Chapter 431: The Day of the Supreme Sacrifice, the Convergence of Ten Thousand Streams

Boom! Thud! A thunderous explosion, a heavy tolling in the heart! Jiang Ying retreated several steps, tap-tap-tap, as her puppets were already shattered upon the ground.

"This, impossible, Spirit Severing, Spirit Severing late-stage?!"

Her face turned deathly pale as she looked at Ming, who had already broken through her realm before her, and glanced at the puppets that had come to support her, now falling one by one and turning into clusters of exploding fireworks; her head was buzzing, and for a moment, she stood there, stunned.

Just as Ming moved her hands in a casual stepping motion, she suddenly snapped back to reality, her body naturally assuming a defensive stance, her instinctual roar of escape forcibly suppressed by muscle memory, her cultivation base already compressing and brewing.

"That armor, it wasn't meant to amplify you, it was meant to restrict you!?"

"Oh? To be able to react even to this, it seems you have experienced quite a few life-and-death crises. Although, looking at it this way, your problems in state of mind are even more severe; I estimate there is no possibility of breaking through to the Void Refinement realm."

Ming nodded as she spoke, originally not wanting to say anything more, but she couldn't help herself: "That's right, with the help of His Excellency An Shen, that armor, while it appeared to be an enhancement, was actually a restriction, because one cannot be impulsive, cannot be careless, one needs to hide one's talents, to proceed slowly... Who is it?!"

As she reached the end of her words, she realized something was wrong—she had been influenced, which was why she had been rambling on—so she immediately let out a sharp shout, causing the air to crack and birthing peals of thunder that spread in all directions, appearing exceptionally formidable, perfectly controlling the power she had gained after her breakthrough.

She was not specifically targeting Jiang Ying, yet Jiang Ying felt a strong sense of suffocation.

The same talent, the same constitution, yet vastly different cultivation bases; it was a situation of being completely crushed, with no possibility of winning in sight, and she likely couldn't even hinder the opponent for a single moment.

It's over!

I'm dead for sure! And I've let everyone down!

Her heart was in chaos, unable to steady itself, until someone gently patted her on the shoulder.

There were actually still people around! Jiang Ying was suddenly startled and looked back.

Ming, on the opposite side, also revealed a look of shock, appearing incredulous.

Suddenly.

Figure after figure appeared behind Jiang Ying at this moment, flickering and indistinct, mere remnants, yet each with their own unique qualities—some composed, some steady, some smiling.

The Apostles of the Holy God!

"It's actually you all?!"

Ming couldn't help but mutter to herself, then instantly calmed down; the move she was about to make—to strike with thunderous force, crush Jiang Ying, and then step over her corpse to advance—had to be slowed down, changing instead to the brewing of a killing blow.

However, even if they were the Apostles of the Holy God, even their crazed, powerful forms after being infected by the Fluorite Disease were not her match before; now, as mere shadows left behind in their normal state, how much power could they have? How could they possibly be a match for her after her second breakthrough?!

But Ming did not seem to think so, appearing exceptionally cautious.

Facing her hostile and cautious attitude, the Apostles had varied expressions, their gazes fixed on Jiang Ying before them, filled with wonder and inquiry, clearly quite concerned about the fact that the two of them looked exactly the same.

"Who are you?"

Jiang Ying was bewildered now, because she didn't recognize a single one of the people before her, yet she felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had seen them somewhere before.

"Us? We're just a bunch of dead old fogies, the lingering images of the Flower of the Departed, the reappearance of withered blossoms, which is why we can appear at a time like this."

Lie stroked his chin as he spoke, his expression gentle, carrying a hint of a smile.

At the necessary moment, to reproduce the lingering images of everyone from before their deaths!

Utilizing the fragments of his divine ability and the unique nature of the exotic item, the Rift Flower, Lie had advised the Apostles this way back then, and so everyone entrusted their power and their afterimages to him.

It was because of this connection that Lie was able to guide the crowd of crazed Apostles to appear before Ming at the moment of their release and rest, just as they had requested before.

Not to cause any more trouble for others, and also to vent some dissatisfaction, and to let Ming vent her own dissatisfaction in advance as well.

"Rift Flower?"

Jiang Ying suddenly realized, because within her own body, her physical origin had once consumed the antidote made primarily from it—the largest portion, at that—which was why she felt such familiarity with Lie and the others, who were also using it to manifest their immature divine abilities.

However, after calming down, she also sensed the wavering instability of the group.

