Chapter 955: A Rebellion Is a Rebellion
Chapter 955: A Rebellion Is a Rebellion
When Yi Nian killed Zong Zhao, a silence so profound that even a pin drop could be heard descended the battlefield.
The Tianxing Civilization cultivators were torn between shock and fury. They were shocked, as none of them had expected Zong Zhao—a powerful Level Eighth would die so at Yi Nian's hands.
But more than shock, their hearts were filled with anger—anger at Yi Nian's audacity in killing one of her own.
"This is more than just a betrayal!" Enforcement Officer Jie Yi's voice trembled with both disbelief and rage. "This... this is a rebellion!"
Yi Nian, her calm demeanor now shattered by anger, locked eyes with Jie Yi. "You never had any intentions of letting me and my husband leave. Since that's the case, then this is a rebellion."
The Tianxing Civilization cultivators were thrown into an uproar at her words, and their faces twisted with disbelief and fury. Never before, in the long history of the Tianxing Civilization, had anyone dared speak of rebellion so openly.
Jie Yi, barely containing his rage, laughed bitterly. "Alright, Yi Nian. Today, I'll see whether you and that insect from a low-tier civilization can leave the Tianxing Civilization alive. Men!"
A thunderous boom echoed throughout the heavens as dozens of powerful auras erupted. Enforcers clad in dark armor with Tianxing Spears in hand appeared around Yi Nian.
The spacetime around them distorted beneath their combined power.
"Activate the Tianxing Array!" Jie Yi roared.
The Enforcers raised their spears high, and a flicker of Tianxing Flame ignited at the tips of their spears. The flames blazed fiercely, transforming the spears into fiery weapons.
The vast Tianxing Sea boiled beneath the flames, and its waters were evaporating fast beneath the heat.
The flames were so hot that even the spectators had to retreat in a hurry.
"Kill her!" Jie Yi commanded.
The Enforcers began chanting an ancient incantation.
A thousand meters above Yi Nian, a spacetime rift manifested, revealing fiery runes that drifted downward. Those runes combined into an ancient array, where a massive Tianxing Flame was burning furiously.
"The Tianxing Flame Array!" someone exclaimed in terror.
Yi Nian's expression darkened. As an Enforcement Officer of the Tianxing civilization, she immediately recognized the array. It was one of the three ultimate killing arrays of the Hall of Enforcement.
This array was only ever deployed against civilizations that even the Tianxing Flame couldn't defeat so easily. Even then, this was a rare sight, as ordinary Tianxing Flames were enough to destroy most civilizations.
Yi Nian could have never imagined that she'd one day become its target.
Despite that, she had no regrets. The moment she killed Zong Zhao, she was prepared for the worst-case scenario. She had abandoned any hope or attachment to the Tianxing Civilization, as she knew that they would never let her or Ye Guan live to see another day.
Whoosh!
The Enforcers turned into streaks of flames, merging with the Tianxing Flame Array. The array trembled violently, and a terrifying pressure descended upon Yi Nian, trapping her within its suffocating grasp.
Hiss!
One of the Enforcers emerged, and he was now radiating the power of a Level Eighth expert. Upon closer look, however, it could be seen that he was not alone.
There were dozens of him in a single space.
Although they seemed to occupy the same place, they actually existed in different temporal planes. The concept was similar to Ye Guan's Space Overlap. Dozens of Tianxing Spears fused into one, flying toward Yi Nian.
As the spears came down, the vast Tianxing Sea shattered like ice. Cracks pervaded the ocean at a terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, the sea shattered into a spider web-like pattern.
Faced with the overwhelming power of the strike, Yi Nian's eyes flashed with seriousness. She clenched her fist and got ready to strike. When the spears were close enough, she took to the air and punched it.
She had chosen to meet the attack head-on, and as soon as their attacks collided.
Boom!
A deafening explosion reverberated across the battlefield. Flames erupted in every direction as the entire Tianxing Sea disintegrated, reduced to nothing but debris. Yi Nian, caught in the blast, was blasted thousands of meters away.
Once she came to a halt, she glanced down at her right arm. It had shattered completely, exposing the pale bones beneath. Blood dripped continuously from her wounds.
Before she could do anything, the Enforcers vanished once again.
Screech!
A sharp screech echoed as a blazing spear flew toward her, closing in at impossible speeds.
Boom!
The spacetime around Yi Nian was consumed by the flames and was reduced to ashes. Unable to withstand the attack, Yi Nian was blasted away again.
However, the spear chased after her relentlessly, not giving her any chance to breathe.
Gritting her teeth, Yi Nian spread her hand wide and pressed forward, causing the spacetime in front of her to ripple like water.
The spacetime before her hardened at once. When the spear descended, however, it shattered like brittle glass. The spear then continued, seemingly unstoppable.
Realizing that she could not dodge the attack, Yi Nian clenched her fists and prepared to meet it head-on once again.
Boom!
The spacetime before Yi Nian trembled violently, and it was dented as if it had been struck by a colossal hammer. Yi Nian was forced to retreat, and the spacetime shield she had created earlier shattered immediately.
The spear advanced mercilessly, aiming to end her once and for all.
The Tianxing Spear not only contained the power of thirty Tianxing Civilization Enforcers but the power of thirty Tianxing Flames as well.
