From a spatial vortex whose edges had a prismatic range of colors, stepped out nine women.
The moment they appeared, they witnessed the bustling town.
The border town on the other side, this side was also teeming with buildings, towering pavilions, and stalls. Banners of countless factions fluttered in the air. There were a lot of armaments, ingredients, and pills on display, each one getting sold as soon as it was on sale.
Immortal Emperors and Sovereigns were everywhere. They oversaw, protected, placed, and bought like it was a marketplace. There was even a brothel set up in the most conspicuous corner. However, they noticed that they all had low defenses, unlike the border town on the other side.
Naturally, they knew it was because Empyrean or Autarch Grade Items couldn't be brought here through the spatial vortex.
"See? I told you the real dish would be on the other side." Isabella giggled, "After all, a border town imposes taxes on one end, making merchants cry as they lose their profits."
"Yeah, besides, the supreme geniuses would never let the weaker ones enjoy these treasures." Shirley shook her head.
She was lamenting the fate these people shared and remembered she would also be a nobody in front of these people even if she had become an inheritor.
Nonetheless, their gazes just weren't on the building.
They took in the surroundings.
It was daylight but the skies were cloudy, the weather moderate. However, it wasn't gloomy at all since there were countless auroras in the skies, sparkling with colors that couldn't be drawn easily, even with one's imagination.
Heaven and earth energy here were so rich in energy that they could sense that it was even good for Empyreans and Autarchs. Moreover, the taste of the air was vastly different, meaning the elemental energy in heaven and earth was high.
It was constantly differing, making them know that there was a variety of elemental energy mixed in the air.
This place didn't seem to have a particular orientation.
In the distance, they could see a river on the north, mountains that eclipsed their line of sight to the south, and the west and east prairie areas that appeared to be traversable.
While they were basked in the feeling of this new world, they sensed countless gazes on them. At first, it was mere curiosity, but it changed into one of hostility quickly enough. It finally awoke them from their reverie.
Isabella and Shirley glanced at each other before they saw their eyes smiling. Without a word, they launched themselves to the front, targeting the checkpoint that had over sixteen people standing.
One of them moved, a terrifying aura erupting from him as the aura of an Azure Dragon soared. He was clad in an azure robe. His undulations were instantly revealed to be at Level Nine Sovereign Stage, his prowess vastly higher than his cultivation. He shot straight toward Isabella, whom he sensed a dragon aura rising from her. Their gazes matched, and they shot towards each other without having to say a word. Isabella didn't even clench her fist. She raised her finger and flicked it towards him. The resulting quake erupting from her finger shook and tore apart the air as it spiraled outward and rushed straight toward his head.
*Bang!~*
That person didn't even notice.
His head exploded into a bloody mist, and his soul shot out, fleeing in terror. Isabella wasn't even impeded but Shirley gained a minute head-start. She took out a spear from her spatial ring, its blade holding two hues in a strange yin-yang duality crescent shape. The spear blazed with icefire energy, and she took a swing at the other fifteen supreme geniuses.
Instantly recognizing the danger, five of them jumped out of the way, but the others were too late to react.
A spear light rushed towards them like a crescent energy wave carrying two different energies and tore through them. They instantly became encased in ice that actually burned them from the inside out, making their blood crystallize as they froze like statues. The crystal statues were now blood-red while their top halves fell down and made a chilling thud, the ground also freezing.
"Woah- I knew my Icefire Duality Spear created by Sophie would be amazing!"
Shirley didn't even use much energy but the spear accentuated her icefire energy with its own and turned it into a deadly slash that would've usually made her put a bit more effort.
She dashed forward, uncaring of the situation.
"You-"
Isabella was about to shout but didn't as she gazed back at the supreme geniuses.
"I see. The rulers of the Upper Realms banded together to collect taxes and impose other restrictions on the trade activities that took place here and on the other side. I suppose it's good to break this status quo then."
She gazed at the remaining five survivors of the sixteen, their expressions timid and furious. They dared not near, but they had the audacity to bark.
"Damned witch!"
"You're the Earth Dragon Queen, the third wife of the Divine Emperor of Death, aren't you!?"
"To make trouble as soon as you arrive, you all deserve death!"
Isabella saw that these five supreme geniuses were from the Beaststone Family of the Beast Autarch Upper Realm, Serpenzal Clan of the Emperor Cobra Upper Realm, Moonsmile Family from the Radiant Blossom Upper Realm, Hexadra Clan from the Six-Headed Hydra Upper Realm, and finally the Stormsong Family of the Thundering Serenity Upper Realm.
She didn't recognize their names but she felt familiarity over their aura.
She glanced at the purple-robed man from the Hexadra Clan, the one who called her a damned witch, and coldly smiled, "The others might live, but you will not."
...!"
The Hexadra Clan's supreme genius instantly rushed out, trying to flee the scene. His speed was insane as he appeared to have burned his blood essence. At that moment, his undulations were much clearer to be sensed. His prowess approached that of a Kingly Sovereign, who was said to be seven levels higher in prowess, so it could be guessed that his original base prowess was matching that of a Heavenly Sovereign, a supreme genius whose prowess was six levels higher.
He was considered one of the weakest supreme geniuses.
But at this moment, he unleashed his greatest speed possible.
However, a whip directly restrained him as it flashed and wrapped around him from nowhere.
"You can't leave..."
Aila had her hand reached out as she held a black-pink whip. Her expression, which
was always cheerful, was nowhere to be seen, and her gaze was colder than ice, making Isabella slightly taken aback. It seems like Aila still held incredible hate against the Hexadra Clan for what they did to a fellow Celestial Fairy.
Regardless, in that minute moment, Bylai abruptly appeared from above and descended like a meteor.
As she landed, the Hexadra Clan's supreme genius's head also fell.
Bylai possessed a golden glaive that was nearly two and a half meters long. The blade itself occupied one-fifth of the space, big and sharp. His neck was sliced cleanly, blood yet to pour out.
However, as a Six-Headed Hydra Fey, he still wasn't dead.
Bylai flipped the glaive and stabbed his head with the long blade as she poured an enormous amount of golden energy stemming from Gold Laws. It caused the head to explode into a bloody mist, but the soul remained. However, it seemingly lost two lives in the blink of an eye.
The third life- gone...
The fourth soul- poof-
The second last lifeline- shattered!
"Help!!! No!!!!"
The Hexadra Clan's supreme genius screamed in fright.
The next second, he was no longer present in his world, his soul vanquished out of existence.
The remaining four supreme geniuses gained distance, not daring to run but ready to run in four different directions. However, they saw two phoenixes block their path to the cast and west, only leaving the north where that woman who used icefire was already there making a ruckus.
Isabella walked forward and collected the rings from the headless Heavenshade Clan's supreme genius and the other ice statues. She saw that Shirley had not killed them despite freezing them. She was honestly surprised since icefire was not controllable after it was unleashed, but Shirley seemed to be capable of that now.
She kept their souls intact, although they were now frozen and unable to do anything.
"Hand over your rings, and you will not lose your bodies at the very least.
Isabella reached out her hand to the remaining four.
Their expressions turned into a grimace, but they also felt like they were left with no
choice, making their hearts sink.
The taxes they collected so far were enough to make a Lower Realm cry and an Upper
Realm pained!