Chapter 99: Eight-Winged Fallen Angel, Divine Punishment

Only a black shadow slowly emerged, the shadow shrouded in a layer of dark aura, its face indistinct, but its shape resembled Qian Renxue's, and the shadow exuded a chilling oppressive pressure.

However, the shadow's back bore the eight angel wings Qian Renxue knew all too well; it held a black Holy Lightning Sword in its hand and wore battle armor identical to Qian Renxue's, except that its color was black.

Qian Renxue's heart tightened as she warily stared at the suddenly appearing mysterious black shadow.

It was her shadow—no, not just a shadow, it was her mirror image!

It seemed to be a strength mirror image created by the gods through special means; unexpectedly, the final trial was this.

If the trial taker can defeat all the soul beasts before and reach here, it naturally means the trial taker's own strength is greater than the soul beasts encountered in the trial.

Then the greatest enemy is none other than the trial taker themselves.

And now it also means Qian Renxue must face a shadow mirror image possessing all of her own strength.

This shadow reminded Qian Renxue of Oscar, whose sixth soul skill, Copy Mirror Image Intestine, can copy seventy percent of another's ability; anyone who consumes it can use the copied target's ability for three minutes, and when she combines it with soul bone skill, it can still exert eighty percent of the skill's original attack power and effect.

This soul skill originates from the Mirror Beast of the Frozen Forest, capable of copying another's martial soul for oneself; most importantly, this soul skill can also be granted to others.

However, the opponent is ultimately just a shadow mirror image, not a thinking human, possibly lacking wisdom, merely a copy of her strength.

But now it is extremely difficult to deal with, due to the consumption from battling the Golden Godzilla and traveling, her soul power is greatly depleted, leaving only two-thirds of her soul power; facing a peak version of herself makes it hard to defeat herself.

"Pat, pat."

Qian Renxue's shadow clearly had wings behind it, yet it refused to fly, insistently stomping forward step by step in the battle armor's boots in a showy manner.

This demeanor truly bears a hint of Qian Renxue's own bearing.

"Whooo~~~~"

Crimson flames burned on the shadow's hair as it gripped the black lightning sword in its hand and lunged at Qian Renxue herself.

"Fire Phoenix Heart Method! Even this can be copied?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Qian Renxue's eyes; sparks ignited on her sword blade, she likewise raised her sword and the Fire Phoenix Sword Technique erupted instantly.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qian Renxue and the shadow mirror image simultaneously swung their swords; Qian Renxue's sword was like a blazing flame, burning with her fighting spirit, her movements smooth and swift, each strike carrying a gust-breaking force.

The shadow mirror image likewise did not retreat, instantly countering with the same fierce sword technique; their figures crossed in the firelight, the clash of swords deafening, the platform seeming to become a sea of fire, the scorching heat distorting the air.

Qian Renxue cleanly and swiftly continued her sword strikes, her sword like a meteor, thrusting forward with scorching flame power toward the shadow mirror image.

The shadow mirror image almost simultaneously performed the same action; the two swords clashed, bursting with dazzling sparks as flames collided and intertwined.

Their steps matched, their movement trajectories nearly overlapping; every sword swing's angle, force, and speed were identical, sword shadows layered, the phantom of the Fire Phoenix swirling around, yet it was impossible to tell which strike belonged to Qian Renxue and which was the shadow mirror image's counter.

After a brief clash, Qian Renxue had already noticed some clues; this shadow seemed able to copy only the abilities she had previously used on the Hell Road, for if it were her full form, the first thing should have been to initiate the Eight-Wing Blue Silver Transformation and fire a light cannon as a greeting, rather than dueling with sword techniques here.

In the dim red platform, only Qian Renxue and her shadow mirror image exuded a stern aura; their Fire Phoenix Sword Techniques were identical, causing the battle to fall into a strange stalemate.

Qian Renxue continued to swing her sword upward, flames entwining the blade like a soaring phoenix; the shadow mirror image moved in sync, with the same sword form and the same ultimate fire.

When the two swords collided, a deafening clang echoed across the platform, flames scattering, yet it was impossible to tell which side held the advantage.

Their postures danced, their steps precisely following the same rhythm; each attack, defense, and dodge were uniform and orderly, as if controlled by the same pair of hands.

Qian Renxue felt no anxiety, for no one knows better than she how difficult she is to deal with; even though this mirror image is not entirely her, merely imitating her Fire Phoenix Sword Technique, she is absurdly strong.

Moreover, her fighting style is somewhat similar to her own, making it even harder to deal with.

To defeat oneself, one cannot seek any so-called weakness; only overwhelming force will do.

Qian Renxue knows she is a flawless soul master with no shortcomings; to defeat herself, aside from head-on crushing, there is no other path.

She deeply understands that if she cannot break this stalemate of identical moves, the battle will never end; thus, she quietly gathers soul power, preparing to unleash her full force in the next clash to see if she can find the opponent's flaw.

