Chapter 199: Battle
Though its form was enormous, its movements were far from clumsy. However, after expending so much focus and energy, even the most agile movements began to dull.
It wasn’t that it couldn’t dodge the golden crescent moon—it simply didn’t think it needed to.
It even slightly raised one of its long, slender arms, black as midnight trees fading into shadow, and spread its clawed fingers—each one sharp and jagged—toward the incoming crescent, as if planning to simply crush it between its grasp.
The crescent arrived as expected. Its enormous palm was raised right in its path, perfectly positioned, as though it had been waiting to snare prey. The attack struck directly into its hand, and it caught the crescent in its grip.
A faint sound of slicing came from its palm. It wasn’t holding “light,” but rather a dagger cutting through its flesh at high speed.
Its towering figure didn’t move an inch, but the sound of the crescent slicing through air, the strain in its tightening hand, and the deepening wounds on its black claws—all dripping with blood—proved that it wasn’t as effortless as it appeared.
When it finally crushed the golden crescent, its massive palm bore a gash so deep the bone was visible, nearly severing its hand entirely. Those clawed “hands” were among the hardest parts of its entire body.
Seeing her attack land, Xu Zhi’s mind raced. She couldn’t keep swinging endlessly—each crescent imbued with the [Lamp]’s power drained her supernatural energy, and she had no way to replenish it now. After a quick thought, she bent her legs slightly and launched herself toward its upper body.
When it saw Xu Zhi closing in, it no longer remained indifferent. Its other, undamaged hand swung toward her with a violent gust, its sheer power making the air shudder and howl. Xu Zhi immediately noticed both the attack and the crimson light glowing from its palm.
It had clearly realized that pure physical force wouldn’t work—and changed its method of attack.
Xu Zhi lifted her blade horizontally, meeting its strike head-on.
Clang!
Her blade met its claws, and the collision burst with force, whipping her clothes and hair into chaos. Slicing gusts cut shallow wounds across her face, but before a drop of blood could fall, the wounds sealed shut.
She was suspended midair, without a foothold. When it pressed forward, its massive hand forced against her blade and shoved outward—
Bang! Xu Zhi was flung backward through the air.
But before it could withdraw its hand, Xu Zhi gathered her strength and surged forward again, darting over its arm—appearing directly in front of it!
Seeing this, it didn’t bother pulling back its hand. Instead, with that same motion, it struck toward its own chest, as if swatting a mosquito resting near its heart.
The air howled, thick with the stench of [Cup]’s energy. Xu Zhi already had a plan—she didn’t dodge. Instead, she turned and swung another golden crescent straight toward the incoming claws. This time, her goal wasn’t to wound it—but to stop its motion.
The crescent hit perfectly, slamming into its descending hand with a thunderous boom. The enormous palm froze mid-swing, halted just short of Xu Zhi.
She seized the chance. With both hands gripping her blade, she thrust it into its chest. The blade shimmered with golden light, which flared even brighter once it pierced its flesh. What had once barely cut skin now sank deep into its body.
Her hands tightened around the hilt. With a fierce pull downward, the blade sliced through its torso—from chest to waist—splitting its upper body apart!
Blood gushed in torrents. For an instant, a waterfall of scarlet poured before her eyes. The wound cut by [Lamp] healed slower than usual, but even so, for it, this was still a trivial “injury.”
Its palm clenched again, shattering the crescent light. Then, from deep within its chest, a strange sound rumbled—
[Human, you cannot kill me.]
Its tone was eerily calm, as if stating an undeniable truth.
“Is that so?” Xu Zhi replied coolly, stepping back as she watched the wound she’d opened slowly knit together. The bleeding stopped.
Even under the [Lamp]’s influence, its regeneration wasn’t slow. Yet—
At the exact moment the wound opened, a tiny black twig, thinner than an ant and seemingly insignificant, leapt from Xu Zhi’s body into the gash. The twig pulsed with the same aura as the creature itself—as if it were part of it—and as the flesh healed, it slipped inside unnoticed, fusing seamlessly into its body.
Like an invisible parasite, undetectable to the naked eye, it buried itself within.
Xu Zhi’s lips curled slightly—but her satisfaction lasted only seconds. Before she could even exhale, its next attack arrived. She raised her blade instinctively—
—but the expected impact never came.
Before confusion could register—
Bang!
It felt as if a giant fist had struck her square in the back. The condensed energy of [Cup] smashed into her, powerful enough to shatter every bone in her body. She was hurled through the air, her body screaming in pain.
The impact threw her supernatural energy into chaos, corrupted by [Cup]’s influence. Fortunately, the attributes didn’t clash—though the force was immense, it didn’t cause lasting harm. And pain? That barely mattered.
Still—
“A delayed attack… and displaced!”
A more advanced version of Ye Yan’s technique.
Even with the [Eye of Secrets], which let her perceive its movements, she could only do so if she was looking directly at it. Its vast body was too massive; if her gaze wasn’t on it the moment it used its ability, she’d miss it entirely.
“Troublesome.”
It meant she’d have to keep her vision fixed constantly on its labyrinthine network of supernatural circuits, tracking every pulse and movement.
But doing that left her blind to other dangers.
“If only I had eyes on the back of my head,” she thought bitterly.
Obviously impossible.
“Or a few more eyes in general…”
Human vision was just too narrow.
A few more eyes?
Suddenly—Xu Zhi had an idea.
