And while Phantylia remained standing, several clear cracks had appeared on the Profound Lotus behind her, and the light flowing around her body was considerably erratic.
She stared coldly at Jing Yuan and Feixiao, her eyes brimming with killing intent, but she seemed wary of their combined strength and did not immediately launch another attack.
Both sides fell into a brief stalemate.
However, a deadlock between top-tier powerhouses could not change the absolute disadvantage on the ground battlefield.
Having lost the powerful support of their top experts, the remnants of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Body Sect, and the Azure Hill Army finally collapsed under the combined onslaught of the Sun Moon Empire's intact fleet of floating battleships, its endless stream of mecha armies, and the ceaseless, unkillable Antimatter Legion.
The defense line was torn open in countless places, soldiers fell in swathes, formations were completely broken, and the command system utterly failed.
Defeat spread like a plague.
Princess Wei Na, under the desperate protection of her personal guards, found the near-fatal Du Busi, who had been snatched back by his sect disciples at the cost of their lives.
Looking at the hellish scene before her, and seeing the empire's elite forces annihilated, the strong princess shed tears of despair.
"General, Your Highness, the tide has turned; we must retreat immediately."
An Azure Hill Army commander, covered in blood, rushed toward Jing Yuan and Feixiao, shouting hoarsely.
Jing Yuan and Feixiao exchanged a glance, seeing the shared helplessness and resolve in each other's eyes.
Their joint effort had temporarily held off Phantylia, but it could not reverse the overall collapse of the battlefield.
To continue fighting would not only mean their potential demise but also the complete extinction of the Heaven Dou Empire's last seeds.
"Retreat."
Feixiao made the immediate decision.
Jing Yuan swung his blade, cutting out a bolt of lightning to temporarily force back the few Doomsday Beasts attempting to approach.
Feixiao also forced a breath, shooting out several Wind Arrows to clear the enemies approaching Princess Wei Na's direction.
Jing Yuan moved to Du Busi's side and lifted him onto his back.
Feixiao shielded Princess Wei Na.
The two led the remaining Body Sect disciples, the Azure Hill Army, and a portion of the imperial elite in an incredibly arduous strategic retreat toward Heaven Dou City.
Phantylia stood in the air, watching their departure with cold indifference, making no strong effort to pursue.
For her, the goal of destroying the Heaven Dou Empire's resistance and letting despair spread had largely been achieved.
It was not her style to fight to the death with two experts whose current state was uncertain.
She raised her hand, gently stroking the cracks on the Profound Lotus, and whispered:
"No matter... The seed of destruction has been sown. All that remains is to wait for it to blossom and bear fruit."
The Sun Moon Empire's armies, under orders from the higher echelon, began to methodically clean up the battlefield, consolidate the occupied territory, and then, like a deadly torrent, continued their surging advance toward the heart of the Heaven Dou Empire—Heaven Dou City.
The Battle of Jade Field ended with the Heaven Dou Empire coalition's disastrous defeat and strategic retreat.
This battle not only severely crippled the Heaven Dou Empire's national strength but also fundamentally altered the strategic balance of the continent, paving the way for the Sun Moon Empire to sweep across the land.
And the City of the Deep, still shrouded in the distant mist, silently watched it all.
In the Star Sea, the torrents of information and energy still rushed tirelessly.
Hatsune Miku, the incarnation of the planet's consciousness, presented the breathtaking battle she had captured on the distant Jade Field—in the form of the clearest data streams and energy spectra—to Herta and Ruan Mei.
When Phantylia displayed the immense life force gained after consuming the Golden Tree, mixed with her own authority of destruction, to forcefully clash with Jing Yuan's Divine General and Feixiao's arrow, causing almost world-altering devastation, Herta's delicate face showed no surprise. Instead, it bore an expression of intrigued scrutiny.
"Interesting."
Herta folded her arms, her fingertips lightly tapping her arm.
"Although she, like us, is a 'presence' born from that little fellow's memory and cognition, and materialized with the aid of this world's energy and the Holy Grail System, I must say she found an excellent springboard."
