A smile suddenly appeared at the corner of Chu Tian's mouth—a smile of extreme madness, of utter hysteria.
Shen Ming saw it.
He stood at the edge of the Qingtian Divine Realm. The light of his Ten-Thousand-Foot Golden Body reflected the Five-Colored Sealing Dome that was closing in, the churning White Thunder Sea within it, and the dark-golden figure amid that Thunder Sea.
Shen Ming's brow furrowed slightly.
There were no flaws in his arrangements. The Sealing Dome was closing, the long-range attacks were draining what little origin power Chu Tian had left, and the main forces of the five clans had already withdrawn to a safe distance.
But Chu Tian smiled.
It was a faint smile, just the slightest curve of his lips. Golden blood still clung to the corner of his mouth, scorch marks still covered his face, yet a gleam flashed through his eyes.
It was not madness, nor was it savagery.
It was certainty.
The certainty of a hunter watching his prey step into a trap.
Shen Ming's fingers tightened unconsciously.
His instincts were frantically warning him, but he could not think of a reason why.
He soon found out.
Chu Tian raised his head amid the lightning.
His face was covered in burns and wounds, golden blood seeped from his lips, and more than half his hair had been scorched away by lightning and fire.
Behind him, the projections of the Five Supreme Treasures were gathering power for another round of bombardment.
All nine levels of the Epoch Ancient Pagoda lit up. The blade of the Immortal-Slaughtering Sword trembled. The radiance of the World-Destroying Blade surged and receded within the Tribulation Clouds. Black flames poured from the mouth of the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron. The wheel of the Six Paths of Reincarnation spun madly.
Further behind,