Even with half his spiritual power severed, the remnant strength of the Heretics elder was still formidable, arguably superior to Yao's own. Could she truly withstand his final, desperate assault?
He still possessed the power to kill her.
But Yao denied him even that chance.
Arcane Lock!
The elder's pupils trembled. Arcane Lock?"You... you are...!" A name flashed in his mind, but Yao gave him no time to speak. She unleashed the full force of her four merged Fields simultaneously. Mirror World + Gravitation + Natural Restoration + World of Wind— layered, synergized, achieving perfect control!
Under the stifling effect of the Arcane Lock, even with attributes double her own, what could he do? Trapped within the nexus of four interlocking Fields, his overwhelming power was rendered useless.
Kill him!
Yao manipulated gravity, creating a violent differential. She increased her own weight five hundredfold, anchoring herself to the depths, while applying an equal opposing force, yanking his body upward as if hooked by an invisible crane. Simultaneously, her hands moved, tendrils, vines, and threads of golden light erupting and weaving into a strangling lasso. With a flash of her body, the lasso snaked out with unerring precision, wrapping around the elder's neck. A potent toxin, refined by Yao, immediately seeped through the magical defenses of his armor, corroding a critical juncture. The golden cord touched the flesh of his throat.
Unable to summon any protective Principles, the elder could only rely on his innate physical resilience. Under normal circumstances, Yao might have struggled to breach it. But now, she held every advantage: timing, terrain, and preparation.
With a fierce, decisive pull, Yao brought her hands down. Harden. Sever. Plummet.
CRACK!
The gruesome sound of vertebrae grinding and fracturing echoed unnaturally through the water. The elder's tongue lolled, his eyes bulged grotesquely, blood vessels bursting in the whites, his face contorted into a mask of agony and disbelief. His hands, almost of their own volition, clawed at the water in a futile, final gesture of regret.
Yao saw it. The Arcane Lock would last three seconds. For him, these three seconds were a death sentence. Yet, his remaining spiritual energy coalesced into one last, vicious intent.
A Soul Sacrifice!
A desperate, final act to drag his killer down with him. A vengeful and despairing psionic hymn slammed into Yao's consciousness as the elder's spirit and flesh separated at the moment of death. His spirit fled upward, while his physical form, through some dark ritual, ignited its own blood, forcibly overcoming the last dregs of the Arcane Lock. Before the flesh could fully expire... BOOM!
His body exploded into a fine mist of blood and tissue, which immediately dissolved into the ley line's metallic flow. The very liquid around Yao transformed, becoming a pressurized, volatile conduit for this final sacrifice, primed to detonate.
Yao knew evasion was impossible. Her expression tightened, but her movements were swift. One hand snatched the pouch that materialized from the elder's disintegrating form while the other gestured. She retreated into the core of her Four Fields, simultaneously drawing upon the stored energy of the remaining Dragon-Armored Stingers she had absorbed, channeling it through Little Huang and the Rakshasa Vines to bolster her defenses.
BOOOOM!
The sustained shockwave of the sacrificial blast crashed against her Four Fields. The defensive layers shattered one after another under the immense force—the Mirror World fractured, the World of Wind was torn asunder. But the true terror of the Infinite Flow revealed itself: their symbiotic nature. The moment one Field failed, another lent its energy to its regeneration. The Natural Restoration Field poured vitality into the World of Wind, allowing it to momentarily reform and absorb another wave of impact. When the Gravitational Field finally buckled, it had already converted and diverted a significant portion of the kinetic energy. The residual force that struck Yao's body was severe, but no longer instantly lethal. Her enhanced regeneration, supercharged by the Stinger energy, flared to life, knitting flesh and bone almost as fast as they were damaged. The moment one Field regenerated, she poured her will into recreating the others...
Five seconds later, an eerie calm returned to the subterranean depths. Within the slowly stabilizing Four Fields, Yao was pale, trembling slightly. One hand clutched the acquired pouch, the other pressed against her left eye, which pulsed with a strange, warm energy as it regenerated. She let out a long, slow breath, the sound harsh in the sudden silence.
"Ding. Level 60 Ley Line Controller Quinn slain. Experience +... Level +2."
She was now Level 37.
She had won, but it was a pyrrhic victory. There was no time to inspect the pouch. While focusing on recovery, she propelled herself upward, towards the seventh layer.
Seventh Layer.
The soul of Quinn, offered in sacrifice, had merged with the Dragon-Armored Stinger Queen. At the seventh layer entrance, the situation was dire. Elixir, having narrowly survived a treacherous backstab from the 'familiar stranger,' was severely wounded. He managed to escape into the seventh layer proper, with the others pouring in after him.
They were met with the sight of the level 58, peak Blue-grade Boss. While a Blue-grade Boss wasn't unheard of for this group, the Dragon-Armored Stinger was a different breed—one of the most powerful insectoid races, further enhanced by the consumed essence of fallen experts and now undergoing a terrible mutation. The 'familiar stranger,' drawing on his knowledge of the dungeon's original parameters, was calmly directing Wuxu and the others in their assault. They had only managed to deplete 10% of its health bar.
