Witnessing this scene, Changsheng found it somewhat hard to believe. "My Lord's mind seems to have been affected by this filth."
The power contained within this black mist was yet another completely unknown energy she had encountered, second only to the moonlight stones.
However, unlike the moonlight stones, which required close contact to induce disorder, a mere glance at this black mist from afar was enough to dredge up the deepest loathing and chills from the bottom of one's heart. It was filled with wickedness.
Columbina watched the writhing black mud attempting to devour the moonlight fragments, a surge of intense worry rising within her. She feared her power would be utterly consumed by this hideous entity.
"I want to retrieve them quickly..." Her voice carried a note of urgency.
Although Coppelia was also daunted by this eerie spectacle, she swiftly suppressed her shock and regained her composure. Without a word, she grabbed Columbina's wrist.
"We will retrieve those stones immediately!"
"I will help," Changsheng responded without hesitation.
The three immediately rose into the air, flying directly above the black mud in the corner of the lotus pond. Changsheng formed hand seals, and pure adeptal power surged forth to wash over the roiling black mist; Coppelia invoked searing Pyro elemental energy, weaving flames and adeptal power into a net, striving to disperse the dense darkness.
Although their power was far less effective against the black mist than the moonlight and the efficiency was lower, with the two of them going all out, the massive black mud soaking in the pool water—constantly twisting and writhing—eventually broke free from the shroud of the black mist temporarily, exposing itself completely to their view.
Columbina saw her chance and immediately activated her authority.
The peculiar moonlight stones deeply "nailed" into the black mud hummed in unison. Immediately, they broke free from their restraints, transforming into streaks of moonlight. They extracted themselves from the black mud, flew into the air, and rapidly gathered around her body. Dozens of fragments, large and small, revolved around her like stars embracing the moon.
However, without the suppression of the moonlight stones, the mass of black mud suddenly expanded violently! Even denser black mist, almost materializing into substance, gushed out from within like floodwater bursting a dam!
"Retreat, quickly!" Coppelia shouted in a low voice.
The very second Columbina grasped the final stone, the three of them flew backward at high speed.
Just as they steadied themselves at the entrance of the passage they had come from, they looked back to see that the surging black mist had completely inundated the lotus pond at the bottom of the abode and all the stone bridges. Only the upper halves of the taller pavilions remained visible. The black mist did not pause; it persistently spread upward, devouring all light and matter.
Changsheng looked at Columbina, whose face was slightly pale, and spoke with a grave tone: "We must completely purge this filth."
Columbina nodded vigorously. "I'll be quick!"
Having said that, she hesitated no longer, fully absorbing the moonlight power contained within the dozens of fragments circling her. The glow of the fragments dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye, while the power contained within them flowed continuously into Columbina's body.
The black mist above was still closing in. The three were forced to retreat step by step, moving back along the winding passage they came from until they neared the end of the tunnel, beside the pool where the clear spring bubbled.
In the instant before the black mist could touch the hem of their clothes, Columbina finally finished absorbing the power from the last fragment!
Immediately afterward, the moonlight around her body shone brilliantly as she mobilized the surging power within her.
Cold, pure moonlight radiated from her, enveloping an area of nearly ten meters around her. The light almost condensed into a solid substance, seemingly flowing like a layer of hazy water mist.
Wherever the moonlight touched, the roiling black mist vanished instantly, emitting a faint sizzling sound like snow under the sun.
"Let's go clean that thing up," Columbina said firmly, her voice carrying a trace of exhaustion.
She took the lead, stepping forward. Wherever she passed, the black mist in the passage was thoroughly purified and cleared away.
Changsheng and Coppelia did not remain idle either; they utilized adeptal power and Pyro elemental energy to join in the purification.
After leaving the passage, Columbina ascended directly into the mid-air of the abode. At this moment, the moonlight emanating from her became even more magnificent, resembling a bright, full moon descending upon this world!
Its radiance even outshone the light-emitting minerals at the top of the abode, instantly dispelling the thick black mist shrouding the lotus pond, leaving it nowhere to hide.
In the corner of the pool, the mass of black mud, now devoid of the moonlight stones' suppression and still writhing madly, was exposed beneath the moonlight. Its movements became even more violent and twisted.
Columbina advanced further, landing lightly on the surface of the water beside the black mud, her toes creating no ripples. She gathered all the moonlight around her, condensing it into an incredibly focused pillar of pure white light, and shone it precisely onto that massive lump of black mud!
"Sizzle—!"
The surface of the black mud instantly resembled boiling oil in a pan; it boiled violently, rolling and emitting countless thick bubbles, stirring up chaotic ripples on the pool water. Ear-piercing noises emanated from within.
Disregarding the immense mental exhaustion, Columbina continued to increase her power output. The moonlight became even purer!
"BOOM!!!"
Accompanied by a muffled explosion, the stubborn black mud finally could not withstand the purification of the moonlight. It burst apart violently, turning into countless splashing droplets of black viscous liquid, which then swiftly melted in the moonlight, eventually annihilating completely and vanishing without a trace.
This unreserved "high-power" output caused Columbina to feel an unprecedented fatigue.
As the light faded, her face was somewhat pale and her body swayed slightly. She immediately flew to a stone bridge above the water that was still intact, sat down leaning against the cold railing, and panted slightly.
The scene just now reminded Coppelia of the max-level Lumenstone Adjuvant in The Chasm.
But she did not dwell on the thought. Seeing Columbina so exhausted, she immediately rushed to the bridge with Changsheng to regroup.
"It should be... completely cleared away..." Columbina said softly. "I helped you, right?"
Coppelia stepped forward and held her slightly cold hand. "Thank you. You've worked hard."
Changsheng also asked with concern, "Is your body alright?"
"Just tired," Columbina shook her head. "No other sensations."
Hearing this, Changsheng felt slightly relieved. She then turned around, went to the corner of the pool where the black mud had been entrenched, and bent down to search carefully.
Without much effort, she sensed unusual energy fluctuations among the silt and gravel at the bottom of the pool. She used adeptal power to retrieve the objects emitting faint light one by one.
They were various types of ores, differing in color and texture, but without exception, they all constantly radiated fluctuations of the Archon power belonging to her Lord. Judging from Changsheng's memory, these ores were clearly not native to this place.
Changsheng piled these ores containing divine power on the bridge nearby, forming a small heap.
Subsequently, she calmed her mind and carefully probed with adeptal power, sensing the power sealed within the ores. She was quite familiar with this power; it was the residue of the divine power her Lord used to weave dreams.
She guided her adeptal power, cautiously peeling this remnant dream power away from the ores.
The divine power gathered above her palm, finally forming a slightly trembling bubble about the size of a bowl.
Changsheng immediately noticed that the color of this dream bubble was extremely unusual.
It was not like the beautiful dreams, gorgeous as rainbows, that her Lord usually wove. Instead, it presented a deep, inky black. Upon this ink-black surface flowed multicolored but incredibly dim and twisted threads of light.
This was a nightmare, a nightmare filled with pain.
___
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