It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

The spider kicked them away, spraying a giant web of eerie purple. However, Bai Lin had already prepared herself. She clasped her hands behind her neck, put her full weight on her front foot, and her whole body was ready to attack.

Flower Water Moon·Continued Sword·Dazzling Hundred Flowers

Light and shadow filled the sky, instantly cutting off the spider silk. Bai Lin passed through the scattered venom, then slightly adjusted the angle of his hands, leaped up, and bent one leg.

The night extends, the sword continues, and the long night falls

The two slashes merged into one, falling heavily forward, severing the earth spider's forelimbs. Then she immediately touched the ground, pressing her center of gravity directly downward. Her front hand was placed on her chest, and her back hand was locked at her waist. She held her breath and concentrated, finishing the blow.

Utopia in the Mirror·Final Style·Kaleidoscope

Two stabs struck the opponent's vital points in quick succession, and she then slowly slashed and slid out. A flood of blades shredded the earth spider's body, reducing its five-meter-tall form to a lifeless corpse, which vanished into thin air amidst the dragon's breath. Meanwhile, Bai Lin had unknowingly reached the dragon's side. With a grin, she single-handedly captured one of its legs. But her gaze was fixed on the attacking Hisenia, and then, beyond her, Marenia.

Thank you so much for giving me this big one.

In an instant, Bai Lin lifted the dragon's body and leaped into the air, spinning mid-air before slamming heavily into Malenia. Malenia quickly activated a protective spell, using powerful magic to completely block the impact, but she was still blasted away and fell back to the ground. Bai Lin, meanwhile, lay beneath the now-dead dragon, his hands clasped against the protective barrier in a terrifying gesture.

What was she doing? Was she trying to tear open the magic barrier? Impossible! You have to remember that the Platinum City was now just this massive palace, and Marennia was its master. She had already mobilized all her strength to build up her magic. To tear open this barrier would be like tearing down this entire city with bare hands.

But Bai Lin did just that. The dragon's body became her perfect shield, firmly enveloping her, preventing any spell from reaching her immediately. The only vulnerable spot that could be quickly breached was her feet. Unbeknownst to her, Bai Lin had already broken through the ground beneath her feet, crushing one of the magic-deciphering blades into it, directly disrupting Marennia's ability to mobilize the magic power of the nearby ground.

She panicked. Even at this point, was there no way to stop this monster? Seeing Bai Lin gritting his teeth, tearing the barrier apart bit by bit, her eyes flashed. Suddenly, the palace sky and the real starry sky merged into one. An increasingly powerful light flickered continuously from the sky.

From the sky, an extremely dangerous aura seemed to emanate. As if something was about to fall. The next moment, countless flying stars burning with powerful flames plummeted from the sky.

When the first meteor impacted the ground, the powerful impact nearly obliterated most of the city. Then, a second, a third, the world shook, everything was shattered. The shower of falling stars destroyed everything. Because of Marennia's fear, the already devastated city was barely recognizable.

Fire raged everywhere. Fortunately, or perhaps not so fortunately - the people here had all died long ago, or perhaps they had never lived in the first place. She had never had any feelings for this place, even though it was her home. Now, the only thing she cared about was...

That guy, is he still alive?

The answer is yes.

Amidst the thick smoke, a roar like a dragon's heartbeat thrilled her entire body. And this sound actually came from underground. What exactly happened during the meteorite's fall?

It turned out that as soon as the first meteorite fell, Hisenia had already charged towards Bai Lin, brandishing her sword, breaking through the dragon's wreckage and charging straight at Bai Lin. Unexpectedly, Bai Lin was already looking in their direction. Most of her helmet had been burned away, revealing an expression that was completely inhuman.

A light, even more intense than the all-destroying meteorite fire, shone in Bai Lin's eyes. There was no joy in those eyes, but there was more than just sadness. The corners of her mouth curled up into an inexplicable, eerie smile.

Perhaps it was the smile that instinctively appeared when a plan succeeded. Or perhaps it was the irrational, twisted expression that emerged after excessive self-suppression.

