"It's almost time..."
Lu Jingming murmured softly, a barely noticeable glint of anticipation flashing in his crimson eyes.
Once Wang Qiuer became complete, she would fully unleash the potential of the Emperor Auspicious Beast and God King bloodline, possessing the qualities to reach god-level. With proper cultivation, achieving the position of God King in the future wasn't impossible.
He shifted his gaze from the battlefield between Wang Qiuer and Tang Wutong, sweeping over the nearby combat zone between Raiden Mei and Niu Tian.
Seeing Raiden Mei steadily suppressing the Azure Divine Dragon within a thunderstorm domain using her absolute control over lightning, leaving the opponent with only the ability to defend and no chance to counterattack, he paid it no further attention—with Mei's strength and combat wisdom, suppressing Niu Tian and preventing him from interfering in other battlefields posed no issue.
Finally, his gaze turned to another battlefield several kilometers away, where energy fluctuations were exceptionally intense but which he had temporarily ignored.
When his vision pierced through the distance barrier and clearly saw the beautiful woman relentlessly suppressing Cú Chulainn, the Child of Light from Ireland, with an offensive as fierce as a storm, Lu Jingming's expression couldn't help but turn somewhat strange and surprised.
Although he hadn't personally participated in the Divine Realm battles, he had long ago had Herta record all observable god-level confrontations using special means.
Observing the combat styles and energy usage of powerhouses at this level greatly benefited his own strength improvement and understanding of higher-level powers.
Thus, he recognized almost at a glance that the agile woman with a fighting style tinged with soul beast-like wildness, who was pressing Cú Chulainn, was none other than Sea God Tang San's wife, who should have been residing high in the Divine Realm—Soft Bone Douluo Xiao Wu.
However, although Xiao Wu's offensive was fierce at the moment, she hadn't displayed the absolute godly strength capable of instantly killing Cú Chulainn.
Clearly, the old injuries from being severely wounded by Ma Hongjun in the Divine Realm were far from healed, severely restricting her power output.
But what was astonishing was that she had managed to descend so precisely onto the Douluo Continent after falling into the perilous spatial turbulence.
This land held extraordinary significance for her; it was not only the starting point of her ascension to the Divine Realm but also home to her blood-related daughter Tang Wutong, as well as Niu Tian and Tai Tan, whom she regarded as brothers.
Perhaps it was the mysterious pull from those unbreakable blood bonds in the dark that allowed her to cross endless spatial barriers and ultimately return to this familiar yet unfamiliar land.
Xiao Wu was still alive—this should have been tremendous good news for Tang San, now on the brink of madness, perhaps the only hope to pull him back from obsession and hatred, restoring a sliver of reason.
But fate was cruel—Xiao Wu had lost her memory.
For Tang San, who was hell-bent on avenging his wife and had fallen into extremism, this was undoubtedly adding insult to injury, extremely unkind.
And worse still, in her amnesiac, confused state, she had fallen right into Huo Yuhao's hands and been brought back to the Holy Spirit Cult.
Huo Yuhao, who had fused with that Simulated Herrscher of Sentience core, had actually never truly escaped Lu Jingming's control from beginning to end.
He was never some generous benefactor, gifting Huo Yuhao a core containing immense power for nothing—even if it was a simulated core. There must be hidden countermeasures buried within, capable of restraint or even control.
...
"Now's the time—Gáe Bolg!"
Perhaps it was a subtle sensing from her blood-related daughter Tang Wutong struggling in the distance, or perhaps a mother's instinct causing her unrest in the dark—Xiao Wu, in her high-speed entanglement with Cú Chulainn, suddenly showed an extremely brief, almost imperceptible lapse in focus.
And her opponent, Cú Chulainn, the battle-hardened Child of Light from Celtic mythology, had terrifyingly sharp combat instincts.
He almost instinctively seized this fleeting—perhaps the only—opportunity.
He abruptly pulled back half a step, his body assuming the classic thrusting stance like a fully drawn bow.
The scarlet demonic spear "Gáe Bolg" in his hand suddenly lit up with an eerie and ominous deep red glow, his aura exploding to an unprecedented peak.
That legendary pressure, locking onto fate, snapped Xiao Wu back to her senses from her momentary daze. Her beautiful eyes instantly filled with unprecedented gravity.
"Spurt—!"
With the release of the Noble Phantasm's true name, the scarlet spear transformed into a red meteor surpassing visual limits, as if piercing through causality itself.
In Xiao Wu's shocked and incredulous gaze, the spear's attack process seemed completely "erased." It ignored all evasion movements and spatial distances, resulting in—it had already precisely and deeply pierced her heart.
Blood immediately overflowed from Xiao Wu's lips. She looked down in disbelief at the ominous red-glowing spear in her chest, her eyes filled with immense confusion and horror.
