Chapter 332: God of the Ethereal Realm, Suppression of All
The Holy City of Apostles and the First Protocol continued to escalate. A great war raged for several hours, with casualties on both sides.
In the end, fearing that drawing too many reinforcements here would cause the Revolutionary Army’s front line at the border between Titan Industries and the Rebirth Empire to collapse, the First Protocol, after careful consideration, decided to retreat for now.
“The strength of the Holy City of Apostles far surpassed my expectations. It seems we must raise their threat level by another rank.”
“But even so, the one we must eliminate first is still Bai Fu. Bai Fu’s abilities are too unique. If she comprehended the secrets of evolution, the consequences would be unimaginable.”
“Release news to the outside, claim that the Holy City of Apostles has already opened a passage to Titan Industries and is about to launch a full-scale offensive.”
“Once the waters are muddied, we begin our operation. This time, we must take Bai Fu down in one stroke, eradicating this greatest scourge completely!”
Receiving the order from the Leader, even though Isaacs felt deeply unwilling, he could only withdraw first.
He could have forced himself to stay, but if he stayed while everyone else retreated, he would be left to face the dozens of Domination-level and Transcendent beings of the Holy City of Apostles alone.
“Even the Death God can die!”
“This grudge, I will remember it!”
Isaacs’ eyes gleamed with a vicious purple light.
The reason his nickname was “Death God” was not only because his abilities were related to death, but also because of his personality.
He was extremely vindictive. Every time he took revenge, his path would be left barren, rivers of blood flowing.
With the power of death, he controlled countless deaths. Over time, he came to be called the Death God.
“Let the Fate Weaver use the Old Scar.”
“The Fate Weaver is already in action. Just hold on for another two minutes.”
Isaacs nodded, continuously swinging his Death Lines to disrupt the movements of the espers of the Holy City of Apostles.
Two minutes—easily endured.
Before long.
A loud voice came from the communication channel: “The Reversal has been activated. Everyone, prepare to enter the Reversal Passage!”
Excellent.
With a sweep of his hands, he forced back an approaching Transcendent. Isaacs opened his arms, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
“Trash of the Holy City of Apostles, today we part ways here. After I deal with Bai Fu, I will throw each and every one of you into my Death God’s Prison, so that you may know what true suffering is!”
A golden light descended from higher dimensions, enveloping his body completely.
Just as half his body was turning transparent, a mocking laugh suddenly came from the side.
“You think you still have the chance to leave?”
Who?!
Isaacs was startled.
He sensed danger and tried to accelerate into the Reversal Passage, but it was already too late.
An invisible force descended from all directions, freezing the space-time around his body.
Stop, stop quickly, I haven’t gotten in yet!
No matter how he struggled, no matter how he screamed in his heart, he could only watch as the Reversal Passage slowly closed in front of him.
Moments later.
In the vastness of space, only he remained; every other member of the First Protocol was gone.
It’s over!
Isaacs’ face turned as black as if he had rolled in a mud pit.
He regretted it now. If he hadn’t postured just now and had instead rushed into the Reversal Passage at the fastest speed, how would he have been left behind?
“Save me, Leader, hurry and save me!”
Isaacs could no longer maintain the aloof persona he usually cultivated, and immediately called for help from the Leader.
After learning the details, the Leader fell silent.
To send people back to rescue Isaacs would require expending another Old Scar. Otherwise, by the time reinforcements arrived, it would be far too late.
But was Isaacs really worth another Old Scar?
The Leader did not think so.
For the sake of the bigger picture, the First Protocol had absorbed too many members who did not truly recognize its core purpose.
These people would eventually be purged one by one once the plan succeeded, and Isaacs was one of them.
Therefore, there was no need to waste an Old Scar.
Isaacs, go in peace!
The Leader directly cut off communication.
“Leader, hey, Leader, hey, hey, hey…”
Isaacs cried out in terror, but to no avail.
What to do?
Surrender directly to the Holy City of Apostles?
Impossible. He had personally killed members of the Holy City of Apostles, and just now he was the one who mocked them the most viciously.
Though deep down he believed the Holy City of Apostles would never accept him, Isaacs still wanted to try.
He did not want to die.
“I surre…”
“At this moment, you want reconciliation? Give it up. I do not accept reconciliation.”
Isaacs’ words were cut short. His face turned pale, then flushed.
“I am sincere… no, wait—you’re not from the Holy City of Apostles. You are… Bai Fu?!”
Isaacs widened his eyes, staring deathly at the figure floating beside the space channel.
As a member of the First Protocol, how could he not recognize Bai Fu?
And he recognized the one beside her too—the Oathmaster of Star Covenant.
But why were Bai Fu and the Oathmaster here?
Bai Fu? Did you just say Bai Fu?
In the next instant, the members of the Holy City of Apostles also noticed Bai Fu.
That face, that aura—without doubt, this was Bai Fu!
But why was Bai Fu still alive?
They were stunned.
They had confirmed it—truly confirmed it!
So, how had Bai Fu survived?
The Lord of the Hall of True Spirits was flushed with rage.
