Qian Daoliu held Yuan Yu's hand, his palm still warm.
"I had someone prepare wine."
"Then I'll have to linger over today's meal."
Qian Renxue walked between them, stopping the conversation there. She planted the Sacred Sword before the altar and spread her six wings behind her. The Angel God Armor covered her from shoulders and back down to her feet, every part attuned to her soul power.
Yuan Yu withdrew to the right, and the Great Void Boundary-Stabilizing Gate settled between the six marked corners. Qian Daoliu returned to the presiding position. The old ring glowed against the altar, and the dark light at the spot that should have devoured his life rose from beneath it.
The Angel God's golden imprint descended first, connecting the nine elemental marks to the dark light. Only after Yuan Yu checked that each one aligned did he release the divine power sealed within them.
All nine marks shuddered at once.
Water and flame spiraled along the outside of the gate, while wind and lightning guarded its upper edge. The Rock Seal held down the mortal realm's altar, and rosy light scattered the stray radiance escaping toward the hall's exterior. Light and darkness met inside the gate. Finally, the mark of space pierced through the entire gate, forming a path of light leading to the end of the divine trial.
Qian Daoliu's cuffs billowed slightly. He supplied only the soul power required of the presiding position; the divine power that actually opened the gate had already been supplied by the nine marks. Nothing was drawn from deep within his heart meridians anymore. Only after confirming that the dark light had bypassed his body did Yuan Yu nod to Qian Renxue.
She raised the Sacred Sword and walked in alone.
The golden light beyond the