Ruan Mei's gaze calmly swept over the peak readings of Phantylia's energy level in the data stream, her voice as gentle and devoid of inflection as ever:
"The Golden Tree, the core of life in this world, contains planar source power far exceeding the norm. She is not only the first to completely break free from the Holy Grail's shackles and the Servant form constituted by a negative energy base but also successfully converted this world's foundational power for her own use. That opportunity and execution are indeed extraordinary."
Herta nodded, pulling up another set of comparative data—the energy reaction records of Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong after achieving godhood in the parallel world.
"Look here. Qian Renxue's Angel Godhood and Bibi Dong's Rakshasa Godhood, according to this world's classification, both belong to the realm of Level 1 Deities. Although they only recently ascended and their use of divine power is still immature, the godhood's status is undeniable."
She pointed to the energy vortex spectrum generated by Phantylia's earlier burst:
"The sheer energy level and the depth of impact on the rule-level that Phantylia just displayed have clearly surpassed those two newly ascended Level 1 Deities. This means that, after consuming the Golden Tree, she already possesses at least the standard combat power of a Level 1 Deity in this world, and furthermore..."
Herta paused, a glint flashing in her eyes:
"This may not even be her full capacity. The essence of the Lord of Annihilation lies in the understanding and execution of the concept of 'Destruction.' She is currently relying more on energy suppression. Her most proficient means—mental erosion and guiding civilization to self-destruct—have not been fully displayed. If she is allowed to completely adapt and integrate this world's rules, combining her 'Destruction Aesthetics' with the characteristics of the local sentient beings... her threat level will increase exponentially."
Ruan Mei nodded lightly in agreement:
"Evidently, even crossing the cosmic barrier into a world with divergent rules, and experiencing the initial acclimatization, the potential and adaptability represented by the title 'Lord of Annihilation' are still not to be underestimated. Their speed in recovering and plundering power is astonishingly fast."
In contrast, the performance of Jing Yuan and Feixiao seemed somewhat "sluggish" to the two geniuses.
"On the other hand, Jing Yuan and Feixiao."
Herta curled her lip, a trace of barely perceptible... perhaps disdain in her tone?
"They seem to have not entirely shed the constraints of this world's system, or perhaps they are recovering power in a more 'compliant' manner. The progress is as slow as a crawling snail. If it were the 'Heavenly Bow General' in her prime, with her ultimate valor in conquering fiends and commanding storms, why would she need Jing Yuan's assistance? Facing Phantylia alone, even if she couldn't win, she definitely wouldn't be this desperate."
Ruan Mei added, her perspective being more fundamental.
"The speed of power recovery is related to the individual's inherent nature. Phantylia's 'Destruction' inherently possesses extreme invasiveness, while Jing Yuan and Feixiao are different. With one rising and the other falling, the gap has widened."
However, neither Phantylia's demonstrated strength nor Jing Yuan and Feixiao's temporary disadvantage managed to stir any ripples in Herta and Ruan Mei's hearts.
Fear? Worry? These emotions were too alien to them.
"Powerful?"
Herta scoffed, as if she had heard a boring joke.
"When it comes to the mere stacking of power, do we not have super-standard existences on our side?"
Her gaze seemed to pierce the Star Sea, falling upon a quiet corner of the City of the Deep, where Acheron, who spent her days accompanied by "Nihility," wielded a blade sharp enough to cut concepts.
It also fell upon the training grounds outside the city, upon Jingliu, whose swordsmanship had reached the peak, capable of cleaving stars.
"Moreover,"
Ruan Mei took over, her tone as calm as still water, yet voicing the shared sentiment of beings like them.
"For a genius, direct combat capability has never been the most important evaluation criterion. It can even be considered... a relatively inefficient way to solve problems."
In Herta and Ruan Mei's view, expending effort on studying how to destroy and annihilate more effectively was far less appealing than exploring the laws of world operation, the mysteries of life's genesis, or even the ultimate answers of the universe.
Combat was a means, a process, but absolutely not the goal.
When knowledge is deep enough and computational power is strong enough, many conflicts can be resolved before they even occur, or guided in a direction more favorable to oneself.
The so-called "power" sometimes appears so clumsy in the face of absolute knowledge and wisdom.
Just then, in the images projected by Hatsune Miku, Phantylia's figure slowly vanished, and the battle fires on Jade Field temporarily subsided.
