Chapter 291: The Bishop's Fall, Forbidden Spell Roars!

Wooo...

Accompanied by the deep, resonant hum of three steam cores.

Releasing the Steam Light Feather Blade, Ta Ke, who has mastered the Steam Angel form, soars high above the ocean at high speed, freely savoring the exhilarating rush of gale wind brushing his cheeks.

The golden, crystal‑like Light Feather Blade, dreamlike and ethereal, resembles an angelic blade stepping from a dream realm into reality.

In Saint Land, there is no vast space for Ta Ke to fly recklessly.

Moreover, many eyes watch, and they do not permit Ta Ke to freely employ the Steam Light Feather Blade for flight.

The boundless, expansive Transcendent Ocean is the true realm where winged men can gallop.

Not long after.

Caw...

The screech of a Forbidden Crow sounded from ahead.

A flash of bloodlight flashed, and the Forbidden Crow settled steadily on Ta Ke's shoulder.

Ta Ke, following the flow, looked down toward the ocean.

The seawater, thirty to forty meters in diameter, had turned completely dark.

And the bishop‑ranked powerhouse, the captain of the Black Eclipse, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke, was now standing on the darkened sea surface, scrutinizing himself.

After half an hour of fleeing.

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke had already fled to a spot invisible to the Sea Demon ship.

But during the escape, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke discovered that a blood‑colored crow had been following him all along.

During that time he tried to strike many times.

As a Dark Warrior, his ranged targeting methods were predictable, and whether he hit was largely left to fate.

That bizarre blood crow was agile and swift; he could not hit it at all.

After much effort, he finally hit it once with a wide‑area Dark State power, before Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke could be happy.

The blood crow then flew out as if nothing had happened.

It even let out two cawing screeches at him.

This vague mockery made Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke fume with anger.

His Dark State could not inflict any damage on that grotesque blood crow.

While fleeing, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke quickly sensed a flying steam wizard pursuing him from behind.

"Those damned wizards, they only learn flight magic, spitting out those irritating spells; anyone who dares come down, I can tear them apart alive."

Treading the waves, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke felt a surge of resentment.

But as he kept running, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke realized that the wizard chasing him behind seemed... only fourth‑rank.

"He's only fourth‑rank, why should I run?"

Seeing that it wasn't a bishop‑rank Forbidden Spell wizard chasing him, but a mere 45‑level rookie steam wizard.

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke suddenly felt his spirit revived.

So, he decided to teach that ignorant fourth‑rank wizard a lesson.

He wanted to show him that even if he could fly in the sky, it could not bridge the huge gap between fourth and sixth rank.

At this moment, arriving overhead, he saw the confident, Transcendent‑rank Dark Warrior Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke standing on the darkened sea surface.

"What is he waiting for?"

Ta Ke felt a flicker of doubt.

Soon Ta Ke reached a conclusion.

Indeed, he was waiting for death!

Ta Ke gave a light squeeze with his right hand.

The Legendary Demon Ring Staff responded swiftly.

As a legendary Demon Ring Staff.

Its advantage is its terrifying capacity.

Even a third‑rank ring staff can still bear Ta Ke's fourth‑rank steam source energy, or even the raging surge of fifth‑rank steam source energy, along with the explosive power of his potent forbidden rune technique.

If it were an ordinary rune ring staff, it would likely be blown apart on the spot by Ta Ke's forbidden spell.

Wooo...

Behind Ta Ke, the Steam Light Feather Blade spread like a flood channel, rapidly unleashing massive steam‑gray mist, instantly enveloping a vast area around him.

Seeing this, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke's complexion darkened slightly.

He already struggled to hit the opponent at range, and now the opponent used a massive amount of steam energy as cover.

"Hmph!"

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke let out a cold hum, then with one hand snatched at the ground, gathering a ball of Black Annihilation energy.

Dark Annihilation

It is a sequence ability of the Dark Warrior lineage that Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke developed by combining his inherited Dark Element seed with his Dark State.

Dark Annihilation possesses extreme darkness traits and a very strong annihilation capability.

From the earlier forbidden spell starburst, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke sensed a very strong annihilation property within it.

