"Click—"
A crisp cracking sound echoed along the coast. A beam of eerie blue light shot into the sky, enveloping Mu Xiaoxiao. Chi Shangling's Soul-Destroying Curse collided with the beam, unleashing a blinding burst of light, but failed to penetrate it even slightly!
"What?!" Aya Ikegami's pupils contracted. She clearly felt the energy she emitted disappear without a trace, completely absorbed by that seemingly thin light barrier.
Mu Xiaoxiao stood in the center of the blue light, elegantly adjusting her cuffs: "The Youjing Royal Family's 'Extraterritorial Protection Order' is specifically designed for rebels." She looked up and smiled, "Didn't expect that, did you? The secret technique you secretly learned is ineffective against it."
"I don't believe it!" Aya Ikegami's long hair danced wildly as she formed hand seals in rapid succession. Purple energy condensed around her into dozens of longswords, each carrying the terrifying pressure of a Great Dao Realm expert.
The rain of swords poured down, but upon contact with the blue light, they melted away like ice and snow meeting fire, leaving no trace. The coastline collapsed under this attack, and seawater flooded in, forming a new bay, but the spot where Mu Xiaoxiao stood remained intact.
"Save your energy." Mu Xiaoxiao even found a rock to sit on. "This protective token can withstand attacks from True Immortals, and you've only just broken through to the Great Dao Realm..."
Enraged, Aya Ikegami swooped down, her hands transforming into sharp claws as she tore at the light barrier. The friction between her fingernails and the light shield produced a teeth-grinding shriek, sparks flying, yet not even a ripple was stirred.
"Aaaaaah!" Aya Ikegami went completely mad, clasping her hands together and raising them high above her head. Purple energy condensed into a giant sphere of light above her head. "Break!"
The moment the orb of light struck, the entire sea fell silent. The shockwave that followed emptied the seawater within a kilometer radius, revealing a jagged seabed. The cruise ship was tossed thousands of meters away, and Dongfang Lin had to activate all his defensive formations to barely stabilize the vessel.
As the smoke and dust cleared, Mu Xiaoxiao was still sitting perfectly fine inside the light barrier, not even a single strand of her hair was disheveled.
"Have you had enough fun?" She yawned. "I must say, you're more interesting than I imagined. Absorbing part of the Dark Crystal Clan Emperor's memories, yet still maintaining your self-awareness..." A hint of amusement flashed in her eyes. "Looks like that old man at the bottom of the sea miscalculated."
Aya Ikegami, panting heavily, stopped mid-air, then suddenly calmed down: "You knew this would happen?"
"Who knows?" Mu Xiaoxiao stood up, the blue light beginning to shrink into a sphere. "But you're right about one thing—the Nether Crystal Clan Emperor isn't truly dead." She gave a strange smile. "After all, how could a true emperor be devoured by a mere vessel?"
These words sent a chill down Aya's spine. She suddenly realized that everything that had happened in the underwater ruins might be part of a larger, more elaborate plan.
\"boom--!\"
Aya Ikegami's fist slammed into the blue light barrier again, the shockwave exploding in a ring and evaporating all the surrounding seawater. A ripple finally appeared on the surface of the barrier, but it remained unbreakable.
"It's useless." Mu Xiaoxiao sat on the reef in the center of the light barrier, toying with a strand of hair between her fingers. "The Extraterrestrial Protection Token is connected to the origin of the Nether Crystal Clan. Unless you can destroy the entire Nether Crystal Realm in one blow..."
"Shut up!" Aya Ikegami's eyes were bloodshot, and her hands formed hand seals so fast that they created afterimages. The crescent mark on her forehead suddenly cracked, and a drop of silvery-white blood seeped out, transforming into intricate runes in the air.
Mu Xiaoxiao's pupils contracted slightly—that was the life essence blood of the Moon Demon royal family!
"Lunar Eclipse - Thousand Illusions Kill!"
The moment the runes exploded, the entire sea was dyed an eerie pinkish-purple. Countless illusions appeared in the mist: crying infants, rotting corpses, twisted lovers... each illusion carrying a negative emotion that struck straight to the soul. Several men in black who hadn't had time to retreat suddenly knelt down and laughed wildly as soon as they touched the mist, then buried their faces in their hands and wept bitterly, and finally began tearing at their own skin!
"My lord!" The leader of the men in black retreated in terror, "This mist can trigger inner demons!"
Mu Xiaoxiao's expression remained unchanged, but her fingertips had already dug into her palm. The protective token could defend against physical attacks, but its defense against mental magic was limited. She needed to buy herself more time...
"The Moon Demon Clan's 'Thousand Illusion Kill' combined with the Nether Crystal Clan's 'Soul Devouring Curse'?" Mu Xiaoxiao deliberately raised her voice, "Chi Shangling, you really are a Frankenstein's monster."
Aya Ikegami, enveloped in the pink mist, paused, a sharp pain flashing in her eyes. This was her deepest hidden pain—having gained power, she was no longer a pure Moon Spirit, nor a true Nether Crystal, but a monster transformed by various forces.
"You're asking for death!" Aya Ikegami roared in fury, slamming her hands together. All the pink mist instantly gathered, condensing into an eerie purple-pink spear in her palms. Countless wailing phantoms of souls swirled around the spear, while the tip shimmered with the blue light unique to the Nether Crystal Clan.
"Lunar Eclipse - Breaking Boundaries!"
The instant the spear left his hand, space seemed to be torn open, leaving a wound. At the moment the spear tip collided with the light shield, time seemed to freeze for a second—
"Snap!"
A crisp cracking sound echoed through the sky. For the first time, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the blue light shield!
Mu Xiaoxiao's expression finally changed, and she abruptly stood up from the reef. She hadn't expected that Chi Shangling could fuse the secret techniques of the two races to such an extent that even the outer boundary protection order was beginning to waver.
"Haha, it worked!" Ikegami Aya pressed her advantage, her hands flashing out three more purple and blue energy spears. "Let's see how long you can last!"
Three spears shot out in a triangular formation, each striking precisely the crack in the barrier. The protective shield trembled violently, and the crack spread at a visible speed. The reef beneath Mu Xiaoxiao's feet began to crumble, forcing her to float into the air.
"My lord!" the leader of the men in black cried out anxiously, "The protection order is about to collapse!"
A ruthless glint flashed in Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes. She suddenly bit her tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the blue crystal hanging in front of her chest. The crystal immediately shone brightly, and countless dark blue runes surged from it, beginning to repair the cracks in the light shield.
"Useless!" Aya Ikegami's long hair danced wildly, and the crescent moon mark on her forehead fully opened, transforming into a third vertical pupil! "Lunar Eclipse - Burial of Ten Thousand Souls!"
A bewitching pinkish-purple beam of light shot from the vertical pupil, distorting space in its path. The moment the beam struck the light barrier, the runes that were repairing the cracks vanished as if facing their natural enemy. The cracks not only stopped repairing, but instead began to spread at an accelerated pace!
Mu Xiaoxiao finally showed a serious expression. She quickly made a hand seal and flicked seven small blue flags from her sleeve, placing them in seven different locations around her. The flags automatically ignited, forming seven pillars of fire to support the light shield.
"You think you're the only one who'll fight to the death?" Aya Ikegami grinned maliciously as she approached, a strange purple lotus blooming beneath her feet with each step. "Even if I destroy this body today, I'll tear your soul to shreds!"
Mu Xiaoxiao suddenly laughed: "Really? I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com