Chapter 2014: Palm Print

At the heart of the overlord-level battlefield, the Empress of Blades’ bone spines and blades had pierced deep into Venerable Weiwu’s body.

Under normal circumstances, a battle between two Rank Eight overlords would never have ended so quickly—especially when one of them was Venerable Weiwu, a peak Rank Eight powerhouse.

However, the figure standing on this interstellar battlefield was not his true body. It was merely a phantom condensed from his law power.

Projecting overlord-level strength across distant star domains was no simple feat!

The Gallant Federation had already paid an enormous price just to persuade the Amenkha Empire to intervene.

After sensing the danger facing Venerable Tianyang and Venerable Muge, Venerable Weiwu had hastily sent a projection of his power across the distant star domains.

According to Myriad Manifestations World’s original war plans, he was not supposed to enter this civilizational conflict so soon.

“You...”

Venerable Weiwu stared at the Empress of Blades standing before him. Shock, anger, and disbelief flickered across his face.

His projection had been defeated so quickly partly because of the combined assault from Gongsun Wuji and the others.

Even so, the one who had truly placed him under the greatest pressure was still the seemingly young Empress of Blades before him!

Venerable Weiwu had fought countless battles throughout his long life. Yet, his instincts warned him that even if he descended in person, he would likely fare no better against her.

At best, they would be evenly matched.

The realization was utterly absurd!

Several hundred thousand years ago, Venerable Weiwu had been powerless to stop this woman’s father from slaying the Celestial Venerable right before his eyes.

Now, history was repeating itself.

Once again, Venerable Weiwu could only watch as the Empress of Blades forcibly slew Venerable Tianyang!

Worse still, much of Venerable Tianyang’s flesh and blood had been scattered across the vast lands of Divine Descendants World.

For both Venerable Weiwu and Myriad Manifestations World, this was an unbearable humiliation.

And it was not only Venerable Tianyang. Even Venerable Weiwu’s own law projection had...

“Are you not afraid that your actions will bring disaster upon your people and the civilization behind you?!” Venerable Weiwu roared in his final moments.

Although crimson bone armor covered the Empress of Blades’ cheeks, the corners of her lips visibly curled into a faint smile.

“I will be waiting for your revenge.”

The moment those words left her lips, the bone-like appendages and blades extending from her body crossed with terrifying speed.

Venerable Weiwu’s law projection shattered into countless fragments.

The resulting shockwave swept across the battlefield, forcing the surrounding overlord-level powerhouses to retreat.

Only the Empress of Blades remained where she stood, unmoved from beginning to end.

As the violent energy gradually subsided, Venerable Weiwu’s presence faded along with it.

Unlike Venerable Tianyang, however, Venerable Weiwu had sent only a projection of his law power rather than descending in his true body.

At the very least, he would be spared the humiliation of having his remains scattered across the battlefield.

Only after his aura had completely disappeared did the Empress of Blades begin to catch her breath.

Clearly, the battle had taken a considerable toll on her as well.

The thick bone armor and vicious barbed blades covering her body vanished one after another. Before long, she had returned to her usual combat form.

The Empress of Blades brushed back her blood-red hair and lowered her gaze toward the battlefield of Divine Descendants World once more.

“Only two remain. Let’s finish this quickly. My sister is probably getting impatient waiting for us.”

***

An endless sea of clouds churned across the highest reaches of Myriad Manifestations World.

During his clash with the Empress of Blades, Venerable Weiwu had expended a portion of his Omnipotent Soul to sustain his projection across the distant star domains.

He had also drawn upon the spiritual energy stored within the shrines of venerables and the towers of wanderers to replenish his rapidly dwindling power.

Of course, Liese had borrowed external strength as well.

As the source of the Insectoids’ faith, the Empress of Blades could directly sense and draw upon the power of the countless swarms under her command.

In that regard, she bore some resemblance to the deities of the divine faith system.

When she first entered Divine Descendants World, it was precisely this advantage that had allowed her to exchange a blow with Marduk.