It was precisely Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke's Dark Annihilation ability, combined with his Transcendent Defense and the sea's buffering, that allowed him to escape with only minor injuries.

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke swiftly hurled the Dark Annihilation energy sphere into the steam‑gray mist.

"Bang!" it exploded.

Unlike the imagined massive annihilation of steam‑gray mist, the explosion power of the Dark Annihilation sphere was far smaller than expected.

It only detonated over a small area before being extinguished by the steam‑gray mist.

As the remote‑attack method of the Dark Warrior sequence's Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke, it cannot breach the outer defense of this vast steam‑gray mist.

Steam·World·Primordial Static is Ta Ke's core talent.

This makes Ta Ke's source‑energy steam naturally bear the characteristics of Steam World.

When external forces enter Ta Ke's steam area, they oppose Ta Ke's steam while also opposing Ta Ke's World.

To easily annihilate a large amount of Ta Ke's source‑energy steam would, as you can imagine, be extremely difficult.

Just as Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke continuously hurls dark elemental spheres toward Ta Ke.

The source‑energy steam gray mist suddenly brightened.

Immediately after!

"Wha… la…"

Vast flames fell wildly like a raging storm, and fire rain rose from the ocean.

Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke suddenly grasped with both hands, and a massive dark mass converged.

He brought both hands together and pushed upward.

"Buzz!"

A huge "Dark Holy Shield" appeared in the sky.

Wha‑la‑la…

Fire rain whistled densely toward them.

In an instant the whole ocean was ignited.

Black‑red flames roared, the firelight reflecting on Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke's cheek, his expression especially grim.

It's not that this wizard is unreasonable for setting fire on the ocean surface.

Rather…

Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke sensed that the flames released by that fourth‑rank Steam Wizard above the sky and the flames from that Forbidden Spell Wizard's forbidden spell were identical.

While bearing rune power, the flames themselves also carried an extremely terrifying burning force.

Even the charred‑rock smell that the flames emit while burning was exactly the same.

"Could it be…"

A bad thought wildly pulsed in Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke's mind.

While Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke hesitated.

That black‑red flame had already completely ignited the dark area beneath Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke's feet, and even his "Dark Holy Shield" was fully consumed by that strange and terrifying flame.

His Dark State could not contend with this bizarre and eerie flame; he had already verified this.

And this was still over the sea.

"These damned flames!"

Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke cursed softly.

The more he felt the aggressive flame, the more Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke realized.

This fourth‑rank Steam Wizard was very likely the terrifying Forbidden Spell Wizard who sent away Landen Gree, robbed the Blood Demon Hand, and bombed the Black Eclipse!

To be only fourth‑rank and already master such terrifying and powerful Forbidden Spell.

No matter how much he refused to believe it.

The facts were right before his eyes.

He could not allow Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke to disbelieve.

"If my ship were still intact, I wouldn't be this passive!"

A deeper power within Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke began to mobilize rapidly.

"Wha‑la‑la…"

At that moment, the surrounding sea area mutated again.

The flames floating on the sea surface responded swiftly, surging like a torrent toward Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke.

Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke's complexion grew increasingly gloomy.

Once this formidable flame contaminates, even his Transcendent State cannot be extinguished.

When the flame was about to engulf him.

The power deep within Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke finally was mobilized.

He clenched both fists; the surrounding space dimmed rapidly, as if endless dark power gathered.

"Black Annihilation·Rushing Flow."

As Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke's fists collided violently.

"Boom… rumble… rumble…"

An extremely terrifying dark explosion surged, erupting violently with Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke at its core.

The massive fire waves converging were scattered by the burst of "Black Annihilation·Rushing Flow", even being pushed dozens of meters away.

As the dark energy wave exploded outward and the waves of ten‑plus meters fell.

Above the ocean, Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke's figure emerged.

It was seen that the power of dark annihilation gathered on his fists and feet, flickering and surging like burning flames.

Even his not‑very‑much hair floated completely, accompanied by the dark annihilation power, blazing brightly.

This is Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke's "Dark State" combined with the Dark Obliteration technique, an advanced transcendent state: "Black Annihilation·Dark State."

