Soul-Slaying Maiden: Master Of Ancient Divine Weapons

The completely transformed monster Mu Yang frantically devoured the surrounding corpse beasts.

It was like an insatiably hungry abomination, growing larger and taller the more it consumed. Its previously human frame had expanded several times over as it bit through and chewed the corpse beasts.

The army of corpse beasts was wiped out, but in exchange, a sixth-tier monster emerged.

Han Zhen wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or despair.

The monster charged straight at him.

He raised his sword to block, but the sixth-tier monster's strength far exceeded his limits. He was sent flying by the impact.

The monster didn't pursue him. Instead, it stomped forward with massive steps, shaking the earth as it ran.

When it reached the tower, it opened its gaping maw and bit into the rusty tower base.

The metallic material couldn't resist its bite, and chunks of the structure were torn off and swallowed whole as it chewed forcefully.

Han Zhen struggled to his feet.

Clutching his chest with one hand and holding the Xuanyuan Sword in the other, he was still reeling from the earlier blow.

Seeing the monster gnawing at the tower base, Han Zhen didn't have time to rest. He gripped his sword and charged again.

'With my current strength, going head-to-head with a sixth-tier monster is clearly unrealistic. But since it has lost all reason, I can kite it and use hit-and-run tactics to keep it occupied. If I can stall it long enough for Youwei to destroy the Red Moon's core, we win.'

Han Zhen calculated in his mind, lowering his hand from his chest. He formed a seal with one hand, summoning the Fuxi Zither. A series of qi blades flew out with a flick of his wrist.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The qi blades struck the abomination's rotting, fleshy back, causing black blood mixed with yellow pus to explode outward.

The sneak attack made the abomination turn around, its vicious gaze locking onto Han Zhen once more.

One hit and then retreat.

Han Zhen felt the wind whistle past his ears as the enraged abomination kicked the tower base with tremendous force. Using the rebound, it leaped high into the air, blocking out the Red Moon as it came crashing down toward him.

There was no way for Han Zhen to dodge this terrifying strike.

———

At the tower's mid-level,

Li Lingzhen staggered as the unstable foundation caused the structure to shake violently. She couldn't withstand the assault from the dream beasts and stumbled backward.

The Shennong Cauldron was knocked away, and Li Lingzhen herself nearly fell from the shaking tower.

Luckily, she grabbed onto the railing, barely holding her position.

The rampaging Nightmare beasts saw the breach in defenses and howled, shrieking as they flooded into the tower.

Li Lingzhen's eyes suddenly gleamed with a crimson light.

She had fallen into an illusion.

———

At the top level, Xia Youwei felt the tremors from below, growing stronger as they traveled upward.

Moreover, she had to maintain her focus to resist the Red Moon's interference with her Serene Heart Tune

Time was running out.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Youwei made her final push.

———

In the pitch-black corridor,

Li Changhao panted heavily.

He stared at the two lifeless bodies of his companions, fear etched on his face.

At the dark end of the hallway, something terrifying lurked in the shadows, taking lives silently.

TAP! TAP! TAP!

The crisp sound of footsteps echoed again.

Unable to bear it any longer, Li Changhao smashed through a window, fleeing toward the area with the loudest commotion.

"I get it! I get it now! This is the ninth-tier Insect Emperor Nightmare's artifact, The Samsara World."

As he ran, fragmented memories surfaced in his mind.

These fragments were from a deceased elder of the Li family who had once returned with information about the Insect Emperor Nightmare.

The Samsara World wasn't Nightmare's innate ability but was highly compatible with it.

Nightmare could create illusions, and within the Samsara World, these "illusions" became nightmare beasts capable of flight and destruction.

The Samsara World's true power lay in its ability to turn illusions into reality.

Nightmare's illusions would erode the real world, and the energy absorbed by the Samsara World allowed those illusions to replace reality.

Li Changhao knew only this much, but it was enough for him to make a judgment.

The Red Moon above must not be destroyed. Breaking it would release all the accumulated energy at once, causing the illusionary world they were trapped in to replace the original Deep Blue City.

Although arrogant and domineering, Li Changhao never intended to side with the Insect Clan against humanity.

Rushing to the tower's base, he saw the abomination leaping toward Han Zhen.

Li Changhao raised his hand, firing a golden energy blast from his wrist, striking the abomination and slightly altering its trajectory.

Seizing the opportunity, Han Zhen dodged the attack.

"Where are your companions? Stop them immediately."

"Don't destroy the Red Moon—it must not be destroyed."

Li Changhao's tone was urgent.

Hearing this, Han Zhen paused briefly in confusion.

"There's no time. They're already at the top," he replied.

As Han Zhen spoke, a clear and melodious zither note resounded from the top of the tower.

Both Han Zhen and Li Changhao instinctively looked upward.

There, at the tower's peak, Xia Youwei released an enormous zither qi blade the moment her Serene Heart Tune wore off.

The blade shot skyward, striking the Red Moon suspended in the heavens.

Although it appeared to hang in a distant void, the qi blade hit its mark, shattering it with a resounding boom.

"The Red Moon… shattered," Li Changhao muttered instinctively.

At that moment, the black energy absorbed by the Red Moon cascaded down like ink, spreading to every corner of the city.

The dead corpse beasts revived upon contact with the black mist.

Uninfected citizens of Deep Blue City began horrifying transformations upon exposure.

Even Han Zhen and Li Changhao were not spared.

The black mist was unavoidable, lingering in the air. As Han Zhen inhaled it, he felt an uncontrollable, raging fire ignite within him, driving him mad.

Black fur rapidly sprouted across his body, covering him entirely.

A painful itch emanated from the back of his neck. Scratching instinctively, he felt a bulging tumor form, its surface pressing out a human face that seemed ready to burst free.

Li Changhao wasn't any better off. His stomach swelled grotesquely as if something monstrous was gestating inside.

"It's over. It's all over."

"If the Red Moon had remained, we might have had a slim chance of survival. But with it shattered, the black energy will make the illusion replace reality. Everything inside the barrier—including us—will mutate."

On the tower, Xia Youwei and Li Lingzhen, closer to the Red Moon, underwent even faster transformations.

Total annihilation occurred in an instant.

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