As the third Purgatory Broodmother collapsed with a resounding crash, the black canopy shrouding the valley completely dissipated, and the thick abyssal energy receded like a ebbing tide.
In the valley, the remaining members of the Abyss faction lost their will to fight instantly. Some turned to flee, while others slumped to the ground, their eyes filled with despair.
However, the majority remained calm. After all, this was merely their... they still had trump cards.
Meanwhile, Tendo hovered in mid-air, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the fleeing figures below. Without any wasted movement, he simply pressed his hand down lightly in the direction they were running.
An invisible vector force field expanded instantly like a gargantuan, unseen net, firmly binding the nearby fleeing Abyss members in place. Their bodies were forcibly frozen, their stellar energy completely suppressed; they didn't even have the strength to open their mouths to beg for mercy.
"Clean them up."
Tendo's voice was flat and emotionless, transmitted via stellar energy communication to Caroline, who was on guard at the perimeter.
"Understood."
Caroline immediately led several elite team members into the valley, efficiently finishing off the restrained Abyss members. The entire process was seamless, like disposing of a pile of inconsequential trash.
Simultaneously, the battle between Lei Xiao, Shi Jian, and the two Calamity-rank cloaked figures reached a fever pitch.
Although Lei Xiao's 'Stellar Source: Wrathful Thunder' was wild and overbearing, and Shi Jian's 'Stellar Source: Unbreakable Rock' was steady and heavy, the strength of the two cloaked figures far exceeded ordinary Calamity-rank experts. Their respective domains even showed a subtle coordination. Consequently, the two warriors, fighting individually, fell into a disadvantage.
One of the cloaked figures seized a gap in Shi Jian's defense, condensing a pitch-black abyssal spear. With a whistle that tore through the air, it thrust directly toward Shi Jian's weakness.
Shi Jian's expression shifted. He tried to adjust his defensive stance but was too late; he could only watch as the spear closed in.
At that critical moment, an invisible vector force field abruptly appeared in front of him. The moment the abyssal spear struck the field, its trajectory was forcibly twisted. Like a kite with a broken string, it flew backward, smashing into a distant rock and exploding into a cloud of black energy mist.
"Hmm?"
The cloaked figure snapped his head around, his pupils shrinking as he saw Tendo hovering not far away. He could clearly feel that the aura emanating from this young man was even more terrifying than when he had destroyed the Purgatory Broodmother.
Tendo didn't waste words. With a flash of his body, he appeared behind the two cloaked figures. Lei Xiao and Shi Jian seized the opportunity to retreat and catch their breath.
In response, the other cloaked figure let out a cold roar. The abyssal energy around him surged frantically, condensing into a massive abyssal hand that clawed toward Tendo. The hand was covered in eerie patterns and emitted a heart-stopping pressure; clearly, he was using his ultimate move.
Facing a strike capable of crushing an ordinary Calamity-rank, Tendo didn't even blink. With a thought, his domain expanded once more.
This time, the domain's coverage expanded to twenty meters. The dense 'Information Probes' were no longer scattered threads but were woven into a compact net of light. Fine golden electrical sparks burst continuously at the nodes of the net, and every probe emitted a high-frequency vibrating hum, denser and more stable than before.
These fine lines of light, concentrated with a vast amount of information, zipped through Tendo's domain like meteors across a night sky, eventually forming a silver-white light membrane at the domain's edge. Everywhere the light net reached, the air was forcibly ionized and subjected to intense refraction, making the scene inside the domain look distorted and eerie—a desperate, brilliant sea of light.
The abyssal hand collided with the light membrane amidst a howling wind, but at the moment of contact, it was firmly adhered by the vector force field on the membrane. The abyssal patterns on the hand's surface flashed frantically in an attempt to break free, only to see countless probes from the light net pierce into the hand, dismantling its energy structure like greedy tentacles.
The black abyssal energy was forcibly extracted and converted by the probes, turning into pale golden energy streams that returned to the light net. The originally solid hand became illusory at a visible rate, emitting a 'sizzling' sound of energy annihilation.
The cloaked figure controlling the hand turned pale instantly, his eyes filled with disbelief. He could clearly feel that the energy connection between himself and the abyssal hand was being forcibly severed, as a sea of vector information flooded his sensory system like a collapsing dam.
