Chapter 128: Station 24: The Mantis

Chapter 128: Station 24: The Mantis

Patland's fingers, clutching his abdomen, sank deeply into his flesh, but he did not comply with the other's wish to extract the digesting power. Instead, he gazed at the man with his blue eyes:

"Lord Yuangong Baiyu, I am the Blood Servant of my Master, one of His kin, not yours."

"Even if this power is to be offered, it should be I who present myself at my Master's residence. Are you, perhaps, planning to intervene?"

"It would be proper for that to be the case."

The man known as "Yuangong Baiyu" folded his bat-shaped fan, maintaining that pair of crescent moon smiles:

"But such a request must come directly from Lord Paimon. Perhaps He fears that your strength may not suffice, and you might not make it to the residence, instead falling prey to the lingering power of Yan Jun. Thus, He wishes me to escort this power personally."

"Remember, Patland-san. I am here to aid you in devouring Yan Jun more effectively. Without my assistance, do you truly believe your encounter with Yan Jun would have gone so smoothly just now?"

"The moment he released the red thread to cocoon you, you should have been dead."

He extended the bat fan forward, swaying it gently. Several small, black water vortexes appeared around Patland.

Patland attempted to manipulate the vortexes, only to find that despite their origin within his domain, he was powerless to intervene!

"Understand now, Mr. Patland?"

Yuangong Baiyu's breath came at a measured pace:

"Though you have shaped this world, a Heaven Rank Seamless Ruler can alter its rules at will. I can, and so can Lord Yan."

"Without my suppression, your Black Water Domain would instead become your grave. Once Lord Yan opens the 'Yuan River Rift' in the core of your domain, do you truly believe you could still stand here unscathed?"

"Therefore," the man said, extending a hand as white as plaster toward Patland.

Vast power surged from the breach, radiating a mesmerizing interplay of red and blue light. Even being bathed in this glow for an instant filled one with a fleeting, intoxicating warmth.

This extraction of power was evidently painful for Patland.

This agony was not merely the result of the process of digestion and separation, but also a profound sense of loss, as if he were revisiting the heart-wrenching pain from his human days, when he had personally witnessed his parents being turned into meat paste in a factory.

No, the sensation now is hundreds of times more intense than that!

Though this force had been present on his body for less than ten minutes, it felt as if someone was extracting a treasure he had nurtured for tens of thousands of years and ruthlessly crushing it before his very eyes, torturing him.

The youth with sapphire-blue eyes gazed upon {Yuangong Baiyu} before him, querying,

"My Lord, this is truly Master's request, isn't it?"

"Yes," Yuangong Baiyu replied calmly.

"How could I dare to falsify the divine will of Lord Paimon?"

Patland lowered his gaze, delving his hand deeper into the unknown.

In that very instant he grasped the power, his soul trembled violently.

He suddenly realized that Yuangong Baiyu's aura no longer had any impact on him at all.

Bending slightly with his eyes looking up, he gazed at the man in flowing robes before him while slowly drawing something out from deep within his abdomen.

But what he pulled out was not the power itself; it was a scorching substance pulsating with a rainbow glow!

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Yuangong Baiyu!

Amidst blinding evasive maneuvers, the afterimages of their clash sliced through the air with fierce, colorful light.

The remnants of their powers traced two distinct trails of color.

Yuangong Baiyu attempted to manipulate the whirlpools in the black water with his bat-shaped fan, only to discover that those whirlpools had somehow drifted around him. With terrifying suction, they were tearing at him from all directions, trying to rip him apart piece by piece!

Patland's attacks accelerated, and a deranged grin spread across his exquisite face, like a blue enchantress blossoming abruptly in a garden:

"Lord Yuangong Baiyu, you can indeed manipulate the space of a Profound Rank Seamless Lord at will, but what if... it were a Heaven Rank Seamless Lord? Can you still alter these rules as you please?"

In an instant, the black water transformed into a mountainous weight, pressing down with immense force. The soaring feathers plummeted like fallen beings, crashing into the water's depths and shattering into dust.

Yuangong Baiyu's composed expression finally wore a hint of strain.

This was merely the first step of Patland's reversal.

" Shackles, this is the fitting gift for an invading criminal."

The youth spread open his hands, and from the tips of his fingers radiated a resplendent array of rainbow hues. With his chin held aloft in haughty pride, he exuded the vigor and spirit of a young lord, brimming with indomitable determination and zealous fighting spirit.

"Decapitation by horses, I've heard it's an intriguing form of punishment from the East. My lord can savor this experience."

With his right hand clenched into a fist, the vortex's suction force was so immense that Yuangong Baiyu's sleeves were flung up into a taut, unflinching line, as if being pulled by an invisible force!

"Fascinating."

Yuangong Baiyu held a bat-shaped fan in his right hand, then joined both hands together, forming an upward seal with his left index and middle fingers.

With a sharp "snap," a circle of silver light radiated from his feet, expanding outward. The original vortex shattered instantly into black fragments, vanishing into the abyssal darkness like shattered glass.

Protected within the circle of light, he was no longer disturbed by Patland's domain in the dark waters.

"You have great potential, Mr. Patland, but this power doesn't belong to you."

Yuangong Baiyu stood with his fan unfurled, and countless ashen feathers emerged from the darkness, shimmering with a metallic luster, each one aimed at Patland standing at the heart of the domain.

"If you let go now, there's still a way out."

"No, it belongs to me."

