Medium Roundy’s explosive power had always been impressive. It had always had its limits. However, back in the Moonrite Region, when it absorbed some of the godfire coming off the godchild, it resulted in heaven-shaking, earth-toppling transformations. Those transformations affected its internal structure, and gave it even more of the characteristics of Dawning Sun.

As of now, its mightiness had reached a terrifying level. When Xu Qing threw it out, it ignored all obstacles, including the pressure coming off the golden crow hand, to pierce right into the blood-red vortex. It appeared in the imperial capital above Sir Dust-Sun’s Go board. There, it rotated a few times, all while emanating bright white light and a terrifying aura.

Sir Dust-Sun had been completely confident, and had looked very relaxed. Everything had been going according to plan, and he was certain his plan would work. But when he looked at Medium Roundy and sensed the aura coming off it, his pupils constricted, and his heart pounded as loudly as thunder. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking at, but the intense sensation of life-or-death crisis it caused made his hair stand on end.

Danger. Incredible danger! Every inch of his flesh and every scrap of his bones trembled as a sensation of critical danger filled his heart and mind. Death loomed over him.

He knew there wasn’t enough time to react. He knew he couldn’t fight back. His only hope of surviving lay with the Go board itself.

The moment the white light flared, he decisively severed the arm that he had stuck into the vortex. But before he could do anything else, a sea of white light swept out from Medium Roundy with heaven-destroying, earth-extinguishing power.

It instantly filled Sir Dust-Sun’s chamber. Everything in his residence, including the walls, the furniture, the Go board, and Sir Dust-Sun himself, were incinerated. The heat was so intense that even the ashes were destroyed.

And the explosion of white light had only just begun. The sea of light filled Sir Dust-Sun’s residence and then continued expanding in all directions. Soon, it had swept over the nearby buildings. And it kept going. Buildings were incinerated. The sky turned red. The sea of light destroyed everything in its path.

From a distance, it was possible to see the sea of light expanding like a dome, wiping out everything within its borders. And it just kept expanding.

The imperial city that had once been the Kingdom of Heavengale actually didn’t have any mortals in it. They had long since been relocated. The only people in the city now were Seventh Prince’s subordinates and other organizations that supported him. There was no lack of powerful experts among them, including Void Returning cultivators. There were even more in Spirit Trove. They were either completely loyal to Seventh Prince from the beginning, or had thrown their lot in with him out of practicality. Regardless, they were the foundation Seventh Prince planned to use to carve out a power structure for himself.

Every one of them was important to his future plans. That was why he hadn’t sent them to the front lines, and had instead kept them in reserve here. But now, as the light exploded out, unleashing terror, the entire imperial capital erupted into chaos. Astonishment filled the hearts of all as they sensed impending doom.

In the imperial palace, Seventh Prince had called a meeting to discuss the current situation on the front lines.

One person in attendance was from Sea-Sealing County, and was currently in the middle of speaking. “I’m certain that Sea-Sealing County can provide all the supplies needed for the front lines. After all—”

Before he could finish speaking, a terrifying aura erupted from Sir Dust-Sun’s residence, causing the sky to turn bright red. The lands quaked. Everyone in the meeting hall looked around with surprise. Then a massive heat wave swept past them, causing their hair to catch on fire.

Seventh Prince instinctively shot to his feet and looked off into the distance, shock on his face. In his pupils could be seen the reflection of an ever-growing dome of light.

“Dawning Sun???” he blurted hoarsely.

The disaster continued. The burning sea of light surged out, quickly covering half of the city. And then... it spread out through the rest of the capital, covering everything.

The Kingdom of Heavengale’s taboo treasure was activated. But it only lasted for a short time before being destroyed. Countless cultivators tried to flee. They hardly made it into the air before the sea of light swept over them, wiping them out of existence.

The heat wave expanded, devouring everything and burning people alive. Anguished howls rose up into the sky. The city had become a hell on earth. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, the light dissipated, leaving behind lingering heat and the smell of cooked flesh.

The imperial capital... didn’t exist anymore. It was scorched earth, with no buildings and no corpses. Everything had literally been incinerated.

The amazing capital of the Kingdom of Heavengale, which had stood proudly for countless years, had been completely wiped out in a day. There weren’t even a thousand survivors. Seventh Prince was among them, of course, but he was completely bedraggled and obviously severely injured.

Looking around at everything with disheveled hair, he didn’t look even remotely under control. He was shaking physically, his eyes bloodshot as his emotions surged out of control. His normal demeanor, his pride, and his superiority... had all been shattered.

