This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 257 [...If the judgment fails, there is a chance of triggering instant death.]

Xingjin attempted to forcibly 'define' everything about Hanjiangxue using their distorted set of ideas.

This seems to be their usual way of attacking. These extraterrestrial enemies seem to have an extreme lack of respect for their opponents; destroying everything about their enemies, from life to morality, is their only goal.

As the sound rang out, the remaining winged statues' eyes lit up with a ghostly blue starlight, and they all came to 'come alive'!

They struggled to break free from the main body, transforming into countless flying guardian statues, like a startled swarm of bees, rushing towards the ice dragon with a piercing buzz!
The ice dragon, which had been climbing upwards, suddenly lost its footing and plummeted from mid-air. But Han Jiangxue remained calm, because panicking wouldn't help—would you panic if you slipped and fell while climbing a snow-capped mountain?

When life and death hang in the balance, panicking is tantamount to giving up your life!

In this critical moment, the ice dragon spread its wings, coiled its long tail, and with a sudden flap of its wings, propelled itself back to its original position. At this moment, its outer shell peeled away, and the guardian statues flew through the air, frantically attacking the thousands of attackers around it, as well as the ice dragon's massive body.

The structure at the center of the statue is fully revealed; it is a giant star stone resembling an obelisk.

The obelisk is entirely black, its surface shimmering with countless stars, as if a starry sky had been compressed into the shape of a tombstone.

It exuded an ominous aura even stronger than that of the surrounding statues. Ping Xingdou's unconscious body was enveloped in starlight, as if sealed in amber, right in the center of this star tombstone.

Each time a faint heartbeat is heard, the starlight on the monument flickers once more.

This is the true core of [from the origin of the stars to their destruction]!
The animated winged statues relentlessly attacked the ice dragon. They stabbed with weapons formed from starlight and tore at it with their claws. Although the dragon's body was powerful, Han Jiangxue had rarely entered this state, and her control was rusty. Faced with such a dense barrage of attacks, she was immediately overwhelmed.

The snow-white dragon scales were forcibly shattered and torn open, the fragments mixed with pale blue dragon blood, scattering in the air like stars and snow, turning into a sky full of cold mist, covering the ground with frost.

Each scale peeled away brought excruciating pain.

But she did not retreat. The energy in her eyes burned even more fiercely. She clung tightly to the obelisk with her massive body, using her claws, bites, and scattered dragon breath to fend off the swarming attacks, drawing fire and creating opportunities for others.

Below, Yi Jian, almost exhausted, witnessed all of this.

He saw Han Jiangxue fighting a bloody battle, saw the obelisk of the stars radiating an ominous aura, and saw the Pingxingdou, sealed in the center of the obelisk, like a sleeping star.

He knew this was his last chance.

Han Jiangxue risked her life to buy them the only chance to turn the tide of the battle.

"Damn it... I'll risk it!"

Yi Jian spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He disregarded the near-collapse of his body and poured all his remaining spiritual energy, vitality, and even the sacred belief of the Holy Lance Master—that he would never stray from his goal—into his hands.

The light gathered again in his hand, but this time, the sniper rifle that formed was unusually dim, even somewhat illusory, as if it might dissipate at any moment. However, the line of light at the muzzle was terrifyingly stable, firmly locking onto the center of the obelisk, the location where Ping Xingdou's body was.

He wasn't sure if his shot would destroy the strange starstone's outer shell, nor did he know what would happen to him after firing it. He only knew that he had to attack that spot! It was the core of all the danger before him!

"Han Jiangxue!" Yi Jian roared with his last bit of strength, both as a reminder and as a farewell.

The next moment, he flicked his finger, about to pull the trigger.

At the same time, Han Jiangxue let out a deafening dragon roar, ignoring the new wounds all over his body, and used his massive dragon body to ram forward, forcefully opening a path to the core for his attack vision!
The desperate shooting and the ice dragon's charge converged at this moment on the obelisk of stars, a symbol of destruction and despair.

But at this very moment—

Time seems to have frozen.

A blazing, earth-shattering light, like a divine sword of punishment, descended from the heavens without warning!
This light was not the kind of energy-condensed sniping that Yi Jian possessed, but a pure and indescribable power, a power that seemed capable of reshaping the rules!
"boom--------!!!"

The beam of light pierced precisely through the top of the obelisk, pouring into it from the spear statue, and then flowing unimpeded through heaven and earth! The magnificent tombstone, which had gathered the power of starlight, was like ice and snow under the sun or potato chips under a hydraulic press before this radiance. It didn't even have time to struggle before it crumbled from the top and shattered into pieces!
Above it, the health bar, which had previously displayed [160192/200000], instantly emptied, and a terrifying number, [-160192], floated leisurely upwards. The remaining force of the radiance crashed into the earth, completely engulfing the ruined canyon that served as the ritual site. The violent energy swept everything away; the animated winged statues, the remaining starlight structures, and even the entire force field permeated by the starlight were all utterly purified and annihilated in that instant!
Before such extraordinary brilliance, Yi Jian's attack was forcibly suspended. He was bewildered to find that his hands had involuntarily stopped moving, the energy he had invested was flowing back, and the desire to attack had quietly disappeared.

Exhausted, Han Jiangxue fainted in the blink of an eye. The ice dragon vanished in a phantom, and she collapsed from the dragon's heart towards the ground.

The core was annihilated, and a few fragments of starstone flew everywhere with a mournful howl, like a meteor shower.

This destructive radiance seemed to possess consciousness; while destroying the enemy, relatively gentle white rays enveloped Han Jiangxue, Yi Jian, and all the other surviving warriors.

The light was warm; although it had no effect on the injuries, it dispelled the chill brought by Han Jiangxue, stabilized their collapsing energy flow, and gently and swiftly moved them out of the core battlefield, which had turned into a purgatory.

The ceremonial site in Zhongzhou was completely destroyed by this heavenly light.

The light robbed everyone of their sight. After a long while, someone was finally able to barely open their eyes.

The next moment, above the still-scorching light and billowing dust, a pitch-black figure descended from the sky like a meteor, crashing heavily into the center of the massive lava lake on the ground with immense force!
"Boom!!!"

The terrifying impact caused the earth to tremble violently once again. Lava flew everywhere, hardening in the air. The still-viscous ground was smashed into a deep, perfectly circular crater. Countless molten rocks and glowing lava rained down in all directions, causing secondary damage to the already fragmented ruins of the ritual site, ensuring that it had no chance of being revived.

'hiss……'

The radiance of the lava gently dissipated.

In the entire world, only one voice remained.

—The torrential rain continued unabated.

Although the newcomer has not yet appeared in person, at this moment, a string of words simultaneously flashed through everyone's minds:
[...If the judgment fails, there is a chance of instant death.]

(End of this chapter)