Chapter Ten: Divergence

“Void Radiance Strike!” As the Ripper’s lifeless voice echoed, intricate golden patterns began to shimmer across its power armor, winding like ethereal serpents from the brow to the entire body, swiftly converging at the center of the right palm. The brilliance was blinding, and from a distance, space itself seemed to twist, as if a black hole had formed, brimming with destructive power.

Long Shaoxian frowned at the sight. She sensed the chill of death and dared not hesitate. Gripping her dragon halberd in one hand, she rapidly formed seals with the other. With each new seal, her aura grew stronger. Though in myth and legend hand seals were shrouded in mystery, to Commander Liu, they now seemed like arcane codes—each seal a symbolic cipher, unlocking latent power and combining into a devastating martial art.

As Long Shaoxian completed the final seal, her eyes instantly turned blood red. Her pupils became golden and slit-like, transforming into dragon’s eyes. The unique, overwhelming presence of the Imperial Dragon Clan enveloped the world, no less terrifying than the Ripper’s own menace.

“Imperial Dragon Descends to the Mortal Realm!” she bellowed, her voice splitting the air. In an instant, crimson dragon scales sprouted across her beautiful face, covering her arms and morphing her hands into deadly claws. A thick dragon’s tail swept the heavens, and her legs became powerful dragon talons—she had become a true half-dragon.

At that moment, a black beam tore through a hundred miles of void, piercing time itself as it roared forth. The sky shattered wherever it passed. Long Shaoxian unleashed a thunderous dragon’s roar, wielding her halberd in sweeping arcs to clash directly with the black beam. Her dragon claws struck down relentlessly, each impact shaking the world, rending the earth, and sending sand spiraling skyward in a spectacle of pure might.

“Perish!” she roared in fury. The black beam was cleaved apart, and the Imperial Dragon’s formidable power was displayed in full through her.

Seeing his Void Radiance Strike neutralized, the Ripper grew agitated. He understood the might of the Imperial Dragon Clan and realized he could not easily suppress Long Shaoxian.

Just as he prepared to launch another assault, the sensors on his armor blared in alarm. The Ripper paused, turning to survey the distant earth. He saw a black shadow racing toward them, moving with such speed that it left a trail of swirling sand in its wake. The aura it exuded was murderous as it charged straight for the ground forces.

“At last…” The Ripper let out a cold laugh as he watched the menacing shadow approach.

“What is that? All units, prepare for combat!” Commander Liu’s face darkened as he barked the order. Instantly, every soldier aimed their weapons at the shadow, and the tanks and armored vehicles swung their turrets to bear, shells loaded and ready.

“Wait!” Elder Ge hurriedly stopped Commander Liu before he could issue the attack order. Stepping forward, Elder Ge traced a Taiji symbol in the air and flung three runes toward the incoming shadow.

The shadow’s eyes flashed silver as it roared, leaping dozens of meters to slap at the Taiji. The symbol warped and twisted under the blow but ultimately managed to intercept the shadow, pushing it toward the Ripper’s domain.

This shadow was none other than Luo Longyu, driven into a frenzy.

Luo Longyu’s mind was clouded, filled with strange, exalted whispers and apocalyptic visions that robbed him of self-control.

At that moment, Tong Wushao and the others arrived on the scene. The rescue helicopter whisked away the three surviving members of the First Research Group and the gravely wounded Zuo Baixing.

“You damned old fox!” The Ripper cursed under his breath, recognizing Elder Ge’s ploy to push the crazed Luo Longyu his way. But Long Shaoxian gave him no time to complain. Her claws whistled through the air, forcing the Ripper to raise his arm in defense. Even so, the tremendous force sent him staggering back dozens of meters.

No sooner had the Ripper regained his footing than his armor’s alarm system warned of depleted energy. He scowled, muttering to himself, “Without backup, these wretched spirits are more trouble than they’re worth. There’ll be another day—retreat!”

Long Shaoxian let out another dragon’s roar, her figure blurring through the void as she charged the Ripper. He had no time to react before she seized him. Yet in that instant, time seemed to freeze. The next moment, Long Shaoxian realized she had passed right through the Ripper’s body—he had somehow reappeared nearly a hundred meters behind her, silently and without a trace, firing a beam of light at Luo Longyu.

“Phasing Reconstruction Technology?” Long Shaoxian instantly realized she’d been tricked and hurriedly steadied herself to look back.

The Ripper hurled a light-cable, binding Luo Longyu tightly. With his other hand, he opened a portal in the void, half his body already vanishing within—he meant to capture Luo Longyu alive!

“Damn!” Long Shaoxian cursed. It was now impossible to intervene in time.

Yet just then, a blade of light slashed out of nowhere, striking the cable and nearly shattering it. It was Bai Li Chasing Soul, who had been hiding in the void all this time.

“Type 95 auto-cannon systems, lock on and fire at will!” Commander Liu saw the opportunity created by Bai Li and acted at once.

