Guo Yun: Plays Ye Shunguang, teammate Ye Shiyuan

What?! Blackie?!

That name, like a red-hot branding iron, was fiercely burned into the depths of Ye Shunguang's consciousness.

This is not a memory, not cognition, but a deeper, more instinctive scream—danger! Deadly danger! Get close and you'll die! Everyone will be cut down like stalks of wheat!

Before her brain could even translate the alarm into specific words, her body was already being whipped out as if by an invisible whip!

"Back off—!!!"

The roar, with a crack in her voice that she herself was unaware of, seemed to come not from her throat, but from her extremely tense chest.

Before she could finish speaking, the ground beneath her feet exploded with a "bang," sending up a cloud of dust. She transformed into a blurry afterimage, and the standard longsword in her hand tore through the murky air, drawing a sharp and resolute silver line that pierced straight towards the dark red figure that had just been born in the center of the square, radiating an ominous aura!

Ju Fufu's distorted scream and Pan Yinhu's roar like a wounded beast were instantly left behind, becoming distant and indistinct.

All that remained in my field of vision was "it".

The humanoid body was covered with a layer of heterogeneous carapace, a mixture of dark red and black, as if it had been polished after being cooled lava. Grotesque bone spurs protruded from the joints and spine, reflecting a cold glint in the dim light.

Its head... the outline of facial features could be vaguely discerned, but at this moment, where the face should have been, there was only a strange plane surging with black and red light. The light was like viscous blood flowing under the skin, or like countless tiny evil eyes opening and closing in the depths of the light.

There was no expression, no rise and fall of breath, only a pure "sense of presence" that froze the soul, heavy, filthy, and filled with destructive desires.

At the same instant Ye Shunguang's figure shot out, the monster called "Heiya" seemed to subtly shift its "face" that was surging with black and red light.

It "looked" at her.

Then--

"Ding ding ding ding ding ding!!!!!!!!!!"

Those weren't isolated impacts, but rather the continuous, sharp, mournful cries of a whole block of steel being instantly forged into thin sheets by an invisible, immense force!

It's like torrential rain pounding on a tin roof at bullet speed, like hundreds of chainsaws cutting through rocks at the same time, like the scream of metal's nerves snapping under extreme conditions!

Hei Ya moved.

No one saw how it drew its weapon—until the destructive storm swept in, and only then did people's horrified eyes catch a glimpse: its right hand gripped a massive, dark red blade, seemingly formed directly from shadows and congealed blood, two meters long, its shape twisted and grotesque; even more terrifying, the carapaces on the outer sides of its elbows and forearms suddenly cracked and extended, spewing out three pairs of bone blades, each over half a meter long, with edges flowing with a man-eating dark light! These bone blades, together with the massive blade in its hand, formed a deadly domain of blades, leaving no blind spots!

It just stood there, without even moving a step, merely waving its arms out.

Then, the space was filled.

Hundreds and thousands of blades! The intertwined black and dark red light was no longer lines or arcs, but a raging torrent of light that expanded and exploded in an instant!

They intertwined, overlapped, and rotated, forming a metallic death flower that suddenly bloomed with Hei Ya at its center, with a diameter of over twenty meters!

It's like an invisible bomb detonating inside it, turning the pure concept of "cutting" into a real storm that sprays and sweeps indiscriminately in all directions!

"Sizzle—!!!"

The air emitted a mournful groan, like fabric being sliced ​​open by the sharpest blade. The hard cement fragments and dark red corroded crystals on the ground, in the instant the blade flashed, were not cut apart, but simply "disappeared"—turning into the finest dust, which was swept up and raised by the violent airflow.

Further away, the half-collapsed concrete pillars and broken walls instantly revealed countless deep, crisscrossing, and mirror-like cuts on their surfaces. Then, with a teeth-grinding "crackling" sound, they collapsed and shattered in large chunks, raising clouds of dust that blotted out the sky!

If Ye Shunguang hadn't rushed out recklessly the instant she instinctively screamed, if her reaction had been even a fraction of a second slower, if she hadn't reached that exact distance and become the first and most concentrated point of impact for this storm of blades...

So, at this moment, Ju Fufu, Pan Yinhu, and the members of the Dragon Kingdom team behind her probably wouldn't even leave behind any severed limbs. They would simply turn into dust mixed with blood mist and completely dissipate in that flash of light.

"Hikaru—!!!"

Ju Fufu's screams were completely distorted. She could only see Ye Shunguang's not-so-tall figure, like a moth drawn to the sun, or a reed trying to stop a tsunami, instantly swallowed up by the black and red vortex of death that devoured all light! Not even a glimpse of his clothes could be seen!

Pan Yinhu's eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, a non-human roar erupted from his throat, his muscles bulged, and his ether surged wildly, ready to crash in recklessly! Even if it meant using his body to block or fill the void!

A steady hand, yet one that held an irresistible force, pressed firmly against his shoulder.

