Chapter 424: Weak
It took an entire day and Tang Yue completely absorbed and assimilated every single beast she had faced.
A surge of power coursed through her veins. The forbidden lands had been a treasure trove of strength, and she was far from satiated. Rising from her meditative state, she gazed into the dense mist that cloaked the deeper realms of the wilderness. The air was thick with untapped magic and lurking dangers—exactly what she sought.
She began to move forward when the ground beneath her feet started to quake subtly. The tremors grew stronger, and soon, the earth split open to reveal a cavernous abyss. From its depths emerged a creature of colossal proportions—a titan forged from stone and ancient magic. Its eyes glowed with an inner fire as it towered over the landscape.
"You have trespassed where none should tread," the titan's voice boomed, reverberating through the air like thunder. "Turn back, or face the wrath of the ancients."
Tang Yue's lips curved into a confident smirk. "I've come too far to turn back now."
Without warning, the titan swung a massive arm, aiming to crush her beneath its weight. Tang Yue leaped gracefully into the air, her draconic wings unfurling to carry her skyward. She retaliated with Abyssal Spear, conjuring a lance of concentrated dark energy that she hurled at the titan. The spear struck its target, exploding on impact and shrouding the giant in a cloud of obsidian smoke.
But as the smoke cleared, the titan stood unscathed. It raised its hands, summoning pillars of earth that shot up from the ground, each one threatening to impale her. Weaving through the deadly formations, Tang Yue realized brute force wouldn't be enough. This foe was bound to the very land; she needed to disrupt that connection.
Drawing upon the elemental energies she'd assimilated, she crafted a new spell—Earthshatter Pulse. Channeling her power, she sent a seismic wave rippling through the ground. The wave disrupted the titan's link to the earth, causing it to stagger.
Sensing an opening, she descended rapidly, cloaking herself in flames with Draconic Dive. She struck the titan's core, the impact generating a fiery shockwave. Cracks appeared along its massive form as it let out a guttural roar.
"You are strong, but not invincible," Tang Yue declared.
The titan faltered, its movements becoming sluggish. With one final effort, it tried to crush her with both hands, but she was too quick. Evading the attack, she unleashed Darkness Blade—a deathly sword of darkness that sliced cleanly through the titan leaving only darkness in its wake. The colossal figure froze, then slowly crumbled into a heap of inert stone.
As the dust settled, a soft glow emanated from the rubble. Tang Yue approached cautiously, discovering a pulsating crystal—the Heart of the Titan. Recognizing its immense power, she absorbed the crystal, feeling her strength amplify even further.
No sooner had she integrated this new power than the sky above darkened unnaturally. Swirling clouds gathered, and from them descended a being of pure shadow—a wraith draped in darkness, eyes like voids. It spoke without a mouth, its voice echoing within her mind.
"You disrupt the balance of this realm," it intoned. "For your transgressions, you shall be consumed by the shadows."
Tang Yue felt a chill run down her spine. "I've faced shadows before," she replied.
She summoned draconic fire burst, generating a sphere of intense heat and light that pushed back the encroaching darkness. The wraith hissed, momentarily disoriented. Seizing the moment, she chained the spell into Solar Chains, binding the shadowy figure.
The wraith struggled, its form flickering as it tried to escape. "You cannot contain the darkness," it snarled.
"Perhaps not," Tang Yue conceded, "but I can certainly extinguish it."
She called upon Inferno Flare, merging her fire and solar energies to produce a cleansing flame. The fire engulfed the wraith, and with a final, piercing scream, it dissipated into nothingness, leaving behind another core.
Tang Yue sat down and quickly assimilated the core. Breathing steadily, she assessed her surroundings. Each victory was drawing her deeper into the forbidden lands, and with each adversary defeated, the challenges intensified. Yet, she felt invigorated. The amalgamation of powers she now held was beyond anything she'd ever imagined.
Pressing onward, she arrived at a tranquil clearing—a stark contrast to the chaos she'd left behind. In its center stood a serene lake with waters as clear as glass. Sensing an odd stillness, she approached the lake's edge. Her reflection stared back, but something was amiss. The eyes in the water were not her own.
Before she could react, a figure emerged from the lake—identical to her in every way, yet exuding an aura that was cold and unfeeling. It was a mirror image, but devoid of warmth—a shadow of her own potential for ruthlessness.
"Who are you?" Tang Yue demanded.
"I am you," the doppelgänger replied.
Tang Yue did not bother anymore. With a cold snort, she attacked her cheap look alike.
The two clashed, each move mirrored perfectly by the other. Fire met fire, blade met blade. It was like fighting her own shadow, every attack anticipated and countered. Frustration began to creep in as the stalemate persisted. She had faced some before and she hated these type of beasts the most.
After several minutes of gruelling back to back, Tang Yue finally managed to find a weakness and slammed a killer move onto the damned annoying bastard.
With a cold snort, she sat down to absorb the bloodline when suddenly her lips curled upwards into a grin. It seemed that her hard work was not in vain after all.
She had finally managed to snag an interesting bloodline!
Tang Yue clenched her fists in excitement. With this her power was going to skyrocket. She just needed her theory to work.
Just as she was about to test the bloodline, a new aura billowed out. Something more archaic and powerful than Tang Yue had ever faced in her life. The sheer aura was enough to make her body tremble.
"WEAK!"