Reincarnator Battle

"Nightingale, you got away last time. This time, you've come right to my doorstep, so you won't be so lucky!"

In Worry-Free Cave beneath the western suburbs, Xu Yue's long hair billowed, her phoenix eyes sharp. She stood in a swirling snowstorm, seemingly on the defensive, yet radiating the lofty, queenly presence of someone who looked down on all others as she pressed toward her opponent.

Her enemy was shrouded in a cloak. A right hand emerged, gripping a wand, nine and a half inches long and made of cherry wood.

At that moment, streams of pitch-black energy poured from the wand's tip, surging toward Xu Yue. The figure said not a word, showing no interest in pointless chatter.

Xu Yue appeared forceful, but inwardly she frowned, finding the situation extremely troublesome.

Her opponent went by the codename Nightingale. She was also a peak one-star powerhouse. In their last world, the two had come to blows over an item.

Back then, Nightingale had been no match for the combined might of Xu Yue and her younger brother Xu Feng. She had fled in defeat, badly wounded. Now, she had returned.

Her appearance in the imperial city that day had only been a prelude. After Xu Yue began investigating, Nightingale had set a trap using a Portkey, transporting her into Worry-Free Cave.

A Portkey was a method from the Harry Potter world. By enchanting an inconspicuous object, one could swiftly transport people from one space to another.

The most memorable example in the story was when the Triwizard Tournament's champion cup was switched for a Portkey. It took Harry and the male lead of Twilight to a graveyard, where they resurrected Voldemort. The latter, because he was so handsome, successfully got himself killed.

The Portkey Nightingale held naturally lacked that kind of power. It could only transport someone a distance of less than ten miles, but it had still lured Xu Yue into the trap, leaving her confined underground and blocking her mind-link with Xu Feng.

Xu Yue's defenses were now as solid as a fortress, and she wasn't afraid Nightingale could do anything to her.

What worried her was Xu Feng.

After trapping her, Nightingale had kept up her attacks but hadn't used any killer moves. It was obvious she was besieging one enemy to draw out the reinforcements, then picking them off one by one.

Her true killing move was probably meant for Xu Feng.

Xu Feng was strong, but he was coming here without warning. If he fell into another trap, the consequences would be unimaginable.

She silently gathered her strength, readying herself to counterattack.

Unexpectedly, Nightingale moved first. Her figure vanished.

In her place, clouds of twisting smoke appeared, drifting to and fro like Dementors and turning the cave into a veritable ghost realm.

"A magic array!"

Xu Yue immediately looked down and saw a hexagram array rising into view.

Star-ranked Reincarnators had achieved success on their chosen paths and could be considered accomplished practitioners.

Their abilities went beyond sheer destructive power. They also had all kinds of support techniques.

For example, formations, alchemy, forging, and crafting.

Only then could they carry out the missions assigned by the Main God Temple more efficiently across the Heavens.

The magic array Nightingale had drawn was designed to amplify magical power.

With this array in place, the area within a hundred meters was her absolute domain.

Having lost the initiative, Xu Yue had no choice but to act first. Her barrier of snow and ice shifted, releasing hundreds of ice spikes that shot in every direction.

The ability she possessed was Elsa's snow and ice magic from the Frozen world.

She was no match for Elsa, who could summon wind and snow at will and was born with magic. Xu Yue had cultivated her abilities step by step.

But precisely because of that, although Xu Yue couldn't sing while building a castle of ice and snow, she had a far stronger grasp of low-level ice magic. She could summon or dismiss it freely, as she pleased.

Before, she had used the barrier of snow and ice to defend. Now, she switched to Cone of Cold to attack, the change as smooth and seamless as flowing water.

Nightingale had anticipated this burst of power. The magic array intensified, and black currents roared, repeatedly dissolving the ice spikes.

Soon, they even began to push forward.

With the array's support, Nightingale naturally had greater magical power than Xu Yue in a direct clash between two peak one-star fighters.

This suppression was the foundation of her next move.

But just then, a tremendous boom suddenly rang out in the distance.

The shockwave spread all the way here. The ground lurched, and stone chips pattered down.

"Destruction is always easier than construction! Clever!"

Xu Yue's eyes lit up. She immediately realized Xu Feng had used one of their stockpiled item cards.

