Chapter 216

Chapter 216: Disappearance? Return?

Originally joyful, both Yuluan and Ye Kuanglan’s expressions changed drastically.

They had never expected such a thing to happen.

Only Yaoruoxian smiled. “The most terrifying aspect of this forbidden law lies here—it destroys the true void and connects to space turbulence. Once inside, even a saint cannot return. Zhang Yang, your glory will fall at my hands.”

“The first battle of the nine battles will annihilate you!”

“I will become an immortal!”

Yaoruoxian was weak and heavily injured, yet her delicate face radiated excitement, flushed with color.

Becoming an immortal—

This had been her lifelong goal.

Once she became an immortal, given her current realm, she would surely break free from the shackles of the saintly path and truly ascend.

The so-called "becoming an immortal" was, in reality, obtaining an immortal body. That would be her ultimate self; right now, she was merely taking the first step.

How could Yaoruoxian not be excited?

Infuriated, Yuluan charged forward to rescue her. If she failed, she would disappear alongside her.

This was her only thought.

But she had no chance.

The space turbulence appeared suddenly—and then vanished.

It was impossible for it to persist, especially not at their level of cultivation and certainly not within the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins.

Zhang Yang was shocked but remained calm.

The crisis was beyond anything he had imagined, striking at the peak of his power.

Yet, he remained as still as water, focusing only on the shattered space around him.

He reacted instantly.

Whoosh!

The Thousand Wolves Pillar shot forward.

Crack!

For a fleeting moment, the melted space was blocked by the Thousand Wolves Pillar.

In other words, space had momentarily jammed the Thousand Wolves Pillar in place.

Zhang Yang followed, explosively unleashing his Diamond Dragon Holy Power.

Crack!

The blocked space shattered.

He surged forward again, crashing back down to the ground.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Even with Zhang Yang’s composure, cold sweat drenched his back. Fear still lingered.

He did not look back at the source of the space turbulence—he only felt the deadly danger approaching.

If he had hesitated for even a moment, he might have been killed.

He even suspected that the danger within the space turbulence was related to humans—or perhaps something even more powerful. A saint? An immortal?

He did not know.

All he could be certain of was that the turbulence had been formed by a distant and unfathomable force.

Seizing the brief opening, he rushed back.

Still in shock, he lifted his head—only to realize he was no longer in the same place where the fierce battle had taken place.

He quickly looked up at the sky.

The Daybreak Phoenix Luan shone like the sun.

He was still within the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins, but he had been displaced far from where he had been before.

“What is going on?”

He looked utterly bewildered.

“This is called spatial displacement. Every time space turbulence connects, it causes chaos. You are still in the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins because I intervened.”

A melodious voice rang out.

Zhang Yang turned and was surprised to see the Dawn Goddess, Shui Lianyi, standing not far away. She watched him with an amused expression.

“You didn’t really think you could escape all on your own, did you?”

Zhang Yang was stunned. He hadn’t noticed anyone intervening. Then, a thought crossed his mind.

“Was it the opportunity left by the Thousand Wolves Pillar?”

Shui Lianyi clicked her tongue. “You’re not foolish. The mysteries of space are profound. Do you think simply stretching out your hand can stop it from closing up? That would be ridiculous.”

“Why are you helping me?” Zhang Yang asked.

Shui Lianyi replied, “You are still so young, yet you’ve already cultivated the Diamond Dragon Holy Power and unleashed Holy Might. That gives me hope. You can help me with a little task.”

Zhang Yang was speechless. He was supposed to help her? How absurd.

She was among the invincible saints.

“That place—saints cannot go,” Shui Lianyi said.

Zhang Yang still did not want to go. He felt an instinctive sense of danger around this woman.

From the moment she appeared, she had altered the balance of power in the Southern Region with the Great Path Sacred Fruit tree and had aimed to seal the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins forever.

Who wouldn’t be wary of that?

"I need to find my people; they are in danger," Zhang Yang said.

Shui Lianyi smiled and replied, "That excuse won’t work. You seriously injured the Seventh Prince and Yaoruoxian. Your disappearance completely activated Yuluan and Ye Kuanglan’s powers, and even Ye Kuanglan made breakthroughs in his sword path. They chose to cease fighting, so they are quite safe."

"I saved your life, and you help me once—it’s a fair trade."

"Otherwise, shall I throw you back into the space turbulence?"