He remembered how not long ago he had confidently sworn to the Supreme Apostle that Bai Fu was dead, and now—barely half a day later—Bai Fu appeared, slapping his face.
Good. Good. Very good!
If once was not enough to kill you, then twice. If twice failed, then thrice. I refuse to believe you cannot be killed!
The Lord of the Hall of True Spirits boiled with killing intent, immediately summoning those who had been fighting other First Protocol members to encircle.
Bai Fu ignored the killing intent of the Holy City of Apostles, but Isaacs, besieged from all sides, could not endure.
He had to find a way to survive. He must live.
Wait, Bai Fu… yes!
Isaacs’ eyes lit up suddenly.
If he informed the Leader that Bai Fu was here, the Leader would definitely send people to rescue him. He would still have a chance.
“Hurry, contact…”
Just as Isaacs attempted to call the Leader in the virtual network, a fierce virtual intrusion shattered his communicator into fragments with a snap.
“You dare court death!”
Isaacs roared in fury.
With a bellow, countless black Death Lines burst forth from his body, surging like a torrential flood toward Bai Fu.
“You think that with the Oathmaster backing you, you can withstand me? Even if I die today, I’ll drag you to the grave with me!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Death Lines endlessly struck at Bai Fu’s body.
Yet the scene he imagined—Bai Fu’s body withering as her life force was stripped away—never occurred. She simply stood there calmly. When the Death Lines were spent, she remained unscathed, not even swaying.
Isaacs: “?”
No good—Bai Fu’s strength far exceeded his imagination!
Isaacs turned to flee.
Bai Fu chuckled.
“Child, this is the durability of the cosmic treasure Titan Holy Shield + Psionic Shield + Dark Energy Shield.”
Unfortunately, this Titan Holy Shield had only been borrowed from Titan Industries, and it would have to be returned once this operation ended.
Bai Fu secretly shook her head.
“Now, it’s my turn!”
Her gaze sharpened as she directly activated 【Ethereal Dimension Descent】 and 【Ethereal Field】.
The two overlapped, and Isaacs felt as though he had crashed into a swamp, unable to move an inch.
“What is this?”
He panicked and looked back, just in time to see Bai Fu scattering a handful of Prayer Cards from her hand.
Ethereal Frenzy, activate!
Whisper of the Painter, activate!
Soul Severance, activate!
Among them, Soul Severance was a colored Prayer Card obtained after completing 【Above the Stars (I)】. Its effect was to forcibly separate the soul from the body, with the success rate and degree of severance depending on the power gap between both sides.
Three-pronged strike.
Isaacs didn’t even have time to scream before he was overwhelmed and stunned by the tidal surge of psionic energy bursting forth from the Ethereal Dimension.
But after all, he was a Transcendent II. In an instant, he regained his senses from his dazed state.
Yet it was futile.
The first thing he saw upon waking was Bai Fu suddenly appearing before him, holding a staff topped with a dark energy sphere.
“Don’t kill me, I—”
Boom!
The energy sphere shot out from the Sacrificial Staff, striking Isaacs squarely in the chest.
At such close range, taking a fully charged blast from the Sacrificial Staff, it didn’t matter if Isaacs was a Death God or a Living God. His health bar dropped by over eighty percent in the blink of an eye, as though punctured by a needle.
“Nothing impressive.”
Bai Fu pressed the Sacrificial Staff forward again, releasing a torrent of Annihilation at point-blank range. With the tearing force of the Ethereal Field, Isaacs’ broken body was blasted into scraps in an instant.
Then, she pulled out a “Glass Orb” out of thin air, sealing Isaacs’ soul inside.
Her whole sequence of actions was smooth and seamless. From drawing the Prayer Cards to ending the battle, only a few seconds passed.
At that moment, the Oathmaster was still on the side shouting, “Bai Fu, I’ll help you!”, rushing aggressively as if to intercept Isaacs, while the people of the Holy City of Apostles hadn’t even finished regrouping.
“Here, take him back and deal with him slowly.”
Bai Fu tossed the “Glass Orb” to the Oathmaster.
The Oathmaster instinctively caught it, staring blankly at Bai Fu as if in a dream.
Just… just like that?
She hadn’t even started yet.
In the distance, Dmitri and the others, who had been sneaking toward the flank and rear of the Holy City of Apostles’ espers, were also stunned.
When the First Protocol fought against the Holy City of Apostles, they had been watching from the sidelines, so they knew Isaacs was indeed very strong. Yet the very strong Isaacs had been nearly one-shotted by Bai Fu. Just how powerful was Bai Fu then?
Was this reasonable? Yesterday, when they attacked the Temporary Stargate, Bai Fu didn’t seem this strong.
“God of the Ethereal Realm, my heavens, Fu Fu is actually the God of the Ethereal Realm!”
At that moment, Digging-Treasure’s startled cry made everyone snap back to their senses.
What, God of the Ethereal Realm? Do you even know what you’re saying?
Before Dmitri could question further, the other Undying standing beside Digging-Treasure also screamed.
“Damn, it really is the God of the Ethereal Realm. I remember last time, she was still Eternal Night!”
