Chapter 162

""Hehehe...""

"Suddenly, the Scale Abyss Realm rang again with Huan Long's chilling low laugh: 'It's nothing; the death throes of an ant are exceptionally tragic.'"

"Huan Long's huge hand suddenly swept aside the dust, summoning two Mysterious Lotuses beneath and above Jing Yuan's feet and head; at almost the same instant, countless roots of the Building Tree shot out from nearby, tightly binding Jing Yuan's limbs."

"From beginning to end, Huan Long's goal was always just one."

"——Jing Yuan!"

"After being struck by the Divine Lord's blade, Huan Long's body was nearly half shattered; though her ruined face still bore a confident smile, the fury in her brows and eyes could no longer be concealed."

"After drawing the Building Tree's abundant power, she never expected the battle to reach such a stalemate. Fortunately, the abundance continued to ceaselessly heal her body, so the outcome of this fight had already been decided from the start——"

""In the next act, I'll turn you all into Void Soldiers, letting destructive power corrode your flesh and forge you into Lord Nanuke's pawns!""

"Before the words faded, the two Mysterious Lotuses clashed together, erupting in a shocking collision; the shockwave instantly swallowed Jing Yuan, who was deep within."

"——Jing Yuan!!"

"Seeing Jing Yuan suffer such grave wounds, Keqing instinctively bit her lip: 'Damn it, why didn't he have the Divine Lord immediately slash those vines? The Divine Lord can cleave Huan Long's true form—surely cutting these Building Tree roots would be easy?'"

"Moreover... what about his Divine Lord? If Jing Yuan falls in battle, will the Divine Lord also dissipate?"

"\"I'm afraid so. \" On the Jade Capital Terrace, Ganyu, who was also watching the battle, furrowed her brows: 'At a time like this, not using the Divine Lord...?'"

"With a sudden 'bang,' the violent shockwave in the light curtain interrupted their thoughts; following the sound, they saw Jing Yuan plummet like a severed line from midair, crashing heavily to the ground."

"Most of his gilded armor was damaged, leaving hardly any part intact; he knelt on one knee, barely supporting himself with his formation blade."

"They will lose."

"An utterly terrifying thought flashed through Keqing's mind."

"Although she had anticipated Huan Long gaining the upper hand, Jing Yuan's side had the Dragon Lord and the Train Squad assisting, so the battle might be a hard fight... but in the end, the victor would still be the General."

"But right now——"

"\"We must send the General out to rally the troops; if he dies... even if Huan Long doesn't strike personally, Luofu will plunge into great chaos. \" Keqing instinctively judged, 'As for Huan Long, we'll likely need to join forces with the generals of other Celestial Vessels to exterminate her.'"

"\"Don't rush, Keqing. \" Ping Laolao, also watching from the stone table behind them, gave a light smile and patted the stone bench beside her: 'First sit, have a cup of tea, wipe the sweat from your forehead—the more critical the moment, the more we must trust Jing Yuan.'"

"\"But he's already... \" Keqing couldn't bear to watch what was about to happen."

"\"Crises often hide opportunities. \" Ping Laolao took a gentle sip of tea, '... if this Extinction Overlord takes the bait.'"

——

「「Decided, let's start with this arrogant, unbeatable Immortal Vessel General……! 」」

「Huanlong raised her hand, a huge suction instantly lifted Jingyuan into the air, suspending him like a puppet beneath her five fingers。」

「In an instant, countless streams of golden aura began to emanate from around Huanlong, each one transmitted into Jingyuan's body。」

「This is the first step of the transformation, and the beginning of losing reason before one becomes a Void Soldier——Huanlong slowly approached, curiously observing this Immortal Vessel General covered in wounds yet still struggling desperately。」

「「I wonder if turning the Immortal Vessel General into a Void Soldier would cause Luofu to have another internal rebellion? 」 Huanlong found this very amusing, couldn't help chuckling: 「Such destruction would be more interesting……」」

「Suddenly, the severely wounded general in his palm slowly lifted his head。」

「「Hahaha……」」

「Even at death's door, Jingyuan's calm smile at the corner of his mouth never truly faded。」

「Just a moment ago, Huanlong was still feeling triumphant, but now the smile on her face had vanished completely; she finally realized that the Divine Sovereign who had been missing all along……」

「——Behind her! 」

「The water behind, which should have been empty, suddenly split open; a golden light like an ancient dragon breaking through the abyss, thunder exploding, a blinding ray burst forth in that oppressive wind and waterfall, like myriad thunderclaps roaring in unison, bellowing their own fury! 」

「Huanlong jerked her head back, finally catching a glimpse of that brilliant gleam behind her with the corner of her eye—but it was too late…… too late! 」

Death God——

Inside Seireitei

「——The surprise attack succeeded! 」

Accompanied by Ribangu Dongshilang's voice, the meeting room inside and outside the First Division rang with earth-shaking cheers. Seeing Huanlong being stabbed by the Divine Sovereign with a single blow, her eyes rolling white, many female Death Gods were overjoyed to tears, all breathing a sigh of relief for Jingyuan's survival.

Outside the gate, members of various divisions all wiped sweat from their foreheads in unison; some even remarked, 「Phew… I wasn't this nervous even when fighting the Invisible Empire—I was scared to death, thank goodness Jingyuan had the upper hand……」

But soon the discussion quieted down, as someone noticed a blind spot.

「Wait, Huanlong isn't unconscious? Why is Jingyuan still confined in the sky? 」 Asanjing Lianci furrowed his brow, realizing the matter wasn't over.

「「Ugh…! 」」

「In midair, Jingyuan looked pained, gritting his teeth, he was straining to break free from Huanlong's control。」

「This was a critical opportunity, and also a sliver of victory he had lured by using himself as bait! 」

「「Danhen! Now——」」

「With all his remaining strength, Jingyuan clenched his right fist; he didn't look back, because he had long entrusted his back to him… just as he had centuries ago。」

「Just at this moment——」

「A blue light tore through the sky! 」

「Like an azure dragon emerging from the waves, a meteor crossing the wilds! That spear of striking clouds, wrapped in the vast aqueous power of the Ancient Scale Abyss Sea, not only shattered the seals on Jingyuan's body, but also severed the connection between Huanlong and the Building Tree」

「「Clang——!!! 」」

「A cracking sound rang in the air; almost simultaneously, the Divine Sovereign behind Huanlong moved again, that blinding golden lightning like dragon teeth tearing open her back and piercing her chest! 」

「Like a mountain peak collapsing, Huanlong, deprived of the Building Tree's primordial root's regenerative power, crashed to the ground; the purple aura enveloping her body began to dissipate, and her form shattered like glass。」

「In the aftermath, the plummeting Jingyuan heard only a sharp buzzing in his ears。」

「It was as if a red-hot steel needle were being driven into his eardrum. In that instant, the Ancient Scale Abyss Realm was deprived of sound, leaving only a blurred, distorted afterimage。」

「……Like a master, and also like Yingxing」