Chapter 297: Fighting with All One’s Might Yet Still Unable to Defeat Bai Fu
Except for Bai Fu herself, no one had expected things to develop to this point.
Although several years had passed since Bai Fu’s advancement to Sovereign, to rise again in just a few short years from Sovereign to Transcendent… Even if Bai Fu indeed had the ability to guide others to improve their racial potential, this speed was simply too exaggerated. Did she not need any accumulation at all?
Even Dmitri, who had only just learned that Bai Fu had already reached the peak of Sovereign, was dumbfounded now.
No… that couldn’t be right.
He had been staying with Bai Fu all this time recently, so how could he not know that Bai Fu had advanced to Transcendent?
Wait!
Dmitri suddenly thought of something.
Just before the people from Titan Industries had charged over, he had sensed a fluctuation of energy that only a Transcendent could have. At the time, he thought it was Titan Industries showing off, but now, it seemed that the truth was likely otherwise.
That energy fluctuation was most likely released by Bai Fu!
In other words, had Bai Fu only just recently advanced to Transcendent?
No, no, that couldn’t be.
Although this conclusion seemed natural, no matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense.
Would the commotion of advancing to Transcendent be so small? Would the speed of advancing to Transcendent be so fast? Would anyone casually choose to advance to Transcendent aboard a spaceship?
All of this was completely contrary to Dmitri’s established understanding, to the point that the more he thought about it, the more confused he became.
Damn it, who could tell him what the hell was going on here?
But even more anxious than Dmitri were the people of Titan Industries.
Gagliani’s sudden scream and the abrupt cutoff of his communicator didn’t necessarily mean that something had happened to him.
But… what if something had indeed happened to Gagliani?
Gagliani had already undergone a divine metamorphosis, while Bai Fu, even as a Transcendent, was most likely only newly advanced. Yet none of them thought Gagliani could confidently defeat Transcendent Bai Fu.
Bai Fu was a Psionic Illustrator, one couldn’t judge her combat strength with the standards of an ordinary Transcendent. Moreover, Bai Fu was covered in bizarre, strange abilities, and many people had perished by not believing in these strange powers of hers.
One Transcendent + several Sovereigns dead, while their capture target Bai Fu still escaped. Even if they killed Dmitri here, such a loss would be hard to accept.
"I’ll go over there to check. You all stay here and pin down Annihilation, don’t let him escape！"
The illusionist Xuequan clenched her teeth and ultimately decided to go investigate.
Her mind was in turmoil.
The sudden discovery that Bai Fu was Transcendent had disrupted all their arrangements. At such a time, one misstep could cause extremely severe consequences.
Thunderblade and Zero nodded.
Annihilation was already injured, and with the assistance of a cosmic treasure and the Sovereigns, pinning him down wouldn’t be difficult.
Having reached a consensus, Xuequan immediately rushed in the direction where Gagliani had left earlier.
She had to make it in time!
……
Of course, Bai Fu wouldn’t give Titan Industries the chance to rescue Gagliani.
She had spent so much effort to lure Gagliani over, precisely to quickly cripple one hand of Titan Industries’ ambush squad.
Thus, the moment Gagliani approached her, she activated 【Blessing of the God of the Ethereal Realm】 without hesitation. In the instant her stats skyrocketed, she first delivered a Torrent of Annihilation, sending Gagliani staggering and disoriented.
Immediately after, she unleashed a luxurious combo package of more than a dozen strikes, including Eye of Lamentation, Whispers of Aberration, Dark Enigma, Boundless Darkness, Gloomy Forcefield, Psychic Storm, Undercurrent, Painter’s Whispers and others.
These Skills or Prayer Cards didn’t deal much direct damage, but some applied debuffs that reduced attributes and resistances, some restricted movement, some devoured energy, some deprived senses. Especially a super-rare colored Prayer Card like 【Painter’s Whispers】—this could make one feel as if plunged into hell, tormented directly at the soul level.
Restraints, imprisonments, restrictions?
Though Gagliani, Xuequan, and Zero had deep attainments in this field, Bai Fu was the true great master among masters!
If only 【Endless Domain of Darkness】 had already been crafted instead of just newly fused—combined with that colored card, Gagliani might not even have been able to move at all, trembling helplessly in the endless darkness of the spiritual world.
But even now, the effects of her combo weren’t far off.
Gagliani, struck by the barrage, struggled desperately, but could barely twitch his limbs. To break free from the restraints entirely, in his current state, unfamiliar with Bai Fu’s abilities, it would take him at least a minute.
