Zhun Ti clenched the black crystal called the "Epoch Anchor" tightly in his hand. That cold, majestic power of darkness flowed up his arm and into every part of his body. Not only did it cause him no discomfort, it even made his Saint's Incarnation, which Duobao had injured, grow somewhat more solid.
He exchanged a glance with his senior brother, Jie Yin, and both saw resolve—and a trace of crazed greed—in the other's eyes.
"We will not fail in our mission!"
With that resounding pledge, the dark figure known as the Dark Night Monarch gave a satisfied chuckle. His body dissolved soundlessly into the air like a drop of ink in clear water, vanishing as though he had never been there.
The instant he left, that terrifying pressure capable of crushing eternity vanished without a trace.
Inside the command tent, everyone gasped for breath as though they had just been dragged out of the water, cold sweat soaking through their robes.
"Senior Brother..." Zhun Ti looked at the strange black crystal in his hand, his voice somewhat hoarse.
"Let us go." Saint Jie Yin let out a long sigh. His grief-stricken face was filled with exhaustion and helplessness, but even more than that, a ruthlessness born of being driven into a corner. "We have no choice."
Yes, they had no choice.
They could either become dogs and bite people, perhaps earning a bone or two in return.
Or they could die now.
For the Two Sages of the West, who had carved "endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens" into their bones, this was not a difficult choice.
The two said no more. With a flash, they transformed into two streams of light and vanished from the Xiqi camp, heading straight for the boundless Netherworld Blood Sea.
Their hearts were