Herta withdrew her gaze from the distance and focused it on Ruan Mei beside her, a look of distinct playfulness appearing on her face.
"But speaking of which,"
Herta's tone held a touch of teasing.
"You really spared no expense, Ruan Mei. For your research, you even used yourself as a bargaining chip."
She clearly remembered the scene she had inadvertently glimpsed not long ago when she went to Ruan Mei for a joint research project, peeking through a laboratory door that wasn't fully closed—Ruan Mei and Lu Jingming were engaged in an extremely in-depth "life form communication," far exceeding the scope of typical "research partners."
That scene made the well-informed Herta crash for 0.3 seconds.
Ruan Mei didn't even flutter an eyelash at the remark.
She turned her head, looking at Herta with her calm, placid eyes, and replied:
"His life form is extremely special, an embodied carrier of 'Authenticity Authority,' a unique existence that crosses world barriers. He himself is an infinitely precious and unknown research subject. Since he is willing to completely open his life information field to me, allowing me the deepest observation and recording, I don't mind paying some necessary 'interaction costs' to establish a more stable research trust relationship."
Her tone carried no shyness or embarrassment, as if she were merely stating an experimental procedure.
Emotional fluctuations were extremely rare, or even non-existent, in Ruan Mei's world.
All her actions were governed by the highest principles of research value and efficiency.
"Suit yourself."
Herta pouted, but a tiny, almost imperceptible emotion—close to "competitive spirit"—flickered across her delicate features.
"But he's my person. I was the first to discover the 'interesting sample,' and being 'preemptively' subjected to deep research by you in this manner... just feels a little annoying."
This "annoyance" stemmed partly from the realm of romantic affection and partly from the natural competitive instinct among top-tier researchers for "first discovery rights" and "deep research leadership."
It was like two geniuses simultaneously fixated on an unprecedented puzzle, only for one to use unconventional means to obtain the core data first. Although Ruan Mei viewed this method as a justifiable "cost," for Herta, it felt like being "cut off."
Especially since the person who cut her off was Ruan Mei, whom she considered an equal-level friend.
Ruan Mei seemed unable to fully grasp Herta's subtle competitive psychology, merely stating calmly:
"The sequence of research progress does not affect the correctness of the final conclusion. If you are interested, I can share the subsequent research data."
Herta snorted, not replying.
Share the data? Of course she wanted that.
But the feeling of being "one step behind" still left her a bit frustrated.
She began to ponder whether she should also find time to have a more "in-depth" communication with that Lu Jingming fellow. Not for any other reason, but purely to save a bit of face regarding "research progress" in front of Ruan Mei.
Mount Mingdou, once hailed as the Star Luo Empire's most formidable bulwark, had now been completely reduced to a desolate land of scorched earth and rubble.
The formerly majestic peaks were leveled, leaving only jagged cliffs and rock walls melted into a glass-like state by extreme heat. The air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder, charring, and faint wisps of blood.
"Faster, keep up, don't fall behind!"
Duke White Tiger Dai Hao's voice was hoarse and weary, yet still commanding.
His armor was covered in cracks and charred marks, its luster gone.
He personally brought up the rear, his sharp tiger eyes bloodshot, fixed intensely on the relentless pursuers behind them.
Beside him were the equally scarred White Tiger Guards and the remnants of the empire's most elite First Soul Master Legion, led by Douluo Xuanji.
This force, once complete in formation and high in morale, was now reduced to less than three thousand men, all injured and greatly depleted of Soul Power. An atmosphere of tragic desperation pervaded the ranks.
Their retreat route wound through the shattered mountains, attempting to use the complex terrain to shake off the pursuit.
However, the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Engineer Corps, like the most cunning hounds, clung tightly to their heels.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!"
Dense Soul Tool rays poured in like a sudden squall from behind a nearby ridge.
These rays were precise and lethal, specifically targeting the flanks and rear of the Soul Master contingent.
"Form up, defend!"
Douluo Xuanji's hair stood on end; he roared.
Several Titled Douluo-level experts beside him immediately unleashed powerful defensive Soul Skills. Thick earth walls rose instantly, barely managing to block the barrage.
But the continuous roar of the Soul Tool rays impacting the defenses never ceased, each hit causing the defensive barrier to shake violently, as if it could shatter at any moment.