Chapter Sixty-Six: The Blade of Dissolution

Liu Ru stared blankly at Su Ziye standing before her.

This young man held a crimson blade—so thin it was nearly transparent, appearing as fragile as gossamer. Yet just moments ago, Su Ziye had used this very blade to successfully parry Xingxi’s attack. Now, it seemed he was truly unleashing the weapon’s power, letting fervent scarlet flames envelop him wholly, blazing in the air like a burning sun.

Confronted by this sun, even Xingxi’s expression grew somewhat solemn for the first time. There was no doubt about it—this was the power of the Heavenly Realm. Even if Su Ziye had not yet mastered its full strength, the essence of that realm could not be denied.

“To be honest, even now I can’t guarantee victory over you. But at least, I’m no longer so easily defeated,” Su Ziye said calmly, gazing at Xingxi.

As he spoke, he flicked his blade, and in that instant, the crimson fire that had enclosed him within a scant three meters erupted outward, swelling to encompass everything in sight.

Naturally, this engulfed even those who had retreated to a distance—Liu Ru and Xi Ye.

Liu Ru felt the flames wash over her, but instead of scorching heat or pain, she was met with a gentle warmth, like basking in sunlight.

“What is this?” Liu Ru could not help but ask aloud.

Everywhere she looked was shrouded in these flames, burning fiercely yet consuming nothing.

“One of the hallmarks of the Heavenly Realm, known as the Domain,” Xi Ye explained quietly from behind her. “The Blade of Annihilation, ranked first among all spirit weapons and lost to our clan for centuries, was once wielded by the First Emperor himself. Its essence lies here: once acknowledged by the blade, the bearer may unleash this domain of destruction, stepping directly into the Heavenly Realm.”

First among spirit weapons?

Liu Ru was momentarily stunned. “Then why is it in Su Ziye’s hands?”

She recalled the words Su Ziye had once spoken to her.

“Of course I have one, but spirit weapons aren’t something you want to carry too many of.”

“If you’re lucky, you’ll see my spirit weapon in Leaf Night City.”

If she remembered correctly, those had been his exact words. Never had she imagined that the spirit weapon Su Ziye possessed would be such a thing.

“In that case, does this mean Su Ziye is certain to win?” Liu Ru asked, unable to hold back.

“Ordinarily, yes. The gulf between the Heavenly Realm and lower realms is immense—otherwise, the Faxiang and Dongxuan stages would not be commonly referred to as the Earthly Realms,” Xi Ye replied gravely, looking up at the sky. “The phrase ‘worlds apart’ is no exaggeration. But she is different.”

Xingxi looked impassively at Su Ziye. Though she too was surrounded by the flames of destruction, they could not pass within a foot of her body.

“I will try,” she said simply, spreading both hands downward. In the next instant, energies of gold and silver—opposite in color and nature—gushed from her palms, forming two brilliant blades of light. These crossed and slashed toward Su Ziye.

Her power split the tangible domain of flame, cleaving directly toward Su Ziye without hesitation.

He simply smiled at her from where he stood. The moment she struck, he vanished from sight, reappearing at a distance in a flicker.

Where Xingxi had attacked, two massive, intersecting gashes yawned in the air—scars left by her assault. Even the omnipresent flames could not fill these voids, the remnants of her power still lingering.

“A Heavenly Realm cultivator possesses nearly limitless stamina and, within their domain, almost omnipotent perception—including the ability to alter or wield certain laws. All previous cultivation stages pale before this one,” Su Ziye looked down at the silver-haired girl before him. “Only upon reaching this realm can one truly be called a monster by the world.”

“Though you are invincible within your own stage, whether you can transcend and battle a Heavenly Realm cultivator remains a huge question.”

Su Ziye continually tried to undermine Xingxi’s composure with his words, for he indeed held a tremendous advantage now. With the power of the Blade of Annihilation, having gained the might of the Heavenly Realm, he could almost toy with an opponent who had not crossed that threshold.

Yet inwardly, unease gnawed at him.

He was slowly coming to a terrifying realization:

He could not harm this formidable girl before him.

After activating the domain of destruction, all his prior training and information suggested he should hold near-absolute dominion over everything within—able to grant life or death as he wished, and, of course, to protect Liu Ru and Xi Ye by drawing them into his domain.

The true might of the Heavenly Realm can only be understood by those who step into it; thus, for ages, those of this realm were revered as gods. Even now, with over a hundred such beings in the world, they remain the dividing line between humanity and monsters.

Yet despite wielding such power, Su Ziye found himself unable to defeat this opponent.

She had forcibly carved out her own space within his domain.

Around her, his domain could not encroach. Where it could not touch, it could not suppress; where it could not suppress, he could not effortlessly crush her with the force of his realm. Instead, he was forced to endure her continual rending and provocation within his own domain.

Were this battle to devolve into the kind of war of attrition at which Heavenly Realm experts excel, Su Ziye himself would be at a disadvantage.

Still, at least now he could stand on equal footing with her.

Just as now, he was free to taunt her without reprisal.

Alas, Xingxi showed no interest in conversing with him. Her twin blades of gold and silver still radiated dazzling light, but she did not press the attack. Instead, she calmly sensed and analyzed everything around her.

For a moment, the confrontation seemed to reach an impasse.

This was not the outcome Su Ziye desired. Realizing that words were futile, he suddenly appeared behind Xingxi. Within his own domain, movement was but a thought.

He brought down the Blade of Annihilation in a swift arc.

Xingxi turned, lifting her golden blade to parry. Su Ziye put all his strength into the strike, yet found he could not sever her weapon.

“You must be joking!” Even Su Ziye could not help but exclaim.

The Blade of Annihilation was the strongest spirit weapon in history, capable of granting its bearer the power of the Heavenly Realm—a fact in itself attesting to its supremacy. Its sharpness and resilience were unparalleled.

Yet Xingxi’s weapons were mere constructs of her own power—no different in essence from the flaming swords conjured by General Wu and Xi Ye before. The only distinguishing factor was that the strength of such weapons varied dramatically depending on the wielder’s own power.

Still, Su Ziye had not expected such a gulf.

As blades crossed, they locked eyes at close range—his dark gaze meeting her calm, golden irises.

“So, you’re still carrying it,” Su Ziye remarked abruptly, seemingly apropos of nothing.

In the next instant, Xingxi’s silver blade plunged straight into the boy’s abdomen.

For a moment, time itself seemed to freeze.