It was Ye Jianguo. Every muscle on the captain's face was tense, his lips pressed into a pale line, but his eyes were still as sharp as a hawk's, locked onto the core of the violent blade light through the constantly flashing combat goggles that were adjusting the filter mode and data analysis.

"Don't move! Trust her!" Ye Jianguo's voice was hoarse, but filled with an iron will. "Rushing in now will only cause her trouble! Find an opportunity! Chen Jianjun!"

"Here!" Chen Jianjun was already kneeling on the ground, setting up the heavy sniper rifle that had been enhanced by the national fortune system. The muzzle moved slightly, and his eyes behind the scope were frighteningly calm, even though his knuckles were white from the force.

"Clang! Clang! Sizzle—!!!"

Right in the heart of that all-consuming storm of sword light, a faint, silvery-white light, like a fishing light tossed about in the stormy sea, stubbornly lit up again and again, accompanied by the rapid, breathtaking sounds of metal clashing and the ear-piercing screeching of energy friction!

That was a clash of swords and blades! It was a signal that Ye Shunguang was still fighting!

"Hoo—!" Ye Shunguang took a deep breath, but what he inhaled was the pungent and suffocating sensation brought by metal shavings and filthy energy.

The web of his right hand was completely torn apart upon the first impact, and warm blood gushed out, instantly soaking the rough rope binding the sword hilt, making it slippery and difficult to grip.

She had to grip tightly with her fingers like iron clamps, her knuckles bulging and turning white from the excessive force.

Pain! Indescribable pain!

With each parry and each clash of weapons, that savage and unreasonable force would travel along the sword and her arm, slamming into her body.

The bones in my arms groaned, and the muscle fibers seemed to be torn apart and reconnected one by one. I felt a needle-like pain and a warning that my shoulders, elbows, and wrists were about to dislocate.

This is not just physical force. Every time the swords clashed, the dark red corrosive light wrapped around the black blade would dart over like a living venomous snake, trying to corrode her sword. Furthermore, through the point of contact, a cold, violent energy filled with a crazy destructive intent would be forcefully poured into her meridians!

Her ether was spontaneously circulating at high speed within her body, forming a thin layer of defense in her meridians, desperately resisting and wearing down this external corrosive energy. But this required distraction and exertion, further straining her already stretched nerves to the limit.

Hei Ya's attacks have no set pattern whatsoever. There is no starting stance, no charging process, and you can't even see the point of force.

It's just simple arm swings, slashes, sweeps, thrusts... but every movement is so fast that it leaves afterimages, the power is condensed to the extreme, tireless, without emotional fluctuations, only a perpetual and efficient killing command.

Hey!

In short... we cannot retreat! Not even a single step!

This thought, like a red-hot nail, was driven into Ye Shunguang's mind.

She could clearly sense the familiar, anxious presence not far behind her. If she moved even an inch backward, the storm of deadly blades would advance a foot forward, engulfing her senior brothers, sisters, and teammates!

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sparks, like red fireflies scattered by a gale, kept bursting and extinguishing amidst the interplay of darkness and silvery light.

Ye Shunguang's forehead and temples were already soaked with sweat, mixed with flying dust, leaving several streaks on her pale cheeks.

Sweat stung her eyes, causing a burning pain and blurring her vision. She didn't even have time to blink, so she could only stare wide-eyed, relying on her intuition and etheric perception to compensate for the lack of sight.

"No! This can't go on!" A cold voice echoed in her mind. "It's adapting to my rhythm! It's learning how to break through my defenses more effectively! I must fight back! Disrupt it!"

Passive defense only leads to certain death!

Just as Hei Ya slashed diagonally with her right arm's giant blade and then raised her left arm's bone blade from bottom to top in a combination attack gap—a gap so small it was almost non-existent, but enough for Ye Shunguang!

Her figure, which had been slightly bowed as if bearing immense pressure, suddenly slid half a step to the right like a spring compressed to its limit! It wasn't a retreat, but a delicate sideways slide!

The massive, slashing blade, accompanied by a chilling whistling sound, grazed the fabric of her left shoulder. The sharp blade even severed a few strands of her hair, and the icy touch made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

At the same time, her right hand, which had been waiting in the wings, finally moved!

With a flick of her wrist, the longsword emitted a clear, resonant hum. At its tip, highly compressed ether condensed into a single, visible point of cold light, as dazzling as a morning star! Using the momentum of her sideways movement, she twisted her waist, all her power rising from her feet, flowing through her hips and arms, ultimately concentrating entirely on that single point of cold light!

Target—below Heiya's right shoulder blade, at the seam where the dark red armor and the jet-black bone blade extend! That's usually the most vulnerable point in such structures, a crucial node for energy flow!

This sword strike was as fast as lightning, as ruthless as a venomous snake emerging from its hole, and so precise it was breathtaking!

"bite------!!!"

