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--- Chapter 436 ---
Slaughter God had been waiting for this very moment. The Glory City had always been his target for years, but making a direct move against it is nearly impossible.
That's why Slaughter God secretly steered the Small Demon Grotto Plane to the Glory City. Slowly but surely, guiding the Glory City to the path of destruction.
Many, including Ye Ziyun herself, thought that Glory City's fall was due to the plane-crossing arrays failing, causing the Small Demon Grotto Plane to counterattack them.
Yet, the truth is horrifying. Someone wanted the people of Glory City to think that way, but that wasn't the truth. By then, they could accept that the reason for their demise is themselves.
Fortunately, some people weren't that guileless. The first City Lord knew that possessing a Divine Artifact was asking for a disaster to happen to him sooner or later.
Even if the City Lord was a genius, someone who pioneered the path of Spirit Guidance Tools, he knew that his achievements weren't even worth much compared to the Ice God's Heart.
An innocent man is guilty of possessing jade. A fortuitous encounter with strength to back it up is a recipe for death.
This thought made the first City Lord and his inheritors, many generations later, unwilling to accept the Ice God's Heart. The price of accepting Ice God's Trial is not something they could afford.
Nevertheless, as the Glory City continues to grow bigger and the people prosper, every City Lord is reminded of this caution.
Although the late City Lord hasn't told Ye Ziyun about it, because he fell in a battle, she has learned this matter from ancient records spanning many generations.
So, when the Heavenly Lightning Tribulations occurred, Ye Ziyun realized she had triggered something. Yes, something troublesome.
Ye Ziyun gazed at the Demon Flower Emperor calmly and then saw that her expression had changed upon seeing the appearance of Heavenly Lightning Tribulation.
Demon Flower Emperor giggled, "Ah, you did it."
"The game is over."
"Your demise is nearing, human!"
Ye Ziyun frowned, "What do you mean by that?"
"Hehe, don't you get it? You've fallen into his trap! The destruction hole that you're willing to jump into!" Demon Flower Emperor responded in amusement.
"This city is going to fall soon."
"So are you."
"But before that, let me send you off beautifully!" Demon Flower Emperor charged toward Ye Ziyun with her blooming body.
All that beautiful woman-like appearance of Demon Flower Emperor had gone instantly, and a monstrosity replacing it is that of a twisted, thorny clump of bloody roses.
Ye Ziyun grasped the handle of her longsword and gazed at the Demon Flower Emperor indifferently, "Sending me off isn't easy."
"Empress's Sword - Unrivaled Ice Extremity Sword." Ye Ziyun swung her frost-covered longsword forward calmly while the Demon Flower Emperor tried to devour her into a bloody storm.
Then, the ice blade travelled even faster than the Demon Flower Emperor could imagine, freezing and cutting everything on its path with extreme temperature.
"I-Impossible..." Demon Flower Emperor watched in disbelief as her body turned into crumbling ice particles, cut into several million pieces amid this exchange.
Ye Ziyun sucked a cold breath, panting slightly because the decisive last strike consumed so much of her Spirit Energy.
"Arrrrgh! My mountain! My mountain shall not fall!" The Demon Mountain Emperor also shouted, and not long after, he crumbled under the siege of five ministers of Glory City.
While Bingqing and others weren't as powerful as Ye Ziyun, their strength is nearly equal to hers, and with their systematic teamwork, they reduced the Demon Mountain Emperor to a crumbling mess.
Too bad, just like Ye Ziyun, they consumed too much Spirit Energy in this exchange, crashing on the ground with extreme exhaustion, as if their souls were 'somehow' frozen in ten-thousand-year-old ice.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Suddenly, a loud series of claps echoed from the sky. Everyone looked up and caught the Slaughter God descending as a divine radiance blazed above him, painting his gloomy, dark armor gold.
Slaughter God grinned maliciously as he declared, "To protect the world from the evil born Spirit Beast, I, Slaughter God, have descended to stop this chaos!"
"Evil Woman! No, Evil Beast! Kekeke, let me end your life for the good of the world!"
After saying that, Slaughter God drew his mighty greatsword and pointed it at Ye Ziyun.
