"Spatial Cut."
The sword descended and the space before Fang Yuan split neatly in two.
As though the world itself had been sliced apart by an invisible blade.
And then Fang Yuan froze in his place, his eyes immediately lost focus.
The sword remained lowered in his hand as his consciousness drifted elsewhere.
It was a sudden enlightenment.
Lin Zhaoyue's eyes immediately brightened when she noticed it, without hesitation, she waved her hand and a transparent barrier descended around Fang Yuan.
No one would be able to disturb him, not on her watch.
Her attention then shifted towards the rift and beyond the cut was another realm.
Space was a strange thing.
A person could walk a thousand miles and still remain in the same world.
Yet with a single step through the correct doorway, they could appear somewhere entirely different.
The rift before them was very much the same.
Like a door connecting two distant rooms.
The distance between realms had not disappeared.
It had simply become irrelevant.
"Lian'er."
Lin Zhaoyue's voice rang out.
"Show me your sword."
Her gaze remained fixed on the cultivators gathering on the other side of the rift.
Fang Lian stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Yes, Mother."
Drawing her sword, she calmly walked toward the spatial rift.
Then she stepped through.
One moment she stood beside the Fang Family.
The next, she appeared directly before the cultivators of the other realm.
The enemy forces instinctively tensed.
Fang Lian did not raise her sword nor did she release her aura.
She simply walked forward and everyone around her slowly fell dead.
There was not even an attempt to counter attack, the cultivators didn't know what had cut them down.
A proud smile appeared on Lin Zhaoyue's face.
Her first daughter.
As expected, she was truly magnificent.
Then she turned toward the others.
"Go."
Her voice was gentle yet none dared ignore it.
"Claim this realm."
She glanced back at the barrier protecting Fang Yuan.
"By the time my husband opens his eyes, this realm should already kneel to his name."
That was all she needed to say, the gathered cultivators surged forward.
One after another, they crossed the spatial rift and entered the foreign world.
ββββ
Cultivation was funny, one could spend thousand of years and never come across a single enlightenment.
While another one could spend a hundred years to achieve what the other person achieved in a thousand years.
Hard work triumphs talent, that phrase has never been more wrong.
What was the highest realm a cultivator could achieve within a Middle Realm?
That question had a simple answer.
Spirit Severing Realm.
One whole major realm above Hollow Spirit.
In theory, they were merely one step apart.
In reality, the difference was like heaven and earth.
That was supposed to be common sense.
Drog Konan stared at the young woman standing before him.
Even now, she had yet to raise her sword despite their confrontation.
The confidence in her syes irritated him.
"Girl."
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Who's your master?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Is your master from the Higher Realm?"
Fang Lian remained silent for a moment.
Her swordsmanship had been polished to the limit under Lin Zhaoyue's guidance.
But her master was still Fang Yuan.
The figure who had paved her way to be a cultivator.
"The person who taught me isn't from the Higher Realm."
Taking advantage of her brief moment of recollection, in an instant his domain erupted.
The world around Fang Lian twisted as invisible laws descended upon her.
Or at least, they tried to before a sharp sword hum rang out.
Before the domain could fully form, countless strands of sword intent burst from Fang Lian's body.
Her sword Domain.
The two domains collided and then it simply cancelled each other out.
Drog Konan frowned.
It was as expected but he had hoped she would be arrogant and become careless.
A Hollow Spirit Realm cultivator shouldn't have been able to contend with a Spirit Severing expert's domain.
Yet her understanding of the sword had reached an absurd level.
The greatest advantage of his realm had been neutralized.
There was no helping it as a massive black mace appeared in his hand.
If domains were useless, then he would crush her with raw power.
After all... he was still a Spirit Severing cultivator.
Boom!
The ground exploded beneath his feet and his figure shot forward like a meteor.
Fang Lian's eyes sharpened.
She had no intention of meeting that attack head-on.
The moment the mace descended, her figure vanished.
The weapon smashed into the earth and mountains shattered.
Shockwaves rippled across the battlefield.
Yet Fang Lian had already appeared behind him.
Her sword flashed toward his blind spot.
Clang!
Sparks erupted.
Drog Konan twisted his body and blocked at the last moment.
The two separated instantly.
Neither willing to give the other an opening.
βββ
On another part of the battlefield, a spear pierced straight through a Nascent Soul cultivator's skull.
Xiao Pei twisted the spear and pulled it free.
Blood sprayed across the battlefield and the corpse collapsed.
Without sparing it another glance, Xiao Pei looked toward the distant clash between Fang Lian and Drog Konan.
His expression became solemn.
When they had first invaded this realm, everyone had been excited.
They had believed victory was guaranteed as they realised the new realms hollow spirit realm experts were no match for their hollow Spirit experts.
Then that monster had appeared.
The moment Drog Konan stepped onto the battlefield, an invisible force swept across the area.
The weaker cultivators had instantly lost control of their bodies.
Some couldn't even breathe anymore, with a few collapsing on the spot.
It wasn't a battle anymore.
He alone was enough to turn the tide.
The difference between realms had become brutally clear.
Yet just when everyone thought all hope was lost, Fang Lian stepped forward.
In an instant, the invisible suppression disappeared.
Before anyone realized what had happened, the two were already locked in a strange standoff.
