Within the Firefeather military camp, Lilith's singing suddenly crescendoed, and concurrently, her Crescent Cross Scepter in hand slowly moved until its crescent top pointed towards the direction where Yudel was fighting.
As she moved, the Holy Light barrier's defense also shifted, the dense power of Holy Light slowly converging towards the direction indicated by the Crescent Cross Scepter, forming a thick barrier of Holy Light energy.
Simultaneously, from the perspective of Lilith and the soldiers within the camp, a gigantic inverted funnel-shaped tornado appeared in the distant sky, the dark clouds being sucked into it at a high speed. At the bottom of the tornado, a Azure Dragon, carrying the might of the collapsing sky, plunged down.
The Azure Dragon landed.
In that instant, the world seemed to lose its sound and color, turning into a black and white silent film. Then, with the point of the Azure Dragon's landing as the epicenter, the ground trembled and cracked as if struck by a powerful earthquake, followed by a loud rumble as the ground split open, hurling rocks and boulders in all directions.
Before people could recover from this apocalyptic scene, a wave of incredibly powerful shockwaves spread out from the center of the Azure Dragon's landing, sweeping up the shattered rocks and exerting tremendous destructive force.
Almost within a breath's time, the shockwave and debris reached the Holy Light barrier. The barrier emitted a dazzling light, blocking the impact and destruction from the outside.
Under the immense force, the surface of the Holy Light barrier rippled like water, barely able to withstand the pressure.
Lilith hastily increased the volume of her hymn singing while her left hand swiftly traced Holy Light magic runes in the air, continuously replenishing the Holy Light barrier's energy.
After what felt like an eternity, the shockwave finally ceased, and the dark clouds also vanished.
All that remained was a crater resembling a meteorite impact, a thousand meters in radius, with numerous wisps of blue smoke rising from the ground.
At the crater's center, Yudel stood, leaning on his Dragon-Spear, breathing heavily, on the verge of collapse. Clearly, the devastating strike had taken a toll on him.
By this time, Bakker had been reduced to ashes under the fierce attack.
Yudel suddenly laughed heartily, roaring with a spirited "Thrilling!"
A buzzing sound not far from him caught Yudel's attention.
He looked up to see a fiery red blade partially buried in the ground, its exposed part vibrating and emitting a buzzing sound as if calling out to Yudel. It was the Nine-Turns Phoenix Blade, the national treasure of the Firefeather nation.
Yudel staggered to the blade, pulled it out, and inspected it.
The fiery red blade was sleek and graceful, ancient yet dynamic. The phoenix engravings on both sides of the blade were lifelike, as if a real divine phoenix perched on the blade itself.
Yudel swung the blade a few times, producing a peculiar sound of cutting air, as if giant wings were flapping through the atmosphere.
"Indeed, a fine blade, but alas, you lacked a worthy master to unleash your full potential," Yudel remarked.
The blade seemed to respond with a buzz.
Yudel said, "I'm hardly suitable to be your master, as my path of cultivation doesn't align with yours."
The Nine-Turns Phoenix Blade buzzed again, seemingly in disappointment.
Yudel continued, "But, I do have someone in mind who would be a perfect match for you."
The blade buzzed once more, then a gentle fire elemental energy surged from the blade, slowly infusing into Yudel's body. The warmth quickly spread throughout his body, alleviating some of his physical fatigue. However, most of the energy could not be absorbed and dissipated into the air.
The blade, unwilling to give up, sent another wave of richer fire elemental energy, but with even less success. Most of the energy couldn't even enter Yudel's body and dissipated around him, igniting and burning out in the air.
"Your kindness is appreciated, but my cultivation is based on bloodline and physical strength, not on absorbing spiritual energy. Hence, I'm not suited to be your master," Yudel said to the blade, as flames like blood mist surged around him. With a step, he vanished from the spot, appearing far away in an instant before moving on again.
Inside the Firefeather camp, Lilith exhaled deeply, lowering the Crescent Cross Scepter and dispelling the Holy Light barrier enveloping the camp.
A platinum ring on her right hand flashed, and the Crescent Cross Scepter disappeared.
Turning slightly, she asked in a soft voice, "Master Hyman, where might you be heading?"
Hyman, who was blending into the shadows to escape, was startled and quickened his pace into the shadows. His shadow magic specialized in stealth and concealment. Merging into the shadows, he believed he had a 50% chance to escape the camp.
