Chapter 291: The Little Red Flower Flies

Fang Zhiyan decisively severed those carbonized tentacles; the smooth tentacles regenerated quickly, and their slick surface no longer shed force, but instead let the beam strike the side.

Although he avoided a direct hit, Fang Zhiyan was jolted by the explosion's shockwave, his elegant coat stained with dust and a few scorch marks, looking somewhat disheveled.

He looked up at the cannon mouth of the Floating City that seemed to be recharging, his expression grim.

"Tianmian City… indeed not as simple as it appears on the surface."

Is that a defensive array set up inside the Floating City?

Fang Zhiyan's mind instantly flashed that thought: the Floating City's Tianmian, which has floated in the sky since the Old World's order collapsed, serving as the Church's headquarters and symbol of faith, its levitation mechanism has long been a focal point of Dome research.

The massive, complex Rune array is the acknowledged foundation, yet to keep such a colossal object stably levitating for centuries, even drifting slowly and adjusting its posture, its interior must also contain a deeper energy Core and control system.

And the artillery batteries before him… appear not to be later additions, but part of the Floating City's true body—

a mobile airborne fortress disguised as a holy city, bristling with terrifying firepower.

The Church is hidden deep enough.

The trouble of Chi Jinan may be unsolvable for now, but while the Church tries to erase this 'heretic,' it also voluntarily revealed its trump card.

At the moment the bombardment occurred, an unexpected change unfolded for Lu Mu, Shen Zexi, and Ying Duo, who were locked in a 'fierce' skirmish in the distance.

Ying Duo had been concentrating on maneuvering a small robot forward, the barrel firmly locked onto the unconscious Chi Jinan in the distant ruins.

The figure in the ruins was drenched in blood, as if just pulled from a blood pool, his body covered by a layer of solidified Blood Crystal.

Although his vital signs were so faint they were nearly gone, that ruby‑like splendid Blood Crystal locked his remaining life force inside and blocked most conventional attacks.

Yang Yixie did not hesitate.

His fingertips twitched, the red lights in the eyes of several small robots near Chi Jinan flared, and the mounted weapons emitted a charging buzz in unison.

In the next instant, several slender yet solid energy beams sliced through the smoke‑filled air, precisely converging on Chi Jinan's head, heart, and other vital points.

Chichich—!

The energy beams struck the Blood Crystal, carving tiny dents and cracks on its surface, even emitting wisps of blue smoke, but… that was all.

The cracks were instantly filled and repaired by fresh blood seeping out, and the dents smoothed out at a visibly rapid rate.

【System Prompt: NPC【Chi Jinan】 is in special state 【Blood Crystal Guard】; physical/energy resistance greatly increased, and possesses a faint life‑draining trait, making conventional attacks hard to deal fatal damage.】

Tsk.

Yang Yixie let out a light tsk in front of the screen, immediately changed tactics, and tried to find a more penetrating weapon or an item with armor‑piercing effects in his backpack.

Then his movement suddenly halted.

He saw the sniper rifle he had meticulously modified, which Chi Jinan had scrapped during their earlier clash.

The barrel was twisted, the energy Core dim and lifeless, pitifully lying in a corner, its item description bearing a red label 【Severely Damaged, Unusable】.

Damn.

Yang Yixie expressionlessly pressed the 'ESC' key, exiting the backpack interface; what he does not see does not trouble his mind.

Keeping that broken rifle would only occupy a slot and be a nuisance; when he has time, he'll just dismantle it into parts.

Before Yang Yixie could devise anything to breach Chi Jinan's defense, another gentler Space Law rippled outward like water, centered on Chi Jinan, Min Tianyou, and the Butterfly Speaker, quietly spreading.

Each of the three bore a blue Rune sigil that lit up on their bodies.

"Space Mark?! When…"

Having just evaded Bai Mu Yun's attack and tried to distance himself, the Butterfly Speaker's complexion changed abruptly, as if suddenly understanding something, yet he did not resist the force that enveloped him.

The first to be completely engulfed by the light was the unconscious Chi Jinan; the Blood Crystal on his body seemed to dim a fraction, followed by Min Tianyou and the Butterfly Speaker.

Almost as the light flared, a portion of the massive energy barrier that shrouded the entire Tianmian City was temporarily requisitioned.

Buzz—!!!

There was no deafening blast, only a dull hum as if space itself were torn and swiftly healed.

In the spots where Chi Jinan, Min Tianyou, and the Butterfly Speaker stood, space rippled violently like water, their silhouettes blurring and becoming transparent, as if being erased from the scene.

"Try to run?!"

Lu Mu shouted, and shadow energy formed black feathers that shot toward the 'vanishing' Min Tianyou and the Butterfly Speaker.

The black feather pierced the swarm of butterflies, but within moments it was swallowed by the chaotic flutter.

Min Tianyou reacted instantly, recognizing who the light originated from; his gaze swept the arena and finally fixed on Shen Zexi and Ying Duo a short distance away.

Neither of them had any light on them; instead, the dust kicked up by the recent bombardment covered them, making them look especially disheveled.

"Go!"

He ignored Lu Mu's attack, rushed straight to Shen Zexi and Ying Duo, seized each of their wrists, and a faint flash of light on his body forcibly pulled Shen Zexi and Ying Duo into the soon‑to‑complete teleportation range.

At the same time, Yang Yixie saw a system pop‑up; the links between his small robots scattered around Chi Jinan and himself were forcibly severed, turning into faint green Data Stream lights that automatically returned to his backpack.

【System Prompt: You have left the combat zone.】

【System Prompt: You have been forcibly included in the spatial teleportation range; because you exceeded the teleport anchor's influence, items have been forcibly retrieved to your backpack.】

【Warning: During spatial folding, refrain from vigorous actions or energy confrontations to avoid accidents.......】

"My... experience..."

Yang Yixie's regret was almost turning into tangible resentment.

The cooked duck… no, the premium steak already on the fire, seasoned and just a second from flipping, vanished right before his eyes!

Shen Zexi was equally caught off guard by the sudden teleport, his face turning pale, yet he quickly steadied himself and even grabbed Min Tianyou's wrist with his other hand.

Bai Mu Yun's Gold Horizontal Pupil flashed with a fierce gleam, attempting to use illusion to disrupt the spatial teleport.

Swoosh—Boom!!!

Almost simultaneously, the battery that had just bombarded Fang Zhiyan lit up again, completing its charge.

Two slightly thinner but faster energy beams tore through the void, each precisely striking the positions of the two.