Chapter 27: Protecting Yourself

"Now!" Chu Yun's roar echoed through the control room. The "Evil-Slaying Divine Needle," shimmering faintly with golden light, hovered at his fingertips and flew out. Its target wasn't the demon-masked figure, but the inky black energy shield that blocked Mo Li's path. The demon-masked figure clearly sensed Chu Yun's intention, and for the first time, a genuinely solemn expression crossed his face. He could sense that the tiny golden energy needle imbued him with a power he utterly loathed and feared, a higher-level principle that diametrically opposed his own power system. He couldn't let it strike his shield. Without a second thought, he abandoned his attack on Mo Li and spun around, striking Chu Yun with a fierce palm. He had to eliminate this most threatening remnant of the Evil Suppression Division first! The dark, destructive energy in his palm coalesced once more, and he used all his strength in this strike. He was confident he could blast Chu Yun to ash before the golden needle struck the shield. Chu Yun stared at the hand enveloped in black energy that slapped toward him. He knew he couldn't dodge, and he didn't even think about it. He focused all his attention on the "Evil-Breaking Divine Needle" hurtling toward the shield. He had to maintain its stability, ensuring it struck the weakest point on the shield. This was their only chance. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for death. However, the expected death didn't come. A figure suddenly flashed before him—it was Mo Li. The moment the demon-masked figure turned to attack Chu Yun, the moment Chu Yun closed her eyes and prepared to die, she made a decision she couldn't even understand. She didn't retreat, nor did she seize the opportunity to strike the demon-masked figure in the back. Instead, she rushed forward, using her not-so-strong body to resolutely block Chu Yun's path, willing herself to take the fatal blow. Why? She didn't know. She only knew that when she saw Chu Yun close his eyes and wait for death to give her the opportunity, her heart was deeply pierced. That pedantic and foolish remnant of the Evil Suppression Division, whom she had always considered "the son of her enemy," suddenly gave rise to a desire to protect him. She wanted to protect his reckless "innocence" that she had once scoffed at, and his faith that she had once incomprehensible but had yet unconsciously deeply shaken. "Bang!" The demon-masked figure's palm, filled with destructive power, struck Mo Li's back hard. Mo Li's body trembled violently, unable to even groan. He felt only a cold and violent force instantly overwhelm all his defenses, destroying...

“Now!”

Chu Yun's roar echoed in the control room. The "Evil-Breaking Divine Needle," suspended at his fingertips and gleaming with a faint golden light, flew out. Its target wasn't the demon-masked figure, but the inky black energy shield that stood in front of Mo Li.

The demon masked man had obviously sensed Chu Yun's intentions, and for the first time, a truly solemn expression appeared on his face. He could sense that the small golden energy needle contained a power that he extremely loathed and feared. It was a higher-level law that was completely opposite to his own power system.

He couldn't let the needle hit his shield. Without a second thought, he immediately abandoned his attack on Mo Li, turned around, and slammed his palm towards Chu Yun. He had to eliminate this remnant of the Evil Suppression Division, the most threatening threat, first! The dark, destructive energy in his palm condensed once more, and he used all his strength in this strike. He was confident that he could completely blast Chu Yun into ash before the golden needle hit his shield.

Chu Yun stared at the hand wrapped in black energy that slapped toward him. He knew he couldn't dodge, and he didn't even think about it. He focused all his attention on the "Evil-Breaking Divine Needle" hurtling toward the shield. He had to maintain its stability, ensuring it accurately struck the shield's weakest energy point. This was their only chance.

He closed his eyes and prepared to die.

However, the expected death did not come. A figure suddenly flashed in front of him - it was Mo Li.

The moment the demon masked man turned to attack Chu Yun, the moment Chu Yun closed his eyes and prepared to die, she made a decision that even she couldn't understand. She didn't retreat, nor did she take the opportunity to attack the demon masked man's back. Instead, she chose to rush forward, using her not-so-strong body to resolutely block Chu Yun's way, using her body to block the fatal blow for Chu Yun.

Why? She herself didn't know. All she knew was that when she saw Chu Yun close his eyes and wait for death to create an opportunity for her, her heart was deeply pierced. That pedantic and foolish remnant of the Evil Suppression Division, whom she had always considered "the son of her enemy," at that moment, she felt a desire to "protect" him. She wanted to protect his reckless "innocence" that she had once scoffed at, to protect his faith that she had once been unable to understand but had unknowingly been deeply moved by.

"boom!"

