Chapter 198: Fleeing [4]

The same move he had once used to slaughter Jin had once again made itself known.

However, it wasn't the same as it was before. This time, Damien had coupled the attack with his Celestial Authority, vastly boosting its prowess.

Boom!

Hundreds of kilometers above the ongoing battle, the atmosphere shattered like glass and caved in, leaving only an infinite void in its place.

And from that void, a massive meteor shot down toward the ground, its velocity not being impeded the slightest bit by the new environment.

Even though the friction led flames to encase the meteor, it only served to increase the destructive power.

The surroundings were subjected to the immense heat of the flaming rock.

Even though the Myriad Illusion Veil still hid the incoming danger from their sight, any sane cultivator would be well aware that something wasn't right.

And even the Myriad Illusion Veil couldn't stand the pressure of the oncoming meteor for very long.

After all, they were still on the outskirts of the 3000 Beast Mountain Range, where the strength of the veil wasn't up to par.

The perpetual fog that blanketed the jungle was burned into nothingness along with the air, giving way to a bright sun and the streak of light that was charging towards their location.

The sun itself was a major weakness to any element dealing with shadow, as it encroached upon the area of influence that had been laid down.

Those cloaked figures could no longer stay still. Their attention was refocused on the new danger, charging volatile spheres of darkness and shooting them towards the meteor.

But even with all the power that attacked it and threatened to break it apart, the meteor held strong,

It wasn't its inherent defensive capability or even Damien's work that did this. Instead, there was external help at play.

"Moon Goddess's Blessing."

Ruyue's murmur went unheard by those around her, but its effects still stood.

The massive blood moon that stood at her back was compressed into heavy rivers of lunar energy that charged towards the meteor and merged with it.

Its density was increased by a large margin, the flames surrounding its body were tinted blue, and it gained a defensive property that allowed it to withstand the assault of the cloaked figures.

On the ground, Zara was continuously barraging the tendrils of darkness with her own shadow element, not allowing them to gain any ground. Meanwhile, she used ice to freeze the ground and prevent the enemy from setting a new domain.

Damien didn't sit idly either. Now that his mind was clear, he was well prepared to make a counterattack.

Sunfire blazed on his palm and arced through the air, setting the vegetation ablaze. Heavy beams of plasma penetrated any shadow that dared arrive near him, disallowing their encroachment.

His sword art and vector control were still unusable, but he didn't mind it much. He had a vast arsenal that he had rarely taken the time to tap into, only ever displaying the crudest methods he could.

His comprehension of space had reached a magnificent level. Otherwise, how could he possess such a thing as dimensional magic? It's just that his horizons were never broad enough to make full use of everything he learned.

But he was in a rage right now. He was venting his frustrations by returning to the enemy a greater bombardment than they could have ever expected.

His Celestial Aura encased his body, and his awareness spread unimpeded through the portion of jungle where the Myriad Illusion Veil was burned away.

He exerted his will on the surrounding space, using his consciousness in an attempt to both comprehend the properties of Spatial Locking as well as impose his own authority unto the atmosphere.

With all the interference taking place, the enemies were no longer able to focus on their targets, this time being forced on the defensive.

However, even through all this, Damien wasn't safe. The poison racking his body continued attempting to spread, but it was being combatted by his regeneration.

Still, it wasn't able to completely stop it, only suppressing it. And with his regeneration focused on defending his internal body, his external wounds were forced to fester.

"Argh!"

Gritting his teeth, he allowed his lightning to once again take form, using it to sear his wounds and artificially close them, temporarily solving the problem.

The only obstacle left were two unseen opponents that were still hidden in the shadows. It had become evident how much greater their prowess was in comparison to their peers.

But Damien didn't need to focus on them right now. The opportunity to escape was directly in front of him.

"Zara!"

The wolf could read his thoughts clear as day, so he didn't need to say more. Her body shifted positions, abruptly arriving under him and placing him on her back. In the next instant, Ruyue was transferred there as well.

Seeing her condition pained Damien a bit. He was the one in possession of the Death Seed, so he was forced to bear the brunt of the force against them, but that didn't mean she was entirely out of harm's way.

Numerous cuts and gashes covered her body, and many areas of her clothes had become ripped and bloodied.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Focus on the battle ahead." She said when she noticed Damien's gaze, but her pale and weary face betrayed the conviction in her eyes.