Four Type 95 vehicles swiveled, sixteen 25mm autocannons unleashing a storm of fire into the dim sky, the streams of tracer rounds converging upon the Ripper and the portal in a blistering barrage.

A Type 102 self-propelled anti-tank gun raised its barrel and fired, scoring a direct hit on the Ripper. With a furious howl, the Ripper was blasted out of the portal by a 120mm shell. The portal, deprived of its energy core, vanished in a puff of smoke.

Meanwhile, something even more fearsome occurred. Luo Longyu broke free of the cable, leaping hundreds of meters like a cannonball straight into the sky, colliding with the Ripper’s figure and locking onto his shoulders. The two figures tangled and crashed to the ground.

Boom!

A cloud of sand erupted ten meters high, the earth gouged into a crater. Luo Longyu’s face was ashen, his eyes glowing with silver light. Like a mindless beast, he pummeled the Ripper’s chest again and again, warping the power armor but unable to deal a fatal blow just yet.

“Descendant of Xuanyuan, you have not yet embraced the Dao of Corpses, and yet you dare defy me!” the Ripper roared, gripping Luo Longyu’s face and squeezing until Luo Longyu felt his skull about to shatter, blood streaming from every orifice.

Luo Longyu instinctively clawed at the Ripper’s fingers, desperate to break free.

Long Shaoxian was alarmed and rushed to aid Luo Longyu, but Elder Ge cried out, “Shaoxian, don’t act rashly! Luo Longyu doesn’t recognize anyone—he’ll…”

But Long Shaoxian didn’t hear him. She stomped on the Ripper’s head and swung her halberd, severing his arm. Luo Longyu let out a chilling roar, flinging the severed limb away, then seized the Ripper’s head and wrenched it off in a brutal display.

He then tore open the armor at the neck, digging out a fleshly mass—the Ripper’s true form. Before everyone’s eyes, Luo Longyu bit into it, blood spraying, a demon unleashed. Even Long Shaoxian frowned at the sight.

Once the Ripper’s core was utterly destroyed, Luo Longyu lunged at Long Shaoxian, catching her off guard. She stumbled back, knocked to the ground, as Luo Longyu tore several dragon scales from her body.

Long Shaoxian cried out in pain, her halberd falling aside as she grabbed at Luo Longyu’s arms. But his strength had grown, and after her earlier battle with the Ripper, her energy was depleted. She struggled to break free.

Bai Li Chasing Soul appeared behind them, wrapping his arms around Luo Longyu’s neck, trying to drag him off.

Luo Longyu thrashed violently, broke free, and turned to slam Bai Li Chasing Soul to the ground, driving his hand deep into Bai Li’s chest. Bai Li screamed and vanished, reappearing ten meters away, chest bloodied and face pale—Luo Longyu’s blow had nearly killed him.

Seeing Bai Li nearly slain, Long Shaoxian was enraged. She snatched up her halberd, swept Luo Longyu away with her tail, then crossed dozens of meters in a stride. Her halberd struck Luo Longyu’s brow, knocking him unconscious.

Bai Li clutched his chest, staggered, and collapsed. Long Shaoxian’s draconic form faded as she rushed to catch him, shouting, “Someone, help!”

Several soldiers rushed forward, lifting Bai Li onto a stretcher and loading him onto a helicopter that sped into the sky.

As the sun rose, Long Shaoxian, still radiating killing intent, looked at Luo Longyu lying in the sand. She strode over, halberd raised to finish him, but Elder Ge arrived just in time to seize her arm.

“Shaoxian! What are you doing?” Elder Ge bellowed in anger.

Blood trickled down Long Shaoxian’s forehead where her scales had been torn away. Tears gleamed in her eyes as she shouted, “Why are we keeping this monster alive? He can’t tell friend from foe, has no emotion—what use is he? To kill us ourselves?”

Tong Wushao stood by, his expression troubled. He, too, felt a twinge of fear toward Luo Longyu.

“But this is our only chance! Only he can host those ancient weapon systems. The very existence of the Xuan Yi Pavilion is to find him. Do you want to throw away decades of our work?” Elder Ge was truly angry.

Long Shaoxian flung off Elder Ge’s hand and said coldly, “If I’d known from the start this was who we were searching for, I never would have joined. Elder Ge, do you really trust what Xuanyuan Qianqian says? He’ll destroy us all one day!” With that, her halberd vanished, and she walked away without looking back.

Watching her recede, then glancing at the unconscious Luo Longyu, Elder Ge sighed deeply. He gazed at the brightening east and muttered, “Dao of Corpses… Dao of Corpses… Wushao, do you think we’re right to pursue this path, or are we simply taking a reckless gamble?”

“Uh…” Tong Wushao, about to leave, hesitated, then replied, “From what I see, it’s a gamble. Luo Longyu is simply too unstable. If we really awaken the Dao of Corpses and lose control, we won’t need the Void Clan to destroy us—we’ll doom ourselves.”