Having witnessed the capabilities of Yudel and Lilith, he had no intention of engaging in battle, doubting even his ability to escape. Not to mention Yudel's destructive power, even Lilith's display of Holy Light magic clearly reached the level of a seventh-tier legendary mage.
Lilith waved her left hand, chanting softly, "Six Paths of Light Prison!"
Six beams of Holy Light rose around Hyman without warning, swiftly closing in and immobilizing him, preventing further use of shadow magic to blend into the shadows. Hyman, with a look of resolve, quickly grabbed a black crystal pendant hanging on his chest and crushed it.
A dark magical power surged from the shattered pendant, forming a dense black smoke that rapidly enveloped Hyman.
But Lilith smiled, turning to face Hyman, her black eyes fixed on something behind him, speaking in a gentle yet reproachful tone, "Have you finally had enough fun to return?"
Hyman felt a gust behind him, and flames like blood mist enveloped the black smoke around him, reverting his smoke-like body back to flesh and blood, immobilizing him completely.
Then, a powerful strike hit his waist. He distinctly heard his spine snap and was heavily slammed into the ground.
Yudel retracted his Dragon-Spear, planting its end into the ground, then without a glance at Hyman, who had lost all control over his body, approached Lilith with the Nine-Turns Phoenix Blade in hand.
"Enough madness?" Lilith glanced at him.
Seeing Lilith about to scold further, Yudel chuckled and presented the blade, changing the subject, "Check out this blade, a top-tier divine artifact. I know you have a preference for blades; what do you think?"
Captivated by the fiery red blade, Lilith exclaimed, "Incredible, this is the Firefeather nation's national treasure, the Nine-Turns Phoenix Blade, isn't it?"
Yudel grinned, "Like it? You know I can't use space storage equipment, so how about you keep it for me for now?"
Pretending to be bothered, Lilith responded, "What a hassle, am I your storage now?" Despite her words, she eagerly infused Holy Light magic into her silver ring, her personal space storage item where she kept her Crescent Cross Scepter.
The ring flashed, and the Nine-Turns Phoenix Blade was stored within. Then, Lilith retrieved the sword Yudel had entrusted to her earlier and handed it back to him.
"Your sword, it's time for it to be drawn," Lilith said meaningfully.
Yudel grasped the sheathed sword, a proud smile on his face, "Indeed, it's time."
He then strode forward to the edge of the now-damaged central command tent, surveying the Firefeather soldiers.
By now, the soldiers had recovered from their shock, their emotions more stirred than before, their eyes shining with admiration, excitement, and pride for their young commander, their hearts racing, faces flushed, breathing heavy.
"Soldiers!" Yudel declared, "Everyone says the Blackwater Empire's army is strong, invincible. They say that seventh-tier Nascent Soul practitioners are formidable, unbeatable by lower-ranked cultivators. But I tell you, no enemy in this world is invincible. As soldiers, when we fight, we fight. Firefeather warriors, embrace death as you live!"
Similar words were spoken before the battle with Bakker. Back then, most doubted these words. But now, with Yudel's overwhelming victory over Bakker, a seventh-tier Nascent Soul practitioner, his words ignited the passion of the Firefeather soldiers.
"Embrace death as we live! Embrace death as we live!" The soldiers' chants echoed in the camp.
Yudel raised his sheathed sword, signaling silence. The chanting stopped instantly. At this moment, for this army, Yudel's every action was their highest command.
Yudel continued, "Decades ago, a man from the Blackwater Empire named Aurogon, wielding the ancient divine weapon—The Emperor's Sword, conquered the entire Pan continent. Legends say the Emperor's Sword upholds the Heavenly Dao; whoever possesses it, commands the world.
However, divine weapons possess spirits. If the wielder strays from the Heavenly Dao, lacking in virtue, the Emperor's Sword will leave them, seeking a new master.
For over a decade, the Blackwater Empire's tyrannical rule has made life miserable for its people. Thus, two years after Aurogon's death, the Emperor's Sword disappeared, no longer belonging to the Blackwater Empire. The Heavenly Dao no longer stands with the Blackwater Empire.
Today, I will tell you, in this world, where the Heavenly Mandate truly lies."
With that, Yudel drew the sword that had never been unsheathed in his hand, pointing it towards the heavens.
The entire place fell silent.
