Inside An Jing's Grotto-Heaven, in the [Tianxing Bitter Realm].
A tremendous change was taking place.
The foundation of An Jing's Grotto-Heaven was "punishment" and "annihilation." In essence, it was a crushing furnace designed to destroy Heavenly Demons and all manner of aberrant beings.
The Star of Zhu Zhao was the furnace's fire, while the four Heavenly Swords that suppressed the Four Poles represented four different means of crushing, destruction, and reforging.
Simply put, it was a small world built primarily upon the principles of "sharpness," "annihilation," and "forging."
The Holy Demon's phantom had been devoured by An Jing during the Holy Demon War in the Tianyuan Realm, forging the first Heavenly Sword, [Heavenly Condemnation], which symbolized "Heaven's censure."
An Jing's own fury and power had forged the second Heavenly Sword, [Heavenly Punishment], which symbolized "Heaven's retribution."
And now, although the mark originating from the [Supreme Heavenly Demon] had been utterly shattered beneath An Jing's [Killing Calamity] Sword, the essential power it contained had not dissipated.
The essence of this power was far too strong. Even a fragment of a fragment, an imperfect speck of dust, could bring about consequences beyond description.
So, before the Ancestral Dragon's will returned to the Ancestral Dragon Scale, it refined this power. Using its own strength, along with the Star of Zhu Zhao within the Tianxing Grotto-Heaven, it burned, dissolved, purified, and refined the fragments bearing the Supreme Heavenly Demon's mark again and again. Then it reforged them completely into the purest power and poured every last bit into the western reaches of the Tianxing Bitter Realm.
Like molten iron poured into a mold.
In an instant, the atmosphere of heaven and earth turned utterly grim.
As a vast vortex of Spiritual Energy descended from the sky and rose from the ground, forming opposing funnels