“She must have awakened recently. Didn’t you notice Fu Fu’s blood @#$&…”
“Unbelievable, unbelievable, this is the God of the Ethereal Realm! Digging-Treasure, you’re amazing. You just casually went shopping and stumbled across the God of the Ethereal Realm, and spotted she wasn’t ordinary at a glance!”
“Holy crap, then Fu Fu must be ridiculously strong now! Her @#!#”
Dmitri and the others’ heartbeats quickened involuntarily.
If one Undying said Bai Fu was the God of the Ethereal Realm, it might have been nonsense. But if all the Undying believed it, could it be true?
If Bai Fu was really the God of the Ethereal Realm…
Then this was as good as won!
If morale could be described in levels, Dmitri and his group’s morale had just risen by two whole levels.
Conversely, the people of the Holy City of Apostles lost a level in morale.
What was happening? Bai Fu had actually insta-killed Isaacs?
The Lord of the Hall of True Spirits, shocked, couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart.
This Bai Fu was already teetering on the edge of being uncontrollable.
The only good news was that Bai Fu had only brought one person. Even though they had just endured a massive battle and were in poor condition, they could still defeat her.
“Kill her, don’t hesitate any longer, kill her until she can’t resurrect!”
“We outnumber her, there’s no need to fear. Everyone, charge with me!”
The Lord of the Hall of True Spirits led the charge, dozens of figures encircling Bai Fu from all directions.
But Bai Fu remained calm.
Yesterday, she had been level 230.
Today, after undergoing another Racial Ascension, she had reached level 245. Her strength was incomparable to before.
“You want to kill me? Dream on!”
With the financial backing of the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations, Bai Fu had no need to hold back this time.
She directly maxed out the number of psionic legions, then summoned Kabaya, Prayer Angel, and Shadow Exalt.
If it was charging they wanted, she would charge as well!
Bai Fu advanced instead of retreating, leading billions of summoned beings straight at the Lord of the Hall of True Spirits.
In the vast starry sky, the two sides clashed violently, setting off a psionic storm.
From the first exchange, the Lord of the Hall of True Spirits felt immense pressure.
Last time he fought Bai Fu, though she was abnormally tough, her true strength wasn’t greater than his.
But now, it was completely different. Bai Fu was still abnormally tough, but her strength had leapt to a new level. Every move forced him into retreat.
“This monster, what has she gone through, why has her strength increased so quickly?”
The Lord of the Hall of True Spirits was both shocked and furious.
He felt lucky Bai Fu had only brought one helper. Otherwise, today would truly be disastrous for him.
“Don’t clash head-on. We’ll wear her down slowly!”
The Lord of the Hall of True Spirits intended to use the same tactic again, trying to exhaust Bai Fu to death.
Old tactics weren’t a problem, as long as they worked.
But this time, Bai Fu wasn’t alone!
While everyone focused on Bai Fu, Dmitri and the others had already reached the Temporary Stargate.
“Lord, terrible news!”
An urgent distress signal came.
“What?”
The Lord of the Hall of True Spirits’ face changed drastically.
Damn it, they’d been tricked! Bai Fu was the decoy!
“Fall back, split some of our people to return, the rest stay here to block Bai Fu!”
Under the lead of the Third Candidate Apostle, most of those attacking Bai Fu turned back to stop Dmitri and the others from blasting the Passage.
Bai Fu glanced around.
Twelve Transcendents remained to block her.
Even though her strength had greatly increased, one versus twelve was still difficult, because these Transcendents weren’t ordinary ones who had just ascended. Each had undergone at least one Metamorphosis, and the Lord of the Hall of True Spirits was on the verge of his fourth.
But…
Bai Fu slowly extended her right hand, uttering two words.
“Suppression!”
The Esper Evolution Tree shuddered, activating the 【Suppression】 skill copied from the Lightless One.
This was Bai Fu’s first time using this ability since obtaining the Esper Evolution Tree. She hadn’t used it earlier when stalling for Dmitri and the others, because it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. She had kept it hidden.
Buzz.
In an instant, the Lord of the Hall of True Spirits and the others were horrified to find they couldn’t channel psionic energy or dark energy.
“What did you do to us?”
Bai Fu smiled. “Don’t panic. This is a special esper ability. When activated, it drastically reduces the activity of all energies within its range. You can’t channel psionic or dark energy, and neither can I.”
So everyone couldn’t channel psionic or dark energy. In that case…
“Oathmaster, it’s your time to shine!”
Damn!
Hearing Bai Fu’s words, the hearts of the Lord of the Hall of True Spirits and the others nearly stopped.
How could they have forgotten Bai Fu had a Transcendent Martial Artist beside her?
And compared to them, even as a Psionic Priestess, Bai Fu’s physique wasn’t exactly weak either.
Not good—run!
Run?
It was already too late!
Go to hell!
Bai Fu and the Oathmaster charged into their ranks like tigers descending the mountain.
…
“Supreme Apostle, something terrible has happened!”
Moments later, a disastrous report accompanied by a distress signal reached the Supreme Apostle’s ears.