Across a vast meadow of lush green grass, silence reigned as if life itself had fled. Yet, the stench of blood hung heavy in the air. Deep grooves marred the earth, carved by relentless slashes.
At the center of the field… Wu Wen's body lay hacked to pieces in a grotesque heap, his limbs severed, leaving only his torso twitching faintly.
He tilted his head upward, glaring at the young man standing before him with irritation in his eyes.
"Tch… How damn annoying. I can't even get close to you," Wu Wen spat through clenched teeth, his voice laced with frustration.
Lei Chen said nothing. He merely raised his sword slowly, then unleashed a merciless wave of sword energy toward Wu Wen's mangled body.
But in that very instant, a silver arc cut through Lei Chen's blade path, intercepting it cleanly. From the sky above, seven figures descended, their robes fluttering like falling petals.
One among them stepped forward to block his way, her voice sharp and resolute.
"Leave. Let us handle things here. Your presence would only be a hindrance."
Lei Chen furrowed his brow slightly.
Wu Wen, still sprawled on the ground, stared coldly at the women before him. Though none of them were his blood daughters, the way they spoke to him, as if addressing worthless garbage, was what he despised most. And it wasn't just him. Even Wu Zhao had been treated the same way by them.
Wu Wen no longer cared. He used the soil to fashion temporary limbs, then burrowed into the ground, vanishing from sight to search for herbs that could heal his son, not even sparing a glance back.
But just as he was about to disappear beneath the earth, the corner of his eye caught the image of the seventh woman's head being severed, thudding to the ground with a dull thump.
Even then, he neither paused nor turned back, for he knew with absolute certainty that he stood no chance against Lei Chen. He had initially thought his son was weak, but it turned out that Lei Chen was simply too strong. Throughout their entire clash, he hadn't managed to land a single touch on him.
The eyes of the remaining six women widened slightly as they saw their sister's head fall, yet they didn't show much panic.
The headless body of the girl calmly reached down, picked up her severed head, and reattached it to her neck as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But in the blink of an eye, her body was once again shredded into pieces, left almost unrecognizable.
Before her scream could even fade, the remaining six women charged at Lei Chen with blinding speed.
Yet instead of retreating, Lei Chen lunged forward toward them, heading straight for the white-haired girl who looked the most fragile.
"Aaaaah!!"
A shriek pierced the air as Lei Chen's sword pierced through her throat. She had no chance to react. He barreled through the remaining five with her still impaled on his blade.
Just as he was about to swing his sword and slice her head clean off, the eldest sister appeared before him, intercepting his strike with a narrow deflection.
A loud clash rang out, sword gleam flashing under the sunlight.
In that very moment, the other four women attacked from every direction at once.
But Lei Chen showed no fear, no hesitation.
He turned and threw a punch at the girl with heart-shaped pink eyes.
Boom!!
A thunderous impact shook the ground. Her body was flung backward and slammed into the earth, bones shattering across her frame as she screamed in agony.
"Aaaagh!!"
As for the other three, their attacks failed to even reach Lei Chen's body. Some unseen force protected him, nullifying their blows completely.
Suddenly, the sword in Lei Chen's hand shifted form, transforming into a long silver whip-blade that stretched for several li. He swung it in a sweeping arc around himself.
Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!
The whip-blade struck against the sword of the eldest sister, who managed to deflect the blows, giving the others just enough time to leap back and regroup.
Lei Chen's eyes glowed with a captivating mix of white and gold.
He let out a mocking chuckle as he glanced around at the women still suspended in midair. His voice dripped with scorn and weary disdain.
"Fighting that old man earlier… at least I felt like I had to try. Are you really not blood-related to Wu Zhao?"
Sui Yi, the eldest sister and sword practitioner, spoke up.
"Why? Do we look that much alike?"
Lei Chen smiled.
"Not really. You're just about as weak as he is. Actually, all seven of you combined are probably the equivalent of four Wu Zhaos… and a half."
The seven women, now scattered across the battlefield, each reached into their spatial rings and retrieved healing treasures, swallowing them in unison. A surge of restorative energy radiated from their bodies. Cracked bones, nearly severed necks, and limbs that barely moved began to regenerate with shocking speed. The girl who had been slashed to pieces by Lei Chen recovered entirely her body now brimming with a strength that seemed even greater than before.
