"Yes." Tia let out a silvery laugh that abruptly ceased. "So, you can die now." Her fingers tightened suddenly, wrenching downwards with brutal force. Just then, two savage glints erupted from Lian Guang's eyes; with a piercing roar, he lunged, tearing a large chunk of flesh from her face, while simultaneously a flash of white light shot directly into her brow.

Tia’s body shuddered violently, her eyes widening in terror. "How is this possible? My connection with the [Fountain of Earth] is severed! You... how did you do that? I don't believe it..."

The Great Earth Divine Sword shot upwards, blazing through the air within Lian Guang's murderously intent eyes. At such close range, Tia couldn't react before the blade pierced straight through her.

The Ice and Snow Empire, Dragon Mirror Lake.

Deep within the layered, dense forest, light and shadow filtered through the canopy, crisscrossing upon the ground. Fallen, withered leaves littered the area, yet now, a pair of exquisite, silver-white battle boots trod upon them, emerging slowly from the dark passage of the woods.

The light illuminated her figure. A silver-white hood obscured her brow, revealing only a delicate chin. Her silver-white robes gently enveloped her body, like soft, hovering clouds. Behind her, a slender boy carrying a cyan battle saber followed, looking around curiously.

Siphiran stood tall by the shore of Dragon Mirror Lake. The shimmering surface reflected onto her cheek. Her crystalline, water-blue pupils mirrored the vibrant play of light on the water. A slight breeze rustled her garments, and her black tresses streamed out behind her in the wind.

"Is this where we are going?" Ling asked, holding his cyan saber, looking at Si Wen with curiosity.

"Indeed." Siphiran nodded gently. Then, thinking of something, she whispered, "First, close your eyes. Wait until I tell you to open them."

Ling paused, then seeing the gentle yet unyielding look in her eyes, instinctively lowered his head and shut his eyes tight.

Siphiran's fingers twitched slightly, and a transparent barrier shimmered into existence before her, distorting the vision of any observer. With a grasp, she pulled a head from the void: Tia!

Tia’s hair was held loosely in Siphiran's grip; her eyes were closed, like those of a goddess in serene slumber. Siphiran's slender eyebrows furrowed slightly with a touch of melancholy. She slowly extended a finger and touched Tia's forehead. Closing her own eyes, she remained still for a moment before opening them thoughtfully, murmuring, "I didn't expect such a trick. The soul was clearly imprisoned here, yet it managed to spontaneously regenerate, causing the local soul to extinguish itself. No wonder something felt off. It seems that after so much time, the envoys of the Heart Realm have developed quite a few tricks for survival..."

She sighed softly. The head of Tia in her hand suddenly exploded like a balloon, spraying brain matter and shattered flesh. However, this debris was instantly encased by an invisible barrier, which contracted inward, and then, with a flash of light in the space, the scraps and filth vanished as if evaporated.

She sighed again lightly, waved her hand, and the surrounding barrier dissolved. Ling remained beside her, head bowed, eyes still closed.

"It's done. You can open your eyes now." Her voice held a gentle quality.

Ling slowly opened his eyes and, seeing nothing unusual before him, looked at Siphiran with confusion. "Sister..."

Siphiran waved a hand, cutting off his impending question. She seemed to know what he intended to ask. She raised her slender, pale finger and pointed toward the sky above the lake. A beam of white light shot out like a straight line, piercing rapidly into the void. Yet, it did not travel toward the distant horizon; instead, it seemed to hit an invisible, transparent wall, causing wave-like ripples of distortion to spread across it.

Then, a heavy, ancient boom echoed from the sky, like the sound of a massive stone door being drawn open.

In Ling's wide-open pupils, the distorted ripples rapidly pulled open horizontally. Blinding, dazzling pure white light shone forth like sharp needles, though it did not radiate far, instead piercing the void like porcupine quills. As the horizontal, invisible gate widened further, the light grew increasingly dense.

Siphiran watched silently. Suddenly, her delicate brows pinched together. She then looked down at the lake surface before her, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, and said quietly, "Ling, step back."

Ling hesitated, but though he didn't know what was happening, he instinctively obeyed, slowly retreating backward.

As he backed into the shadowed passage of the forest, clutching his cyan saber and stepping on the fallen leaves, he saw the lake before Siphiran—who stood like a pure, holy goddess—begin to surge violently, the water suddenly churning as if something ferocious was about to burst forth from the earth beneath their feet.

