Pre-Battle "Review"

The Archlich's palm shone brightly, and the spell was complete.

Zijin had raised her hand to defend herself, but then saw a magic orb that was much larger than she had imagined flying towards her.

It was enveloped in a ring of dark flames, leaving a distorted trail of fire as it flew, like a shooting star imbued with dark energy.

Zijin assessed the spell's strength and decisively decided against taking the hit head-on.

"Hide!"

Everyone was forced back and scattered.

The ball slammed heavily onto the mirror.

"Netherflame Blast!"

The magic orb exploded, and dark waves of fire rippled up along the mirror surface, sweeping across the area.

Several people were thrown back by the shockwave, and the surface of their shields was covered with this strange flame. The flames clung to them like living things, sizzling and burning as they devoured the energy.

The sole of Leoni's boot left a long scratch on the mirror.

Ignoring the lingering flames on his body, he knelt down, drew back the bowstring, and aimed an arrow at the Archlich's head. Su Ming and Zijin also adjusted their stances, preparing to counterattack.

But they discovered that the dark elements in front of the Archlich had gathered again, and in the blink of an eye, they condensed into a hundred slender magic orbs.

"Finger of Death!" it pointed.

The swarm of orbs, with their distorted, human-faced phantoms, howled silently as they hurtled toward them, releasing a chilling gray aura along their path.

Zijin's expression changed drastically.

"The concept of death, with an instant-death effect!"

Being hit by this thing isn't just a matter of whether your shield breaks or not; there's a chance of instant death!

Zijin dared not be negligent; seven-colored light manifested from her body and spread over Su Ming.

"Finger of Death" struck the shields of both of them in succession.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The red crystal suits on Su Ming and Zijin lit up simultaneously, with scorching light flowing from their crystal surfaces, resisting the impact of the spell itself.

Strands of gray energy pierced the gaps in the shield like needles. Zijin's life element surged, and the seven-colored radiance eroded the gray energy, emitting a series of subtle popping sounds. The two people, being closest to each other, suffered the highest density of attacks.

The remaining "Finger of Death" orbs swept past them, chasing after Leoni and Qiluo, who were further away.

"Don't worry about me!" Leoni said in a deep voice.

His "Trace Shadows" unfolded, like a cloak trailing behind him. Several magic orbs struck his defenses, the energy impact causing a tightness in his chest and a low groan to escape his throat.

The gray concept of death tried to penetrate his body, but was pulled off course and sank into the shadows upon contact with "Trace Shadows".

Leoni steadied his breathing and raised his bow again.

"Even if it's fatal, I'm still immune."

On the other side, Qiluo also dared not be presumptuous.

The heavy silver moonlight gathered on her body, transforming into a nearly tangible shell of light. The gray energy of "Finger of Death" coiled around it, flickering several times before finally disappearing.

"Blessing of Luck" is determined by the forced immunization probability mechanism.

Qiluo wagged her tail and immediately became smug again.

"I am an auspicious beast!" Zijin frowned slightly.

Qiluo's causal power should theoretically be more suitable for dealing with instant death effects than her.

It should be completely devoid of any human touch.

****

With each person displaying their unique abilities, the three humans and one beast managed to survive this wave.

The soul fire in the Archlich's eye sockets flickered.

It realized that its opponents were not easy to kill. Especially now, lacking equipment boosts, it was unrealistic to expect to wipe them all out with a single spell.

The Archlich's energy rippled outwards, attempting to expand its domain, but it failed.

This shadow is not the complete form.

The Archlich lowered his head, glanced disdainfully at the Prism Shadow lying on the ground, then raised his hand again, and the dark light condensed once more.

Su Ming felt a chill run down his spine as soon as he saw the Archlich casting a spell. Sure enough, another large ball of magic flew towards him.

"Isn't there a delay in your spellcasting?!" he couldn't help but complain. Zijin dodged while retorting:

"I refuse to admit that this guy is my shadow!"

The two flew past each other, avoiding the landing point of the magic orb.

But instead of exploding into flames as before, it turned into a thick black mist that spread outwards.

"Chaos Erosion!"

As the black mist swirled, everyone's senses were immediately distorted.

The mirror-like terrain began to distort, and the silhouette of the Archlich in the distance was elongated. The sense of direction became confused, and even though the ground beneath one's feet was still flat, it gave one the illusion of falling.

"This guy's planning to overwhelm us with negative effects!" Leoni gritted his teeth.

A beam of starlight descended from the sky.