Red glimmers flickered in Patland's eyes, as an unprecedented sense of security enveloped him.

"It's mine."

Yuangong Baiyu slightly lifted his bat-shaped fan, and a dense swarm of gray feathers rushed towards Patland!

The black-and-white umbrella spun open, deflecting the fluttering gray feathers with a thudding sound.

The fallen ashen feathers sank into the gravity-infused black water.

The youth hoisted the umbrella onto his shoulder, his azure eyes now brimming with an unprecedented liveliness and spirit. A newfound, surging power coursed through every capillary in his body, infusing him with a fiercely ambitious competitive drive that he had never before experienced.

A dragon born from black waters emerged before him, and together, they dashed towards Yuangong Baiyu!

They rushed towards Yuangong Baiyu, only to find a grayish-white silhouette left behind where he once stood. This mysterious figure, seemingly emerged from nowhere, spoke with a hoarse voice:

"I remain steadfastly loyal to my master."

Then, they vanished into the shadows as if they had never existed.

Patland had clashed with Yuangong Baiyu several times and soon realized that the latter would promptly release illusions and escape when outmatched. The young man was highly displeased with this.

When Patland suddenly appeared in a lofty position, he sprang forward with all his might, swinging his umbrella with full force!

The rainbow light piercing through the black water illuminated the entire area, revealing an encircling wall of countless grayish-white shadows?!

This "wall" dissipated along with his attack, but it utterly nullified the full force of the strike.

Soon, Patland became aware of his mistake.

His domain of black water had, at some unseen moment, been infiltrated by these grayish-white shadows. They held hands, lurking translucently in the darkness, silently forming an invisible "barrier" that separated him from a direct confrontation with Yuangong Baiyu.

"Mr. Patland,"

The man with a touch of red at the corners of his eyes drawled out his words elegantly,

"Not everyone with the power of a Heaven Rank Boundless Lord can become a true Boundless Lord."

The grayish-white shadows began to swirl rapidly around Patland!

They had originally encircled Patland from above, layer upon layer, each row rotating at different angles, making it impossible to discern their moment of attack.

Patland soon acquired slight cuts, but he didn't take these seriously just yet.

These grayish-white shadows were easy to dispel. As long as his attack was powerful enough to wipe them out in one fell swoop, they posed no threat to him!

He employed the same tactic, lifting his head and opening his mouth to chant an incantation that gathered the devouring power of the entire world...

His sapphire eyes transformed into featureless black, which then became surging waters. But this time, tears like shimmering diamonds flowed from the depths of his gaze.

They resembled liquid diamonds adorning his entire face, as the cubic black water realm utterly collapsed, being devoured by the light that gushed from his mouth.

The black water realm was purified into an unadulterated white by the overwhelming radiance.

The ashen shadows were exposed in this blinding whiteness and were annihilated by the residual power, but Patland himself vanished without a trace after this assault.

Only the black-and-white umbrella remained.

Yuangong Baiyu waited for a moment before gently landing on the clean, smooth ground, stopping right in front of the umbrella.

As he reached out, he felt as if he were being engulfed by some invisible devouring force!

Then, the shapeless mass that had begun chewing on his arm took form.

The youth bared his pearly white teeth in a radiant smile directed at him.

Yuangong Baiyu's arm was firmly ensnared by the "wound" upon the youth's chest and abdomen.

He couldn't pull his hand free. What was happening now followed the same sequence as when Yan Qiling had been consumed just now.

To think that after devouring Yan Qiling, this fellow would actually have the audacity to try and consume him too!

Yuangong Baiyu, however, was not panicked in the slightest; instead, he curved his jet-black crescent-shaped eyes into a smile.

"Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Patland."

He delved deeper into the youth's wound, his arm stirring subtly within the confines of the compressed cavity!

Patland swiftly perceived his thoughts, and his expression drastically changed. But at this moment, it was too late to spit the other party out!

Yuangong Baiyu has already discovered the source of immense power and firmly grasped it in his palm, his pupils constricting with excitement.

Despite the increasingly terrifying pressure of the surrounding black water, amidst the teenager's agonizing screams, he tried to extract the partially rooted source from the other's stomach!

Radiant hues once more seeped through the cracks in the flesh, but this time, it happened in a profoundly gruesome manner.

Yuangong Baiyu beheld the collapse of composure etched upon his counterpart's countenance, softly uttering an admiring sigh.

"Consuming two Boundless Lords in a single day might lead to quite an indigestion."

Black tears once again traced down the youth's countenance, the erstwhile diamond-like tear tracks swiftly eclipsed by this paint-like filth.

Yuangong Baiyu's smile became even more sincere.

"This is the price for daring to resist. Have no fear, once I reclaim this power, both you and your suffering will vanish from this world."

With a heart-wrenching cry from Patland, the shimmering golden source of power was finally completely unleashed from his abdomen!

Radiant golden light cascaded from its source.

However, a scorching sensation soon spread up his palm from the grip!

Yuangong Baiyu, enduring the pain, looked down and found himself holding an astonishingly large crucifix coin!

Still in disbelief, he heard a voice amplified countless times by a loudspeaker reverberate from above:

"It's been a long time, Yuangong Baiyu."

Staring at the vague silhouette beyond the rippling water, he felt as if a veil of darkness had been draped over his heart.

And that shadow, in an unprecedented manner, appeared right before him.

It then asked kindly,

"How have you been since my departure?"