She had clearly dodged all attack trajectories and predictions with her god-level reactions and speed, so why... had this spear still pierced her heart as if destined, without any obstruction?
It was as if the entire "attack process" had been ignored by some higher rule, leaving only the unchangeable "result" of "heart pierced."
With her godly life essence, even with old injuries and her strength reduced to a fraction, her pure physical durability and energy level far exceeded Cú Chulainn, who was summoned as a Servant with restricted power.
But she had unfortunately encountered Cú Chulainn, this utterly unreasonable "mechanic monster."
Cú Chulainn's Noble Phantasm "Gáe Bolg" was a bug-level anti-personnel treasure, his unquestionable trump card killer move.
This wasn't a simple physical attack but a terrifying technique involving the reversal of "causality"—the moment the spear is released, the "effect" of the opponent's heart being pierced is forcibly destined, and only then is the "cause" filled in: because the heart was pierced, the spear hit.
This domineering ability to reverse causality was essentially a guaranteed game-changer if successfully executed.
Even killing Cú Chulainn before the spear is thrust couldn't change the result of the heart being pierced, because the "effect" had already been destined before the "cause."
Unless one possessed heaven-defying luck capable of twisting or countering this causal fate, few could truly dodge this spear that inevitably strikes the heart.
Unfortunately, Xiao Wu wasn't the type exceptionally favored by Lady Luck; in fact, she could be considered somewhat "unlucky."
If she truly had luck capable of reversing fate, she wouldn't have been severely wounded by Ma Hongjun in the Divine Realm back then, nor fallen into her current amnesiac, wandering state.
Thus, with a heart full of confusion and unwillingness, she inexplicably fell victim, her heart thoroughly pierced by the demonic spear.
Seeing the Noble Phantasm successfully activate without any surprises—like being twisted by some absurd luck—Cú Chulainn secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves relaxing slightly.
His battle with Xiao Wu had been exceptionally frustrating and difficult—not because he lost in combat experience or martial skills, but due to pure stat crushing.
As a top-tier Servant, he was already among the pinnacle powerhouses on the current Douluo Continent, with few native soul masters truly able to threaten him—but that didn't include a god in poor condition.
Even with amnesia and greatly reduced strength, Xiao Wu's godly life essence and tier far surpassed mortals. Her every move carried godly pressure, leaving him restrained and cautious.
Cú Chulainn had maintained his undefeated stance solely through his battle-tempered rich experience in desperate maneuvering, plus Xiao Wu's amnesia meant her fighting relied on instinct and residual muscle memory, failing to fully unleash a god's true power and authority.
Even so, he had been comprehensively suppressed and in constant peril. If not for seizing that instant of her distraction, he would likely have been the one to exhaust and lose in the end.
"Although it's regrettable that the battle process wasn't fully satisfying... this is the end."
Cú Chulainn looked at Xiao Wu, her chest pierced by the demonic spear and her aura rapidly wilting, and said solemnly.
He held respect for this powerful opponent, but battle was battle.
Cú Chulainn let out a soft sigh, his scarlet eyes fixed on Xiao Wu, pierced through the heart by the demonic spear, a mix of indescribable complex emotions rising in his heart.
This opponent was indeed very strong; the vast godly pressure in battle was like an invisible mountain, forcing him to give his all without the slightest slack.
Although Xiao Wu wasn't the type of opponent who could fully ignite his fighting spirit, making him feel evenly matched and exhilarated.
After all, her combat relied more on instinct and tier rather than refined techniques, but clashing with her could still be considered an enjoyable battle.
Moreover, Xiao Wu was an extremely beautiful woman, and Cú Chulainn had always appreciated strong and beautiful women.
The only thing he found somewhat regrettable was that she wasn't his preferred type—distinctive personality, full of aggression and dominance. In her amnesiac state, she seemed somewhat ethereal, making the clash lack the sharp thrill of direct confrontation.
He slightly exerted force on his wrist, preparing to withdraw the demonic spear from her chest and end this battle.
However, after a slight pull, the spear that should have moved at his will remained utterly still, as if clamped by unshakeable iron pincers.
Cú Chulainn's heart tightened abruptly, a strong sense of foreboding surging up.
With a mix of shock and disbelief, he looked at Xiao Wu.
Only to see that at some point, Xiao Wu had raised her left hand, her five fingers like a lock, firmly and tightly gripping the scarlet demonic spear's shaft.
What made his pupils contract even more was that Xiao Wu's beautiful eyes, which had been somewhat unfocused due to her heart being pierced and life force rapidly draining, had now refocused. They lit up with a deep, cold, azure divine light, as if containing the endless power of the ocean.
That icy gaze pierced straight into his soul, sending a shiver through it.