The wind rose.
The dense fog that had shrouded the Knowledge Sea for tens of millions of years was swept away in this instant by a gentle, refreshing breeze. Aside from the topmost layer of mist shimmering with faint golden light, the entire Knowledge Sea became vastly open.
The sorcerers who had risked death to enter the Knowledge Sea were already rendered senseless by the unending sequence of spectacles. Now they could see tens of thousands of Void Realm creatures emerging from the water around them, and their vision could stretch all the way to the far horizon. For the very first time, the mysterious Knowledge Sea revealed its true appearance on account of sorcerers.
A breeze also stirred across the Time Continent. Gold Sorcerers raised their heads, watching the golden rain flow neither upward nor downward, but sideways, swirling along the curve of the Time Continent. Seen from above, it was like streaks of golden ink sweeping across the black-and-white earth, coating the entire Time Continent in the hues of time—brilliant, magnificent, and breathtaking.
This was likely the first time since the Time Continent's creation that this land had welcomed a universal rainfall, with the entire world swept up in the turning wheel of time.
And it was not only the Void Realm. Blood Moon, Gospel, Paradise, Stars... whether under day or night, clear skies or torrential rain, on the surface or in the abyss, all things across the world swayed faintly. Their souls were caressed, the strings of their hearts plucked, and even the sorcery spirits ceased their weeping, closing their eyes to immerse themselves in the brush of this breeze.
This was the breeze stirred by supreme wings. While gathering its strength, its feathers could permeate every corner, turning the entire world into its hunting ground.
At some point, phantoms of sorcerers began to appear across the Void Realm.
They were specters of the deceased, lingering traces of those who had passed. Day after day, they roamed the Void Realm, traversing mountains and seas. Every succeeding generation of sorcerers took pride in defeating them, for every sorcerer would eventually become one of them.
Sorcerers who had lived and passed away, mindless phantoms brought forth by the realm—they were the past, the present, and the future.
Yet at this very moment, all of them looked up toward Ruby Mountain, unfurling their imaginary wings without joy or sorrow. Their wings were not necessarily intact, their hues dulled and faded, but imaginary wings were imaginary wings: trophies bestowed upon sorcerers by the Void Realm, rewards granted to the brave by fate.
The breeze swept past the imaginary wings of the sorcerer phantoms, growing slightly stronger with every specter it brushed. Perhaps each trace added was infinitesimal, but after sweeping past hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, and millions of wings, the sound of the wind swelled and its fury surged, finally metamorphosing into a tempest that engulfed the Void Realm, carrying with it voices echoing from ancient archives!
Boom!
It was the deep thunder of drums from a distant epoch, the blood-soaked rhythm struck upon beast-hide drums by primeval sorcerers. It was followed by the roar of countless heavy drums, pouring forth in an unbroken torrent, each beat resounding in the deepest depths of living souls! They were no longer mere musical rhythms, but the unyielding heartbeats of countless souls, their desperate, hoarse outcries!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
An earth-shattering surge echoed between reality and the Void Realm. It was the tread of sorcerers forging a path through thorny wilderness across millions of years, the lightning and thunder cleaving the night, the moving of mountains and overturning of seas to conquer nature! They were lingering echoes settled deep within the river of history, the regrets buried in the depths of countless sorcerers' souls—and only a storm bearing hope could awaken their roar!
The sorcerers quietly unfurled their imaginary wings as well. Whether Silver, Gold, Sanctuary, or Legendary, whether demigods dwelling in Hell or Divine Lords ruling the Kingdom of Heaven, at this moment all willingly became mere foils to this coronation ceremony.
For this was not merely the brilliance of the protagonists, but the shared glory of everyone who walked the path of sorcery.
As the breeze brushed past their imaginary wings, what it stirred up were magnificent poems, joyful hymns, and elegant movements. For they were still alive; they still harbored infinite possibilities. The greed in their hearts had not yet been extinguished, and they had not grown so desperate as to entrust their aspirations to the next generation. Whatever desire they wished to fulfill, they would forge their own miracles!
The poetry of hope and the war drums of despair swept the world simultaneously, yet without the slightest dissonance. Every note harmonized seamlessly, complementing one another to compose an unprecedented symphony. This was only natural, for it was an epic of every sorcerer through the ages, a world-shaking masterpiece played with bleeding fingers, compelling even fate to serve as their tuner!
