Chapter 578: Annihilation with One Palm
Not only did the seven imperial emperors recognize Ying Xiaoxiao's true soul—in every immortal city of Yanchu, countless faces twisted by grief and anger were now frozen in shock. They were the survivors, ancient officials of the Fusu Immortal Dynasty. How could they not recognize the personal disciple of the great emperor, the War Goddess of Fusu Immortal Dynasty?
She had not fallen. Instead, she hid herself within the long river of time, unknown to all. Tears of burning sorrow streamed down their faces. If they'd known before, they would have done whatever it took to find her and offered all their strength to help.
Right now, seven-colored time power flowed around Ying Xiaoxiao. In the center of her forehead, a perfectly round light appeared, spinning like a rainbow gemstone. Standing beside her, Li Hao immediately sensed that everything around him seemed to slow, nearly coming to a halt. Every flow, every movement was drawn out—time itself coiling around Ying Xiaoxiao.
The source aura of time was so deep it was terrifying. It felt like a bottomless abyss ready to pull anyone in, impossible to ever escape.
"Break!"
Ying Xiaoxiao raised her hand. Under the gaze of countless people in the Southern Domain, under a thousand watching eyes, her snowy, slender hand lightly pressed out toward the air. There was no sense of force, but it seemed to come from across the river of ages.
"Not good! Young Lord Jiming, dodge!"
Suddenly, the imperial elder restraining Wang Shanhe's movements saw the danger, his pupils constricting as he urgently shouted.
At this moment, Di Jiming had already gathered all his power. He'd noticed earlier that she was extraordinary, and the powerful time source she released—even with his own time source cultivated to the sixth origin, he still felt stifled, so he didn't dare to be careless. But the palm she struck now had no force behind it. That's right, he didn't sense a hurricane of immortal Power, nor any killing intent.
But… a chilling terror crept up his spine. Why? As a quasi-Emperor heir who'd fought his way out of the imperial clan, he reacted instantly. He erupted with domain power and sent out three consecutive Emperor's Grieving Heavens Palms, crashing down with enough force to shatter space and time, immortal Power surging, Dao Law chains rattling, as if to bind everything.
But under the raging Emperor's palms, her snowy-white hand remained so gentle, as if she'd picked a green lotus from the snowy mountains.
Boom!
A sound like the world falling silent rang out. Then, those three mighty emperor palms—each exuding limitless pressure—froze, then shattered. Along with them shattered the domain covering the world, and Di Jiming himself.
His eyes flew wide, irises fracturing like glass. Cracks burst out from within, and his cultivation rapidly decayed. His imperial blood failed, his hair went white in an instant—like an old man of a thousand winters—blood gushing from his lips, his body staggering from the sudden loss.
"You…"
With a muffled bang, his words were cut off as his body exploded, turning into a mist of blood and dust before all eyes! In the blink of an eye, the figure who had just stood apart like an ancient immortal collapsed and exploded—leaving countless people staring, stunned and numb.
"How is that possible?!"
All the Xianjun on the scene froze, their faces then twisting in shock. The aura that girl released was also Xianjun stage seven, but at the same realm she could actually fight the quasi-Emperor heir head-on, even crush his body with just one palm?! Even his soul was rapidly withering, dimming, on the verge of disappearing!
"A palm reflected from childhood, spanning nearly a thousand years—what terrifying control of time. She's reached the seventh origin of time source at Xianjun realm…"
All the kings present turned pale as if they'd seen a ghost, eyes locked on the girl. Many had never even touched that level of time source comprehension.
In the sky, Di Jiming's flesh had already turned to dust, his soul fire withering and burning in agony, letting out desperate screams, swaying like a candle in the wind. The power of that soft palm shocked everyone.
"Supreme, please save our young lord!"
The imperial elder hurriedly looked up and begged the Supreme in the clouds for help. He could kill the girl, but he was still restraining the maddened Xianwang next to him. Even for him, saving Di Jiming was out of reach if she struck again.
Hearing the request, Ying Xiaoxiao's eyes turned icy as she looked up at the Supreme. Instantly, a ray of the countless Dao lights behind that mighty figure shot out, crossing space and time, piercing into Di Jiming's crumbling soul.
