A Different Kind of Return / Swordsoul Strategist Mo Ye

Before he could finish speaking, the Icejade Emperor's body shattered piece by piece, turning into crystal fragments that scattered into the air.

"Ah!"

Neon Stone Sprite hurriedly reached out, but the part it touched shattered into crystals, leaving it frozen in place.

In the end, all that remained before her was a shattered crystal.

"Waaah--"

With a loud cry, the Neon Stone Sprite burst forth with a dazzling white light, almost enveloping the entire Cradle Ruins. A strong life force rippled outwards, blasting away the Abyssal Swordsoul Dragon that was trying to interrupt the process.

When the white light dissipated, an ice crystal girl wearing a crown appeared in mid-air. A jade stone was embedded in her forehead, and there were four curved horns on both sides of her head. She was wrapped in a crystal water sleeve with blood-patterned cones on it. She wore a crystal blouse with Red triangular pyramidal crystals at the hem. The black parts of her body were condensed into the edge of the blouse and a pair of translucent black crystal stockings.

[Icejade Aegirine, Neon Stone Sprite, Sea God (10-star) Water]

[Lineage: Water, Ice]

[Level: 48]

[Talent: God]

[Attack Power: 3000 (2940)]

[Defense: 1500 (1470)]

[Aqua-Type, Effect: ① Once per turn, grants your Pokémons on the field resistance to being destroyed or banished by opponent's effects. This effect is chained when an opponent activates an effect, banishing all Pokémon with the same name that have activated their effects; ② Whenever a Pokémon or Spell Card is banished, it recovers a certain amount of Life Points.]

"You are unforgivable!"

The newly born Icejade Aegirine stared at the group of pursuers from Despia, her heterochromatic pupils filled with anger. She pointed her finger, and the extreme cold condensed into hundreds of Cianwood ice pillars around her, shooting out with a whooshing sound, like the call of death.

The Despia pursuers, who had already been nearly wiped out by the Celestial Gold Knight, were powerless to resist this attack from the sky. They were all pierced through by ice pillars and pinned to the ground.

Icejade Aegirine turned around, stared at the Abyssal Swordsoul Dragon, and declared, "Culprit, anyone can leave, but you are not allowed!"

Longyuan's face showed apprehension, and he became increasingly wary, but he sneered, "Little girl, even the Icejade Emperor is no match for me. You, who only possessed remnants of power, really think you've got it all figured out?"

Icejade Aegirine, too lazy to speak, responded with Blizzard carrying countless icicles.

Longyuan hurriedly urged the Abyssal Serpent on his lower body to spew out high-temperature flames. The two incompatible forces of ice and fire collided, bursting out a large amount of steam.

As an elf formed from Icejade, Icejade Aegirine was naturally not blinded by the water vapor. She flicked out her crystal sleeve, which was covered with blood-patterned cones, and struck Longyuan twice with a "slap," knocking him to the ground. Then, she spread her hands, and countless ice pillars fell like meteors.

You Zhi watched for a while, then looked away.

If both sides are in good condition, Icejade Aegirine might not be a match for the Abyssal Swordsoul Dragon. Its special abilities have no room to be utilized, and it can only fight with its raw strength. Even with the advantage of lineage, it is bound to have a slim chance of winning against the higher-level, more experienced, and cunning Longyuan.

However, Longyuan was first slashed by the Great Tornado Hero and then brutally beaten by You Zhi, leaving him half-crippled. No matter how cunning he is, he cannot make up for the difference in strength between the two sides.

If they can't even defeat an opponent like this, then all the hardships the Neon Stone Sprite endured in past combat training were for nothing.

Chapter 202 A Different Kind of Return

Just in case, You Zhi still sent Dark Magician Girl to keep an eye on things.

If everything goes smoothly, the Dark Magician Girl won't need to interfere and can simply watch Icejade Aegirine complete the classic revenge storyline. If something unexpected happens, then there's no need to worry about any formalities; she can just launch a righteous brawl.

In any case, villains have no human rights, and traitors are even more deserving of death.

After arranging these things, You Zhi stopped paying attention to the battle against Longyuan and turned his gaze to the other side.

Because Icejade Aegirine wiped out all the soldiers of Despia with a single ice pillar rain, the Celestial Gold Knight was freed. She then joined forces with Elemental HERO Flare Neos to launch a pincer attack on Albion the Branded Dragon.

He was already at a disadvantage in One for One situation, and his chances of losing were even greater in a one-on-two situation.

