A black barrier manifested, and her figure retreated rapidly, vanishing entirely into the darkness.

"Just as I expected, you came..." Piao Miaoxu cackled. "After stringing you along for so long, I finally forced you out."

A sword light landed beside Wang Mu. It was the Green-blue Sword.

Wang Mu didn't turn around, but he smelled a familiar, faint fragrance wafting from behind him.

"Leave."

Heroine Yan's voice was calm.

The meaning was clear: she wanted Wang Mu to leave this place. Brief and succinct.

"What about you?" Wang Mu asked.

Heroine Yan did not answer.

Her aura... Wang Mu frowned slightly.

Heroine Yan had arrived quite early. From the outside, it had seemed earlier that the seal was somewhat repaired. Heroine Yan had delved deep into the darkness; it was unknown how many of the Dark Alien Race she had slain.

However, the Dark Alien Race, birthed over millennia and innumerable in quantity, were likely too much for her to handle alone.

Although her voice was calm, Wang Mu still sensed it. She had weakened considerably. After all, she hadn't fully recovered when she left.

Wang Mu shook his head. "I can't leave. This place isn't just about her. We should leave together. We'll make plans once we're out."

Once we're out, Piao Miaoxu will probably be even harder to deal with. Moreover, with the seal broken, the situation in the Nine Provinces is uncertain. Those who sealed this place back then are now either comprehending the Dao, afflicted by curses, or consumed by Emotion Poison; none of them have fully recovered. If we don't leave, I'm afraid...

Heroine Yan remained silent; in the darkness, she merely glanced at the Unrivaled Bell on Wang Mu's waist.

At the same time, Piao Miaoxu burst into laughter. "I've been waiting for you for a long time, Heroine Yan."

"I remember the grudge from that sword strike back then very clearly..."

Piao Miaoxu was referring to the final battle a thousand years ago. In it, Heroine Yan had used the Love Nine Swords to cut off one of Piao Miaoxu's arms, greatly weakening her. The protagonist then seized the opportunity to finish her off.

It was considered a fatal blow. After all, in the game, Heroine Yan was the main damage dealer of the team.

Heroine Yan gently planted the Green Frost Sword into the ground.

"Qingshuang."

"Activate."

BOOM!

The next second, with Qingshuang as the epicenter, a terrifying energy erupted, instantly engulfing all darkness.

The entire world seemed to transform into a boundless Sword Domain. Everything around appeared to have changed.

Ascension. Even in this alien land of darkness, with rules different from the Nine Provinces, its power remained supreme and unparalleled.

It was as if heaven and earth had been remade; everything around became clearly visible.

Wang Mu took a deep breath as majestic Sword Intent rolled in from all directions.

Wang Mu gazed at the figure before him, her white dress stained with blood, and was briefly taken aback.

So this is the power of Ascension? And what exactly is this Great Taoist Sword that Heroine Yan has comprehended?

In the distance, Piao Miaoxu's expression shifted slightly. "I didn't expect Heroine Yan to still possess such strength at a time like this…"

In the ice-colored world enveloped by Qingshuang, only Piao Miaoxu remained a pitch-black mass, her darkness continuously spreading outwards.

"To wield such mighty power alone, resisting the entire world... truly formidable."

"What is this?"

"The Immortalless Sword Realm," Heroine Yan said. "In this realm, no one but me can be an Immortal."

Is this Heroine Yan's Great Taoist?

Wang Mu squinted, looking at the Green Frost Sword embedded in the ground, sensing the Sword Intent that permeated the very air. Every wisp of it was filled with an ultimate and pure will.

If Heroine Yan unleashed this out in the world, it could probably cover more than half a province, annihilating everything in an instant. Here, resisting the encroaching darkness, who knows how much energy it consumes each moment?

Unbeatable.

"Farewell. I'd like to see how long you can hold out," Piao Miaoxu declared, then without another word, turned and dived into the darkness. But before she could escape, she was directly annihilated by interweaving strands of azure-green sword light.

She was annihilated with surprising ease. Wang Mu, however, frowned slightly.

But can darkness truly be eradicated so easily? If the residual soul of Sky Demon Emperor Chen could have been slain, it would have happened long ago. What's more, Piao Miaoxu has absorbed the flesh and blood of the Dark Alien Race. With this Sword Realm manifested, Piao Miaoxu couldn't even fight back. I might have underestimated Heroine Yan's combat prowess. If not for the rules of this place, she could likely have single-handedly purged it. Alas, though she has found her Great Taoist, she has not yet become an Immortal. She cannot change the rules here, much less the nature of the Dark Alien Race.

Each time Piao Miaoxu was struck by the sword light, her form would shrink, and large chunks of her flesh would slough off. It was impossible to tell how many times she had been struck…

Eventually, the range of the Sword Realm began to shrink, and the distant darkness surged forward like a tidal wave.

When I was in the Nascent Soul Stage, the light from any Sword Technique or Spell I cast would be devoured by darkness within seconds… Yet Heroine Yan's Immortalless Sword Realm is so vast and magnificent, repelling the endless darkness, and it has lasted for so long… The disparity is truly immense.

Seeing this, Wang Mu narrowed his eyes. He took a moment to sense his surroundings and, seizing the chance while he could still perceive the area, moved from his original position…

Although Piao Miaoxu can continuously regenerate by drawing on the Dark Alien Race, her aura diminishes each time she is slain… However, if this continues, Heroine Yan will undoubtedly be the first to exhaust her strength…

An unclear amount of time passed.

The azure-green Sword Realm was eventually, slowly, swallowed by the darkness.

This ability to temporarily alter the rules of a realm is likely something only those who have achieved Ascension possess.

By this point, Piao Miaoxu had been cut down repeatedly, reverting from a small mountain-like form to merely a mound-sized figure.

The Qingshuang Sword Light began to dim.