A beam of light pierced through the black mist and coalesced in front of everyone. The fairy Jinxiu emerged from the starlight, her wings fluttering lightly, scattering a vast expanse of clear light.

The murky black mist around them was torn apart, and the distorted senses were instantly cleared.

Jinxiu didn't pause; she clasped her hands together, and new runes lit up at her fingertips, dispelling the effects of "Mind Void."

The emptiness that had been weighing on everyone's hearts finally disappeared.

Zijin seized the opportunity and unleashed "Solar Flame Star Radiance". This was her first attack spell since facing the Archlich.

Brilliant rays of light pierced the sky in unison, hurtling towards the Archlich.

The Archlich raised his hand, and layers of dark barriers rose up.

Radiance and necromantic Magic Power collided and annihilated in mid-air, with light and black flames exploding continuously, causing the mirror world to flicker between light and darkness.

Interspersed among the beams of light were arrows fired by Leoni.

The arrows approached, concealed by the light and darkness, and exploded at the weakest point of the Archlich's shield.

Su Ming unfurled his Gossamer Wings of Darkness, drawing an arc along the edge of the battlefield to avoid the area of direct magical clashes, and launched Energy Dissipation attack on the Archlich from the side.

The enemy's Magic Power was extremely concentrated, forcing Su Ming to unleash his full mental power.

The "Whispers of the Stars" scales on its forehead emitted a faint glow.

**** But the Archlich still managed to withstand the attacks of the three without much effort.

The light exploded, the arrow deflected, and the disintegrating force tore open a corner of the energy structure, only to be quickly filled back in by new Magic Power.

The Archlich's soul fire flickered in its eye sockets, and its gaze fell upon the fairy Jinxiu.

The next moment, more than a dozen slender gray-black orbs emerged from her side, with the phantoms of shrieking undead appearing above their heads, all locking onto Jinxiu.

"Finger of Death!"

Jinxiu was greatly alarmed.

Not to mention the incredibly troublesome instant-death effect, she couldn't withstand the dark-elemental impact inherent in the spell alone.

She tried to escape, but all of this was a mental lock!

Jinxiu suddenly sensed something familiar from Su Ming, and was startled, then overjoyed.

"You should have said you had this!"

Jinxiu transformed into a beam of starlight, flying towards Su Ming and slamming into his forehead with a whoosh.

Because Jinxiu had previously provided deep healing for his soul rift, Su Ming was familiar with her spiritual power and did not experience any rejection. The next moment, Jinxiu transformed into a faintly glowing mark and affixed it there.

Although he didn't quite understand what was happening, the gray orb had already turned towards him. Su Ming activated his full shield, and his red crystal suit lit up, protecting his entire body.

The "Finger of Death" exploded in front of him, and layers of dark elemental shocks bombarded his defenses.

After Jinxiu joined, Su Ming's spiritual energy noticeably increased, making defense much easier than before.

He single-handedly withstood more than a dozen "Finger of Death" attacks, and his shield was still able to hold up, although the several red crystals he was equipped with had lost their luster and were covered with cracks.

Su Ming casually tossed the useless chips aside.

"What is this?" he asked Jinxiu.

"[That scale between your brows is a Faerie Dragon scale that Master White Pheasant and Master Copper Cormorant merged with the Fairy Feather Amber," Jinxiu explained. "[I can reside within it and fight alongside you.]"

She asked in confusion:

Why are you here?

"[The Bay Owl is the original owner.]" Su Ming replied, "[She couldn't control two, so she gave me this one.]"

The Jinxiu connects with the Zijin. [So, you were the miraculous life from back then.]

The word made Zijin stiffen slightly; she had always been somewhat resistant to such a form of address.

She may not seem much different in her daily life, but there is no denying that she is one of the most special lives in the world.

From dying in Dragon Form to returning in human form; then escaping from calamity, and coming all the way to the present.

She benefited from her unique physical form, and what she experienced was a series of miracles.

Zijin remained silent for a moment, then waved her staff, dispelling the light magic.

The "Elemental Resonance" scales on her chest then lit up.

[So, this one I have left is also...?]

The scholar demonstrated her ability to apply what she learned to other situations.

"Of course!" Jinxiu replied.

A cloud of mist appeared as summoned, Lingmo's figure emerged from the mist, rushing directly into Zijin's chest.

**** The Zijin's eyes, for the first time in a long time, turned blue at the same time.

The power of water suddenly erupted, the mist spread out, and instantly condensed, spreading a layer of fine frost patterns on the mirror surface.