The friction frequency of the airflow, the conduction paths of energy, and even the beat of his own stellar core were infinitely magnified and poured into his mind. His brain felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer; the excruciating pain forced a groan from him, and his body trembled uncontrollably. He could no longer even manage the energy to maintain the abyssal hand.
How is this possible?!
The other cloaked figure was struck with overwhelming shock. He knew the power of his companion's 'Abyssal Hand'—even a Calamity-rank of the same level would have to face it with everything they had, yet Tendo had neutralized it effortlessly.
He didn't dare hesitate. Abyssal energy surged around him as his hands formed seals, condensing dozens of pitch-black abyssal blades. With sharp piercing sounds, they shot toward Tendo from various angles, attempting to break the domain's lockdown.
Yet, as soon as these blades approached the light membrane, they were precisely struck by the high-speed probes and instantly dismantled into energy fragments, failing to raise even a ripple. Nor did he escape; the probes at the edge of the light net had already silently extended, coiling around his limbs. Massive amounts of information followed, causing a splitting headache and instantly stalling his movements.
"Three breaths."
Tendo spoke softly as his figure drifted through the domain like a ghost. The invisible lines of light in the net seemed to become his tools for movement; every flicker allowed him to cross several meters instantly, leaving behind silver-white afterimages.
The two cloaked figures, their consciousnesses blurred by information overload, were completely unable to track his trajectory. Just as they managed to raise their hands, wanting to urge their last bit of stellar energy to resist, Tendo had already appeared silently behind them.
Two vector force blades, condensed to the extreme, formed at his fingertips. The blades were wreathed in fine spatial fissures as they thrust directly into the positions of their stellar cores.
Bang!
After two soft sounds, the bodies of the cloaked figures froze, the light in their eyes fading rapidly. Their stellar cores were completely destroyed, and the abyssal energy around them dissipated like a leaking balloon. Then, their bodies slumped over, completely devoid of life.
Having dealt with the two Calamity-rank cloaked figures, Tendo retracted his domain and looked toward the depths of the Meteorite Ruins. There, a more terrifying surge of abyssal energy was rapidly gathering, carrying an aura of total destruction.
"It seems... the main attraction is finally coming out."
Lei Xiao walked up to Tendo's side and spoke in a low voice. The process by which Tendo had just dealt with the two cloaked figures had completely overturned his understanding of Calamity-rank strength. That ease, akin to crushing ants, filled his heart with awe.
Simultaneously, An Qin's voice, trembling slightly, came through the communicator; she had clearly sensed that terrifying aura as well.
"Tendo... I sense an unusual energy signature, more terrifying than anything we've encountered before!"
"As expected," Tendo said calmly. "Caroline, lead the team to stand by at the perimeter. Do not approach."
"Senior Lei, Senior Shi, please cover the rear to prevent any sneak attacks."
"Understood."
After making the arrangements, Tendo took the lead and flew toward the depths of the Meteorite Ruins. Lei Xiao and Shi Jian remained in the rear, vigilantly observing the surroundings, ready to respond to any emergencies.
The further they went into the depths, the more hostile the environment became. The meteorite craters on the ground grew denser, and the dark red rocks were covered in eerie abyssal patterns. The concentration of abyssal energy in the air had reached a suffocating level.
Countless powerful abyssal creatures lurked in the darkness. Sensing Tendo's aura, they bared their hideous fangs and lunged at him. But these creatures were as fragile as ants before him. Tendo didn't even slow down; the vector force field around him automatically expanded, shattering every lunging abyssal creature and turning them into clouds of black energy mist.
Half an hour later, Tendo finally reached the deepest part of the Meteorite Ruins. A massive black palace appeared before him, constructed from an unknown black stone. Its surface was carved with abyssal patterns even more complex and sinister than those on the Purgatory Broodmother.
Above the palace, a gargantuan pillar of black light shot into the sky, connecting with an abyssal passage in the void. Dense abyssal energy poured continuously from the passage into the palace.
On the plaza in front of the palace, a figure draped in a black cloak, with an aura terrifying to the extreme, hovered in mid-air. The abyssal energy around him rolled like a solid substance, forming a massive vortex of black energy. Behind him, a blurred black phantom was slowly condensing, emitting a pressure that bred despair—it was the projection of an Abyssal Lord.
The voice of the Abyss Leader was low and raspy, as if coming from hell.