In short, even with the increased speed, Hisenia's attack was still seen through by the opponent for some reason, and the opponent reacted instantly, incorporating it into his own plan. At this point, Hisenia wanted to turn back, but it was already too late. The body that flew out was grabbed by Bai Lin, who lowered himself. With the opponent's forward momentum, the latter naturally jumped high with both feet, holding Hisenia in his arms and performing a spin in the air, and then -

The two of them crashed into a certain spot in the center of the palace, like a meteorite, falling heavily into it.

Recovering from her daze, Hisenia stood up. Surrounding her was a confined space, steadily losing speed and plummeting. Before her stood Bai Lin, who, like her, had just regained consciousness. His armor was heavily tattered, but his body bore only scratches, similar to hers. His expression of complete inhumanity filled Hisenia with a wave of fear.

This fear also came from her knowing what would happen next.

"It's difficult to handle..."

It was the first time she said this with such emotion, as if she was showing a bit of weakness, but only a bit.

Here, there's a box ladder. Crafted from a nearly indestructible material, it's used to reach deep underground. The "golden tree" from the ritual exists here. In this material world, it branches out, following the genes collected by the perfect people, deep underground.

Chapter 1024: Powerless

The ladder box is located at the main root of the golden tree and is used to reach the top of the tree, which is the physical route to the final end of the technique.

Because the tree possessed powerful magical energy, to prevent its destruction, the ladder box was constructed from a reinforced version of the material found abandoned in the city Bai Lin had visited. It was practically indestructible. A single dent in it would be equivalent to sinking an entire continent. Therefore, it could only accommodate ten people at most, making escape nearly impossible.

This means that she has to fight with the monster Bai Lin in this space.

"Experience it more personally...it's powerful,"

"Yes, there is a place for it."

This was Bai Lin's second sentence since arriving. It seemed as if she was responding to a sign of weakness. Or perhaps it was simply instinct. Even if she hadn't said anything, Hisenia would have understood it perfectly.

If you have power, you need to use it somewhere.

She had been born into a dysfunctional family since she was a child. Her mother had been gone since she was old enough to recognize human life. It seemed that Ni Lu, determined to "raise" her daughters more strictly according to her own ideals, had suddenly made this decision. Perhaps that so-called mother had become one of the city's walking corpses. Or perhaps, more simply, was already dead.

After all, this has always been your style.

Earlier in the palace, he had instructed Hisenia to properly settle Aranija, which was in itself a form of execution. His poor third sister's madness was almost entirely due to their father. With her eldest and second sisters, one a warrior and the other a demon, she seemed to have no special place in this family. Therefore, she desperately wanted her father's approval, but—

From the beginning, she was redundant and kept in the dark. So no matter what she did, it was ineffective. In this environment, influenced by your desire-filled values, Aranija became what she is today.

The taciturn Hisenia understood this clearly. Though her second sister was gifted and intelligent, she was born with a single-minded focus on herself. Alone, she could do nothing to change her fate. This was true of her own fate, and also of Araniah's character. Stunning her and sending her out of the city was the last thing she could do.

Yes, she had always valued family affection. But it was limited to her two visible sisters, perhaps simply because they were born into such unfortunate families, and she could empathize with them. She always appeared loyal to her parents, appearing incredibly powerful to outsiders, but she had never truly lived for herself.

How many people must she kill to escape her fate? She already knew the answer: perhaps never. She had no way of defying her father. She had only once, at thirteen, to protect a doll beloved by then-nine-year-old Marenia. Ever since then, she had personally learned her own powerlessness.

In other words, there is power but nowhere to use it.

Since the previous battle, she had already experienced this on a physical level. Bai Lin's combat thinking was so far beyond her imagination that even when they both unleashed their abilities, which they had originally intended to hide from Ni Lu, the situation barely improved at all.

These words spoken by this monster in human skin actually shed light on this battle and also inexplicably touched upon his own life.