A Level Eighth cultivator would surely struggle to block the spear. In the blink of an eye, the spear was already upon Yi Nian. It was so fast that she had no time to retreat, leaving her no choice but to confront it head-on again.
Just as the spear was about to reach her, Yi Nian suddenly asked, "Master Pagoda, can I use you to block this?"
"Yes," Little Pagoda replied, sounding anxious.
Yi Nian took out the tiny pagoda and placed it in front of her.
A golden light erupted, colliding with the spear.
The Tianxing Flames immediately engulfed the pagoda, but the tiny pagoda managed to withstand the attack. The Tianxing Civilization cultivators were astonished, and their gazes landed on the tiny pagoda in front of Yi Nian.
What was that? It could actually withstand the power of so many Tianxing Flames? The Tianxing Flames were capable of obliterating civilizations, so how come a tiny pagoda managed to stand resolute against their might?
Just then, the Tianxing Flame Array in the sky trembled violently, and its flames coiled like serpents, poured down like arrows toward Yi Nian and the tiny pagoda.
At the same time, the spear thrust forward Yi Nian once again.
Faced with the overwhelming assault, Yi Nian's eyes narrowed. She knew that she couldn't stay here any longer. The Tianxing Civilization still had stronger elites that had yet to be deployed.
They hadn't sent them because they thought that she was just a Level Sixth expert, but the higher-ups of the Tianxing Civilization would have realized by now that she was as strong as a Level Nine cultivator.
Yi Nian's mind raced. Then, she grabbed the tiny pagoda and smashed it downward like a hammer. The spear stopped dead in its tracks, and Yi Nian spun around, tearing open a rift in the spacetime to escape.
However, a cold light silently appeared behind her.
Yi Nian's heart jumped. She turned around swiftly and swung her fist.
Boom!
The cold light shattered, revealing a man in a black robe.
Yi Nian's breathing came to an abrupt halt. She was familiar with the newcomer—he was Leng Zang, the second-strongest Enforcement Officer.
Before she could react, something tightened around her in an effort to snatch away the tiny pagoda.
Realizing that their target was Ye Guan, Yi Nian was consumed by rage. With a roar, she clenched her hands, and the spacetime around her imploded. At the same time, she yanked the tiny pagoda away.
However, it turned out that the attack on the tiny pagoda was just bait.
Six shadowy figures flashed past Yi Nian.
Boom!
Yi Nian was blasted away. The moment she stopped, she spat out a mouthful of blood, and her fleshy body cracked open. However, she ignored her injuries and held the tiny pagoda in her arms.
A middle-aged man in white robes was standing in front of her.
With sharp, sword-like eyebrows and an imposing presence, the middle-aged man's figure was a scary sight, especially when his identity as the Chief Officer of the Hall of Justice was considered.
The middle-aged man in white robes was none other than Shang Ling. The strongest among the nine Enforcers, and he was a Level Nine expert.
Seven Enforcement Officers stood behind Shang Ling, and each of them was a peak Level Eighth expert. All nine Enforcement Officers had finally assembled, and dozens of Enforcers stood behind them.
Overall, it was a terrifying sight.
Yi Nian wiped away the blood from her mouth. She knew the odds were not in her favor. After a moment of silence, she looked down at the tiny pagoda in her hands. She stroked it gently as silent tears fell down her cheeks.
"It seems that I can't stay with you any longer," Yi Nian whispered.
Rumble!
Yi Nian tore open a spacetime rift and hurled the tiny pagoda into it.
"Master Pagoda, take him away!"
The spacetime rift closed quickly.
Shang Ling saw that and ordered, "Don't let him escape. Kill him."
With that, they all charged toward Yi Nian's position.
Yi Nian turned to face the advancing Enforcers, knowing that she wouldn't survive today.
Suddenly, she laughed. Her laughter was filled with haunting defiance and sorrow. Her hands clenched tightly, and a Tianxing Flame bloomed between her brows. The spacetime around her became illusory, and her face went pale.
Yi Nian roared, "Die!"
The spacetime in front of Yi Nian was split into thousands of grids, each one housing a blazing Tianxing Flame. In mere seconds, she had replicated tens of thousands of them, filling the sky with a mighty inferno.
This was her ultimate move—Mirror of Spacetime!
She had developed this technique during her research, but she had never used it until now, as it was too demanding. The price to pay to use it was so high that she couldn't afford to pay it.
The sight of more than ten thousand Tianxing Flames was horrifying.
Shang Ling's face twisted in horror, but it was too late for him to retreat.
Boom!
Eight Enforcement Officers were swallowed by the sea of flames, and their souls were directly obliterated.
The spectators jumped in terror and tried to flee, but those too slow were consumed by the flames.
Just then, a spear flew in from the distant sky.
The flames from the inferno were immediately suppressed.
Yi Nian, barely conscious at this point, looked up weakly. The spear tore through the sea of fire and pierced her chest. The momentum dragged her hundreds of meters until her legs gave way.
Yi Nian collapsed to her knees with the spear lodged in her chest. Its tip was burning with a blood-red Tianxing Flame that began to devour her from the inside. It spread through her organs like a deadly poison.
Yi Nian's vision blurred, and she could feel her consciousness slipping away along with her strength. With a final breath, she whispered, "What a pity... I couldn't give you... a child."
Her clenched fists loosened and hung limply on her side.