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The Platinum Golden Lightning lived up to its reputation. As the light flashed past, a thunderous crack resounded—unlike Jin Luosha's earlier attacks that lacked penetrating force, this strike cleaved directly into the black sphere. The black sphere was a gateway linking the physical realm to the Dragon Soul Realm, far larger than its outward appearance suggested. In the next instant, the Sword of Divine Punishment, trailing blade energy extending dozens of meters, vanished into the black sphere. However, cracks that had already formed on the sphere continued to emit light, while the void within a kilometer radius around it echoed with the sound of shattering. Seconds later, with a crisp *shing—*, the black sphere, along with the surrounding space, completely collapsed.

The Sword of Divine Punishment immediately tore free from the fractured space, just as Chen Xuanfeng arrived above the battlefield. Leaping from the back of the White Dragon, he descended toward Qingcheng Fortress. Yet, within the shattered space, he beheld a sight that made his guts twist.

Among the two figures flung in opposite directions, the woman in azure robes vomited blood, her vitality seemingly extinguished. Like a withered leaf drifting down, she tumbled diagonally toward the fortress walls.

Chen Xuanfeng's sharp eyes instantly discerned the grievous wound on Catherine's back—a distinct fist imprint, sunken deep into her body. The sheer depth suggested her spine, heart, and lungs had been utterly ravaged.

In the final moments before the space shattered, Catherine and the Dragon Saint had clashed in their decisive confrontation.

To protect her child and to see her husband once more, Catherine's fighting spirit had surged to its zenith in the face of despair. The Covenant Sword erupted with overwhelming radiance, her willpower transforming into power that surpassed even her prime. In that full-force strike, her entire body became a golden streak of light, its edge peerless. Meanwhile, the Dragon Saint's black draconic energy contracted entirely—the Demon Dragon King's manifested form, originally nearly thirty meters long, shrank to just over three meters in an instant, clinging tightly to his back. Their combined power funneled into the *Dragon Slayer Sword*, its blade angled to meet Catherine head-on, not a wisp of draconic energy leaking out.

In that lightning-fast exchange, their forces clashed countless times. The Dragon Saint's power surpassed Catherine's by a significant margin, his oppressive black energy gradually forcing her golden combat energy back. Yet, Catherine's *Emperor Martial Art* was a peerless martial art that unified will and strength. When manipulating external forces, her golden combat energy proved more harmonious and refined than the Dragon Saint's black draconic aura, its transformations swifter and more precise. Just before being completely overwhelmed, she seized a fleeting opportunity.

As the Dragon Saint momentarily retracted his sword, Catherine's Covenant Sword suddenly split—one half remained the physical blade in her right hand, while the other became a phantom sword in her left, identical in form but woven from countless runes and golden combat energy. Twin blades flashing, she exploited the Dragon Saint's brief hesitation: her main sword coiled around the *Dragon Slayer Sword*, while the phantom blade reversed its grip, arcing upward from below to stab at the Dragon Saint's throat.

Gripping his greatsword with both hands, the Dragon Saint had no room to evade the point-blank thrust. Yet he had his own counter—his posture unchanged, the Demon Dragon King's manifested form extended from his shoulders, lowering its horn to deflect the strike. However, Catherine's phantom sword, composed purely of energy and runes, could shift forms at will. It abruptly shortened, evading the dragon's head before elongating again to strike. Though this adjustment was fast as lightning, it still gave the Dragon Saint an opening. Twisting slightly, he narrowly avoided his throat but took the blade through his right chest.

*Cough—* Blood sprayed from the Dragon Saint's lips, yet his movements never slowed. His right hand pressed the *Dragon Slayer Sword* harder against Catherine's holy blade, while his left suddenly transformed into a steel claw, smashing toward her torso.

Catherine had intended to drag the phantom sword through, bisecting the Dragon Saint, but the Demon Dragon King's manifested form abruptly exerted its strength—a hidden claw from behind clamped onto the protruding blade, while the dragon's head in front bit down on the section outside the Dragon Saint's body. Locked in place by this dual grip, the phantom sword became immovable, thwarting Catherine's follow-up.

Realizing her blade was trapped, Catherine had no time to act before the Dragon Saint's iron fist struck. In that split second, instinct drove her choice: she turned, crouched slightly, and took the blow on her back—shielding her child.

*Boom—* The Dragon Saint's fist landed squarely on Catherine's spine.

At the same moment, the platinum blade energy of the Sword of Divine Punishment shattered the Dragon Soul Realm's seal.

The Dragon Saint instantly knew Chen Xuanfeng had arrived. Yet he still sought to exploit the fleeting moment before his adversary's approach to deliver a final, fatal blow.

But before he could raise his greatsword, a roar split the sky: *"Seeking death—!"*

Then, a distant yet crystalline clangor of blades resounded across the city. A domain of violet crystalline saber light and interwoven platinum sword energy enveloped the Dragon Saint within a hundred-meter radius.

*Blade and Sword Divine Technique, Second Form: Lament of the Void.*

[Twelve gates melted cold light; twenty-three strands stirred the Purple Emperor.] (This line alludes to classical poetry describing the twelve celestial gates and the twenty-three strings of the emperor's lute.)

The endlessly grinding, oscillating saber and sword energies produced a symphony of countless tones, their slashes and cuts fast as lightning. This thunderous symphony was death's proclamation.

Chen Xuanfeng's peak strength roughly equaled that of two young human Sword Saints combined. When executing the *Blade and Sword Divine Technique*, his lethality soared further—a single strike could force even powerhouses like the Dragon Saint or Orc King Samanda into dire straits. Though Chen Xuanfeng had yet to close the distance, attacking remotely by channeling his combat energy through the *Tiger Soul Saber* and *Sword of Divine Punishment* inevitably diminished the technique's potency. Yet the Dragon Saint, battered and exhausted, found himself even harder pressed. Seconds later, the blades fell silent. The Dragon Saint, drenched in blood, crashed down below the walls. His right hand was crushed, the massive *Dragon Slayer Sword*—now riddled with cracks and chips—embedded in Qingcheng Fortress's ramparts. What followed was the Silver-Haired Wolfman's furious claws.