In this state, both the use of Dark State and the use of the Dark Obliteration ability become even more formidable.

His body suddenly crouched.

Darkness around Jie Luo Mu Mai Ke quickly gathered.

The sea surface sank down like a large bowl.

"Pong!" a sound, and the sea surface burst open with a roar.

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke shot toward Ta Ke's steam‑gray mist like a cannonball.

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke can fly; he must enter the advanced transcendent state "Black Extinction·Dark State" to sustain flight for a while.

But his dark rune secret is only a little beyond the third‑ring state, not yet reaching the fourth‑ring state.

The advanced transcendent state that requires the fifth‑ring state to uphold now demands the consumption of his life essence to power it strongly.

But given the current situation, whether there will be a tomorrow is uncertain.

Black Extinction·Dark State naturally blooms at full power.

The moment he entered the steam‑gray mist, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke felt an astonishing binding force pressing in from all directions.

"Black Extinction·Torrent."

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke clenched both hands tightly and let out a low growl.

"Buzz!"

Highly annihilative dark power centered on his hands erupted violently in a spherical form, shaking and blooming.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle…"

Large swaths of source‑energy steam were pushed aside and annihilated, making a sizzling sound.

"Not good!"

As he pushed aside the massive steam‑gray mist, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke felt a massive shock in his mind, a fierce sense of crisis erupting like a volcano.

While his figure swiftly retreated, his body darkened rapidly, and the darkened surface revealed his own transcendent defense layer.

"Boom—"

The forbidden spell identical to the previous one flared again.

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke's gathered dark defense layer was torn apart instantly.

His "Black Extinction·Dark State" transcendent body was rapidly ignited from the inside out.

An indescribable tearing force sprouted in every corner of his transcendent state, seeking to shred his transcendent state and his transcendent sequence.

"It's him, indeed it's him."

"This fourth‑tier guy, he... is that terrifying forbidden‑spell wizard!"

At this moment, with the erupting forbidden spell in close contact, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke's teeth clenched to the point of cracking, his eyes reddened, and blue veins burst on his forehead.

The shock from the spiritual layer made his soul tremble uncontrollably.

At the same time, the tactics and abilities displayed by this fourth‑tier wizard filled Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke with despair.

Such terrifying forbidden‑spell tactics emit their power fluctuations naturally outward.

Once they appear, they usually impose an extremely terrifying deterrent on transcendent beings.

But the forbidden spell of this fourth‑tier wizard before them is nothing like that.

The wizard's forbidden spell is silent.

So after ordinary source‑energy steam obscures it, it is almost completely undetectable.

When he pushed aside the mist, he suddenly realized that the fourth‑tier wizard was hiding a forbidden spell within the steam‑gray mist.

Obviously, even if the fourth‑tier wizard prepared, he would charge into the steam‑gray mist.

To calculate him to the death.

Fortunately, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke was also on guard and did not recklessly rush in to grapple the wizard hand‑to‑hand.

If he had charged too deep, he would have faced the forbidden spell head‑on.

But even so.

The sudden eruption of the forbidden spell also ignited Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke's entire "Black Extinction·Dark State" from the inside out.

Even his "Dark Warrior" transcendent ecology was engulfed by that terrifying flame.

His whole body, inside and out, was being torn by terrifying explosive wave fluctuations.

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke also radiated a massive spread of dark power.

And that was his true purpose in charging forward.

During the descent, deep within Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke's ultra‑dark pupils, images of vast dark power probing flashed like a marquee.

Suddenly, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke's pupils snapped shut.

His face, sizzling from black‑red flames, revealed a cruel smile.

"Found you!"

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke's right hand seized his left arm and yanked sharply.

"Sss…Raa…" a sound, his left arm snapped off entirely, and the inner transcendent layer at the break was being scorched by Ta Ke's flames.

【Black Extinction Death Disaster】

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke sacrificed an arm to unleash the terrifying disaster he had cultivated together with the Sea Demon Ship "Black Eclipse".

Using dark power to perceive the enemy, then employing 【Black Extinction Death Disaster】 to directly drain the enemy's life.

Although the Black Eclipse exploded.

