As the pure black tidal wave completely devoured the colossal grey demon’s head, this world of black and white began to dissolve.
Just when Xue Ji thought everything was over, the tall, thin vampire that Shaya had smashed into the wall appeared like a ghost less than five meters away from her.
In an instant, he seemed to be controlled by some mysterious force, his eyes becoming hollow and vacant, as if he had lost his soul. Then, as if driven by an invisible power, he lunged straight toward Xue Ji.
His appearance was eerily reminiscent of zombies from horror movies or someone possessed by a demon. His movements were stiff and unnatural, all traces of a vampire’s inherent elegance gone. Every step exuded an indescribable, sinister aura that made one’s hair stand on end.
Seeing this, Shaya swiftly delivered a fierce slash, which landed squarely on him, cleaving him in two.
But the bisected body bizarrely reformed, as if it were an immortal, indestructible entity.
Shaya was utterly exhausted, barely able to lift her sword, while the piercing cold lingering inside her body continued to eat away at her organs.
Xue Ji was completely overexerted; blood trickled from her nose and ears. If not for her steady breathing, Shaya would have thought she might vomit a mouthful of blood and collapse at any moment.
“A-Ji, what do we do?”
“The enemy is sacrificing everything to take us down with them, even offering up their soul entirely to create an indestructible spirit of vengeance,” Xue Ji’s voice was heavy with fatigue, yet she remained calm.
“This kind of undead state, hovering between life and death, isn’t hard to break.” Xue Ji recalled the time she had ended the Demon King, using overwhelming life force to forcibly pull him back from the intertwined state of life and death, then killing him the moment he fully became a living being.
‘But we’ve also reached our limit…’ To prevent Xue Ji and Shaya from bearing too much of the backlash, Lilith had already overexerted herself and fallen into a deep sleep.
“Then hurry up and do it! Stop dawdling!” Shaya was growing impatient with Xue Ji’s leisurely analysis at a time like this.
Seeing this, Xue Ji made up her mind and took a deep breath.
Under Shaya’s expectant gaze, Xue Ji mustered all her strength and shouted, “Ling Xiaoxiao! Save me!!!”
“What (⊙_⊙)?!” Shaya was momentarily stunned. She had thought Xue Ji was about to unleash some powerful spell and had been quite looking forward to it.
When she finally processed what had happened, she was furious. So, after all that analysis, the conclusion was to ask that madwoman Ling Xiaoxiao for help?
‘Damn it! It’s all because I’m not strong enough…’
Xue Ji’s spirit-infused cry for help echoed through the skies. A ball of golden flame instantly enveloped both of them, and the charging spirit of vengeance was immediately devoured by the Chongming flames. With a piercing shriek, it completely vanished from the world.
With Ling Xiaoxiao’s arrival, golden light illuminated the black-and-white space, and the lost contours and colors returned as the light spread.
At the same time, deep in the tropical rainforest, the three shamans who had been performing dark magic rituals—now stiff corpses—spontaneously burst into golden flames. Other shamans who were retrieving their bodies were also caught in the blaze. The small house deep in the rainforest was instantly engulfed in roaring flames, purifying all filth and evil.
“The Chongming Bird of Huaxia! How? Isn’t she insane?” A gaunt woman, her face wrapped in bandages, was the first to sense the danger and escaped in time, her body trembling uncontrollably.
……
The black-and-white realm shattered like glass, as if nothing had ever happened.
“Truly impressive, my Sage.” The golden flames converged behind Xue Ji, and Ling Xiaoxiao emerged from the dazzling light, steadying Xue Ji and Shaya, who were about to collapse backward.
“Ah… you… took too long… I was really… almost about to cry.” Xue Ji was clearly not as calm as she appeared. If Ling Xiaoxiao had been facing her, she would have seen the tears welling up in Xue Ji’s eyes.
Xue Ji simply had a habit of delaying her fear, only showing it afterward.
As if suddenly enlightened, Ling Xiaoxiao gently wrapped her arms around Xue Ji from behind, holding her close.
Xue Ji felt a warm current flow from Ling Xiaoxiao, spreading throughout her body like the gentlest caress.
