Chapter 1109: A Stray Dog Should Look the Part
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1109: A Stray Dog Should Look the Part
Vehicles navigating the void are constructed differently from ordinary warships.
The void is a vacuum of nothingness. This means that for matter and energy to exist within it, they must inevitably be repelled by the void itself, for the void lacks even the material space required to host such concepts.
Thus, the foundational material of this unimaginably massive vehicle was "World Origin Soil."
As one of the three source elements of a world, World Origin Soil is a hard currency of existence. Aside from being converted by a world itself, it is a substance that even the void cannot dissolve. Because its stability does not require the support of material space, void navigation becomes possible.
As this Holy Light spark vessel plummeted into the world, its immense mass wrought irreparable changes to the surface topography, yet the craft itself remained almost entirely undamaged.
As for the people inside?
That would only be known once they emerged.
I tentatively extended my perception to probe the interior, only to find that it blocked all forms of detection—whether it was mental energy or Body Cultivation senses. Even mana perception was useless.
This meant that even the Time Sense of my Body Cultivation could not weather the World Origin Soil itself.
In its natural state, World Origin Soil is a loose substance, much like "soil." It can be reshaped and solidified through spells or sealing arts. Its inherent nature is to be indestructible and inconvertible, which allows it to be molded.
I certainly couldn't destroy the World Origin Soil itself, but absolute power could destroy the structures built from it.
I approached what appeared to be a hatch. Just as I activated my Infinite Mana and the surging power began to roar, the hatch opened from the inside.
I retreated a short distance, my gaze fixed on the opening. My expression grew solemn; after all, a large portion of the "sparks" inside were Transcendent!
I admitted that I could duel a Transcendent, but as someone who had not yet ascended to that rank, I was still somewhat lacking on the level of Real Time. I couldn't possibly withstand a siege from so many Transcendents at once.
As the hatch fully opened, a figure stepped out.
"It... it's actually Lord Arnold!"
"How can it be Him?"
Exclamations and whispers broke out behind me. Clearly, some among the crowd recognized this androgynous Holy Angel with wings on his back.
"Arnold... it's an honor to meet you here." I hovered in mid-air, my eyes level with his as I spoke his name.
This was the Emerald Forest; naturally, there were no records of this individual within the local ley lines. But then again, I had very good hearing.
With just a single glance, I had already seen through his expression and mindset. Previously, the gap between the Extraordinary and the Transcendent made it difficult for me to read a Transcendent's emotions. However, after my Body Cultivation power progressed further, much of his inner state lay exposed to me, as if he were completely defenseless.
"I recognize you, Little Witch Yang Yuehan. Your reputation has already spread among the Transcendent circles of the Main World. Meeting you for the first time, it seems the rumors were true." Arnold maintained his gentle expression, believing he showed no weakness.
Yet, the moment our eyes met, he felt as if he were being seen through. He tried to hide it, but he felt a sense of helplessness, like a man trying to cover himself with rags.
He had no means to block my prying eyes!
This was our first contact.
It was so insolent and bold that had it been any other Extraordinary, he would have passed judgment on them long ago. But this was the Little Witch who carried a record of killing a Transcendent.
And... she had so many people behind her!
"Is that so? I'm honored to be remembered by Transcendents like you," I replied with casual politeness before shifting my tone to a sharp interrogation. "So, where exactly are you headed? For a Transcendent Mentor of the Holy Angel students to interfere in the struggle for the Emerald Forest—aren't you afraid the Witch Academy will join forces with the mentors of the other two top academies to pressure your Holy Angel Academy?"
"You misunderstand." Arnold calmed his heart, ignoring my provocations. He knew he had to explain patiently. "The Holy Angel Academy has no such intention. This was merely an experimental error. We will not interfere in your affairs."
"What experiment?" I tilted my head, asking without the slightest reservation.
"That is a secret of the Holy Angel Academy. I am under no obligation to explain the details to you. Furthermore, you are merely a teaching assistant of the Witch Academy. What right do you have to question a Holy Light Archangel!" Arnold's voice carried a hint of Holy Light's majesty as he flatly refused. However, his attempt at intimidation failed.
