Clearly, when the Destroyer absorbed the divine power from the Earl King, he not only comprehended how to control the Phoenix Feather No. 2 but also discovered energy related to Countess Gogolnikyeva within it. Moreover, after devouring the majority of residual mold spirit energy left by Amu Zinen, the Destroyer undoubtedly realized the connection between Amu Zinen and the Countess, leading him to associate everything involving Yan Chaoyue's Phoenix and Amu Zinen's sudden defection to join the priests against him with the Countess.
From this, it's evident that despite being of the same lineage, the relationship between the Destroyer and the Countess is strained, if not outright antagonistic. This realization made the Destroyer firmly believe that the Countess's actions, hidden within Phoenix Feather No. 2 and Amu Zinen, were all aimed directly at him.
Indeed, the Countess's unconventional aid to Hao Yun and the other four priests of the Heavenly Spirit Realm raised suspicions. The priests constantly questioned the true intentions behind her actions: whether she sought to eliminate herself through others or secretly disrupt the Heavenly Spirit Realm.
Now, it turns out there's deep-seated animosity between the Destroyer and the Countess. This compelled Hao Yun and his companions to reassess whether the Countess's illogical assistance was part of a scheme to cause trouble within the Heavenly Spirit Realm or to help them better confront the Destroyer's Black Gate.
Thinking of this, Dao Lao asked, "Do you... know the Countess?"
"Humph! More than just knowing her. We once fought side by side as comrades! However, that cowardly and scheming fellow always found excuses to hide behind during battles, claiming to support the frontline fighters, but in reality avoiding the brutal divine wars!" the Destroyer spoke disdainfully.
Continuing, the Destroyer said, "However... judging by the aid the Countess provided you all, that fellow's strength has indeed grown significantly. Humph! I never expected that such a cowardly waste of life could gain such immense power? And even create such superior weapons... Truly, the Countess's strength deserves my respect!"
As the Destroyer spoke, a dark magic emanated from his arm holding the dagger. This magic spread from the Destroyer's arm to Phoenix Feather No. 2, quickly decomposing into black granular dust that spun around the dagger. Subsequently, black thorny vines grew rapidly from the Destroyer's arm onto Phoenix Feather No. 2, weaving into layers of barbed vines that tightly wrapped around the entire dagger. Thus, through the transformation by the thorny vines, Phoenix Feather No. 2 was reshaped into a massive black thorn sword resembling a lightning bolt, enlarged many times over.
Standing at least three meters tall, the Destroyer, with a muscular physique and a purplish-black hue, covered with tentacles resembling alien heads all over his body, carried a lightning-shaped thorn sword shrouded in dark magic. He appeared like an invincible war demon standing in the sky. The crimson poison mist in the sky seemed even more active due to the Destroyer's imposing full form. Under the backdrop of the crimson lightning storm that appeared like a sudden storm, the Destroyer Black Gate looked incredibly dominant.
Although the Destroyer displayed an overwhelming momentum, Yan Chaoyue was not someone to be trifled with either. Therefore, she was not intimidated by the Destroyer's imposing aura; instead, she became even more eager to confront him. Seeing this, Dao Lao calmly reminded, "Chaoyue, don't be impulsive! With your current strength, it's impossible to withstand the Crimson Poison Mist's attack like the Destroyer can. Moreover, it's clear now that not only did the Meteor Array not attack the Destroyer, but the Eternal Star Array also did not generate a Rain of Destruction under the influence of the Crimson Poison Mist. There must be something suspicious about this! So, you must be careful and not fall into the Destroyer's traps!"
Though Dao Lao's advice might have somewhat deflated Chaoyue's morale by dissuading her from acting rashly, she quickly agreed after a brief thought. Logically, the three-tiered uncontrollable grand array would indiscriminately attack any detected intruder, especially after the Crimson Poison Mist encountered the Eternal Star Array, sparking a Rain of Destruction. Given the current situation, aside from the Crimson Poison Mist's superficial attacks on the Destroyer, the three-tiered grand array in the sky had not launched any attacks against him, which was indeed very suspicious.
"Your Majesty, General Dao is right. Please don't act rashly. No matter how the Destroyer taunts us, he has yet to take the next step. This suggests that the Destroyer cannot break through the Celestial Shield and can only try to provoke you into a battle outside the Celestial Shield. We must not let the Destroyer's schemes succeed!" General Tie Zhu quickly analyzed and advised Yan Chaoyue.
Seeing Yan Chaoyue hesitating to confront him, the Destroyer scoffed, "Humph! Don't be impatient! Let my army arrive, and then we can play slowly!"
Upon hearing the word "army," everyone frowned. The Destroyer had been present for quite some time, yet his Mastanian army had not appeared. This made many Eternal Moons people inevitably think that this was just an action by the Destroyer targeting the Moon Palace. This caused them to become careless about a possible large-scale attack by the Mastanians. However, since the Destroyer mentioned that the Mastanian army would arrive soon, the Eternal Moons soldiers must now be fully alert to ensure they could better cope with the Mastanian army's tricks.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the Destroyer's voice faded away, thunderous roars echoed through the heavens and earth, descending upon the space above the Celestial Canopy Shield. Under the tremendous shockwaves created by the deafening noise, waves of energy rippled across the surface of the Celestial Canopy Shield.
