The Crow Tengu unfolded his wings, holding the 'Ten Grip Sword,' and soared into the sky, heading straight toward the location of Ginza. In an instant, he traversed the vast distance and arrived right above the Mitsukoshi Great Building.
Perched above the sky dome, he looked down from on high.
The Ten Grip Sword, coming down with a slash!
Another pillar of fire rose, followed by a third, then a fourth.
The moment the four pillars of fire had formed, the entire Ginza was sealed off by the terrifying high temperature—this power was no longer comparable to that of the Sublimators, but an unmistakable Miracle.
The power of the gods from the past engraved in history, now appearing in this place.
The power of the Miracle Imprint brought about utter destruction, tearing through the outer defenses effortlessly, then slashing down towards the Mitsukoshi Great Building engulfed in layers of mist!
"A Miracle Imprint, huh? Tricky..."
In that moment, Ye Xueya's eyes sparked with interest.
From the horrific fire that had risen from the earth, she raised a finger and swept it across. Countless mists suddenly enveloped Ginza, then quickly dispersed.
The entire Mitsukoshi Great Building had vanished without a trace.
Then, with the flick of Ye Xueya's fingers, countless traces too fine to distinguish crisscrossed through the air, shrouding the Ginza District.
Supported by the Qingqiu Legion, she had access to an almost endless supply of Source Substance for her to squander, instantly turning the entirety of Ginza into an illusion. Subsequently, her Soul Ability was activated.
——Severance!
The Soul Ability, which was on the verge of Metamorphosis after a long gestation and Transformation, now displayed terrifying power here. As her fingers traced shapes in the air, countless spider silk-like white lines crisscrossed above Ginza, so thin they were nearly imperceptible, yet so straight that there wasn't even a millimeter of error.
Subsequently, Ginza was severed.
Ye Xueya's Soul Ability was very simple—it was merely about separating two things, as if they had never been together in the first place.
However, when this purely simple effect was applied on such a grand scale, it resulted in a Transformation that could be described as terrifying.
The entirety of Ginza was sliced into pieces under the intersecting white lines and then haphazardly reassembled by the Heart Moon Fox's illusion. Orientation in every direction—front, back, left, right, up, down—lost all meaning, and there was no longer any distinction between inside and outside, far and near.
The savage pillar of fire from the Ten Grip Sword descended from the heavens, but as the Crow Tengu sliced down, it erupted from the right side of the entirety of Ginza, sweeping across and burning down distant high-rises into Ashes.
"Futile!"
The Crow Tengu sneered, "That doesn't sound like you, Ye Xueya. How long do you plan to hide? How long can Qingqiu's Illusion Technique last? And how long can your Ability sustain?"
"Who knows? Perhaps they'll last longer than your Ability to maintain the Miracle Imprint," Ye Xueya responded from within countless shattered reflections, a dazzling smile on her side profile. "This is called standing firm awaiting reinforcements. As a good woman like myself, capable of both offense and defense, when the reinforcements from the Astronomical Society arrive, I'll come out and kill you in an instant."
"Ridiculous!"
Tianshi'ao scoffed. The Astronomical Society getting involved in the conflict between the Dongxia Genealogy and Yingzhou Genealogy would be very unlikely.
Yet for some reason, after her words, Tianshi'ao felt an inexplicable unease—perhaps shadows of the past, or perhaps just a plain premonition.
Amidst his fierce assault, he suddenly gave an order to his subordinates from the Deer's Sing Hall.
"I will hold off that woman. Get yourselves in there. All you need to do is find that thing hidden at the very bottom; disregard everything else."
Shan Lao nodded.
The desperate moment had arrived.
Sublimators hastily recruited from the forces of Sodom and Ren Xiaotang, together with all members of the Deer's Sing Hall, totaling over forty Sublimators, gathered in one place at a moment's notice.
Then, Shan Lao took an old staff with peeling paint from behind her back, channeled Source Infusion into it, and immediately a chilling and solemn aura arose. Soon, a line of black characters emerged on the staff's body.
Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, only the words 'Naval Soul' could be read; the rest was indecipherable.
This was the most precious Border Relic obtained by the Deer's Sing Hall in this operation. Its Ability was not to kill the enemy, but to bestow enhancements upon their own.
As the staff swung down, the person at the front removed their outer coat. Shan Lao took a deep breath and shouted, "Grit!"
The staff came crashing down.
The Sublimators' faces turned green instantly, and then their bodies swelled as if truly infused with grit and courage. Their Source Fluctuations surged, as the power of the Stigma became more active than ever before.
After the first, came the second.
After injecting more than ten people with grit, Shan Lao collapsed in exhaustion on the ground. Naturally, someone else came to continue her work. In just a few short minutes, all the Sublimators had received the infusion of grit. Shamed into bravery, they looked rejuvenated as if they had taken invigorating potions and could hardly wait to throw themselves into battle.
Preparations were complete.
Tianshi'ao nodded, and all the light from the Ten Grip Sword in his hand suddenly retracted. He slashed forward.
The exquisite swordsmanship passed down within the Tengu Stigma.
——Tengu Triumph!
Then, the illusion unfurled!