A deafening explosion, ten times sharper, longer, and more ear-piercing than any of the previous collisions, rang out!

The sword tip struck the intended spot with perfect accuracy!

However, the sensation he felt made Ye Shunguang's heart sink! It wasn't the feeling of piercing flesh or breaking through armor, but rather... it felt as if he had been stabbed in a steel fortress with hundreds of layers of steel!

No, it was even worse! Just as the sword tip touched the target, she clearly "saw" that the massive blade on Heiya's right arm, which seemed to be unable to defend in time, had its broad blade bent slightly inward at a speed and angle that defied the laws of physics, using the thickest and toughest part of the blade to block the sure-fire thrust!

I'm playing with you...

The immense recoil surged back along the sword, and Ye Shunguang felt the bones in his entire right arm creak under the strain. Blood gushed from the open wound in his hand, and the sword almost slipped from his grasp! The sword bent into a breathtaking arc, its tip rubbing against the black blade, drawing out a long trail of dazzling orange-red sparks!

Black Ya's "face," covered in black and red light, seemed unchanged, although its body, for the first time, was shaken slightly backward by the impact force concentrated at a single point.

There was a slight, almost imperceptible, delay in the swinging motion of his right arm.

But nothing more.

Its left arm, with its three sharp bone blades, had already sliced ​​through the air, carrying even greater ferocity and speed than before, as it swung back at Ye Shunguang, whose body was slightly swayed by the recoil! The angle was tricky, sealing off most of her space to dodge!

Ye Shunguang had already used the force the moment the sword tip was blocked! She endured the excruciating pain that almost shattered her right arm, and with a clever twist of her wrist, the curved longsword, like a living fish, used the rebound force to pull back, and then drew a semi-circle in front of her, the spine of the sword narrowly striking the side of the incoming bone blade!

"Clang!"

Even though she had already exhausted her strength, that terrifying force still sent her flying backward like a kite with a broken string!

"puff!"

His feet rubbed violently against the ground, carving out two furrows several meters long and an inch deep, until his back slammed heavily against a broken section of low concrete wall, barely bringing him to a stop.

A sweet taste rose in her throat, and a hot, metallic liquid surged into her mouth, which she swallowed hard, leaving only a trickle of bright red blood at the corner of her mouth.

"Hikaru!" Ju Fufu was terrified. The strange spherical weapon in her hand shone brightly, and she was about to smash it at Hei Ya without any regard for the consequences.

"Senior Sister! Wait!" Pan Yinhu suddenly reached out and blocked her path. His face was ashen, veins throbbing on his forehead, but his eyes, fixed on the battlefield, flashed with a cold, almost cruel calm unique to martial artists. "Look closely! That thing's 'momentum' has changed!"

Ju Fufu was startled by his shout, and suppressed her almost explosive anxiety and heartache, focusing her attention on sensing.

really!

The terrifying sword intent and killing intent that Hei Ya had been unrestrained and indiscriminately covering the entire square had, at some point, subsided and condensed like a tide!

It remained standing in the same spot, its massive blades and bone blades hanging slightly, but the surging black and red light became more solid and restrained, as if all its destructive desires were compressed into its body.

It did not unleash the previous wide-ranging storm of sword light. All its "attention," that chilling "gaze" that could freeze one's soul, was completely and thoroughly locked onto Ye Shunguang, who had just regained his footing and had blood on the corner of his mouth!

...It abandoned indiscriminate attacks? And identified Ye Shunguang as the only threat that needed to be eliminated first?

"It's targeting Hikari...only targeting Hikari..." Tachibana Fukufu's voice trembled uncontrollably. It wasn't just simple fear, but a mixture of boundless anger and a deeper, chilling suspicion. "Why...why...that form...could it really be...that Aya..."

Pan Yinhu's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his nails almost digging into his palms, drawing blood. He too had thought of that terrifying direction, but he knew better what he needed to do now.

"No matter what it is, we have to kill it! Xiao Guang's stamina won't last much longer!" He gritted his teeth and growled, his eyes quickly scanning the battlefield, searching for any possible opening or entry point. Should they face the monster's blade head-on? He and Ju Fufu might be able to withstand a few blows, but they had no chance of winning, and it might even distract Ye Shunguang.

"Chen Jianjun!" Ye Jianguo's command rang out again, even more urgent, "Find every possible firing window! Target, its joints, the glowing area on its head! Attention, absolutely, absolutely do not harm Comrade Ye Shunguang!"

"Understood!!" Chen Jianjun's voice was cold and steady, his breathing adjusted to the slightest rhythm.

The crosshairs of the sniper scope were fixed on Hei Ya's head, which was surging with black and red light, occasionally sweeping quickly across his shoulders, elbows, knees and other key areas.

This is fucking...difficult!

He was waiting, waiting for that minuscule moment when Ye Shunguang would just deviate from the trajectory of the bullet, and Hei Ya's movements would inevitably become stiff or expose a weakness.

