Boom!!!
A deafening roar erupted as the golden baseball bat collided violently with the massive mechanical claw blade that was falling from the sky.
Immediately, the energy blade of that elite spirit core, along with half of its forelimb, shattered and disintegrated inch by inch under the power of [ Eternity ], and violent golden energy poured into its body through the point of contact.
With a series of metallic twisting sounds, the behemoth was as if it had been struck by an invisible giant hammer, smashing through a pile of abandoned crates and carving a deep trench in the ground before turning into smoking scrap metal!
The golden light dissipated, and Xing lightly fell back to the ground, the mimicry baseball bat in her hand turning into light dust and scattering away.
She looked around and saw that the once ferocious wolf-shaped, Howling Casket army had now been reduced to smoldering metal wreckage scattered throughout the passageways.
The entire process was swift and devastating!
"Phew~ Done!"
Xing clapped his hands, a relaxed smile spreading across his face, and was about to call out to his companions.
"Huh?" The smile on her face suddenly froze, and her golden pupils quickly swept over the messy battlefield and the somewhat empty surroundings. A bad premonition instantly seized her.
Where is Saileni?
After the battle ended, the dust gradually settled, and apart from the completely destroyed and still crackling remains of the Howling Casket Relic on the ground, where was that beautiful figure in the priest's robe?
"Oh no, could it have been hijacked by these mechs during the fight...?"
Xing had already considered the worst-case scenario. Although she hadn't spent much time with the pastor, there was still some friendship between them.
"Sigh~ How could someone so young..."
"I'm more inclined to believe she stole several mechs in the chaos than that Saileni was kidnapped."
Dan Heng was squatting next to a relatively intact mecha wreckage, carefully counting the number of wreckage on the ground, and then looking up at the damaged containment boxes.
Hmm, it seems like there are one or two fewer mechs compared to a few minutes ago.
"That would be even worse!"
Xing didn't think much of it and turned to look for Saileni's whereabouts. She was unfamiliar with the Prison of Deep Seclusion and worried that the priestess might get lost again.
The Hanya strode over to a severely damaged containment container, crouched down, and carefully examined the broken seals and remaining traces inside.
"How is this possible? The underworld officials have already cut off the power to the machines inside the box according to procedure and placed a seal on the outside of the box. Why can these mechs still move?"
"Just like what happened at the Artisanship Commission of Ceremonies, these goods seem to have gone out of control and attacked everyone present." Dan Heng stood up, walked to Hanya's side, and looked at the mess of mecha wreckage on the ground.
He then made the connection, " The Alchemy Commission inspected these mechs, and they all contained extraordinary internal structures. The only possible purpose for such dangerous things appearing in the Prison of Deep Seclusion is—"
"A prison break." The Hanya uttered these two words slowly, its brow furrowed.
Dan Heng picked up the conversation, his thoughts becoming increasingly clear:
"Those who delivered these [goods] clearly hoped that the Xianzhou's rigorous vetting process would expose its dangers to the Sky-Faring Commission and the Cloud Knights. They wanted to ensure that it would be imprisoned in the Prison of Deep Seclusion."
"If these things have already started moving without anyone noticing, then the entire prison is in a very dangerous situation."
"What's even more dangerous is that, besides the two of you, another group of visitors just entered the depths of the Prison of Deep Seclusion —the envoys of the Yaoqing Xianzhou."
"The object they're investigating... might be the very target that sent these wolf-shaped mechs here. If that ferocious beast suppressed at the bottom of the Artisanship Commission escapes... I'm afraid the Xianzhou Luofu will also face a great disaster!"
Moments ago, Xueyi had led the Yaoqing envoy to the bottom of the Prison of Deep Seclusion.
"Your Honor, have we arrived?"
Jiaoqiu looked around; there didn't seem to be any cages here...
"Those who have committed the ten heinous crimes and committed the most heinous acts are all imprisoned at the bottom of the Prison of Deep Seclusion, confined in a separate grotto. It will not be opened unless by imperial decree."
"[Bluebirds pave the way, lamps illuminate the path]. Light these lamps, and the path to the depths of the Prison of Deep Seclusion will appear."
Following Xueyi, they arrived at the bottom of the Prison of Deep Seclusion. Moze and Jiaoqiu looked together at the gate in the distance, which was radiating cold air and eerie light.
"In the cave behind this door lies the Foxian's greatest enemy, Hoolay."
"Following tradition, the Yaoqing Envoy arrives at the Xianzhou Luofu once every hundred years to confirm the imprisonment of this wretched creature and its life or death status."
"Although the Ten-Lords Commission have sentenced Hoolay to the Sentence of the Infinite Sword Tree, tormenting him day and night for eternity, I understand perfectly well that what the Yaoqing Envoys most desire to see is Hoolay's death..."
The other side of the Prison of Deep Seclusion
"Ah--!!!"