Although the shadow mirror image's sword technique is exactly the same as hers, it completely lacks any artistic conception; once her sword technique advances a step further, it can shatter this shadow mirror image! At that moment, the shadow mirror image's eyes faintly emitted pink light, a pink ray shooting sharply from its eyes toward Qian Renxue.

This is a use of mental power mediated by the eye soul bone.

Qian Renxue softly hummed, her eyes likewise flashing pink light, and she likewise projected a red beam—a mental shock.

When the two red beams made contact, as Qian Renxue truly possessed a 190,000-year-old eye soul bone, she naturally held the advantage.

Her mental attack instantly shattered the red beam emitted by the shadow mirror image, striking toward the shadow mirror image.

Indeed, this soul bone's power is not as strong as hers; for her eye soul bone houses Arou's soul, inadvertently granting the soul bone greater strength.

In the shadow mirror image's soul bone, there is clearly no soul present, meaning not everything can be copied.

Though it can imitate others' abilities with considerable power, a fake remains a fake; it may seem strong at first glance, but in reality falls far short.

But the shadow mirror image had anticipated this; its wings flapped, its whole body vanished from the spot, its form flashing past the red light, the red beam instantly shooting into the blood pool, stirring up a surge of blood.

The power of a mental shock is directly proportional to its consumption; the more mental power expended, the greater its strength.

It seems one must break through oneself; everything about this mirror image has been fixed in the earlier trials—any ability that surpasses hers by a tier will allow her to win.

Speaking of which, it's no wonder a Golden Godzilla with 250,000 years of cultivation blocks the way; it turns out to force out all her power to create the mirror image—truly sinister.

Qian Renxue gazed coldly at the shadow flapping its wings and hovering in the air, slowly tightening her grip on the Holy Lightning Sword.

Speaking of which, she has practiced the Fire Phoenix Sword Technique for a long time; it's time to condense her own sword intent!

"Whooo~~~~"

But just then, a somewhat cold, alluring voice suddenly entered Qian Renxue's mind.

【"How, are you already at your wit's end?"】

"Huh? This is my voice? Can even the voice be copied? Amazing! Then isn't this basically a super-deluxe large figurine?"

Qian Renxue halted her sword intent condensation, blankly staring at the shadowy mirror image in the air—surely that black shadow's face is just a blur? Can it speak? Does it have a mouth? I kind of want to...

【"Damn Qian Renxue! You dare treat me as that impostor! I'll surely beat you badly!"】

The originally cold, high-and-mighty voice suddenly became flustered and angry.

Qian Renxue oddly said, "Hey, sis, who are you? Spouting all this nonsense—could it be Jin Huang'er's prank?"

The voice coldly said, 【"I am you! I am your other side! The innately evil other aspect!"】

Qian Renxue pinched her brow, somewhat doubtful, saying, "An evil side? I'm not a normal person? How did I become a split‑personality patient?"

"Uh‑oh, maybe I'm actually not normal? Yeah, with those parents, would I be normal?"

But before Qian Renxue could finish speaking, the shadow mirror image rushed forward again and grappled with her.

Two figures crossed paths, Qian Renxue blocked the mirror image's attack with her sword, a rare doubt arose in herself, she felt low, "I'm not really mentally ill, am I?"

Her mother Bibi Dong's mental state seems a bit off, could this be some hereditary disease? Can the Ye family's Nine Heart Crabapple Soul Douluo cure her? The icy voice beside her said, 【"How boring, you actually care about such nonsense."】

The clash of swords rang nonstop, flames wildly leapt in the darkness, the two swords crossed and flames merged, indistinguishable from each other. 【"Hmph, truly a useless waste, can't even beat a fake."】

Qian Renxue, while defending, curiously asked, "So you're saying you're quite strong?"

【"Of course, at least several times stronger than you now!"】

Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow, turns out her evil side is just a chuunibyou, would a chuunibyou be strong? Laughable, and yet claiming to be several times stronger than her.

"Don't boast without preparation; when I defeat it, I'll come meet you in person!"

Qian Renxue prepared to first challenge this voice, to let her know who is truly the boss.

The voice calling itself the evil side sounded coldly.

【"Mediocre, truly too mediocre! Why do you insist on this so-called swordsmanship? Your nature is clearly an eight-winged angel! Release your mind, I will use your martial soul to crush this aggravating fake!"】

"Huh? Nature?" Qian Renxue swung her sword at the mirror image's shadow, but she wanted to use this opportunity to condense sword intent—this is a great opportunity for her, perhaps also the purpose of this mirror image trial.

She frowned, forget it, good chance to see how strong this voice is; relying on her own mental power and Golden Phoenix Child, this consciousness won't make much waves, worst case two-on-one.

The spider soul mark on her abdomen flickered, Qian Renxue relaxed her mind, and instantly she felt her consciousness being sucked away like into a whirlpool.

"Boom!" A huge roar exploded on Hell Road, an icy, terrifying power swept across the entire platform, the shadow mirror image was directly blown back repeatedly by this horrifying momentum.

After a moment, the platform finally returned to calm.

On the calm, dark-red platform, only a terrifying figure with four pairs of black wings on its back floated in midair.

