Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

High above, inside a massive silver flying ship, the inspector's face was contorted in extreme contortion.

He stared down at the towering, earth-devouring Divine Tree, his greed replaced by a deep fear.

Watching his Star Guard army being drained dry by the strange vines like moths to a flame, turning into nourishment for the enemy, the inspector's heart bled.

How will he explain the loss of so many Star Guardians when he gets back?!

"To catch a thief, first catch his king; to shoot a man, first shoot his horse..."

The inspector took a deep breath, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

He suddenly pulled out an ancient bone talisman from his pocket; it was as black as ink and exuded a chilling aura.

"Shadow Slave, go! Go around those vines, ignore everyone else, just kill that woman!"

With a crack, the bone talisman shattered as he applied pressure with his fingertips.

The shadow beneath the inspector's feet suddenly twitched eerily, then vanished without a trace, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

This Shadow Slave was a Void Aberration he obtained from an ancient ruin. It was born to merge with the shadows of the rules, killing people invisibly. Even a Spirit Awakening Realm expert would die on the spot if he was not careful, let alone a mere cultivator from the lower realm!

At this moment, atop the desolate city walls.

Jiang Yining was completely focused on controlling the Myriad Spirits Divine Tree. Countless green spiritual energy threads connected heaven and earth, and a continuous stream of pure energy was flowing through her body, nourishing Ye Wuhen and the others who were fighting a bloody battle.

Suddenly, an unprecedented sense of life-or-death crisis arose!

"not good!"

Jiang Yining felt a chill run down her spine and almost instinctively wanted to back away.

But just as she moved, a barely perceptible gray light appeared out of thin air on her slender neck without warning.

Fast! Too fast!

It was so fast that even the protective vines of the Myriad Spirits Divine Tree didn't have time to defend itself!

Jiang Yining's pupils contracted sharply. In this critical moment, she could only barely tilt her body to the left.

"Thud—!" The dull sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh.

Although the gray light avoided her throat, it pierced through Jiang Yining's right shoulder, spraying blood everywhere.

An extremely cold aura instantly seeped into her wound, attempting to freeze her meridians!

"Mother—!!"

This scene was witnessed by Jiang Siyue and Jiang Lei, who were not far away.

Jiang Siyue let out a heart-wrenching scream, and Jiang Lei's eyes widened in fury as he desperately tried to rush over.

On the airship, the inspector watched this scene, a cruel, maniacal laugh curling at the corner of his mouth: "Hahahaha! It's over! Once poisoned by the Shadow Poison, even a god couldn't save you within three breaths!"

Jiang Yining staggered, her face turning deathly pale.

That chilling power was too domineering, and it was frantically devouring her life force.

Just as the blurry gray figure solidified again, the sharp blade in its hand preparing to deliver the fatal blow and completely sever her head—

A sudden change has occurred!

"Buzz—"

A sword's cry seemed to come from the end of the long river of time.

A sudden, intense heat flared up between Jiang Yining's brows!

That was a protective mark that Ji Lingxiao had etched into her soul with his own life essence and the sword intent of his deepest feelings before his ascension.

Although that person is gone, the spirit he left behind has never left us!

"Who gave you the audacity... to hurt her?!"

A chillingly cold roar, like a thunderclap from the heavens, resounded deep within everyone's soul.

The next instant, a phantom yet majestic figure stepped out from behind Jiang Yining.

Clad in white, with hair as black as a waterfall, his eyes were as cold as ancient ice, yet the moment he looked at Jiang Yining, they transformed into a tenderness capable of melting glaciers.

Although it was just a phantom of divine thought, the moment it appeared, the world lost its color and the wind and clouds stood still.

The shadow slave, who was about to swing his sword, froze in mid-air with his blade.

"roll!"

The phantom uttered a single word, raised its hand and pointed its fingers like a sword, and gently slashed at the shadow slave.

This strike had no fancy sword moves, only pure intent to the extreme!

"Sizzle—"

The void seemed to be a tattered cloth, torn apart by this sword.

A dazzling, indescribable sword aura instantly swept past the Shadow Slave's body.

The Shadow Slave, who possessed the bizarre strength of the Spirit Awakening Realm, didn't even have time to scream before his body disintegrated inch by inch under this sword strike, completely erasing all traces of his existence!

The sword energy had not yet dissipated, and its remaining power was vast. It directly broke through the boundary of the desolate abyss, transforming into a long rainbow that pointed straight at the silver flying boat in the sky!

"What...what kind of sword intent is this?! This is impossible!!"

