"Don't—kill—me—"
Yù Tiānhéng's desperate plea failed to stir an ounce of pity in Ignaz. Yet Ignaz wasn't in a hurry to end their lives. He retracted his Blood Thunder Battle Spear, and the group seemed to plummet as if weightless.
Just as Yù Tiānhéng and the others thought they might have a chance to escape, the sky above the area suddenly turned blood-red. Endless streams of drifting blood energy filled the space, and all their attributes dropped by 50%. Trapped within Ignaz's Emperor-Slaying Domain, they were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
No matter how hard they struggled, four Spirit Kings and one quasi-Spirit King—already at half strength—were no match for him.
Ignaz hovered above the domain, looking down as he activated the Second Spirit Wheel Reincarnation Eye. Before him, some objects disintegrated visibly, breaking down into death energy that flowed into his Blood Eyes.
"Seems the passive ability of the Reincarnation Eye can't decompose living beings. What a pity… such a pity."
A tinge of disappointment crossed Ignaz's face, while his Blood Thunder Battle Spear grew visibly larger. Coldly, he gazed at Yù Tiānhéng and the other four Speed Clan disciples kneeling and begging for mercy.
"Hand over your spirit device and spirit bones."
Without hesitation, Yù Tiānhéng and the others tossed their devices forward. Ignaz caught the devices containing the spirit bones and map, then asked,
"When does your clan's teleportation formation activate? How is it triggered? And where does it lead?"
"Why would your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's teleportation formation be in Dragon Valley?"
Seeing this, Yù Tiānhéng suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. Timidly, he said,
"I-if I tell you everything, will you spare us?"
"No problem. In my eyes, anyone who proves their value won't be harmed—even old enemies."
Yù Tiānhéng was stunned by Ignaz's generosity. With a chance to survive, he wasn't about to waste it.
"The teleportation formation won't activate for another three years. The key to triggering it is the azure Spatial Key stored in a spirit device, and the formation leads directly to my clan leader's secret chamber."
"As for its origin… it was an accident caused by my ancestor, the Temporal Douluo…"
After hearing this, Ignaz gained a rough understanding. He retrieved the Spatial Key from the spirit device, and his mind buzzed with possibilities.
Dragon Valley was a hidden realm, with few means of escape. But the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had mutated its Spirit Dragon into a time-attribute creature. Their Spirit Masters' talent with spirit devices was extraordinary, capable of creating a teleportation channel connecting two parallel spaces.
If he could one day anchor Dragon Valley to a fixed location on Douluo Continent, he could enter it at will—whether to hunt spirit beasts or collect spirit bones, it would be an exceptional opportunity.
Seeing that Ignaz seemed willing to hold back his killing intent, Yù Tiānhéng quickly added,
"This Spatial Key isn't complete. The other half is with my cousin, Yù Tiānxīn. Only by uniting both keys can the teleportation formation be activated in three years."
"I can take you to them."
"No need. You may leave now."
Ignaz then withdrew his domain skill and gestured for them to go. Seeing a chance at survival, Yù Tiānhéng bolted away at full speed, with the other four disciples scattering in all directions.
Ignaz followed slowly, curling his fingers into a faint smile.
"Ten… nine… eight…"
As he counted down, his voice grew louder. The last disciple running froze in alarm and shouted to Yù Tiānhéng in the lead,
"Young Master, Ignaz is counting down the seconds!"
"What? That bastard Ignaz… traitor… scoundrel! Once this is over, I'll make him pay."
Yù Tiānhéng despised Ignaz's betrayal. He immediately commanded,
"We split up. That's the only way to survive longer. If we stick together, we all die. If we escape the pursuit, we'll regroup at the rendezvous point."
Everyone agreed. Only by separating did they have a chance of survival.
But the plan was still foolish. As Ignaz's final finger dropped, his body erupted in blood energy.
With a push of his right foot, he soared, switching seamlessly between Wave-Riding Mountain-Sea Steps and flight.
In no time, he caught up with Yù Tiānhéng. Though they had split up, it only wasted a little of his time.
With a swift thrust of his spear, a slower disciple was instantly killed. The remaining three met the same fate. As Ignaz closed in on Yù Tiānhéng, the young man screamed desperately,
"Cousin! Save me, save me, cousin!"
At the rendezvous point, Yù Tiānxīn and the others had just arrived and saw Yù Tiānhéng in dire straits.
Realizing a severe crisis had struck, the six cousins became alert. But just as Yù Tiānhéng hoped for rescue, a spear pierced through his chest.
Before Yù Tiānxīn and the others' eyes, Yù Tiānhéng was killed by Ignaz.
Standing beside Yù Tiānxīn, Yù Luōkōng glared at Ignaz in fury.
"How dare you, Ignaz! Killing Tiānhéng right in front of us? Today, you won't leave alive! I'll make sure your life stays here with us!"
Yù Luōkōng unleashed his Spirit Body to attack, but in the next moment, a cold corpse fell from the sky.
Yù Tiānxīn, witnessing this, finally realized it had been Ignaz who had killed Yù Luōlì and the other disciples earlier.
He couldn't have imagined Ignaz's power had reached such heights—able to slay a Spirit Sage in a single second without even using a Spirit Ring skill.
Now, Yù Tiānxīn had no chance to flee. Staying put offered the only slim hope of survival.