Chapter 1615: Alienated Heavenly Wolf

“Zhulu!” Grand Elder Taiyin’s scream was swallowed by the relentless storm of calamity.

The Heaven Smiting Guardians were not merely the foundation of the Heaven Smiting Divine Realm; they were its very soul and a brilliant symbol of its existence.

Losing two Guardians years ago had already dealt a heavy blow to the Heaven Smiting Divine Realm, and suitable successors had yet to be found. However, that loss occurred during the confrontation with the Evil Infant, the world’s greatest heretic, and was therefore not entirely unbearable.

Yet today, in a world without the Devil Emperor or the Evil Infant, a Heaven Smiting Guardian had perished right before his eyes.

He was buried by that colossal azure sword, which felt strangely familiar yet utterly alien to him now.

The Heavenly Wolf Sacred Sword, the soul sword of the Heavenly Wolf Star God from the Star God Realm, was undeniably powerful. Yet, in his understanding, and in the understanding of anyone in the current era, it should not have been capable of obliterating a Heaven Smiting Guardian with such ease!

Piercing through the still raging storm of destruction, Grand Elder Taiyin saw the lithe and delicate figure of a young girl. The colorful dress she wore had been personally woven by her birth mother before her passing, the only gift left to her. Because of this, once she could wear it, she had refused to grow any further, even choosing to forsake the powerful defensive Heavenly Wolf Battle Armor despite inheriting the Heavenly Wolf Divine Power.

Thus, that colorful attire had, without her realizing it, become a symbol of her identity many years ago.

The Heavenly Wolf Star God… Caizhi.

Grand Elder Taiyin’s pupils dilated to their extreme limits… He recognized her identity at a glance. But as a Heaven Smiting Guardian, he was one of the people in the world who understood the Star Gods best. Though this newly awakened Heavenly Wolf Star God boasted an extremely high affinity with Heavenly Wolf Divine Power, she had only inherited it just over ten years ago.

Heavenly Wolf Divine Power was widely acknowledged as the strongest among the Twelve Star Gods’ powers, yet also the most difficult and slowest to awaken.

Back then, Caizhi, who had just inherited her divine power, frequently visited the Heaven Smiting Realm, and Grand Emperor Zhuxu was very fond of her. At that time, Caizhi was undoubtedly the weakest among the Twelve Star Gods. Even with her high affinity for Heavenly Wolf Divine Power, there should not have been such a drastic change in just a few years… or even decades.

Yet, facing her now, his heart pounded with terror, and his body trembled uncontrollably… even though beside the colossal sword, larger than her own figure, lay the scattered remains of another Heaven Smiting Guardian.

Although Venerable Zhulu’s power had been shattered and he had been wounded beforehand by the Primeval Dragon Emperor, he was, after all, a Heaven Smiting Guardian, one of the most difficult beings in the world to destroy. Yet he had been obliterated by a single sword strike… To utterly destroy a Guardian’s body with one blow, even after their power was broken, would require a power level reaching… that of a Level Ten Divine Master!

Even within the entire Heaven Smiting Divine Realm, only the Heaven Smiting Divine Emperor and Venerable Taiyu resided at such a level.

Even in the Star God Realm during its peak, only the Star God Emperor Xing Juekong reached that level.

She… the Heavenly Wolf Star God, who should still be a “young wolf”… could it be…?

No… impossible… how could such an absurd thing exist in this world!

Grand Elder Taiyin, possessing supreme strength and experience, having weathered countless storms in his lifetime, was so horrified at this moment that he forgot to immediately flee.

The moment he finally snapped back to reality, the sword might that had annihilated Venerable Zhulu bore down heavily upon him, suffocating him. In his line of sight, the shadow of a raging azure wolf lunged forward.

Instantly, his five senses perceived nothing but the wolf’s shadow. It was as if, in the next moment, his entire world would be torn apart and annihilated.

What caused his heart and soul to tremble once more was that within the wolf’s eyes, this Heavenly Wolf Divine Shadow did not glow with pure azure, but rather with a mix of desolate black light!

Devil… Transformation!?

These two words flashed through his mind. His body reacted before his consciousness, and the Heaven Smiting Divine Power erupted with immense ferocity, like a beast roused from a dream.

