Chen Wuya's fingers still rested on the crystal egg, while the dark-golden Karmafire Pearl trembled faintly. Fine cracks spread across his skin, blood running down his arm and gathering into a drop at his fingertip before falling onto the stone slab with a soft sound.
Bai Zhi stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder. She wanted to exert force, but that layer of golden light kept her out. All she could do was watch, unable to say a single word.
Cracks began to spread across the dome overhead like a spiderweb. Golden seawater poured back through the fissures, crashing onto the altar and splashing into clouds of luminous mist. The ground shook ever more violently. Stone slabs beneath their feet tilted up one after another, their edges breaking away to reveal the bottomless darkness below.
The Dragon God's phantom floated above the crystal egg, his form already beginning to blur. He raised a hand, a dragon-shaped jade pendant resting in his palm. It was blue-black throughout, its surface carved with densely packed runes.
"The seal has been lifted. The Divine Realm cannot endure for long." His deep voice pierced through the thunderous shaking. "This object concerns..."
Before he could finish, a massive fissure cleaved down from the dome, striking directly where the Dragon God stood. His phantom shuddered violently, and the jade pendant flew from his hand, arcing through the air toward Chen Wuya.
But no one could catch it.
The entire space shook violently, and the air gave an ear-piercing shriek as though it had been torn apart. The Dragon God's figure scattered amid the blazing light. Before the last trace of his outline vanished, he looked toward Chen Wuya, his lips moving, but no further sound emerged.
The jade pendant fell into a widening fissure in the