Her heart was inexplicably struck by this, yet Hisenia instantly wiped away the slight trace of fatigue from her eyes. She understood that the other party had chosen to bring them here because they were confident in their close combat. She had always been adept with the long sword and tower shield, but in this space, she could not exert any of her advantages and was already at a disadvantage.

But what does it matter? If we're in a critical situation and don't know why we're fighting, do we have to give up?

It was obvious that Hisenia had given her response. She took her stance and threw herself into the battle.

Although both wore partial armor, this was undoubtedly the most intense collision of flesh against flesh. The magic within the golden tree's roots shook violently, and the rhizomes that opened up in the underground courtyard flickered violently with wave after wave of continuous vibrations.

The back-and-forth close combat brought a long-awaited surge of excitement to Hisenia's blood. It wasn't so much a fight as it was a one-sided assault. Bai Lin's attacks always found their way from the most cunning angles, inflicting damage just enough to disrupt the opponent's thoughts. And each time, he managed to find the perfect way to thwart the enemy's attack.

Her fist shadows swept across the wall, leaving a series of dents. But even though Bai Lin's uppercut hit Hisenia's face, completely shattering her own gauntlet, it didn't cause any blood to flow from the corner of her mouth.

Indeed, even under attack, Hisenia, having entered a new state, still held a physical advantage. Once she realized this, she instantly launched a counterattack. She took two punches and quickly grabbed Bai Lin. Bai Lin quickly understood, leaning forward and kicking Hisenia, knocking her off balance. Then, stepping back, he delivered another kick to the face.

Bai Lin seemed to be maintaining her advantage, but she knew full well that if this continued, something would happen sooner or later. Even if she believed she wouldn't make a single mistake, her execution was far too slow. The damage her flesh could inflict on Hisnaya was limited. The space was small, and if she was caught by surprise, Bai Lin had no doubt her body would be easily broken and ripped apart.

Therefore, what we need to consider now is to quickly eliminate the opponent. However, in such a space, the weapons we can choose are too limited. And...

There's no chance to draw weapons.

Hisenia used her face to forcibly dislodge Bai Lin's foot. Half her head was embedded in the thick wall of the stairwell, yet she acted as if nothing had happened. She crossed her arms and grabbed Bai Lin directly. The forward lunge left Bai Lin little room to dodge. Bai Lin gritted his teeth, forced to engage in a ground fight.

Although she had been in control of the battle since it began, the remaining two looked like they were being beaten by her.

Chapter 1025 Give Me a Reason Not to Kill You

But Bai Lin knew full well that she was under considerable pressure. Before the two activated their hidden abilities, she had hoped to fight as quickly and decisively as possible, sparing no personal damage. But once that power was revealed, it was no longer a question of personal damage. Even if she unleashed the Dragon Slaying Spear, she couldn't guarantee she could secure the victory.

Leading the opponent to this ladder box might seem like a way to distance him from his Platinum home turf, but in reality, it was a helpless move. Here, to a certain extent, it would prevent Marennia from intervening in the battle. If she continued to bombard Bai Lin with such a constant barrage of blows, it would also cause Bai Lin immense headaches.

What's more, that may not be Marlennia's maximum power output.

In the eyes of the other party, Bai Lin was unreasonably strong. And in Bai Lin's eyes, weren't they also powerful enemies? Only she could feel the full extent of the pressure.

Regardless of whether the enemy was thorny or not, or strong or not, she only needed to consider one thing: to deal with it without hesitation. So what if they were too strong for her to defeat? Even if the world was completely dark, the enemy was too powerful to have a single flaw, and she had no chance, she would not retreat. Instead, she would persevere in her own way until the opportunity presented itself.

Suddenly, the gravity within the elevator box began to spin. From its initial stalled descent, it seemed to have completely lost its trajectory, crashing into the inner walls. The two people within the box were naturally unable to maintain their original attacking stance.

This sudden incident undoubtedly disrupted the battle. The one who acted was none other than Marenia, who was above. She had no means of observing the depths of the earth. She also didn't dare attack the golden tree itself. So, she resorted to using the tree's magical power to disrupt the situation.