The pressure radiating from a Transcendent Holy Angel did, however, affect the other students.
I smoothed a strand of my silver hair that had been ruffled by the Holy Light. My preliminary Perfect Human Body Cultivation system absorbed the violent Holy Light without loss, adding an imperceptible boost to my physical stats. Only then did I look seriously at the big Holy Light birdman in front of me.
"Right?"
As I threw the question back at him, the Book in the Box in my hand dropped simultaneously with my words!
Boom!
"Is this 'right' enough for you?!" I slammed the book toward his face, only for it to be blocked by his wings. But the momentum of my question didn't falter in the slightest!
"You dare strike at me?!" Arnold was stunned. He knew this Little Witch had arrogantly challenged a Vampire Grand Duke, but he never imagined she would strike him so brazenly just because a conversation turned sour!
But what met him was my even more blunt retort:
"A stray dog should look the part of a pathetic wretch. You got beaten back in the void, yet you dare act arrogant in front of me? Who gave you the courage?"
My words struck directly at his most humiliating secret. Others might not have understood what I meant, but those who had lived through the entire ordeal understood perfectly how much it hurt to have that wound poked.
They had experienced separation from those they cared about, admitted the cowardice of being unable to face death with dignity, and embarked on an indefinite journey home.
Yet all of that had been disrupted by an unforeseen invasion, forcing them to crash into this small world.
It was like a girl who forgot to wear panties going out, only to be mugged and pushed down on the main road, with the crowd gathering to see the shameful sight beneath her skirt.
It was a humiliation that no amount of feigned composure could hide.
They could never go back.
Now that this embarrassing reality had been suddenly exposed, how could they not be driven to a shameful rage?
"You... you! You're looking for death!"
Just as he was about to explode, a figure stepped out from behind the hatch. The newcomer reached out to press a hand on Arnold's shoulder to calm him, but Arnold angrily batted the hand away with his wing.
Anger had already transformed into the most poisonous curse, easily infiltrating his cognition.
By the time the other Holy Angel realized this, it was too late.
He struck. A blade of Judgmental Holy Light condensed into a terrifying edge, ploughing a massive crater and a trail of lava as it sliced toward the distance.
As for the damage?
The students caught in the periphery didn't even have time to scream before they were heavily wounded by the aftershock of this single judgment.
The Transcendent battle was triggered in an instant!
As if without any reason at all, the two figures became a vortex of conflict, the aura of Holy Light blanketing the entire land.
The cracking earth sprayed red-hot lava, as if to submerge everything.
"Quick! Run!"
Seeing the lava about to flood the crater, everyone fled without hesitation. To stay here was to court death!
The fact that a single strike from that Holy Angel had caught several people made them realize the danger. Now that the two sides were locked in combat, how could they possibly endure such a disaster?
"Why? Why did they suddenly start fighting?"
"What exactly happened just now?"
Faced with the questions of the refugees, few could provide an answer.
Some had deduced a portion of the truth based on the limited clues, but they simply didn't dare believe it.
As the crowd fled, one figure moved against the tide.
"Sister Xiao Han! I'm coming to hel—" Lonaful's words were cut short as she was swept away by the power of a spell.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but don't meddle in a Transcendent battle." My voice carried a tone of command. Under the blessing of that wind element, Lonaful was blown away from the center of the engagement.
Not far away, Lin Xian looked at Lonaful with a complex gaze before turning to leave.
She knew better than anyone that they had no business interfering in a Transcendent battle.
Before the crowd could get very far, the terrifying aftershocks of the battle reached them. Some of the weaker individuals even began to regret coming to investigate this incident in the first place.
After only a few exchanges, the battle had already reached a level beyond their sight.
Previously, they had only heard rumors of the Little Witch defeating a Transcendent. But seeing those images or hearing those tales was a completely different concept from experiencing it firsthand.
