Sky-Severing Sword Mark

That streak of cyan sword light, descending from the nine heavens, tore through the blood-red night sky like the first edge of a primordial blade!

Sword Intent!

Indescribable sword intent!

There was no grand, magnificent display, only an absolute will that severed all restraints and seized a sliver of life! This will was cold, pure, yet carried a defiant arrogance that looked down upon the world! It was as if even the blood-red Mars shrouding the Emperor Star was merely dust that could be casually swept away before this sword light!

The target of the sword light was not Cheng Xi or the other person, but deep within the Zhongnan Mountain range, in a collapsed mountain cavity hiding a terrifying rift!

The cyan light flashed and vanished, disappearing into the dark depths of the mountains.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no sound of mountains collapsing.

Only an extreme "stillness."

It was as if time and space were forcibly frozen, cut, and then reduced to nothingness the moment that sword light struck.

Immediately after—

BOOM!!!

An invisible shockwave, sweeping away everything, spread silently yet irresistibly from the point of impact, like ripples from a stone dropped into a calm lake!

Cheng Xi and the Fire Witch were struck as if by an invisible giant wave, sent flying backward instantly! Cheng Xi only had time to mobilize the Earth Element Spiritual Energy within him for defense, and the Jianmu Fragment shone with a verdant light, yet he was still shaken to the point where his Blood Essence churned, crashing heavily against the rocks behind him! The Fire Witch suffered even more severe injuries, letting out a muffled groan and spitting out another mouthful of blood, staining her red clothes.

The trees in the forest bent backward as if swept by a hurricane! The burning flames were instantly extinguished! The thick layer of decaying leaves on the ground was swept up, forming a swirling wall of leaves!

After the shockwave passed, all was silent.

In the western sky, the cyan sword mark that lingered for a long time resembled a scar on the firmament, emitting a cold and sharp light. The light of the blood-red crescent moon seemed to be suppressed by this sword mark, appearing much dimmer. And the demonic Mars, its crimson glow, showed a trace of an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible... waver! As if its very foundation had been struck by an invisible sword!

[Law Impact Aftermath Ended... Energy Level: Exceeds Record Upper Limit... Attribute Confirmation: Supreme Clarity Immortal Light / Sky-Severing Sword Intent... Associated Target: Subterranean Spatial Rift (Completely Severed/Sealed)...]

The System's notification carried an unprecedented sense of awe. Severed! Sealed! A wisp of Lord Tongtian's sword intent had, across infinite void, severed that terrifying rift crawling from underground!

Cheng Xi struggled to stand, his heart filled with immense shock. Was this the power of the top figures of the Great Desolation? The being behind the rift in the stone cave had only extended a claw, forcing them to flee for their lives, yet it could not withstand a single sword strike from Lord Tongtian across the distance!

"Cough, cough..." The Fire Witch struggled to stand, but it aggravated her wound, causing her to curl up in pain. The wound on her shoulder, corrupted by the monster's dark energy, became even blacker and even began to emit a faint, foul odor. Her aura rapidly weakened, and the flames flickering in her eyes dimmed.

Cheng Xi suppressed the tempest in his heart and walked to the woman's side. His gaze swept over the black-clothed corpses on the ground, then fell upon the woman's pale, blood-stained face and the shocking wound on her shoulder.

"You've been poisoned by the Corpse Fiend Poison, and you've also been infected by the monster's Yin Evil Energy," Cheng Xi crouched down, his voice calm. "If it's not removed, you'll die within half an hour."

The woman raised her eyes, which were somewhat unfocused from pain but still burned with an unyielding flame, staring intently at Cheng Xi. She did not beg for help, nor did she show fear, only the vigilance of a cornered beast and a trace of... unwillingness.

Cheng Xi said no more. He extended his right hand, the Jianmu Fragment in his palm glowing with a verdant light, and a gentle, immense life aura emanated. At the same time, he concentrated his mind, mobilizing the 15% System energy in his sea of consciousness.

[Target Scan: Fire Witch (Bloodline Awakening Early Stage)... Injury: Left Shoulder Laceration (Severe Contamination: Corpse Fiend Poison / Yin Evil Resentment)... Treatment Plan Deduction: Plan 1: Forceful Removal with Jianmu Vitality (Success Rate 80%, Extremely High Pain Index, Potential for Root Foundation Damage)... Plan 2: Use Fire to Combat Poison (Requires Activating Target's Origin Witch Fire)...]

Activate the origin Witch Fire? Cheng Xi's thoughts raced. This woman's flame was full of spiritual energy; if he could guide her own power...

"Bear with it," he said in a low voice. He formed his left hand into a sword, and a trace of pure, dense Earth Element Spiritual Energy condensed at his fingertips. Mixed with the Jianmu vitality, he sharply pointed it at several major acupoints around the woman's shoulder wound!

"Ah—!" The woman let out an unbearable scream! The heavy Earth Element Spiritual Energy was like a mountain, forcefully suppressing the rampant Yin Evil Resentment in the wound! The Jianmu vitality was like the most potent spring water, fiercely washing away the black wound!

The intense pain caused her body to convulse, but the flame-like eyes suddenly brightened! She could feel a gentle yet tenacious force forcibly suppressing the rampant toxins within her, and a cool, life-filled aura, like a fuse, attempting to ignite the origin fire in the depths of her bloodline, which had been almost frozen by the toxins!

Now!

"Concentrate! Ignite the fire!" Cheng Xi's shout was like thunder, exploding in the woman's chaotic sea of consciousness!

The woman's body trembled violently! The instinct for survival overwhelmed everything else! She bit her tongue sharply, a bloody scent rushing to her head! All her remaining mental will was frantically directed towards that faint but blazing connection in the depths of her bloodline!

"Burn!"

A hoarse roar!

BOOM!

The dim, flickering orange-red flame at her fingertips, as if doused with boiling oil, surged up fiercely! The color instantly changed from orange-red to blazing white! The flame was no longer agile and shifting but condensed as if solid, carrying an ancient, wild, all-consuming destructive aura!

The blazing white flame, guided by Cheng Xi's Earth Element Spiritual Energy and Jianmu vitality, fiercely surged towards the black wound on her shoulder!

Hiss—!!!

Like a red-hot brand pressed against ice! A piercing white smoke rose along with a foul stench! The black energy at the wound let out a silent shriek, twisting and struggling like a living thing, but under the incineration of the blazing white Witch Fire and the cleansing of the Jianmu vitality, it rapidly dissolved and annihilated!

The woman's body was soaked in sweat, as if pulled from water. Her teeth were clenched tightly, yet she did not utter another sound of pain! Only her eyes burned with a light fiercer than the flame at her fingertips!

A moment later, the white smoke dissipated. Although the wound on the woman's shoulder was still gruesome, the flesh had turned a normal bright red, with no more black energy seeping out. The blazing white flame at her fingertips slowly receded. Her complexion was as pale as paper, her aura weak, but there was a hint of the fragility of surviving a great ordeal and... a trace of a sharp, reborn aura!

She raised her head, her flame-like eyes looking deeply at Cheng Xi, her voice hoarse but clear:

"Yan Lingji. My name."