Suddenly, a mocking voice rang out from the seventh woman, Sui Qi, whose body had been shredded moments ago.
"Hmph… we're simply not used to fighting with our cultivation sealed at the Saint level, unable to use the powers of our special physiques. Don't get too full of yourself, brat."
Lei Chen let out a quiet chuckle. He closed his eyes slightly, gathering his energy, as the whip-blade in his right hand transformed into a radiant golden halberd. Spiritual energy surged into the weapon like a vast ocean whipped into a violent storm.
"This time… I won't let you regenerate again."
His body flickered out of sight as the golden halberd swept toward Sui Qi with brutal force, giving her no time to react. The strike was far more devastating than anything she had endured before.
Throughout their battle, Lei Chen had begun to notice something strange. The more times he killed Sui Qi, the stronger she seemed to return. With each death, her power grew. And so, this time, he intended to destroy her completely both body and soul.
The halberd fell with overwhelming might, poised to obliterate everything. But just before it struck Sui Qi's body, a massive shield manifested in front of her, radiating a sacred light. It barely blocked the attack in time.
Boom!!
The ground trembled from the impact, cracks spidering out in all directions. Then, without warning, a thousand arrows rained down from the sky like a deadly storm, each one whistling through the air with supersonic speed as they closed in on Lei Chen.
His pupils narrowed instantly, his eyes glowing pure white and gold. With a single step forward, he shifted his body with graceful precision, as though dancing with the wind.
Lei Chen stood motionless amidst the storm of arrows, as if his body did not exist. Every single arrow passed through where he stood without causing even the slightest harm. With just a short step, not even the hem of his robe was touched, while the air behind him tore into ribbons under the crushing force of the arrows' impact.
But in the blink of an eye, a vast army appeared before him, each soldier clad in jet-black armor, their weapons glinting menacingly in the light.
Lei Chen raised the halberd above his head. His cultivation surged into the weapon, which transformed into a colossal beam of radiant gold.
Without hesitation, he brought it crashing down upon the army.
Boommmmmmmmm!!
A deafening roar split the heavens. The earth quaked violently as the halberd's swing annihilated everything in its path. The soldiers ahead quickly raised their shields in defense.
But just then, a faint sound of a flute drifted through the wind, piercing the ears of the soldiers of the Golden Crow Dynasty.
In the blink of an eye… their heads exploded simultaneously.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The sounds echoed one after another in an unending chorus, blood and flesh spraying into the air.
It happened too fast for anyone to react.
From the sky, a figure slowly descended a man whose appearance had changed entirely. He was Guan Zixuan, but not the same Guan Zixuan as before.
His long silver hair had turned into a deep black that flowed down his back. The elegance once on his face had given way to a subtle distortion, and from every inch of his body, an eerie and alien energy continued to emanate.
At that very moment, the power from Lei Chen's halberd descended upon the army once more.
Boommmmmmmmm!!
The explosion shook the heavens. The impact was so powerful it reduced the Golden Crow Dynasty soldiers to dust. Bone fragments scattered through the sky as the earth beneath them split apart into a massive trench.
That wave of force was like an invisible sound impossible to block, impossible to withstand. And at the same time, a female figure stepped forward through the haze of energy. Her presence was not terrifying, but there was a suffocating pressure around her that made the air feel heavy.
She was Ye Liyin now stripped of all former allure. Her once-violet hair had turned jet black, falling down to her mid-back. Her face was expressionless, adorned with no ornamentation, no seductive charm. Her eyes were flat and unfeeling, enough to send chills down one's spine.
A green-haired girl one of the Seven Celestial Maidens, and the second adopted daughter Sui Er, swept her gaze across the three of them before speaking with a firm and guarded tone.
"You… you're from the Holy Land of the Immortal River, aren't you?"
"Do you stand with Mu Nansi? Or Zhou Luochen?"
But the three said nothing. Not a single word. No explanation. No response.
They attacked.
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
Explosions erupted in the sky. Waves of power collided violently, tearing the land apart as the sound of slaughter began anew, blood once more splashing across the sky.