Great Yan Dynasty, Northern Battlefield.

The battle had long ceased, and Zhong Lishuang stood atop the fortress wall, her expression grave.

In the distance, within the blood-red barrier, the Emperor was still trapped.

The barbarians had stopped attacking the city, no longer engaging in futile slaughter.

Their southern invasion aimed to lure Zi Ruoyan into leading her troops personally, allowing Jia Xu to trap her and complete their deal with the Black Soul Hall.

Further attacks would only result in needless deaths, serving no purpose.

In mid-air...

Jia Xu held the Bone Staff with both hands, sitting cross-legged in the air, maintaining this position for three days.

During these three days, there had been no changes within the Blood-burning Spirit-sealing Array.

Empress Zi Ruoyan sat cross-legged, her sword resting on her knees, unmoving, maintaining this state for three days.

"Hmm?" At this moment, Jia Xu's expression suddenly changed dramatically as he looked ahead.

The Blood-burning Spirit-sealing Array before him suddenly began to tremble violently.

Zi Ruoyan had not made a move; she remained seated cross-legged.

The cause of the array's barrier shaking was the aura emanating from her, continuously impacting the barrier.

Seeing everything happening within the barrier, Jia Xu was shocked and couldn't help but shout, "How is this possible? You're only twenty years old."

"Now, you're about to transcend and advance toward the Saint Ascension path?"

"Incredible, an Eighth Tier Transcendence Realm at twenty, already a legend in the Southern Wastelands' history."

"And now, you're breaking limits to become the youngest Ninth Tier Saint Ascension Realm in the world?"

"Zi Ruoyan, you truly are a renowned Empress, stepping onto the path of the Saint Realm, becoming a Saint is within reach."

"Soon, the world will have another Saint Realm powerhouse."

Jia Xu could no longer maintain his composure; Zi Ruoyan's youth and talent were a tremendous shock to an old man like him.

In an instant, Jia Xu's mindset nearly collapsed.

"Escape, I can't stay here any longer. Once she breaks through, I'm doomed."

"My Blood-burning Spirit-sealing Array trapped her, but also protected her, truly a twist of fate."

The array he created prevented him from interrupting her breakthrough.

Without hesitation, Jia Xu collected his Bone Staff and fled, his spiritual energy bursting forth, moving with incredible speed.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the spot, turning into a stream of light disappearing into the horizon.

As he left, he shouted, "Retreat quickly, return to the nation."

The Grand Sage's words were the ultimate command for the barbarians.

Without hesitation, the barbarians turned and fled.

"Hmph!" A cold snort echoed as Zi Ruoyan's eyes suddenly opened, her pupils filled with icy blue, with faint traces of golden light.

As she opened her eyes, her internal aura surged, accompanied by the sound of shattering.

Chains representing the Heavenly Dao Law appeared around her.

An illusory spiritual platform emerged, tightly bound by a chain.

Crack!

The sound of breaking resounded as the chain on the spiritual platform snapped, and Zi Ruoyan's aura could no longer be contained, piercing the sky madly.

The icy sword intent soared into the heavens.

Bang!

The mere eruption of the sharp sword intent shattered the barrier of the Blood-burning Spirit-sealing Array.

"Old man, you flee quickly." Zi Ruoyan stood amidst the shattered blood-red scene, her long sword in hand, faintly flashing with a sapphire hue.

Swish!

Zi Ruoyan raised her hand, and from a great distance, a sword strike roared out.

The icy sword Qi, exuding a chilling aura, sliced through the sky, racing toward the distant horizon.

The cold wave brought by the passing sword Qi engulfed the fleeing barbarian warriors.

In an instant, a thousand miles froze, countless barbarian warriors turned into ice sculptures, and were finally shattered by the contained sword Qi.

In the distance, the Barbarian Grand Sage Jia Xu, who had fled early, suddenly felt a chill down his spine and quickly turned to look.

In that instant, his pupils contracted as he clearly saw a sword Qi, exuding coldness, pointing toward him, chasing after him.

Jia Xu's heart tightened, and he quickly waved his Bone Staff, his blood-colored spiritual energy surging forth, burning his blood.

Under the burning blood, it transformed into a light, forming a blood-shadowed giant, punching across the void.

Swish...

The sword Qi sliced through the blood shadow, continuing its momentum toward Jia Xu.

Jia Xu hurriedly swung his Bone Staff forward, colliding with the sword Qi.

"Ugh!"

Jia Xu spat blood, his Bone Staff frozen and shattered.

He was knocked down, crashing into the forest below, creating a pit.

Despite the bright sun and warm climate, Jia Xu lay in the pit, exhaling white mist, shivering uncontrollably as if freezing.

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"The Ninth Tier Saint Ascension Realm is truly terrifying." Jia Xu mobilized the remaining spiritual energy within him to drive away the cold, feeling only shock.

Amidst his surprise, his eyes were filled with desolation.

For the first time, he truly felt the immense gap between himself and a genius.

Zi Ruoyan, clearly trapped by him, unable to leave, used this opportunity to break through and reverse the situation.

"The Great Yan Dynasty will only become more lively in the future; this vortex is not something the barbarian nation can provoke." Jia Xu muttered as he adjusted his spiritual energy.

...

On the Northern Battlefield, Zi Ruoyan did not continue to strike, ignoring the fleeing barbarian warriors.

Now, she had no time to waste on these people.

Changing direction, Zi Ruoyan flew directly to the fortress wall: "Handle the aftermath here, and after everything is settled, lead the army back to the capital."

"General Zhong, accompany me back to deal with the unrest, mobilizing troops and dispatching generals will require your responsibility."

With that, Zi Ruoyan grabbed Zhong Lishuang and soared into the sky, speeding toward the Imperial City of the Great Yan Dynasty.

She was anxious, hoping to stop the Poison Swamp Elder from wreaking havoc on Great Yan, preventing more citizens from dying at his hands.

"Your Majesty, don't worry too much. There are array formations everywhere now, which will somewhat delay the Poison Swamp Elder's actions."

Flying with Zhong Lishuang, Zi Ruoyan shook her head: "Poison Swamp Elder Xiang Yuanbai is ultimately an Eighth Tier Transcendence Realm, one of the Six Evils, the formations can't stop him."

"If it weren't for me being at the breakthrough point, this time Great Yan might have..."

Thinking of this, Zi Ruoyan felt a bit fearful.

Zhong Lishuang's eyes also showed a hint of fierceness: "The beasts of the Black Soul Hall are interfering with our Great Yan more and more frequently."

Zi Ruoyan took a deep breath: "Now we can only hope that Great Yan hasn't suffered too much loss."

An hour later.

The Northern Frontier was already close to the Imperial City, and with Zi Ruoyan's breakthrough, flying back with Zhong Lishuang didn't take much time.

However, upon returning, Zi Ruoyan found the situation was not quite as she had imagined.