For Bai Fu, one minute was enough to do many things.
She extended her right hand, where a scepter appeared out of thin air—woven seemingly from black thorns, yet carrying a strange air of nobility.
Funded by the Rebirth Empire, the Sacrificial Staff was about to showcase its power for the second time today!
轟隆隆——
The instant the staff appeared, the surrounding space began to twist uncontrollably, as though infinite energy was descending from an alternate dimension. Devoured, compressed, transformed by the staff, it finally gathered into an extremely unstable purple sphere of light at the top of the staff.
"Not good！"
The several Sovereigns who had come with Gagliani all turned pale with shock.
Though they were still some distance away from Bai Fu, they could feel it clearly—the purple sphere of light at the staff’s tip possessed a world-ending destructive power.
They had to stop Bai Fu. If that sphere fell upon Gagliani, everything would be finished.
"Worried about Gagliani? You’d better worry about yourselves instead."
Bai Fu curled her lip.
A few Sovereigns? Even before advancing to Transcendent, she had never feared them. Now, she felt all the more relaxed.
Pa!
Space shattered.
From the rift, more psionic legions surged forth. As they emerged, they fused together, eventually forming a prayer angel twice the size of the previous one. Alongside it descended a greatly strengthened Kabaya, empowered by Bai Fu’s rank.
Two guardian deities stood to the left and right, with countless smaller True Spirit summons arrayed behind them like a wall. The Sovereigns who had come with Gagliani fought with all their might, yet still could not step past that wall, only gazing helplessly across it at Bai Fu.
It was over! Over! Over!
Seconds later, the purple sphere detached from the Sacrificial Staff.
Though he saw nothing, Gagliani’s Transcendent instincts still made him sense deadly danger.
Dodge, dodge now!
At the brink of life and death, he threw out all his trump cards and unleashed a terrifying power he had never unleashed before.
Peng!
At last, amidst endless whispers, Gagliani managed to reclaim himself.
For a short while, he was no longer affected by the 【Painter’s Whispers】. He could now control his body, break free of the restraints, and flee.
But everything was already too late.
The instant Gagliani lifted his head, his smile froze completely.
The Sacrificial Staff’s inherent Skill 【Sacrifice to the Gods】 was a pure psionic Skill. Unlike weapons such as laser cannons, the evolved 【Sacrifice】 attack had no 【trajectory】. By the time you saw 【Sacrifice】, it had already fallen upon you.
Mind triumphs over matter!
Psionics descend into the world!
The purple light completely enveloped Gagliani.
Space collapsed, stars shattered, stardust turned into ash.
"Raaahhhhhhh！"
At that instant, in the eyes of others, Gagliani’s figure was blasted into a photographic negative.
That stark white, that oppressive black, that soul-piercing visual impact—so terrifying!
Within the purple sphere, Gagliani’s body began to twist, to disintegrate.
The Sovereigns who had accompanied him, upon witnessing this scene, were struck by unprecedented terror.
They swallowed collectively, then collectively turned their heads, their gazes all locking onto Bai Fu, who floated in the starry sky holding the staff. Their movements were as uniform as machines.
Around Bai Fu, deep violet energy shredded space into fragments. The constantly rearranging space obscured parts of the view, making her seem like a sinister witch emerging from the abyss.
"Dark Lord… Sovereign of the Shadowed Night…"
The Sovereigns repeatedly mouthed Bai Fu’s titles.
Moments later, one of them suddenly cried out.
"Against such a monster, it’s absolutely impossible to win！"
He hurled out an energy wave, then turned and fled without looking back.
When one person’s mental defenses collapsed, the rest couldn’t stand firm either.
If even Gagliani had been beaten so utterly powerless by Bai Fu, how could they possibly inflict any real harm on her?
Capture her? They were lucky not to be captured by Bai Fu instead.
Run!
If they didn’t run now, it would be too late!
"Stop them！"
Bai Fu immediately ordered the prayer angel and Kabaya to go all-out on the offensive.
She herself didn’t pursue, because she knew the not-yet fully evolved Sacrificial Staff couldn’t one-shot Gagliani.
Gagliani’s body had been completely scattered by the dark psionics, but he wasn’t dead yet—still struggling constantly.
She had to seize this chance, absolutely not letting him catch his breath.
Want to capture her? Then they had to pay the price!
Bai Fu extended her empty left hand.
Gradually, a gentle white glow appeared upon her hand.
