Among the ranks of the devastated disciples, a strange aura of deep blue light appeared. The ground began to tremble, and the air grew heavy with a strange energy none had ever felt before.
"What is this...?" Su Ming whispered, struggling to maintain his balance.
"A breakthrough?" Liu Yan could only stare in disbelief. "This aura... it's multiple breakthroughs! It's my sister!"
Suddenly, a pillar of azure flame erupted from the ground, unleashing a shockwave that threw everyone back dozens of meters.
From the center of this pillar of fire, a tall figure appeared in white robes, long black hair fluttering like a war banner.
"Liu Yin?!" Cheng Feng exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"What is she doing?" Wang Fei could only spread his spiritual energy to protect himself from the pressure.
Liu Yin stood in the center of the battlefield, her blue eyes radiating a mysterious celestial light. Her body was surrounded by a glowing blue aura, and a strange energy flowed from her in immense quantities.
"Sister... what happened to you?" Liu Yan whispered in a trembling voice.
But Liu Yin did not respond. Instead, she slowly raised her hand, and a wave of spiritual pressure descended upon the entire battlefield. Every fighter—friend or foe—felt as if a massive mountain had been placed on their shoulders.
The leader of the Spring in the Sky Sect suddenly stopped fighting, his yellow eyes widening in shock. "This energy... impossible! How can a mere disciple..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Liu Yin vanished from her spot. In the next moment, she appeared directly before him, her small hand extended toward his chest.
Moonlit Frost Art – Frost Crust
A light touch of her fingers on his chest, and a bone-chilling cold exploded through his body.
In an instant, the leader of the Spring in the Sky Sect was transformed into a translucent ice statue, an expression of shock carved onto his frozen face.
Silence fell over the battlefield. Everyone stood stunned before the absolute power Liu Yin had displayed. Even the leader of the Purple Star Sect stared at her with wide eyes.
But suddenly, cracks began to appear on the ice statue.
The statue exploded into thousands of pieces, and a sphere of black mist shot out from it, reforming the shape of the Spring Sect leader once more, but this time as a ghostly form.
"Well done, girl," he said in a hoarse voice. "But you cannot kill me so easily."
Liu Yin was not surprised. Instead, she closed her eyes, and the blue aura around her grew even brighter. "How dare an ant like you try to defy my will."
Moonlit Frost Art – Tears of the Ruler
Tiny blue orbs shot out in all directions, each one heading toward a fighter from the Spring Sect. Upon impact, they exploded with brilliant blue light, transforming the black mist into ice, then into dust.
The Spring Sect leader screamed in agony as his ghostly body began to evaporate. "This... this isn't your power! Who gave you this strength?!"
Liu Yin opened her eyes, and they now radiated a pure blue light. "An ant from my realm dares to speak rudely. Die."
With these words, she raised her hand once more, and a mighty blue wave surged from her, sweeping across the entire battlefield.
Every disciple from the Spring Sect in the path of the wave turned into an ice statue, then crumbled to dust.
Within minutes, the battle was over. The demonic Spring Sect army had been annihilated, leaving only a few survivors who fled in terror.
---
Several kilometers away, Zhang Yong was atop Kuro, and he could not believe what he had sensed.
"It's her," Ling Xi said, unable to believe what she had just felt—that overwhelming sensation that had shaken her very existence thousands of years ago.
"Who is she?" Zhang Yong asked immediately upon hearing Ling Xi. This situation was dangerous.
"She is the Will," Ling Xi replied, her voice trembling for a moment. She sounded as if she was terrified to the point of death.
Zhang Yong could only stare silently ahead. The Will of the World.
In every world, there were two layers, or rather, three layers.
There was the lowest—ordinary humans, who could cultivate, and upon reaching the limits of the world, if they were chosen by the second layer—the higher layer, which was also that of the rulers—they could ascend to a higher world, leave their original world, and attain the position of ruler.
But the final layer was the ultimate absolute ruler—a thing that was both alive and not alive at the same time.
That was the Heavenly Will.
It was simply the entity that controlled the rulers and issued commands.
But this left Zhang Yong puzzled. Why would it suddenly appear here, in the mortal world?
If it were a catastrophe, it would have sent its rulers down to eliminate it, not intervene personally.
But also, this world was not truly a world of its own—it was merely a convergence point for several worlds. Therefore, it should possess a number of rulers, but it was also a world in itself. This meant only one thing.
The Heavenly Will had no rulers, meaning what was happening here was part of its plan.
Immediately, Zhang Yong stood on Kuro's back and used his Celestial Eyes to observe the events. That aura was emanating from Liu Yin.
"Ling Xi, are you sure?" he asked in a hoarse voice, his crimson eyes scanning the horizon where Liu Yin's blue energy still shimmered like a midnight sun.
"I'm sure," Ling Xi whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "This majesty... this absolute power... it can only be her. But why is she manifesting in the body of a young girl? This is illogical."
Zhang Yong pressed his lips together. His mind worked quickly, trying to connect all the threads. "Perhaps... perhaps Liu Yin was her vessel. Ever since she obtained the Eyes of Fate, the Will has been showing Liu Yin what it desires, and through her, it could also control her."
"That... is possible," Ling Xi admitted. "But that means the Heavenly Will has been planning this for years. Why? What is the goal?"
"I don't know," Zhang Yong said sternly. "But no matter what, we cannot confront it now. Even at my peak, I would not dare to challenge it now."
Zhang Yong clenched his fist tightly. I must find a cure for my dantian quickly. Otherwise, not to mention the Will of the World, even the rulers will be stronger than me.
