The remaining soldiers of the Vermillion Bird Kingdom watched in stunned silence, their hearts pounding wildly at the unprecedented spectacle, unsure whether they felt awe or terror.
Tens of thousands of soldiers perished within five breaths amidst the inferno...
The red rain gradually ceased, and the flames slowly dispersed. A gentle breeze stirred, scattering bone ash across the ground, creating a chilling scene.
Beneath it, a disheveled figure, charred black, was huddled on the ground, clutching their head and trembling as if driven mad.
Bai Ran walked before him, looking down, with Bai Hu close behind.
"You scion of the White Tiger Kingdom, I'll give you a choice."
Kang Liang looked up, his eyes falling upon the seductive demoness before him. He stumbled backward in sheer terror.
"De... De... Demoness!"
"Will you betray your country, or would you rather sacrifice the millions of citizens of the White Tiger Kingdom?"
"Citizens! Citizens! I'll sacrifice the citizens!" Kang Liang's shoulders shook violently. He fell to his knees at Bai Ran's feet, his head repeatedly thudding against the ground.
A familiar question, yet a different answer.
"We... we won..." a soldier of the Vermillion Bird Kingdom exclaimed incredulously to his companion.
"We really won!"
"I've decided! Fourth Miss Bai is my goddess from now on!"
"Goddess Bai!"
...
Cheers and exclamations echoed, deafening in their fervor.
"I'll leave him to you," Bai Ran turned to Murong Chen.
Murong Chen, snapping out of his daze, quickly rushed to Bai Ran's side.
"Master, are you alright?"
Bai Ran's face was pale, clearly depleted of spiritual energy.
It had indeed consumed a significant amount of spiritual power...
Despite this, she shook her head, indicating she was fine. Seeing this, Bai Hu coiled its fluffy tail around Bai Ran and placed her on its back.
Murong Chen's gaze was cold as he looked at Kang Liang, who was desperately begging for mercy. He ended Kang Liang's life with a single sword strike, then turned his worried attention to Bai Ran.
Can't close my eyes yet...
Just a little longer...
As Bai Ran was about to depart, the ground began to tremble, and the air rippled.
"Look! The sky is tearing open!" a soldier shouted, pointing at a massive rift that had suddenly appeared in the sky.
Dark clouds gathered, as if night had fallen, obscuring the sun.
Purple lightning surged within the thick clouds, a terrifying sight.
"What... what is this?"
"What's happening?"
The soldiers, who had just survived a life-or-death battle, felt a surge of panic.
At the same moment, Bai Zhantian at the East Gate, Bai Yunzheng at the West Gate, Xuan Yuan at the North Gate, Elder Hong at the South Gate, and others all witnessed this apocalyptic scene.
"This..."
Could it be...?
Xuan Yuan leaned against the wall, his gaze fixed on the darkened sky, his expression grave and tense.
He used the wall for support, hobbling towards the area directly beneath the rift.
The gate to the Middle Realm... had opened...
Bai Ran leaned weakly against Bai Hu's back, her brow furrowed incessantly.
"Someone's there!"
"Look! There's someone inside that rift!"
From the dark portal, a woman of captivating allure stepped out slowly, her exquisite face contorted with rage.
"Second brother... was killed?" she asked, looking down at the dense crowd below, like mere ants.
With a casual flick of her wrist, Murong Chen's neck seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, lifting him slowly into the air.
"Your Majesty!" Bai Yang exclaimed, rushing towards Murong Chen, who was floating upwards.
"This is bad! Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!"
The overwhelming disparity in power left everyone gasping for air...
Watching Murong Chen being lifted and gently floated before the woman, they felt the urge to resist but were utterly powerless.
The woman looked with disdain at the man before her, his face flushed crimson, and spoke softly, "Who killed him?"
Murong Chen struggled to look in the direction the woman was gazing. Kang Liang?
Who was he to this woman?
"I... don't know..." Murong Chen's neck was held firmly, each word a struggle to utter.
"Useless creature. Then I shall kill you all, and that way I can guess correctly."
Saying this, a torrent of lightning erupted from the woman's left hand, aimed at the Vermillion Bird Kingdom below.
"I killed him. So what?"
Bai Ran slowly dismounted from Bai Hu's back, her gaze fixed directly on the woman in the sky.
During the brief interval, she had swallowed countless pills to restore her spiritual energy, but its recovery was agonizingly slow.
This person was likely from the Middle Realm. If she attacked, the Vermillion Bird Kingdom might be reduced to ashes in an instant.
The woman casually released Murong Chen, and he plummeted straight down from a great height.
The force of gravity made him dizzy, and he couldn't clearly see his surroundings.
"Bai Hu."
Bai Hu, receiving the command, leaped forward, catching the falling Murong Chen steadily.
"A divine beast..."
"Who are you?"
The moment the woman saw Bai Ran's face, a murderous intent flared. Beauty... too much beauty...
But she would never allow anyone to be more dazzling than herself!
"Never mind. You're already a dead woman, so I won't ask further."
The thunder in her left hand grew increasingly violent, crackling with power. A murderous aura surged.
"Master, run!" Murong Chen shouted.
The woman waved her hand, and a ball of lightning, imbued with fierce spiritual energy, flew directly towards Bai Ran.
There's no escape...
At this moment, Bai Ran's internal spiritual energy was insufficient to even flee, let alone withstand an attack from a woman of the Middle Realm.
The purple light seared the ground, lifting the earth's surface, and the temperature continued to rise, making Bai Ran's skin feel like it was burning.
"Bai Ran!"
"Ran Ran!"
"Miss Bai!"
...
As her eyes closed, she seemed to see familiar figures rushing towards her, disregarding their own lives.
Give up?
In her world!
The word "give up" had never existed!
The moment the thunderball struck Bai Ran, her eyes snapped open, and a brilliant white light erupted from her body!
Under the illumination of the white light, the thunderball began to dissipate!
The white light spread out in ripples, dispersing the dark clouds in the sky and revealing the sun.
She was enveloped in a white glow, emanating a dazzling radiance, her body filled with abundant spiritual energy, as if it would burst.
The phantom image of a Green Dragon appeared behind her, followed by Xuan Wu, Bai Hu, and Vermillion Bird.
The Four Divine Beasts converged!
A divine miracle had descended!
The people of the Vermillion Bird Kingdom, Xuan Wu Kingdom, Green Dragon Kingdom, and White Tiger Kingdom all paused, witnessing this breathtaking spectacle.
"You're actually about to ascend!" the woman's eyes widened in disbelief.
"If you choose to flee, you still have time," Bai Ran's eyes were as beautiful as they were chillingly cold.
The woman trembled with rage. She was actually being mocked by a woman from the lower realm!
"Bai Ran, is it? I'll be waiting for you in the Middle Realm," the woman declared angrily, leaving behind her words as she returned to the rift and departed.
However, the rift remained open for a long time, as if waiting for someone's arrival.
Damn it! Time's up! Otherwise, she could have killed this wretched woman immediately!
Most importantly... she had actually contracted the Four Divine Beasts...
This person must be eliminated!