Harris hovered above the remote town, dense storm clouds churning ominously overhead. Thunder rumbled as threads of lightning coiled within the thickening mass—swollen like crumbling cement on the verge of collapse.
This grand formation was Harris’s meticulously crafted scheme. It had drained nearly all his power, even borrowing strength from the Eye of Divinity. Below, Pantheon Cult disciples clad in purple robes raised their hands, channeling energy skyward.
Though the Eye of Divinity was merely a fragment of a Primordial God, it held immense power. Combined with Harris’s own Eighth Tier strength, the formation could unleash a full-powered strike rivaling a Ninth Tier Expert.
In a world where Ninth Tier reigned supreme, only Primordial Gods could withstand such a blow—but they had vanished into history’s river or slumbered in deep dormancy. No living soul could endure it. Even a peak Ninth Tier expert would suffer grievous injury resisting fully. Then dozens of Sixth and Seventh Tier disciples would swarm in to finish the job.
No matter how formidable the clinic’s doctor was—he was doomed today.
Having silently and instantly slain Hall Master Qitong, a Seventh Tier expert, the doctor was clearly a top-tier Ninth Tier powerhouse. Harris stood on high alert, marshaling every available force for this ultimate strike.
The formation alone should suffice—but just in case, he brought seasoned disciples. If the doctor drew even one breath afterward, they’d eliminate him at any cost.
This doctor had sparked an alliance between the Demon Clan and Hero Association, even anticipated the Pantheon Cult’s threat. Whoever he was—he had to die.
Disciples gazed upward at the pitch-black clouds, fanatical fervor burning in their eyes.
“This strike from the Divine Envoy will obliterate the whole town!”
“Naturally! Ninth Tier power is this terrifying—and amplified by the Eye of Divinity!”
“No Ninth Tier expert alive could withstand it!”
Cheers erupted. After repeated raids by the Demon Clan and Hero Association left branches shattered and helpless, they finally had the mastermind in sight.
Eliminate the doctor, and the alliance loses its linchpin. That fragile thread of cooperation snaps.
A smirk played on Harris’s lips. The town below looked like a cake—tiny houses like sesame seeds, crushable with a pinch.
Then his sharp eyes caught a figure emerging from the clinic. A woman walked toward them, leisurely yet utterly composed.
“The rat that slipped away… dares show itself now?”
Su Zhaoyu’s slitted pupils locked onto Harris midair. Her voice, soft yet icy, pierced every disciple’s ears—bone-chilling, sending shivers down spines.
*The Demon Emperor…* Harris’s heart jolted, then steeled.
“Heh. Demon Empress—you truly believe you can withstand this?” he sneered.
He knew her reputation: a Ninth Tier expert of formidable standing. Reports claimed her power had grown. So what?
A Ninth Tier strike empowered by the Eye of Divinity—was it so easily blocked?
“Try it,” Su Zhaoyu replied with a calm smile, beautiful and sovereign, radiating unshakable authority.
“Arrogant! Do you think you’re invincible?” Harris mocked.
“I am not invincible,” she said, still smiling. “But to you? I might as well be.”
“Then pay for your arrogance! Let’s see if you save that doctor!” Harris’s eyes sharpened—he activated the formation.
If she failed to block it, the doctor died. If she intercepted it—she’d be crippled or slain right here. Perfect.
The cement-black clouds descended. A brilliant lightning bolt split the sky, roaring downward like a dragon of frenzied energy.
*Be destroyed!* Harris’s mind screamed.
Condensed annihilation. One strike would wipe the town clean. Not even Su Zhaoyu could survive.
Nine tails unfurled behind her. Pointed ears twitched in the gale. A slender arm rose diagonally toward the falling lightning. Crimson lips parted.
“Shatter.”
A biting wind surged, twisting into a tornado of snow and ice that met the bolt midair. Massive ice shards bloomed beneath it like shields.
Lightning tore through the gale, collided with ice—shrinking violently like a stripped corn cob with a deafening crack. It pierced onward, but heat melted the ice into torrential rain.
The downpour slowed. The lightning faltered. Less than a hundred meters above ground, it vanished—neutralized.
Clouds dissipated. Rain fell—the melted remnants of shattered ice.
All that painstaking effort… reduced to a chilly drizzle? Impossible! This was a formation empowered by the Eye of Divinity!
Unless… Su Zhaoyu had ascended to the unreachable Tenth Tier.
Harris reeled. Ascension this fast? Unthinkable.
Before he could process it—her slender fingers pointed at him.
His mind went blank.
Ice encased him instantly. Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface.
Then—shattered. Harris and ice alike exploded into countless fragments.