“Aaaaggggghhhh!! Who did this? Who?? Who unleashed a Dawning Sun here??”

His eyes were completely bloodshot and he had totally lost his composure. He couldn’t possibly keep his cool. Even now, he almost couldn’t believe what had just happened. He couldn’t accept it. What had moments ago been a magnificent city was now nothing but ruins.

What was especially noteworthy was that he had kept nearly a million loyal followers here. They were the subordinates he had planned to use to level all opposition. That included the forces of the groups and species that had sought asylum with him. They were precious resources that he had prepared.

But right now... they didn’t exist anymore. His years of preparation had been flushed down the drain!

Pain filled him. His face turned ashen. Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he stood there trembling, veins bulging on his forehead. Then he screamed a scream that came from the raw pain in his marrow and soul!

He couldn’t imagine how this had happened. He didn’t understand. Why? Why... had a Dawning Sun been detonated here to destroy everything that was his?

Fear lingered in his heart. Terror. Dread. Just now...

he

had almost perished. He was an imperial prince who had taken over an entire region. He had a bright future. He had never even considered that he might die. But today... death came very, very close to him. Were it not for some measures taken by King Heaventide, he might not have seen the next day!

As Seventh Prince trembled in anguish, his subordinates were already investigating. It didn’t take long to determine where the blast originated.

A figure appeared in the rubble behind Seventh Prince. Kneeling, he wiped the blood from his lips and grimly said, “Your Majesty, we discovered where the blast started....”

Seventh Prince swiveled. Glaring, he grabbed his subordinate and growled, “Tell me!”

“The Dawning Sun explosion started... at Sir Dust-Sun’s residence.... He was working on a mission you assigned him regarding Sea-Sealing County. Maybe... this was a case of revenge....”

The subordinate didn’t dare to say anything further. Given the level of Sir Dust-Sun’s cultivation base, no self-detonation of his could have released power like that of a Dawning Sun. Therefore, considering the mission he was on, it wasn’t hard to make some speculations about what happened. That possibility left the subordinate terrified, and caused fear to well up in the hearts of all the survivors.

Seventh Prince’s hand shook, and his heart was beating out of control. As he looked in the direction of Sea-Sealing County, his eyes raging with killing intent. If looks could kill, or if they could turn into a Dawning Sun, then Sea-Sealing County would already be half razed to the ground. Unfortunately for Seventh Prince, looks couldn’t do that.

Sea-Sealing County must have the ability to make Dawning Suns! Maybe they’re not as powerful as the original, but they’re still strong enough to shake heaven and earth. This... this is why the High Commander’s army went missing in Sea-Sealing County!

Seventh Prince wanted to calm down. He wanted to dispel the pain in his heart. But he was shaking so hard, and he was so deeply terrified that his true inner nature was revealed. He was afraid.

I just wanted him to bring Plumdark to use as a cauldron. I wanted to probe Sea-Sealing County.... But then Sea-Sealing County went and detonated a Dawning Sun.... This was definitely Xu Qing’s doing. He’s warning me not to provoke him and not to touch his woman.... How ruthless of you, Xu Qing!

The mere thought caused blood to spray from Seventh Prince’s mouth. Though he wanted to look away, he couldn’t stop from looking at the scorched earth around him. Finally, he gritted his teeth.

“We’re leaving. We’re going into hiding... until my uncle returns!”

Seventh Prince felt humiliated. But his fear overwhelmed that humiliation. He was worried... about a second Dawning Sun being unleashed on him. He didn’t want to cause any trouble for Sea-Sealing County before King Heaventide returned. In fact, he didn’t dare. As far as he was concerned, he was dealing with a bunch of lunatics. A bunch of lunatics who could unleash Dawning Suns.

***

A great distance away in Sea-Sealing County, the blood-red vortex collapsed. Sir Dust-Sun’s golden crow hand fell to the ground, where it writhed as it turned into Sir Dust-Sun himself.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

He was incredibly weak. However, after your cultivation base reached a certain level, you could experience the complete destruction of your body while still having the ability to regenerate. The cost was incredibly high.

Sir Dust-Sun hadn’t been left with any other choice. His only option in the heat of the moment had been to sever his arm and use that as the foundation for regeneration. That was his only way out of a lose-lose situation. However, after his body formed anew, Sir Dust-Sun scrambled backward, his face pale, his gaze vigilant. Looking in shock at the crumbling vortex, he then turned to Xu Qing.

“W-what... what did you throw in there?”