It was the light of the Paradise Ark.
Though the Paradise Ark wasn’t by her side and she couldn’t use most of its functions—such as imprisoning the opponent’s soul inside—she could still borrow a little of its soul-binding ability.
Bai Fu waited for an opportunity, for the moment Gagliani’s spirit faltered and revealed a weakness.
In the midst of her waiting, the rushing-to-rescue Xuequan encountered the fleeing, panic-stricken Sovereigns.
"Why are you here? Where is Gagliani？"
"He… he was killed by Bai Fu."
"What?!"
Xuequan felt as if struck by lightning.
Another Sovereign quickly said: “No, he hasn’t died yet. At least when we left, Gagliani was still alive. We wanted to rescue him, but were blocked by the True Spirit summons that Bai Fu called forth. We couldn’t break through, so we had no choice but to return for reinforcements.”
With just a few words, he turned desertion on the battlefield into an excuse of going back to fetch help.
Xuequan had no mind to dwell on whether what he said was true or false. Rescuing Gagliani was what mattered most—if they were late, Gagliani might truly become a corpse.
“Come back with me！”
With a sharp command from Xuequan, the fleeing Sovereigns could only grit their teeth and follow her back.
After all, she was not only a Transcendent, but also a relative of the President’s family, holding a lofty status within Titan Industries.
A group of people rushed frantically toward Bai Fu.
“Bai Fu, stop immediately, or I’ll have no choice but to strike you down！”
Xuequan’s eyes blazed with fury.
Now that another Transcendent had arrived, one even stronger than Gagliani—level 220—to ensure she could completely cripple Gagliani, Bai Fu had no choice but to play the trump card she had taken from the Painter not long ago.
“You think I scare that easily？”
Bai Fu sneered, ignoring Xuequan’s threat.
Xuequan shouted angrily: “So you still haven’t realized reality. Then I’ll teach you how to respect your elders！”
Just as she was about to act, Bai Fu had already flung out the Painter’s Skill Card 【Wonderful Moment】.
An illusionist, is it? Then let’s see whose illusions are superior!
Hum。
The instant the Skill Card shattered, the eyes of Xuequan and the Sovereigns beside her all grew vacant with confusion.
Both deal in illusions, but the painter is obviously more skillful than Xuequan by more than one tier.
But after all, Xuequan was here in person, while Bai Fu had only tossed out a Skill Card of the Painter’s. So Bai Fu hadn’t expected this move to hold Xuequan for long.
But—holding her even briefly was enough!
The white glow of the Paradise Ark grew brighter and brighter.
Bai Fu watched Gagliani calmly, until his body was completely shattered under the bombardment of the purple sphere.
Now！
At an incredible speed, she rushed before Gagliani.
The Sacrificial Staff rose again. This time, she did not use 【Sacrifice to the Gods】, but instead the Dark Burn, which had accompanied her from Origin Star to the stars and finally back again.
With one passive boost after another, raging black flames erupted from the Sacrificial Staff like a battering ram.
Once. Twice. Thrice.
After three strikes, Gagliani’s body was burned to black ash on the spot, with no chance of regeneration.
His body destroyed, his powerful Transcendent soul finally emerged.
At last, Gagliani broke free of Bai Fu’s restraints, finally gaining a breath of reprieve from Sacrifice’s attack.
He saw the light again.
But only for a moment.
The next instant, a white glow shot from Bai Fu’s left hand, enveloping, entangling, and sealing him. He was utterly immobilized, his thoughts the only thing still moving, as he fell entirely into a small “glass bead”.
Bai Fu reached out, and the “glass bead” flew into her palm.
What in the world was happening?
Gagliani was dumbfounded.
So too was Xuequan, who had just broken free of the 【Wonderful Moment】.
“Bai Fu, you…”
“I only need to give this a light squeeze, and he will never have the chance to resurrect again.”
Bai Fu cast a divine shield upon herself with the Sacrificial Staff, then stored the staff into the Eternal Night Pure Land. With her left hand holding the “glass bead”, she smiled at Xuequan.
Elegant—truly elegant.
Xuequan wanted to do something.
Perhaps curse Bai Fu, perhaps strike at her—but the thought of Gagliani trapped in Bai Fu’s hand left her unable to act.
She felt as if she were about to go mad with rage.
Aaahhhh——
Never before had any opponent made her feel such despair.
Not even when dueling Annihilation had she felt this powerless.
Annihilation was strong—but strong in a way she could understand.
