"I'll kill you!!"
The furious roar shook the heavens.
It came from one of the Golden Core cultivators of the Thousand Isle Auction House.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the ruined remains of Thousand Isle City, murderous intent erupting without restraint.
Thousands of years.
The auction house had stood for thousands of years.
Its reputation had spread across the Southern Archipelagos.
Now...
Everything had been reduced to rubble in a single strike.
His rage had completely overwhelmed reason.
Unfortunately...
His opponent was not someone who cared about the emotions of ants.
The enormous Flood Dragon slowly turned its head.
Only then did its golden pupils settle upon the Golden Core cultivator.
It was the first time since its arrival that it had truly acknowledged a human.
Not because the cultivator was strong.
But because he had been foolish enough to draw its attention.
For a brief moment...
Silence descended upon the battlefield.
The Golden Core cultivator suddenly felt every strand of spiritual energy within his body freeze.
His heart skipped violently.
An indescribable instinct screamed inside his mind.
Run.
Before that thought could fully form—
The Flood Dragon's gaze sharpened.
Boom!
The surrounding space distorted.
The Golden Core cultivator's expression instantly twisted from boundless fury into absolute horror.
"Pffft!"
A mouthful of essence blood erupted from his lips.
His defensive spiritual energy shattered without warning.
Every bone throughout his body cracked simultaneously as though struck by an invisible mountain.
The next instant...
His figure shot through the sky like a broken kite, disappearing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.
No attack.
No divine ability.
Merely...
A glance.
Seeing this scene, the remaining two Golden Core cultivators felt chills run through every inch of their bodies.
Their scalps turned numb.
Their hearts nearly stopped.
One glare...
Had seriously injured a Golden Core cultivator.
They finally understood.
The creature before them was no ordinary newly advanced Rank Five yao beast.
It was an existence that had already stepped into an entirely different level.
One beyond their comprehension.
Without exchanging so much as a glance, both cultivators made the exact same decision.
Escape.
Boom!
Boom!
They transformed into two streaks of light that fled in opposite directions with every ounce of spiritual energy they possessed.
There was no hesitation.
No dignity.
Only survival.
Revenge?
That thought surfaced for only an instant before disappearing completely.
Even if they somehow survived today...
What could they possibly do in the future?
A Rank Five Flood Dragon possessed a bloodline far superior to ordinary yao beasts.
Its cultivation would only continue advancing.
Meanwhile...
They might spend centuries trapped at the Golden Core Realm.
The gap would only grow larger.
The surviving Foundation Establishment and Purple Palace cultivators below watched the fleeing figures with expressions filled with despair.
Their final pillar of hope...
Had abandoned them.
Some laughed bitterly.
Some collapsed onto the shattered earth.
Others simply stood there blankly, unable to accept reality.
Then...
The Flood Dragon slowly descended.
Its colossal body eclipsed the heavens.
The pressure alone caused countless remaining buildings to collapse into dust.
Boom!
Its enormous claws landed upon what remained of Thousand Isle City.
The entire island trembled violently.
The dragon lowered its head before opening its mouth.
A terrifying suction force suddenly erupted.
Rumble...
Rumble...
Deep beneath the earth, something answered.
The ground split apart.
Countless cracks rapidly spread across the ruined city before extending toward every direction.
A deafening roar echoed from beneath the island itself.
Then...
A brilliant azure dragon-shaped stream burst from underground.
It was not a true dragon.
Nor was it spiritual energy.
It was the city's spirit vein.
The very foundation supporting Thousand Isle City for countless generations.
Now...
It was being forcibly extracted.
The spirit vein struggled violently like a living creature attempting to escape.
Unfortunately...
Before the overwhelming power of the Rank Five Flood Dragon, resistance was meaningless.
The dragon inhaled once.
The massive spirit vein rapidly shrank before disappearing entirely into its mouth.
Immediately afterward...
The Flood Dragon's aura rose yet another fraction.
The surviving cultivators stared in horror.
"It..."
"It's devouring the spirit vein..."
"My heavens..."
"It actually consumes spirit veins to cultivate..."
Some cultivators finally regained enough strength to move.
This was their only opportunity.
While the Flood Dragon focused entirely upon the spirit vein...
They fled.
Some activated escape talismans.
Some burned their essence blood.
Others simply pushed their movement techniques to their absolute limits.
No one dared remain.
Unfortunately...
The heavens themselves suddenly changed.
Dark clouds gathered without warning.
The previously clear sky was swallowed by an endless black curtain.
Violent winds erupted from every direction.
The sea below exploded into towering waves hundreds of meters high.
Lightning flickered continuously between the clouds.
The pressure became so overwhelming that many fleeing cultivators were forced from the sky.
The expressions of the survivors changed completely.
"This..."
