Chapter 216 (Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Five) Power

Work one day, ring the bell all day.

Yan Shi didn't particularly like working at the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs, but he didn't dislike it either.

My colleagues are all indeed outrageous in their own way, but they also each have their own principles.

Yan Shi likes the surface world, and also a part of the hidden world.

She disliked the world barrier being broken, and the world of Lin Cai in her first playthrough.

It's terrible, not lively at all. And no coffee shop is selling 432 different flavors of mini cakes anymore.

Yan Shi repeated, "I'm sorry. This is my duty."

"Your duties?" Lin Zizui stared at her intently. "Okay, okay, okay," she said slowly. "These are the duties of your Director of the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs."

Yan Shi lowered his eyes to avoid her gaze: "Yes."

Lin Zizui took a deep breath: "Since that's the case, Director Yan, let's rely on our own strength."

As she finished speaking, she raised her hand and pulled down her hood. The shadow of the hood completely obscured her face, making her expression impossible to see. She took a step back, retreating into the line of black-robed figures standing firmly behind her.

"The timing is perfect," Lin Zizui said softly. "Let's begin."

The black-robed figures beside her chanted softly, "Mother Goddess, we have come to visit you."

The first few words were still audible, but then it was all ancient language that Yan Shi couldn't understand, with low, somber syllables.

As the chanting began, the colossal black stone platform started to tremble violently. A heavy rumble spread through the earth's veins, echoing throughout the entire port of Novano.

The runes on the altar lit up one by one, like blood vessels being stretched open, with blood gushing along the engravings, and blood-red light shooting into the sky, completely dyeing the sky red.

The flames fought back fiercely, but gradually lost ground as the tide of blood pressed closer. Flames and blood tore at each other in the air, and the flames atop the sun's crown flickered.

Yan Shi raised her hand, and the blazing sun crown, following her will, drew out a portion of the fire spirit to gather into a blade, its sharpness intense, flying straight towards the black-robed people who were chanting.

The next moment, it was interrupted by a flash of blood.

For some reason, the black-robed figure on the far right who triggered the tsunami did not participate in the chanting. Her hood was blown off by the gale, revealing white hair and bright eyes, another face that Yan Shi seemed to recognize.

"Everyone has finally arrived." The white-haired woman stretched, and the water crystals condensed into ice steps, which she then stepped on one by one, walking uphill.

Lin Zizui frowned: "Ao Le, I think you know your limits."

"I know, I know." Ao Le walked along, gathering her long hair over her shoulder as her fingers deftly braided it into an intricate plait. "Using the bones and blood of all living things as the guide, and the scattered spirits of the world as the thread. Metal, wood, water, fire, earth, light, darkness, who did you seek for the spirits of your other attributes?"

Lin Zizui's tone was indifferent: "You'll see soon enough."

Ao Le shrugged: "Let me make it clear beforehand, I will do my best. But regardless of the outcome, I have violated the rules and regulations by interfering." Her eyes were nonchalant. "So once this matter is over, I will have repaid the debt I owed to Director Lin."

“Of course,” Lin Zizui said in a deep voice.

Having received a satisfactory reply, Ao Le continued to climb the ice steps to higher ground.

As she moved, layers of water spirits gathered and surged toward the altar.

Yan Shi tried to control a portion of the water spirits, but the water spirits that were once obedient and docile, and would circle around her fingers, now completely ignored her summons, rushing towards the altar one after another, melting in the bloodstains, and becoming part of the sacrifice.

Don't bother.

She suddenly heard a voice, a child's voice.

Yan Shi looked around in confusion.

The blazing crown swayed in her palm. 'Stop looking, look down, look down, it's me! The world's most beautiful, dazzling, and powerful crown!'

Yan Shi's lips twitched.

"Ao Le is a Jiao that has already transformed into a dragon," the blazing sun crown continued chattering, with a strange sense of pride, "You haven't systematically cultivated. Without the blessing of the tides, no matter how high your water elemental affinity is, you can't compete with her for control."

