The immense energy blast hurled Liang Xiaoke away, his flesh and blood spraying outward, disintegrating inch by inch.
Though most of the energy detonated high in the sky, the powerful residual shockwave still pulverized the houses, trees, and streets below...
Everywhere was the sound of shattering debris, and everywhere were the desperate screams of the people—soldiers, generals, and countless others...
After an indeterminate time, when the light finally faded, the square outside the Imperial Palace had vanished.
The buildings on the south side of the plaza were utterly gone, and the southern palace wall had been obliterated for at least a hundred zhang...
A vacuum zone, spanning a hundred mu, was left at the scene.
Within this scorched area, nothing remained but gray ash...
At least ten thousand lives were extinguished in this one strike within this radius...
This meant that over one percent of the entire Yun Jing City had been utterly annihilated by this single blow, and that was the result of the high-energy beam cannon exploding in the upper atmosphere...
Had Liang Xiaoke not thrown it with all his might, the entire Imperial Palace might have been leveled by this detonation...
Staring at the vast expanse of gray, those who had narrowly survived were utterly petrified.
What kind of power was this? Even the full might of a Martial Saint could not achieve such destructive force.
Perhaps only the legendary Martial Gods possessed such strength? Above the palace city, Nangong Shang’s mouth hung open, his throat bobbing as if trying to speak, yet no sound emerged.
He had never witnessed the power of the Spirit Origin Cannon.
He knew it was a weapon of immense capability, but he never imagined it could be this devastating.
Bie Li, Ye Longyi, Ying Xiaoxiao, and the others watched in stunned silence.
Like Nangong Shang, faced with such an overwhelming assault, they found themselves speechless...
Ye Jingyu was momentarily stunned as well.
This was clearly a high-tech energy weapon—how could this world possess such technology? “Big Brother…” Yet, after that brief shock, Ye Jingyu remembered Liang Xiaoke being blasted away.
Facing such a terrifying strike, even he would not have survived unscathed...
Anxious, Ye Jingyu sprinted toward the area covered in ash...
“I’m here…” Faintly, from beneath the layer of ash, came a voice worn down to the very last thread...
“Big Brother!” Ye Jingyu, wild with desperation, lunged toward the source of the sound.
He dug furiously with both hands, pulling out a claw-like hand composed entirely of bone.
Grabbing it tightly, he yanked with great force, pulling Liang Xiaoke completely free...
Expecting Liang Xiaoke to be gravely wounded even if he lived, Ye Jingyu was surprised to find that aside from his two arms being shattered into mere skeletons, the rest of his body appeared untouched...
“Big Brother… Are… are you alright?” Seeing Liang Xiaoke in that state, Ye Jingyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, though he couldn't help but ask...
“Hmph, if it weren't for Qin Yan’s corpse, I probably would have been buried here today!” Liang Xiaoke pointed to a raised section beneath his feet.
“Just then, at the final moment, I used Qin Yan’s body as a shield...” Ye Jingyu swept the ash away with his foot, revealing a humanoid metallic structure lying there...
It was the armor Qin Yan had been wearing, but now, the entire rear half was completely melted away, leaving only the front section.
As for Qin Yan’s body, it had clearly been annihilated...
What kind of alloy was this, capable of resisting such a mighty blow? Ye Jingyu felt a surge of astonishment, but just as he bent down to collect some of the metal fragments, he saw the alloys beginning to crumble.
They, too, had suffered intense impact and could bear no more...
Right before the eyes of Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke, they disintegrated into the finest particles...
“What incredible power…” Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke exchanged a look after witnessing this...
However, beneath their astonishment was a deeper confusion.
While others might see this as merely a Spirit Origin Cannon—a superweapon activated by a Soul Master—they understood it was the High-Energy Beam Cannon Qin Yan had spoken of, a superweapon that even their past-life technology could not fabricate...
Now that Qin Yan was dead, he had left them with so many unanswered questions.
What kind of world was this, Ye Jingyu wondered again...
Following this battle, after Qin Yan, Qin Yunxiao, and Xiao Geng had all met their demise, the rebel forces immediately surrendered.
Crown Prince Luo Haitian, under the protection of the Hai family, fled toward the Tian Yuan Empire.
He knew clearly that having failed to seize the throne, remaining meant only certain death...
Ye Jingyu, however, paid no further attention to these matters.
After killing Qin Yan, he rushed straight to the Imperial Palace; he had to treat Luo Ling’er immediately...
While Ye Jingyu was busy tending to Luo Ling’er, in a temple situated on the eastern side of Tian Yuan City, the capital of the Tian Yuan Empire, eight elderly men clad in simple cloth robes sat cross-legged in a dimly lit side hall.
In the center before them lay a metallic sphere the size of a football.
At that moment, the sphere suddenly emitted a rainbow glow, and the eight elders simultaneously opened their eyes...
“Spirit Origin Cannon?” one of the elders exclaimed...
“Correct.
This is the sign of a Spirit Origin Cannon discharge, and it originated from the southern direction,” another elder, who appeared to be the leader, nodded gently.
“Could it be the sinner the Cult Master ordered us to apprehend?” yet another elder speculated...
“It must be him.
I hadn't expected that after all these years, he would reappear,” the leader stated calmly...
“Great Elder, what should we do?” the first elder who spoke inquired.
“Eight Heavenly Divisions, you will proceed immediately to Yun Jing.
Ascertain the truth—if it is indeed him, bring me his head or his corpse!” the elder addressed as the Great Elder commanded sharply...
“Yes…” Instantly, four figures shimmered out of the void, bowing respectfully to the Great Elder before their forms vanished...
“Eight Pagodas of the Heavens, you will accompany them.
Anyone connected to him, or anyone who knows his identity, will be killed without mercy!” the Great Elder continued his order...
“Yes…” Eight shadows flickered once more in the empty space...
“Remember, it is better to kill the innocent than to let him escape!” the Great Elder said coldly.
“Yes…” The eight bowed again, and their figures simultaneously disappeared into the void...
(Ugh, the weather is so hot~~ Hot! Hot! Hot! Anyone got ice bricks? I need some coolness!)