"This isn't a spell..."
"No..."
"It can't be..."
A Purple Palace cultivator stared upward with trembling pupils.
His lips quivered uncontrollably.
"This is..."
"...a Major Divine Ability."
The winds howled louder.
The sea answered.
The heavens themselves seemed to submit before the will of the Flood Dragon.
At that moment...
Every remaining cultivator finally understood.
The creature before them no longer borrowed the power of heaven and earth.
Before the shockwave even reached him...
Lin Sheng moved.
His instincts screamed.
Every strand of intuition born from years of surviving life-and-death situations merged with Crystal's countless warnings into a single conclusion.
Run.
There was no hesitation.
His figure flashed toward the ancient altar hidden beneath layers of formations.
The moment both feet landed upon the stone platform, dozens of mid-grade spirit stones flew into their designated sockets.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The runes immediately lit up.
Brilliant silver lines spread throughout the entire formation like veins carrying fresh blood.
Lin Sheng's hands formed seals so quickly they became afterimages.
His Mental Perception surged without reservation.
Void Imprinting.
Spatial stabilization.
Runic synchronization.
Every technique he had painstakingly researched over the past several months was executed perfectly.
"I can't stay here..."
His breathing grew heavier.
"Heaven clearly wants me dead."
"But..."
"I'm not dying today."
The damaged central spatial rune slowly began reconnecting under the influence of his Void Imprinting.
Silver light flickered.
The surrounding space distorted.
A faint crack appeared before him.
It wasn't enough.
Not yet.
He only needed another few breaths...
Just a little longer...
Then—
The shockwave arrived.
BOOOOOOM!!
Time itself seemed to stop.
The sea vanished.
The sky disappeared.
Everything within several thousand li was swallowed by a wall of absolute destruction.
Countless Rank Two and Rank Three sea yao beasts were erased before they even understood what had happened.
The fleeing cultivators suffered no better fate.
Bodies exploded into clouds of blood.
Spirit artifacts shattered like fragile porcelain.
Even the mountains surrounding Spiritless Island instantly crumbled beneath the overwhelming force.
The protective formations Lin Sheng had painstakingly constructed over several months shattered layer after layer.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
The teleportation altar violently trembled.
The half-opened spatial passage collapsed before it could stabilize.
The central spatial rune...
Split apart.
"No!"
Lin Sheng's pupils shrank.
The backlash exploded through the formation.
The enormous force struck his chest like an invisible mountain.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
His entire body was launched backward.
Boom!
He smashed directly into the cave wall.
Stone exploded.
Several supporting pillars collapsed instantly.
The entire underground chamber shook violently as countless boulders rained down around him.
Lin Sheng groaned.
Every bone in his body felt as though it had fractured.
His organs churned violently.
Even maintaining consciousness required tremendous effort.
Crystal's calm voice immediately echoed.
•[Teleportation interrupted.
Central spatial rune: 91% destroyed.
Primary formation core severely damaged.
Estimated repair time... impossible under current conditions.]•
Lin Sheng slowly wiped away the blood from the corner of his lips.
"...It can't..."
"...possibly get any worse..."
Almost the moment those words left his mouth—
An enraged roar shook the heavens.
"You fiendish beast!"
"You devour the heavens!"
"You destroy the earth itself!"
"I shall use your death..."
"...to atone for this catastrophe!"
The voice rolled across the Southern Archipelagos like heavenly thunder.
Its mere pressure caused the surrounding spiritual qi to become chaotic.
Lin Sheng's expression stiffened.
Another aura erupted into existence.
It was...
Equal.
No...
Perhaps even slightly stronger than the Flood Dragon's.
The clouds split apart.
Golden radiance descended from the heavens.
A middle-aged cultivator dressed in flowing azure robes stepped through the void itself.
Every movement caused the surrounding space to ripple.
Behind him floated countless islands formed entirely from condensed spiritual qi.
The image alone caused every surviving cultivator to instinctively kneel.
Even Lin Sheng felt his breathing become sluggish beneath that terrifying pressure.
He recognized the face immediately.
Every cultivator throughout the Thousand Isle Archipelagos knew that face.
The supreme ruler of the archipelago.
The guardian of countless islands.
The Thousand Isle Monarch.
A genuine...
Nascent Soul cultivator.
High above, the Monarch's gaze remained fixed upon the Rank Five Flood Dragon.
His killing intent condensed into something almost tangible.
The surrounding sea began boiling from his aura alone.
Lin Sheng looked at the Flood Dragon.
Then at the Thousand Isle Monarch.
Then at the completely ruined teleportation altar beside him.
Silence.
Several breaths later...
He slowly covered his face with one hand before letting out a bitter laugh.
Only a single sentence escaped his lips.
"...F*ck my life."