Her condition only caused Damien's fury to burn forth ever brighter.

Zara didn't dally after catching the two of them on her back. She immediately spread her wings and took off, speeding through the jungle.

They were still in harm's way. Exiting the jungle through the sky was never a viable option, as the Myriad Illusion Veil was continuously attempting to repair itself.

Zara streaked through the maze of trees like a comet of darkness, dexterously evading all obstacles, she moved forward without destination, but there was no need for one.

As long as they got far enough from their original position, they'd eventually make it out of the Spatial Lock. And at that point, it'd be smooth sailing.

Boom!

A loud explosion and dust cloud could be seen from behind them, as the meteor finally landed on their previous location. The prior events had happened too fast, leading to such a late reaction.

They had already retreated far into the veil,

Damien turned his head halfway, attempting to peer through the veil, 'I wonder if that did any damage... Well, it doesn't matter.'

Regardless of their survival, he wouldn't forget the debt from today. This grudge would be paid back a hundred fold.

'The Eclipsing Shadow Sect. I vow here and now that one day, I will raze it to the ground.'

Surveilling the rapidly changing scenery, Damien suddenly noticed that the Bloodstone River was no longer in sight. And with the restrictions on his awareness, he had no way of telling how far from it they had gone.

Luckily enough, he saw a glimmer of hope. Rather, it was a shimmering translucent wall that marked the edge of the barrier.

This formation was meant exclusively for locking space. There was no way for it to have a multitude of effects if it was able to carry out a spatial lock on such a grand proportion and to such a frightening degree as well, so he was sure of it. This meant they would face no obstruction in leaving its area now that they had found its end.

Zara streaked forward without hesitation when Damien gave her the command. The second they passed that wall, they would activate their escape talismans and transport directly back to the Celestial Star Palace.

However, fate seemed to have other plans for them. Mere meters away from their destination, a powerful aura sprung out before a world of shadows once again descended.

But there was something intrinsically different about it this time.

"This is a domain," Ruyue commented as she wearily glanced around.

Damien's eyes widened at the revelation. To date, the only domain he had seen was Rose's Illusory Throne, but he was well aware of their power.

But, the base concept for creating domain wasn't unfamiliar to him as they also manifested when the caster imposed their will upon space. But if the enemy was able to do this, didn't that mean...

Damien grinned. He couldn't ask for a better feeling than what he felt right now.

He ignored the festering wounds on his flesh and the poison seeping through his body.

He ignored the sense of danger that hadn't left no matter how close he was to safety.

"Charge forward." He commanded. Zara didn't need to be told twice, furiously increasing her speed with reckless abandon.

Damien raised his hand into the air, and as if commanding an army, dropped it down once more.

"Spatial Collapse."

He didn't spare any effort this time. He poured all his mana into the skill, and instead of creating a massive black hole like the last time he overclocked it, he took a different approach.

One, two, five, ten, a total of fifteen vortexes manifested in the shadow domain, throwing the ambient mana into chaos.

The space twisted apart and shattered, leaving countless swirling entrances to the void that threatened to consume everything. Before the caster of the domain even had a chance to attack, his entire authority was thrown into oblivion.

The domain shattered without suspense, and Zara triumphantly charged past the cloaked figure that had been revealed in its wake.

Ruyue raised her arm and pointed it at the exposed figure with hatred in her eyes.

"Erase."

Yin was an interesting element. Darkness, cold, and any negatives were classified as yin-natured forces. Due to this, the main strength of the Yin element, and its most prominent characteristic, was the ability to negate.

Such an ability would usually be used to negate attacks or force, but Ruyue decided to try something she'd never done before. Today, she was going to erase existence itself.

The essence of erasure left her body and impacted the cloaked figure, who was still in a stunned state due to the destruction of his domain. And without even having the ability to scream, the figure vanished, his existence denied by the very person he was tasked to destroy.

With no more obstacles in the way, the trio successfully charged past the shimmering barrier. And soon enough, they were greeted by simmering and blinding rays of sunlight. Whether by coincidence or design, their escape from the formation was their escape from the Myriad Illusion Veil.

But they were in no way pleased with this development. After all, directly in front of them was a beautiful mountain range that stretched as far as the eye could see.

It was a mountain range that no human had ever been able to leave with their lives.

They had somehow been thrust into the 3000 Beast Mountain Range itself.