211: Divine weapons resist calamity, phoenix blood stains the dust.

"Boom—Crack—!"

The Heavenly Dao silent ruin Divine Lightning, carrying the majestic Heavenly Might of erasing all meaning of existence, struck down with overwhelming force. It wasn't the bright silver of ordinary lightning, but a deep, cold, dark purple lightning that seemed to devour all light and heat. Wherever it passed, even space emitted a pained wail of unbearable strain, leaving a transient void in its wake.

The core of the lightning was directed straight at the dark golden long saber, "silent ruin," which had just been born and was exhaling Chaos Qi!

At that very moment, the nascent "silent ruin" seemed to possess its own spirituality, emitting a clear and defiant hum. It didn't passively endure; instead, the naturally formed dark golden patterns on its blade, which seemed to contain the profound truth of the Universe's creation and destruction, suddenly lit up! A Saber Intent of "annihilating all methods and returning to nothingness" soared into the sky. It wasn't a head-on clash; it was more like... an assimilation, a devourment!

The dark purple lightning pillar and the dark golden saber light collided with immense force.

There was no earth-shattering explosion as expected, but rather a more terrifying "sizzle" sound, as if rules were being forcibly torn and ground away. That area of space completely twisted and blurred; light was swallowed, sound was isolated, leaving only two forces representing different concepts of "annihilation" frantically eroding and canceling each other out.

The silent ruin Divine Lightning sought to wipe "silent ruin" and the Dao it carried from this world.

But "silent ruin," with its essence like the primordial Chaos, domineeringly sought to transform this external destructive energy into nourishment for its own growth!

The stalemate lasted for only a single breath.

The next moment, the dark purple lightning pillar, starting from the point of contact with the saber tip, disintegrated and dissolved inch by inch at a visible speed, being greedily devoured by the dark golden saber light! It was like a drop of water merging into the ocean; though it stirred ripples, it was ultimately absorbed and assimilated by a greater existence.

The "silent ruin" saber body vibrated violently, its dark golden patterns flowing incessantly as if alive. The Chaos Qi it emitted not only did not weaken but became even more condensed and profound after devouring this silent ruin Divine Lightning! Around the saber body, subtle phantom images, like the birth and death of nebulae, even began to appear.

It successfully withstood the first Heavenly Tribulation, and in an inconceivable way, transformed the power of the Heavenly Tribulation into a part of itself!

However, the aftershocks of the Heavenly Tribulation were not easily fully absorbed.

"Pfft—!"

The moment "silent ruin" devoured the divine lightning, Li Ao, who was below and whose Soul and fighting Qi were already nearing exhaustion from fully maintaining the Saber Intent resonance, was struck hard and coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. His face instantly turned ashen, and his body swayed precariously. He and "silent ruin" were connected by life and cultivation; the backlash and rule shock from the divine weapon directly resisting the Heavenly Tribulation were largely borne by him. At this moment, he only felt as if his Soul was being torn apart, and his Meridians were like they had been branded by a hot iron, with excruciating pain piercing his heart.

But what shocked him more than his physical injuries was the blood-stained figure beside him.

In his perception, Medusa, who had been firmly protecting him, trembled violently the instant the divine lightning's aftershocks dispersed, and her protective fighting Qi shattered inch by inch like fragile glass. A highly abnormal flush swept across her originally cold and stunning face, followed by a mouthful of crimson blood that uncontrollably overflowed from the corner of her lips, dripping onto her purple brocade robe and spreading into a dazzling stain.

That blood not only stained her clothes but also dyed Li Ao's eyes red.

"Cai Lin!"

Li Ao roared in a hoarse voice, a tremor and panic in his tone that he himself didn't even notice. He disregarded the tearing pain in his own Soul and didn't bother to carefully experience the profound state of "silent ruin" after successfully resisting the tribulation. Almost instinctively, he suddenly reached out and tightly pulled the swaying, cold delicate body into his embrace.

What he felt was a chilling sensation and a slight tremor. He could clearly feel the disorder and weakness of her Qi within her body, which were the injuries left by directly resisting the Heavenly Dao's pressure and the aftershocks of the silent ruin Divine Lightning.

Medusa leaned in his arms, suppressing the metallic taste in her throat, wanting to break free, but found that at this moment, even the strength to lift her arm seemed to have been drained. She raised her eyes, still enchanting but unable to hide her fatigue, meeting Li Ao's eyes filled with anxiety, heartache, and towering rage. Her heart trembled, and the stubborn words on the tip of her tongue ultimately turned into an almost inaudible sigh.

"It's nothing... I won't die." She turned her head, her voice still carrying its usual coolness, but her slightly pale lips betrayed her true condition. "Control your saber... the Heavenly Tribulation is not over yet."

Li Ao's heart felt as if it had been fiercely gripped by an invisible hand, making it impossible to breathe from the pain. He looked at her blood-stained lips, at her feigned composure, and an unprecedented fury and tenderness erupted like a volcano in his chest.

He held her tightly, his arms trembling slightly from the effort, as if he wanted to knead her into his very bones and blood, to use his own body to bear all her pain. His gaze shifted from Medusa's face, suddenly lifting to look at the dark purple tribulation clouds, which were still frantically gathering and brewing even more terrifying destructive power.

His originally dark and bright eyes were now filled with a nearly substantial killing intent and icy coldness.

"To harm her..."

Li Ao's voice was low and hoarse, yet it carried a decisive, unwavering determination that seemed to shake the very rules, slowly echoing in this world enveloped by Heavenly Might:

"You, this Heavenly Dao... what kind of thing are you!"

The moment his words fell, "silent ruin" in his arms seemed to sense its master's soaring rage and protective resolve, and once again let out a ringing hum that could pierce metal and crack stone! On the saber body, the Chaos Qi, which had not yet fully calmed after devouring the silent ruin Divine Lightning, suddenly boiled. A terrifying Saber Intent, even more domineering and defiant than before, as if it wanted to cleave through the firmament and annihilate all heavens, erupted with a roar!

Li Ao tightly embraced the injured Medusa with one hand, while his other hand was held in a virtual grip, resonating strongly with the hilt of "silent ruin."

Man and saber as one, defiantly facing the firmament.

The coming Heavenly Tribulation was no longer just a tribulation for the divine weapon; it was also Li Ao's challenge to this wretched old Heaven that had harmed his beloved!