Chapter 660: Ray of Hope

"Rebel!" The Nine Thunders Sovereign spoke with authority, his words transforming into a thunderous roar that exploded through the void.

His patience with Yun Xiao had completely evaporated!

The dispute had reached a point where words were useless!

Now that masks were torn off, the truth would be shown through action alone.

"I want to see how you survived the hands of the Chaos Sovereign!"

The Nine Thunders Sovereign was enveloped in electricity, his violet hair unfurling like a sky-covering net of lightning. He leapt into the air, looming over Yun Xiao!

"Be careful!" Gu Suwan and Cao Shuo, two women, one hiding and the other trapped, both turned pale and cried out in alarm.

Living within the Thunder Department, they were well aware of the divine might of the Rank 1 Nine Thunders Sovereign.

The Nine Thunders Sovereign served as a benchmark of the Celestial Court's might. He was renowned across the cosmos and a warrior at heart. He was one of the most powerful among the Eight Great Sovereigns and known as the Arbiter King!

Crucially, the Nine Thunders Sovereign now held a hostage!

True to form, the Nine Thunders Sovereign swiftly manipulated the Supreme Everlasting Thunder Cauldron, trapping Cao Shuo and bearing it directly towards Yun Xiao's head.

This was like 10,000 thunderous mountains crashing down!

"Yun Xiao, you can face this head-on, but if the impact is too great, either you or she will surely die. A man of your stature wouldn't let his woman die a wrongful death, right?" The Nine Thunders Sovereign's words exemplified the lengths to which these Immortals would go to achieve their goals!

As the Nine Thunders Sovereign finished speaking, the Supreme Everlasting Thunder Cauldron reached Yun Xiao's head. Looking up, Yun Xiao saw the cauldron like a celestial pool of thunder, its booming sound drowning out all others, including Cao Shuo's screams.

One inside the cauldron, the other outside!

Life and death hung in the balance of a moment!

"Despicable."

If Yun Xiao chose to let Blue Star and Red Moon blast the cauldron away, the intense impact might indeed tear Cao Shuo inside into pieces.

With a frown, Yun Xiao’s brow furrowed, and from his forehead, the Prison Warden Life transformed into the Runic Umbrella.

For the first time, Yun Xiao grasped the Runic Umbrella with both hands, supporting it with the celestial power of the Establishment Celestial Expanse Realm!

BOOM!

The three massive legs of the Supreme Everlasting Thunder Cauldron pressed down upon the Runic Umbrella, a thunderous explosion ensued, and despite the umbrella’s 22 Rune Prisons, it twisted and warped instantly.

The Runic Umbrella cracked but did not break. It was pinned beneath the Thunder Cauldron and pressed down upon Yun Xiao's shoulders!

With a thunderous crash, Yun Xiao spat blood, his knee slamming onto the deck of the Nine Thunders Divine Ark. His flesh split, revealing a network of fine blood lines, while a violent net of lightning serpents swarmed around him, strangling him mercilessly!

This was but a casual press from the Nine Thunders Sovereign, and already it pushed Yun Xiao to his limits!

"Lu Yao, how are you holding up?!" Cao Shuo called out from within the cauldron, bound by nine chains of colorful electricity, herself severely wounded.

Her face, panic-stricken as she looked down, could almost hear the sound of breaking bones, tearing her heart apart.

"It's nothing..." Though faint, these words carried such immense confidence and resolve that they steadied Cao Shuo amidst her despair and panic, like a drowning person clutching onto a lifesaver.

The young man in white had his garments torn apart, revealing the perfect physique marred by blood beneath. He was completely bound by violet lightning serpents, his body trembling under the immense weight of the Supreme Everlasting Thunder Cauldron.

Yet, Yun Xiao withstood it!

The Prison Warden Sigil took on the form of the Dao Dragon, forming violet dragon patterns that clung to his skin, making him resemble a human-shaped violet dragon.