Such an opportunity may only occur once or twice in a battle, or even never at all.

He must catch him.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two muffled gunshots rang out almost simultaneously. Two specially made heavy sniper bullets with a slight ether armor-piercing effect drew two imperceptible trajectories at several times the speed of sound. One shot directly at the side of Hei Ya's left knee, while the other was aimed at his right shoulder joint, which might be slightly raised due to the attack!

Hei Ya didn't even turn around.

As it was about to be shot at the knee, it simply adjusted the angle of its leg very naturally as it stepped forward and pressed against Ye Shunguang, so that the side of its thigh, covered with a thick armor plate, met the bullet.

With a crisp "clang!", a small burst of sparks erupted at the point of impact, and a faint white spot appeared on the armor, which was then covered and repaired by the flowing dark red etching light.

As for the bullet aimed at its shoulder joint, the massive blade of its right arm, which it was swinging, traced an arc, its broad blade acting like a shield to block the bullet's trajectory. "Clang!" The bullet struck the blade, deformed, and bounced off, leaving not even a scratch.

Long-range sniping is largely ineffective! Its defense and reaction capabilities far exceed those of conventional weapons!

Its offensive did not stop at all, and once again surged towards Ye Shunguang like a tide!

"Hippie, Dawn! Give me the laser gun!"

...In the center of the battlefield, Ye Shunguang's breathing had become heavy and scorching, each breath carrying the rusty smell of blood and the icy pain of energy erosion.

Sweat streamed down her forehead and temples, flowing into her eyes and causing even more blurriness and stinging. She could only blink rapidly and frequently to squeeze out the sweat, and everything in her vision was covered with a shimmering layer of water.

Her arm grew heavier and heavier, as if it didn't belong to her. Her hand, soaked with blood and sweat, began to slip, forcing her to grip the sword with even greater force.

The excruciating pain in my tiger's mouth had gone numb, replaced by a deep-seated soreness and weakness.

Heiya's attack has changed.

It seemed to have become somewhat "familiar" with Ye Shunguang's habits of dodging and parrying. The storm-like slashes no longer pursued extreme speed and power, but began to become... targeted.

The massive black blade would sometimes crash down like a mountain, forcing her to parry with all her might; at other times, it would transform into a blurry phantom, slashing and thrusting swiftly from the sides and behind at various bizarre angles, exhausting her attention and stamina.

Those three pairs of bone blades were even more insidious. They would often sweep down close to the ground to the lower body under the cover of attacks from the giant blades, or suddenly pop out from blind spots to strike vital points such as the ribs and throat.

What's more troublesome is that the dark red corrosive light clinging to the blade seems to be increasing in corrosiveness as the battle continues.

Each time their weapons clashed, the cold and violent energy surged stronger, like countless tiny ice spikes trying to pierce her skin, freeze her meridians, and disrupt the flow of ether within her body.

She had to devote more and more of her energy and her already meager ether to building layer upon layer of fragile defenses within her body, engaging in a tug-of-war of resistance and attrition.

My brain was racing, a mixture of excruciating pain, exhaustion, and dizziness from the energy drain. Through my sweat-blurred vision, Hei Ya's ominous figure appeared and disappeared, sometimes clear, sometimes overlapping.

"Weaknesses... the joints are too well protected... that glowing area on the head... feels like the core, but it's completely protected by the arms and the blade that can be used to block at any time... speed, strength, defense, endurance... all are overwhelming..." A cold assessment flashed through her mind, "Conventional methods... won't work."

"Unless... there is a power beyond the ordinary..."

Azure Sea Sword.

If it were the Azure Nether Sword... perhaps...

This thought, like a deadly poisonous vine, once it takes root, spreads wildly. Can it pierce the monster's shell? Can it shatter its core? Can it end this desperate battle?

can!

A voice is shouting from the bottom of my heart.

But at the same time, another, harsher voice, filled with tears and fear, suddenly rang out, pulling her back from the brink of dangerous thoughts like a thunderclap—"You absolutely cannot use the Azure Sea Sword again! Not even once!"

It was Ju Fufu's voice, and her senior sister's warning, filled with lingering fear and an undeniable authority.

What should I do if I don't use the Azure Sea Sword?

Relying on physical exertion? Let's see who gives up first? What a joke! The opponent is a tireless killing machine! And me? My arms are almost too heavy to lift, my ether is being rapidly depleted, and my body is groaning in pain from all sides…

In that fleeting moment, when the mind was momentarily distracted by the intense struggle—

Hei Ya's actions suddenly changed!

At this moment, it seemed as if time had slowed down the arms that had been maintaining a high-speed, frenzied attack rhythm.

Its dark red giant blade in its right hand and the three bone blades that sprang from its left arm no longer fought independently, but slowly, in a posture full of heavy ritual, converged and overlapped towards the center.

