Just as Cui Qiao felt a surge of urgency in her heart, an eerie language suddenly rang out from the opposite side of her current position.
That position was directly across from the invasion point.
According to the commission's instructions, the people from different corners of Qinggang City were only required to guard their respective positions. Even if something were to invade, as long as it didn’t come from their designated blockade position, it wouldn’t be considered a failure of the mission.
The reward could still be claimed.
However, in this state of isolated defense, the shadow from the opposite side didn’t hesitate to take action against the invader.
While the others were considering blockades and counterattacks, she directly revealed her ruthlessness.
...
“I should have guessed, none of those old foxes' commissions are easy to handle…”
At this moment, Wei Lan felt like an exceptionally dedicated person. As soon as she sensed the return of the intrusive presence, without a second thought, she pulled out something from her bag. It was a small item resembling a compact mirror, adorned with exquisite and intricate patterns.
She fixed her gaze on the traces of the invasion, holding the compact mirror in her hand, and spoke in a low voice.With the release of those illusory words, crisp glass cracking sounds echoed in the air.
It was as if the air had frozen, or rather, transformed into an endless expanse of glass, surging upwards into the night sky.
Dim and mysterious, it could reflect any form of power.
This mirror just happened to block the point of intrusion, halting the invader’s trajectory in its tracks.
But that wasn’t all. Having already made a move, Wei Lan, wearing a cat-faced mask, continued chanting incantations. The sound of countless crystalline air fragments filled the air, and soon, five other massive domains materialized from the night sky, rising above the five blockade positions.
By herself, she had constructed six blockade positions.
The six mirror surfaces in the night sky acted like walls, firmly sealing off any possible intrusion into the foggy region.
But this immediately triggered dissatisfaction from the owner of the intrusive gaze.
The wind grew colder, heavier, carrying a chilling aura as it rushed toward the mirrors, slamming into them.
Invisible forces collided in the night sky, and everyone could hear the sound of the glass barriers being struck.
Like a single step, the tension escalated. The intrusive gaze from Qinggang City had gone from sneakily entering to blatantly invading, and now, it had transformed into a forceful confrontation with no regard for the onlookers.
Wei Lan, who had single-handedly blocked six positions, also felt an indescribable pressure.
The compact mirror in her hand seemed to grow unusually heavy.
Her mental energy was being consumed by the mirror at a frenzied pace.
‘Should I give up?’
For a brief moment, Wei Lan thought.
She had come to Qinggang City for another purpose and had only taken this commission for an old friend. A commission of this level seemed already well handled, as she had blocked six positions alone.
Not yet a member of the "Queen" organization, she had her own judgment and standards for avoiding danger.
Yet, in the midst of this lightning-fast thought process, she made a decision she wouldn’t have made under calm circumstances: not only did she not give up, but with a snap, she opened the compact mirror and aimed it at her own face.
Her face, masked with the cat-face mask, flashed across the barrier.
Then, within the six massive mirrors, her masked face and slender figure also flashed.
Delicate and supple, with an indescribable, seductive beauty.
This figure swiftly moved between the six massive mirrors, both real and illusionary, shifting forms a thousand times.
Each time, she precisely intercepted the intrusive gaze from Qinggang City.
Time and again.
With a firm attitude, it even gave the impression that anyone who wished to pass would have to shatter both her and the mirrors in order to succeed.
“Damn it, damn it!”
Meanwhile, in Qinggang City, within a building much taller than the others, on the top floor where the only light was on, angry shouts came from the cultivation vessel in the center of the room. Around it, overloaded wires sparked.
There were staff members in white lab coats nearby, their faces even showing fear.
“We can’t continue. It will affect your transformation…”
“…”
Cracks began to form on the glass outer shell of the cultivation vessel, with murky liquid leaking out from the seams.
Inside, the monster seemed to realize the danger but had already lost control of its emotions. It suddenly let out an enraged roar.
“He’s going to die, he’s going to die…”
“…”
With the monstrous roar, the cracks in the glass shell of the cultivation vessel grew larger, followed by the clear sound of it shattering.
Numerous wires and pipes shot out sparks and electricity.
