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--- Chapter 435 ---
"Why are you smiling?" Ye Ziyun questioned grimly.
"Don't you see how futile my struggle was?"
"I have seen everything..."
"Every path!"
"Every struggle!"
"Every death!"
"Every end!"
"Everything I've done so far is useless if I can't even save those people, and that city..."
Han Yuan maintained his sunny smile, "That's because it wasn't your time yet."
"Moreover, you're not a failure. You're a survivor who, despite all odds, would do anything, even sacrifice yourself, to win."
"So, don't give up now."
"Because I promise you..."
"The scenery ahead is just as beautiful as you imagine."
Ye Ziyun gazed deeply into Han Yuan's silver eyes, observing if there was any hint of deceit. Yet, she couldn't.
Han Yuan genuinely believes that he, no, they could change her future for good.
"I have trusted you." Ye Ziyun said somewhat bitterly. "Regret is not something I must mull over."
"You won't regret it." Han Yuan waved his hand teasingly.
Ye Ziyun grabbed Han Yuan's hand, "I hope so."
...
Back in the Glory City.
The 'past' Ye Ziyun was forced back by the Demon Flower Emperor, who used the Slaughter God's Domain to weaken all her attributes.
Although Ye Ziyun has boosted her cultivation to that realm of Quasi-God, at the end of the day, she wasn't very familiar with such powers and used her profound battle instinct to overdrive everything.
It was obvious from the way Ye Ziyun fought. Yes, she was abusing the fact that the Ice God's Heart provided an endless supply of chilling force, forgetting a fundamental mastery of space.
However, there is nothing Ye Ziyun can do about this fact. She was racing against time.
Let alone having enough time to breathe, Ye Ziyun couldn't even afford to have time to dream.
Life is unfair. If Ye Ziyun could wish, she would wish not to be born in the Glory City.
Unfortunately, Ye Ziyun was born in such a great city. She formed bonds here, creating many unforgettable memories and sorrow, laughing joy, and sadness.
Only then did Ye Ziyun realize that she loves this city.
She loves the city and its people.
She loves them so much!
That's why Ye Ziyun is unwavering. Even when facing such unfairness in life, she never complains and only blames herself for being too weak to change her own fate.
"City Lord!"
"Ziyun!"
"Sister Ye!"
"Leader!"
"Lord!"
As Ye Ziyun immersed herself in her own thoughts, the loud voices of her friends pulled her out of it.
She snapped awake, gazing down, finding the old friends and ministers she had chosen to protect the Glory City standing on the ruined clock tower.
Their presence screamed, "We are here for you," and Ye Ziyun couldn't help but feel her lips trembling.
At this stage, Ye Ziyun, while cold, hasn't completely become emotionless because she knew once she reached that point, there was no chance of going back.
As if responding to Ye Ziyun's plea, or perhaps her companions' readiness to help, the Ice God's Heart within her shone with a glimmering, icy-cold brilliance.
Five rays of blue light bypassed the Slaughter God's Domain, hitting Ye Ziyun's companion one by one.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five simultaneous thuds echoed in the fierce battlefield.
The Demon Flower Emperor was stunned, as was the Demon Mountain Emperor, as they witnessed another group of humans gain the power of divinity.
Such a fantasy shouldn't have happened.
Yet, they witnessed this miraculous fantasy happen.
Right before their own eyes.
"Bingqing, Xiaomei, Yuran, Zhilin, Chenxi." Ye Ziyun called the names of her companions. "I will leave the Demon Mountain Emperor to you. Can you buy me sometimes?"
Bingqing, Xiaomei, Yuran, Zhilin, and Chenxi tasted the burden Ye Ziyun had been carrying all this time. They finally understood the very 'price' she had paid to obtain such power.
Not only does the 'divine force' course in their veins, but they also feel like they have lost something important from their own origin.
Humanity.
Emotion.
They could still feel them, but they were 'inherently' suppressed, as if being drowned in cold water.
All that is left is a 'divine vessel' with unnatural rationality.
Still, they didn't regret it.
"Yes, leave it to us!" Five of them responded simultaneously.
The battle continues.
With the new helpers, Ye Ziyun doesn't have to worry about the Demon Mountain Emperor defending the Demon Flower Emperor, and can focus more on fighting the latter.
Slaughter God's domain suppressed Ye Ziyun's domain, but it was not enough to stop her from freezing the air.
Although the Demon Flower Emperor's own attribute had been boosted greatly by the divine force, ultimately, the Slaughter God's Domain wasn't hers. She couldn't unleash its full power.
"Flower Spear Thorns!" The Demon Flower Emperor waved her hands and sent countless jet-black flower-shaped spear thorns at Ye Ziyun, causing whistling sounds to echo in the air.
Ye Ziyun clenched her hand firmly and opened it before sending a palm attack, "Great Snow Palm - Avalanche!"
The frozen air suddenly expanded, shifting the gravity in Ye Ziyun's favor as her palm attack, which appeared soft and gentle, possessed an extra weight like a falling snow avalanche.
Two attacks clashed in the air, causing a ripple in space and time as the momentum of Ye Ziyun's attack continued to grow.
However, unknown to Ye Ziyun, a pair of evil eyes has been gazing at her for a long time.
While everyone is busy fighting, someone bypasses the plane-crossing array within the core area of Glory City and shatters it, causing the rifts to appear all over the city again.
Ye Ziyun sensed this and muttered, "That annoying God again..."
"Hehe, are you looking down on me?" The Demon Flower Emperor giggled playfully. "You will pay for that!"
Ye Ziyun gazed at her solemnly, "Let's finish this quickly."
"White Heaven's Fall - Endless Snowstorm."
Drawing even more divine force from the Ice God's Heart, Ye Ziyun used her domain as the catalyst and created a heavy and cold snowstorm that swept the area.
The domain not only prevented the rifts from forming completely but also slowed down every entity that Ye Ziyun deemed an enemy.
Of course, this comes with another price. Ye Ziyun's body lost more of its humanity.
Then, the final test arrived.
The rumbling sound of heaven echoed in the Glory City.
Thunderclouds gathered above the Glory City as the 'natural order' had detected that Ye Ziyun is no longer a human being and has transformed into a spirit beast.
And not just any spirit beast, but a 100,000-year-old spirit beast, who must survive the Heavenly Lightning Tribulation.
Slaughter God grinned at this sight, "Kekeke, I have been waiting for this, human, no, lowly beast."
"You finally made a critical mistake."
"And I would be more than happy to exploit it!"
As the subordinate of Asura Godking, wouldn't it be normal for Slaughter God to possess some of his authority? And that authority is none other than the Judgement of All Living Beings!
Slaughter God knew he couldn't make a direct move against Ye Ziyun and the Glory City.
Otherwise, he would have broken the Divine Realm's laws.
Thankfully, there is a loophole.
Spirit Beast!
Yes, Slaughter God possessed the authority to judge Spirit Beasts if they had the potential to threaten the Divine Realm.
Ye Ziyun, while not a pure Spirit Beast, has transformed into one through an unorthodox means.
Imagine what she could achieve if she had more time?
No, this evil bud must get snipped at all costs!
"To protect the world from the evil born Spirit Beast, I, Slaughter God, shall descend to stop this chaos!" Slaughter God declared with a nasty grin on his face.
"Evil Woman! No, Evil Beast! Kekeke, let me end your life for the good of the world!"