"Being able to deal with my two Calamity-rank subordinates, your strength has indeed exceeded my expectations."
"However... do you think winning against those wastes means you can win against me?"
The black phantom slowly raised its head. The face beneath the hood was blurred, save for a pair of eyes emitting a ghostly blue light that were particularly striking. He sneered and said coldly, "Kid, you are too arrogant."
"This is my territory. With the 'blessing' of that Great One here, even if Enite came, he might not necessarily gain an advantage, let alone you."
As soon as he spoke, the figure known as the 'Abyss Leader' waved his hand. The black energy vortex around him surged instantly, sweeping toward Tendo. Simultaneously, the Abyssal Lord projection behind him let out an ear-splitting roar, raising its hand to condense a massive beam of black energy that shot directly at Tendo.
This energy beam contained terrifying abyssal power. Everywhere it passed, space was forcibly torn, creating pitch-black fissures.
In response, a flash of excitement crossed Tendo's eyes. He didn't dodge; the vector force field around him operated at full capacity.
"Finally, something interesting."
Domain expansion!
In an instant, Tendo's domain, Infinite Spacetime, expanded its coverage to a hundred meters. The 'Information Probes' within the domain were no longer simple threads of light but had transformed into countless semi-transparent vector blade-shadows. The edges of these shadows were wreathed in silver-white spatial fissures, rotating and zipping through the domain at high speeds, producing sharp piercing sounds.
At the core of the domain, a vector vortex resembling a starry sky slowly took shape, continuously drawing in nearby stellar energy. This caused the domain's light to grow increasingly radiant, forming an independent, sealed dimension.
At the same time, every inch of space within the domain distorted violently under the influence of Tendo's vector force field. Rock debris hovered in the air, unable to fall, and even the flow of time became sluggish.
The black energy vortex unleashed by the Abyss Leader struck Tendo's Infinite Spacetime but was like a wave hitting a brass wall; it was forcibly reflected, causing the black palace behind him to tremble violently as rubble fell.
As for the black energy beam fired by the 'Abyssal Lord projection,' the moment it entered Tendo's domain, it was enveloped by countless rotating silver blade-shadows. These shadows were like myriad microscopic scalpels, rapidly dismantling the abyssal energy structure within the beam. Every cut splashed a large amount of black energy fragments.
Simultaneously, the vector vortex at the domain's core accelerated abruptly, generating a powerful suction force that forcibly absorbed and converted the dismantled energy fragments. The originally pitch-black and violent beam was gradually dyed silver-white.
Consequently, a wondrous scene occurred. After the duo's attacks fell into Tendo's domain, they became like locked 'rays of light,' reflecting back and forth within the domain and eventually becoming a part of it.
This method of turning an enemy's attack into one's own nourishment caused the Abyss Leader's expression to change drastically. He had thought that with his own power and the enhancement of the Abyssal Lord projection, he could crush his opponent, but he hadn't expected Tendo's domain to be so terrifying.
At this thought, the Abyss Leader hurriedly increased the output of abyssal energy. But as soon as he moved, he found that his stellar energy flow path was precisely captured by the probes within Tendo's domain. Every shred of energy flow was forcibly interfered with, turning his originally smooth energy output incredibly sluggish.
"Break for me!"
The Abyss Leader roared, spitting out a mouthful of ghostly blue essence blood. This blood contained 'a certain special power.' Soon after, two swimming, ghostly blue light-fish forcibly broke through the Abyss Leader's body, appearing before everyone's eyes.
Tendo merely gave them a casual glance and raised his hand, beckoning lightly toward him.
In the next second, the silver-white blade-shadows within the domain turned in unison. Like countless sharp swords, they fell upon him continuously. Everywhere the shadows passed, the space was marked with tiny spatial cracks.
The Abyss Leader's expression warped. He hurriedly urged his abyssal energy to block these attacks, only to find that his sensory system was suddenly overwhelmed by a sea of vector information. His body froze instantly.
He... could not move.
Under the Abyss Leader's bewildered gaze, those countless blade-shadows slashed through his body. Although he saw with his own eyes his body being torn apart and countless wounds appearing on his skin, he could not feel the slightest bit of pain. His senses and thoughts had been completely taken over by Tendo, falling into the infinite ocean of information within Infinite Spacetime.