But at this moment Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke pinpointed the enemy and sacrificed his own arm.

Enough to grievously wound or even annihilate this fourth‑tier "formidable enemy".

Through the insight of dark power.

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke saw that under 【Black Extinction Death Disaster】, the human in Shadow State had his shadow body instantly boiled.

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle…"

Black bubbles kept bubbling up.

What evaporated was not only the shadow source, but also souls.

Seeing this, Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke grinned.

"Hehe… Though I have mastered the terrifying forbidden‑curse power, I'm still a bit young."

"You have such formidable means; I have them as well."

"Black Annihilation Death Disaster—this is a wondrous ability akin to a lord's divine art; its killing power is truly terrifying… Hehe!"

Along with Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke's laughter.

"Pong!"

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke crashed heavily onto a large rock.

"A rock? Shouldn't there be the ocean below?"

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke was slightly puzzled as he sat up and looked down.

"Buzz…"

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke's mind instantly went blank.

At this moment, the spot where Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke was sitting.

It was suddenly a sphere about two meters in diameter, entirely jet‑black like ink.

And this sphere was, unmistakably, the core of the Six‑Star Forbidden Curse 【Annihilation·Silent Star Explosion】.

Yet at this moment Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke dared not move a muscle.

Because Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke sensed that something on the burning flame on his body had already wrapped around the forbidden curse beneath him as he fell.

If he dared to struggle even a bit, the curse would explode instantly.

"How could that be… I just killed him, didn't I?"

Just moments ago he held victory in his hands, but in an instant he fell into a fatal situation, and memories flashed repeatedly in Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke's mind.

"No…"

Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke let out a fierce roar, leapt up violently, trying to flee the terrifying forbidden‑curse core.

"Boom—"

The Star Explosion's flame and wave completely annihilated the Sixth‑Rank Bishop, along with his roar.

As the mushroom cloud rose, it quickly interlaced with vast swaths of primal‑energy gray mist.

When the mushroom cloud carried away the primal‑energy mist.

Ta Ke's figure emerged.

"Tick… tick…"

Ta Ke's head was seen to sink halfway in.

Containing transcendent‑state matter, the 'Old Day·Light Flame State' mixed with a few souls and blood dripped continuously from Ta Ke's nostrils.

"Indeed… the death‑blow counterattack of a Sixth‑Rank Bishop‑level strongman still has something to it."

Looking at the side where the 'Soul Curtain Shadow' had been boiled, evaporated, leaving only a few shadow remnants, Ta Ke thought silently.

The Sixth‑Rank Bishop Dark Warrior Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke engaged in close‑quarters combat.

Although he was outwitted by Ta Ke's forbidden curse.

Yet the opponent unleashed his dark radiation and still found the Steam Angel Ta Ke.

After that dark annihilating force poured onto him.

Ta Ke used the Soul Curtain Shadow as a damage‑mitigation conduit, allowing himself to evade most of the attack.

A small fraction of stray attacks landed on Ta Ke; after being weakened by Fourth‑Rank Dragon Scale Armor, Ta Ke still paid a certain injury cost.

Of course, even if Ta Ke took the full damage this time, his robust leader‑level physique combined with Dragon Scale Armor would easily endure it.

It's possible, but unnecessary!

After all, the oceanic duel between Ta Ke and this Sixth‑Rank Bishop has already drawn many eyes.

A few giant eagles deep in the sky, a distant flock of gulls, and the scattered wandering spirits floating over the sea—all possess powers of scrutiny and insight.

After inspecting all around and confirming that the dark matter dispersed by Bishop Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke had been burned by flame and that the transcendent will was already dead,

Ta Ke then flapped his Steam Light Feather Blade and swiftly departed.

Several hours after Ta Ke's departure.

The news that the Fourth‑Rank Steam Heaven used a forbidden curse to slay the Sixth‑Rank Bishop Jie Luo Mu·Mai Ke spread like a gale, quickly reaching the major powers of the transcendent ocean.

For a moment, above the transcendent ocean.

Rumors and tales of the Steam Angel surged like breaking waves.

And the roar from the forbidden curse began to echo across the transcendent ocean!