The tip of the Zijin Staff glowed with blue light, transforming into huge, ice-blue magical rings, with countless runes spinning rapidly.

Ice-blue light descended from mid-air.

"The Veil of Eternal Winter!"

The moisture in the air was instantly sucked away, turning into billions of tiny ice crystals that floated around the Archlich.

Sensing the sudden drop in temperature on the battlefield, even the Archlich, who was immune to frost, seemed to feel a chill.

Wrong!

The Archlich realized it was truly cold!

It raised its hand and saw a thick layer of frost on its finger bones.

The frost patterns were not repelled by the ice immunity, but instead found a place to take root, spreading continuously along her Magic Power patterns.

Here, on Su Ming's wrist, the Dawn and Dusk Bracelet flickered faintly. Sequence Eight, Domain "Pale"!

"Sorry, I started with this from the beginning," Su Ming said.

The "Pale" effect can reduce the Archlich's ice immunity, and even make her take extra damage.

This is a domain of purely numerical types.

Everyone deliberately avoided ice-based attacks during the battle. Therefore, it wasn't until now that the Archlich realized he had been hit.

The next moment, Zijin's "Veil of Eternal Winter" fell completely.

Ice crystals transformed into a swirling storm, enveloping the Archlich, causing the icy mist to churn and freeze.

****

Several white arrows pierced the air.

The arrows pierced the remnants of the shield surrounding the Archlich, making her already sluggish Magic Power circulation even more difficult.

Two more figures joined the battle one after another: Jielusi and Yise.

They had already dealt with the shadows on the other side. Yise was still wearing her magic suit. She raised her hand and took out a crystal, its interior engraved with complex ice magic runes.

This is the "Winter's Fragment," a spoil of war seized by Su Ming and his group from the destroyed magic warship "Scourge of Absolution" during their battle with the large-scale fleet of the Temple of Light when they left the Northern Lands.

The power of Yise's artifact manifested, and the "Winter's Fragment" was activated. She pushed her hands forward, and a torrent of frost, as if it were tangible, gushed forth, washing over the Archlich's body.

Crack! The shield shattered.

The Archlich raised his hand to cast a spell, but his body was instantly frozen, and the soul fire in his eye sockets was sealed in ice.

Jielusi took a deep breath.

"What my shadow can do, I can do too," she encouraged herself.

Jielusi unfolded her Shadow Form, but her eyes were no longer as calm as before; they even held a hint of ferocity.

An aura of the Abyss surged forth, and dark red patterns rose on the surface of the body, resembling cracks in a furnace.

Jielusi's aura deepened, carrying an almost frenzied sense of oppression. She stomped her foot and rushed in front of the Archlich, her five fingers curling into claws, Abyss patterns gathering in her palms, and she swung out a claw.

Bang!

A burst of crimson power erupted, shattering the Archlich's head along with its frozen form. ****

The aura of the Archlich dissipated, and the oppressive, chilling atmosphere that had enveloped the surroundings receded.

Su Ming let out a long sigh, then turned to Zijin and complained:

"You're really hard to beat!"

Zijin withdrew her spell and gave him a disgruntled look.

Do I look like Archlich to you?

She raised her hand and pressed it to her chest, her fingertips touching a cool, moist sensation.

The feeling of being with Lingmo is very special; it's as if a quiet, deep sea has appeared in my consciousness, with water swirling around the edge of my soul.

The group arrived before the lich's fragments.

Completely inconsistent with its previous shape and size, the remains it left behind were piled up into a small mountain.

Leoni looked at the pile of debris.

"Was the power of Prism Shadow drained by this shadow?" "It's hard to say," Zijin said. "Although it was a very difficult fight, this shadow probably isn't enough to knock out a Destiny Level being."

Everyone's gaze turned to the center of the Mirror Domain at the same time.

There, only Su Ming's shadow remained.

"It has just demonstrated its ability to control space."

Even if Prism Shadow is damaged and its value is reduced, judging by the remaining amount, there's no way to be optimistic about what's left, right?

Leoni nocked an arrow.

"Want to give it a try?"

"Sure," Su Ming replied.

The group took their positions and nodded to him.

Leoni suddenly shot an arrow.

The arrow grazed the reflection of the mirror, leaving a thin silver streak as it flew straight toward the shadowy figure of Su Ming.

Shadow Su Ming used the same trick again, tearing open a hole in the void to block the arrow. But just as the arrow was about to be swallowed up, it suddenly exploded.