Not having participated in the Evil Infant’s war back then, he couldn't remember how long it had been since he had unleashed his full power so unreservedly.

Under the Heaven Smiting Divine Power, dozens of profound defensive formations instantly stacked up before Grand Elder Taiyin… Indeed, all his power was channeled into defense. The image of Venerable Zhulu being obliterated by a single sword strike was still vivid in his mind. Even if she were still the Heavenly Wolf Star God from back then, there was also the Primeval Dragon Emperor beside her, whom he absolutely could not hope to match. He could not fight; he could only flee!

The destructive storm tore through again, and more than half of Grand Elder Taiyin’s defensive profound formations shattered in an instant. His face suddenly paled, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.

With that one sword strike, his last shred of hope also dissolved.

For the Heavenly Wolf sword might he was currently enduring had truly reached the level he had just conceived of, yet found impossible to believe!

It was clearly comparable to… no, very likely, it had surpassed the previous Heavenly Wolf Star God, the world-renowned Heavenly Wolf Xisu!

How… could… such… a… thing… happen!!

Though startled, Grand Elder Taiyin remained composed. His hand gestures changed instantly, his body shifted backward with the momentum, and he swiftly seized the World-Veiling Cauldron.

But just as his spatial divine power began to circulate, the surrounding space was suddenly sealed with overwhelming dominance. Supreme Dragon Might then descended, following the Heavenly Wolf Divine Power.

His pupils constricted, and Grand Elder Taiyin was forced to retract his power, clashing head-on with the Dragon Emperor’s might amidst a roar.

Boom!

Heaven and earth overturned. Grand Elder Taiyin was instantly blasted back several miles. Though he still stood tall, blood foam spewed from his seven orifices. However, he had no chance to heal or catch his breath, as two powers far superior to his own had simultaneously ensnared him tightly. Dragons danced all around, sealing off all his possible escape routes.

“Alien human, let your greed be buried here forever!”

The Dragon Emperor’s judgmental growl echoed across the sky. This was the Primeval Dragon Clan’s territory. With the Dragon Emperor present, and a demonic Heavenly Wolf so powerful as to defy understanding, it was a death trap even for a formidable Heaven Smiting Guardian.

In the Heaven Smiting Divine Realm, Grand Emperor Zhuxu’s body swayed. He reached up to clutch his forehead, his face turning pale.

Venerable Taiyu, who stood before him, quickly stepped forward and asked in a low voice, “Your Majesty, what has happened?”

Grand Emperor Zhuxu’s aura was chaotic. After a long moment, he straightened his body and spoke with a weak voice, “Zhulu… is dead.”

The Primeval God Realm existed independently, its soul connections completely isolated from the outside world. However, the Heaven Smiting Divine Realm was an entity that defied conventional reasoning.

“What!?” Venerable Taiyu exclaimed in alarm. “Who? Who was it? Did they… fail?”

The Heaven Smiting Divine Emperor shook his head. Given the distance between the Divine Realm and the Primeval God Realm, sensing a death was already the limit; no other soul information could be transmitted back.

His face remained bloodless. The death of a Guardian was the greatest disaster the Heaven Smiting Divine Realm could face. He murmured, “With their spatial divine power and the World-Veiling Cauldron, even if they failed, they should have been able to retreat safely…”

“Perhaps the Primeval Dragon Emperor was guarding the divine fruit?” Venerable Taiyu suggested.

The Heaven Smiting Divine Emperor closed his eyes, then suddenly said, “Taiyin controls the World-Veiling Cauldron. Even if he truly encountered the Primeval Dragon Emperor, he would certainly be safe. But their other task was to secretly protect Qingchen, and this leaves me uneasy.”

“Taiyu, go to the Primeval God Realm yourself immediately. Cancel the trial and bring Qingchen back!”

“Yes!” Taiyu acknowledged the order and swiftly turned to depart.

For the first time, Grand Elder Taiyin truly understood what a nightmare and despair were.

Facing either the strongest dragon of the Primeval God Realm or the demonic Heavenly Wolf Star God alone would have been incredibly difficult for him. Under their combined might, this powerful Heaven Smiting Guardian barely held on for about ten breaths before his defeat became complete.