This sensation struck directly at her soul, incredibly warm, making Xue Ji go weak all over.
“Mmm~” Immersed in the embrace, she couldn’t help but let out a delicate moan, which made Ling Xiaoxiao’s ears tingle.
On the ground, Shaya—who had been left to free-fall due to Ling Xiaoxiao’s preferential treatment—lay in the rubble, glaring furiously at Ling Xiaoxiao for taking advantage of the situation.
‘She definitely did that on purpose!’ Even though she wasn’t yet familiar with human emotions, her intuition told her that Ling Xiaoxiao had deliberately waited until Xue Ji was scared before intervening, making Xue Ji so compliant and easy to manipulate.
“Despicable, shameless woman.”
Holding Xue Ji, Ling Xiaoxiao looked down triumphantly at the disheveled Shaya on the ground, her expression seeming to say, “So what if I did?”
It made Shaya want to jump up and punch her in the knees.
……
The disrupted time and space were gradually restoring themselves.
The real world remained completely untouched by Xue Ji’s battle. The building on the verge of collapse, under Xue Ji’s control, had not caused any casualties.
Over two hundred ordinary people in the building were safely preserved from the terrifying dark magic thunderstorm.
However, even after the black thunderstorm dissipated, stray bolts of lightning still ran rampant.
Most of the Pioneers and special forces on site had never seen such power before and were quickly overwhelmed.
The moment anyone was touched by even a bit of it, it clung like a persistent parasite. Those who were weaker or too close immediately suffered.
“Keep your distance! This thing corrodes spiritual power!”
The Pioneer holding the dwarf’s head was far more experienced and immediately ordered everyone to retreat.
The tricky part was that once this bizarre black lightning invaded an Awakened’s body, it would expand by devouring their spiritual energy, forcing the victim to sacrifice large amounts of spiritual power to protect themselves, much like a lizard shedding its tail.
The spiritual power they discarded, in turn, caused the black lightning to grow stronger. In just a short while, the residual black lightning had grown into a thick python over ten meters long.
Everyone could only try to contain it with long-range attacks, but it was largely ineffective.
Just as the python-like black lightning was about to strike, a comforting chant echoed through the space. Everyone saw the phantom of a young girl in holy priestly robes appear, surrounded by sacred light.
The clouds obscuring the bright moon had scattered, and the young priestess stepped forth under the bright moonlight, her phantom gracefully descending from the sky.
She seemed unaffected by gravity, her long golden hair flowing softly. Maintaining a prayerful pose, she serenely closed her eyes, her holy aura completely calming the lingering dark magic around her.
Her appearance captured everyone’s attention. This miraculous girl radiated a divine, flawless holiness.
“Priestess?!” Xue Ji looked at the familiar face in disbelief.
Shaya and Ling Xiaoxiao exclaimed in unison, “What?”
The girl’s phantom gently turned and slowly walked toward Xue Ji and the others.
Ling Xiaoxiao brought Xue Ji back to the ground, eyeing the mysterious girl warily. Even though it was just a phantom, Xue Ji’s reaction to her arrival made Ling Xiaoxiao feel an immense threat.
Xue Ji gently broke free from Ling Xiaoxiao’s embrace, took a few steps forward, and stood before the phantom.
When the Priestess’s phantom saw her current appearance, her serene face immediately showed confusion. She covered her small mouth in disbelief, her blue eyes wide open.
She pressed close, carefully examining Xue Ji’s face. This action made Shaya and Ling Xiaoxiao grit their teeth in frustration, and Xue Ji’s reaction only intensified their panic.
The Priestess’s confusion didn’t last long. She gently held Xue Ji’s shoulders and then lightly kissed her cheek.
Priestess & Xue Ji: ( ˶˘ ³˘(⋆❛ ہ ❛⋆)!♡
Shaya & Ling Xiaoxiao: (#｀皿´)
Lilith: (。-ω-)zzz
Onlookers: “Why does the atmosphere feel a bit strange? It’s supposed to be cute girls being close, but why do I have goosebumps…”