Sparks flew everywhere, as if emphasizing a key point.

'Because of me! The world's most beautiful, dazzling, and powerful crown is right here.'

The situation was actually very urgent.

Under Ao Le's control, the nearby water spirits gathered and surged towards the altar from all directions. The array patterns on the altar visibly extended from the black stone as the center, reaching towards the Dono Sea.

Yan Shi heard Ao Le sigh from above: "It's a pity that there's still too little blood and flesh from all living things. If we could have destroyed the entire Novano Port and submerged it, the success rate would have been much higher."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a strange voice suddenly came from not far away on the horizon: "It's not too late now."

As the sound faded, Yan Shi vaguely heard the sound of a shell hatching.

She looked down.

All trees are reviving.

Amidst the ruins and broken stones, a patch of green sprouted. Then, it spread with incredible speed; almost in the blink of an eye, vines burst through the walls, branches climbed wildly, and the eaves were stretched open by its foliage.

The entire Novano port was instantly submerged in greenery.

The end of every branch is an altar.

The wood spirit, carrying abundant life force, twisted and burrowed into the blood-red patterns on the altar. With each wisp of green that flowed in, the patterns shone even brighter, and the speed at which the blood surged increased dramatically.

And this is just the beginning.

The blood-red sky was torn open with a golden slit.

From the gaps, countless sharp blades crisscrossed out, and Jin Ling's sharp intent pierced through the clouds.

The earth was also humming softly.

The ground of Novano Port began to crack and collapse. The rock strata bulged out and transformed into stone pillars beside the altar, becoming part of the formation.

The fire spirit, which had been firmly controlled by the blazing sun and resisted the blood-red light, began to boil restlessly.

Yan Shi could sense the dissatisfaction of the blazing sun.

'Damn it, who is it!'

'She's openly provoking us. Lanlan, let's take her out!'

Yan Shi smiled and said, "Okay." She slowly raised her hand and brought the crown in her palm to her forehead.

The blazing sun loomed overhead.

Just like when we played house countless times as children, Grandma would bend down and gently place a plastic crown on her head, smiling and saying, "It's on now."

"The most dazzling and powerful crown in the world," Yan Shi said softly, "we're about to go up."

Fire Spirit responded with a roar.

Sparks gathered around her, intertwining and coalescing to form steps that lifted her upwards, allowing her to climb step by step.

With each step, a fiery mark ignited in the void, melting away the blood mist.

"I'd like to see who Lin Zizui has brought to try and wrest control of the Fire Spirit from me," shouted Lie Ri Guan Mian. "Overestimating themselves."

Yan Shi: "Yeah. I know. You're super awesome."

She walked upwards, passing through what could be described as blinding "holy light" and overwhelming darkness.

Sacrifices require the bones and blood of all living beings as a guide, and the scattered spirits of the world as a thread.

As the Crown of the Sun said, with it present, no one can rival the Fire Spirit's control.

They cleared a path for Yan Shi amidst the overwhelming spiritual energy.

The higher you go, the clearer your view becomes.

Novano Port no longer resembles a city.

Branches and rocks reduced the entire city to ruins. Amidst the ruins, blood flowed along the patterns on the walls, turning the streets into crimson valleys, with the remains of houses floating and sinking in the blood.

Those residents who couldn't withstand the spirits and blood mist, along with soldiers from the two garrison units...

Their flesh and blood transformed into streams, which were drawn into the altar.

“This is really going too far,” Yan Shi muttered, staring at the city below. “This is not right.”

“That’s not right,” she repeated, her voice cold and stern.

Yan Shi raised her hand, and flames wrapped around her arm all the way to her wrist.

Her fingertips were burning hot, and the flames flowed like blood. Suddenly, she flipped her wrist and pressed it down hard.

"Sunset."

It should have been dusk, close to sunset, but the blood mist shrouded the sky, blocking out the evening glow.

As Yan Shi finished speaking, the laws responded, and the blazing sun crown resonated.