Sizzle! Crack!
Following the thunderous roars, thicker lightning bolts broke through the crimson mist and heavily struck the outer shell of the Celestial Canopy Shield. Unexpectedly, unlike the lightning attacks before which were nullified upon contact with the shield's counterforce, these bolts firmly clung to the shield's outer shell after impact. They began continuously bombarding the shield with electric currents. Moreover, several giant lightning bolts falling from above the Eternal Star Palace rapidly spread out upon contact with the shield, launching a wide-ranging assault through the lightning chains formed on its surface.
Watching the Celestial Canopy Shield endure this unexpected assault by unknown lightning chains, every Eternal Star defender's heart raced. Despite the immense pressure from these colossal lightning bolts, not a single defender chose to retreat. Each tightened their grip on their weapons and bravely faced the skyward lightning. They knew well that fear could not repel the enemy above. Only by facing their fears head-on could they stand a chance against the impending Mastanian army and secure hope for the survival of the Eternal Star people.
Due to the severe impact caused by these massive lightning bolts on the Celestial Canopy Shield, Yan Chaoyue had to abandon the idea of confronting the Destroyer from a distance and quickly took a seat where she was. At the same time, she suspended a Phoenix Feather Dagger above her head, allowing her consciousness to connect with the Celestial Canopy Shield through energy beams emitted from both ends of the dagger, reinforcing the shield once again.
The Destroyer seemed to sense Yan Chaoyue's actions to strengthen the Celestial Canopy Shield but sneered disdainfully, "Hmph! This shield is indeed very strong. However, it's a pity that you've spread it out too thin, severely affecting its overall strength. Therefore, with my vastly enhanced power, this shield is no longer an indestructible barrier! I will find the flaw in this shield and destroy it completely! Hahaha!"
After speaking, the Destroyer stepped on the lightning chains that had fallen on the Celestial Canopy Shield and leisurely paced across its surface. Soon enough, as if he had discovered something, he suddenly stopped on the shield's surface. Then, raising the massive thorned sword in his grip high, he shouted, "Found it! It's right here!"
As the Destroyer descended and plunged his thorned sword into the shield beneath his feet, a crisp cracking sound echoed. The sword directly pierced through the Celestial Canopy Shield. Immediately, cracks radiated from the point where the sword was inserted, spreading extensively across the shield.
This scene astonished the Eternal Star defenders below beyond measure. No one had expected the Destroyer to breach the Celestial Canopy Shield so easily. Fortunately, due to the shield's immense strength, despite numerous cracks appearing on its surface, no breaches had been opened. Yet, the sound of cracking accompanied by the spreading cracks reminded everyone of the serious damage inflicted upon the Celestial Canopy Shield. If they did not stop the Destroyer from further damaging the shield, the large-scale canopy above the Eternal Star Palace would soon collapse.
The Destroyer, apparently surprised that his full-force attack failed to breach the shield completely, was nevertheless satisfied with inserting the thorned sword a third of the way into the shield. Thus, grinning wickedly, he swayed his entire body, causing the tentacles covering him to open wide and face the sky with their bloodied mouths. Simultaneously, a piercing scream erupted from these tentacles' bloodied mouths, all of them pointing downward towards the Celestial Canopy Shield.
Immediately after, several crimson lightning bolts descended from the sky once more, targeting the weaker areas of the Celestial Canopy Shield's cracked sections. Although the shield's overall integrity remained intact, these deeper cracks in the shield could not withstand the attack of the giant lightning bolts, resulting in dozens of various-sized gaps.
"Hahaha! As expected! How could Her Majesty have the ability to create such a powerful shield? It turns out, this shield is also the handiwork of Countess!" scoffed the Destroyer. "Hmph! No wonder, after I understood the power hidden in Amu Zinen's body by Countess and the power hidden in this dagger, I could quickly find the weakness of this shield! Hahaha! Give me a little more time, and I can find a way to completely dismantle this shield! Everything on Eternal Star will sooner or later fall into my hands! You can wait to die in peace!"
Simultaneously, the lightning that pierced through the Celestial Canopy Shield condensed into luminous electric columns on the shield's surface. One end plunged straight into the crimson mist, while the other end formed a circle of lightning around the cracked holes, preventing the Celestial Canopy Shield with its powerful regenerative capabilities from repairing these breaches.
"Hilf, Tie Zhu, you are responsible for protecting Her Majesty! General Tie Dao, lead the defense forces and prepare to engage! You must do everything to suppress the enemy and not let them easily pass through the breaches in the Celestial Canopy Shield!" Dao Lao commanded as soon as Yan Chaoyue and the Destroyer began their standoff.
Dream Jia, seizing the moment Dao Lao spoke, raised the Equalizer in her hand without hesitation and aimed it at a breach in the Celestial Canopy Shield, ready to fire.
Although General Tie Dao was a seasoned warrior, he was momentarily puzzled why Dream Jia was firing at a distant breach in the Celestial Canopy Shield rather than at the Destroyer. In his view, Dream Jia should be targeting the Destroyer to prevent him from further damaging the shield. However, he quickly realized the reason behind her action. As the energy blast from Dream Jia struck the breach like an anti-aircraft missile, he also saw a griffin-like creature in a tufted grass form preparing to rush through the breach.