The giant blade was above, the bone blade below. Dark red and pitch-black corrosive light gathered and compressed wildly at the point where the blades touched, emitting a low hum that sounded like the wailing of thousands of vengeful spirits.

Immediately, the double blades were raised high above the head.

There were no swift, wind-like slashes, no unpredictable maneuvers. It was simply the most direct, brutal, and ruthless attack—double blades falling, a downward slash!

The movements may seem slow, but that's because the power is concentrated to the extreme, compressing the surrounding air so much that it groans under the strain, forming visible, inwardly concave and twisted ripples!

Before the blade even arrived, a terrifying pressure, as if it were tangible, mixed with boundless killing intent and immense mass, had already descended, completely sealing off and freezing the space within several meters around Ye Shunguang!

You can't dodge it! You can't block it! Damn it!

"Hikaru!!!"

The roars of Ju Fufu and Pan Yinhu erupted simultaneously with their figures!

Instead, they concentrated all their power, all their ether, all their anger and worry, aiming directly at Heya's back!

To relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao! To attack what the enemy must defend!

Faced with these fierce attacks from both sides, which were enough to severely injure or even kill ordinary powerful enemies, Hei Ya's "face," which was surging with black and red light, did not even turn its head slightly.

It simply... diverted a small portion of the terrifying potential energy that was originally concentrated on the twin blades.

With a slight tremor in his left arm, two of the three bone blades overlapping beneath the giant blade detached without warning, transforming into a thin, dark red line that was almost invisible to the naked eye and shot backward with a "whoosh"!

"puff!"

There was no earth-shattering collision.

Pan Yinhu's punch, which gathered all his strength and was powerful enough to split rocks, struck the dark red line squarely.

The next moment, his expression changed drastically. He felt an extremely sharp penetrating force and a cold and violent corrosive energy coming from the fist. The invisible shield of energy he had formed with his fist force was instantly pierced!

He groaned as his right sleeve ripped apart, revealing several deep, bone-revealing gashes on his arm. He was thrown backward by the force, crashing heavily to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Almost simultaneously, before Ju Fufu could even throw the Tiger's Might, it was struck by Hei Ya's ranged attack. The recoil caused Ju Fufu's blood to surge, and she staggered back several steps.

"Whoosh!" Chen Jianjun pressed the fire button on the laser gun, and a laser beam shot straight towards Hei Ya's head!

The final bone blade hurtled straight towards Laser, exhausting his potential energy!

The speed at which Heiya's double blades, raised high and crossed, fell was not affected by this interference in the slightest!

With the same unwavering resolve to crush everything, it slashed down at Ye Shunguang, who was almost unable to move!

Is it... over?

Ye Shunguang stared at the blade, a dark red and black color that rapidly magnified in his field of vision, seemingly filling the entire sky. The shadow of death loomed over him, so clear and so cold.

not reconciled...

Really... there's nothing I can do...

Her consciousness, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw, instinctively reached towards the depths of the system space, towards that silent ancient sword...

Just as her thoughts were about to touch the cold sword case—

"when!"

……

Before anyone could react, a figure had already blocked the attack and even used the momentum to charge forward, unleashing several palm strikes to repel Hei Ya! The person was:

A crane-patterned cloak reflects golden light, its dark feathers soaring through the air, concealing its noble spirit.

A jade hairpin adorns her blue-cloud-like hair, while a palace sash binds her for eternity.

Its magic encompasses all the energy of heaven and earth, and its talismans suppress evil spirits throughout the eight directions.

Who says immortals have no color? A touch of cinnabar breaks the pale yellow.

"Master Yixuan?!"

"Master?!"

"Master!?"

Ye Shunguang, Ju Fufu, and Pan Yinhu all exclaimed in unison, all surprised, but because of their injuries, they could only stand there and watch quietly.

"!!!!!!!!!"

"What just happened?! I only blinked?!"

"Did anyone see that clearly?! How did that knife fly back?! How did that monster retreat?!"

"Bare hands?! No, bare fingers?! You flicked it once?! Just once?!"

"My mom asked me why I was kneeling while watching the live stream..."

"This is... the master they were talking about?!"

"That entrance was so cool! You probably didn't see it clearly, but I did! She had a bird carry her over, and then she entered the battlefield without anyone noticing!"

"It's safe! It's definitely safe this time! Master is clearly a super expert!"

"I almost had a cardiac arrest just now, I thought Ye Shunguang was going to die... Waaaaah... That was so scary! I really almost thought..."

"Yi Xuan is such a beautiful woman, she's practically a mother's age! Mom!"

"The person upstairs is outrageous! Wait a minute? Holy crap, when did you change your name? @Yixuan's Dog"

The excitement in the live stream did not affect the situation on the battlefield.

The newcomer, Yi Xuan, seemed oblivious to the intense emotional turmoil among her disciples. Her clear, deep eyes calmly fell upon Hei Ya, who was not far ahead.

Hei Ya also seemed to sense an unprecedented threat.

