Qian Daoliu turned his gaze to Qian Renxue. Seeing her kneeling beside Zhou Qiubai, trembling all over, the Divine Markings on her forehead already cracked like a spider web, the Angel Godhood collapsing as her humanity returned.
At last, a flicker of emotion appeared in Qian Daoliu's eyes.
"She carries the blood of the Qian Clan," Qian Daoliu said. "Becoming a god is the path she was destined to walk."
"That is only the Qian Clan's wish, not her own," Xie Ru said. "If she does not want it, godhood is nothing more than a grave."
Qian Daoliu said nothing more. He merely raised his hand, and the clouds overhead began to part.
An indescribably sacred aura surged from his palm, transforming into a thousand-foot golden wave that bore down on Xie Ru.
Facing that golden wave, Xie Ru did the only thing he could.
He drew his sword.
The strike was utterly ordinary, not even stirring a trace of wind. Yet the thousand-foot golden wave abruptly stopped thirty feet before his blade, then split apart in unison.
Golden light rained down as Xie Ru stepped forward through the golden shower, his sword tip pointed directly at Qian Daoliu.
A flash of surprise passed through Qian Daoliu's eyes.
"Xie Ru, you truly reached that stage," he said softly.
Before the sword arrived, the wind shattered first.
The entire official road collapsed with a thunderous roar beneath the clash of their auras. Dust rose like dragons, shooting into the sky.
Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun shielded Qian Renxue as they retreated amid the chaos.
"Go!" Zhou Qiubai barked.
Yang Guyun gripped Qian Renxue's arm tightly, and the three of them swept toward the northern forest.
Behind them, golden and pale sword light interwove like two bright moons colliding in midair, illuminating