ting core crystals, prepare defenses for a year-long battle against zombies, mutated animals, and mutated plants.One year later, the extreme cold began to fluctuate, gradually shifting into scorching...R ripples, clad in a white robe, stood gracefully under the moonlight. A thin veil covered her face, making her appear mysterious and beautiful. At this moment, doubt clouded her eyes as she took in the legendary Purple Cloud Daoist from head to toe before finally speaking:

"I was summoned to meet Your Majesty, and being alone, I felt fear in my heart, unable to sleep at night. So I came out for a walk, and unexpectedly, I ended up here."

"You're lying! Even without mentioning the layers of guards within the palace, just getting here is impossible for ordinary people! Tell me, what are you trying to do"

"As you said yourself, I'm not an ordinary person. As for why I'm here, don't you have a clue"

Ripples still spoke slowly and calmly.

A red light flashed in Ziyun's eyes, and then she flicked her whisk. A black mist shot toward Lianyi. With a deafening "boom," a deep pit appeared on the ground, but Lianyi had vanished.

"Why would you merge a cursed artifact with your flesh Do you know the consequences of such an act"

Liàn'yī stood there in the open air, gazing coldly at Yu Kōng.

Ziyun looked at Lianri standing tall in the void, the disdain in her eyes had turned into a tangible thing.

"Why can't I do this The Ziyun Palace guards a treasure but refuses to use it. Could it be that they want me to watch myself die"

Ziyun had already put away the disdain in her eyes, and said with a sneer.

So I asked, "Do you know the consequences of doing this"

Ripples watched as the other continued speaking.

"What consequences It's just a matter of sacrificing a few people. Before, I thought sacrificing mortals was beneath me, but now using you, a Golden Core cultivator, is even better."

Ziyun said in a deep voice.

Liàn Yī's head shook in disagreement. She knew that Zǐ Yún, with the power of a demonic artifact, was probably now stronger than she was.

It's best to listen to me for a couple of minutes before you get your hands dirty.

What Ziyungong sealed away was an evil artifact that fell into this world from another realm. Because it was damaged by the spatial rift, the founder of Ziyungong was able to seal it.

And this evil artifact, over a long period of time, has been slowly repairing itself. Its sustenance is the discontent, obsession, and delusions of the world. You, in pursuit of immortality, gave birth to obsession and were misled by the evil artifact, splitting it apart and bringing it into the palace.

The cursed weapon is nourished by the dragon qi, and once the national dragon qi is destroyed, the entire country will fall into ruin and will soon disintegrate. Death, resentment, and vengeful spirits will become the best nourishment for the cursed weapon. Once it grows stronger, it will naturally no longer need you as its host.

It will use the whole world as a springboard, leave this place, and you are just a pitiful worm being used by evil artifacts.

"No, it promised to take me away from here to a place more conducive to cultivation."

Ziyun's hair flew wildly, her face contorted into a sinister grimace, and an aura of evil emanated from her. In the next instant, she was about to strangle Lianyi.

The ripples in her eyes flashed as she looked at the black dragon with yellow tinge rising from behind him. A sense of clarity washed over her, thankfully she had arrived in time. If the entire dragon turned black, it would be truly beyond salvation. Even if she could subdue the evil artifact, she wouldn't be able to recreate the national dragon energy.

"Go!"

Purple Cloud shouted angrily.

That dragon, imbued with a palpable aura of murderous intent, charged towards Ripple.

The ripples dodged in the air, not clashing head-on with the dragon energy controlled by the purple clouds. Instead, they seized the opportunity to set up a heaven and earth net formation.

"Go!"

The ripples also let out a soft sigh, weaving a net across the sky and earth simultaneously, shrouding the black dragon. She immediately took advantage of this gap and smashed all the relics on her wrist into the dragon's body.

With a roar, the hundred-meter-long dragon's body trembled. The entry of the relic had caused it discomfort. The golden dragon qi, which was almost submerged before, was invigorated and began to fight back. With the relic's power, it started purifying its body from the corruption of evil spirits.

"You're actually quite capable! Too bad!"

Ziyun didn't care about the churning black dragon at all, instead focusing his attention on the ripples. He had to take this woman down and immediately released his own pressure, wanting to crush her.

Ripples felt the pressure from Ziyun's Yuan Ying stage, like a flood rushing towards her. Her face changed, although she had expected it, when truly facing it, she still felt the pressure.

Her soul was strong enough to withstand the pressure, but her body was still lacking. Just a single glance, and her white robes were stained red with blood.

"Pff!" A ripple of blood escaped his lips, and his form plummeted downwards, crashing to the ground in the courtyard.

"Hmph! With only that much ability, I advise you to stop struggling and become a good offering!"

Ziyun's expression at this time was somewhat smug.

Ripples slowly got to her feet, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and looked at the purple clouds floating in the air without any sign of backing down.

"There's still a big gap!"

Ripples clenched her fist, drawing out her Lei Yao Sword from the space within. She pointed the sword towards the sky, injecting it with spiritual energy while simultaneously channeling the primal thunder force of Lei Yao. With a loud bellow:

"The sea surges!"

As if responding to her summons, the night sky suddenly churned with clouds. Violet storm clouds gathered rapidly, and as the Ripple Thunder Sword descended, purple lightning rained down like a torrent, striking the violet clouds.

Ziyun almost instinctively dodged the purple lightning, but he immediately ran into Lianyi's sword strike. Lianyi's "Thunder Slash" arrived in an instant. With one hand holding Linghui and the other wielding her sword, she attacked. Since her strength was lacking, she compensated with swordsmanship.

Waves of attacks came one after another, with every swing of Lei Yao's sword taking away a strand of the evil aura from Ziyun.

While Ziyun was dodging the lightning bolts triggered by Lianshi's ripples, she also swung her duster in retaliation. The duster was infused with sinister energy and struck Lianshi forcefully, but the opponent fought recklessly, not bothering with defense, just slashing again and again with their sword.

Even though Lian Ri's strength might not be enough compared to the great Arhat, his vision, combat awareness, and fighting skills are far beyond what Zi Yun could match. Moreover, when it comes to killing intent, Lian Ri is practically the ultimate level. So relying on these advantages, the two were evenly matched for a while.

But the longer it dragged on, the worse it became for Ziyun, because lost demonic energy wasn't so easy to replenish. The demonic artifact within Ziyun seemed to sense the threat as well, it trembled slightly, as if weighing something.

"Roar!"

A earth-shattering dragon roar echoed from behind Lian Yi, and with the help of She Lizhi, the national protective dragon's spirit was restored to its former glory. A golden dragon also joined the battle, and every time it swung its tail, Zi Yun's evil energy rapidly depleted.

Finally, when the ripples and the golden dragon joined forces to strike the purple cloud for the third time, a mass of black matter separated from the purple cloud's dantian.

"No!"

In mid-air, Ziyun was startled and immediately raised her hand to press against her abdomen, trying to push the lump back in. But it was too late. The black lump broke free from Ziyun and shot towards Lianyi, while Ziyun fell heavily from the sky, crashing onto the ground with a thud. Her figure quickly withered away, and in a short while, she stared blankly before taking her last breath.

The golden dragon swung its tail, sending the black ball of energy in front of the ripples flying. Then it slowly approached Ripples, who was now badly wounded.had become a black and white photo. The tombstone read his name and birth and death dates.Liàn Yī calculated that the other party was only forty-two years old, right in the prime of life with both par...