The entire floor plunged into darkness for several seconds, with the nearby staff showing desperate expressions.
But in that instant, a sudden surge of energy, amplified by tenfold or even more, surged out of the building, rushing toward the outskirts of the city.
“Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack”
Outside the city, on Highway 17, the massive mirror surfaces shattered in an instant, and it seemed as though glass rain fell from the sky, sharp and dangerous.
The massive shockwave struck suddenly, instantly shattering five of the mirrors, but one remained intact.
This last mirror also developed a large crack, but it held firm. It was this very mirror that blocked the final invasion.
“Is it over?”
Wei Lan’s consciousness was forcibly returned to her body. She faintly sensed the situation, and after a while, she slowly opened her eyes.
“This little friend down there may not be at a high level, but their opponent is quite powerful…”
“But fortunately, the commission is complete.”
After a moment of silence, she opened the compact mirror again and saw a faint crack appear on its surface.
Her thoughts stirred, and while hiding from others’ view, she slowly removed her cat-faced mask, revealing a bloodstain on her face.
Unlike the scar on her forehead, this new bloodstain appeared on her cheek.
It marred her previously flawless face with a small imperfection.
For someone who was about to strive to become a true member of the Queen organization, this might have seemed like the sky was falling, but Wei Lan actually felt a sense of relief. She put away the compact mirror, and with a slight gesture, crystalline mirror fragments formed again to build another blockade.
...
...
At the moment the spear pierced the core, the Ghost Freight Truck let out a massive tremor. The flesh and blood on the vehicle’s body rapidly churned and contracted, the dazzling headlights flickering as if there were connection issues.
On his body, shoulders, and back, everywhere he was bitten, the pain was unbearable.
The vengeful ghosts, existing between the real and the illusory, left no clear wounds, and afterward, there might only be some bruises.
But the pain was real, and the gnawing brought disturbing thoughts that surged into his mind.
These thoughts assaulted his will, polluting his body, seemingly trying to destroy his ability to concentrate, distracting him. To resist this pain, he had to expend his spiritual energy.
Han Su felt his spiritual energy draining like never before, yet he gritted his teeth, driving the Dead Sea Spear deeper.
“Just a little more, just a little more…”
It was a test of whose life was stronger!
His arms, hindered by the vengeful ghosts’ grasp, pressed downward inch by inch. Outside the thick fog, suddenly, there came the sound of hail beating against windows, and the blue electrical arcs surrounding the spear abruptly vanished.
Part of the Dead Sea Spear lost its power in an instant, as if its mysterious energy had been destroyed.
“Whoosh!”
At that moment, the Dead Sea Spear pierced through the core of the Ghost Freight Truck. But without the blue electrical arcs, the spear was instantly consumed by the core components of the truck.
Bit by bit, it was devoured, as though it were sugarcane.
Not only did it fail to harm the Ghost Freight Truck, it seemed to have become its nourishment.
Even Han Su almost got pulled into it.
His mind exploded in an instant: “What the hell is this?!”
“Whoosh!”
Startled by this, his stance faltered, and he was suddenly knocked off the top of the vehicle by a group of vengeful ghosts.
The already heavily damaged Ghost Freight Truck emitted a weak sound, its beast-like wail. Cowardly, it sped toward the surrounding fog without a second thought.
Han Su, both furious and frustrated, gathered his strength, looking up into the empty night sky.
Was it that monster?
Had it finally made its move against me?
But as he looked up at the night sky, he saw nothing. It was as if nothing had intruded here, the vast sky above him was impenetrable and incomprehensible.
This indescribable unknown triggered an unprecedented anger, which unknowingly activated something within him.
A sharp pain pierced through his head, as if it were about to crack open.
The strange voice, which had been following him since the ancient castle, once again echoed in his mind. It had always appeared sporadically.
But this time, it seemed to have been awakened by Han Su’s fury, as though it were a frantic and panicked prisoner trying to escape from his head.
Han Su was already at the limit of his mental and spiritual energy. As the voice echoed in his mind, he instinctively, more than consciously, fixed his gaze on the fleeing Ghost Freight Truck, and uttered the words that resonated in his mind:
“Copper’s will, forever persists in the world’s reflection!”