At this moment, the only thing they could think of was escaping the battlefield. There was no second choice!
* * *
After a series of intense clashes, I had gradually become familiar with the essence of his life. A battle for a Perfect Human Body Cultivator is less a conflict and more a way of understanding the opponent.
Every attack was a probe; every response from the enemy was feedback.
Heart Sense, Time Sense, Space Sense... things others found impossible to anticipate were easily achieved by a Body Cultivator.
"According to my data, the Holy Angels wanted to plagiarize the Witches' Great Soul Project to explore the path of life through soul quality. Is this what a Holy Angel's 'Holy Spirit' is?"
Rather than a "Holy Spirit," it was more like an exploration into integrating the Holy Light power system into the very essence of life.
According to my records, Witches had already constructed their mana system before the Great Soul Project existed. This was essentially just chasing after "Self-Generated Mana," and it wasn't even as good as the natural talent for it.
At least the life essence of a Witch didn't need to be saturated with mana.
"You!"
Arnold looked in shock at the wisp of Holy Spirit aura dissipating from my fingertips.
That was a sliver of his life essence!
He had thought this Little Witch's most terrifying traits were her powerful techniques. He had even considered that she might possess a Myriad Methods Book, or even the world-ending Million Divine Spellbook. He never expected her methods to be so bizarre!
In the rumors he'd heard, this Little Witch possessed two Great Spellbooks, but neither was offensive in nature. He suspected this was the power of one of them.
And he wasn't wrong. Any technique touching upon the domain of life was related to the Land of Fool's Dream.
However, the Land of Fool's Dream was no longer just a Great Spellbook.
When it was the Land of Fool's Dream, it was the entirety of Fool's Dream. But when its power was in my hands, it became the most uncanny of life techniques!
"Boring. Have you only just realized your emotions are abnormal?" I spoke mockingly.
The power of emotion isn't absolutely invincible. A Transcendent's control over their own emotions is terrifying.
Essentially, he was relying on his special "Holy Spirit" stance to keep himself in a state of absolute rationality—near "apotheosis"—to dispel emotional interference.
If I were a Transcendent, I could use Emotion Body Cultivation to create an emotional medium for his Holy Spirit stance.
The Holy Spirit stance has no channel to perceive emotion?
Laughable. A Body Cultivator is best at creating perception channels for self-righteous fools like him!
He was merely relying on his Transcendent foundation to force his way through with raw power.
And now... for me, the battle had only just reached the second round. After all, the series of clashes just now were merely loud and flashy. True strength lies in the absolute mastery and dominance over power, not this kind of reckless squandering.
In my eyes, he was like a child swinging a giant sword. Under the catalysis of emotion, he was practically a moron, played like a fiddle in the palm of my hand.
"If this is all the strength you have, then next, I'll have to see if your roasted wings taste any different from chicken wings."
"Hmph! You want to provoke me again? You think you can use the same trick twice? Impossible!" With the support of his Holy Spirit stance, Arnold completely unleashed the Holy Angel's combat form.
At this moment, he had truly become a second sun for the Emerald Forest!
Even the scorching lava could not compare to the Holy Light he radiated.
The lava that was about to submerge the void vehicle was forced back by his terrifying pressure, turning the entire world into a landscape of purgatory.
"Tch."
I let out a disdainful snort. No matter the pressure, he was still only a Transcendent, not a Saint Realm expert!
Since you are the Holy Angel who judges all, then I shall represent the rock and fire of this purgatory.
In an instant, an invisible force rippled outward, carrying an aura of extreme temperature and explosive turbulence.
Fireball Spell Domain!
This was a Saint Realm power I had researched alongside Sister Bai and my Primal Clone who managed the spellbooks.
Even without a spellbook, I could manually manifest fireballs. After all, a spellbook is merely a platform for researching spells, not a shackle that limits the creation of a domain.
In the next heartbeat, my figure flickered with a power as deep as the void.
Infinite Mana!
With the support of Infinite Mana, I was the Saint Realm Little Witch who held mastery over a complete domain order.