Zhang Yang suddenly felt a headache. This goddess was completely unpredictable and showed no trace of being a saint.

"I fought too pathetically in this battle. How about letting me regain some face first?"

That was the truth.

He had never felt so awkward in battle before.

He had nearly been struck into the space turbulence and perished.

How infuriating!

Shui Lianyi smiled and said, "Be happy you managed to escape the space turbulence; it’s quite pitiful that you’re still sulking."

"I’m very strong. I have never lost a battle. This time, I truly felt pathetic," Zhang Yang said seriously, his expression grave.

Shui Lianyi responded, "That’s even better. You truly are suitable to help me with that matter."

Zhang Yang felt like rolling his eyes. This goddess was unreasonable and kept circling back.

"How about this? I help you one more time, and in exchange, you help me once. Does that work?" Shui Lianyi suggested.

Zhang Yang immediately asked, "Will you help me destroy the Ghostly Divine Platform?"

Shui Lianyi laughed in frustration. This guy really took himself too seriously in front of a saint.

She pressed her hand against the Thousand Wolves Pillar.

A terrifying holy power surged forth.

The Thousand Wolves Pillar rapidly shrank as the thousand stone wolves’ patterns crumbled one after another.

Zhang Yang wanted to stop her. He had preferred the thousand stone wolves as a source of military strength, but he knew the Thousand Wolves Pillar had suffered heavy damage from that arrow. The thousand stone wolves were likely beyond repair.

He couldn’t help but feel regret.

The Thousand Wolves Pillar had two main functions. Now that the Great Boundless Divine Wolf had been completely destroyed by Kou Nanlong, this function was lost as well. That meant the Thousand Wolves Pillar had lost its mysteries.

In Shui Lianyi’s hands, the enormous Thousand Wolves Pillar continued to shrink, reverting to the form of a divine rod.

"An interesting boundless artifact."

"Well then, I might as well help to the end."

With a gentle flick of her left index finger, a stream of crimson liquid flew out from her storage bag and landed on the divine rod.

She asked, "Do you know what this is?"

Zhang Yang pondered for a moment before answering, "Crimson Sun Divine Gold?"

"Not bad. This is the rare Crimson Sun Divine Gold. When infused into your divine rod, it will further transform the thousand wolves into the essence of the rod," Shui Lianyi explained. "This rod will far surpass the power of the Thousand Wolves Pillar and can be considered among the top-tier boundless artifacts. I will use a secret technique to initiate its transformation into a holy weapon. The process will be slow, but it will provide you with an opportunity to enhance this rod in the future. The more you support its growth, the more extraordinary it will become. Once it is fully formed, it will stand out among holy weapons."

Zhang Yang was overjoyed.

Shui Lianyi continued, "I will shape its essence, provide support for its growth, and lay the foundation for its transformation into a holy weapon. Since I’m investing in it, I will also name it. That seems quite reasonable, don’t you think?"

Zhang Yang nodded vigorously.

Shui Lianyi declared, "Let’s call it the Crimson Sun Divine Rod so you always remember it was I who helped you."

Zhang Yang was speechless. This goddess!

"I help you twice, you help me once," Shui Lianyi stated.

Zhang Yang muttered, "You really know how to return favors."

Shui Lianyi clapped her hands and said, "You realize this too? Here’s a round of applause for you."

Zhang Yang was speechless again. This goddess!

Shui Lianyi waved her hand, and Zhang Yang felt a blur before his eyes. When his vision cleared, he found himself standing before a fissure in the earth, stained with holy blood and exuding a desolate, ancient aura.

"This is the most dangerous area from the War of the Saints a thousand years ago, where time and space shattered, disturbing the secrets of Eternal Night and sealing this place."

"I need you to go down and investigate for me. Check if there is a purple-haired man with a star mark on his forehead and see if he is still alive."

Zhang Yang secretly sighed. He knew this wouldn’t be good.

The most dangerous area of the War of the Saints, after all.

He asked, "Is he your man?"

An overwhelming Holy Might suddenly descended, nearly crushing Zhang Yang.

Shui Lianyi coldly replied, "He was the first saint in the vast world a thousand years ago—the Divine King Taiyi of the Ghostly Divine Platform!"

"I suspect he is not dead and is still interfering with my plans at the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins."

Zhang Yang’s eyes widened in shock. Not dead?

And she wanted him to go down there? Was she sending him to his doom?