Very quickly, his soul stabilized. His destroyed flesh regrew, everything returning in an instant. It wasn't healing—it was more like time running backward, everything restored to the very beginning! If Ying Xiaoxiao's strike had crushed the Di Jiming from a thousand years ago, reflecting to this moment, then the Supreme was reversing a thousand years, erasing even the trace of that time energy!
Seeing this, the imperial elder finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the Supreme took action, no one dared cause trouble. No one could kill under the Supreme's watch.
The dizzying turn left everyone silent—a palm to annihilation, a moment later, resurrection. Even though Di Jiming came back to life, the power Ying Xiaoxiao displayed stunned everyone.
They all thought Di Jiming was already an unbeatable Xianjun, but he had lost in one move to a girl at the same realm!
"You…"
Di Jiming knew exactly what happened. Even if his body was reversed, his memories remained. His eyes were full of murderous rage and shame. Except when facing an imperial heir, he'd never suffered such a crushing defeat.
Ying Xiaoxiao's gaze fell on him. She showed no anger at his resurrection, as if she'd expected it all along. She said coldly, "As someone of the imperial clan, you should honor your promise. Let him go!"
Hearing this, Di Jiming felt like he'd been slapped across the face—burning with humiliation. He was so proud, born noble, yet lost this completely, so easily defeated! He hadn't even used his imperial immortal treasures; that thousand-year strike broke him from the inside, its time-bending power not even his lifesaving treasures could block!
Without the Supreme's help, he would really be dead now!
"Who exactly are you?!"
He gritted his teeth, eyes like a wounded wolf as he stared at Ying Xiaoxiao.
She only gave him a cold look and said nothing.
Di Jiming was wild with rage, but a voice from the imperial elder echoed in his mind: "She is Shi Miao, the top monster from one hundred thousand years ago. She was the Immortal Emperor's personal disciple and a peak master at Xianwang perfection. This is just her reincarnation, Young Lord—your defeat is normal, don't force the fight."
"A personal disciple from one hundred thousand years ago?"
"A reincarnation?"
Di Jiming froze, then clenched his fists. Knowing her background eased his heart a little, but he still couldn't accept being so easily crushed by someone of the same realm!
Staring into those cold, clear eyes, Di Jiming could feel she didn't care about him at all. This was a feeling he'd only ever made others experience—never had he felt it from someone else's gaze.
"Shi Miao, is it? I'll remember you. Now that you've returned in this life, I will break your pride as the favored daughter of heaven!"
Di Jiming clenched his fists, forcing down the raging murderous intent inside him, and sent a low, private transmission. Then, with a sudden wave, he called out loudly, "I will keep my word. That youth—the Di clan will protect him!"
When he said this, the faces of the Yin Hai clan and the Feng Ling clan turned ashen and ugly. Who could have guessed that this quasi-Emperor heir would lose—and so miserably at that! If Li Hao was allowed to leave now, those two clans would never have peace in the future.
Given Li Hao's talent, even if he never entered the Original True World, he'd likely reach peak Xianwang someday. That might not threaten the top twenty clans, but for their two clans, it'd be a nightmare! And with the imperial clan shielding him, they couldn't touch Li Hao anymore. Offending this quasi-Emperor heir would be endless trouble, and the consequences would come fast!
"Damn it, damn it!"
"This brat's luck is ridiculous!"
"Even Shi Miao's reincarnation appears among the so-called sinner's remnants. Are there even more hiding out there?"
The faces of the Yin Hai and Feng Ling clans turned gloomier by the second. At this point, they could only try to seek shelter from the Heavenly Palace. After all, their move today was all to earn favor from the Emperor's heart.
Hearing Di Jiming's words, Meng Wannian and the rest of the Da Meng clan were delighted. Their anger toward the quasi-Emperor heir faded a little. At least he was someone who dared to act and take responsibility.
On the lonely peak, the old man fishing simply stared into the sky. Seeing how things ended, he wasn't surprised. Ever since that girl had shown up, he knew the quasi-Emperor heir was no match.
After all, one hundred thousand years ago, he'd personally witnessed how terrifying she was. At that time, he had just become a disciple of the Supreme, already a top genius, but he was still not even worthy to fight her. Not even her opponent's opponent. He'd never forget how she once looked down on the whole True World, battling all the super freaks of her era.
