Kyle’s head throbbed painfully. It was the first time in a long while that his bloodline had acted up so uncontrollably on its own.
’Will you stop acting up already?! If I try to absorb the crystal, do you think the Rulers will just let me? No—they’ll tear me apart!’
He shouted inwardly, overwhelmed by a primal instinct urging his body forward.
His hands, clutching the golden crystal brimming with power, began to tremble.
Seeing his sudden pained expression and shaking hands, Yizhe’s gaze narrowed with a bad premonition, and he instantly rushed forward along with several other Rulers. At that moment, the Rulers rejoiced, believing Kyle was on the verge of being captured.
Yet before Yizhe or the others could lay a hand on him—or the crystal—a familiar Ice Domain descended from above, far colder than ever witnessed before, cold enough to freeze even the Celestials. It was as if the full power of Kyle’s bloodline had erupted, unleashed to consume any Celestial who dared to approach. It was maddening.
Kyle’s eyes contracted in shock. It wasn’t him who had summoned the Ice Domain. He actually lost control of his own power!
Something that had never occurred in the past—something he had never allowed to happen—actually occurred! Even back then, when his thoughts were manipulated by his bloodline whenever it acted on its own to keep him alive, this had never happened!
Hadn’t he already merged with it...?
Gained complete control over it...?
Then why...?
It lasted only a split second, as the cold power that had already merged with him surged and greedily enveloped the crystal, trying to take charge of the situation. Kyle was certain it also knew that if he tried to absorb the crystal now, he’d be hacked to pieces by those around him... Yet in that brief moment, those nearby witnessed the true might of something born purely from nature—explosive, cold, and so terrifying that it made them shudder instinctively.
Blue flames erupted in every direction as the ice spreading within the domain began to crystallize, freezing even the dark space, pulsating with raw natural energy. It surged outward at numbing speed, an unstoppable force of destruction, encasing everything in its path—with Kyle trapped at the center.
Yizhe’s breathing hitched at the scene.
So powerful... so otherworldly, he admitted to himself. If this power were his, he would become the strongest in the entire Realm!
So how could he let this lad live? With that in mind, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Stop him! The space is being sealed!"
Yizhe tore through the blanket of ice that tried to swallow him, a biting chill crawling across his skin, prickling like tiny needles, even though, as a Celestial standing at the very peak, he should have been completely immune to both cold and heat, even if they came from the laws of nature themselves.
"Ahhhh!"
A roar erupted from his throat as he broke through the blue flames surging to engulf everything in a glowing, cold embrace. His momentum didn’t waver, even in the face of the overwhelming dread that intensified the closer he drew to the center of the flames.
The other Rulers didn’t hesitate either.
Even the middle-aged woman and the two old men who had emerged from the temple with Yizhe unhesitatingly joined the fray.
The trembling, chaotic sky atop the scene shattered, its fragments scattering like tiny shards of glass under the combined might of more than twenty formidable Celestials.
The land split apart, and even the temple that had stood unwavering at the center of the Celestial Realm for thousands of years as the most ancient structure crumbled to dust particles in the cataclysmic collision.
A vast expanse of the Realm surrounding the area shook violently, and the roar of its aftereffects echoed to the farthest corners, causing everyone who heard it to tremble involuntarily with utter dread and shock.
Ultimately, nature itself was stirred.
It intervened in fury.
The natural energy, along with every other type of energy in the air, was obliterated in an instant across the battlefield. Everyone present was immediately drained of their energy, causing them to collapse as their power vanished, even if only momentarily.
But unfortunately—or perhaps not—the victor there had already been decided.
Yizhe laughed madly, for the first time in a long while, as he spat blood and stumbled, his once majestic attire shredded to tatters.
He had borne most of the brunt of Kyle’s power. Now he looked just like a beggar.
"Damn... just how many... ugh, natural laws’ powers did he summon at once, along with those flames? Shit, is his brain also at the Celestial rank? I was almost wiped out!"
"But..."
He laughed loudly, only to choke as weakness clawed through his body.
"I won...! Hahaha!"
Yizhe quickly dragged himself toward the heart of the devastation, yet couldn’t help but marvel at how surreal and ethereal the scene still looked, all because of Kyle—ice flakes danced down from the sky, and tiny shards of crystallized ice shimmered like scattered stars across the shattered land.
The remaining Rulers in the area rose one after another, most missing a limb or two and bearing grievous injuries. Only Yizhe’s body was still intact. They staggered after him, eager to witness a certain someone’s remains. Or else they might faint in anger!
After all they had sacrificed, after all the physical and mental strength they all had poured into this battle against one damn single man, that bug they had been unable to kill for so long should finally be dead!
If he wasn’t... they might as well strangle themselves on the spot, if only to stop the ugly rumor—how many of the Rulers had fought against one man, yet still failed!
Regardless of their inner thoughts, they were absolutely certain Kyle was dead.
Sure, his soul might be around, along with that icy power, but destroying a soul was easy. They couldn’t help but grin with glee, imagining the rewards awaiting them for their struggles—Kyle’s cold power and the power hidden within that golden crystal!