Far away.
Countless people from the Fengtian Realm who watched the battle saw this scene, and their hearts shattered. Blood and tears streamed from their eyes.
They wanted to rush forward and fight alongside their predecessors, but they were stopped by Wang Nixian.
"Don't come here! You are the hope of the Fengtian Realm's human race. It doesn't matter if we die, but you must live well!"
"As long as you're here, there is still hope. Someday, you will walk out of the Fengtian Realm and break free from this fate!"
"So stay back. Don't let our blood spill in vain."
As Wang Nixian's words echoed through the void...
Grief and rage surged across the heavens. Countless humans of the Fengtian Realm let out an earth-shattering cry.
Their blood boiled!
Anger. Sorrow. Helplessness.
A tide of emotions burned in their chests.
"Why! Why must the humans of the Fengtian Realm suffer like this!"
"Heavens! Save us! Save the humans of the Celestial Realm!"
"From the moment we stepped onto the path of cultivation, we've carried this burden and fought against the current! Open your eyes, gods! Why must this injustice befall our people?"
"Who will save them..."
"Don't die! Please! No more deaths!!"
Countless cries from the Fengtian Realm echoed with despair.
They knelt down and prayed to the heavens.
They begged the divine to open its eyes and witness the tragedy of the Fengtian human race.
Their bodies trembled. Blood and tears spilled from their eyes, scattering across the starry skies.
They knew prayer was futile.
But in the face of despair, the weak had only prayer left.
"We of the Fengtian human race still have strength..."
"Someone, please! Save the Celestial Humans!"
Their cries surged like a tidal wave, converging into a will that soared through the stars.
...
"Brother Heishui Immortal Monarch, I fear I can no longer fulfill our promise."
Amid the silence, Wang Nixian, now utterly alone, looked up and gave a desolate smile.
"My fellow cultivators, walk slowly... wait for me."
Drawing in a deep breath, Wang Nixian turned toward Zhan Zun Jiu and declared, word for word:
"I will burn my body... into nothingness!"
Boom!
His soul ignited, and his cultivation surged skyward.
In that instant!
The pinnacle of the Void Nirvana Realm!
The Ethereal Realm!
The peak of the Ethereal Realm!
Sky Profound Realm!
Wang Nixian broke through to the Sky Profound Realm, his entire being engulfed in heavenly flames.
He bit his fingertip and pressed his blood essence between his brows.
"True Pattern, military ranks aligned!"
"Arcane Flame, mountains ablaze!"
"Path of Demons, chaos of life and death!"
"Heaven. Demon. Devil. The ancient path holds no immortals!"
With those final words, Wang Nixian unleashed his strongest technique.
He launched forward, leaving a long afterimage behind, and charged at Zhan Zun.
Flames!
Flames everywhere!
As he moved, the edge of the cosmos ignited with fire.
"Oh? Now this is interesting."
Zhan Zun raised his brow, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
He lifted his palm and slammed it down.
"The palm edge births and destroys!"
A vast black palm, large enough to cover the heavens, descended from the void. It carried the power of Kong Xuan's Third Tribulation.
The palm lines stretched like mountains and rivers, distinctly visible.
The primal energies of the law spun and collided in his palm.
And then...
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed through the stars.
A lone figure was hurled back like a rag doll.
He crashed into a planet, shattering it into pieces.
It was Wang Nixian.
"Still not enough, huh?"
Zhan Zun withdrew his palm and sneered.
"The Fengtian human race. Wouldn't it be better to stay in the Immortal Cave Realm and live like obedient slaves? Why throw away your lives like this?"
He shook his head and scoffed.
Wang Nixian coughed up blood as his life force withered.
Even his Dao Fruit shattered within his dantian.
Lying on the desolate surface of a dying star, he looked up at the skies, bitterness at the corner of his lips.
Is this…
Is this extraterrestrial immortal truly unbeatable?
Has the human race… truly lost?
Resentment. Despair.
Countless emotions surged through his heart.
"Very well, Wang Nixian, was it? This deity shall remember your name. Now die."
Zhan Zun spoke calmly, raising his hand to strike again.
He was sure.
With this palm, not only would Wang Nixian die, but the spine of the Fengtian human race would break.
For millennia to come, humanity would be docile, enslaved, and harvested.
This wasn't the first time.
He believed this would be no different.
Whoosh...
A storm whipped across space.
The massive palm expanded in Wang Nixian's eyes, growing larger and larger.
The powerless Wang Nixian sighed and ceased resisting.
Countless observers from the Fengtian Realm closed their eyes in anguish, unable to watch anymore. Tears streamed as they silently mourned.
The human race… was defeated.
And then.
Boom!
Suddenly, the world changed.
Above the bleak, dead starry sky, a colossal vortex opened.
From within, torrents of immortal light and chaotic power surged forth—void storms, divine winds, flashes of Nine Heavens.
A burst of loud, cheerful laughter echoed from within the vortex.
"Your Majesty, we are here!"