. The cold gleam of the blade seemed to eclipse all within the world; everything dimmed in its presence!
A matchless brilliance.
An unmatched severity.
For a fleeting instant, the blade's lonely radiance seemed to sever the threads of time!
The blood-red dragon's descending shadow quaked, and in its eerie, vertical pupils, a millennium of confusion and melancholy seemed to surface. The looming aura of annihilation suddenly halted, torn apart by the ephemeral slash of solitude!
The blade's light was too swift; it vanished in an instant.
Only the fractured blade marks trailing through the Void seemed to pierce the world before violently shattering apart!
"Venerable."
The pale white bones of the Ancestor stood amidst the storm, then knelt upon the ground and fell into a deep slumber.
With a thunderous crash, the blood-red dragon's shadow was cleaved in two. As collapsing space crumbled in silence, the entire Void disintegrated like a shattered mirror and was buried in oblivion.
Lin Lan froze for a moment as he held the boy in his arms, his face twisting in disbelief. "Your Highness, why are you treating goodwill like donkey liver and lungs? Didn't I hear you're a germaphobe? He's covered in blood—let me handle this!"
"Get lost! Quit running your mouth at a time like this!"
Tang Ling snatched the bloodied boy from his arms, cradling him against herself, before donning a monocle.
As a mist shrouded the lens, her expression subtly changed. In a low voice, she said, "His brain has suffered significant trauma, and his consciousness is barely intact. As for his injuries, they're a backlash from Jiuyin. A long-standing mystery has finally been solved: aside from its unparalleled sharpness, Jiuyin can draw upon space-time to summon power."
Lin Lan's face darkened. "What kind of power does it summon?"
Tang Ling gazed deeply at the boy's blood-soaked form and murmured, "The power of Candle Dragon Venerable!"
Lin Lan shuddered with fear. "This blade is absurdly overpowered!"
"That depends on whose hands it's in. That strike just now was likely a casual slash from an Ancient Supreme in antiquity, recorded by Jiuyin and reproduced at a heavily weakened scale."
Tang Ling spoke softly. "Even so, it remains a slash of Candle Dragon Venerable's. It's beyond what he can withstand."
At that moment, Gu Jianlin's trembling hand made a slight movement.
Jiuyin quivered, and on its blade, eerie vertical pupils flickered to life. It let out a mocking voice: "A mere human with some insight. You even recognized my title! But what's the fuss about killing one Ancestor?"
The blade sneered. "In my prime, I never slew the nameless!"
Lin Lan's expression was ghostly pale, as if facing an abyssal foe.
Tang Ling raised a hand to calm him, her sharp gaze fixed on the blade as she asked solemnly, "Are you Jiuyin?"
She knew that all evolving Mythical Weapons possessed consciousness.
Extreme Thunder did.
Jiuyin, naturally, did too!
"Woman, you've got good eyes!"
The blade vibrated with pride. "I suggest you leave immediately. The chaos earlier disturbed a terrifying entity, especially the thoughts left behind by that Ancestor. That entity is now using its Authority to kill you."
Boom!
A ferocious blizzard swept in from afar, obliterating everything in its path.
From a distance, it appeared as an endless expanse of white—a terrifying bloodstorm.
A Catastrophe of annihilation!
"Run! Get inside the palace! Any other route is a deathtrap!"
Lin Lan seized the sled, ignoring the Corpse Ghosts entirely, and in a flash, jumped into the bronze palace.
Tang Ling, cradling the unconscious boy, sprinted to one side of the massive gate, abruptly shifting into her Evolutionary State.
Ah Yue joined her, helping to push the bronze gate of the palace.
"Push harder!"
Lin Lan and Ah Lan strained from the other side, slamming the gate closed at the final moment before the raging storm could consume them!
Bang!
The entire bronze palace trembled violently, and the heavy door began to crack under the pressure.
Ah Lan, drawing upon the Ancient Martial Path, used his own body to brace against the bronze door.
Ah Yue condensed a barrier with her telekinesis, forcibly sealing the gaps, her face pale as paper.
"It's not enough! There are other gaps in the palace!"
Their faces were ashen, nearly frozen into statues.
The violent wind and snow surged in through the cracks in the bronze palace, the extreme cold roaring like a monstrous beast.
"Let me handle this!"
Stripping off unnecessary garments, Lin Lan stood tall, roaring like a true warrior. Empowered by Divine Speed Force at its peak, he unleashed a tempest of blade strikes!
Against the tide of the blizzard, mirror reflection was useless.
Reflecting the storm only worsened the cold's brutality.
As for Space Freeze, it barely held for an instant.
Only the Divine Speed's Dimension Slash could hold the storm at bay!
Boom!
The Extreme Thunder Great Sword plunged into the ground, unleashing searing lightning.
Tang Ling retreated to a corner, shielding herself from the all-encompassing blizzard. She removed her heavy fur cloak and pulled the boy's face close to her chest, using her remaining body warmth to keep him alive.
The temperature continued to drop. Her frost-white hair gradually became laden with snow.
Frost crusted her long, curled lashes; her cold, beautiful face was utterly bloodless.
The piercing wind lashed at her back, almost freezing her solid, her bones and flesh nearing collapse under the relentless cold.
Even the protection of the Sword Bone proved inadequate against such brutal frigidity.
Still, she did not move.