The furious Heavenly Wolf Divine Power and the overbearing Dragon Emperor’s might relentlessly slammed into his body.

He was struck hard on the back by the Dragon Emperor’s claw, his body violently smashing into the ground.

He was lifted from the earth by an immense force, and a merciless wolf shadow passed directly through his body, tearing dozens of fissures in his flesh, causing blood and gore to splatter.

Boom!!!

Scarcely had the gush of blood erupted from his throat when he was once again smashed down by the dragon claw, his internal organs severely ruptured.

He was like a withered leaf caught in a storm, wantonly battered and crushed, devoid of even the slightest power to resist.

*Bang…* The World-Veiling Cauldron, which he had desperately clung to, flew from his grasp and crashed far away.

Caizhi’s gaze was as cold and desolate as a dark abyss where billions of lives had been extinguished. Facing Grand Elder Taiyin, whose body was ravaged beyond recognition, there was not a trace of pity in her eyes. With a small push of her hand, the Heavenly Wolf Sacred Sword soared forth, imbued with world-destroying demonic might, hurtling directly towards the falling Grand Elder Taiyin.

In Grand Elder Taiyin’s current state, he would very likely be bisected by a single sword strike.

A faint glint flickered in Grand Elder Taiyin’s visibly unfocused eyes. His body, riddled with wounds, barely managed to twist under the immense pressure.

*Slash!!*

The Heavenly Wolf Sacred Sword grazed past, not piercing Grand Elder Taiyin’s body, but taking with it his already blood-soaked right arm.

His entire right arm detached and shattered, transforming into a scattering spray of blood.

Grand Elder Taiyin crashed to the ground. Bathed in blood, his breath was faint, but he was not unconscious. His eyes were wide open, filled only with desolation and despair. His body continuously twitched and spasmed… Anyone seeing him in this state would never believe he was a Heaven Smiting Guardian, a Level Nine Divine Master standing at the pinnacle of the profound way.

For a long time, he was unable to stand again. His last breaths were rapidly dissipating.

The storm gradually subsided, and the Heavenly Wolf Sacred Sword flew back into Caizhi’s hand. She slightly raised her head and glanced at the Primeval Dragon Emperor… At her glance, the Primeval Dragon Emperor retracted its terrifying dragon might, leaving the execution of this invader—and the object of her hatred—to her.

Caizhi slowly stepped forward, standing before Grand Elder Taiyin. She gazed indifferently at the Guardian, whose eyes were still open but whose consciousness was perhaps gone. The Heavenly Wolf Sacred Sword slowly lifted.

Just then, in the distance, the World-Veiling Cauldron, which had flown from Taiyin’s grasp, flickered with a faint divine glow.

In an instant, Grand Elder Taiyin vanished from his spot and, at the same moment, reappeared beneath the Primeval Divine Fruit.

Grand Elder Taiyin, seemingly on the verge of death and barely conscious, suddenly shot up. His bloodied left arm snatched at the Primeval Divine Fruit before the surrounding dragons could react. That unique Heaven Smiting Divine Power allowed him to retrieve the Primeval Divine Fruit with extreme ease and perfectly intact.

Caizhi spun around abruptly, her furious Heavenly Wolf Divine Power erupting once more and surging through her body… But at that very moment, the World-Veiling Cauldron reappeared in Grand Elder Taiyin’s hand.

The sudden turn of events occurred in a flash. The Primeval Dragon Emperor had no time to seal the space. As its dragon might finally descended, the World-Veiling Cauldron and Grand Elder Taiyin vanished simultaneously, leaving no trace. Only a profound formation, dissolving yet still shimmering with high-level spatial laws, remained.

Taiyin… a Guardian, after all, was still a Guardian.

Furious dragon roars echoed across the land, now devoid of the divine fruit’s aura. True Dragon spiritual senses were unleashed with all their might, but they could find no trace or presence.

The Heavenly Wolf Sacred Sword vanished from Caizhi’s hand. Without panic or anger, she turned and looked towards the distant south.

“My Master,” a voice of supreme majesty echoed within her soul sea, “You harbor such hatred for him, yet why did you intentionally allow him to take the divine fruit?”

Without a response, she soared into the sky, heading directly south.