Goblin Sapper Explosives.

The saying "No matter how skilled you are at martial arts, one shot will bring you down" didn't hold true in the Heavens.

Although firearms were powerful and easy to use, they weren't as deadly against experts as one might imagine.

Raise the gun, aim, pull the trigger. Those few steps might look quick, but to a Reincarnator, they left enough time to do all sorts of things.

Even when two people were equally powerful, the inflexible trajectory of a bullet made it easier to dodge. What's more, those who relied on firearms were often weak in close combat. If their first shot missed, they handed over the initiative.

Unless someone mastered a true cultivation path, like the curved-bullet technique of Wanted or the gun kata of Equilibrium, ordinary firearms could only deal with new Reincarnators.

But explosives were different.

Their power lay not only in the impact and damage of the blast itself, but also in the destruction they wrought on the surrounding environment.

For instance, Xu Feng had planted Goblin Sapper Explosives and detonated them all at once.

Rumble! Rumble!

Explosions rang out one after another. Even the magically altered Worry-Free Cave couldn't withstand them.

Historically, although the place had been a den of vice, it certainly hadn't been this vast.

But the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils world gave equal weight to the martial world and the imperial court, so some changes had naturally been made.

Nightingale had chosen this place for its advantageous terrain.

But every advantage had its downside. Because Worry-Free Cave had been expanded, Xu Feng's bombardment was something she couldn't stop.

As terrifying cracks spread across the ceiling, Nightingale had no choice but to shift the magic array's power, at least keeping the cave from collapsing. Then she shrieked, "Wu Que, are you going to sit this out? What are you waiting for?"

In truth, Nightingale didn't need to call out to him.

The moment the magic array shifted its focus, Xu Yue raised both hands. Snow and ice swirled, forming a layer of crystalline steps beneath her feet that lifted her upward.

Just as Xu Yue was about to escape, a folding fan suddenly swung down toward her head.

There was no obvious gust of wind, but the concentrated force hidden within it made the attack all the more frightening.

"Of all people, I had to run into you again!"

Xu Yue's heart sank. This was another opponent she had clashed with before.

It seemed the other side had planned this for a long time.

But she wasn't worried about this strike.

A burly figure had already lunged forward, drawing back a fist before punching through the air.

The air cracked. Forceful, virile blood and qi surged outward, making everyone feel as though they were standing beside a blazing furnace, unbearably hot.

Xu Feng! Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist!

Bang!

After a resounding clang like a great bell, the folding fan flew back into the hand of a handsome man in white. He sneered at Xu Yue. "Queen, we meet again."

He called her Queen not as a compliment. Most star-ranked Reincarnators addressed one another by their codenames.

This was mainly to guard against curses that targeted people through their names.

It wasn't strictly necessary, of course. The main thing was that it made them sound impressive.

For example, since Xu Yue followed Elsa's path as the Ice Queen, her codename was Queen. Her younger brother Xu Feng called himself Prince.

Nightingale, Wu Que, Queen, Prince—how impressive!

The first was still relatively normal. The rest were all shamelessly self-important.

But back to the point. Xu Feng had joined up with Xu Yue, and at last she felt completely at ease. They looked at Nightingale and Wu Que in turn, then broke into utterly mocking smiles. "So it's Nightingale, you defeated loser, and Wu Que, you shameless pauper. You couldn't close a deal, so you chased us all the way into the Heavens? Pathetic!"

In secret, he sent Xu Yue a message through their Star Marks. "Sis, there are three of them, and one more is hiding somewhere."

"I'd guessed as much. These two alone couldn't hold us here. By the way, you handled this pretty well. Your big sister is very pleased!"

Seeing Xu Feng guarding her, Xu Yue felt reassured. She was also glad to see her little brother had grown up and could stand on his own.

Still, she was a little puzzled. Using Goblin Sapper Explosives to clear the way had been a clever move, but how had Xu Feng known how many enemies there were?

Reincarnators had all kinds of abilities. Even she had fallen for the Portkey this time. Xu Feng followed a martial path, so there was even less chance he could have uncovered that kind of information.

A flash of insight crossed Xu Yue's mind, and her relief vanished. Her face paled. "You didn't bring Huang Shang here, did you?"