Bai Fu, however—she still had no idea how Bai Fu had captured Gagliani, or how she had restrained her!
“What are you, exactly？”
Bai Fu said: “Bai Fu, Dark Lord, Sovereign of the Shadowed Night. Call me whichever you like.”
Was that what I asked?
Xuequan dared not act rashly. She immediately relayed what had happened here to Thunderblade and Zero.
“???”
Thunderblade and Zero nearly thought they had fallen into someone else’s illusion.
What the hell? Not only had something happened to Gagliani, he had been beaten utterly powerless—turned directly into a soul sphere?
“Your illusions didn’t work？”
“Bai Fu uses illusions too.”
“Then… if we use Home of the Lost on Bai Fu, could we snatch Gagliani before she reacts？”
“Hard to say.”
Thunderblade and Zero stood stunned in the stellar wind.
And as luck would have it, the badly wounded Dmitri suddenly began to laugh.
“The situation has reversed. Now it’s not you pinning me down, but me holding you here. Let’s see whether I die first, or Gagliani dies first. In fact, with Bai Fu’s power, maybe Xuequan will die too.”
“Shut up！” Thunderblade roared furiously.
But Dmitri only spoke more excitedly: “I think the reinforcements from the Empire must be on their way by now. All I have to do is hold on with all my might a little longer—then you’ll all be coming with me, down to the Netherworld together！”
Damn it.
Thunderblade’s heart was restless, his eyelids twitching wildly.
Could this brat Annihilation actually scare him?
He quickly called on Zero to continue their siege of Annihilation, leaving Xuequan and Bai Fu locked in their standoff.
Annihilation was gravely wounded. If they could eliminate him quickly, the tide might yet turn again.
“Want to stall for time with me? I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.”
In the present situation, the last thing Bai Fu feared was stalling. The longer it dragged on, the stronger she became—after all, she had not yet completed her life sublimation. Once it finished, her stats would soar immensely.
“What do you mean？”
Xuequan frowned, suddenly uneasy.
What was wrong here?
Bai Fu didn’t answer—she simply stared at her.
And then, suddenly, Xuequan realized Bai Fu’s body was subtly trembling.
At first she thought it was the space being corroded by dark psionics, but after careful observation, she found the space itself was normal—it was Bai Fu herself fluctuating.
Fluctuation. Energy instability. Abnormality…
“Wait！”
At last, Xuequan realized the problem.
“You haven’t fully advanced to Transcendent yet—you’re still in the midst of evolving！”
Normally, this should have been good news. The enemy hadn’t fully advanced yet—what better time to attack?
But Xuequan dared not think so.
Her thought was: if Bai Fu was already this fierce without fully advancing, what would happen once she completed it?
Did she truly want to stand here and wait—see whether Bai Fu advanced first to crush her, or whether Thunderblade and Zero slew Annihilation first to support her?
Xuequan was flustered.
In panic, she contacted the Industrial Committee, learning that the Rebirth Empire had already dispatched two rescue fleets from Origin Star and the Imperial homeworld. And upon hearing the news, the Oathmaster, Yuan Yi, and Curse Lord were also rushing over. At this, her panic only grew deeper.
These were all people who had benefited from Bai Fu—it was natural they would come to her aid.
So, she couldn’t stay here. She didn’t want to die.
“We’re leaving！”
Xuequan turned and fled.
With her gone, the remaining Sovereigns had no intention of staying.
When Thunderblade and the others heard she had run, they were nearly dumbstruck.
Stop! Stop right there!
But their calls went unanswered.
“Xuequan！ Bai Fu！”
Thunderblade nearly ground his teeth to dust, exchanging a furious glance with Zero.
At this point—how were they supposed to fight?
Run!
It wasn’t their fault. If anyone was to blame, it was that idiot Xuequan for fleeing halfway through!
They came in haste, and left in haste.
Seeing them escape, Dmitri did not pursue. His injuries were too severe—if he chased now, it would only be throwing his life away. Better to wait until he recovered, then demand accountability from Titan Industries.
“Go link up with Bai Fu.”
He returned to the ship.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the starry sky, Rufas suddenly leapt forth.
“After fighting for so long, Titan Industries must have succeeded by now. It’s time to snatch Bai Fu from their hands！”
Ever since learning the Painter had tipped off Titan Industries, he had schemed to be the mantis stalking the cicada, the oriole behind.
The cosmic treasure in Bai Fu’s hands—he wanted it.
Her ability to elevate others—he wanted that too.