轰隆！

The ground shattered, the walls cracked, and the dome trembled.

The blazing sword, hundreds of meters long, illuminated the dim underground space like a torch. Wherever it passed, metal melted like hot wax.

The number 39 imprinted on the wall also dissolved and peeled away.

Michael, covered in shining silver armor, hovered in the air, a halo above his head and pure white wings on his back.

Like... no, it *was* a true angel, wielding a flaming sword, sweeping away the enemies before him.

And his opponents...

The Truth-Sider,

This president of the Demon Scientist Alliance, draped in a yellow coat with his face shrouded in the shadow of a hood, stood on a carnivorous creeper (ordinary creepers are seemingly inert carnivorous plants covered in plant tendrils) made of starlight matter.

Crystal shields floated around him.

Using his psychic powers, he controlled the star-matter creeper to overcome its instinctive fear of the raging flames, extending its tentacles to restrain the angel's flaming sword.

Hohenheim,

This Clock Tower mage, wearing a brown trench coat with a pen in his chest pocket and a thick book in his hand, looked like a very ordinary university professor.

The only difference was that the pages of the book in his hand constantly leaked specks of light like sand.

If there were players present with the Alien Script Comprehension skill, they would surely recognize the title on the book's cover:

*The Book of Sand*.

"kadeeshmal, kadeeshmal. paredoss, pared..."

The unstoppable flaming sword slashed down diagonally.

A dozen layers of invisible barriers in front of Hohenheim shattered instantly. He had to stop chanting the spell, close *The Book of Sand*,

and merge into the ground, reappearing hundreds of meters away.

Whoosh—

Two afterimages streaked through the air, converging on Michael in the sky from the left and right.

However, Michael merely shook his wings, creating a burst of overwhelming repulsive force that repelled and sent the two afterimages flying, leaving long furrows in the ground.

The figures braced themselves with their hands on the ground, stopping their retreat. It was Uncontrolled and Tai Hao.

The small 39th floor actually contained four of the top five in the personal combat power rankings. Including Tai Hao, the entire apex combat power of the Slaughter Game had gathered here.

And judging from the battle situation, it was actually Uncontrolled, Tai Hao, Hohenheim, and the Truth-Sider besieging Michael...

Of course, it wasn't quite accurate to call it a siege. The four were also wary of each other.

The Truth-Sider, specializing in mind power creation, constantly released invisible and intangible psychic tendrils, extending them around,

intentionally or unintentionally invading the areas occupied by the other three.

Hohenheim appeared in different locations each time he burrowed into the ground, trying to stay as far away from the others as possible.

The various locations were subtly connected by lines, forming a group that covered the entire area.

"Heh—"

Uncontrolled slowly stood up from the ground, exhaling a cloud of gas filled with dense electric sparks, and cracked his neck, producing a crisp, snapping sound.

"Cough cough!"

Tai Hao coughed, brushing dust from his body, and looked up at the sky.

Michael casually wielded the flaming sword, slicing the giant star-matter creeper's vine limbs like chopping vegetables.

Tai Hao sighed and said to Uncontrolled, "This can't go on. Her spiritual power seems inexhaustible.

The other two are holding back, wary of us."

"There's still time."

Uncontrolled flexed his wrist expressionlessly and said, "We can always drag her down."

"The other two don't think so."

Tai Hao said with a wry smile, "Forget it, I'll do it."

He took a deep breath, a glint flashing in his eyes, and murmured, "Kundun's year, the year of great fog, great floods..."

A clear spring quietly appeared in Tai Hao's palm. The spring water rapidly evaporated, turning into misty gas that wrapped around his arm like a qi dragon.

Kundun: *kun*, confused; *dun*, chaos. It means the yang qi is all chaotic, and all things bud.

It is an alias for the twelfth branch, *zi*.

*Zi* means growth, all things sprout from the yang qi that is about to move.

"Taiyin is in Chou, called Chifenruo, the Year Star resides in Wei and Ji..."

The misty qi dragon grew rapidly, rising slowly in Tai Hao's murmuring incantation, filling the air.

Chifenruo, born of the clear and bright wind.

It is an alias for the twelfth branch, *chou*.

*Chou* means binding, the yang qi is above and has not yet descended.

"Sheti has lost its way, Mengzou has no record..."