After resisting the pressure, the young man lifted his head, his eyes filled with disdain and fearlessness as he faced the imposing and tyrannical Sovereign of the Thunder Department.

But the Nine Thunders Sovereign laughed at this sight.

"Only 30% of my strength, and you're at your limit? Impressive, almost at Cao Sheng's level. But, do you really think you can stand before me and boast with just that? Where's that trump card you used to survive against Lu Fan? Can it only be used once?" the Nine Thunders Sovereign sneered.

Yun Xiao gritted his teeth, withstanding the mountainous pressure by his own strength, and scoffed, "You're not worthy of my trump cards."

The Nine Thunders Sovereign laughed again.

"The more you try to put on a brave front, the more foolish and mediocre you reveal yourself to be." The Nine Thunders Sovereign shook his head. "It seems I was mistaken about you, perhaps deceived by your earlier performance. In the end, you're just ordinary."

With that, the Nine Thunders Sovereign wasted no more time.

His gaze hardened, and the pressure from the Supreme Everlasting Thunder Cauldron on Yun Xiao's shoulder abruptly soared.

Twofold, threefold, and then tenfold!

The Nine Thunders Sovereign concluded that Yun Xiao had no more trump cards. If he no longer had the ability to contend with Lu Fan, then he might as well be killed and dissected!

The Nine Thunders Sovereign unleashed his annihilating power to its fullest!

The Supreme Everlasting Thunder Cauldron erupted with a deafening roar, like a titanic beast breaking free, its maw of lightning gaping wide to devour Yun Xiao's diminutive form.

"No, no, no..."

Tears filled the eyes of both Cao Shuo and Gu Suwan. The former cried out of pity and pain, the latter out of regret and panic for what was to come.

"So merciless?" Yun Xiao had hoped to delay a bit longer, but the Nine Thunders Sovereign gave no such chance.

Left with no options, Yun Xiao had to

pay

his way out of this disaster.

The full force of this Rank 1 Nine Thunders Sovereign was comparable to the sudden slap from Lu Fan!

In this moment of despair for Cao Shuo and Gu Suwan, just as Yun Xiao was about to be crushed, a sudden outline of a coffin appeared around him, taking the brunt of the cauldron's force.

And so, the pressure on Yun Xiao abruptly vanished!

What followed were moments where every second cost him dearly, much to his distress.

"Hmm?"

The sudden appearance of the coffin shadow made the Nine Thunders Sovereign squint sharply.

"At last, it appears!"

This mysterious coffin!

A glint of greed flashed through the Nine Thunders Sovereign as he realized that despite his full power, he could not budge the copper coffin.

"This boy keeps escaping death because of this treasure!"

His eyes burned with a fierce blend of rage and greed, forging an even deeper cruelty.

"He's not dead?"

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Cao Shuo inside the cauldron felt it too.

Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she heard the Nine Thunders Sovereign sneer, "It seems this coffin is your last resort. But can it save Cao Shuo?"

As his words fell, the annihilating power of the entire Supreme Everlasting Thunder Cauldron dissipated, concentrating all its destructive force into the nine colored lightning snakes inside the cauldron, striking towards Cao Shuo!

Such terrifying divine might, even a mere touch was enough to obliterate both the spirit and form of Cao Shuo!

Under this deadly assault, Cao Shuo paused, then suddenly laughed.

She couldn't be happier. Her death would free Yun Xiao from any hindrance! She was not afraid to die! After all, she had not lived in vain.

To be honest, Cao Shuo had been confused all her life, always an outsider. Now, facing death, she felt an immense relief and satisfaction, a sense of completion as if her life had reached its fulfillment.

She truly hadn't lived in vain!

So, she even relaxed her body, a smile spreading across her face.

In this moment of ease, she suddenly heard Yun Xiao's calm reply to the Nine Thunders Sovereign!

"Of course, it can save her."

