Bai Shengyi swung two more swords without giving Long Zining a chance to breathe.
"Spring Swallow Third Sword, Boundless!"
"Spring Swallow Fourth Sword, Heaven Slash!"
Each sword was more imposing, each more vast, as if possessing the power to destroy heaven and earth, surging towards Long Zining layer upon layer.
Long Zining dared not underestimate them and instinctively wanted to flee quickly. However, the moment she moved, she discovered that the surrounding space had been sealed.
Long Zining suddenly looked up at the man not far away.
"A high-level spatial locking rule?"
Long Zining sensed trouble. She disregarded Bai Shengyi's four swords, immediately pulled out a treasure tower shaped like an inverted triangle, blew it into the air, and shouted, "Break!"
To break Qin Si's seal, she even chose to use her powerful physical body to withstand Bai Shengyi's four swords.
However, she soon realized she had underestimated Bai Shengyi's swords.
The first sword struck first. The sea of flowers, seemingly harmless under the subsequent terrifying pressure, nevertheless cut her skin the moment it touched her.
Then the second sword fell. The wounded skin, though seemingly healed, tore inward, heavily injuring her Sea of Consciousness!
Before Long Zining could react, the third and fourth swords fell simultaneously. That sword, though it was sword light striking her body, seemed to cleave into her entire beastly soul!
"Time rule!" Long Zining glared at Bai Shengyi with a ferocious expression, "Who exactly are you! Why is your Dao the Dao of Karma within the Time rule!"
Cultivators who controlled rules embarked on the path to godhood, but at the same time, this path was also their path of righteousness. The world customarily classified things related to time, such as the Dao of Karma, the Dao of Pills, the Dao of Life, and the Dao of Death, under the Time rule, while classifying the Dao of Artifacts, the Dao of Talismans and Formations, etc., under the Spatial rule. However, these were further subdivided and not fixed.
It was simply that because time was the most profound and boundless, it was also known as one of the most difficult rules to control.
Yet, at this moment, this rule was being used with masterful skill by a female cultivator in this inconspicuous small world.
While shocked, Long Zining also harbored murderous intent.
No one knew that when the ancient Azure Dragon fell, it had divined a hex for the Dragon Clan. The hex foretold, "The spiritual maiden who traverses time and connects the present and future will be the calamity of the Dragon Clan."
Over the years, the Dragon Clan had been secretly searching for the spiritual maiden in the hex of the ancient Azure Dragon in the Moon Star Middle World. However, humans in the Moon Star Middle World were already weak, and female cultivators who could stand out were even rarer. After much searching, they had not found anyone who cultivated the Time rule.
Originally, fifty years ago, the Dragon Clan had captured the opportunity for Lord Azure Dragon to revive, but that sliver of opportunity was lost not long after.
"My Dao is not the Dao of Karma," Bai Shengyi did not understand why Long Zining was so flustered, but this did not prevent her from provoking Long Zining a little more. She smiled and said, "Are you very afraid of the Time rule? My Dao is the Dao of Reincarnation..."
As her voice fell, the Nine Cycles Reincarnation Brush appeared in her hand. Holding the brush, she inscribed a few light strokes on the Primordial Chaos Paper.
"Reincarnation!"
At that moment, Bai Shengyi seemed to gain a deeper understanding!
She had known decades ago that her Dao of Reincarnation had to involve taking karma upon herself and embracing reincarnation. However, after that, her understanding of the Dao of Reincarnation seemed to have stagnated. It wasn't a complete standstill without any progress, as her cultivation had indeed advanced. However, she had never again experienced that feeling of sudden enlightenment, nor could she grasp the subtle sense of how to forge the cycle of karma.
But at this moment, in this Universe Secret Realm, Bai Shengyi suddenly understood.
Light flashed in her eyes. Starfall Emperor Ring shone with a light blue and an ethereal white glow. The Reincarnation Brush rustled with a blue light in mid-air. The Primordial Chaos Paper gently fluttered in the wind, and an invisible force flew from the tip of Bai Shengyi's brush. Bai Shengyi softly said, "I decree your reincarnation!"
She pointed at Long Zining.
Long Zining was suddenly overcome with immense fear.
She decisively wanted to leave at all costs, even willing to pay a hundred years of her lifespan, but it was too late.
A dazzling cyan-green light slid from Bai Shengyi's fingers and, seemingly harmless, landed on Long Zining in an instant. Long Zining felt as if she had experienced life and death in a mere moment, and could not help but revert to her true form.
A purple dragon.
The dragon's head let out an uneasy and pained roar, but outsiders could not discern what had happened to her.
"You... what did you do?" All this happened extremely quickly. By the time Long Zining finally broke free from that suffocating feeling of having her life and death controlled by another, she was horrified to discover that her cultivation had regressed by a full thousand years!
Ten sixty-year cycles!
Long Zining went mad!
Even though demon cultivators could not rely on their own cultivation for longevity as much as human cultivators, a thousand years of cultivation meant her strength had regressed by an entire major realm! In the Moon Star Middle World, where people were naturally inclined towards martial prowess and frequent conflict, this was an immeasurable blow to her status!
But clearly, this was not over.
As Long Zining barely managed to regain human form, she saw a teammate who was still fighting others nearby glance at her and exclaim in shock.
"Zining! Why have you suddenly aged so much!"
Long Zining's heart was filled with dread. She immediately conjured a water mirror and saw a crone in her sixties or seventies revealed within it.
"Ah!" Long Zining, startled, threw the water mirror away. "You! You stole my time!"
Long Zining looked at Bai Shengyi with terror and resentment.
Bai Shengyi was still immersed in that profound realization and did not answer Long Zining. Long Zining's hatred surged. Seeing this, she angrily shouted, "You deserve to die!"
She transformed into her dragon form, unleashed a divine dragon's tail sweep, and intended to interrupt Bai Shengyi's enlightenment!
Bai Shengyi had destroyed her cultivation and stolen her time, and she would not let Bai Shengyi off easily!
"Scram!"
However, before Long Zining could touch Bai Shengyi, she was coldly blocked by a sword that was entirely chilling.
Qin Si said coldly, "Scram!"
Long Zining laughed in extreme anger, "You are merely at the end of your rope. Do you really think you can stop me?"
The Universe Secret Realm had limited spiritual energy. Qin Si and Bai Shengyi had used one ultimate move after another. Especially Qin Si, who had previously used a high-level rule. In Long Zining's opinion, this was completely suicidal.
Qin Si said, "You can try."
His long eyebrows shot up to his temples, his phoenix eyes were deep, and his crimson robes fluttered in the wind. He stood before Bai Shengyi, not yielding an inch.
"Seeking death!" Long Zining roared, spitting out a sword from her mouth, "I want to see how long you can last under the Demon Moon Sword!"
"Everyone, attack! Kill this woman at all costs and reclaim the Chongli Eye!" Long Zining had completely ignited her killing intent.