Her expression at the moment was rather blank. Before the Great Ancestor left, he had looked at her with a warm smile and sent her a message through the use of his spiritual sense.

Zongying, to be honest, I have no idea how this war will end. While we Seers can briefly glance into the future, you should already know that the future is ever-changing. Our visions are simply not reliable, and they can only be used as a guide of sorts. We can tip-toe around the information we see and manipulate what we can to our advantage but in the end, nothing is absolute.

Yatong didn’t just come with his army this time, but people from the Upper World as well. With the Universal Will keeping an eye on them, they aren’t able to unleash their true cultivation bases but even so, they will be no less powerful than Yatong.

The situation is not looking too optimistic for us… but that is all the more reason why you should not lose hope. Too many variables have appeared. There is still a chance for us to turn this around.

However… if at any point we are on the precipice of losing this war or I’m gone, you must find Yueyin and escape at once. The two of you are far too important. The Mortal Desolate World is enormous, it shouldn’t be hard for someone like you and her to hide from the Graha. Journey to the Amber Soul Kingdom or if that isn’t possible, then find that lass in the Serene Yang Sect, she should be able to shelter you. There are also those two mysterious experts… no, forget it, for some reason, I don’t find them too reliable.

Zongying, you- sigh, you must take care. I’ll leave my soul artifact, the Stargaze Mirror with you, use it well to protect the disciples.

I will see you again.

Dong Zongying quietly listened to the message. When it came to an end, her vision unknowingly blurred as tears began to well up. This was obviously a farewell message. Toward the end, the Great Ancestor seems like he had so much he wanted to say, but pity, time was limited.

Dong Zongying looked into the distance, she was just barely able to make out that frail figure fighting for the fate of the world.

After watching for a while, the look in her eyes changed. The tears that were on the verge of falling evaporated and her cultivation base exploded.

I’m sorry, Great Ancestor. I refuse to run like a coward. Yueyin has grown up, she could take care of herself.

As for me, I am the Sect Master of the Arcane Mountain, the Guardian of the Mortal Desolate World. I will safeguard this world, until the end. It is my duty.

After coming to her decision, she slightly turned around and glanced at Zeng Shihao, “Will you follow me to the end, Combat Hall Master?”

Zeng Shihao’s eyes turned sharp, becoming red with bloodlust. He released his cultivation and seriously nodded, “Always, Sect Master.”

Dong Zongying also gave the other Hall Masters a look. They nodded and released their cultivation as well.

A beautiful smile appeared on her face as she looked at the enemies ahead.

To everyone’s surprise, her body suddenly began to vibrate at incredible speed, almost like she was on the verge of splitting apart. There was perplexity in her action and few were able to comprehend it. They could only see that Dong Zongying was moving in an intricate rhythm that made them breathless.

A soft hum sounded out. It was obvious it was coming from her figure, yet it was almost all-encompassing. It wasn’t originating from just one direction, it was everywhere!

Strangely enough, the second this gentle hum sang, the people from the Arcane Mountain no longer felt threatened by the screech of the Graha race. The uncomfortable feeling was no longer present as though it was being completely negated.

Yatong and the Great Ancestor exchanged a mighty clash before separating apart. The former stared at Dong Zongying in utter shock.

“Impossible! Is that-”

A worried look appeared on the Great Ancestor’s face. He knew Dong Zongying well enough and was aware of what kind of decision she had just made, otherwise, she wouldn’t have resorted to using this move. For her, if the Arcane Mountain fails to defend against the invaders, then she will join it in death.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Zongying, if you use this move, the Graha race will stop at nothing to hunt you down. They will not allow anyone who has learned this ability to live. Are you sure this is what you want?

The Great Ancestor was merely talking to himself, he didn’t try to dissuade Dong Zongying in the slightest about her intention. If and whenever she has decided on something, she would never go back on it.

Yatong and the rest of the Graha race watched in fright as Dong Zongying’s movement caused some kind of resonance with the Heaven and Earth and a divine light descended from the void above her head. Golden particles uniformly swirled around her like they were heeding a call.

“She- she’s communicating with the Heaven and Earth! How did she do this? Why does it resemble our race’s Three Tongue Gist so much!?” Someone cried out in panic.

This line of thought was shared among a small few on the Graha’s side.

The rest, on the other hand, didn’t reply because they knew why this was.

They continued to gawk in fear as Dong Zongying absorbed the golden essence and her vibrating body slowly turned cloudy.