It regained its slightly disheveled form after being casually flicked away by that finger. The dark red corrosive light around it, which had been somewhat dim and disordered due to the setback, now surged and condensed wildly like an enraged venomous snake, even emitting a low hissing sound like countless metal pieces rubbing together.

Its "face," devoid of features and surging with black and red light, locked onto Yi Xuan, while the giant blades and bone blades on its arms slightly adjusted their angles, adopting the most vigilant defensive stance.

Unlike its previous state as a pure and efficient killing machine when facing Ye Shunguang and the others, it now resembles a ferocious beast that has encountered its natural enemy, cautious yet even more dangerous.

Yi Xuan's gaze lingered on Hei Ya for only a moment before he turned his head slightly and glanced at Ye Shunguang behind him, who was barely standing, weak but stubbornly refusing to fall.

That glance, so quick, seemed to contain a thousand words.

The concern was like a ray of warm sunshine in the cold winter, instantly soothing the chill and stinging pain in Ye Shunguang's body caused by the erosion of energy and excessive consumption.

There was a scrutiny, as if to confirm whether she was truly unharmed and where she was injured.

There was also a hint of... indescribable complexity, like a sigh, or like a sense of relief as if the dust had settled.

Then she turned back to face the powerful enemy who exuded an aura of filth and destruction.

A clear and peaceful voice, carrying a strange power to calm the mind, gently rang out, reaching Ye Shunguang and everyone present:

"Xiao Guang..." She paused, her tone revealing little emotion, yet with an undeniable certainty.

"...You did a great job."

Those few simple words seemed to possess some kind of magic, causing Ye Shunguang's nose to suddenly tingle and his eyes to instantly become hot.

All the exhaustion, lingering fear, and grievances seemed to find an outlet in these words, but she forcibly suppressed them back.

She didn't know why she had such a strong reaction... This was clearly the first time she had met Master Yixuan face-to-face since she transmigrated.

She subconsciously bit her lower lip hard and nodded forcefully, even though her master might not have seen it.

"Next..."

Yi Xuan's voice remained steady, but something within it had subtly changed. It was a resolute decision that needed no words, the calm before the storm.

"Leave it to me!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Yi Xuan moved.

She didn't even move her feet; she simply raised her right hand, which had been behind her back, and gently clenched her five fingers in the air, as if drawing an invisible inkstone from the air.

In an instant, a rich, dark ink color, seemingly capable of absorbing all light, surged from her palm. It wasn't splashed, but rather followed some mysterious trajectory, rapidly outlining and condensing!

Phew——!

A clear, melodious cry that pierced the sky suddenly rang out, and the mass of black ink transformed into the outline of a magnificent giant bird with a wingspan of several feet, its entire body composed of flowing black light.

At the same time, Yi Xuan himself also underwent changes.

She remained standing in the same spot, yet she emanated a warm and vast yellowish-white light. It was not dazzling, but it seemed to repel the surrounding darkness and filth, forming a clear and bright field around her.

With her left hand, she conjured a talisman that was neither gold nor jade using ether. The talisman hovered at her fingertips, also flowing with a restrained yet powerful yellowish-white halo, which was faintly connected with the light of the crane cloak and the aura of the black ink giant bird, forming a stable and mysterious triangle.

Almost at the same instant that Yi Xuan made a move, Hei Ya also moved!

Its "face," which was surging with black and red light, trembled violently and emitted a sharp, headache-inducing hiss.

The dark red giant blades and ferocious bone blades on his arms stopped swinging wildly, and all his attacks suddenly stopped and focused!

Its main dark red blade was raised high, its blade trembling violently and emitting a low, humming sound like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts.

The remaining foul energy from the void amidst the ruins of the plaza converged wildly toward the giant blade as if drawn by a black hole, causing the blade to swell and its color to deepen and darken.

What's most chilling is that at the very tip of the blade, an extreme, pure darkness, seemingly capable of devouring even sight and soul, is frantically condensing and compressing, emanating a terrifying suction force and destructive will that slightly distorts the surrounding space.

Without any buildup, without any warning, at the very moment that darkness reached its peak—

cut!

The crimson giant blade, carrying the all-consuming dark core, tore through the air, slashing straight at Yi Xuan with a twisted and blurred trajectory! This strike was as fast as thunder and as ruthless as lightning, condensing all filth and destruction into a single line, its power far exceeding any previous attack.

Faced with this terrifying attack, Yi Xuan remained calm.

She gestured with her right hand, and the giant bird made of black ink, its eyes gleaming with yellow and white light, let out a silent cry. With a flap of its wings, it charged towards the descending dark blade! The black ink's body left a deep trail in the air, as if it wanted to tear through this polluted space.

On her left hand, the floating talisman shone brightly and vanished instantly from her fingertips. The next moment, a semi-transparent light barrier, formed from countless tiny and intricate yellow-white runes, appeared a few feet in front of her. The light barrier was solid and thick, with runes flowing continuously, emanating a pure aura that was as stable as a mountain and could purify evil spirits.

