In the silent space, some tried to cast magic to resist the rapid drainage of their life force. In those few seconds where time seemed to have stopped, several mages’ bodies could no longer withstand the immense pressure. They disintegrated into a cloud of ash, vanishing from the mortal world.
As Li Yue had said before, everything would return to the dust. Futile struggling was utterly useless because no matter how one tried to hide, death would arrive as promised. Today was the day their end drew near.
“Turn them to dust, to nothingness, and to oblivion,” the girl in the air whispered. Her silhouette was pitch black, her blood-colored skirt hanging down from the sky as she waited for everything in the mortal world to turn to ash.
Those brilliant spells, magic once used by the gods themselves, all came to nothing in this space permeated by death. Just as all things grew during creation, they were now perishing in this moment as the world returned to dead silence.
“1 second... 2 seconds... 3 seconds...” As time passed, the number of people within the silent space dwindled. She slowly descended to the ground. It was now the seventh second.
“Die...” Her hand pressed down on Edward’s head. Half of Bledsoe’s body had already vanished into nothingness; the remaining half’s heart was still struggling to beat.
“10 seconds... 11 seconds... 12 seconds...” Li Yue’s palm tightened slightly, and she ripped Edward’s head clean off.
“What is the Royal Court’s goal?”
“The... Trunk...” Half of the head had already turned to ash. The remaining half slowly spoke, its tone sounding like a machine without its own consciousness, merely answering the question dully.
“Fifteen seconds are up.” Li Yue coughed up a mouthful of blood. The bodies of every magic user present had turned into a cloud of dust. Only the God's remains were left on the ground, glowing with a faint light before sinking into the Death Abyss to be devoured by the giant snake.
“Alright... just that one left, and it will be over...” Li Yue slowly placed her hand on the shell condensed from the tree-fruit. A faint light pulsed out, and her hand was actually repelled.
“It’s only natural to fear me...” Li Yue adjusted her physical state. The eyes, which were a vital part of the God's remains, had finally allowed her to fully gather the power of four pieces of the remains, enabling her to manifest the powerful domain of “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
An aura rapidly approached from deep underground. She had sensed something hiding there from the very beginning, but because there were too many threats present and her own condition was extremely poor, she had ignored it.
She leaned slightly to the side, dodging a sneak attack from this strange creature. The bone blade formed from its arm nearly grazed her.
“How strong. Even though I hid so deep and prepared the vitality of tens of thousands of people, it was still drained completely. I almost died.” The eerie creature grew a face. It was Fen'ao. His hand touched the tree-fruit remains; he was not rejected. Instead, in this moment of desperation, the masterless God's remains seemed to have decided to accept him.
“So it’s you. I had a feeling...” Li Yue’s figure moved instantly. Fen'ao couldn't even track her movements before a blood sword was driven into his chest.
“I saved one second... just for you.” Li Yue poured the power of death into the tip of the blade. Fen'ao’s chest instantly turned into flying ash. He frantically absorbed energy from the God's remains, his hand gripping them tightly until that incredibly long second finally ended. Only one of his hands remained.
“It’s over...” Li Yue collapsed to her knees, weak and exhausted. She coughed up more blood, looking incredibly frail. At that moment, the God's remains emitted a faint green light. The entire body began to heal slowly, and the severed joints started to fuse together.
“What?”
A powerful impact nearly sent Li Yue flying. Her body spun in the air, and she tried to land steadily, but she had reached her limit. Lacking the strength to stand, she knelt on the ground.
“Ha! This is it... the Perfect Lifeform I’ve been pursuing!” A snow-white figure slowly rose from the coffin. Its body was pure white with exceptionally robust muscles. Its form was like clay, capable of shifting into various biological traits at will.
“This pressure... he’s actually reached the Calamity class...” Li Yue begrudgingly wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. As the most perfect lifeform, its only natural enemy in this world was likely “Death” itself.
“I have to go...” Li Yue’s body sank into the Death Abyss, slowly disappearing from the scene. Her consciousness began to drift into sleep. At that moment, the invitation in her ring emitted a faint glow again.
I’ll go sit inside for a while during my rest... As for the rest, I’ll have to plan carefully.
On the other side, Professor Kent was somewhat exhausted after dealing with four spatial mages of the same rank as himself. He had also felt the powerful aura of death from that space, followed by the subsequent explosion of immense vitality. He knew the God's remains had fallen into someone else’s hands.
“Fen'ao... are you still pursuing that Perfect Lifeform?” Professor Kent straightened his clothes. With a flash, he appeared on a ship preparing to depart. He shook his head at the students.
“The good news is that I’ve dealt with all my rivals. We knew each other well, but I’ve killed them all...” Professor Kent appeared to be injured. Those four Great Mages were of the same lineage as him, and knowing each other's secrets made them truly difficult to deal with. As for Fen'ao, he could guess that the man had likely perfected his magic and turned himself into a Perfect Lifeform.
“I didn’t expect... that he would still persist with the proposal I personally rejected all those years ago, even after being exiled to the Academy...” Professor Kent shook his head. “We need to notify the Five Staves to take action. Let’s head back first!”
Pale gold runes flashed around the ship as it disappeared from the sea.
At the center of the temple, a robust figure emerged from the coffin. It possessed the most perfect physique, and its golden eyes contained both intense excitement and cold indifference.
“I have finished evolving... Next, it’s your turn... ‘Death’!”
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