Ling's first thought was that an earthquake had struck.

However, what appeared next made his pupils contract, his mind going blank. The lake water began to churn violently like boiling water. Then, the surface swelled upward like a round balloon, forming an oval, shell-like mound. Immediately, a monstrous shadow burst from the water, unleashing a tidal wave hundreds of meters high that roared toward the shore.

The white wave advanced like an imposing wall, screaming as it threatened to engulf everything.

Before this raw power of nature, Siphiran's expression remained as placid as still water. She slowly raised one palm and gently tapped the void before her. The transparent space rippled like water, and this ripple spread rapidly. Like the gentle strumming of a taut string, every layer of the roaring, white surge that rushed toward them suddenly shuddered to a halt, then began to surge backward with even greater speed.

Siphiran whispered four words, audible only to herself: "Spatial Fold."

"Roar—"

A cataclysmic roar erupted from the churning, massive waves, sending countless water droplets scattering. The trees at the edge of the shore were nearly uprooted by the gale force. Ling's long black hair whipped backward, nearly tearing from his scalp. Enduring the sharp pain, he shielded his face with both hands, leaving a narrow slit open between his arms through which he strained to look.

Through the narrow line of sight protected by his arms, a colossal black tentacle slowly ascended from the swirling waves. It writhed, lifting high like a gigantic venomous serpent, striking furiously toward them.

He nearly cried out in horror.

Siphiran remained expressionless. With a slight flick of her index finger, Ling felt the violent headwind and the stinging water droplets striking him vanish as if blocked by an unseen transparent barrier. He couldn't help but snap his head up, his pupils instantly shrinking to pinpricks.

The black tentacle descended like a sharp bolt of lightning.

The Ice and Snow Empire, on the hillside.

"Heh heh... the mouth..." Lian Guang panted, looking down at the slain Tia before him. His handsome face seemed twisted in a vicious sneer. "The [Heavenly Eye Needle] is a spiritual weapon; naturally, it could seal the nerve system that connects to the [Fountain of Earth]. This way, the connection is severed, and no energy can be transmitted."

"Now, your [Fountain of Earth] and [Shield of Earth] are both mine. With these two, hah... which of the envoys in the Nine Great Worlds would dare stand in my way? Hahahaha..."

His triumphant and arrogant laughter echoed across the snowfield.

"Is that so?" A faint voice, like that of a phantom, suddenly materialized behind him.

Lian Guang’s body jolted. He spun around abruptly to see Jizōkawa, clad entirely in black, standing behind him as if he had materialized from thin air, smiling faintly while his narrow eyes glittered with both amusement and sharp, cold intent.

Some people look like they are smiling, yet they make everyone around them profoundly uneasy.

Lian Guang looked at him, his expression gradually settling into calmness. He said steadily, "You planned this from the beginning, didn't you?"

Jizōkawa smiled at him. "Do you truly believe I fear you, the former Four Seal Envoy? Oh, right, you dislike being called a former envoy. Heh, how pathetic. Now you can't even be a former envoy, because you’re about to die soon."

"You think you can kill me just with that? Although I am heavily injured now, relying on the [Sky-Slaying Dagger] will be quite difficult for you," Lian Guang stated calmly.

"Is that so?" Jizōkawa replied with piqued interest. "Let me tell you something. Actually, I was the one who actively requested the Supreme Lord to assign me the task of releasing you. You should know what that implies, right? Yes, at that time I knew that if I released you, you would inevitably engage in a battle to the death with the current Four Seal Envoy, that monster Tia. Therefore, I have been preparing for this fight for a very long time." The [Sky-Slaying Dagger] slowly materialized in his palm.

Lian Guang’s face darkened. Though outwardly calm, his heart churned with shock and cold realization at Jizōkawa's depth of scheming. As if trying to bolster his courage, he looked at Jizōkawa with disdain. "Just with that thing in your hand?"

Jizōkawa smiled, raising the dagger, but instead of attacking Lian Guang, he plunged it into his own forehead, drawing a thin line of blood. However, the instant the wound appeared, a mysterious power contained within his body erupted like a fountain, sweeping the surrounding snow high into the air. Fierce gusts of wind surged from the ground beneath his feet, whipping his long black hair and clothes upward.

Lian Guang’s pupils contracted, filled with horror. "This... this power... Is this your true strength? You've been sealing your real power all this time?!"