"Took so long… Finally reeled in a big fish for you, huh? I wonder, will this big fish lure in anything else? Master, your fishing skills are still better…"
He murmured softly, a wry smile on his lips, looking at that youth and that girl with nothing but sympathy.
Times had changed. The once favored daughter of heaven, the spirit who ruled the source of time, was probably going to fall into silence, closing the curtain on everything from a hundred thousand years ago.
High above, Li Hao heard Di Jiming's promise, but instead of being happy, he frowned and immediately looked at the majestic figure in the clouds.
"You need to go, now," Li Hao quietly transmitted to Ying Xiaoxiao. "The Supreme won't let you go."
"I know," Ying Xiaoxiao answered softly, gazing at Li Hao. "As long as you get out safely, that's enough. The future True World needs you, and so does the future me…"
Li Hao froze, unsure what exactly she'd seen in the future—or maybe, was she from the future herself?
Shi Miao, born from the source of time, hadn't truly perished in the Ancient Devil War. What kind of mysterious, transcendent power did she wield, beyond the tenth level of time source? Nobody knew.
"You mean, you'll be there in the future too?" Li Hao asked by transmission.
Ying Xiaoxiao nodded a little, her eyes shifting as she gently held Li Hao's hand, softly caressing his palm. "I wish I could freeze time right now. But there are too many Xianwang here, and that Supreme… Even I can't stop time here…"
She glanced at Li Hao, then looked up at the crowd of shocked and conflicted kings. Her gaze grew sharp and full of force, a battlefield's aura of death rising from her.
"My master, Tianyang Immortal Emperor, never betrayed the human race or the Southern Domain. He fell because of the Dao of Heaven. Let later generations judge his rights and wrongs, but the living shouldn't make up stories or slander him! You believe the mouths of the living, not the truth of those who died? Who's really retreating—who's the traitor?"
Her voice was clear and carried far.
Suddenly, her expression changed. She glared in anger at the Supreme. Her words were blocked by a force and never spread; under that power's isolation, outsiders only saw her cold expression and didn't even see her lips move.
The Supreme froze that moment she opened her mouth, presenting it as a picture to the Southern Domain.
"You betrayed my master's trust. You… are not worthy to be Supreme!"
Ying Xiaoxiao glared at the Supreme, killing intent on her face, waves of time Power in her eyes, fighting the Supreme's pressure.
"I didn't expect you to hide for so long in the river of time. Looks like you really touched the true essence of time and reached the imperial level beyond the tenth sequence!" The Supreme's eyes were cold and distant. "But too bad—today, none of you are leaving. I wonder how many more survivors your presence will draw out?"
"You—!"
Ying Xiaoxiao's face fell. He wasn't hiding anymore, and the most crucial thing was, he didn't say 'you' but 'you all'—that included Li Hao! She wasn't afraid for herself, but Li Hao must not come to harm.
Even if she'd seen Li Hao alive and shining in the future, the future could change—just like she'd just struck through a thousand years.
As an Immortal Emperor, she could shape the future.
"Despicable!"
Ying Xiaoxiao clenched her teeth, time Power boiling up, immortal Power exploding, the round mark on her forehead glowing brighter and brighter—it was an immortal seal! Not a nine-sequence seal, but the legendary Dao Source Immortal Seal!
"If we die, we'll drag them down with us!"
She drew a long sword from the void. Its sword-light held the force of a domain—a true domain weapon.
She charged upward, not at the Supreme, but at Jianxin and Mingyue.
They had slandered her master, so she would cut down the Supreme's disciples first.
Otherwise, even if she was ten times stronger, it would be impossible to harm the Supreme.
Nearby, Jianxin and Mingyue were both stunned. They were still in awe of how she had beaten Di Jiming just now. As fellow Supreme's disciples, her power was beyond anything they'd expected.
But in the next instant, that terrifying killing intent swept toward them.
"Take her down!"
The Supreme gave a cold command.
A wave of Power surged, covering Mingyue and Jianxin.
Above the imperial dais, the leader of the immortal guards burst into motion, charging straight for Ying Xiaoxiao. The force of a Xianwang descended, as heavy as a hundred thousand mountains.