After only a few exchanges, Albion the Branded Dragon was caught off guard, Elemental HERO Flare Neos slammed him to the ground with a Hammer Arm. The Celestial Gold Knight followed up with a series of sword energies, all of which hit their mark and severely injured him.

At this point in the battle, Albion the Branded Dragon had already considered fleeing. The situation was clearly unfavorable; the enemy was both calling for reinforcements and making breakthroughs in the midst of battle. What was the point of continuing the fight? Staying would only lead to his demise alongside Longyuan.

He had no concept of chivalry or such; if he couldn't win, he'd run away without a second thought. He wasn't ashamed of it, since all his men were dead and he had no reason to save anyone.

The moment the thought arose, the Albion the Branded Dragon immediately put it into action. He deliberately created an opening, allowing the Elemental HERO Neos to deliver a Heaven-Piercing Fist, while he used the momentum to take flight. Before escaping, he turned his head and unleashed a Fire Vortex, trapping the Celestial Gold Knight in place.

"Too late! You know to turn when your car hits a wall, you know to shake your snot when it gets in your mouth, but now you want to break up because you can't beat them? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

You Zhi decisively activated the "Final Assault Order," which forces the Pokémon to attack.

Amidst the sounds of battle, Albion the Branded Dragon's eyes instantly turned red. He stopped fleeing and turned to fight the enemy for three hundred rounds.

However, this kind of mental spell effect does not have coercive power. With the star rating and level of the Albion the Branded Dragon, it only took a short while to regain its senses, force itself to calm down, and turn around to continue its escape.

It was only a short delay before Elemental HERO Flare Neos and Celestial Gold Knight intercepted him, and the three engaged in another fierce battle. Meanwhile, Albion the Branded Dragon no longer concealed his intentions, lost interest in fighting, and repeatedly tried to escape.

In a battle between experts of the same level, if one side is determined to escape, it is very difficult for the other side to stop them, especially if the former has wings.

Seeing this, Yuan Ying decisively activated the trump card she had originally planned to use to turn the tide when the situation was unfavorable.

"HERO have a suitable arena for HERO to fight, I activate 'Skyscraper'!"

This is an environmental Spell Card. As spiritual energy surges, skyscrapers rise from the ground, trapping the two combatants and the dragon within them.

With the buildings blocking his way, even if Albion the Branded Dragon found an opportunity, he couldn't accelerate his escape in one go. And if he was even slightly hindered, Elemental HERO Neos and Jinqishi would entangle him again.

Additionally, the Skyscraper can increase the attack power of Elemental Heroes by 1000 when facing strong enemies, but since the Elemental HERO Flare Neos' attack power is already superior to its opponent's, this effect cannot be activated.

Albion the Branded Dragon did not give up and tried to break through several times, but his opponents were well prepared and he ultimately failed. During this process, his injuries continued to accumulate and his strength gradually depleted. In the end, he was defeated by the combined attack of Elemental HERO Neos and Jin Knight. The latter pierced his body with a sword and nailed him to the wall of a building, creating a highly artistic scene.

Just as Elemental HERO Neos was about to deliver the final blow, You Zhi quickly stopped him, then said to the white-haired boy who was resting and watching the battle, "This guy seems to have absorbed your power. Do you want to absorb it back?"

Fallen of Albaz paused for a moment, then nodded, somewhat hesitantly saying, "I'll give it a try."

He approached the pinned Albion the Branded Dragon, placed his hand on its belly, and sensed the power within its body, then forcibly absorbed it.

The power of both sides originates from the same source, like liquid flowing freely between two containers.

Previously, Aluber of the Despia defeated Albus, who had transformed into the Albion the Branded Dragon, and thus stole Albus's Branded Power, allowing Albus to evolve into the Albion the Branded Dragon. Now, the situation has been reversed.

The Albion the Branded Dragon was critically injured and powerless to stop it. After all the Branded Power was absorbed, it regressed from its dragon form to human form and became the guide Aluber of the Despia.

"Ugh--"

Having absorbed all the Branded Power, Albus showed a pained expression, his aura radiating wildly, showing signs of going berserk.

You Zhi was not surprised by this, and even prepared to help the white-haired boy calm down, just as he had helped Divergent Lizard Yihao before.

Unfortunately, after howling in pain for a while, Fallen of Albaz successfully stabilized the power and did not go out of control, thus not giving You Zhi a chance to relive the past.

"I remember now, I remember everything... So this is what my background is like..."

Fallen of Albaz looked at his hands, his expression troubled. He turned to look at Aluber, who looked almost exactly like him, and a sad expression appeared on his face.

