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"I hadn't expected such a vast space either. It would be impossible to build a city here, and the thick layers of sand make normal passage impossible as well. Xuanfeng, do you have any good ideas?" Katherine asked me with a helpless sigh.

I nodded and said, "Actually, before I came, 'Winter Night' took a look at this place. He suggested building a dragon tower at the center of this basin and relocating his nest's teleportation array here, making it his new lair. The crystalline sand in this area has been baptized by the power of the forbidden spell. Though it's far from being as pure and potent as ice crystal stones or ice-attribute magical beast cores, the quantity is staggering. If the entire dragon tower is constructed using this icy sand, the energy contained within would rival that of an epic-grade treasure. With Winter Night's mid-level dragon power combined with the power of the dragon tower, and since the barbarians have no super-beasts to aid them, he should be able to hold this place firmly."

"Oh? You plan to leave Winter Night here. What about when we march south to the human world?"

"No need to worry, that's why I'm relocating the dragon nest here. Once the dragon tower is built, Winter Night will also set up a spatial coordinate in Fontainebleau, allowing him to answer my summons at any time and assist me there."

"I see, magic is indeed very useful." Katherine nodded with a smile, then added, "Then let's place the 'Tear of Gaia' at the center of the valley to begin clearing the forbidden spell's influence."

It took us only a short while to travel the dozen kilometers from the edge of the basin to its center. The center of the valley was the original site of Hurricane Fortress. The man who cast the forbidden spell, Mr. Pang, wasn't as accomplished as the Twelve Wise Men and couldn't pinpoint locations from a hundred kilometers away. So, he secretly planted magic coordinates in the fortress. Since the terrain had changed, I could only roughly estimate the center of the basin and place the 'Tear of Gaia' on the ground. The milky white cold fog rapidly dispersed like snow melting under hot water, quickly forming an open space. The sand beneath our feet rustled and trembled slightly, as the curse within the crystalline sand reacted to its dissipating influence. However, the 'Tear of Gaia' only eliminated the world-damaging effects of the forbidden spell, ignoring parts that could be assimilated by the world. Thus, the pure ice-attribute magical energy contained in the sand remained undiminished.

The expansion of the 'Tear of Gaia's' miracle didn't slow down despite the massive residual forbidden spell power in the area. Within half an hour, it had completely restored several hundred meters of the surrounding area to normal. Since most of the forbidden spell's influence was concentrated on the surface, its impact on the air above wasn't too significant. Within another hour or two, a channel wide enough for a dragon to land would be cleared, and Winter Night could begin his work.

However, just as we began to relax, a sudden violent tremor rose from beneath our feet. The settled icy sand began to shake once more. Soon, a patch of sand not far from us began to bulge upward, growing taller and taller until it formed a two-meter-high mound.

"Something is about to emerge..." I quickly drew my 'Divine Punishment Sword,' activated my 'White Lightning,' and stepped forward to shield Katherine, just in case. Unfortunately, it wasn't a night with a triple moon, so I couldn't transform into a werewolf, which would have boosted my combat power. Moreover, the magic blade 'Tiger Soul' was still back in Fontainebleau.

"In the domain of a forbidden spell, something had actually survived?" Katherine was also extremely cautious. She fully activated her 'Emperor Martial Supreme Art,' which had been enhanced to the tenth level of Sword Master through numerous battles. Complex runes lit up on her 'Covenant Sword,' and with a tenfold boost in combat power, further enhanced by Shamanistic magic, her strength at that moment was very close to mine, a newly promoted Sword Empress.

"Boom————" A loud explosion echoed as the sand mound erupted, sending a massive blue crystal, three meters in diameter, soaring into the sky. It fell heavily and crashed in front of us. The surface of the crystal began to crack, emitting a continuous creaking sound. As the cracks spread, countless fragments fell away from the crystal, gradually revealing the core within. When the last fragment fell, a female figure with closed eyes appeared before us.

She was a beautiful, naked woman with long, curly black hair cascading over her shoulders. Her features were sharp and delicate, her figure tall and well-proportioned, with strong muscles and bones. Her voluptuous, firm breasts, her supple waist, and her long, strong legs were all exposed, yet there was no hint of vulgarity. Instead, there was a sense of awe, as if facing a great work of art, an aura of valkyrie-like heroism.

However, what truly startled us was that this nude woman, firmly gripping a thick, heavy icy-blue crystal spear, was none other than someone both Katherine and I recognized.

"Zha?" I was extremely surprised. Initially, I thought it was someone who had entered after the forbidden spell dissipated, but it turned out to be the barbarian Sword Empress who had perished under the direct hit of the forbidden spell.

"Her?" Katherine also recognized this formidable opponent she had fought several times. Although Zha always wore heavy armor and a helmet during their encounters, at this level of power, one could identify an opponent by their silhouette and aura alone. Not to mention, that famous spear, the 'Spear of Absolute Destiny,' was a dead giveaway.

"Is she still alive?" I said in disbelief. Using my high-level expert's intuition, I could clearly sense that the woman's heartbeat and blood flow were normal, and her breathing was gradually returning to normal. She was definitely not a frozen corpse. What shocked me even more than her identity was the fact that she had survived the direct hit of a forbidden spell without a scratch.

The power of a forbidden spell can alter the very fabric of reality, and it is not something humans can withstand. Even with the 'Tear of Gaia,' I could only neutralize the cursed influence of the forbidden spell, not counteract it directly. Aside from the legendary twelve-level beasts believed to be divine avatars, even powerful entities like Saint Warrior Leimen or the Abyssal Dragon King would not have survived a forbidden spell. Yet, this living, breathing female Sword Empress before us completely shattered my understanding.