The arrow shattered into dozens of tiny fragments, most of which were swallowed by the void. A few, however, flew past from the side like a handful of fine sand, and splattered onto the shadowy figure of Su Ming.

It doesn't cause much harm, but it's extremely insulting.

Shadow Su Ming immediately looked up and rushed towards the crowd.

"Pull them apart first!" Su Ming commanded.

Everyone retreated simultaneously.

This last shadow doesn't necessarily have to be eliminated.

Simply pull it away and then attack the stunned Prism Shadow directly; it will work the same way!

****

But things didn't go as planned; Shadow Su Ming wasn't lured too far.

It chased for only a short distance before stopping, turning back to the center of the Mirror Domain.

Watching its movements, Jielusi whispered, "Since there's only this one shadow left, should we prioritize protecting the Prism Shadow?"

Su Ming nodded. "Most likely."

He deliberately raised his voice.

"Should we devise a coordinated strategy and charge in to launch our strongest attack?"

"That's right!" Zijin replied.

The group began to discuss.

But this is only on the surface; in reality, Jinxiu has initiated a "Mental Link."

Everyone is in a mental network, rapidly exchanging ideas.

[I suspect that the fairy spirit has already awakened.] Su Ming offered his assessment.

The pursuit radius of the last shadow was much smaller than that of the previous shadows, less than a quarter of it.

Aside from the implanted rule. "When only one remains, you must protect the summoner," Su Ming is more inclined to believe that it is being manipulated!

[It's certainly more likely.] Leoni coughed lightly. He outwardly continued flexing his fingers, checking the bowstring, but his mental network was analyzing:

Prism Shadow fainted due to excessive strain.

[Waking up when only one shadow remains is perfectly reasonable.]

[Prism Shadow chose to feign unconsciousness, waiting for us to approach before launching a surprise attack.] Yise agreed with this strategy, [thus catching us off guard.]

"Then let's play along." Zijin said coldly.

[We pretend we don't know, and in the blink of an eye, we launch a surprise attack with our strongest attack!]

This plan is very tempting; it doesn't matter whether Prism Shadow is truly or falsely dizzy.

But there's a very real problem.

"Can we take her down in one move?" Su Ming asked.

Against the Archlich, they could wear him down through tug-of-war and magical attacks. But against Shadow Su Ming's spatial power, the situation was entirely different.

If Shadow Su Ming can really launch a spatial attack, Su Ming might be able to barely handle it, but the others have no way to resist except to dodge.

Zijin glanced at Prism Shadow without making a sound. Although this immortal spirit was injured and exhausted, it was still a semi-illusory being of the Destiny Level.

She quickly assessed the situation in her mind, and combined it with the strength of the Destiny Level she had encountered along the way, finally drawing a conclusion:

[I'm afraid that's impossible.]

There was a brief moment of silence within the Mental Link.

"I have a combat technique," Leoni suddenly said, "That can lock onto the essence of Prism Shadow and launch a powerful attack."

Zijin paused slightly.

Given Leoni's current state, it's not hard to imagine what the consequences would be if he forcibly used the power of Saint Rank being.

But what we're seeing now is, on a small scale, a battle; on a larger scale, it's a war between planes.

No one can take this lightly.

Zijin didn't try to persuade him; she simply asked directly:

Are you confident?

Somewhat surprisingly, Leoni shook his head. [This move actually originates from your mother Atiya's sword technique, "Life-Shattering Sword."]

[Two years ago, in my battle with Yexiya, I witnessed her unleash her power, shattering the very essence of a Destiny Level expert.]

[I've been studying and trying to understand it ever since, but I'm still not quite there yet.]

Leoni then changed the subject:

So, you need to let me review.

"How should I review?" Zijin, puzzled.

"Let's watch it again." Leoni replied matter-of-factly.

He looked at the scepter in Zijin's hand.

I possess the ability "Trace Shadows of All Things".

[And isn't Atiya's weapon right in your hands?]

Zijin realized what was happening.

She gently raised the Divine Favor Scepter, a weapon that her mother Atiya, had held two years earlier. It had witnessed that sword strike.

[That's why I came to see you.] Leoni said, [Originally, I thought you should also take a look.]

He extended his finger and gently touched the Zijin's Divine Favor Scepter, causing ethereal threads to ripple across its surface. As if drawn from the depths of time, they carried the lingering warmth and sharpness of a distant battlefield.

Leoni's gaze darkened, and "Trace Shadows of All Things" unfolded!