After leaving his home, Yuan immediately made his way back to the peak of the mountain.
"Welcome back, Young Master." The Lord, who was unconscious when he left, had woken up.
"How are you feeling?" Yuan asked.
"Thanks to your blood, my condition was able to stabilize. However, with my cultivation like this, I am no longer able to control the formation that protects this world. Fortunately, the spiritual energy from the Nine Heavens has temporarily solved this situation."
"Temporarily⦠so weāre not completely out of trouble yet."
"No, not yet. Since the gateway between our worlds wonāt remain open forever, weāll stop receiving more spiritual energy once it closes. The spiritual energy wonāt last forever, either. I donāt know how long the spiritual energy we received will last, but it should last a good while," said the Lord.
"That said, as long as both Dragon Spiral Mountains remain standing, weāll be able to activate the teleportation device again in the future."
"Who will be able to activate the teleportation device now that your cultivation is gone?" Yuan asked.
Even if the Lord were to raise his cultivation again, itād take far too long for him to return to his original cultivation.
Yuan glanced at Liya, who quickly said, "Donāt look at me. My cultivation wonāt be enough."
"Iām sure weāll think of something. Anyway, Young Master, you shouldnāt linger here for too long. The gateway will be closing soon," the Lord warned him.
He nodded and said, "Before I leaveā¦"
He retrieved a bunch of vials, each filled to the brim with a crimson liquid.
"This is my blood. I donāt know when Iāll be able to return to Earth, so Iāll leave for you."
"Thereās so much!" The Lord almost couldnāt believe his eyes.
"Then, until nextā"
"Wait."
The Lord suddenly stopped him.
"What is it?"
"Take Liya with you."
"Huh?" Yuanās eyes widened.
"Iād like you to take her to the Nine Heavens."
"I heard you, butā¦"
He turned to look at Liya, who wore a perplexed expression on her face, which surprised him, as he thought she would immediately reject such an idea.
"Donāt give me that look. You know weāve already talked about this."
"That was before you lost your cultivation! You still want me to leave you when youāre in this condition? I cannotā"
"My cultivation may have declined, but I will be fine."
"Who will manage the Dragon Spiral Mountain?"
"It can manage itself."
"Then who will protect you?"
"I canāt even remember the last time I was attacked. And even if someone is foolish enough to invade the mountain, the Young Masterās friends will still be here."
"..."
Liya fell silent when she couldnāt think of anything else to convince the Lord.
"Go. Youāre not fated to spend the rest of your life in this small world, wasting your potential. Young Master, please drag her to the Nine Heavens if you have to."
"Iāll goā¦" Liya suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"Thereās nothing I can do if you donāt want me here."
Without a word, Liya turned skyward and soared toward the rift, which was now visibly shrinking.
"Are you certain about this?" Yuan asked.
The Lord nodded and replied, "Yes. She and I have spoken of this ever since we first discussed linking the Nine Heavens with Earth."
"One last thing before you go⦠If the Red Heaven Dragon Clan still exists in the Nine Heavens, please bring her there. However, only if they are worthy of her."
Yuan nodded, "The Red Heaven Dragon Clan, right? Iāll do my best."
"Until next time, Young Master."
"Until next time."
Yuan left the Dragon Spiral Mountain and chased after Liya, who was waiting for him in front of the rift.
"Letās go."
Liya turned her head to look at the Dragon Spiral Mountain one last time before following Yuan into the rift.
Meanwhile, in the Seventh Heaven, the battle between the Holy Dragon Clan, the Evil Godās Shadow Army, and Heavenās Mandate neared its end.
Despite the Seventh Squadās assistance, Heavenās Mandate found themselves still on the losing end of the battle.
The Evil Godās Shadow Army was simply too overwhelming. Moreover, Dong Ye, who had been away, joined in on the battle.
"Kill them! These damn dogs of the Celestial Emperorākill them all!" Dong Ye roared as he teleported from immortal to immortal with a powerful movement technique, killing them with a single strike.
"Fucking Evil Godās army! You shouldāve remained in the shadows where youāve lurked for eras. But now that youāve revealed yourselves, we will come for you with the full might of our wrath!" General Wang roared.
"Hahaha! Iād love to see you try!" Dong Ye laughed.
Suddenly, as if responding to Dong Yeās provocation, the heavens above Dragon Spiral Mountain quaked, and an unfathomable pressure descended, sweeping across the battlefield like the will of an ancient god, halting everyoneās movements.
"This feeling⦠donāt tell me!" As though he realized something, Dong Ye immediately warned the others, "The Celestial Emperor is making a move! Withdraw!"
Without hesitation, the Evil Godās Shadow Army stopped fighting and began scattering in every direction.
In the very next moment, a colossal rift tore through the sky, and from its depths emerged the tip of an immense sword, as if the heavens themselves were being pierced.
Realizing the situation, the Holy Dragon Emperor gritted his teeth in anger.
"That technique⦠Are you really going that far, Celestial Emperor?!"
"Holy Dragon Clan, you should also withdraw if you donāt want to die to it! This isnāt something any of us can handle!" Dong Ye warned them.
Yet, they remained on the battlefield, unwilling to leave.
"The Dragon Spiral Mountain is our home. We will never abandon it, even if it means we die with it," the Dragon Emperor declared.
"For Dragon Goddess Yeyou!" The others shouted.
"These stubborn fools!"
Dong Ye turned his attention to Xi Meili before teleporting to her.
"Weāre leaving!" he said to her.
"What?! We canāt leave the Holy Dragon Clan alone!" Xi Meili exclaimed.
"They have decided to stay even if it means theyāll die, and I have no authority to stop them! However, youāre my liegeās comrade! I cannot let you die! Sorry, but Iāll take you away even if I have to use force!"
Before Xi Meili could contest, Dong Ye grabbed her arm and teleported them away from the battlefield, leaving the Holy Dragon Clan and Heavenās Mandate alone.