The white battle armor emitting holy aura on her body was out of place with her.

A blood-red pupil suddenly opened, gorgeous silver hair flowing in the wind, she curled her lips and let out a strange laugh.

"Hehehe… my wings turned black, indeed, black is the color most suited to me! Qian Renxue, your martial soul has been stained with my color… you must also love me, right? Your martial soul is the proof! Hehe…"

She stroked her black wings with a somewhat morbid fascination; Qian Renxue's martial soul was indeed beautiful, far prettier than her spider.

The terrifying pressure from just now had vanished, and the shadow doppelganger once again surged toward the silver-haired figure.

"Huh?"

The silver figure tilted its head slightly, glancing askance at the shadow doppelganger rushing at it; on her face she mimicked Qian Renxue's usual warm, faint smile, but her crimson eyes held only bone-deep cold.

"Let me crush you, you eyesore impostor."

Black flames erupted from the wings, and the deathly aura surged and boiled.

The pupils contracted slightly, the diamond-shaped crimson pupils turning into a feral, vertical slit.

A strange gleam appeared in the silver figure's eyes; the red within them flowed endlessly, dazzling to the extreme, as if showing the scene of a rising red sun, while a faint spiderweb pattern emerged between her brows.

The shadow doppelganger lunged at the silver figure, scarlet ultimate flames wrapping around it, a golden angelic domain unfolding—but she had only taken a few steps when the shadow doppelganger could no longer move.

At the very peak of the Hell Road, a splendid red vertical pupil coldly overlooked the shadow doppelganger, while six huge black pupils floated within the eyeball, enveloping the vertical pupil; in size alone, this vertical pupil was no less than that of a golden Godzilla.

Like a magnificent, radiant sunrise, it hung high above, its light shining upon the gloomy blood pool, dyeing the area even redder.

A surging, vast power filled the entire Hell Road, making it feel oppressive and terrifying.

Yet the appearance of that vertical pupil, though strange and wondrous, gave a sense of pure, sacred beauty.

Because on each side of the red pupil there were four white wings that blotted out the sky and covered the heavens, spotless white feathers fell like endless snow from the sky.

A thick layer of white feathers that could not be dyed red by blood covered the surface of the blood pool.

And between the white wings wound silver chains symbolizing restraint, emerging from the fresh red flesh of the red pupil, appearing both sacred and eerie.

"Look! This is the manifestation of the eight-winged angel's source power, only unfortunately tainted by my spider source—could it be because I am not recognized by the eight-winged angels?"

"This appearance is truly strange; when will I ever see the true radiant source of the angel?"

"My little angel, when will you truly master your martial soul's source, instead of clinging to that broken sword?"

The silver-haired figure gazed, entranced, at this strange yet sublime spectacle reminiscent of a divine miracle, as if daydreaming of some long-awaited breathtaking view.

Then she extended her right hand, curling her fingers one by one.

……

In the City of Carnage, inside a pitch-black room.

The King of Carnage sat upon a crystal skull throne, silently awaiting news from the Hell Road.

A fiery-figured lass lay sprawled at the King of Carnage's legs, obediently accepting his great affection.

"Great king, your plan succeeded; that white-clad swordsman will surely not escape the Hell Road."

The lass's cheeks flushed, she breathed out excitedly, and softly congratulated the King of Carnage.

The King of Carnage's large hand rubbed wantonly at the lass's neck; his feral face showed no joy, only solemnity.

He casually pulled the lass up and bit toward her neck.

"Mm…"

After a while, he indifferently tossed the satisfied lass's corpse to the ground; drinking blood could bring him a little calm, but the fear in his heart would not subside.

"This is divinity—nothing escapes their control; even the god‑favored can be killed by them, everything depends on their mood; these damned beings, how much longer can a soul beast like me even live…"

"——————!!!"

Before the words had even finished, suddenly—

He felt an incredibly violent surge—it was the movement of his true body! Something new had happened in the Hell Road.

A terrifying, shuddering deathly aura shrouded the entire Hell Road, an unmatched pressure frenziedly crushing the sealed true form of the blood‑red nine‑headed bat king.

Although this aura wasn't particularly strong for it, the sheer level of power was so high that it nevertheless gave it a genuine sense of danger.

It hastily reconnected with its true body, using mental power to probe above the seal, for it was inherently a mental‑power‑specializing aberrant soul beast.

Its pupils suddenly contracted.

"What is this… a divine means?"

A horrible, feral vertical pupil opened its eye above, like the sun and moon, hanging high aloft; its scarlet iris flowed with a strange light, as cold and merciless as the overseer of divine punishment, gazing down upon mankind.

The mighty, vast power surged outward wave after wave, attacking and sweeping; merely hanging in the sky, it seemed like the center of heaven and earth.

Afterward, It unleashed divine punishment.

I have to work tomorrow, so I need to adjust my state. I'll write less—it's rare to get a day off, and last night I couldn't help staying up to watch cartoons, hehe, sorry, brothers.

(End of chapter)