Then, the ripple of Quinn's sacrifice from below arrived. Simultaneously, the remaining 70% of the Stinger swarm, now free from the ley line confines, erupted onto the seventh layer. This massive surge of energy didn't target the players; instead, it streamed towards a ruined pit behind the Stinger Queen.
Even without the 'familiar stranger's' warning, everyone understood. Something ancient and powerful was being nurtured there. If it awakened, they would all perish.
"Break through! Now!"
"Charge!"
A desperate rush ensued. The 'familiar stranger,' bolstered by his Orange-grade Blackstone Flash Serpent, was fastest, a blur of motion. Close behind were Czech, Wuxu, and Carolodiel. At this moment of existential threat, they held nothing back, merging with their pets and unleashing their ultimate abilities, their combined aura skyrocketing to a temporary threshold of three million. The four of them shot past the flanks of the roaring Stinger Queen, aiming straight for the ruin to cut off the energy flow.
But before they could get close, an icy dread crawled up their spines. The Stinger Queen, now housing Quinn's soul, was mutating! A blue radiance around it intensified, suddenly laced with threads of Orange light!
It's evolving! It's reaching Orange grade!
Its body twist violently. Its tail elongated and split, becoming a monstrous, living whip. With a speed akin to teleportation, the whip lashed out, striking all four figures who had dared to pass it.
CRACK!
The sound was like thunder. All four were sent flying like cannonballs, smashing into distant walls and the ground.
Czech suffered the worst impact, his body bouncing across the stone floor like a skipped stone, leaving a series of craters. He rose, blood streaming down his face, a roar of pure fury erupting from his lips. "AAAAH! You've angered me now!"
A terrifying transformation overtook him. His body twisted and expanded, his racial talent triggering. He swelled into a towering, bipedal Pirate Rat King, his attributes instantly surpassing everyone else present. His rapier pointed, and with a thrust that seemed to pierce space itself, he targeted a specific, vulnerable spot on the Queen's tail.
A jet of yellow-green fluid erupted from the wound, accidentally spraying Carolodiel, who had just climbed out of a crater.
Carolodiel: "!!!"
"Save the curses! That guy broke through! Cover him!" Wuxu roared. The group rallied their firepower. Now was not the time for individual glory or calculating contribution points. Failure meant death. This wasn't a safe academy simulation; there was no exit.
They could only hope the 'familiar stranger' could succeed. As he neared the edge of the ruin, arcs of electricity gathering around his hands to intercept the Stinger swarm, the newly Orange-grade Stinger Queen's back split open, revealing rows of pores.
A sonic vibration, inaudible but utterly debilitating, erupted. It wasn't a sound heard by the ears, but one that resonated directly with the brain. Every player's mind went blank, vision turning into featureless white. Dizziness and nausea overwhelmed them.
It's over. We're finished. This dungeon is insane.
The world turned white. But not for Yao. She had applied the Arcane Lockto her own eardrums moments before. A master of the Arcane Arts understands that true power lies not just in strength, but in the nuanced application of technique. This reverse-application was incredibly difficult, a feat made possible only by her newly awakened Psychic Ocular ability, which allowed her to perceive the very flow of spiritual energy and manipulate her own elemental channels with unprecedented precision.
She didn't need her right eye. Her left, the Psychic Ocular, was immune to such a crude auditory attack. While the others were blinded, she saw everything clearly. She reached the pit before the Stinger swarm, her Rakshasa Vines lashing out to snag the ancient, dismembered arm from its resting place and swiftly secure it within a specialized containment space on her person—an extradimensional pouch designed for such... sensitive materials.
The moment the arm vanished, the Stinger swarm went berserk. The Stinger Queen, feeling the ultimate violation of its purpose, forgot all other prey and focused its entire, terrifying wrath on Yao. It clawed the ground, causing the earth to heave. Thousands of metallic thorns burst from the soil. Yao spread her wings, and through her Psychic Ocular, she saw the trajectories of the Queen's spiritual energy—the paths of all its impending attacks. This was true precognition, 100% accurate.
She flitted through the storm of thorns and lashing tails like a ghost, each dodge impossibly close. The Queen, enraged by this elusive, fragile insect, intensified its attacks. After a few seconds of futile assault, it changed tactics. It opened its massive maw, and a torrent of molten metal, a veritable magma of lethal energy, spewed forth, engulfing the area where Yao had been standing.
She was vaporized.
A decoy—a cluster of tendrils.
The Queen realized its mistake too late. As it tried to close its jaws, Yao, who had flashed above the stream, plunged directly into its open mouth.
This scene was witnessed by Wuxu and the others, whose vision was just clearing.
"Who is that?"
The 'familiar stranger' was momentarily stunned, then shouted, "Its armor is impenetrable! None of us can break it from the outside! He's planning to kill it from within, probably using that arm! We need to leave. Now!"
He was the first to turn and flee. The others, though reluctant to abandon the dungeon, understood. Those stronger often made the correct judgments faster. They followed without hesitation. The remaining Arcane Masters, leaderless and unable to withstand the enraged swarm, had no choice but to retreat in a disorganized rout, pursued by the furious insects.