You Zhi stroked his chin, suspecting that a hidden plot had been triggered. Just as he was about to ask, he suddenly heard a sharp shout from behind him, accompanied by a chilling aura.

Turning my head, I saw that after Icejade Aegirine froze the Abyssal Swordsoul Dragon into a huge ice sculpture, it summoned dozens of Dragon-Slaying Ice Spears to pierce the ice sculpture, turning it into a sea urchin ice sculpture.

Without leaving any last words or even letting out a final scream, Longyuan was utterly dead.

At the same time, a Space-Time Vortex suddenly appeared in the center of the battlefield and began to slowly rotate.

"So... the mission is complete?" Yuan Ying asked, somewhat puzzled. "But normally they would send us back on their own initiative, wouldn't they?"

She remembered that the last time was after killing her target, her body gradually faded, and she was forcibly "repatriated".

"Who knows? This Anomaly wasn't exactly legitimate to begin with. According to this traitor from the Swordsoul Sect, it was created by the Icejade Emperor, making it fundamentally different from other Anomaly."

You Zhi didn't delve into the details. He wasn't a scientist and had no desire to get to the bottom of the principles. He simply summoned Icejade Aegirine and said, "Your Icejade Clan's leader has passed away, and your homeland has been destroyed by the enemy. Why not bring the remaining members of your clan back to the mortal world? This world doesn't seem very peaceful; it would be too dangerous for you to stay."

Icejade Aegirine nodded and immediately did as instructed. After all, her mother had said that if she didn't know what to do, she should ask her master.

Seeing Icejade Aegirine leave to gather his people, You Zhi was about to dig into the hidden plot when he discovered that the white-haired boy had already left, taking with him the corpse of the Albion the Branded Dragon that had degenerated into a human.

"Alright, it's about time we headed back."

(Zhaizhu: The original plot was that Fallen of Albaz obtained the power of the critically injured Icejade Emperor and Chengying, evolved into Iceblade Dragon, defeated Seven-Star Longyuan, and in the battle with Albion the Branded Dragon, the two merged into one and became Abyss Dragon. Meanwhile, the escaped Seven-Star Longyuan obtained the remains of the Serpent Grand Duke, Polymerization into Swordsoul Dragon Vortex, only to be met with a head-on attack by the Neon Stone Sprite Spirit, which evolved into Icejade Aegirine, and Moye, which transformed into Icejade Boat.)

Chapter 203 Swordsoul Master Moye

Whirl Island.

The Space-Time Vortex suddenly expanded, You Zhi and Yuan Ying led a large group of Ikejade Sprite out of it one after another. Then, it shrank on its own until it disappeared.

At the same time, the two felt a warm spiritual energy surge towards them, as if they had returned to their mother's embrace, and felt extremely at ease.

When everything calmed down, You Zhi discovered that his spiritual power had surged significantly, almost reaching the threshold of the eighth star.

Yuan Ying exclaimed with delight, "The spiritual energy feedback is much greater than what we received in the Heavenly Might Realm last time!"

"It's probably because the world we've traveled to this time is much larger than the Heavenly Might Realm... and the power dynamics are much more complex. However, we'll be facing a decisive battle as soon as we enter, so there's no extra time for exploration."

There's no need to delve into this. You Zhi looked around and noticed that the Ikejade Sprite that had followed him all had blank and timid expressions.

This is perfectly reasonable. They have always lived in the Ion Maiden's Cradle, well protected by the Icejade Emperor, and the Ion Maiden's Cradle is also protected by the Swordsoul Sect, never having any contact with the outside world.

Now they have not only lost their motherly leader, but also their homeland. The fact that they did not panic and scream is already a testament to their innate qualities of being born with the heart of Icejade. In addition, with the Life Source inherited by Icejade Aegirine here, they at least have a backbone.

Even so, 30% of the Ikejade Sprite chose to stay in their homeland and did not come with them. You Zhi expressed his understanding and respect for their choice. After all, it is hard to leave one's homeland, let alone go to a completely unfamiliar world. He said that they could just wish each other well.

He found Icejade Aegirine and said, "Now that you are their leader, you must give them confidence."

What should I do?

Whether it was the effect of evolution or the shock of witnessing the death of the Icejade Emperor, Icejade Aegirine's tone had matured considerably, losing its previous innocence and childishness, like a poor elder sister forced to take on the responsibilities of the household early.

