A Will Eternal

From a distance, it was possible to see that the vortex of wind filled most of the sky, and caused rumbling sounds to be heard in all corners of the earth. Down below, the lands quaked. As for the Grand Heavenmaster and everyone else who could see what was happening, they were profoundly shaken.

The vortex of wind spun dramatically, unleashing power that struck fear into the hearts of all onlookers. As for the little girl, she was like a rowboat in a sea of violent waves, teetering on the verge of capsizing.

And that was what everyone was hoping would happen. Unfortunately, that was when the girl suddenly looked up, her eyes as red as blood. Then she opened her mouth wide. In fact, her mouth opened wider and wider in exaggerated fashion, to the point where, in the blink of an eye, she seemed like nothing more than a gigantic mouth!!

The mouth became like a vortex, with a shocking gravitational force that spread out in all directions!

BOOOOM! CRAAASH!

When that gravitational force locked onto the gravekeeper’s wind vortex, an ear-splitting boom filled the air. Then, the wind vortex began to slow down, and even tilt to one side… as the girl began to consume it!!

The hearts of the onlookers seized, and Bai Xiaochun gasped. This was a battle that surpassed the level of demigods, and was the most shocking thing he had ever seen in his life. This little girl seemed almost completely unkillable, whereas the gravekeeper seemed to have infinitely powerful techniques.

The thought that this terrifying girl had been following him around since his days in the Heavenspan River region left him feeling both frightened and also relieved that nothing bad had happened along the way.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t offend her too badly in the past. If I had, she could have killed me as easily as breathing….” Even as he shivered in fear, intense booming sounds filled the air. By this point, the wind vortex had completely collapsed, and… had been consumed by the little girl!!

The faces of the onlookers fell. However, the gravekeeper simply sighed, as though this was no surprising development for him. With that, he waved his finger, and yet again spoke in an ancient voice.

“Rain!”

It was one simple word. However, as soon as it left his mouth, countless dark clouds sprang into being, stretching out to fill almost all of the Wildlands!

Those dark clouds contained absolutely no lightning, only water!!

Great, bean-sized drops of rain began to pour down, almost as if there were a giant far above, overturning a huge bucket. In the very shortest amount of time possible, the entire world became a world of violent downpour!!

Furthermore, this was not ordinary rain, this was… magical rain!!

The rain contained shocking force, almost like a divine ability or magical technique…. There was so much rain, it was almost impossible to see. Bai Xiaochun’s eyes turned wide at the mere shocking feeling of how much energy it contained.

“So… so awesome!!” He wasn’t the only one to be shaken. The Grand Heavenmaster and all the other powerful experts were completely bowled over by how shockingly strong the gravekeeper’s rain was.

The little girl’s face fell. This rain filled her with an intense sensation of deadly crisis, and she immediately fell back. Unfortunately, no matter how quickly she moved, she couldn't escape it!

In fact, none of the rain actually reached the ground. Each drop spun in the air and began to race directly toward the girl.

Her hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, causing a defensive shield to spring up. Then, booms rang out like that of an enormous drum being beaten as countless drops of water slammed into the shield!

The sound grew louder and louder, and the rain fell harder and harder! Before long, the rainwater had formed into something like a solid sheet that shot forward in attack!

A sphere of water began to form around the girl, causing her expression to flicker. Her defenses were crumbling, and the sphere was growing larger, filling with more and more water.

300 meters. 3,000 meters. 15,000 meters….

From a distance, it was like a terrifying ball of water surrounding the little girl, crushing her defenses and growing larger by the moment.

Bai Xiaochun could hardly keep his breathing in check. The girl’s defensive shield was almost completely destroyed, and all of the onlookers were getting excited. However, it was in that moment that the girl's face twisted and shrank as she transformed into…

A sword!!!

It was the most ancient and archaic of swords, so much so that rust was visible on its surface. It almost seemed ordinary in nature, and yet, as soon as it appeared, billowing waves began to sweep across the surface of the sphere of water.

No one present recognized the sword, except for Bai Xiaochun! As soon as he saw it, his eyes went wide.

“The fallen sword!!” he shouted in shock. Back when Bai Xiaochun had reached Heaven-Dao Foundation Establishment… it had been in the eastern Lower Reaches of the Heavenspan River… in a huge sword!!

That was the place where this strange girl had first appeared!!

Although the sword was vastly smaller than the first time he had seen it, Bai Xiaochun recognized it immediately. In the same moment that the words escaped his lips, the girl in fallen sword form spun in place and then slashed through the remnants of her destroyed shield at the sphere of water!!

As the sword descended, a gigantic sword materialized in the sky up above. It was so huge that only part of the blade was visible, streaking down from above, filling the vision of everyone present as it attacked the sphere of water!!

A massive boom rang out as the water sphere collapsed. Countless drops of rain showered out, filling the lands below with mist. As for the girl, she was clearly weaker than before, and could not maintain the form of the fallen sword for very long. Amidst the swirling mist, she quickly reverted to her normal appearance, and then shrieked, “I'm an unkillable soul, gravekeeper! Since you can’t cut me down, I might as well consume you right here and now!!”

The faces of the onlookers fell, and Bai Xiaochun began to tremble. He even thought about trying to escape. However, that was when the mist which filled the world began to rush toward the girl, as if it were under her control.

A sea of mist began to converge on her in shocking fashion, gradually taking the shape of a gigantic ghost head!

Despite being made of mist, it was very lifelike, with a vicious expression and curved horns. Furthermore, closer examination revealed that it did indeed resemble the young girl in some fashion. Just like the enormous sword from moments before, it filled the sky, obscuring the sun as it looked down at the grounds below and then sucked in a breath!!

In response, the sky distorted and the lands shifted. It was as if all creation were about to be absorbed into the mouth of this huge ghost head. Some people felt their bodies beginning to move beyond their control, something that left Bai Xiaochun feeling completely stunned.

Even the Grand Heavenmaster and the other demigods were shaken.

However, the gravekeeper merely shook his head, and then murmured something in a voice that only he could hear.

“Still hiding your face, huh…?” With that, he performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, and then waved his finger again.

“Lightning!”

The instant the word left his mouth, a bright red bolt of lightning appeared in the twisting sky. As soon as it appeared, another followed it….

In the briefest amounts of time, there were three lightning bolts. Then 100. Then 10,000…. There was no sound to accompany them, and yet they were so densely packed that they looked almost like the rainwater had moments before. The entire world slowly began to glow with the red light they cast!!

Then, the countless red lightning bolts shot toward the misty ghost formed by the little girl. As Bai Xiaochun looked up, what he saw was something that almost looked like a hand formed from lighting… reaching toward that gigantic ghost head!