Within the ruins, the Stinger Queen, panicked but not without strategy, attempted to suck in a massive gulp of air, intending to create a devastating internal cyclone to shred or expel the invader.
But Yao's goal was singular. She flew straight to the core of the Queen's energy, located deep within its chest. She knew she lacked the raw power to break out from the inside before its internal defenses dissolved her. Her path was strategy, not brute force.
So, she acted.
She pulled the ancient, preserved arm from her pouch.
"This was Quinn's superior. The Queen was bound by a strict command, a rule set by Quinn to resurrect this being. A primary rule. So, what happens when commands conflict?"
Right before the internal storm could reach her, she hurled the arm directly into the Queen's core—a swirling vortex of energy desperately trying to complete its evolution to Orange grade.
Let the rules fight the rules.
Let the master's command conflict with the servant's evolution.
The core energy, operating on a base instinct to strengthen itself, greedily absorbed the arm. For a second, it surged with excitement. Then, as if recognizing the inherent authority and sanctity of the flesh it had consumed, a catastrophic feedback loop erupted. The primary rule—protect and resurrect the master—clashed violently with the act of consuming it for evolution.
A brilliant, silent light exploded from within the Queen.
Yao had already hunkered within her Four Fields, layering every defensive and regenerative technique she possessed.
As the light consumed everything, a thought flashed through Yao's mind: Quinn recognized me before he died.
This confirmed it—the TK Group and the Heretics were undoubtedly linked, their intelligence shared. The TK Group already suspected her of possessing the Arcane Lock. And resurrecting this dismembered leader was a key objective for both organizations.
Just who did this arm belong to?
When the light faded, the ruins were scorched and silent. Yao's body was a mess of regenerating flesh and raw nerve endings. She drank a potion, the liquid fiery as it soothed her damaged insides. The Infinite Flow had held, protecting her vital organs. Without it, she would have been dust.
"The old Dean was truly visionary. The Infinite Flow... is a path to near-invincibility," she whispered, a newfound respect for the original theorist filling her. If she had achieved a three or four-Field fusion, she might have emerged unscathed.
"Ding. Level 58 Orange-grade Dragon-Armored Stinger Queen slain. Experience +... Level +3. Current Level: 40."
"Ding. Resurrection of White Tower Leader's genetic remnant thwarted. Experience +... Level +5. Current Level: 45."
"Dungeon completion rate: 88%. Please wait for minor enemy clearance for final settlement..."
Yao ignored the prompts and went to loot the Queen's remains.
There were only three items, but their quality was exceptional.
Orange-Grade Pet Heart: When used on any pet, guarantees promotion to Orange grade.
Sequence Minor Celestial Script: Enhances the quality of manifested Sequence abilities. Improves the First Sequence by two tiers, the Second by one tier, and the Third by half a tier.
Dragon-Armored Stinger Queen Genetic Blood (One drop of Orange Blood): Can elevate human bloodline potency, but requires a special Gene-Crucible Elixir for safe assimilation due to racial incompatibility.
Yao stored them quickly, her eyes then falling on another object on the ground: the severed arm. It was intact. "The White Tower Leader... to survive such a rules-based annihilation..." This was a hot potato. A bargaining chip of immense value, but also a death sentence if discovered. She noticed a faint indentation on one finger, as if from a ring, but the ring itself was gone.
After a moment's thought, she fed the Orange-Grade Pet Heart to Little Huang. As the mole-like creature glowed with newfound power, evolving to Orange grade, Yao gently coaxed it to swallow the arm whole.
"Sis... I can't digest this. It's too powerful," Little Huang communicated, its voice strained.
Yao didn't need it to digest the arm, just to hide it. "I know. But you're Orange grade now. Your internal storage space, combined with our pet bond and my spatial bracer, creates three layers of concealment. Not even the TK Group should be able to detect it." Little Huang's true value wasn't combat, but its incredible storage and digestion abilities, a cornerstone of her Infinite Flow's sustainability.
While searching the rest of the ruins, her Psychic Ocular piercing through the debris, she found something else. A fragment of a black stone tablet, buried under piles of bones. Ancient, unreadable script covered it. Merely glancing at it made her eyes ache and bleed. She quickly flipped it over.
"A fragment of the Monument of Luminal Order..." she breathed, her blood running cold. "Order is the source of all genetics... The Three Orders created all races. A piece this small... it could start a war among Level 90 experts."
Now she understood the true reason for the ancient battle here. Knowledge of the Three Orders was the exclusive domain of the Royal Clan and the Temple. "Why was it here? Did this leader steal it from the Royal Clan?" She looked at the ring indentation on the arm. The ring itself must have shattered, and this fragment was what it contained. The Heretics likely only knew to resurrect the arm, unaware of the far greater treasure hidden within it—a treasure their leader would never have trusted them with.
This was an opportunity beyond comprehension, a chance to alter her genetic destiny without the astronomical cost of resources. But it was also a volcano waiting to erupt. If the arm was a hot potato, this shard was the caldera of the volcano itself.
Should she jump in? The risk was unimaginable. But the reward... was a chance to truly leap beyond the constraints of her origins.