"Evil-Born Spirit Beast..." Ye Ziyun finally realized what the Slaughter God had planned all this time, and her expression shifted into one of anger.
"So, you have been waiting all this time for me to fully transform into a spirit beast before you're able to make a move."
"The Demon Flower Emperor said that I'm willingly jumping into a hole of demise that you dug."
"You had been planning this."
"Every move, every scheme, for this exact outcome."
"But..."
"What makes you think you can judge me? Wicked God!"
"What makes you think you can end my life!"
Ye Ziyun's own body suddenly became a beacon of ice-blue light as the Ice God's Heart responded to her anger. Yet, the more this happens, the faster the Heavenly Lightning Tribulations are forming.
Yes, Ye Ziyun knew the consequences, but how could she not be angry when the perpetrator of all these miseries appeared before her very eyes?
She's not only angry for herself, but for all the victims this plane invasion has caused.
So what if she transformed into a spirit beast? If she could possess a power to destroy this divinity, it's all worth it!
The five ministers are connected to Ye Ziyun through the Ice God's Heart and could feel her hatred toward the Slaughter God. Their bodies shone brightly, preparing to support her despite the soul-sucking exhaustion gnawing at their souls.
Slaughter God's grin widened at this sight, 'Come on, be angrier, hate me more, woman!'
'I will let you taste the Ultimate Despair!'
After witnessing the Ice God's Heart willingly choose Ye Ziyun, Slaughter God had been jealous. Now, he had the right to reap that same Divine Artifact for his own good.
He has a legitimate reason, covering up his dark and filthy ideas.
Ye Ziyun swung her palm at Slaughter God, "Empress's Palm, White Field without Snow!"
Slaughter God snorted disdainfully, "A mere palm attack is not enough to fight me, mortal!"
"That little parasite barely could use my domain to an acceptable level."
"Now, I will show you just how strong the real one is..."
Ye Ziyun grimaced, "You don't even bother to lie anymore, huh?"
"Why should I?" Slaughter God put on a playful smile. "After all, tomorrow, the Glory City and you shall not exist anymore."
A baleful crimson aura burst out from the Slaughter God's sword, totally suppressing the incoming palm attack that Ye Ziyun unleashed and then cutting it in half with extreme ferocity.
Ye Ziyun's eyes widened as she watched the flying crimson energy blade cut her. She raised her sword in haste, and then the sword snapped in half instantly, followed by a gushing ice-gold blood.
"Explode!" Slaughter God pointed his finger at Ye Ziyun's chest.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Ye Ziyun got sent flying back, crashing against many ruined buildings and trembling violently.
"City Lord!" Everyone could only watch helplessly as Ye Ziyun struggled even to stand up.
While Ye Ziyun is used to the cold, she felt extremely cold at the moment, as if she were on the verge of death.
Ye Ziyun lay in rubble.
Her whole body aches.
She tried to grasp something.
Something to grab onto, so she could pull herself up.
Yet, her arms are powerless.
Her vision is blurry.
Blood keeps pouring out.
"I..." Ye Ziyun murmured heavily.
"I must..."
"I must not give up..."
"Hahaha, satisfying!" Slaughter God laughed as he walked slowly to Ye Ziyun, dragging his greatsword. He was going to execute this evil spirit beast for once and all.
"Now!"
"DIEEEEEEEEEEE!!"
As Slaughter God raised his greatsword and was ready to swing it at Ye Ziyun, the surrounding space and time suddenly trembled violently.
The plane-crossing array deep underground of the Glory City released a gleaming silverish-gray light.
Then, a fiery pillar of light burst from the ground, followed by a flashing silver light.
BANG!
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." A playful voice echoed in the air.
"As expected of my genius... It's almost frightening."
"Plane Crossing is successful!"
"Still, to think the first thing I see upon my arrival is someone bullying a helpless woman."
"Hey, dude, you're going too far, you know!"
"Who are you?!" Slaughter God stared at the stranger, who grabbed his greatsword like it was nothing.
"Me?" The stranger grinned at Slaughter God.
"I am someone who doesn't play by your rules."
...
Han Yuan watched this and closed his eyes, smiling faintly, "Heh, that troublesome fellow is finally here."