Whether weak creatures like the Slash Fish Dragons, high-order beings like the Shadow Evil Dragons, or demigod entities dwelling in Hell, in this moment all retreated into the shadows. Beneath this roaring, surging symphony, all their power and nobility seemed insignificant. They could only stare dumbfounded at the protagonists on Ruby Mountain, awaiting the birth of the new sovereign.
If the death of the Prime Angel could make the Void Realm weep, then the coronation of Supreme Sorcery was enough to make civilization boil!
This was the will of sorcerers; this was the choice of civilization. If one had to bear sins to climb to the pinnacle, then let us be steeped in iniquity until our demise!
At the center where the glorious symphony converged, Ruby Mountain flowed like molten lava and bubbled like a fountain of blood, transforming into crystalline streams of ruby liquid that encircled and guarded the two sorcerers.
If the Void Realm was the corpse of a great entity, then Ruby Mountain was the remains of legends who had sought to ascend to demigods. At this critical juncture when Yaxiu and Fanxing were stepping into the Supreme, all things in the world were willing to defy fate for them, and even departed souls transformed into angels to watch over them!
Weise and Rose were both scalded by the ruby streams, but once Yaxiu took their hands, they too became subjects of its protection. Fanxing's earlier miracle of the astral sword was also dissolved and annihilated by the ruby currents. At this moment, they were the darlings of the world, immune to even the slightest harm from divine miracles.
When the tempest of poems and battle hymns reached its ultimate crescendo, two radiant crowns slowly illuminated the world, coating all existence in new hues. The young woman atop Ruby Mountain soared into midair, her arms spread wide as if embracing the world, or drawing the entire world into her bosom.
Clang—
Resounding louder than a dragon's roar and sharper than the ringing of a blade, when Fanxing unfurled her six magnificent, star-blue wings, the heavens and earth lost their color! Yet when the ethereal sound of a wing unfurling followed like celestial music, countless souls began to tremble, witnessing the birth of a new era with reverence and awe!
It was an imaginary wing beyond imagination.
More fiery than flame, gentler than a river, more inexorable than time, and more dazzling and vast than the starry cosmos. The seventh star-blue imaginary wing extended from the base of the girl's spine. It was exceedingly noble and beautiful, yet swayed with a soft, powerful arc that was both seductive and bewitching. Rather than an imaginary wing, it was more like a tail possessing both holy and demonic auras—a badge of dominion transcending all else!
The Supreme Tail Feather: that was its name.
When Fanxing fluttered the star-blue tail feather for the first time, silence descended upon every inch of the land, and the boiling Ruby Mountain calmed. The entire world felt the will of Supreme Sorcery, and even Divine Lords were forced to bow their proud heads!
All except the sorcerer standing halfway up the mountain.
Yaxiu slowly opened his eyes. A variegated, iridescent imaginary wing extended from the base of his spine. He had not even stepped into the divine realm; drinking the Supreme Nectar had made him feel as though his very consciousness was about to be swallowed whole. Yet he had ultimately endured the Prime Angel's authority, stepping into the supreme threshold alongside Fanxing. He did not even know how he had managed it—perhaps the cushioning from the soul heaven, perhaps pity from the Prime Angel, or perhaps his own unquenched will.
His four imaginary wings were broken, and he had neither a fifth nor a sixth wing. But by virtue of the seventh imaginary wing alone, he did not need to bow his head to Fanxing. Even if Fanxing reigned supreme over all, Yaxiu remained an equal before her.
Fanxing stood above the heavens; Yaxiu stood halfway up the mountain. As the two swayed their Supreme Tail Feathers, they stirred up terrifying, bizarre turbulence, as if the entirety of Ruby Mountain was about to split apart.
Though separated by a vast distance, they could clearly see each other's expressions, so close it felt as if they were gazing face-to-face. Love was not the only thing that could unite two hearts; hatred could also draw two people close, so long as both were willing to turn their very hearts into blades.
Clang.
Hum.
Both noticed an abnormality at the same time and turned to look back.
Upon the dazzling, star-blue tail feather was a faint, iridescent sword mark.
Upon the variegated, iridescent tail feather was a deep trail of starlight.
Chapter 996