Sword beams, trailing long streaks of light, circled in the sky, carrying sharp sword energy, surging towards Andusia like a vast river. They moved incredibly fast; one moment they were high in the sky, and the next, they were before Andusia.
But they were still a second too late.
At this moment, time suddenly stood still. Everyone froze at this instant, their expressions turning confused.
Andusia, with Gu Mingze’s neck in his grip, looked up at the sky. Countless swirling vortices began to appear in his hollow eyes. Dazzling multicolored light enveloped the entire Junyao Academy like mist, encompassing everyone, all energy, including Zhi Yue, who was suspended in the air, and the sword beams about to pierce his skull.
Bai Cha had initially thought Andusia would at most escape with Gu Mingze. However, the sudden appearance of this absolute domain was beyond her expectation. Everyone, including Bai Cha, was frozen in place, witnessing a power Bai Cha had never encountered before.
"Hmph... Hahahahaha."
A piercing laugh echoed in her ears, stimulating Lucifer's brain.
The moment the multicolored mist exploded from Andusia's horn, Lucifer instinctively closed his eyes. When he opened them, he found himself in an endless darkness.
"You have actually learned such methods, my mother." Lucifer's expression was unreadable. This power was clearly aimed at him. Caught off guard, he had been pulled into an unknown world.
"Methods? What methods?"
"Lucifer, what are you talking about? I am you."
Lucifer did not reply. He was in a state of freefall, with no points of contact around him, rendering him unable to exert any force. While darkness itself didn't faze him, what made him most anxious was that his connection with Bai Cha seemed to have been severed.
This power originated from the demiplane he once inhabited, and this power clearly surpassed the connection through resonance. Without Bai Cha by his side, Lucifer felt a flutter of panic. He had never experienced such a feeling before; his heart felt hollow, as if a piece had been gouged out.
"Hmph, truly uninteresting."
The voice was strange and grating, like fingernails on a blackboard, sending chills down his spine.
A hand from behind embraced Lucifer, who was floating in the center of the darkness, while another hand cupped his cheek – it was a shadowy figure condensed from gray mist.
"Alright, my child, you have been rebellious for so long; it's time you grew up. No matter how hard you try now, you are still alone. Where are your followers from back then?"
"Oh, I forgot. You have become enemies with your former believers. How laughable."
Lucifer’s vision was completely black. In any normal combat situation, he would have leaped up and torn this space apart. However, he was being suppressed by this power emanating from his creator.
Even at his strongest, facing the supreme pressure of his progenitor, his bloodline and power would naturally retract, rendering him unable to unleash even half of his usual strength.
Currently, Lucifer was bound by black mist, utterly unable to move.
Suddenly, figures appeared before Lucifer's eyes. Figures of different colors repeating familiar actions caused Lucifer's body to stiffen…
A colossal black dragon soared across the heavens and earth, its form intertwined with pure black and golden lightning, heralding its ascent to emperor. Its immense body stood atop a high platform, its colossal wings obscuring the sky.
It gazed proudly at the countless followers below bowing before it, filled with a genuine sense of pride and exhilaration.
"Lucifer, you rebelled against me, you betrayed your creator, but what did you gain? What did those who followed you gain? They all died, enduring more tragic suffering. You conceited fool, do you think you are a hero?"
"But why should the dragons that rose because of you be sacrificed? Why shouldn't it have been you who died? You implicated them; without me, you are nothing."
"Shut up!" Lucifer roared, his arm transforming into a dragon claw as he swiped backward, only to grasp at empty air.
"Heeheehee."
The grating voice emitted a triumphant laugh, appearing quite pleased.
"No, you abandoned all your followers and signed a contract with a human. Are you also questioning your past? So, you are also negating your past."
The projected images became chaotic. In that great battle that lasted for seven years, a war fought in darkness and chaos, he had been exhausted and ultimately defeated. He had unleashed all his power with all his might, cleaving apart this demiplane.
Yet, even so, only two-thirds of his people managed to escape the demiplane.
The remainder endured the even fiercer wrath of his mother.
"Look at the devout gaze they once held for you, but in the end, what was their fate? I am merely speaking the truth; you can refute me."
Lucifer’s handsome brows were knitted together, and a flicker of struggle surfaced in his peach blossom eyes, mirroring Bai Cha's.
Lucifer had believed he had forgotten this memory. He now had a master and could start anew. Yet, when these sealed memories resurfaced, he still felt a pang of heartache.
Back then, he had been so resolute, so determined to tell those dragons that he would lead them away from a life of subjugation. But now, they were controlled by the Dragon Mother, and he was powerless, forced to join Bai Cha in slaying his former subordinates.
This was why, when Korola had requested Bai Cha's help, Lucifer had personally gone to save Korola. Even one was enough; he hoped they could live well.
"See? You are wavering. You have long since negated your past, haven't you? Look at your closest friends, your most loyal subordinates; when they were tortured into mere skeletons, hung on the cross…"
The piercing voice continued incessantly, assailing his eardrums and causing Lucifer to suffer from a splitting headache.