You Zhi felt this was only natural and didn't feel any remorse. He believed that if you receive benefits, you have to take responsibility. The gift from the Icejade Emperor not only gave Neon Stone Sprite a powerful evolved form and raised its level by 10, but also boosted its talent by two levels, reaching a god-level that he had never heard of before. This made Neon Stone Sprite surpass the Celestial Gold Knight and become the strongest spirit under his command—except for the disobedient Illusion Phantom Emperor.

From this perspective, he was actually also a gift from the Icejade Emperor, and had an obligation to help take care of the other party's people. Repaying kindness and avenging wrongs was one of his few principles of conduct.

"It's simple. First, set them a goal. When they're busy, they won't have any wild thoughts. For example, rebuild a new home. Choose a location in the nearby sea area, and they can be neighbors with the Floowandereeze, so they can support each other."

"Gurgle!"

Empen patted its chest with its short arm in welcome.

"Beep beep goo."

The snow owls, rescued from the ice, also agreed.

You Zhi glanced at them with his cheat code and realized that these guys were also powerful Pokémon that should not be underestimated. They looked cute, like messengers from an animal cartoon, but they were actually Ten-Star Pokémon with a base stat total of 2900/800, which was relatively low. However, they had the powerful support ability to grant all allied Pokémon piercing effects and to forcibly negate enemy attack skills by consuming their life force.

Icejade Aegirine was already very obedient, and with the dying instructions of the Icejade Emperor, he did not hesitate and immediately announced the order to rebuild their home to his people.

The Ikejade Sprite was naturally aloof, so no one cheered or responded; they simply watched Icejade Aegirine silently, the confusion in their eyes lessening considerably.

"Icejade Aegirine, Neon Stone Sprite, Sea God... So the counterpart of the Sea God Lugia was right beside me. What a coincidence!"

You Zhi looked at Neon Stone Sprite, who had been forced into a high-and-mighty position yet still displayed a hint of leadership, and sighed. He had already given up on this goal, but in the end, he achieved it again after many twists and turns.

After a day of rest, Icejade Aegirine led its people to build a new Ion Maiden's Cradle below Whirl Island the next day. The Floowandereeze helped provide materials. One side lived on the island, and the other lived on the seabed. Their habitats did not conflict, laying the foundation for a harmonious and friendly neighborly relationship.

The Ikejade Sprite readily accepted this. They had been neighbors with the Swordsoul Sect before, and this relationship actually made them feel at ease. However, in the past, the Swordsoul Sect had the responsibility of acting as gatekeepers and security guards, and some petty thieves were dealt with. Now, they had to learn to protect themselves.

You Zhi and Yuan Ying were still waiting for news from the Sea Dragon God, so they weren't in a hurry and simply decided to stay on the island.

In fact, the Ikejade Sprite can move on the seabed and theoretically they can help with the search, but in terms of efficiency, they are definitely not as good as the local ones. Moreover, most of them are very weak. Apart from the Icejade Aegirine, there is only one 9-star Emerald Spirit Kingfisher that can fight. If you really send them out to search, when they come back to report, there may only be half left.

Of course, if negotiations with the Sea Dragon God break down and there's really no other way, then they can only ask the Ikejade Sprite for help, or at worst send their subordinate spirits to protect them.

You Zhi had planned to try to break through to the eighth star while waiting, but an unexpected spirit interrupted his plan.

You said your name is Moye?

Standing before You Zhi was a female elf dressed in a black bodysuit, revealing no skin, with only a pair of eyes on her face and no other features. She wore a black and white helmet, fish-scale shoulder armor, and had Dragon Tail.

The female elf nodded.

"But aren't you from the Swordsoul Sect?"

You Zhi confirmed through the cheat that the opponent's prefix was "Swordsoul Master," not "Icejade."

"I was born from Icejade, and I was curious about the outside world, but I didn't want to reveal my existence at the Icejade Depths. So I obtained a human body through the cultivation method of the Swordsoul Sect, but because of this, I was unable to condense a sword form. The strategist... the traitor Longyuan gave me a sword to cover up this matter."

Moye has no mouth, so she cannot speak. Her voice comes from her chest, whether through ventriloquism or the use of spiritual power is unknown.

"No wonder Longyuan has two swords; it seems he planned this all along," You Zhi recalled Longyuan and Chengying's conversation. "Didn't he kill you while he was taking the swords?"

"He made his move, so I lost my human form and turned back into Ikejade Sprite, but in doing so, I was lucky enough to save my life."

You Zhi nodded and did not ask any further questions.

He wasn't an elf researcher, so he wasn't interested in the fact that elves had changed from one race to another, nor did he find it strange.