The afterimages of the departed, amidst a conflict of this magnitude, were being interfered with by the formless Qi and momentum, flickering constantly as if they had a bad connection; they had no real power, at most enough to unleash a single strike.

What's more, they were merely strong geniuses with normal cultivation levels from their lifetimes; some were even only at the early stage of Spirit Severing. Compared to the puppets that had just been instantly crushed, their strength seemed even more inferior!

Jiang Ying's gaze dimmed, and her heart began to waver.

"We, in fact, have each wavered as well, and have existed in hesitation, because the black curtain of the firmament was so deep."

"We, in fact, also had our immature aspects; this is not something to be ashamed of admitting."

"So, being immature is nothing, not being firm enough is fine, and being afraid or terrified is only natural!"

"Haha, don't look at me as their leader now; back when I led a hunting party for the first time, I was so scared I almost wet my pants."

"Choosing to escape because one cannot forget."

"Knowing one harbors desires yet being unable to let go."

"Hey, hey, how did this turn into a session of exposing each other's shortcomings?"

"In short, even if we are hundreds-of-years-old geezers, we are still just mortals, not some immortals or gods!"

"So, there is no need to care too much; keeping one's innocence is fine, for that is what is called an original intention. Then, one just needs to move forward step by step, along that correct and bright path, gradually becoming perfect bit by bit—isn't that what cultivation is?"

The Apostles saw Jiang Ying's biggest problem at a glance, just like their little sister, Ming, had been back then.

And so, they taught her earnestly and guided her patiently...

Ming, on the opposite side, couldn't help but feel a bit dazed, as if she had returned to those days.

Even now, her heart actually still yearned for those scenes, all that had been under the radiance... but, in the end, that was only false; insisting on a false correctness under the shroud of the black curtain was nothing but a reflection in a mirror or the moon in the water—it had no meaning at all.

Ming calmed down again in the blink of an eye, her eyes unconsciously turning cold and sharp.

Even if her brothers and sisters stood before her again, she would not hesitate or waver for even a fraction! "Little sister!"

One of the Apostles spoke, the one most dissatisfied with her actions: "The An Shen released the Fluorite Disease before, and you left a message saying you were going to kill him—why did you end up defecting to him instead!"

"... Because that was simply inevitable; even if His Excellency An Shen hadn't released it, it was already at the point of erupting. Moreover, he was right about some things: innocence cannot solve problems. Facing an unimaginable enemy, one can only do this."

Her gaze flashed as she spoke in such a low voice.

As things stood, she actually had points of disagreement regarding An Shen, which was why she had just wiped out the An King and his group in passing.

Their eventual parting of ways was only a matter of time.

But now, facing a common enemy, that black curtain of the firmament, after much struggle, she still chose to cooperate with it, to obtain the various powers the other party had researched, allowing herself to grow more and faster.

"Is that so?"

"And what if it is? Looking at what you just said, it seems you aren't completely ignorant of everything either. Heh, you really did hide quite a lot from me, but it doesn't matter anymore. Even though you are already dead, do you still intend to hinder me?"

Ming suppressed a flicker of irritation in her heart, which had stirred after the word "Black Curtain" was mentioned by the person opposite. Because of deliberate concealment, Ming had previously assumed the Holy God was completely ignorant, so the Holy God's intentional remark just now sounded exceptionally ridiculous to her.

But now, the situation seemed to have changed; thus, the Holy God bringing that final fellow over clearly wasn't that simple, the Dark God's plan...

The Apostles' words interrupted Ming's train of thought.

"That's right, we must stop you, for the sake of a brand-new tomorrow!"

"Ming, this name, discussed by God and man together, is our shared aspiration!"

"You all are just too naive!"

Ming also spoke up to interrupt.

"Whether it's naive or not actually doesn't matter!"

"You don't understand at all..."

"No, we all understand!"

"The enemy is an existence even more terrifying and despair-inducing than the boundless darkness of the starry sky!"

"..."

"We understand, we are clear on it; however, the Holy God is paving the way ahead, and mere mortals only need to keep their heads down and charge forward, because no matter how we think or what we do, we cannot break through that kind of darkness. This is our reality; since that is the case, why not just be straightforward and set a goal that is even harder to achieve?"

Therefore, remain naive and worship the light!

"Even if we are only fragile mortals, compared to the people behind us, we are already the strong; if even the strong dare not try to look ahead, who else would dare to dream?"

The Apostles were in high spirits, having no regrets even in death.

"You all are really the same as always..."

Ming couldn't help but mutter this, and a smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of her mouth.

