C312 What Should Come will Eventually Come!
With the Astral Tiger's divine powers, what couldn't be seen through the cast-iron sign?
Zhou Cangmin's sole concern was whether the Dark Deity had disclosed any information when Zou Jin and Jiang Moyan communicated with the Moonfang Tiger. If the little world Yan Qiling had constructed, along with their presence, were to be exposed, all their schemes would come to naught.
However, remembering Xu Zixi's identity and her origins from Shadow's Keep gave him some peace of mind.
Upon reflection, the High Oracle suddenly inquired, "Are you here to assist Feiqing or to rescue Wei Feng? Or perhaps, you knew about the Zhao family girl's arrival and came to guard the path for Shadow's Keep?"
"I was unaware that the Zhao family girl had garnered the favor of the Astral Tiger," Xu Zixi admitted honestly.
Zhou Cangmin nodded, "Then you've come on behalf of Wei Feng?"
"You and Feiqing are my dearest friends. What's wrong with coming to Feiqing's aid in her time of need?" Xu Zixi chided, giving him a playful glance before continuing, "As for Wei Feng, with her lineage from the Dark Deity and my knowledge of her situation, how could I stand by and let her be captured by the Sunblessed Empire?"
"Does Wei Feng know of your connection to Shadow's Keep?" Zhou Cangmin pressed further.
Xu Zixi shook her head.
Zhou Cangmin was about to respond when his expression abruptly shifted, and he exclaimed, "They've arrived!"
...
At the heart of the mid-lake island.
The Sunblessed Empire's commander, seated among the Phaseblossom, was suddenly jolted.
An overpoweringly fierce and domineering force crashed down like a colossal hammer.
The tiny island at the center of the lake abruptly sank several inches!
Rings of bizarre ripples emanated from the island's perimeter, spreading in concentric circles.
The ripples in the lake set the vitality churning!
The previously placid surface of the lake now bubbled as if boiling!
The diminutive commander swelled up like an inflatable ball.
Her acupoints appeared to be abruptly flooded with an odd energy from an unknown source.
In her vicinity, space collapsed, and time slowed to a crawl.
Everyone who gazed upon her experienced an intense sense of discomfort.
The commander stood right before them, yet it felt as if they were in a completely different dimension.
"Chi!"
A slender, luminous white blade suddenly emerged on the left cheek of the commander.
"Chi! Chi! Chi! Chi!"
Then, one after another, more bright white blades appeared.
Yu Yuan glanced at them and recognized these as space rifts that had been torn open.
Such space rifts were common in the Everlands and in malfunctioning teleportation circles that connected to the outside world.
Some space rifts were as fine as knife edges, while others were wide enough to walk through, harboring a terrifying force that could obliterate the soul of a Solar Spirit cultivator in an instant.
Shen Feiqing, who had been practicing the "Ancient Echoes of the Void," experienced a terrifying backlash that caused the space itself to rip apart.
Beneath the moonlight, Jiang Moyan from the Thunder Sect, Zou Jin from Winter's Bite, and Bai Shuang from Dragon Lake suddenly became intensely focused, their gazes locked unwaveringly on Shen Feiqing.
They watched the densely packed, blade-like space rifts with fervent intensity.
Shen Feiqing's mentor, another practitioner of the "Ancient Echoes of the Void" from the Forgeroses, was said to possess the keenest sensitivity to abnormal spatial disturbances due to the forbidden nature of the mantra.
They all speculated in secret that it must have been Shen Feiqing's master who detected the odd spatial tremors within the Forgotten Ruins.
This led to the certainty that a Mystic Gate existed within the Forgotten Ruins, and he had discovered a method to enter it.
"I never expected it to happen so quickly..."
Yu Yuan, standing by the lake, was inwardly stirred by the transformation manifesting around the commander.
His attention was divided between Shen Feiqing and the Phaseblossom, which had been ripened by the vitality of the Blackfang Legion.
Few noticed that the spirit herbs planted near Shen Feiqing also underwent changes after the appearance of the space rifts.