The outcome of their battle left Venerable Weiwu burning with rage and humiliation.

His normally composed face had darkened as he struggled to suppress the fury surging within him.

This time, Myriad Manifestations World had lost far more than mere prestige. It had suffered a devastating blow to its very foundation...

The deaths of Venerable Tianyang and Venerable Muge were losses that Myriad Manifestations World could hardly bear.

Not long ago, many of its inhabitants had still been celebrating the enormous rewards they received from the Gallant Federation.

Hardly anyone could have imagined that such a crushing blow would follow so soon!

Whether Myriad Manifestations World should continue intervening in the Gallant Federation’s war had now become a question requiring serious consideration.

BOOM!

As Venerable Weiwu’s power slipped out of control, an enormous palm print appeared high above the endless sea of clouds.

Countless clouds scattered in every direction, and the entire plane seemed to tremble beneath the fury of its mightiest venerable.

Not long afterward, Venerable Jinyan, a mid-Rank Seven powerhouse, arrived at Venerable Weiwu’s shrine.

He had always been one of the most loyal executors of Venerable Weiwu’s will.

According to Myriad Manifestations World’s original war plans, Venerable Tianyang and his companions were merely the vanguard sent to the Gallant Federation battlefield.

The second wave of overlord-level forces would consist of Venerable Jinyan, Venerable Haiyun, and Venerable Shuiqiu.

The legions accompanying them would be even more powerful than those in the first wave.

Among the three, Venerable Haiyun was a formidable Rank Eight being, while Venerable Shuiqiu had reached the late stage of Rank Seven.

Faced with Venerable Weiwu’s barely restrained fury, Venerable Jinyan could already guess what had happened.

After all, one year earlier, the faith tablet of Venerable Tianyang in his shrine had shattered!

Nothing like this had happened in more than a hundred thousand years!

Such an event could only mean that Venerable Tianyang had already...

“Venerable Weiwu, should we deploy the second expeditionary force immediately?” Venerable Jinyan asked, looking at the middle-aged man before him. “Venerable Haiyun and the others are ready!”

Venerable Weiwu’s hair and beard whipped wildly in the wind, betraying the fury raging within him.

If he could, he would have ground the Empress of Blades and every Magus Civilization overlord into dust!

However, Venerable Jinyan’s question instantly pulled him back to reality.

His billowing hair and beard gradually settled.

Venerable Weiwu gazed into the depths of the endless sea of clouds, as though hoping to find a path forward among their ever-shifting patterns.

Unfortunately, the clouds offered him no answer.

As the leader of an entire civilization, certain decisions could only be made by him alone.

Venerable Jinyan stood before him with a resolute expression, clearly eager to avenge Venerable Tianyang.

Just as he was about to leave, Venerable Weiwu seemed to realize something.

“Wait!”

Venerable Jinyan turned back, puzzled.

Venerable Weiwu slowly steadied his breathing and suppressed as much of his violent aura as he could.

“Do not mobilize Haiyun and the others yet. Find out what is happening on Yunqi’s battlefield.”

Although he did not understand the reason behind the order, Venerable Jinyan bowed respectfully and departed.

Venerable Yunqi had been sent to a different battlefield from Venerable Tianyang and the others.

Whether Myriad Manifestations World should continue committing troops and wade any deeper into the turbulent waters of the Gallant Federation’s war was something that had to be considered from every angle.

Long before entering the conflict, Venerable Weiwu had known that the war would not be simple. Even if they ultimately emerged victorious, heavy casualties would be unavoidable.

What he had never expected was for those losses to come so quickly!

He had underestimated the Magus Civilization.

More importantly, he had failed to account for the sudden return of the Insectoids and the Empress of Blades.

Who could have imagined that a member of the Magus Alliance—one that had vanished a hundred thousand years ago—would suddenly reappear?

And at such a crucial moment!

BOOM!

Another enormous palm print appeared above the sea of clouds.

Despite his efforts to restrain himself, the fury in Venerable Weiwu’s heart had yet to subside!