"boom--!!!"

The first to collide were the Xuanmo Giant Bird and the Dark Blade!

There was no loud bang of physical impact, but rather a dull rumble from the annihilation of two completely opposite, opposing high-density energies.

The inky brilliance clashed violently with the dark red corrosive light, devouring the darkness, intertwining, dissolving, and bursting forth with blindingly bright light and chaotic energy turbulence, blurring the space in that area.

Immediately afterwards, the dark blade light, though weakened by the giant bird, was still terrifying and slashed fiercely at the runic light screen in front of Yi Xuan!

"Buzz—!!!"

A long, deep sound, like a giant bell being struck, rang out. The runic light screen trembled violently, its surface swirling rapidly, and countless fine yellow-white runes flickered and shimmered, stubbornly resisting and dissolving the dark erosion and physical striking force attached to the blade.

The light barrier dented inward in a breathtaking arc, yet it never shattered, firmly blocking the deadly attack from Yi Xuan's body.

Just as the dark blade's momentum was blocked by the light barrier, and the old force had just been exhausted while the new force had not yet been generated, Yi Xuan's figure moved.

Her figure seemed to blur slightly for a moment, and her footsteps were mysterious and indescribable, as if she were stepping on an invisible Bagua (Eight Trigrams) formation.

The wide, dark crane cloak and ink-feather cape fluttered and danced as she moved, not hindering her movements but adding to her elegance and mystery.

She seemed to take a few steps forward casually, and then strangely passed through the energy turbulence and the trembling rune light screen that had not yet completely dissipated in front of her. In an instant, she crossed the remaining distance between herself and Hei Ya, and directly invaded the inner blind spot where the other party was wielding his long blade!

Hei Ya's reaction was incredibly fast; the bone blade on her left arm sprang out almost instinctively, weaving into a net of death that enveloped the approaching Yi Xuan.

However, in the next instant—

The two officially came into close contact!

The pure yellow-white light and the filthy, corrosive black-red light instantly intertwined, collided, and flashed intensely! The light was so intense that it almost engulfed their figures, causing the onlookers to involuntarily squint or raise their hands to shield their eyes.

Only at the core of the light could one vaguely see figures intertwining and flashing at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive, creating numerous blurry afterimages.

The fierce wind scattered and shot out, further scraping and crushing the already broken bricks and stones on the ground.

The radiance of the talisman sometimes blooms like a lotus flower, and sometimes wraps around like chains; the fluctuations of the spell are sometimes as heavy as a mountain, and sometimes as nimble as the wind.

The crisp clang of metal clashing, the muffled thud of colliding energies, and the heavy thud of something being struck repeatedly mingled together, as dense as a storm pounding on a tin roof, yet in a very short time they converged into a single, deep, and resonant sound, seemingly capable of directly vibrating the very core of one's being—

"Thump!!!"

Like the muffled sound of an ancient bell striking Mount Buzhou, the dazzling, intense light and rapidly flashing afterimages suddenly stopped and dissipated.

A massive figure, like a cannonball fired from a gun, or a broken doll being violently slapped away by an invisible giant hand, flew backward at an astonishing speed!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

Four deafening thuds followed in quick succession, the sound of bodies crashing through thick walls.

The figure pierced through four or five sections of reinforced concrete ruins along the way without any cushioning.

Every wall crumbled the moment it made contact, turning into a shower of rubble and dust, as if it were made of paper.

It flew for nearly a hundred meters before exhausting its momentum, finally crashing into a mountain of building ruins in the distance with an even deeper, more muffled thud.

The impact was so powerful that it stirred up a thick cloud of dust tens of meters high, rising like a mushroom cloud and completely enveloping the area, where no movement was seen for a long time.

A brief silence fell over the square.

The only sounds were the slow drifting of dust, the rustling of loose stones, and the heavy, rapid breathing of the crowd.

Ju Fufu, Pan Yinhu, the members of the Dragon Kingdom team, and even everyone outside the screen, all stared wide-eyed at the smoke-filled place, then looked at Yi Xuan, who was still standing in the same spot as if he had never moved, their hearts filled with indescribable shock.

Yi Xuan slowly withdrew her hand, as if she had just performed some exquisite spell, with a trace of lingering yellowish-white light still visible on her fingertips. She stood with her hands behind her back, the hem of her black crane-feather cloak fluttering gently in the breeze, spotless.

She didn't even glance at the depths of the smoke and dust, but simply shook her head and, in a voice only she could hear, calmly commented:

"The copy is too weak, it doesn't even have a third of the original's strength..."

As if to confirm her words, a faint but labored grinding sound came from the billowing smoke and dust.

As everyone stared intently, and the dust settled, Hei Ya's figure could be vaguely seen reappearing in the center of the collapsed ruins.