The Phaseblossom, in fact, was drawing in the peculiar energy dissipating from Shen Feiqing's body.
One Phaseblossom, upon touching an erratic, blade-like space rift, was instantly pulverized and drawn into the rift.
As if guided by the rift itself, the once slender gap miraculously widened further and further!
With her eyes tightly shut, Shen Feiqing became tranquil in the moment the Phaseblossom disintegrated and merged into the expanding rift.
She had finally confirmed that the peculiar Phaseblossom, capable of thriving in Aetherius, was indeed of assistance to her.
Until now, she had never attempted to use it.
The enigmatic link between the Phaseblossom and the Ancient Echoes of the Void mantra she practiced, as told to her by her now-missing master, was something she had yet to fully grasp.
Her master had assured her of its efficacy, claiming it could mitigate the fierce backlash following great battles and even elevate her combat prowess to new heights.
Yet, she harbored doubts.
Her master had spoken with unwavering confidence, but even she had to admit that she had never put it to the test.
Without firsthand experience, how could one be certain of its effectiveness?
In this moment, however, as the Phaseblossom that had been nourished in secret for half a month with her vitality and refined remnant soul burst into dust and blended into a space rift, she felt a newfound sense of certainty.
The ever-widening space rift resonated mysteriously with her Lunar Spirit in an instant!
The moment her vitality and refined remnant soul, imprinted upon the Phaseblossom, shattered and merged with the space rift, it was as though she had briefly entrusted them to a Divine Artifact.
That is to say, the continuously tearing space rift had become her adept blade!
Having previously suffered from backlash, she had never before encountered such a sensation. In the past, the space rifts, influenced by her power, would contract and penetrate her acupoints and flesh, inflicting unbearable pain and severe injury.
For the first time, she was astonished to discover that the space rifts were not contracting but expanding.
They were not being drawn into her acupoints and flesh by her unique magnetic field to torment and gravely wound her; instead, they were at her command!
She knew all too well the fearsome destructive power contained within those tearing space rifts!
Shen Feiqing silently commended herself and slowly opened her eyes.
The first person she saw was not the Silverfrost Dragon, nor the cultivators from the Thunder Sect or Winter's Bite, but Yu Yuan, to whom she gave a nod of acknowledgment.
The Phaseblossom had been planted by Yu Yuan and nurtured alongside Yu Zhu.
Yu Yuan was also aware of the Phaseblossom's synergy with the Ancient Echoes of the Void mantra she practiced, enhancing its mystical properties.
After discovering the full extent of her plans, he did not sabotage them. Instead, he assisted her in concealing her actions and lured all those she wished to eliminate to her.
Yu Yuan, the legendary commander from the Forgeroses, felt a deep sense of gratitude.
Yu Yuan's lips twitched, but he remained silent.
In his mind, he declared, "Those whom I forbid to kill shall not be slain!"
Shen Feiqing hesitated briefly before nodding once more.
With a soft exhale, a diminutive Lunar Spirit emerged from the top of Shen Feiqing's head without her moving an inch.
The Lunar Spirit, clad in the distinctive Blackfang Armor, had an indiscernible face.
"Realizing she can't endure the backlash, she's decided to abandon her physical form and flee as her Lunar Spirit!" Liu Wei of Winter's Bite exclaimed upon witnessing Shen Feiqing's Lunar Spirit depart from her body, believing he had grasped her intentions.
With a "swoosh," a dazzling space rift tore away from where Shen Feiqing stood.
It struck with the force of a cleaving sword.
Liu Wei, on the cusp of reaching the Lunar Spirit realm, was suddenly bisected, with not a drop of blood spilled.
His body, now split diagonally, seemed to be enveloped in space magic, leaving no trace behind.
"Everyone, take caution!" Wei Wujiang of the Sunblessed Empire called out from above the Golden Ship, his voice filled with alarm. "The space rifts formed by her powers are highly unstable before the backlash occurs. Anyone could be accidentally slain."
Yu Yuan snickered.
Wei Wujiang truly believed that Liu Wei's demise was nothing more than an unfortunate accident.
