Any genius who attempts to cross that boundary and explore the mysteries beyond the "known" will ultimately face the merciless blade of that Lord of Nihility.
She is a terrifying entity who specializes in hunting down geniuses who overstep their bounds. Countless members of the Genius Society have died at her hands. She is the sharpest and coldest blade in the hands of the Erudition Aeon, upholding that despairing omniscience.
Although the current chaotic situation can be traced back to some responsibility on Herta's part, Lu Jingming is absolutely not blameless either.
Who told him not to restrict his own memory bank back then? Now, all sorts of monsters and demons have been summoned by the Holy Grail, popping up one after another.
Moreover, as an Emanator of Erudition, Herta has always adhered to the highest principle of "a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall." She loves nothing more than calling in reinforcements for a righteous beatdown or an efficient group assault.
To have her, this esteemed Emanator, face an ambush from two memory bodies of Destruction Path Emanators alone?
That would be far too undignified, completely incompatible with her noble status and her aversion to trouble.
Fortunately, this time she doesn't need to personally step in to handle that mess.
Over in Mingdu, there are Feixiao and Jing Yuan, two genuine Hunt Path Emanators holding the fort, plus Jingliu, that swordsmanship prodigy with her divine blade skills and decisive killing intent. Even if Celenova and Phantylia truly team up, they probably won't gain much advantage—after all, the arrows of the Hunt are no pushovers.
"But speaking of which, Phantylia has hidden herself so deeply. She even held back from acting when Celenova caused such a huge commotion. She must be plotting something big, with other schemes in mind."
Herta stroked her smooth chin, a glint of intellectual contemplation flashing in her eyes.
"With her nasty personality that loves toying with people's hearts and manipulating fates, that Xu Tianran is probably just a pawn she casually placed—even possibly just a decoy to draw fire. Maybe she's lurking in the shadows, plotting something... more interesting, and more dangerous..."
Nearby, Changli slowly put away her exquisite parasol, a hint of worry in her gentle eyes as she softly said, "No matter what that Lord Ravager is scheming in the dark, after this incident, the waters of the Douluo Continent are bound to be stirred even murkier and deeper."
March 7th nodded vigorously beside her, her small face filled with lingering fear.
The descent of two Lord Ravagers, even if only as power-limited memory bodies, is enough to turn an entire continent upside down and leave no peace.
"Then... Lady Herta, Sister Robin... does Shangguan Wei'er still have a chance?"
Ye Guyi's voice carried undisguised urgency. Though her heart was equally shocked by the news that the perpetrator was another Lord Ravager, at this moment, the most important thing to her was whether the increasingly faint-breathing Shangguan Wei'er on the ground could be saved.
Her mind raced through the sequence of events.
Originally, Shangguan Wei'er had been taken away by Mobius, who had an obsessive interest in the mysteries of life, in an attempt to find a way to suppress or even reverse the erosion of Destruction.
But then the Anti-Matter Legion suddenly launched a large-scale assault on Mingdu. In the chaos, Mobius evidently discovered something more interesting and worth her effort than the sample in her hands, so she decisively handed the deteriorating Shangguan Wei'er back to her.
Unfortunately, Mingdu at that moment was completely enveloped in the Anti-Matter Legion's aura of slaughter and destruction.
That dense Destruction energy spread through the city like a poisonous fog. Stimulated by this intense, homologous power, the fragile consciousness within Shangguan Wei'er—sealed at great cost by herself but already tainted by Destruction—began to rage and assault wildly, nearly breaking through the crumbling seal entirely.
With no other choice, Ye Guyi could only bring the rapidly deteriorating Shangguan Wei'er, on the brink of mental and physical collapse, back here through the spatial gate opened by Haiyuan City, pinning all her hopes on Robin for a turnaround.
After all, Lu Jingming had mentioned before that if it was Celenova's doing, Robin might be able to find a breakthrough using the characteristics of their shared power source.
But now, the true culprit wasn't Celenova at all, but another, more eerie Lord Ravager who excelled in mental erosion.
This news hit Ye Guyi like a bucket of ice water, chilling her heart halfway.
She could only cast her last hopeful gaze toward Herta, the most knowledgeable present, and Robin, with her most unique powers, her eyes full of pleading.
"I'm sorry..."
Robin gently shook her head, her stunningly beautiful face showing clear apology and helplessness.
"With my current abilities, I can only temporarily suppress the violent Destruction consciousness within her, delaying the time until complete corruption... But to cure it fundamentally, to thoroughly purify that Destruction imprint, I'm afraid..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but the implication was clear.
The power of a Lord Ravager is inherently tyrannical and absolute, especially since Phantylia's strength and rank far surpass hers.