---
As Zhang Yong soared above the battlefield, he observed the scene below.
He immediately noticed the retreating disciples of the Spring Sect, and among them was the elder of Lightning Peak, who was severely injured.
Zhang Yong leaped high, returned Kuro to the Pet Space, and began free-falling toward the demonic Spring Sect disciples.
He gathered the Great Sun Flame and the Desolate Moon Flame in both his hands and began merging them.
In a short time, a Heavenly Lotus formed in his hand and began to grow.
Zhang Yong fell from the sky like a meteor, the Heavenly Lotus in his hands expanding rapidly until it covered half the sky. The golden and white light radiating from it made the earth tremble as if the world itself was about to split apart.
The elder of Lightning Peak looked up, his eyes flashing with terror. "No... this is impossible!"
But before he could escape, Zhang Yong released the Heavenly Lotus toward the ground.
The lotus exploded upon impact, unleashing a wave of energy that consumed everything in its path. The earth split, the sky burned, and every Spring Sect fighter within a kilometer radius turned to dust in an instant.
When the smoke cleared, nothing remained but a massive crater in the earth. The elder of Lightning Peak stood in its center, his body burned and disfigured, but still alive.
"How... how dare you..." he whispered in a broken voice, blood flowing from his mouth.
Zhang Yong descended slowly before him, his crimson eyes cold as ice. "Attempting to kill me was your first mistake. Betraying your sect was your second."
He raised his hand, and black-purple flames began to coil around his fingers. "And there will not be a third."
The Lightning Peak elder tried to scream, but the black flames consumed him before he could make a sound. Within seconds, nothing remained of him but black ash scattered in the wind.
A heavy silence fell over the battlefield. Everyone—friends and enemies alike—stood stunned before the absolute power Zhang Yong had displayed.
---
Zhang Yong turned and headed toward the gathering area of his sect members.
When he arrived, Liu Yin was already unconscious.
Su Ming was the first to move toward Zhang Yong, his eyes carrying a stern look. "Where were you? The battle was about to end in disaster if not for... if not for what happened with Liu Yin."
Zhang Yong looked at him calmly, then turned his gaze toward the unconscious Liu Yin. "I was dealing with another threat. If I hadn't, the Spring Sect would have sent reinforcements."
Su Ming did not seem convinced, but he did not press further. Instead, he looked at Liu Yin lying on the ground with concern. "What happened to her... was not normal."
Zhang Yong approached slowly, his crimson eyes carefully examining Liu Yin's body.
He could feel the remaining energy of the Will around her fading very slowly, but he made no comment. "She has exhausted her spiritual energy completely. All she needs is rest."
Wang Fei, who had been examining Liu Yin, raised his head with a serious expression. "Her body is in shock, and her spiritual energy is scattered. I don't know how she is still alive."
"I will take care of her," Liu Yan said suddenly, her voice carrying an undeniable resolve. "I am her sister. I will stay by her side."
Cheng Feng, who had been silent until now, interjected. "We can move her to a treatment room in the medical wing."
The sect leader, who had been observing the situation from a distance, finally approached. "She saved us all today," he said, looking at Liu Yin. "Whatever power she used, we will provide her with the best possible treatment."
Then he turned to Zhang Yong. "And you... you have helped the sect, and we are indebted to you."
Zhang Yong shook his head. "The sect has taken care of me. It is only natural that I help it."
But his eyes followed Liu Yin with great interest. The Heavenly Will had forced her to break through repeatedly, which had destabilized Liu Yin's foundation and consequently affected her body.
Quickly, Liu Yin was transferred to the medical wing.
There, Liu Yin lay on a bed of blue jade, while doctors and medical elders moved cautiously around her, examining her condition.
Everyone was already outside the room, with Liu Yan remaining beside her sister. Zhang Yong sat on a chair, his back hunched forward, his fingers intertwined.
"Zhang Yong, do you know what happened to Sister Yin?" Wang Fei could not help but ask.
Zhang Yong turned his gaze toward him. "Perhaps she used a forbidden technique to temporarily enhance her power. Some of these techniques have side effects."
It was a lie, of course. But he could not tell them the truth—that the Heavenly Will itself had used Liu Yin's body as a vessel. Such knowledge was dangerous for them.
Then Zhang Yong stood up and began to walk away. When Su Ming noticed his expression, he immediately followed him.
As soon as they left the medical wing, Su Ming grabbed Zhang Yong's arm as he walked away. "Wait! Zhang Yong, you are hiding something, aren't you?"
Zhang Yong stopped, his crimson eyes flashing with understanding. "Su Ming, let us talk on the way."
---
Zhang Yong and Su Ming walked in silence through the sect's corridors, which had fortunately survived the attack.
They easily ascended to their main peak.
"Why are we returning to the peak?" Su Ming looked toward Zhang Yong, uncertain of the situation.
"Liu Yin was forced to break through, which severely affected her body. After rest, she will be fine, but her cultivation foundation is unstable. Ordinary pills will not work. We will need a fifth-grade Snow Spirit Pill," Zhang Yong said, taking out a collection of herbs. "I have already obtained the necessary ingredients to make it. Do not worry."
Su Ming stared at the rare herbs Zhang Yong had produced, his eyes widening in surprise. "These... these are priceless ingredients! How did you acquire them so quickly?"
Zhang Yong looked away for a moment. "Well... I have my sources."
The truth was that Zhang Yong might have... taken slight advantage of the sect leader's kindness.
But it should not be misunderstood—he had not emptied the treasury entirely.
"In any case, let us begin refining the pill."