1263: Chapter 1263 The Resistance of the Starfield

Wounds began to appear on Luo Xiu's body.

A streak of sword light grazed his left arm, leaving a shallow bloodstain.

A streak of sword light grazed his back, leaving a long, thin wound.

A streak of sword light grazed his right leg, leaving a deep gash.

Although these were only superficial wounds and the armor of gods and demons was healing rapidly, these wounds indicated that Empress Xi's attacks were beginning to take effect.

Luo Xiu frowned, a trace of impatience flashing in his eyes.

He let out a sudden, explosive shout, and the God-Demon Flame surged from within his body, transforming into a sea of dark golden fire that expanded in all directions!

Wherever the sea of fire passed, the Void Realm was scorched and distorted, forcing Empress Xi's figure to manifest from the Void Realm and be pushed back by the flames.

"Don't you find it boring to keep dodging?"

Luo Xiu's voice was deep and cold, his god-demon greatsword pointing directly at Empress Xi. "A head-on battle; I will give you this chance."

Empress Xi stood at the edge of the sea of fire, a trace of gravity flashing in her phoenix-like eyes. Under the shroud of the flames, she could not escape into the Void Realm nor merge with the heavens and earth; she could only face him head-on.

"A head-on battle?"

A faint smile curled the corners of her lips. "Fine. Then let us have a head-on battle."

She raised her golden sword, the tip pointing directly at Luo Xiu.

The golden light in her phoenix-like eyes surged violently, and her aura climbed to its Peak at this moment.

It was not an explosion, but a burning.

She was burning her Origin, burning her life, and burning everything she had accumulated over endless years.

Luo Xiu looked at Empress Xi, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.

He knew that Empress Xi was burning her Origin—this meant she was prepared to perish together with him.

"Is it worth it?"

His voice was deep and calm. "For this Star Domain, for those ants, is it worth sacrificing your life?"

A flash of light appeared in Empress Xi's phoenix-like eyes; it was a light of determination, a light of no regrets.

"It is worth it." Her voice was calm and resolute. "Because I am the monarch of this Star Domain.

Protecting my people is the responsibility of a monarch.

Someone like you, who only knows how to kill, devour, and destroy, will never understand."

Luo Xiu was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Perhaps." His voice was deep and calm. "I truly do not understand, but I respect your choice."

He raised the god-demon greatsword, and dark golden sword light condensed on the blade, growing brighter and more intense.

"Come," his voice was calm and resolute. "Let me see just how strong the power you obtained by burning your life truly is."

Empress Xi took a deep breath, and the golden light in her phoenix-like eyes surged violently.

Her figure turned into a streak of golden light, shooting towards Luo Xiu!

Luo Xiu also turned into a streak of dark golden light, rushing towards Empress Xi!

The two lights collided in the Void Realm—

"Boom—!!!"

The deafening sound shook the heavens; the entire world was trembling.

Gold and dark gold intertwined, transforming into a massive sphere of light, enveloping tens of thousands of miles of the Void Realm within it.

Inside the sphere of light, the two figures collided crazily, each collision exploding with rings of destructive ripples.

Luo Xiu's swordsmanship was bold and unconstrained, each strike carrying the power to destroy the heavens and the earth.

Empress Xi's swordsmanship was exquisite and peerless, each strike containing the profound truths of the heavens and earth.

The two fought from the sky to the ground, from the ground to the Void Realm, and from the Void Realm to the edge of the Star Domain.

Their battle affected the entire main planet; countless mountain ranges were leveled, countless rivers evaporated, and countless palaces were destroyed.

The entire main planet trembled under their battle, as if it might shatter at any moment.

But Luo Xiu gradually gained the upper hand.

His power was too great, his God-Demon Flame too overbearing, and his Physical Body too sturdy.

No matter how exquisite Empress Xi's techniques were, they could not make up for the gap in power.

Each of her strikes was blocked by Luo Xiu, each of her attacks was neutralized by him, and each of her surprise attacks was seen through by him.

Yet, she could not fully block Luo Xiu's attacks.

