Yun Qianxue took another step forward, her hand resting casually near the hilt of her sword. "Is that so? I don't recall you mentioning this project before."
Yun Lingwei's smile didn't waver. "It was a sudden inspiration. With Nian Shi's forces lurking, we can't afford to be complacent."
The distance between them narrowed.
Yun Qianxue's voice dropped, colder now. "Funny. Because Tang Suyin just told me something interesting about you."
A flicker of tension passed through Yun Lingwei's frame.
"She said your soul feels... wrong."
Yun Lingwei's expression darkened. The pleasant mask cracked, revealing something far more calculating beneath.
Her fingers moved faster than thought—
She slammed her palm onto the formation core.
The entire Nine Firmament City trembled as the defensive formations reversed polarity. The sky turned blood-red as the barriers meant to protect the city now sealed it shut, trapping everyone inside.
Yun Qianxue's sword was already in her hand, its edge singing through the air—
But Yun Lingwei was faster.
She flicked her wrist, and a surge of divine energy erupted from the formation core, blasting outward like a tidal wave.
Yun Qianxue crossed her arms, a shield of frost manifesting just in time—
The ice shattered, and she was sent skidding back, her boots carving grooves into the stone floor.
Yun Lingwei—no, the thing puppeteering her body—smiled now, a cruel, unfamiliar expression.
"Too late, Second Sister."
Outside, the sky split open.
Hundreds of Chaos creatures, previously held at bay by the city's defenses, now descended like locusts. Their shrieks echoed through the streets as they poured into Nine Firmament City.
Yun Qianxue's grip tightened on her sword.
She had no time to waste.
If she didn't stop this impostor now, the entire city would fall.
With a burst of speed, she lunged—
Yun Lingwei blocked with a blade of condensed dark energy, the clash sending sparks flying.
"Did you really think," Yun Lingwei hissed, her voice now layered with something deeper, more guttural, "that you could stop his plans?"
Yun Qianxue didn't answer.
Her sword flared with azure light, and the temperature in the chamber plummeted.
Ice crawled up the walls.
Frost thickened in the air.
And with a roar, Yun Qianxue unleashed her Domain of Eternal Frost.
Yun Qianxue's Domain of Eternal Frost exploded outward, encasing the entire formation chamber in a prison of unbreakable ice. The walls, the floor, even the air itself froze solid in an instant.
Yun Lingwei's body stiffened as frost crawled up her limbs, her movements slowing. But her lips curled into a smirk.
"Do you really think this can stop me?"
Her divine energy pulsed, cracks forming in the ice.
Yun Qianxue didn't hesitate.
She slammed her palm onto the ground.
A massive array lit up beneath them, its runes glowing with ancient power. The ice thickened, reinforcing the barrier, locking Yun Lingwei in place.
Yun Qianxue knew this wouldn't hold forever. But it would buy time.
She turned and shattered the chamber door with a kick, rushing out into the chaos beyond.
Outside, the city was in turmoil.
The once-clear sky had turned into a writhing mass of darkness, torn open by spatial rifts. From the abyss, countless Chaos creatures poured down, their twisted forms blotting out the sun. Their shrieks filled the air, a cacophony of madness.
The citizens below froze in horror, their faces pale.
But only for a moment.
"DEFENSIVE FORMATION, NOW!"
A clear, commanding voice cut through the panic.
Yun Qingrou soared into the sky, her white robes fluttering. Behind her, four other figures followed—Xia Nongyue, Cai Xieren, Tang Suyin, and Li Shan. They were the main forces that stayed behind.
Without hesitation, they spread out, their divine power erupting in unison.
"Barrier Formation—Rise!"
A massive golden dome shimmered into existence above the city, intercepting the descending Chaos creatures. Hundreds slammed into it, their bodies bursting into black mist upon impact.
But more kept coming.
"Hold the line!" Yun Qingrou commanded, her voice steady.
The five True Gods didn't need further instruction. They had fought together for centuries. Each knew their role.
Below, the cultivators of Nine Firmament City quickly organized.
"Everyone, take cover!"
"Defensive squads, to the eastern sector!"
"Archers, focus fire on the larger ones!"
The city's defenders moved with practiced efficiency, their formations tightening.
A deafening tiger's cry shook the battlefield.
From the training grounds, two figures shot into the sky—
Linlin, her massive form radiating divine might.
And Qingqing, her twin green pigtails whipping in the wind as she summoned a hurricane of razor-sharp blades.
Behind them, Bai Ying, in her White Tiger form, leaped into the fray, her claws tearing through enemies like paper.
The tide of battle shifted.
The Chaos creatures, though numerous, were now met with organized resistance.
Yun Qianxue burst out of the formation chamber, her sword already gleaming with frost. The sky was a battlefield—Chaos creatures swarming like locusts, the city's defenders barely holding them back.
With a single leap, she soared into the fray, her blade carving through a dozen abominations in one swing.
But the enemies kept coming.
General-Class Void Creatures now descended—massive, twisted beings with bodies like living shadows and eyes that burned with malice. Each one radiated power equal to a True God.
Yun Qingrou and the others were already engaged, their attacks fierce but struggling to keep up with the sheer numbers.
"We can't hold them all off!" Xia Nongyue shouted.
Yun Qianxue gritted her teeth.
The city was being torn apart. Buildings crumbled under the weight of the assault, streets shattered under the footsteps of monstrous beasts. The mortals, though protected by the cultivators, were still in grave danger.
They could afford to continue likt his.
Just as Yun Qianxue was about to activate the Chaos Goddess power—
A piercing cry echoed across the heavens, so powerful it shook the very fabric of space.
Every Chaos creature froze.
A sea of Phoenix flames erupted from the void, washing over the battlefield like a tidal wave. The inferno burned with divine fury, reducing the Chaos creatures to ashes in an instant.
The General-Class Void Creatures shrieked as their bodies disintegrated, their dark essence unable to withstand the purifying flames.
The sky itself turned crimson.
A petite figure stepped out from the flames, her long red hair dancing like living fire.
She had finally returned…