Startled, Cao Shuo looked up, and for some reason, the whole world turned dark as if she had been enclosed somewhere!

The Supreme Everlasting Thunder Cauldron suddenly began to vibrate violently, its annihilating power seemingly absorbed by some force. Then, the colorful chains inside the cauldron snapped back, ejecting Cao Shuo out!

She was saved!

Cao Shuo landed on the ground with a thud, her mind buzzing, unable to comprehend what had happened.

Then she saw the Supreme Everlasting Thunder Cauldron next to her, crashing madly towards the outside.

BOOM!

It didn't take many hits before a corner of this dark world cracked open, letting the cauldron escape!

"Where are we?" Cao Shuo asked, her voice trembling.

"Inside the coffin," Yun Xiao's voice echoed in the confined space.

"Am I safe?" Cao Shuo looked puzzled, completely unaware of what had happened.

The Nine Thunders Sovereign sneered, asking if he could still save Cao Shuo?

Yun Xiao gave his answer and immediately saved her, just like that!

Cao Shuo hadn't even processed it yet, and on the deck of the Nine Thunders Divine Ark, the Nine Thunders Sovereign was in the same boat.

BOOM!

He caught the now empty Supreme Everlasting Thunder Cauldron, his eyes flashing with electricity as he looked towards Yun Xiao.

The young man stood there, one man and one coffin, suspended in the air, still calm and indifferent.

"Whew!" The Nine Thunders Sovereign exhaled deeply, his voice chillingly cold, "You can save her, but you can't seal my cauldron, which means your coffin also has its limits."

"You're quite the guesser," Yun Xiao said.

"Hehe..." The Nine Thunders Sovereign suddenly clapped his hands in admiration. "With such a coffin, endlessly versatile, your resources are indeed formidable."

"So, you're thinking of backing down?" Yun Xiao asked.

"Unfortunately!" The Nine Thunders Sovereign lowered his head, his expression dark. "Unfortunately for you, Cao Shuo was just a minor leverage for me. My greatest leverage lies behind me, beyond anyone's help."

Behind the Nine Thunders Sovereign lay the birthplace of the Immortal Asylum—Yun Xiao's homeland!

Though still a distance away, this posed no challenge for the Nine Thunders Sovereign.

"There's only one way for you to survive, Yun Xiao," the Nine Thunders Sovereign said gravely.

"Kill you before you reach my homeland," Yun Xiao replied.

"Exactly!" The Nine Thunders Sovereign frowned at him. "The question is, can you do it?"

Yun Xiao pointed behind him and said, "Initially no, but after buying some time, I think I can now."

The Nine Thunders Sovereign's gaze turned sharply colder!

His pupils contracted as he glanced back.

There in the void, a woman with silver hair and a strikingly cold beauty emerged in a swiftly moving sword boat.

It was the Moon Sword Goddess, Yue Yin!

Seeing her, a fierce rage surged in the Nine Thunders Sovereign's heart.

"Indeed, at any time, women are the weakest, always the easiest to kneel and fawn."

One was enough! But two or three? Even this Rank 2 Heavenly Officer from the Immortal Sword Court had turned traitor!

She and Gu Suwan were nothing like Cao Shuo, who had a bleeding heart. Why were they still so soft, so despicable?

Rage burned in the chest of the Nine Thunders Sovereign.

WHOOSH!

The Moon Sword Goddess moved swiftly to Yun Xiao's side, bowed slightly, and handed him a Bag of Holding, saying, "Sorry I'm late, you've been hurt."

"It doesn't matter." Yun Xiao glanced at her. "How much did you get?"

"All of it, the entire stock is here, accumulated over a thousand generations, about 10,000," Yue Yin replied.

"That's enough." Yun Xiao grasped the Bag of Holding, his voice icy. "After all, not everyone is willing to part with their Sword Heart..."

JustLivingJL's Thoughts

Yun Xiao about to desecrate the legacy of ancestors...