Shan Xiao sighed, patted her princess dress, and put away the doll as her playful gaze suddenly changed as she looked at Xing Fan and Yu. “I was born in a human civilization. It was known as the Third Rampart.”
Xing Fan and Yu exchanged glances, but they did not interrupt her. They were quite curious about Shan Xiao. How could there be a human among the Nest civilization’s bugs?
“The humans of the Third Rampart excelled at fighting with cards. Their cards were quite peculiar, as each person would arrange traps within their own card, according to their personal traits. Once an opponent was dragged into a card, life and death would become uncertain.” Shan Xiao raised a fair, tender hand, showing a card that shimmered with hazy light.
Xing Fan grew wary. This was one of the cards that had just been mentioned.
She had been specifically warned by the Greater Sancte to not get close to Shan Xiao’s cards. Xing Fan did not know how the Greater Sancte had learned about such things, but she did not question that the card was dangerous.
Shan Xiao looked at her card with fascination. “The Third Rampart’s cards have many different levels, much like cultivation. Mine here is of the highest level, a Primeval card.”
She looked back at Xing Fan and Yu and smiled. “It’s a seven-star Primeval card, Emperor's Gaze. You may die now.”
“Retreat!” Xing Fan shouted sternly.
Yu did not hesitate to turn and flee. At that moment, both people had felt the same threat of death. It was strong enough to make their tongues go numb, just like when the aftershocks of Chang and Lu Yin’s clash had swept past them. It was the unmistakable sense of immense danger.
The card floated up from Shan Xiao’s palm. A blurry figure slowly emerged from it. It was a person clad in imperial robes who radiated an aura of incomparable majesty. Their mere presence overwhelmed all of existence.
The moment the figure appeared, countless eyes were drawn to it. It was as if this figure was intended to be the center of the cosmos. Its arrival was as overwhelming as the sun.
Even the clash between Lu Yin and Chang could not overshadow this figure.
Greater Sancte Awe Gate looked over. “This aura?”
Master Qing Cao’s expression grew grave. “Although it is a dead thing, it is teeming with vitality. It’s practically stepped into the Immortal realm.”
“It’s unfortunate that it’s only a dead thing. If it were still alive, that person surely would have become an Immortal.”
The figure stood high in the sky, having become the center of the universe. It then looked down. As that happened, Shan Xiao’s voice rang out, “Emperor's Gaze: ‘All is beneath me. My gaze can never be directly met.’”
As her words fell, the figure’s eyes started to blaze. They formed two beams of light that fell from the heavens, aiming at Xing Fan and Yu.
Yu froze, terror etched on his face before he was instantly shattered by the gaze.
Next was Xing Fan. She was shocked by what was happening, and she drew upon the Spirit Nidus’s spiritual threads, summoning countless mirrors. Cultivation formed the surfaces of the mirrors which reflected the light of the universe. Beams of light refracted, converging onto a single point. This was the Thousand Sails Celestial Mirror.
“You want to kill me? Impossible!”
Beams of light collided, but the beam from the figure’s gaze pierced straight through, striking Xing Fan.
She let out a mournful scream as her body started to break apart and vanish.
However, the descending beam of light also started to fade away.
Only the light that had shattered Yu remained. Not only did it succeed in destroying the man, but it continued on to shoot into the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s East Domain, falling directly into Everchange Valley.
There, Wan Lou was eradicating swathes of insects. He looked up at the falling beam, and his pupils shrank sharply. The sense of danger left his scalp tingling. He could not dodge this. It was completely unavoidable.
The beam was not only falling upon him, but all of Everchange Valley.
Suddenly, two people shot upwards. “Soul legacy: Blood Tower.”
“Soul legacy: Awe Gate.”
A'zuo and A'you were the guardians of Everchange Valley. They had both become peak Dukkhans through accepting Seed Transfusions. One specialized in speed and the other in strength, but they both charged up at the falling beam of light. Upon impact, large portions of their bodies shattered, but as that happened, the beam of light also dimmed, eventually dissipating entirely.
A'zuo and A'you fell back into Everchange Valley. Whether they were alive or dead was unknown.
Ming Xiaolong rushed over with Elder Le, ignoring his blood-stained robe.
Outside of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, Shan Xiao raised a hand and retrieved her card. As she did so, Luo Chan abruptly appeared, only to vanish again, along with Shan Xiao.
The Great Master appeared immediately after that, her oar releasing a terrifying attack. She was again a step too late. She passed back through the gate, resuming her pursuit.
In the Frightened Sparrow Terrace, Greater Sancte Awe Gate frowned. “They’re fleeing. Qing Cao, keep Luo Chan here.”
Master Qing Cao immediately refused. “The four Insect Lords are not only individually powerful, but they also wield the Immortal Lord’s power. Any move that I make against them would be too costly.”
“You must! If Luo Chan escapes, the Nest civilization can reappear at any moment, and the threat of war will always loom over us,” Greater Sancte Awe Gate sternly demanded.
Master Qing Cao still did not move.
Greater Sancte Awe Gate stared at the man. “Obscura seeks balance. So long as balance exists, it does not matter who dies. Do you think that they care about positions?”
Master Qing Cao immediately turned to stare at the woman, a bit of bloodlust flickering in his eyes. “What do you mean?”
Greater Sancte Awe Gate met his gaze. “Exactly what I said. Both you and I are Immortals, and we should understand each other. If the Nine Odysseys Megaverse must be destroyed, then we can preserve the Spirit Nidus and the Tianyuan, or even use them as bait. Everything is for the sake of preserving human civilization. Civilization is everything. Allegiances are nothing more than lies born within it.”
Master Qing Cao stared at her intently before finally nodding. “I underestimated you. I thought you were nothing more than a reckless girl trying to carve her name among the mighty.”
Greater Sancte Awe Gate remained calm and said nothing.
Master Qing Cao stepped forward and waved a hand. Grass sprouted in the void. A point of his finger caused Luo Chan to suddenly appear beside the Mother Tree. The bug was horrified. “An Immortal’s attacking!”
Shan Xiao opened her hand. “Emperor's Gaze.”
The figure reappeared, and its gaze fell upon a distant location, which was also precisely where Master Qing Cao was standing.
His expression fell and he stepped forward again. The beams of light fell in front of him, and nothing could get close. Above his head, massive green leaves shot towards Luo Chan and Shan Xiao. The humanoid bug sneered. “Truly worthy of an Immortal. You have an absolutely absurd amount of Immortal matter, but aren’t you afraid of increasing your karmic chain?”
“Stay here.” As Master Qing Cao spoke, the green leaves fell. Shan Xiao threw out a palm strike, unleashing the Third: Heaven-Severing Technique, which she also empowered with Immortal matter. The power of the Third Rampart swept toward the green leaves.
Master Qing Cao’s eyes narrowed. As expected, this bug could use Immortal matter.
The four Insect Lords had most likely been sent by the Immortal Lord to force humanity’s Immortals to reach their limits with their karmic chains. Lu Yin’s appearance had not been expected, and he had managed to overpower the Insect Lords despite not being an Immortal. That had led to them to decide to retreat.
Master Qing Cao raised his hand, confronting Luo Chan from far away. Then, his hand snapped into a tight fist.