However, power was boiling; looking from afar, at the very top of the entire royal palace, a surging and terrifying blood energy was manifesting like a scorching great sun.

Supreme Sacrificial Sun!

By devouring the Fluorspar Sickness and consuming various secret arts imparted by the Dark God, it was no longer just the simple use of a supreme physical body, but a substantial Dao might and physical supernatural ability created by combining Great Might, Dharma Domain, physical body, and so on! The little sister of the Apostles, who had long since grown up and cast aside her naivety, no longer hoped to step into tomorrow, but had decided to die on the road to that tomorrow! "Hahaha, it's here, it's here! The little sister who is the most terrifying when she gets serious!"

"No, no, no, it should be the youngest who is the most terrifying now!"

"Why worry about that? As older brothers and sisters, we haven't lived for hundreds of years for nothing!"

"Let us unite our wills and show them properly this strength we've been secretly accumulating!"

Listening to the Apostles' battle-eager and fearless words, Jiang Ying, who had been dazed for a long time, finally revealed a slow smile and interjected: "How did it become that I'm the outsider while you all are talking? Clearly, I am supposed to be the protagonist of this battle!"

She was indeed the protagonist! Although the Apostles had left behind their power, they needed a vessel to realize further progress.

Jiang Ying was the best vessel right now!

Supreme physical body.

Strange object, Gap Flower.

Goals aligned.

"Fight!"

The projections of the Apostles crowded behind Jiang Ying, who was clenching her fists; an invisible bond had already connected them, and her aura surged and exploded—early-stage Nascent Soul completion, mid-stage Nascent Soul, mid-stage Nascent Soul completion, late-stage Nascent Soul!!! In an instant, before even Ming could stop it, under the reinforcement of the Apostles, a certain Dao technique had already been used, allowing Jiang Ying to instantly reach the same level as the enemy.

The surging sea of blood crashed down, as if to overwhelm the great sun; within the roar came bursts of thunder, and the sky unknowingly gained a layer of blood clouds, with a drizzling rain of blood falling, making the sea of blood energy even more profound. As for the crowded Jiang Ying, her whole body seemed to turn into gold and silver colors, then flashed and vanished, concentrating in her forehead to form a two-colored pattern.

Vajra, Dust Ash, Rain Bone, Gap Flower... everything contained within was stimulated; the future expected by True Monarch Unmoving was stimulated and even dragged off course, like sailors on a warship rocking the ship as they charged, breaking through the violent sea.

Convergence of Ten Thousand Streams!

Physical supernatural ability! The next instant, the Sacrificial Sun crashed into the sea, and Ming had already taken the lead in attacking.

Jiang Ying was no longer afraid, no longer wavering, just responding calmly.

Boom!!!

The terrifying battle of the supreme began.

And whether it was the Sacrificial Sun or the sea, both intentionally or unintentionally ignored one hall.

Over here, a battle was also taking place.

Time returned to just a moment ago.

Du En broke into the hall.

High windows reflecting the moon.

On an empty throne, there was no figure of a god.

Du En, who broke in here, only disturbed the tranquility before the throne.

The Holy God's hanging lamp brought an even more tit-for-tat brightness.

Unknowingly, from the bottom of the palace tower, brilliant radiance was gushing, covering it layer by layer.

The Holy God began to make her own moves, with a sense of having been prepared for a long time.

However, at this moment, outside the Dark Capital, the boundless Sickness Sea located in the interlayer between the surface and the interior also began to surge due to the collapse of the city walls and the weakening of the Dark God's protection.

It appeared from the sky canopy, surging and raging, boundless and limitless, causing the only remaining living creature here, Ming's mount, the great snake, to reveal a look of terror and shock.

However, accompanied by the emergence of a dark light, reappearing from the base of the broken city wall, the great formation of the Dark Capital that cut off the Sickness Sea finally stopped hiding.

Rumble...

The Sickness Sea seemed to have its own consciousness, knowing that this might be the only moment it could invade the Dark Capital, and immediately stirred up huge waves, charging toward the Dark Capital.

But this side was clearly prepared; accompanied by the rising of the Dark Moon, radiance spread over, and pillars of moon essence fell from thin air, like sea-calming needles, stabbing directly into the Sickness Sea.

The huge waves quietly subsided; although the Sickness Sea did not retreat, it became calm.

Correspondingly, the Holy God's surging light also temporarily stalled because of this.

It was not because the Dark God had also used magic to suppress it, but because she had stopped on her own initiative.

It was as if she were being threatened by the situation of the Sickness Sea outside, and she could only appear depressed while being coerced.

(End of this chapter)