Each of his sword strikes forced her to retreat, each of his punches made her cough up blood, and each of his impacts left her injured.

Wounds multiplied on Empress Xi's body.

Her golden armor was covered in cracks, and golden blood continuously spilled from the corners of her mouth.

But she did not take a single step back.

She gritted her teeth, fighting Luo Xiu with all her might, even though she knew she could not win.

Luo Xiu looked at Empress Xi, a glimmer of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"You are a worthy opponent," his voice was deep and calm. "But I will not show mercy."

He raised the god-demon greatsword, the dark golden sword light condensing to its limit on the blade.

This strike would be his strongest.

Empress Xi looked at that god-demon greatsword, which was gathering power, a trace of determination flashing in her phoenix-like eyes.

She knew she could not block this strike.

But she would not dodge, nor would she retreat.

She was Empress Xi, the ruler of the Radiant Star Domain.

She would rather die standing than live kneeling.

She raised her golden sword, the tip pointing directly at Luo Xiu, and the golden light in her phoenix-like eyes surged violently—

"Come!"

In the Void Realm, the Grand Elder of the Radiant Star Domain, Xuan Qingzi, stood with his hands behind his back, his plain white robes flapping violently in the aftermath of the battle.

His hair and beard were white, his face gaunt, and his deep eyes stared fixedly at the two lights colliding crazily in the distance—one dark gold like an abyss, the other blazing gold like the sun.

Every collision made the Void Realm beneath his feet tremble violently; every shockwave caused the protective spiritual light around him to waver slightly.

His expression was grave to the extreme; his withered hands were clenched into fists within his sleeves, his nails digging deep into his palms.

Tier 6.

That was a Realm he could not reach despite exhausting all his life's efforts; it was the Supreme power of this Star Domain.

He had once thought he was only one step away from that Realm, but witnessing the battle between Luo Xiu and Empress Xi, he finally understood—that step was an unbridgeable chasm.

He wanted to help, but was powerless.

The gap between Tier 5 and Tier 6 could not be bridged by numbers.

Even if he risked his old life to rush up, he would only become a burden to Empress Xi, and might even be torn to shreds by the aftermath of their battle in an instant.

This feeling was one of helplessness.

He had lived for thousands of years, experienced countless storms, and witnessed countless rises and falls, yet he had never felt as helpless as he did at this moment.

But he had no time to wallow in helplessness—Empress Xi was fighting, the Radiant Star Domain was burning, countless living beings were wailing, and he had things he needed to do.

Xuan Qingzi took a deep breath and slowly turned around.

Behind him, in the Void Realm, hundreds of thousands of figures stood solemnly.

These were the last elite forces of the Radiant Star Domain—not the coalition forces that had been routed at the front lines, not the Loose Cultivators fleeing in panic, but the true foundation of the Radiant Star Domain, the direct forces that Empress Xi had spent endless years cultivating.

They wore various armors, held various weapons, and their auras merged into one, like a towering mountain, steady and unshakeable.

There was no fear or retreat in their eyes, only a determination that was almost tragic.

Because they knew that their monarch was fighting for them, their Star Domain was being consumed by the flames of war, and their homeland was being trampled by Demonic Beasts.

Among the hundreds of thousands of figures, the auras of Tier 5 Powerhouses were as dense as the stars.

Not one or two, not ten or twenty, but a full hundred.

Tier 5 Early Stage, Tier 5 Middle Stage, Tier 5 Late Stage—there were at least dozens of people in each Realm.

And at the very front of these people, several figures had the deepest auras, like an unfathomable abyss.

Tier 5 Peak.

A full five Tier 5 Peak powerhouses stood side by side.

They were the Grand Elders, Protectors, Supremes, and reclusive veterans of the Radiant Star Domain; they were the most powerful beings beneath Empress Xi.

They had long ceased to concern themselves with worldly affairs, living in seclusion to cultivate, hoping that one day they could touch the threshold of the legendary Tier 6.

But at this moment, with the Radiant Star Domain at the brink of life and death, they had to come out of seclusion; they had to act.