Chapter 1966 — 1966: A Glimpse of Zi Xuan's Prowess

As if struck by a sudden nightmare, the Second Elder recoiled in horror. With a sharp gasp, he leapt backward instinctively.

"W-What the hell are you?!" the Second Elder exclaimed, his voice riddled with fear. "How are you still alive?!"

Before Yuan could even respond, the Second Elder spoke again, "It can't be! That regenerative ability! You're a demon!"

"Hahaha!"

Yuan laughed at the Second Elder's assumptions.

"Are those your last words?"

The Second Elder clenched his fists and roared, "So what if you're a demon?! You're still a mere Divine Emperor! I can crush you with a finger!"

The Second Elder raised a trembling finger at Yuan, gathering Celestial Qi with murderous intent blazing in his eyes.

But the moment the Celestial Qi began to surge through him, a searing pain erupted from deep within his body, far more intense than before.

His expression twisted in agony as the burning sensation multiplied, coursing through his veins like wildfire, threatening to tear him apart from the inside.

"This is… poison?! You poisoned me?!" The Second Elder immediately retrieved a handful of pills and swallowed them simultaneously after realizing Yuan had poisoned him.

"Those pills won't save you," Yuan said coldly. "Heaven's Bane is one of the most lethal poisons in the universe. Unless you have specifically prepared for it, you won't get rid of it."

Moreover, Yuan had struck the Second Elder with Baneful Abyss, his Soul Weapon that not only amplified the potency of Heaven's Bane but also accelerated its effects to a terrifying degree.

Despite having a much higher cultivation than the First Elder, it took less time for the Second Elder to succumb to the poison.

The Second Elder fell to his knees a moment later. However, despite his seemingly hopeless situation, he smiled and said, "So you managed to kill my physical body, but as long as my soul is intact, I am not dead!"

"I know," Yuan said. "I also know that I don't have the power to destroy your soul. However, I know someone who can."

"Hahaha!" the Second Elder laughed, even as pain twisted his features. "If you're talking about the Clan Leader, not even he could destroy my soul! Don't underestimate a God Ascension Realm cultivator!"

Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone calm and dismissive.

"God Ascension?" he sneered. "I've killed more of them than I can count."

Yuan immediately put away Baneful Abyss and retrieved Number One Under Heaven.

"Zi Xuan, I'll leave him to you."

"What happened to using my energy on something worth it? He's hardly worth my energy," Zi Xuan said.

"I know, but unfortunately, we cannot let him live."

Suddenly, Number One Under Heaven began to tremble, its entire form radiating an intense golden light. The brilliance grew blinding, until the light itself began to shift, condensing, reshaping.

Moments later, standing where the weapon once hovered was the beautiful figure of an adult woman. Her presence was regal and imposing, her voluptuous form wrapped in flowing black and golden robes that shimmered like starlight.

"His sword transformed into a human…?" Jiao Zhenhai watched the scene before him with a dumbfounded expression.

Zi Xuan examined her body for a moment before turning to look at Yuan with a dissatisfied face and said, "I am able to take this form since you've improved your cultivation to Divine Emperor, but it's not good enough. I can barely last a few minutes right now, and that won't be anywhere near enough to satisfy me. I will need to be able to remain in this form for at least a month to have a proper 'session' with you."

"A whole month? Please spare me…" Yuan said with a stiff smile.

"I refuse. This is non-negotiable, especially since you left me in that depressing place for so long."

The Second Elder stood frozen, his eyes locked on Zi Xuan as she casually chatted with Yuan, but not out of infatuation. It wasn't her devastating beauty that left him dazed, but the overwhelming, unfathomable aura radiating from her presence.

"Anyway, let me take care of this trash first."

Zi Xuan slowly turned her gaze toward the Second Elder.

The moment her eyes met his, his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

The sheer weight of her presence, conveyed through nothing more than a casual glance, was enough to crush his will.

In that single moment, all hope drained from the Second Elder's eyes. He knew he wasn't facing a cultivator but something far beyond his comprehension.

"How dare a lowly rat lay its filthy paws on my beloved?"

Zi Xuan's voice rang out.

She took a single step toward the Second Elder, graceful yet absolute.

The moment her foot touched the ground, a ripple of overwhelming force erupted outward, infused with Supreme Sword Qi.

The entire dimension quaked in silent awe, as if bowing to the sheer majesty of Zi Xuan's presence.

All around them, the display cases that had remained undamaged even through the cataclysmic battle between Jiao Zhenhai and the Second Elder began to crack.

As Zi Xuan took her second step, every display case within the treasury dissolved into countless fragments impossible to see with the naked eye.

The Second Elder's body met the same fate. One moment he was there, and he was gone the next. No blood, no remains. Not even a speck of dust lingered. He had been erased, utterly and completely.

Yet, the Second Elder was still alive, as his soul still existed.

However, that wouldn't last long, lasting only until Zi Xuan took her third step.

Realizing that he was a goner, the Second Elder spoke to Jiao Zhenhai through voice transmission before he was erased from existence, "Even if you kill me, the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan is already on their way here. It'll only be a matter of time before the Azure Dragon Clan falls to them!'

After the Second Elder was reduced to nothingness, Zi Xuan turned on her heel and began walking toward Yuan. Her steps, though silent, carried a presence that made the very air part before her.

When she stood before him, her body glowing, she leaned in and gave him a passionate kiss with her soft lips.

"I'm going to take a nap. Work hard to improve your cultivation so we can have more fun later," she said to him before returning to her sword form and going silent.