NOVEL NEXT Chapter 348: Cut them down!
"It's actually Supreme Emperor Verena!"
The moment she saw clearly, even Sylvia was momentarily stunned.
If it weren't for the fact that her appearance and aura were almost identical to how she looked in the Sepulcher of the Sacred, even Sylvia wouldn't have believed that the Keeper of the Soulbridge standing before her was truly Supreme Emperor Verena.
"But now, it all makes sense," Timothy said, frowning slightly.
He had already learned enough about Supreme Emperor Verena's nature from the battle in the Sepulcher of the Sacred.
This was a woman who had been willing to follow her lover, giving up all her power and status, completely disregarding the judgment of the world. She was ready to sacrifice her life for what she believed in.
Supreme Emperor Verena's character was indeed admirable and worthy of respect.
After her death, a fragment of her soul remained in the Sepulcher of the Sacred, while her true soul had passed into the Netherworld. But...
As Timothy looked at her, standing amidst the mist, her once deep brown eyes were slowly being overtaken by a blood-red hue.
He could guess that, over the long years of waiting, her mind had gradually changed.
Perhaps she had fallen into madness, or maybe she had been corrupted.
The Supreme Emperor Verena standing before them now could no longer maintain her inner peace.
Even her spirit, once bathed in the divine aura of a Supreme Emperor, now carried a faint trace of holiness, but it was almost entirely shrouded in a thick, ominous blood mist.
"In the Netherworld, I've waited for him far too long.
No matter how desperately I searched, I couldn't even find a trace of his reincarnation.
I could only stand here, numb, watching the endless passage of time.
If this is the only outcome I can expect, why should I keep waiting here in vain?
Why not shatter the cycle of reincarnation in both Elant and the Netherworld? Maybe in the chaos of a broken cycle, I'll finally see him again!"
As she stepped out of the mist, the blood-red in Supreme Emperor Verena's eyes deepened, completely consuming them.
Even her voice carried a hint of madness.
The feeling she gave off now was even more chilling than the corrupted remnant of her soul that had been left behind in the Sepulcher of the Sacred.
To guard this place for thousands upon thousands of years, all for the one she loved—such devotion was indeed worthy of admiration.
But Timothy also knew that Supreme Emperor Verena had fallen too far into madness to be saved.
When you make a choice, you must be prepared to face the consequences.
Golden light and divine energy began to radiate from Timothy's Ancient Saintly Body. Clearly, he had made up his mind to kill.
"If I tear apart the laws of both realms and shatter the cycle of reincarnation, maybe then I'll find him.
No one can stop me—not even you two insignificant children!"
A flash of crimson bloodlust flickered in Supreme Emperor Verena's eyes, clearly showing that she had been consumed by a desire to kill.
Once, she had stood at the pinnacle of power as a Supreme Emperor, ruling over the continent of Elant.
Now, in her madness, she no longer bothered to hide her arrogance.
"Children?
Do you think I'm worthy to fight you?"
At that moment, a cold voice came from the other side.
Sylvia lifted her head, staring directly at Supreme Emperor Verena.
Though her small frame appeared delicate, and her face was as soft and innocent as a young girl's, there was something in her voice and gaze that was completely at odds with her appearance.
Her tone was cold and commanding, like frost, carrying a sense of authority that made it impossible not to feel a deep sense of awe.
At the same time, Timothy bent down and gently placed the snow lotus he had taken from Sylvia's head back into her smooth hair.
Immediately, an intense chill spread out around them.
The cold was far beyond anything one could imagine.
In just an instant, the mist swirling around them froze solid in the extreme cold.
What floated in the air was no longer a vision-obscuring fog, but countless tiny, crystalline frost particles—beautiful, yet bitterly cold.
The overwhelming aura of a Holy Emperor burst forth, a power so immense that it could only come from someone who had reached the peak of the Transcendence Realm, standing at the very pinnacle of the Holy Emperor's might.
Bathed in radiant light, Sylvia's form slowly grew, eventually transforming back into her graceful, flawless figure.
Her pale blue phoenix gown fluttered gently in the icy air, and her stunningly beautiful face now bore a trace of cold indifference.
Even though she knew that this wasn't the true nature of Supreme Emperor Verena, Sylvia had no intention of holding back.
Especially when facing a Supreme Emperor, even if the opponent's physical body had perished and their power had diminished, she had to give it her all.
In the distant sky, a massive golden bell hovered in the air.
Though the bell did not sway, it exuded an unshakable presence, like a mountain, commanding awe and reverence.
Golden light spread outwards, suppressing everything around it. The sheer weight of its presence was suffocating, a terrifying force that could make even the strongest Holy Emperors of the Elant continent tremble in fear.
But beyond this Sacred Bell, which could inspire awe in even the mightiest of beings, another form appeared behind Sylvia—a Sacred Form.
It was a wooden sword, glowing with a faint crimson light.
The sword had no unnecessary embellishments, only a blade of unparalleled sharpness, with faint ink-like marks adorning its surface.
A Sacred Form shaped like a sword—this alone was enough to reveal Sylvia's nature: sharp, decisive, and ruthless.
Whoever blocked her path—cut them down!
Whoever challenged the authority of a Holy Emperor—cut them down!
This was the power of a Holy Emperor, a being who had ruled over the Elant continent for millennia, standing at the pinnacle of existence!
Even though she now faced a Supreme Emperor, a being from the ancient times who had reached the Ascension Phase, there was not a trace of fear in Sylvia's cold eyes.
As the first chime of the Sacred Bell rang out, she drew her sword without hesitation.
The sword's light shot into the sky. Though the wooden sword, adorned with ink-like marks, lacked the extravagant decorations of other powerful artifacts, it seemed to be the sharpest weapon in existence, capable of cutting down anything that stood in its way.
The bell's resonant chime echoed outward, its deep sound like the roar of a mighty lion.
Though thick mist had previously obscured Supreme Emperor Verena, the moment the Sacred Bell rang, the mist retreated as if it had encountered a mortal enemy.
The sky opened up, the earth stretched wide, and all obstacles vanished. Only the soul of Supreme Emperor Verena remained, exposed to the open air.
With that single strike, the air itself seemed to tear apart, and even the unbreakable space of the Netherworld trembled under its force.
The ground shook, and the air groaned in agony.
Yet, Supreme Emperor Verena appeared completely unfazed by the terrifying power of the strike. She merely raised her hand indifferently toward the sky.
But in her blood-red eyes, she suddenly noticed something else—another figure.
"This is..."
For some reason, the holy golden light slowly emanating from Timothy's body caused her to pause for a long moment, her gaze filled with a hint of unmistakable shock.