Her current appearance was astonishing. The disciples from the Arcane Mountain stared at their Sect Master before turning to look at the Grahas on the opposite side. They moved their gazes back and their mouths dropped.

They looked almost the same!

The Graha race had a more simplistic appearance. They were translucent but the outline of their figure was defined which prevented them from being truly invisible. On the other hand, the current Dong Zongying had rougher edges due to the frequency of her vibration. Her body was like a mist, hazy and mysterious so it’s more accurate to describe it as opaque.

Yatong heavily breathed in disbelief. Dong Zongying’s image reminded him of stories that he had heard passed down from the Upper World.

The stories consisted of a single cultivator who has cut down countless Grahas and geniuses from other factions. A cultivator with no equal, whose name alone could bring fear to anyone in her generation. A cultivator who was granted the title of Empress due to her absolute supremacy.

“That’s… Ethereal Blight…”

Yatong gritted his teeth as he forced these words out of his mouth.

He swiftly turned to the Great Ancestor and yelled, “Explain yourself, old man! Where did that girl learn this ability!? Ethereal Blight belongs solely to the Empress, it was created by her to deal with us and there has never been any record of her passing it down. Tell me! Where did that girl learn it from!?”

The Great Ancestor looked at Yatong like he was stupid. He shook his head and calmly replied, “Did you honestly believe that when Han Lan ascended, she left nothing behind for her people? If you did, then you’re a fool. Before she broke through the realm, she left behind the Ethereal Blight for her future successors.”

“That can’t be true!” Yatong interrupted.

“If that was the case, why did no one use it three hundred years ago?”

The Great Ancestor disappointingly shook his head. “The answer is simple. It’s because the Ethereal Blight is too hard to learn.”

“Han Lan ascended thousands of years ago and yet, to this day only one person has managed to comprehend this ability that she had left behind.”

The Great Ancestor half-heartedly replied to Yatong while inwardly groaning.

I have no idea what Han Lan was thinking, Did she think everyone was as heaven-defying as her? Couldn’t she have simplified the Ethereal Blight a little? If she had, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. The Arcane Mountain has such a powerful ability but all it's good for is collecting dust.

Sigh, who am I to judge her? After all, she could see much further than these old bones. Maybe there’s a reason for it.

Yatong’s eyes narrowed. He moved his gaze back to Dong Zongying and a pulse erupted from his body.

The soul pulse sent a message to the rest of the Grahas.

KILL HER

Bohai was the first to recover from his shock. Upon hearing Yatong’s order, he knew what he must do. They can’t allow another person who knows of this ability to live otherwise they’ll become a scourge to the Graha race.

A black sickle appeared in his hand and his arm waved, sending out a crescent fog at Dong Zongying.

“Sect Master!”

“Oh no, hurry up and dodge!”

“Sect Master, move!”

The disciples from the Arcane Mountain expressed their concerns for Dong Zongying after seeing how still she was in the face of an approaching attack.

But their worries were needless. When the crescent fog came close to Dong Zongying, the high frequency emanating from her body easily dispersed the attack. It didn’t even have the chance to touch her.

It looked so easy but the intricacies involved in making this happen wasn’t something ordinary people could comprehend. Just like the Great Ancestor had said, thousands of years have passed since Empress Han Lan’s ascension and throughout these thousands of years, only one person had managed to just barely scratch the surface of this ability.

Dong Zongying was thoughtful. This was the first time that she had used this ability so she doesn’t fully understand the extent of its power. Seeing how casually she was able to negate the soul attack from Bohai, she became more determined.

She raised her sword and the soft hum from her body became stronger.

“Disciples, Elders, and Hall Masters of the Arcane Mountain…”

“Leave none of them alive!”

All those standing behind her roared and echoed her words.

“Leave no one alive!”

“To the death!”

There were no more words said. Both sides went all out and charged ahead. The death counts rose with each second passed and the damage done to the world continued to increase.

Yatong and the Great Ancestor also resumed their battle. The killing intent in the former’s eyes became stronger and stronger as he eyed Dong Zongying.

The war at the Arcane Mountain intensified.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the remote corner of the Mortal Desolate World, an inconspicuous island was drifting along the ocean in solitude. Its appearance was nothing out of the ordinary but located at its core was a heavily infested jungle, in which, the tall trees and lush vegetation were so dense that even sunlight would struggle to pierce through them. Beyond all the thick greenery, there appears to be an entrance to a cave that is shrouded in mystery…