“What’s going on? How could anyone still enter here?!”
Leon’s body had completely merged into the Yin-Yang fish, as if he had become one with the entire space.
But his astonished voice echoed from the sky, clearly surprised by Shen Yiyue’s appearance.
“Xiao Yu, are you okay?”
Shen Yiyue looked around, holding the detonator for the high-energy explosives she had just set off. She then pulled out a heavy weapon from her arsenal.
“I’m fine.”
Ning Yu shook her head.
This was the unique connection between the Song of the Kite and Blood Kite, allowing the scabbard to be summoned back to Blood Kite’s side when needed.
It was an ability that transcended time and space, a bond prearranged by Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue as part of their trap.
The black and white gates both ultimately led to the center of this ritual, so it was clear that Shen Yiyue had also arrived here.
However, they hadn’t encountered each other in the same space, as Leon had trapped Shen Yiyue on the opposite side of the Yin-Yang duality.
But this division had been anticipated by Ning Yu, as Leon’s target had always been Ning Yu alone.
For those who got in the way, the best solution was to eliminate them beforehand. However, Shen Yiyue now possessed the healing abilities granted by the Song of the Kite, along with enhanced physical endurance.
Combined with her remaining future-reading abilities, it had become extremely difficult to kill her through physical means.
Leon, however, didn’t particularly care about Shen Yiyue’s survival. All he needed was a living Ning Yu, so trapping Shen Yiyue was the best course of action.
The moment the two of them entered the gate, they had already stepped into Ning Yu’s plan.
Ning Yu would summon Shen Yiyue back to her side at a critical moment or if Shen Yiyue’s life was in danger, launching an unexpected attack.
“This level of destruction is meaningless against a ritual that has already progressed this far.”
“But your futile struggle does bring me a certain pleasure.”
Leon, now merged with the Yin-Yang fish, seemed to have lost his original form.
As his voice echoed through the air, the Yin-Yang fish, which had momentarily paused due to Shen Yiyue’s explosion, began to rotate again.
It slowly disappeared, replaced by one golden vortex symbol after another lighting up in the sky.
These symbols were slightly different from the one on Ning Yu’s forehead, adorned with additional decorative patterns, clearly Leon’s handiwork.
They were imitations.
But these symbols grew brighter and more numerous, spinning like gears in motion.
Behind them, countless gray chains made of energy lit up, moving in tandem with the symbols.
The entire space seemed to transform into a precision instrument, with the Yin-Yang fish serving as its driving force.
Ning Yu felt something within her body beginning to dissipate.
“Xiao Yu, your body!”
Shen Yiyue noticed that Ning Yu’s body was becoming transparent, and in her chest, a wisp of gray mist floated, connected to her by a thin golden thread.
Now, this mist was being drawn out, slowly dispersing into the surrounding space.
The golden thread grew brighter and brighter.
“Say goodbye to the one you love, for the world is about to meet its end.”
Leon’s voice sounded as if he were announcing an undeniable truth. The space around them began to contract, and the gray mist within Ning Yu dissipated faster and faster.
The ritual seemed unstoppable.
“Sister Yiyue.”
Ning Yu reached out and took Shen Yiyue’s hand. Shen Yiyue couldn’t help but look at Ning Yu.
But this time, for some reason, she could look directly into Ning Yu’s golden eyes.
“Let’s end this together.”
Seeing Ning Yu’s smiling face, Shen Yiyue returned a calm smile of her own.
“Alright.”
She placed her hands on her shoulders, covering her chest, and gently closed her eyes.
The Song of the Kite slowly drifted out from her body.
The scabbard didn’t completely detach from Shen Yiyue’s body; a faint beam of light still connected them, but it didn’t hinder Ning Yu from taking the scabbard.
“Moon Princess!”
Even though she was already in the “Misty Moon” mode, Ning Yu called out the Moon Princess’s name once more.
Behind her, an ancient stone gate appeared, its doors slowly opening.
The Moon Princess, with her silver hair flowing and dressed in a pure white gown, emerged gracefully, surrounded by gray mist.
The golden vortex symbol on her forehead was identical to Ning Yu’s, and a golden thread connected Ning Yu to the Moon Princess.
This symbolized their contract.
“Oh~ At last, I meet you, the Gatekeeper who governs the root, the guardian of knowledge and wisdom.”
Upon seeing the Moon Princess, Leon seemed on the verge of losing control of his emotions.
“Have you come to guide me?”
But in the next moment, the Moon Princess gently embraced Ning Yu from behind, and their contract seemed to reach an unprecedented level of connection.
However, the Moon Princess didn’t glance at anything else. After embracing Ning Yu, she slowly disappeared, and the gate behind her quietly closed.
[You have received the Moon Princess’s Blessing, Tier V]
[Moon Princess’s Blessing * Tier V: +50 Stamina, +50 Spirit, +50 Charisma]
A series of notifications echoed in Ning Yu’s mind. Her Moon Princess’s Blessing, previously only at Tier II, had now ascended to Tier V.
Shen Yiyue felt as if Ning Yu was bathed in a divine radiance, as though she were about to transcend this mundane world, becoming untouchable.
But Ning Yu was still standing right beside her. She picked up Blood Kite and began to sheathe it.
The scabbard and the blade were about to become one, and Leon seemed to sense an unprecedented level of danger. The surrounding barrier began to compress at an accelerating rate.
Ning Yu closed her eyes, feeling the profound sensation of activating [Heart Blade], as well as the enhanced physical capabilities granted by her various buffs.
“Leon, you will never reach your destination.”
“I am both the key to fulfilling your desire and the perfect embodiment of restraint.”
“From the moment you needed me to come here, your fate was sealed.”
“This destiny, which began long ago, is something you understand better than anyone!”
Ning Yu suddenly opened her eyes, her silver hair billowing wildly. The vortex symbol on her forehead shone with an unprecedented brilliance.
She activated [Heart Blade * Perception], and in that instant, the entire space transformed before her eyes.
At the same time, Blood Kite left its scabbard.
Ning Yu vanished from her original position, but in that brief moment, she had glimpsed a predetermined outcome.
Everything in the universe has its time of decay.
Now, Ning Yu was about to bestow this mercy upon the world.