"Today marks the burial of the Starfall Pavilion!"
Above the Star Realm, from the torn rift in space, endless black mist surged forth, swiftly spreading out to engulf the entire sky.
The power of the stars was severed. Everyone who had come to attend the grand ceremony felt their hearts jolt violently. An overwhelming sense of oppression and deathly stillness weighed heavily above them, suffocating all beneath its pressure.
"Who are they? To dare provoke the Titled Palace so brazenly?"
"They come with ill intent. With the founding of the Titled Palace today, a bloody storm is inevitable."
"Hmm? No... the space is sealed!"
On the vast platform, as soon as the rift appeared, many already felt the urge to flee. Any one of these beings who could tear open space would unleash aftershocks far beyond their ability to withstand.
Remaining here was simply courting death. They had to escape—survival was paramount.
Yet when they tried to flee, they found the surrounding space entirely sealed. All teleportation paths had been cut off. They were utterly trapped.
"How... how could this happen? Who are they?!"
"This is bad. They intend to annihilate us completely—leave no survivors."
Some of the elders instantly understood the invaders' intent. A chill gripped their hearts, and despair surfaced in their eyes.
Their gaze involuntarily drifted to the distant high tower. At this moment, their only hope lay in the Titled Palace. If the Palace could not withstand the assault, then they would all be buried here today.
Many secretly regretted their decision—cursing their own foolishness for stepping into this place. If only they had stayed outside, none of this would have happened!
Curiosity killed the cat. It was a colossal trap, and they had blundered straight into it!
Buzzzzz...
The heavens trembled. The black mist surged like a monstrous tide. Three shadowy figures emerged from the rift, their forms obscured by the rolling fog.
Following closely behind them, dozens more figures shot forth, all shrouded in the black mist, each radiating terrifying Dou Qi fluctuations. Not a single one of them had cultivation beneath the Dou Ancestor level—and many were Dou Venerate experts.
Gulp... gulp...
"My heavens… could it be that the Titled Palace has offended an ancient race?"
The auras from just the Dou Venerates among them numbered over ten.
On the Central Plains, even the Pavilion Master of a top-tier power like the Four Directions Pavilion was barely a Dou Venerate.
Despair filled the hearts of all present, and many collapsed where they stood. Facing more than ten Dou Venerates—and three figures whose strength surpassed even that—they saw no hope for survival.
Atop the High Tower.
Xiao Xun'er and the others wore grave expressions as they gazed into the sky at the three figures. Elder Feng moved in a flash, positioning himself protectively in front of them.
Releasing the aura of a Half-Saint, he stood firm against the encroaching black mist.
Within the mist echoed countless howls of anguish and hatred, assailing the souls of Elder Feng and the others. Even a seasoned veteran of countless battles like Elder Feng found himself grimly enduring the assault.
Roar!
At that moment, a deafening roar split the heavens. An invisible wave of force rippled through the air, sending spatial ripples cascading outward from the high tower, forcing back the oppressive black mist.
Whoosh!
A colossal figure burst forth from the high tower—an enormous magical beast standing proudly in midair. A wave of invisible might swept outward from its body, distorting the void, sending the black mist recoiling like a tide.
Its entire body was armored in violet-gold scales. Where it moved, the black mist was torn apart to reveal the starlit sky, light bursting forth brilliantly.
From its amethyst crystal eyes, two beams of violet-gold divine light erupted, streaking toward the three figures in the distance.
The violet-gold beams ripped open space itself, leaving gaping black rifts in their wake, annihilating everything in their path—utterly terrifying!
"Hmph!"
One of the three figures—the one cloaked in shadow on the right—let out a cold snort and flicked his sleeve. Torrents of black energy surged out, coalescing into two black spears that shot toward the incoming divine beams.
Boom! Boom!
The divine beams and black spears collided, unleashing an explosive shockwave. Space collapsed, tearing open fissures hundreds of meters long, spewing endless chaotic energy.
Whoosh!
The violet-gold beams dimmed, and the black spears hurtled toward the Violet-Gold Lion King.
The spears gleamed with a sinister black light. The Violet-Gold Lion King bristled instantly, violet-gold Dou Qi erupting from its body. Its fur flared with divine light, each hair transforming into a violet-gold divine needle.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Thousands of divine needles shot forth, weaving together into an immense sword-shaped beam. Radiating blinding violet-gold light, the sword beam shredded the surrounding space and pierced straight through the oncoming black spears.
The black spears disintegrated instantly. The heavens and earth cleared once more.
The massive frame of the Violet-Gold Lion King stepped forward, shattering the void beneath its paws. A terrifying divine radiance exploded outward, engulfing the entire Star Realm.
He—the Violet-Gold Lion King—was unstoppable!
The fearsome might permeated the Star Realm. Whether it was Elder Xuan Kong and the others within the high tower, or the countless onlookers below, all gazed upward in stunned awe at the colossal beast looming over the world.
The terrifying battle shattered space itself. Even a stray shockwave could easily obliterate them.
Where they once believed death inevitable, now hope flickered anew.
"No wonder you dare challenge our Soul Hall. So, you have a Dou Saint-level magical beast."
The shadowy figure who had struck out earlier sneered, though a trace of hesitation flickered in his eyes as he studied the Violet-Gold Lion King.
A late-stage Four-Star Dou Saint magical beast—formidable enough to hold its own against him for a time. Moreover, according to their Soul Clan's intelligence, the ones who annihilated the Human Hall of the Soul Hall weren't this beast.
The leading Soul Clan elder's gaze deepened as he stared toward the high tower. In his mind, eliminating a mere Four-Star Dou Saint-level magical beast would be only a matter of time.
His voice echoed through the heavens, and many within the Star Realm brightened upon hearing that the beast was of Dou Saint caliber.
A Dou Saint magical beast, combined with the mysterious, yet-unrevealed Palace Master of the Titled Palace—perhaps there was still a chance to survive.
Roar...!
The Violet-Gold Lion King roared furiously, endless violet-gold divine light flaring in all directions, shaking the heavens and pushing back the black mist.
But despite the majestic display, caution clouded the beast's eyes—it dared not advance a step further.
"Not coming out? Then I'll destroy this Star Realm!"
The Soul Clan elder let out a cold shout. Black mist surged violently from his body, condensing into an enormous black chain.
The chain swung through the air—and the starlight over the entire Star Realm dimmed, endless space shattered, and a terrifying pressure hurtled toward the high tower.
"Roar!"
With an enraged roar, the Violet-Gold Lion King leapt forward, appearing in front of the tower. The immense vitality and blood energy within him surged wildly, causing the violet-gold scales covering his body to shimmer with dazzling brilliance. Above his head, a beam of violet-gold divine light burst forth.
The void splintered. The divine light pierced through space in an instant, striking directly against the black chain. A horrifying shockwave exploded outward, opening a black hole in the void, devouring everything in its reach.
The divine light shattered the chain, piercing cleanly through the void — in the next instant, it was already in front of the Violet-Gold Lion King, carrying with it an overwhelming force of annihilation that birthed a chilling sense of death in the Lion King's heart.
Just as the Violet-Gold Lion King struggled desperately to resist, a silver-glowing hand gently reached out from the space before him.
With a simple slap, it struck the black chain and sent it flying.
The fabric of space cracked open.
A silver-haired youth stepped out from within, his expression calm and indifferent as his gaze swept across the Soul Clan elder and his entourage.
"Was it you who sought to destroy my Palace?"
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