The blood-red sky was forcibly torn apart by the sunlight, the flames fell, the blood mist nearby was instantly evaporated, the sea surface churned violently, and all the shadows among the ruins were forced back.

All the stench of blood in the air was evaporated by the intense heat, leaving only a suffocatingly bright white.

Yan Shi calmly said, "The Bureau of Extraterritorial Affairs is now making your arrest."

The roar of the tide had long since stopped.

But the chanting of the men in black robes continued.

The blazing sun pressed down from the sky, its rays falling from the heavens and crashing directly onto the altar.

Since the blood-red light was preventing Yan Shi from stopping the black-robed people from chanting, she decided to destroy the altar first.

Solve the problem at its root.

A deafening roar erupted, and flames nearly set half the sky ablaze. But just as it was about to engulf the massive black stone platform, the air suddenly froze.

A chill emanated from all directions.

In mid-air, layers of frost appeared out of nowhere, forming a thick barrier that blocked the flames.

The flames crashed into it, bursting open with countless cracks, but each crack was quickly covered by new frost. The flames and frost locked in a stalemate in the air, emitting a teeth-grinding hiss.

“Oh dear,” Ao Le said, his tone still cheerful, “that’s why I still really dislike the identity of the bureau chief.”

With a flick of her finger, the ice steps beneath her feet shattered instantly, transforming into countless ice blades that spun and whistled as they hurtled straight toward Yan Shi.

“Every one chosen by the Heavenly Mandate Platform is a tough opponent.” Her smile was bright, yet tinged with coldness. “But I just love to fight tough battles.”

"Besides, Director Yan, this is a group fight."

Before her voice faded, a hail of arrows rained down on Yan Shi.

I'll say it again, Yan Shi hates fighting.

Fire Spirit is very powerful, but this is almost a siege.

Tens of thousands of sharp blades, each one meant to kill her;

The branches and leaves grew in the blink of an eye, twisting into blood vines, weaving into a huge net in the air, blocking her retreat;

The balance of gravity in the air reversed, and an invisible hand grabbed her limbs;

Darkness and light walk side by side, always lurking nearby, watching intently, like a shadow.

Yan Shi suppressed the fishy smell between his eyes with a blank expression: "Oh."

"What a coincidence. I also love group fights."

"Lanlan!" Yan Shi suddenly heard the blazing sun calling her, "I'm here to help you."

It has already helped a lot.

Yan Shi thought.

"Lanlan, hold my hand!" the blazing sun crowned its head in a hurry.

The surrounding pressure was extremely intense. Fire Spirit could hardly hold on for much longer.

Upon hearing this, Yan Shi reached out and grasped the crown of the blazing sun floating above his forehead.

The crown, like a halo, burned with flames, trembling slightly at her fingertips. The intense heat spread through her palms, yet it did not scorch her.

'The secret of any power lies in its application.'

It spoke, its voice serious.

'I am not your authority. Nor is the Fire Spirit anyone's authority.'

'Lanlan, you have it. The power that belongs to you.'

As soon as he finished speaking, the blazing sun trembled.

Yan Shi could clearly feel it deforming. The flames collapsed, eventually condensing into a blazing fire that melted directly into her palm.

The intense heat surged through his veins, gently yet irresistibly dissolving the heavy pressure that the earth spirit had placed on his limbs.

What followed was not a burning pain, but a profound enlightenment that touched the very soul.

Her authority?

The authority that once belonged to the divine authority of the Floating Church.

Fairness and justice.

After the blazing sun crown melted into Yan Shi's palm, the fire spirits that had been protecting her collapsed in an instant.

Having lost control, they bared their teeth and claws, frantically attacking Yan Shi, trying to burn her to ashes.

Without the support of the Fire Spirit, Yan Shi plummeted straight down from the sky.

The wind howled, scattering Yan Shi's long hair, and her clothes fluttered in the wind.

The blood mist that had been torn apart by the sunlight surged back up, closed up again, and blocked the sky once more.

The sunset is gone.

Yan Shi thought with some regret.

She reached her hand upwards against the wind and then gripped it tightly.

"Trial".