In her opinion, although her sister was powerful, being imprisoned here was undoubtedly a trapped beast fighting against Bai Lin, which was disadvantageous. In Marennia's heart, the shadow cast by Bai Lin was too great. Even if she felt timid, she dared not run away without doing anything.

This behavior resulted in—

It was Bai Lin's somewhat impudent smile.

Look, isn't the opportunity here?

The center of gravity would constantly shift depending on the situation on the ladder box, which was undoubtedly a huge advantage for Bai Lin, who was already adept at center of gravity. When Hisenaya finally regained her balance after stumbling twice, she saw a fist encased in machinery, spurting flames, charging towards her face.

Rather than saying it’s just one fist, it’s better to say it’s ten thousand pairs of fists.

The one-sided assault continued. Bai Lin bounced and spun in the elevator, repeatedly striking the same person with his fists. This time, the blows hitting him were no ordinary fists. Even someone with Hisenaya's strength would have struggled to withstand such a continuous barrage.

At first, she tried to struggle a few times, but the blows never stopped for any reason, instead becoming more intense as Bai Lin's heat grew. Within seconds, she was completely focused on protecting her body. Hisenaya gave up the pointless resistance.

The battle wasn't over yet, but she already understood her own fate. Just like a dark ladder box falling endlessly, it would inevitably reach its only destination.

Finally, the box ladder crashed heavily to the ground. Its shape was slightly distorted by the excessive impact, but the rectangular door finally opened.

A dim light shone into the previously enclosed space. Bai Lin raised his hands, about to drop them, but Hisenaya's action stopped him. He raised his hands above his head, like a pause in a musical performance, bringing the battle to a halt.

Her eyes were clear and her expression was calm, showing no trace of sadness or joy. But what was certain was that at this moment, she was holding genuine emotions.

"I surrender."

Such words came out of her mouth sincerely, but the strength implied in her expression did not wane in the slightest. In the first instant, Bai Lin's fist landed heavily on Hisenaya's ear, making a dent in the ground.

"Give me a reason not to kill you, and I will only give you one chance."

She stared at him intently, clearly not having time for nonsense. Her tone was filled with intimidation, as if she was about to strike out with all her might and end his life. Feeling the pressure from Bai Lin, Hisenaya, already exhausted from the battle, began to gasp for breath. But she quickly replied,

"Nilu, the master of this place is my sister and I, and the father of the person just above. We were born with the fate of death."

"Simply put, if we die, his power will be strengthened. Therefore, we are not loyal to him."

She quickly summarized the key points of the incident and recounted them to Bai Lin. A flicker of thought flashed across Bai Lin's eyes. She fumbled for something behind her waist, then swiftly thrust her hand directly into the man's heart.

Due to the surrounding environment, Bai Lin's movements were difficult to predict, a fact Hisnaiya had clearly sensed during the previous battle. By this point, she had lost much of her vigilance and was naturally struck. The intense sting, coupled with the feeling of life fading, caused her body to twitch slightly. As she tried to resist, Bai Lin clamped down on her hand.

"Don't move, or I'll really kill you."

She said this quickly, then pulled her blood-stained hands away. Then, from her palms, she pulled out a multi-faceted, white-gold, transparent crystal core.

"No wonder. I said the poet took me to that city. It couldn't be just to give Xiao Nuo abilities, but also to declare war on you. I didn't expect this thing to be used here."

"You two have been living off this core, right? Because the king you're talking about doesn't have the qualifications to become a god in one step, you've resorted to this kind of cheating."

That's right, Ni Lu was not qualified. So he divided the power of God among them, and after he completed the ritual, he would take it back from the two of them.

Because of this thing's existence, the two of them couldn't do anything to disobey Your will. If it weren't for the fact that the carrier of this divine authority also required certain conditions, the two of them wouldn't have possessed consciousness. And their strength also came from this.

Chapter 1026 Can this thing be eaten?

