The world was filled with an endless, chilling silence.
Facing the confrontation between Chen Fan and the White Bone Forest, Tian Zai remained silent for a long time.
"Where is the Supreme Wuji?" Chen Fan spoke again.
"Don't know."
The White Bone Forest's temper flared.
He was cunning, true, and enjoyed a hidden development.
But never forget, he was the White Bone Forest, one of the Eight Ancient Demon Generals, who had once slaughtered the world.
Now, faced with repeated pressure, the dignity of an Ancient Demon General prevented him from remaining silent.
*Clang.*
The resonant hum of a sword echoed through the sky.
Killing intent permeated and boiled.
"Boom."
Ice clouds covered the expanse, shaking all directions.
On the ground, the ice clouds spread forward at a visible pace.
"Kill."
Chen Fan attacked.
His every move unleashed the Endless Fire Domain.
A sea of fire spread, pressing towards the West Sea.
"Ice Age."
The White Bone Forest retaliated.
In an instant, thirty thousand miles were frozen over.
"Rumble."
This was the clash of ice and fire.
The confrontation between a top Supreme and a Great Perfection Supreme.
All anyone could see was the convergence of boundless fire clouds and ice clouds.
Two figures, one large and one small, collided.
The world thundered endlessly.
Too fast.
Afterimages flickered, a top-tier battlefield inaccessible to outsiders.
Destructive storms spread, and spatial rifts appeared one after another.
Everything in their path was annihilated.
The two fought back and forth, their battle incredibly fierce.
The heavens shattered, seawater poured into the sky, and everything was extinguished under the storm.
The Dark Church, which had regained control of the Western Region, suffered a devastating disaster.
The endless destructive storm was simply impossible to resist.
"Retreat."
They had barely returned, and the Dark Church fled again.
Taking all their foundations with them, they fled madly.
To avoid being caught in the crossfire, they could only choose to leave.
Rumble.
The world was filled with nothing but incessant roaring.
The great battle spread for eighty thousand miles, causing countless innocent casualties.
At a certain moment...
*Clang.*
Sword light, burning with flames, tore through the sky assembled from ice clouds.
A sword strike opened the heavens, piercing the White Bone Forest's wing.
"Roar."
The White Bone Forest roared, white clouds gathering beneath his feet.
He instantly retreated a great distance.
Simultaneously, a fierce hurricane appeared, and the ice clouds transformed into the White Bone Forest's likeness.
His single horn glowed, like a divine spear piercing the sky, impaling Chen Fan's body.
With a single blow, both were heavily wounded.
They both bled, staggering back in pain.
"Seal Heaven and Lock Earth."
Chen Fan, at this moment, turned into a berserker.
The Golden Silk Cicada Robe sealed the domain, a gravity artifact suppressed the void, and the Dragon Pattern Compass sought the White Bone Forest's weakness.
"Chii."
A sword strike was unleashed.
The White Bone Forest's weakness was found.
Brilliant sword light illuminated the ages.
"Boom."
The power of the Ice Age rapidly collapsed under the sword light.
The sword light transformed into an arrow, rapidly approaching the White Bone Forest.
A light of killing intent appeared between the White Bone Forest's brows.
"How could this be..."
A drop of blood slid from the White Bone Forest's brow.
Even from a distance, he was severely wounded.
He couldn't believe it, feeling the familiar aura from his brow, his pupils slowly contracting: "This aura, what is your relationship with the Supreme Wuji?"
It was no wonder he was shocked.
The auras of the Seven Divine Artifacts were inherently of the same origin.
Not only did they sense each other, but to the White Bone Forest, no aura could exert greater pressure than that of the crown.
And now, he felt a familiar aura again.
Terror spread from the depths of his heart.
Yet, simultaneously, a voice seemed to echo in his mind.
"If you can snatch that sword, you can break the nightmare in your heart." The White Bone Forest trembled from fear.
"Boom."
He erupted.
The nightmare of countless years, a source of despair.
He no longer wished to endure such torment.
He wanted to break this nightmare.
Perhaps, after obtaining that sword, he would have hope for revenge for what happened in the past.
"Whoosh."
With a beat of his wings, fierce winds gathered.
Amidst the endless hurricanes, the White Bone Forest dodged the sword light.
*Puff.*
A spray of blood flew.
Though he seemed to have dodged, he was actually wounded by the sword energy.
His internal organs were pierced by the sword intent, but he didn't care. As long as he could obtain the divine sword, everything was worth it.
"Kill."
A raging wind swept forward.
In his berserk state, the White Bone Forest was an incomparably powerful being.
Ice clouds and hurricanes—these two rule daos were the White Bone Forest's strongest means.
Chen Fan was suppressed.
Great Perfection Supreme, coupled with the inherently powerful physique of a monstrous beast, even with divine artifacts, he was suppressed.
"Open."
Chen Fan would not wait for death.
The Sword Pagoda stood tall, blocking the White Bone Forest's attack.
At the same time, a colossal sword lotus ascended, shredding the ice clouds and cutting through the hurricanes.
"Rumble."
A mad battle ensued.
...
From afar.
Tian Zai's expression was grim.
"Boss."
The White Bone Forest's voice boomed: "That sword carries the aura of the crown, an item of the same origin as the crown. If we can snatch that divine sword, we can break the curse of the Supreme Wuji."
"Hm?"
Tian Zai's pupils flashed with light.
He then closed his eyes and sensed carefully.
He hadn't noticed it before, but as he sensed now, something horrifying occurred.
Not only the divine sword, but that bead, the compass, and the clothes... all carried the aura of the crown.
"Four divine artifacts?"
Tian Zai was not greedy, but he had a deep-seated obsession with strengthening his power.
"Kill."
Tian Zai prepared to attack.
*Hum!*
Just as Tian Zai was about to make his move.
Suddenly, a spatial rift spread, blocking his path.
In the ethereal realm, a pair of wings appeared in Tian Zai's eyes.
A familiar appearance, a familiar aura.
"Huang Die."
Tian Zai exclaimed with joy: "You are still alive?"
Huang Die's ethereal figure appeared, blocking Tian Zai, and spoke with neither joy nor sorrow: "I was fortunate to survive."
Her survival was a matter of great fortune.
Huang Die's tone was calm, without the joy of reunion, only tranquility.
Tian Zai seemed to sense something, his brow furrowing: "Huang Die, what are you doing?"
Huang Die shook her head: "Doing nothing, merely stopping you."
Stopping me?
Tian Zai was stunned, then his gaze turned icy: "Have you defected to the humans?"
"No."
This statement was inaccurate, Huang Die corrected: "In my life, I have never submitted to anyone."
"Then you..."
"Earning a favor." Huang Die's expression remained indifferent.
"..."
Tian Zai fell silent: "So, you are going to be my enemy?"
"I don't want to."
If she had a choice, Huang Die would not want to be Tian Zai's enemy.
Of the Eight Ancient Demon Generals back then, Tian Zai was the true number one in combat power, the only one to survive under the Supreme Wuji.
But that was in the past.
It was too long ago.
Of the former Eight Ancient Demon Generals, some died, some perished, and some fled.
The debt of gratitude had long since faded with the years.
Now, only the will to survive supported them.
Cruelty slowly surfaced in Tian Zai's eyes: "Do you know what you are doing?"
"I know better than you."
Huang Die did not yield an inch: "Trust me, your choice... is wrong."