Chapter 954: Uncrossable Line
Just as Yi Nian was about to step forward, someone grabbed her hand.
Startled, she turned to see Jing An beside her.
"You didn't betray the Tianxing Civilization. They failed you," Jing An said, her voice steady and full of conviction.
Yi Nian lowered her gaze, her eyes glistening. She said nothing, but her grip on Jing An's hand tightened as if she were clinging to that final glimmer of hope.
Jing An turned toward the enraged Tianxing Civilization cultivators. Their faces were distorted in fury as they hurled insults at Yi Nian.
Yi Nian's gaze grew cold and distant as she stared at them.
"A civilization should have strength," Jing An murmured under her breath, "but arrogance should never be the foundation of its power."
Once an entire civilization was blinded by arrogance, their inevitable collapse was surely nigh.
More and more members of the Tianxing Civilization were gathering, each one adding to the chorus of accusations. They couldn't understand how one of their own could even fall for someone from a foreign, low-tier civilization.
Even worse, Yi Nian had chosen to protect that man over her own people.
It was an unforgivable crime.
Boom!
The sky split open just then.
Everyone looked up in awe as thirteen figures draped in black armor appeared above them.
The Enforcers were here.
A cold, imposing figure stood at the front. His black armor gleamed sinisterly, and an emblem depicting the Tianxing Flame was on his left chest. The figure was none other than Enforcement Officer Jie Yi.
Jie Yi's sharp gaze fell on Yi Nian. His voice was unfeeling as he announced, "Yi Nian, you've betrayed the Tianxing Civilization, and I hereby sentence you to death."
The crowd erupted into cheers.
Without hesitation, the twelve Enforcers following Jie Yi sprang into action.
Each brandished a Tianxing Spear containing a Tianxing Flame. These Enforcers were only Level Seven experts, but the power contained within their spears was enough to overwhelm even a Level Eight cultivator.
The twelve spears streaked across the air, heading straight for Yi Nian. Their combined force suffocated the onlookers and froze the very space around Yi Nian.
Yi Nian pushed Jing An away, and she flew hundreds of kilometers away. Then, Yi Nian raised her hand, and the spacetime around her turned illusory.
The twelve spears halted in mid-air, and the twelve Enforcers were stunned.
With a wave of her hand, Yi Nian released a pulse of power. The twelve Enforcers were flung back violently, crashing into a distant cliff. The very space around them had shattered and crumbled down.
The crowd stood in stunned silence.
Jie Yi's expression darkened. Yi Nian was an Enforcement Officer as well but she was in charge of releasing Tianxing Flames. Among all the nine Enforcement Officers, she was the weakest.
Jie Yi's gaze narrowed, and he grew more serious about Yi Nian's power. He stepped forward, mustering an overwhelming wave of energy. Spacetime before Yi Nian was torn apart, and a spear shot out, aimed directly at her heart.
Without flinching, Yi Nian clenched her fist and punched forward.
Bam!
Without another word, he opened his palm, and a Tianxing Spear materialized. Its tip was enveloped in flames, radiating an overwhelming, oppressive aura. Waves of terrifying energy rushed out of the spear, distorting the air around it.
At the same time, the flame between his brows ignited once more, but in a brighter and fiercer light. Zong Zhao was now wielding two Tianxing Flames!
The world seemed to tremble beneath the might of two Tianxing Flames. In fact, the spacetime around the two flames was melting away beneath the heat.
The terrifying heat turned the waters of the Tianxing Sea into vapor. Even the space around them began to dissolve, warping and melting under the heat.
Yi Nian remained unfazed, and she stared at Zong Zhao with a cold and unreadable expression. The next moment, she tightened her right hand into a fist once more.
Without warning, Zong Zhao vanished into thin air.
A sharp hiss echoed, and a pillar of flames rushed toward Yi Nian.
The full power of two Tianxing Flames had converged in a single point, and its terrifying might seemed capable of annihilating anything in its path.
Yi Nian's clenched fist opened, and she pressed forward with her palm. The layers of spacetime before her surged like tidal waves, sweeping toward Zong Zhao.
Boom! Boom!
The layers of spacetime collided with Zong Zhao, sending him flying. Even two Tianxing Flames couldn't withstand Yi Nian's relentless attack and were suppressed.
The Tianxing Civilization cultivators were shaken at the sight.
Fear flickered in their eyes upon realizing the depth of Yi Nian's strength.
How come she was so powerful?
Shock rippled through the crowd; none of them could believe what they were witnessing. Zong Zhao, too, was filled with disbelief. He hadn't expected that even with his full power, Yi Nian would be able to hold him back so easily.
How had she grown so strong?
Yi Nian, however, showed no intention of pursuing her advantage. She glanced at Zong Zhao, and her voice was calm and even. "Enforcement Officer Zong Zhao, my husband and I mean no harm to you. We—"
"Husband?" Zong Zhao's voice was filled with scorn as he cut her off. His face twisted in fury. "Shameless! How dare you lower yourself to marry some lowly outsider? A human from a low-tier civilization is no better than a dog compared to our Tianxing Civilization! You—"
"Enough!"
Yi Nian's fury erupted.
Before Zong Zhao could react, her hand lashed out in a fierce slap. It was so swift that Zong Zhao couldn't even register the sight. In the blink of an eye, her palm connected with his face.
Smack!
A crisp noise echoed, and before the eyes of all the onlookers, Zong Zhao was blasted thousands of meters away.
Everyone froze in disbelief. Zong Zhao was stunned as well. He couldn't even process what had happened to him. Once the shock faded away, however, rage consumed him. "You vile woman! I'll kill you and your lowly—"
Swoosh!
Before he could finish, Yi Nian appeared before him in an instant; her figure moved like a ghost. Zong Zhao's expression twisted in fear. He tried to raise his hands to defend himself, but it was too late.
Yi Nian's hand reached through spacetime and wrapped tightly around his throat. Her eyes burned with fury. "You can insult me all you want, but insult my husband? That's a line you don't cross."
Yi Nian slammed him down into the ground with all her might.
Boom!
Zong Zhao's head exploded on impact, and his soul shattered into nothingness.