That imprint, deeply embedded in the soul and marrow, clings like the most stubborn parasite, inextricably intertwined with Shangguan Wei'er's soul essence and bodily functions, inseparable.
If it were a mark left by Celenova, she might have some ideas using the faint connections and traits of the Harmony Path. But facing Phantylia's pure and malevolent Destruction mental power, she truly felt powerless.
"She won't die just yet."
Herta glanced at Shangguan Wei'er on the ground, whose breathing had weakened but stabilized, and tossed out the words in a flat tone. Her figure began to fade gradually amid subtle spatial fluctuations.
"Let this little bird who's good at harmonizing reinforce her seal and keep her alive. Wait for Lu Jingming, who always pulls off some surprises, to come back and figure something out."
Marked personally by an entity like Phantylia and implanted with a Destruction imprint—if discovered early enough, before the mark took deep root—Herta might have some confidence in attempting treatment.
But Shangguan Wei'er had been tainted and suppressing this Destruction power for far too long, long enough for it to permeate every inch of her flesh, every strand of her spirit, ingrained to the bone, becoming part of her very existence.
In such a case, even the well-traveled Herta had no full guarantee of perfectly stripping it without damaging the core.
After all, Phantylia is an Emanator of the same rank as her, and the insidious methods she leaves behind are far trickier than imagined.
Moreover, Phantylia originated from the Heliobus, a pure spiritual energy entity, a grandmaster at manipulating souls and mental forces. The Destruction imprint she leaves isn't something that can be easily cracked and removed.
Besides, delicate operations and treatments at the soul and mental level aren't Herta's core expertise anyway.
If it were Ruan Mei, obsessed with life creation, perhaps there could be some clever ideas. As for Herta... she could only offer the most realistic, rational assessment.
Not directly saying "She's beyond saving, prepare for the funeral" was already the greatest courtesy she could offer, considering Ye Guyi's anxious look and for Lu Jingming's sake.
"Don't worry, things haven't reached the worst yet."
Robin reached out and gently patted Ye Guyi's slightly trembling shoulder from tension. Her tone was as gentle as a spring sun, yet it contained a peculiar power that could directly soothe the soul and calm the heart.
"Xiao Ming... he always creates miracles. Since he said he'd find a way, let's believe in him. He'll definitely have a solution."
As she spoke, the Harmony power emanating from her became even softer and purer. No longer attempting forceful purification, it flowed like a warm, resilient stream, carefully wrapping and reinforcing layer by layer the mental seal within Shangguan Wei'er that was on the verge of complete shattering.
Gentle light flowed quietly between the two, temporarily suppressing the restless Destruction aura that was trying to counterattack. Shangguan Wei'er's pained brow seemed to relax a bit.
Ye Guyi carefully supported the unconscious Shangguan Wei'er. Under the dual comfort of Robin's Harmony-infused words and power, she finally managed to suppress the immense anxiety in her heart.
Right now, she truly had no better options and could only pin her last hopes on Lu Jingming, expecting him to bring a turnaround upon his return.
Otherwise... perhaps she could only lament that it was Shangguan Wei'er's fate.
…
"Phantylia? It's actually her!"
Far away on the Mingdu battlefield, Lu Jingming received the information from Robin almost immediately through a special communication method.
He immediately raised an eyebrow, showing a bit of surprise, his gaze subconsciously turning toward the core area of the energy storm at the Mingdu imperial palace.
That was the most intense and chaotic zone in the entire city, without exception—Karna's brilliant radiance like the sun descending clashed wildly with Long Xiaoyao's thousand-meter shadow of the Dark Holy Dragon.
Behind Ye Xishui, the Death God Tower wreathed in vengeful souls emitted a chilling deathly aura that devoured life.
The hundred-meter-tall emerald giant transformed by Du Busi carried terrifying poison capable of corroding space with every punch.
Kong Deming's Silver Moon Divine Light Barrier flickered violently and erratically under the continuous energy impacts...
Various overwhelmingly powerful forces, each capable of easily destroying cities, collided and annihilated madly here. The once-glorious palace had long been reduced to a scorched wasteland under such immense forces.
Yet that Lord Ravager, Xu Tianran's Servant Phantylia, had never shown any trace throughout this chaotic battle.
Lu Jingming's thoughts raced like a processor at maximum speed.
As fellow Lord Ravagers under Nanook, Celenova had no reason not to know of Phantylia's existence; she might even have been fully aware from the start.
This perfectly explained why Celenova had been so eager to cooperate with Xu Tianran earlier.
Probably from the beginning, these two emissaries of Destruction had already reached some unspoken agreement or pact in secret.