Because they were given divine power, they could also connect to the gene pool of the golden tree, mobilize it, and thus strengthen themselves. However, Nilu was not aware of this fact, and they also concealed it.

However, even if they mastered a portion of the power, they knew they could not resist the enemy. Their own strength alone was far from enough, so -

"You want to see if I can defeat the owner of this place."

Bai Lin quickly grasped the other party's intention, and Hisenaya nodded silently. The wound Bai Lin had touched was gradually absorbing the platinum that had fallen nearby, healing. Even if Bai Lin replaced this crucial core with something else, her inherent racial ability would still be there.

"Honestly, for this reason... I really want to kill you, and—"

Suddenly, Bai Lin quickly stood up and thrust his hand into the wall behind him, drawing a scream. Marennia's figure gradually emerged, and Bai Lin's hand struck her squarely in the heart. She quickly pulled out the core and tossed her to the ground nearby.

"And your ignorant sister. You two really took up a lot of my time because of your affairs."

"Kill me or chop me up, it's all up to you. I've already anticipated that anyone who can defeat him might not let me go. The moment I surrender, my life will no longer be in my hands."

Hisenia acted very calmly, and her attitude did not seem to fluctuate at all. Bai Lin gritted her teeth, with an inexplicable look on her face. She kicked the twitching Marenia next to her, and then said,

"Stop talking nonsense and tell me where they are!"

"Okay, okay, I say, stop fighting, stop fighting, big sister! Isn't this the bottom? If you walk out, you will reach the center of the earth. Just jump in. Although there is magic at the ends of those branches, the actual portal is the top of the tree. After all, this is not a regular magic spell, so there is no magic flow. Just jump in, and it will be fine!"

To show her sincerity, Marennia even explained the distribution of magic power. She didn't want to offend this gentleman again. Bai Lin was calm, patted her butt, and left. She threw the two cores directly into her mouth.

"Wait, you can't eat that! We've been constantly tweaking our bodies to be able to withstand that perfectly. You won't be able to handle it—"

Hisenia screamed immediately, but Bai Lin was chewing it crisply. After moving his body strangely, he walked forward calmly and waved his hand.

This astonishing scene left Hisenia dumbfounded. Thinking of Bai Lin's appearance, those golden eyes were even purer than Mi Lu's. That strange power, that feeling of being able to "take on everything." Could it be...

Are we perfect people just a clumsy imitation of her perfection?

"Ni Lu didn't come back to find us, so they might still be fighting hard over there. You have to be careful, there was a Dusk God who cooperated with us before, so the situation might change——"

Without giving Bai Lin time to think about it, Hisenia reminded him again. However, Bai Lin had already disappeared. Hesnaya felt a sense of loss, but her initial anxiety soon relaxed.

"Sister, why did you remind her?! She's already taken our core, and now we're free. Even if Nilu can come back alive, can't we just run away to another continent first? If we change our race a little, he'll never find us."

Marennia was puzzled. After all, she'd been beaten. Though surviving was a blessing, the person was gone. She had to maintain her composure, and naturally, her emotions wouldn't subside. Hisnaia took a deep breath, glanced at Marennia, and then looked toward the corridor formed by the golden tree roots.

"I don't know why. Maybe it's just because she really helped us."

"Huh? It's okay for her to be a pushover, but when did you become like that, sister?"

"Then I want to ask you, when did you start calling me sister so naturally? And why did you turn back just now? I could clearly feel that you had already activated the teleportation spell and were ready to escape."

Hisenia turned around, stared at Marenia, and asked in a rather oppressive tone,

"When did you become like this?"

Marennia was speechless for a moment, hesitating a bit, but she quickly put the matter aside and turned her head away. Meanwhile, Hisenia sat up, and she helped Marennia to slowly stand up.

Today, they could finally leave this dangerous place. They had accepted help from a force that had been their enemy only minutes before, and watched a dynasty that had been so glorious yesterday reduced to ruin in a single day. When the shackles were removed in an instant, a dreamlike feeling came over Hisnea.