The inspector inside the airship felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. His proud airship's defensive shield, in the face of the aftershocks of this sword energy, made a cracking sound as it was unable to withstand the pressure, and cracks appeared everywhere!

Jiang Yining clutched her injured shoulder, staring blankly at the gradually dissipating white-clad phantom that had been blocking her way.

Although it was just a lingering sword intent, that familiar figure instantly brought tears to her eyes.

Before the phantom disappeared, it slowly turned its head. Although its features were not clearly visible, Jiang Yining clearly felt a warm, large hand stroking the top of her head in the void.

It's as if it's saying: Don't be afraid, I'm here.

"Lingxiao..."

At this moment, the silver-clad inspector's eyes no longer held the previous contempt, but were replaced by an almost manic horror.

The sword intent that dissipated into the void was like a heavy hammer, not only erasing the Shadow Slave but also completely shattering his confidence.

Having lost so many Star Guardians today, he doesn't know how he will explain this to the Star Spirits.

But there are always other ways to stay alive.

The inspector's face was contorted with extreme heartache as he pulled out a magical artifact.

As he activated his magic weapon, streaks of black lines rapidly spread across the sky. Then, the gap that had been forcibly torn open by the Star Spirit Clan began to make a sound like cloth being brutally ripped apart.

A deafening cracking sound erupted as a massive, pitch-black spatial rift, spanning tens of thousands of feet, suddenly appeared in the sky, like the gaping maw of an ancient beast ready to devour everything!

A violent suction force surged out from that gap.

In an instant, the rubble, ruins, and even the distant mountains beneath the desolate city collapsed under this suction force, turning into countless dust particles that swirled upwards.

The cultivators on the city wall couldn't even scream before they were forcibly pulled off the ground and plunged into the black, deathly silence.

"Ningning!"

"mother!!"

Everyone was swept into the air. Jiang Yining, who was already seriously injured, was now even more turbulent and vomited a large pool of blood.

Ye Wuhen, Chu Jinglan, Bai Ze, and Situ Kong, disregarding their weakness and backlash, charged towards Jiang Yining from different directions like madmen, defying the violent suction force.

All they could see was that blue figure being swept up by the storm.

"Don't come any closer!"

Jiang Yining's long hair was whipped towards the sky by the fierce wind, her eyes red as she looked at the children being swept around in the air.

"Go protect the children!"

Ye Wuhen's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He looked into Jiang Yining's unquestionable eyes, and his heart trembled violently.

That was a mother's resolute determination.

He let out a painful roar, twisting his body in mid-air and slashing the gale that was heading towards Da Bao with a backhand slash.

"Ningning, hang in there—!"

Chu Jinglan's righteous energy transformed into countless threads, tightly binding Erbao and Sibao, pulling them into his arms.

Bai Ze and Situ Kong did the same, burning their last bit of magic power and rushing towards the five children like moths to a flame, using their flesh and blood to build a weak but sturdy defensive line.

Upon seeing this, the inspector's eyes flashed with an intense, venomous resentment.

"This isn't over yet! Void Spirit Dragon, devour them!"

The last bone bead in his hand shattered with a loud crash.

Roar--!

With a roar that shattered the very soul, a terrifying beast, a thousand feet long and covered in silver scales, roared and poked half its body out from the depths of the black rift.

That's a ferocious beast at the peak of the Spirit Awakening Realm!

The giant dragon claw swung out suddenly, and countless streams of spiritual energy slammed heavily onto the backs of the four people who were protecting the children.

boom!boom!boom!boom!

Four dull impacts, accompanied by the crisp sound of bones shattering, echoed in the eye of the storm.

Ye Wuhen's demonic form shattered instantly, and blood gushed out like a fountain onto his daughter's face.

Chu Jinglan's scholar's robe was stained a bleak dark red, and his internal organs almost shifted under the heavy blow.

Two of Bai Ze's nine fox tails were broken off, but he still held onto the five treasures in his arms tightly, refusing to let go even a little.

Situ Kong even vomited blood repeatedly.

"Father..." Jiang Siyue screamed in fright.

The suction force reached its critical point, and the entire Desolate Abyss City seemed to be lifted into the air.

Jiang Yining felt all her life force being frantically plundered by the black hole at that moment, and the Myriad Spirits Divine Tree transformed into countless green lights to protect her soul. Her vision began to blur, and in the constantly spinning black and white light and shadow, she took one last look at the blood-stained figures protecting the children, and the children's terrified little faces.

The world fell into eternal silence at that moment.

As the massive rift suddenly closed, only a patch of inky embers remained in the sky.

There was no one left on the ruins of Desolate Abyss City.

Only the cold wind howled across the empty land, as if telling a legend that never existed.