The qi dragon evolved rapidly, gradually transforming into sun, moon, stars, mountains, seas, flying birds, running beasts, cultivated fields, palaces, peddlers, and servants...

Sheti is the Kang constellation of the Twenty-Eight Mansions.

It is an alias for the twelfth branch, *yin*.

*Yin* means movement, all things begin to move.

Tai Hao's power system is called *Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches*, corresponding to E'feng, Zhanmeng, Rouzhao, Qiangyu, Zheyong, Tuwei, Shangzhang, Chongguang, Xuanye, Zhaoyang - the ten Heavenly Stems.

As well as Kundun, Chifenruo, Shetig, Dan'e, Zhixu, Dahuangluo, Dunzang, Xieqia, Tuntan, Zuoe, Yanmao, Dayuanxian - the twelve Earthly Branches (the twelve Earthly Branches were later simplified into Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, etc.).

A total of twenty-two tiers and twenty-two spells.

It contains the principles of yin and yang, the five elements, the sequence of the sun and moon, and the cycle of life and death of all things.

At this time, Tai Hao only used the three branches of Kundun, Chifenruo, and Shetig,

summoning a sea of clouds that simulated the sun, moon, and stars, and raining down sweet dew.

The underground space, scorched and unbearably hot by Michael's flaming sword, rapidly cooled down.

The metal stopped melting, the ground stopped cracking, and the dome stopped shaking.

Hohenheim's expression did not change. The stardust emanating from *The Book of Sand* in his hand seemed to freeze in the air, no longer moving.

The Truth-Sider, standing on the carnivorous creeper, also slowed down abruptly, as if stepping into a semi-solid gel.

This was, of course, not Tai Hao's strength alone - Uncontrolled transformed his left fist into a palm, and a huge metal shield appeared in his palm, blocking him and Tai Hao.

His right hand was placed on Tai Hao's shoulder, providing the latter with a constant stream of spiritual power.

With the combined efforts of the two, Tai Hao rapidly recited the three Earthly Branches of Dan'e, Zhixu, and Dahuangluo.

The misty clouds flourished, expanding and filling the entire underground airspace.

The sweet rain falling from the clouds poured down on Michael's flaming sword, actually reducing the intensity of the flames that seemed to burn eternally, making them less aggressive than before.

Tai Hao's face quickly became pale and bloodless. He said with difficulty, "All things flourish, luxuriant branches... this is Dunzang."

The raging fire on the sword gradually extinguished.

The blazing sword gradually shortened, shortened, until it became a plain iron sword a little over a meter long, held in Michael's hand.

"Words of yin wanting to transform, all things harmonizing... this is Xieqia..."

In the blink of an eye, the iron sword grew clusters of flowers. The ground, paved with metal wreckage, also grew green grass and fresh flowers, thriving with life.

But within this vitality lay a deadly killing intent - the blooming sea of flowers contained not buds, but clusters of thunder and lightning.

The Truth-Sider retreated sharply, flashing thousands of meters away in an instant.

He kicked off the back of the carnivorous creeper, issuing an order to cling to the others,

and flew backwards, only to crash into an invisible wall.

The Truth-Sider looked up and saw Hohenheim in the far distance gently stroking a silver pocket watch, a triumphant smile on his lips.

[Isotropic Uncontrolled Anchoring Program], creating a confined space, restricting most teleportation spells, and prohibiting anyone but the user from leaving.

Goodbye everyone, you fight first.

Hohenheim waved casually, as if saying goodbye,

Just as he was about to leave, he was stunned to find that his hand had also come into contact with an invisible wall.

He looked up sharply at the Truth-Sider,

only to see the latter clasping his palms together, a large amount of spiritual energy涌涌from his body - forming crystalline shields around his body, and erecting a psychic creation wall behind Hohenheim, preventing teleportation.

"..."

Michael lowered her head and looked down at the sea of lightning flowers, gazing at Tai Hao below, who was pale and nearing his limit.

From within the shining silver armor, a long sigh seemed to escape.

Boom!

Another pair of wings sprouted from his back.

Fire, once again, ignited on the sword.

Michael, transformed into a four-winged angel, hovered above the sea of flowers, holding the blazing sword high in both hands.

Pure white hair pierced through the helmet, cascading down his back like a silver waterfall, moving without wind.