Saileni suddenly emitted a sharp, explosive sound, a sound that seemed to pierce the oppressive air of the Prison of Deep Seclusion.
Caught off guard, Xing was so startled that she jumped up and down, her heart leaping in her chest.
Clearing my throat, please excuse me.
Saileni casually raised her hand to cover her lips, but her icy blue eyes, visible above the veil, were now filled with a sly smile.
"Don't yell like that!!!"
Xing, still shaken, almost instinctively pulled out the baseball bat hidden behind his back. The metal bat clanged as it was held horizontally in front of him. He scanned ahead warily, thinking that some extremely dangerous creature had broken free of its restraints.
"Pfft~"
Seeing Xing's alarmed reaction, Saileni finally couldn't help but chuckle, her shoulders shrugging slightly, her previous dignified demeanor completely gone.
Xing loosened his grip on the baseball bat, then belatedly blinked.
It seems she... was tricked by this seemingly holy prayer priest?
"Sorry."
Realizing her joke had gone too far, Saileni immediately stopped laughing, clasped her hands in front of her, and bowed very formally to the stars, her tone sincere:
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes carrying a hint of ingratiation and lingering mischief.
"This won't happen again. I'll never tease you again..."
Before they finished speaking, a chill crept out from behind them without warning, as if the surrounding light was being swallowed up by an invisible force, and the cold aura seeped into their bones.
Xing and Saileni froze simultaneously, their smiles frozen on their faces.
"Hmm..." Saileni turned her head slightly, quickly glancing at the deep darkness behind her, and suggested in a low voice, "Shall we count to three and then turn around together?"
"Alright, it's decided then!" Xing gripped the baseball bat tightly. "If there's anything, we'll deal with it together!"
She adjusted her stance, lowered her center of gravity, and prepared to swing the bat at any moment.
They were immediately on the same page! They both started the countdown in unison:
"One--!"
"Two--!"
Saileni & Star: "Three--!"
However, before the last word had even finished, the two did not turn around heroically as agreed. Instead, with an astonishing tacit understanding, they suddenly exerted force with their feet and their bodies shot off like arrows, rushing away from the source of the cold air!
The explosive power at the moment of launch, even the starting push-off posture, was exactly the same, as if it had been practiced a thousand times.
"Huh? This isn't what we agreed on, is it?" With the help of the Prayer Priest's extraordinary physique, Saileni took the lead temporarily with a few light leaps.
She even had the leisure to turn around, her veil pressed tightly against her cheeks without moving, and she spoke in a deliberately innocent tone.
How dare you say that!
Xing chased after her with all her might, looking at the beautiful figure ahead who was only an arm's length away, yet seemed as if there was an insurmountable chasm between them.
They are both people who have received the blessing of [ Eternity ], so how come their physical abilities are so different!
"Hmph, don't underestimate the physical abilities of the Prayer Priest!"
Saileni's voice carried a hint of smugness, her breathing remained steady as she ran, her long hair and skirt fluttering behind her, only the symbolic veil remained as firm as a rock, as if it had become one with her face.
"It's all thanks to Lord Yite teaching!"
As a priestess of the Church of Eternity, Saileni is the first to run when danger strikes. She's just a healer; let the knights handle the fighting.
"How dare you! How can Galactic Baseballer be ranked so low!" Star's competitive spirit was ignited, and his gaze locked onto the hourglass-shaped necklace around his neck.
Without hesitation, she channeled Imaginary Energy and uttered a low shout, "By the Reignbow Arbiter, accelerate!"
Buzz!
The hourglass instantly burst forth with flowing blue light, and a powerful force enveloped the star.
She moved with lightning speed, her figure blurring into a blurry afterimage, instantly overtaking Saileni in front of her, the air currents she created even ruffling a corner of Saileni's veil.
"What!"
Saileni stared wide-eyed in astonishment at Xing Juechen's departing figure, utterly incredulous.
"It's an item race! How cunning!"
She abruptly stopped, spun around nimbly, and faced the several Howling Casket that were hot on her heels, emitting low growls.
The smile vanished from Saileni's eyes, and her small fist clenched suddenly, a pure light gathering at the knuckles!
The punch that struck Howling Casket was not a simple physical attack, but a condensed shockwave imbued with a divine aura!
boom!
With a deafening roar, the Howling Casket Pivot, which was charging at the forefront, was blasted into pieces by the fist energy containing the power of [ Eternity ], turning into ashes.
Having overcome the obstacle in front of her, Saileni knelt down without hesitation and solemnly placed the thick, ancient " Holy Word of Eternity " on her lap.
She placed her hands together on the pages of the book, closed her eyes tightly, and her clear prayers seemed to carry a strange rhythm, echoing through the corridors of the Prison of Deep Seclusion:
"[ Eternity ] Above, hear the prayers of Your servant! Grant me the power to transcend vanity!"