Chapter 146: Rest
Every monster touched by the radiance screamed as its form disintegrated into ash, leaving behind faint, glittering motes that floated upward before fading into nothingness.
The entire chamber became a sea of golden light.
But the Anchor wasn’t done yet.
From the deepest part of the pit, something stirred, massive, ancient, and furious.
The light dimmed as the ground split open once more.
An enormous claw emerged, followed by another, dragging forth a creature unlike anything Ling Yu had ever seen. It was ten stories tall, its body formed of molten crystal and blackened bone, its face half-human, half-dragon, with a crown of jagged horns.
Its chest glowed faintly, right where the Anchor’s core had been.
"So that’s your heart," Ling Yu murmured.
The beast let out a guttural roar that shattered nearby pillars. Its voice wasn’t just sound; it was a psychic wave that rippled through her mind, making her vision blur for a split second.
"You... will... not... defy... the Source... your... Origin... lies... with..."
She gritted her teeth, clutching her temples. "So that’s what you call yourself? Then let’s end this for once and all."
The beast lunged, its claws tearing through the air. She dodged, rolling across the ground as a massive impact shook the entire chamber.
Chunks of debris rained down, smashing into the floor.
Ling Yu’s movements became faster and sharper as she darted from shadow to shadow, waiting for an opening.
When the beast reared back to strike again, she leapt forward, her blades spinning in a flurry of motion. She slashed at its arm, the force of her strike cutting deep into its crystalline flesh.
Sparks exploded.
The wound hissed, but instead of bleeding, it released streams of liquid light that splashed across the floor, burning through the stone like acid.
She jumped back immediately, avoiding the corrosive flow.
"Great. Self-regenerating acid blood. Just perfect."
The creature howled, slamming both fists down. The shockwave sent her flying. She twisted midair, landing painfully on one knee, coughing blood.
Her vision swam.
The divine energy in her body was nearly depleted. Her internal circuits screamed from overuse.
But she couldn’t stop.
If she failed now, the monsters would break through to the surface. The fortress, the people, Song, Xie Lingzhou, and everyone would die.
Ling Yu looked down at her blades. They flickered weakly, their cores almost spent.
She had one last option, a forbidden technique she hadn’t used since her regression. A method that would channel her life force directly into the weapon’s soul, multiplying its power at the cost of her own vitality.
It was just like the skill Copycat, and she needs to pay a penalty every time she uses this skill.
Her hand trembled slightly as she spoke to herself, "It’s been a while since I used this... hasn’t it?"
She smiled faintly, though there was no humor in it.
With a deep breath, she pressed the blades together, crossing them over her heart.
[Activating Starheart Invocation— Soulburn (SS)]
A burning pain surged through her chest, spreading through every vein. Her aura flared violently, shifting from gold to white-blue, her body outlined in light. Her hair lifted as raw energy crackled across her skin.
For an instant, she became something more than mortal.
She could feel everything: the vibrations in the air, the monsters’ heartbeats, even the slow pulse of the massive beast before her.
The creature roared again, raising its claws to crush her.
She moved.
Her figure blurred, appearing in front of the beast before its claws could fall. She slashed both blades in an X-shaped arc across its chest, cutting through the glowing core within.
The explosion that followed shattered the air.
The shockwave threw debris in all directions, splitting the floor open. The beast howled in agony, its body convulsing as fissures spread through its crystalline form.
But even as it fell, black energy began to gather again, trying to reform.
Ling Yu didn’t give it a chance.
Her blades crossed once more, gathering all remaining light into their edges. The runes etched along her arms flared until her skin almost tore.
She screamed, not in pain, but in sheer defiance, and drove her blades straight into the beast’s core.
"Return to nothing!"
The explosion this time was blinding. A shockwave of divine energy erupted outward, obliterating the remaining monsters and disintegrating the last fragments of corruption.
The beast’s roar echoed one final time before its body crumbled into dust, scattering into the wind.
And then, everything fell into silence.
Ling Yu fell to her knees, gasping. Her blades dissolved into motes of light, returning to their resting form.
The golden fire faded from her body, leaving her pale and trembling. Her life force flickered weakly, like a candle struggling to stay lit.
But she was alive.
The chamber was collapsing, yet she smiled faintly.
"It’s... done."
When the dust finally settled, faint rays of dawn filtered through the cracks above.
The divine energy that had been bound within the Anchor spread across the city, purifying what corruption remained. The air felt lighter, freer.
Ling Yu’s body swayed as she stood, every movement agony. She stumbled toward the collapsed stairs, dragging her half-broken form upward.
As she reached the surface, the fortress came into view. The hunters she had chosen were waiting; Xie Lingzhou was among them.
When he saw her, his eyes widened. "Ling Yu—!"
He ran forward, catching her just before she fell.
She laughed softly, weakly. "Told you not to come down there."
"You think I’d listen to that?" he snapped, his voice shaking. "You look like death itself."
"Feels... about right," she murmured.
Her vision blurred as she looked toward the horizon. The crimson tint in the sky was fading, replaced by pale morning light.
The city was safe.
As Xie Lingzhou carried her toward the infirmary, she felt it again, a faint whisper in her mind.
"You’ve slain my vessels, but not my will. The chain is broken, the gate is ajar."