The demon-masked man's palm, filled with destructive power, landed heavily on Mo Li's back. Mo Li's body trembled violently, unable to even groan. He only felt a cold and violent force instantly breaking through all his defenses, destroying every inch of life in his body.

"puff!"

A large amount of blood spurted out of her mouth and splashed onto Chu Yun's back, hot and bright red.

Chu Yun's body trembled violently. He opened his eyes and saw Mo Li's pale face, twisted in pain but with a hint of relief on it.

"Why?" Chu Yun's voice was trembling.

"I... don't owe you anything anymore..." Mo Li looked at him, used up his last bit of strength to say this, and then his body fell down softly.

"No--!" Chu Yun let out a heart-wrenching roar and caught Mo Li's falling cold body.

At the same moment, the "Evil-Destroying Divine Needle" that condensed all his hopes finally pierced the dark energy shield silently.

There was no loud bang, no explosion. Instead, a gentle crack of glass shattered. From the point where the divine needle had pierced the indestructible shield, fine golden cracks rapidly spread across it. Then, before the demon-masked figure's incredulous gaze, it shattered, transforming into tiny specks of black light that dissipated into the air.

The shield was broken. The blocked armor-piercing arrow was freed once again, its remaining force undiminished, and with a sharp whistling sound, it shot towards the defenseless demon masked man.

The demon-masked man tried to dodge, but it was too late. With a dull thud of a blade piercing flesh, the armor-piercing arrow lodged deeply into his left shoulder. The powerful impact sent him flying backward, slamming heavily into the energy crystal on the central platform.

"Ah!" The demon-masked man screamed in agony, clutching his bleeding left shoulder, his eyes filled with venom and disbelief. He had been defeated, defeated by the three ants he had considered his "sacrifices."

But he didn't lose: "Hahahaha... So what if you hurt me? You're going to die anyway! The energy of the Tianshu Tower has begun to flow backwards! In less than ten breaths, this place will be completely blown to nothingness! You'll all be buried with me!"

As he spoke, he endured the severe pain and was about to activate the final mechanism that would cause mutual destruction.

However, he saw the most terrifying scene in his life.

The remnant of the Evil Suppression Division who was holding Mo Li's body, Chu Yun, whom he thought had exhausted all his strength and was no longer able to fight, slowly stood up.

Chu Yun's face was expressionless, no sadness, no anger, only a dead silence, a calm as deep as the abyss. His eyes were no longer black, but had turned into pure, burning gold. An indescribable, terrifying aura, a hundred times more vast and powerful than before, rose from him.

The power in his body, stimulated by Mo Li blocking an attack with his life, and the extreme pain and regret of witnessing his companions die in front of him to protect him, completely went out of control, or in other words, completely awakened.

"You..." The demon-masked man looked at Chu Yun, who seemed to be a completely different person, and for the first time felt the emotion called "fear". He wanted to escape, but found that his body was locked in place by an invisible aura, unable to move.

"I want you... to die." Chu Yun slowly raised his head, his eyes burning with golden flames fixed on him. His voice was no longer human, but a mixture of countless voices, filled with holiness and majesty, like a judgment from heaven.

He slowly raised his right hand, without forming a seal or drawing a talisman, simply pointing it forward. A golden ray, as thin as a hair, shot out from his fingertips. It seemed ordinary, without any momentum or warmth. But the demon-masked figure, as if witnessing something horrifying, suddenly contracted his eyes beneath the mask.

He wanted to shout and beg for mercy, but found that he couldn't even utter a syllable.

The golden light ignored the distance in space and instantly came in front of him, then silently sank into his eyebrows.

The demon-masked figure's body suddenly stiffened, his expression frozen. Then, starting from his brow, his body, inch by inch, transformed into a primordial golden light. There was no pain, no struggle, simply the most complete, law-based annihilation.

In just a moment, the arrogant Shadow Pavilion minion completely disappeared from this world, without even a trace left.

After Chu Yun finished all this, the golden flames burning in his eyes slowly faded. An unprecedented feeling of weakness and boundless darkness came over him. He could no longer hold on, and his body softened and he was about to fall.

At this moment, a pair of cold, trembling hands came from the side to support him. It was Li Ge. Her face was covered with tears.

"It's not over yet..." She looked at Mo Li, whose breath was so weak that it was almost undetectable in her arms, and then looked at Chu Yun, who was almost fainted beside her, and her eyes became extremely firm.

She took out the Samsara Mirror which had a crack on it from her bosom, bit her tongue, and sprayed a mouthful of blood onto the mirror.

"There is a path to the underworld, but no gate to the underworld! I will use my blood to reverse the fate of the world! Mirror of Samsara, open!"