Chapter 415: Engagement
Translator: AnubisTL
After a brief exchange, Jieming and Anya quickly reached a consensus.
The predicament before them seemed daunting, but when broken down, it consisted of only two parts: the core sixth-tier light-cluster lord and its vast but individually weak light-cluster legion.
I came out this time for a technical exchange, so I brought limited combat units, Jieming thought to himself. Only two Black Giant Priests are permanently stationed in my internal space. However, that should be enough to deal with the core target.
After all, as special mutants, Black Giant Priests were born at the sixth tier, possessing extremely high intelligence and exclusive abilities.
Two Priests working together had an extremely high chance of capturing a newly advanced elemental creature of the same tier whose realm had not yet stabilized.
The difficulty lay in creating an undisturbed “one-on-one” environment for the Priests.
Hearing Jieming’s brief summary of his own combat power, Anya was astonished but also quickly understood.
“Then our mission is to clear the field and provide cover,” Anya said, her voice calm. “Block those minions and don’t let them interfere with the… Black Giant Priests’ actions. Also…”
She paused, then added, “If conditions allow, I think we should try to capture as many of these ordinary light-clusters alive as possible. Grandmother Starfall would likely be interested in their collective behavior and social structure.”
“Agreed,” Jieming replied. “You cut in from the outside, create chaos, and draw away some of their forces. But don’t rush. I’ll create a ‘signal’ from the inside first to nail the core target’s attention firmly on me, preventing it from noticing your approach immediately and launching a surprise attack.”
“Understood. I’ve reached the upper fissure and am ready. Awaiting your signal,” Anya replied.
As for what the signal would be…
Jieming’s gaze pierced through the membrane of phase space, locking onto the sixth-tier light-cluster lord below, its form a swirling mass of light and surging energy.
It was still relentlessly searching for the “intruder” from before, its radiance sweeping every inch of the cave like a searchlight, its vigilance at its peak.
Now!
The moment the enemy’s search cycle ended, Jieming’s eyes narrowed, and his figure in phase space suddenly surged forward!
A torrent of data flooded his mind. Utilizing the computational offloading of the Five Aggregates Rainbow Transformation Mirror, Jieming pushed his phase shift speed to its absolute limit.
His entire form blurred into a phantom shadow, too fast for the eye to track, as he hurtled straight toward the core of the light-cluster lord!
While phase-shifting, he occupied a different spatial plane from the main plane, theoretically allowing him to pass through any physical entity.
Yet, the phase space was a temporary, artificial construct simulating real space, meaning its “shape” was theoretically identical to the external space it occupied.
The moment his “phantom” trajectory perfectly overlapped with the light-cluster lord’s “physical” form—a core teeming with terrifying energy—
Vroom!!!
A violent spatial repulsion erupted!
The light-cluster lord was no mere accumulation of energy. Its core contained the Spirituality Law imprinted during its enlightenment, as well as the sixth-tier life status it had just attained. This made its very existence a stabilizing “anchor” for the surrounding space.
Jieming’s high-speed, close-range phase penetration was like trying to force a thin veil through a mass of scorching, viscous lava. It triggered violent friction and turbulence across the spatial dimensions.
A piercing sound of shattering echoed in Jieming’s mind—not a physical sound, but the feedback of the spatial structure itself groaning in agony.
The temporary phase space he had constructed, unable to withstand the “discrepancy” with the real space as it passed through the light-cluster lord’s “physical” form, completely collapsed!
Jieming’s body was violently “squeezed” out of the phase space, reappearing in the main plane just a short distance behind the Light-Cluster Lord.
At the exact instant the phase space completely collapsed and merged back into the main plane, a violent spatial shearing force—generated by the intersection of the two spatial planes and impossible to eliminate by any conventional means—erupted along the path Jieming had just traversed.
Spatial Slash!
A pitch-black, silent, narrow fissure that seemed to devour light itself materialized out of thin air across the Light-Cluster Lord’s “waist.”
The fissure vanished in a flash, but the damage it wrought was starkly visible: the Light-Cluster Lord’s massive, luminous body had been cleanly “severed” into upper and lower halves by the spatial fault.
At the severed edge, light flared chaotically, and energy gushed out like a burst dam.
“ROAR!!!”
An earth-shattering spiritual roar swept through the entire cave. It wasn’t a sound, but a pure assault on the soul.
The roar was filled with agony, fury, and disbelief.
The Light-Cluster Lord’s light flickered violently as the two severed halves rapidly drew together. Countless filaments of light extended from the severed surfaces, attempting to reconnect.
This was the nature of elemental creatures. While the sight was terrifying, such a physical severing was not a fatal blow.
As long as their core and energy supply remained intact, elemental creatures could regenerate rapidly.
But this sudden, devastating blow had undoubtedly disrupted its rhythm, causing immense pain and energy loss.
Jieming’s precise and ruthless strike had successfully maxed out the aggro of the Light-Cluster Lord and its entire legion!
The attention of every single light-cluster was now locked onto this “ugly flesh monster” who had suddenly appeared and severely wounded their “King”!
“Now’s the time!”
Anya’s eyes lit up. She knew this was the signal Jieming had promised.
Almost the instant the Light-Cluster Lord roared in fury, the shadows on the cave ceiling above erupted!
Anya’s figure materialized like a ghost. Without a moment’s hesitation, she threw her arms wide, her body erupting with a dense, vibrant Nature Spirit-Light!
“Hear my call, my companions!”
As she sang her clear, resonant command, countless Nature Spirits of all shapes and forms surged from her body—Thunderlight Sprites as swift as lightning, Rock Guards as sturdy as mountains, vine spirit that entwined with fluid grace, and Fire Elemental Spirits that crackled with explosive heat…
Like soldiers receiving their orders, they roared downward, charging toward the light-cluster army that was already beginning to swarm Jieming.
A massive wave of elemental spirits slammed into the outermost light-clusters, triggering a chain reaction of energy explosions and blinding flashes of light.
The impact shattered the light-cluster legion’s formation, drawing its focus away and relieving the pressure Jieming was about to face.
Just as the light-cluster lord, consumed by agony and rage, locked its energy and spirit onto Jieming for a thunderous counterattack…
Two figures—pitch-black, gaunt, and seemingly forged from the deepest shadows—materialized silently at its sides.
Standing barely two meters tall, they were dwarfed by the colossal light-cluster lord. Their bodies were coated in a flowing layer of black liquid metal that devoured all surrounding light, leaving only their eye sockets to glimmer with a cold, rational spiritual light.
The Black Giant Priests had descended.
(End of the Chapter)