Then, millions of tons of water in the pond, upon contact with the energy beam, instantly vaporized. No, it directly split into hydrogen and oxygen, and then hydrogen and oxygen atoms triggered nuclear fusion under extreme energy.

Then within one millionth of a second, a gigantic fireball several kilometers in diameter, carrying a bizarre bluish-white glow of plasma flames, rose from the lake surface. The intensely heated air transformed into a shock wave, spreading outward at a visibly rapid pace. Along its path, trees were uprooted and turned to charcoal mid-air, birds instantly vaporized in flight.

So at this moment, there appeared a hole in the ground.

No, it can no longer be called a hole. It’s a wound, a wound on the planet. Where the town and lake originally stood, only a perfect, hemispherical deep crater remained. The crater wall was smooth black glass, reflecting the blood-colored sunset in the sky, the bottom unseen, only endless darkness as if connecting directly to Infinite Hell.

And as the surrounding groundwater gushed out instantly, it was vaporized by the residual heat. Vaporized by the high temperature in the pit, it expanded rapidly, forming an upward thermal current that rolled dust and ash into a towering black smoke column. That pillar rose straight to the sky, dispersing at the top to form a slowly churning, ominous mushroom cloud.

Within the clouds, lightning and thunder. It’s the disturbed electromagnetic fields and atmospheric charges releasing wildly, like the roar of vengeful spirits, issuing the angry roar of thunder.

Yet, these violent lightning storms could not shake even the slightest the South Heavenly Gate perched high in the Sky Dome, stable at the cloud’s height.

Thus, all the rumbling and roaring, heat and death, high energy and explosions, after this brief moment, left only an infinite silence. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Leaving only that giant pit on the ground, which still emitted thermal radiation, seeming to expand outwards, the dead eyes of a pupil, glaring in blind fury at the extinguishing Heavenly Gate, issuing silent accusations.

Jing Yuanzi slowly landed on the ground, standing at the edge of the pit, gazing into the abyss, suddenly feeling like an ant, no, a maggot.

And at this moment, inexplicably, Jing Yuanzi suddenly understood something.

Why Lingxu is so cowardly.

The dignified leader of the Immortal Alliance, Leader of the nine major sects, why he disregarded the rebel army so close at hand.

Why he let the Stone Dragon and that Demon Dragon wreak havoc across the world, turning living beings to ashes, ignoring it.

Why he did nothing for ten years, just thinking day and night about repairing his precious Cloud Platform.

Such gossip in the Mystic Sect never stopped.

Now he understood.

Mad, couldn’t defeat them...

"Yawn—"

Above the Sky Dome, amid wind and clouds, Gao Cheng stretched lazily, slowly descending under the Guard of the swarm, looking nonchalant at the giant pit on the ground, snapping his fingers.

"Get to work."

"Zoom!"

Then a golden egg shot from the South Heavenly Gate, like a meteorite, tracing a parabola towards Jing Yuanzi.

Jing Yuanzi, after all one of the Kongtong Four Elders, wouldn’t be killed by an egg like this. He swiftly dodged.

However, the golden egg does not bounce or jump, but shatters cleanly next to the pit, releasing a thick black oil-like slurry all over the ground.

Gao Cheng impatiently shouted,

"Hey, old maggot, don’t dodge now, lend me your Dao Body for a bit, I’ll repay you a hundred times in your next life."

Jing Yuanzi didn’t respond to him, just squinted, looking at the broken eggshell.

There’s something in the egg... it’s...

A woman?

Yes, a woman curled up within the egg, like an embryo.

Judging from the human organs, skeleton, and body structure, she’s very standard ’human’, showing no traits of demon or signs of Ghost God.

If anything peculiar must be mentioned...

Hmm, this female demon has quite a good figure, over seven feet tall, long legs and torso, ape-like back and wasp-like waist, voluptuous and curvaceous, unlike those short-statured peasant women villagers. Just lacks a face, head bald like a poached egg, indeed missing quite a bit of appeal...

And as the female demon stood up, climbing out of the eggshell, the black oily liquid on the ground seemed to boil, like something alive, peropero crawling onto her. Soon it coated her thoroughly like whale grease, wrapping her layer by layer in black grease, even enveloping that poached egg head tightly within black grease, finally calming down, gradually solidifying into a membrane-like black tight suit.

This outfit seems to be of the same material as the mystic robe on Gao Cheng. It’s very tight-fitting, as if barely worn, like just a layer of body paint smeared on the skin, extravagantly bold, nothing like the conservative modesty of Central Earth’s small household style.

"Outer Heaven Demon Disaster..."

Actually, Jing Yuanzi wasn’t just watching. Earlier, he secretly probed using Taiji Five Qi, but it seemed the black grease had some special shielding effect on Daoist energy, completely impenetrable, so he sensed pure Daoist energy and Escape Skill wouldn’t gain much advantage.

Then he decisively reached into his sleeve and drew out a stone seal, fiddling a few times to lift the restriction seal. Indeed, Kongtong Sect’s signature magic treasure Heaven-Overturning Seal, one seal holds the power to overturn heaven and earth, enough to batter and kill a Divinity Transformation. For now, let’s test the waters, hit her once, see what she’s made of...

"Boom—!!!"

The female demon suddenly lifted one leg high, split in midair, swung it, streaked forth like ink, slashing a black wind.

"Swish!"

Jing Yuanzi dodged once, no, didn’t dodge it.

"Smack."

The arm holding the big seal was slashed by the black wind in midair, breaking on the spot, falling to the ground with a chunk of skin and flesh.

Looking at the severed arm, Jing Yuanzi grinned,

"Oh, interesting."