"So noisy…" Lucifer sighed softly, his form beginning to shift. The handsome and gentle man instantly transformed into a colossal dragon.
It was immensely vast, each of its black scales shimmering with a fearsome radiance, perfectly aligned, like a flawless work of art. Merely looking at it exuded a sharp aura that assaulted the senses.
It curled itself up, seemingly finding some solace in this boundless darkness. It covered its ears, yet the shrill voice still echoed faintly within its mind.
"So what if you have a master now? Your master only sees you as a tool; she doesn't even care about you. Don't you understand what a selfish and cold person your master is?"
"As long as the mission can be completed, she will sacrifice anyone, including you. You are but a pawn! You will eventually be sacrificed under his grand scheme. My dear child, won't you return…"
"Huh?"
The Dragon Mother's voice from the demiplane suddenly sounded surprised. Lucifer opened his eyes, astonished to find a streak of green piercing the darkness and injecting itself into his mind, catching him completely off guard.
The gentle, soothing green power made Lucifer feel significantly better. What surprised Lucifer even more was that this green energy allowed him to vaguely perceive Bai Cha's situation.
"Earth! You meddle too much!" The shrill voice grew even angrier, like the grating whistle of a steam train. "This is my child; why are you interfering!"
Lucifer quietly let out a sigh of relief. He remained curled up. Although the darkness continued to erode him, the green energy provided protection, greatly slowing the erosion. Vaguely, Lucifer felt a towering tree transmitting its will to him.
"Do you trust her?" the voice from the great tree transmitted, steady and peaceful, instilling a sense of familiarity upon hearing it.
... I do.
Lucifer remained silent, mentally reciting.
Bai Cha was still in the real world, the green and blood-red lights flashing on her body finally allowing her to break free from the control.
"At least you have some conscience," Bai Cha muttered under her breath.
The power of the demiplane was too immense; her blood-demon energy alone was insufficient. Fortunately, the Earth plane had lent her a hand; otherwise, it would have been troublesome.
Even more troublesome was that she couldn't deal with Andusia right now, as Gu Zitan's light swords were flying everywhere.
If Andusia were killed directly, everyone would lose their ability to act for a certain period. If these light swords went out of control, half of Junyao's population would suffer. With so many people, she didn't have time to save them all.
"This is a big problem," Bai Cha said, looking at Meng Qinghuan not far away. She kicked him directly. "You are skilled in mental power too, yet you were also turned into this state."
Meng Qinghuan, lost in the illusion, naturally could not respond to Bai Cha. He remained in a daze, lost in his dream, with only a shoe print appearing on him.
"Not a single one is worry-free. If I die, what will happen to you all?" Bai Cha shook her head helplessly and walked towards Andusia. She wasn't in a hurry; Andusia's mental domain was strong, but it still took time to kill someone within an illusion.
This domain was unleashed by Andusia using the Dragon Mother's power; it was the power of a demiplane. To break through the plane, one could only rely on the power of the plane itself.
It seemed she would have to meet the World Tree again. This had escalated to a battle between planes.
Bai Cha first broke Andusia's arm and pulled Gu Mingze out. Although Andusia was also immersed in the domain along with everyone else, he seemed to still feel the physical pain.
The moment Bai Cha broke his arm, she felt Andusia's body tremble slightly.
After a moment of thought, Bai Cha laid Andusia flat on the ground, then efficiently broke all of Andusia's limbs and bound him with ropes. Only then did she nod with satisfaction and place her hand on Andusia's horn.
She needed to enter this domain with everyone else to figure out a solution, preferably by breaking through from within. Bai Cha could faintly sense that this domain seemed related to space and time, but the specifics were unclear.
Bai Cha gently closed her eyes, calming all her thoughts. When she opened them again, the scene before her had changed.
She was in a hospital. The surroundings were familiar; sunlight streamed onto her, and the wind rustled through the trees, caressing her hair with a familiar scent.
Bai Cha took a brooch from her collar and pricked her fingertip, drawing a drop of blood.
Scarlet blood flowed from her fingertip but did not drip to the ground. It floated, circling Bai Cha, obeying her will as long as she desired. Blood was Bai Cha's power.
"Everything is normal. Is this the real world?" Bai Cha was somewhat confused. Before she could observe further, someone suddenly rushed out of the hospital.
This person bore a striking resemblance to her, especially those peach blossom eyes that seemed to contain the vastness of the stars. Bai Cha was already quite tall, over 1.7 meters, and this man was a head taller than her.
"Chacha, why are you only arriving now? Bai Ze is almost gone!" the man's voice was filled with urgency, and his handsome face, so similar to Bai Cha's, was etched with anxiety and sorrow.
"Bai Ze?" Bai Cha was startled, her body instinctively stiffening.
This was the shadow she had buried deep in her heart.
That's right, Bai Cha remembered. She finally understood why this scene felt so familiar.
This was the largest pet hospital in the capital.
Inside was her dying beloved dog.