Its dark red carapace was now covered with dense, spiderweb-like cracks, and in many places the carapace had even peeled off, revealing the charred internal structure underneath, which looked as if it had been scorched.

Two clear, recessed palm prints, with faint yellowish-white light particles still visible at the edges, are deeply imprinted on the center of its chest and head.

The originally surging, dark red corrosive light around it has now become extremely dim and chaotic, flickering like a candle in the wind, as if it might be completely extinguished at any moment.

It tried to support its body with the giant blades and bone blades on its arms, but its movements were sluggish and trembling, clearly having lost most of its strength. It struggled several times but failed to stand up and could only barely maintain a half-kneeling posture.

Yi Xuan's seemingly casual close-range attack had clearly severely damaged its energy core and structural hub.

Yi Xuan then turned her gaze to the struggling monster in the distance, her eyes remaining calm and unwavering, as if she had merely brushed a speck of dust from her sleeve. She no longer paid attention to Hei Ya, but slowly turned around.

Hei Ya's "face," which was surging with an extremely faint, dark red light that seemed to be about to be extinguished at any moment, turned with difficulty one last time toward Yi Xuan's back. The focus of that light seemed to briefly and blurrily pass over Ye Shunguang, who was standing in the distance holding a sword.

The light flickered violently and irregularly for the last few moments, like a broken light bulb making its final struggle.

Ultimately, it was extinguished completely and permanently.

"Click...click click..."

A fine, continuous cracking sound, like ice breaking, emanated from within it.

Under the silent gaze of everyone, Hei Ya's body began to disintegrate. It wasn't an explosion, but rather, starting from the extremities, it silently transformed into countless shimmering, azure-blue particles of light. These particles floated lightly upwards, like blue snowflakes drifting in reverse, or like a swarm of fireflies dancing on a summer night, carrying a strange and pure beauty.

The disintegration process was swift and thorough. In just a few breaths, the corrupted body that had once exuded terrifying pressure and caused everyone to struggle completely dissipated into the air, leaving no flesh or metal remains, as if it had never existed.

Above the ruins where it once lay, suspended in mid-air, floated a crystal roughly the size of an adult's fist, its surface translucent like the finest sapphire. Within the crystal, a miniature, slowly rotating, brilliant galaxy seemed to be sealed, emanating pure, powerful, and peaceful ethereal energy, a stark contrast to the previous filthy aura of Heiya.

[National Fortune System: High-purity ether crystals detected (Grade S).]

[Threat Target: Erosion Dopegana Mindless Elegance, confirmed to have been eliminated by the Dragon Kingdom Squad.]

[The Dragon Kingdom team is awarded 30000 points for being the first in the world to kill an S-rank monster! The Dragon Kingdom team is also awarded an additional 5000 points!]

[The core energy source of the void has significantly weakened; the Dragon Kingdom team has successfully dispelled the void! The Dragon Kingdom team is rewarded with 50000 points!]

[Current total points for the Dragon Kingdom team: 86658!]

[The Dragon Kingdom team currently has 85058 points!]

The notification sound from the National Fortune System rang clearly in the minds of the Dragon Kingdom team members. The cold and objective electronic voice brought a definitive end to this sudden, perilous, and swiftly concluded catastrophic encounter.

Only then did Yi Xuan truly turn around and turn his gaze entirely to his three disciples.

She first glanced at Pan Yinhu and Ju Fufu, who, though disheveled and breathing heavily, were clearly not seriously injured, only suffering from external wounds and significant exhaustion. She nodded almost imperceptibly, as if in approval and concern.

Finally, her gaze traveled a short distance and landed on the girl, Ye Shunguang, who was leaning on her sword, her body swaying precariously yet still stubbornly keeping her thin back straight.

That gaze no longer held the calm indifference of one facing an enemy, nor was it simply one of praise or concern.

Deep within it surges extremely complex emotions: concern followed by scrutiny, a hidden tenderness within that scrutiny, profound questions behind that tenderness, and perhaps even a faint, elusive sigh of relief.

As deep as an ancient well, as complex as a star map, it quietly enveloped Ye Shunguang, as if trying to see through her inside and out, or as if gazing through her at something deeper and more ancient.

"Help me! Help me—!"

Just as the atmosphere was about to shatter, a scream suddenly pierced through.

The woman's voice approached from afar, accompanied by heavy breathing and hurried, staggering footsteps, like a stone thrown into a stagnant pool, shattering all the solidified tension.

Following closely behind were the chaotic, heavy sounds of pursuit, like muffled thunder rumbling in the throat of a predator.

"That voice?!"

Zhe, who had been huddled in the shadows waiting for the battle to end, suddenly looked up.

"younger sister?!"

The horror and the intense pain of seeing his loved ones in danger shattered his forced composure. From Nabangbu's body erupted a heart-wrenching scream, completely at odds with his current appearance.

He disregarded the others, his small figure leaping out from behind cover and rushing headlong towards the source of the sound—