Jade Snow Bat was drenched in blood. Her naturally alluring, flirtatious fox eyes were now filled with killing intent. Whether from losing too much blood or sheer exhaustion, her body had gone completely numb. She swung her saber on instinct alone.
She kept killing, and before she knew it, Jade Snow Bat had swung her long saber more than a dozen times without hitting anything. She looked around in bewilderment, only to find that every guard had already fallen beneath her blade.
Scattered limbs and heads littered the ground, all utterly lifeless.
All was quiet around her. The insects and birds had fled in alarm, leaving only the wind drifting past. When the reeds bent low, their broad leaves swept through the air with a rustling roar.
Like waves cresting, layer upon layer, all creation sighed in silence.
Jade Snow Bat stood dazed for a moment, then let out a long breath. Panting, she leaned on her saber before slowly sinking to the ground.
The next moment, exhaustion, weariness, weakness, and pain... surged over her. Jade Snow Bat could no longer keep her eyes open.
...She had no idea how long had passed, or what had caused it, but she suddenly jolted awake!
She opened her eyes, only to find herself surrounded by darkness as solid as matter.
Rumble...
Thunder rolled down from overhead in a vast, surging torrent.
Violet lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the surroundings for an instant.
Nine stone pillars towered into the heavens, wrapped in chains woven from violet and azure light. The illusory chains pulled taut through the air, binding a blood-red coffin.
Countless bolts of thunder erupted above the pillars. The boundless power of the Heavenly Tribulation poured through the chains into the coffin.
The coffin trembled incessantly, as if struggling, as if