This icy voice carried not the slightest emotion, only supreme contempt.
A figure gradually emerged from the dark ruins—it was Taiyu, who had crossed countless mountains and rivers from the Azure Firmament Forest Sea!
That domineering expression, which regarded all living beings as blood food, remained exactly as before. His body was extraordinarily burly, emanating an unusual primordial aura utterly worlds apart from the noble bearing of the Primordial Immortal Clan.
The masked woman's eyes were unfocused, her pupils trembling violently. She did not even dare turn her head, only speaking in a grave voice:
"Heavenly Venerable... I had no intention of touching this portrait..."
"You are rather late in saying that."
Taiyu's large hands had already gently settled upon the woman's crown. His movements appeared slow, yet they carried an irresistible pressure.
The masked woman's pupils abruptly contracted. She suddenly turned her head, but the motion was unbearably slow, as though the flow of time throughout heaven and earth had slowed, her movements decelerated tens of thousands of times.
Yet not a trace of expression showed on Taiyu's face, only utter indifference. His gaze was as deep as an abyss, without a single ripple, as though he was looking not at a living person, but at a lifeless puppet.
The masked woman seemed about to release a shrill scream, but no sound came out. Everything vanished...
A colossal boom rang through heaven and earth, like the heavens collapsing and the earth splitting apart. The masked woman's body instantly crumbled into countless fragments, like scraps of paper cast into lava, turning to ash in an instant.
Buzz—
A heaven-shaking beam erupted from the underground ruins, instantly illuminating the entire area. Its dazzling brilliance streaked across the night like a meteor.
This intense radiance emanated incomparable heat, as though condensed from