As the sky shield showed signs of disintegration, the out-of-control formations led by the Scarlet Poison Fog Array and the Rain of Destruction began to pass through the sky shield more uncontrollably, heading straight for the Mu Star. This meant that even with Dream Jia's exceptional skills, she could no longer effectively maneuver the flying boat to avoid the increasingly dense attacks from the formations. Meanwhile, the divine shields protecting Haoyun and his companions were also thinning under the relentless assault of the out-of-control formations. If they didn't return to the ground soon, it wouldn't be long before they were completely exposed to these attacks.
"The formations in the sky are getting denser. If this continues, we won't be able to hold on much longer!" Dream Jia said anxiously while skillfully navigating the flying boat, weaving through the Rain of Destruction.
"Chaoyue, how are things on your end?!" Dao Lao, standing at the bow and constantly swinging his Demon Vanquishing Staff to fend off the Rain of Destruction, asked breathlessly.
Haoyun continued to aim at the Destroyer with the All Beings Are Equal, looking for a chance to fire. It was because of this that the Destroyer had to split his attention, dealing with both Yan Chaoyue and the Earl King while also keeping an eye on Haoyun to avoid being caught off guard by a sneak attack from his Hunting Bullet.
The standoff in the sky continued for a while longer until Yan Chaoyue's voice finally came through the communicators of Haoyun and his companions: "My lords! Catch this!"
"Dream Jia!" Upon receiving Yan Chaoyue's message, Haoyun and Dao Lao shouted almost simultaneously. Dream Jia then turned the bow of the flying boat and sped towards the Destroyer at full speed.
In a flash, as the flying boat got as close as possible to the Destroyer, Yan Chaoyue turned and threw a black object towards them.
Seeing this, Haoyun quickly handed the All Beings Are Equal back to Dream Jia, then raised both hands to catch the object thrown by Yan Chaoyue, shouting, "Dream Jia! Go!"
"Got it!" Dream Jia responded, steering the flying boat into a steep dive towards the Mu Star Palace.
The sudden maneuver left the Destroyer, who was focused on fighting Yan Chaoyue, momentarily confused. However, as Yan Chaoyue threw the black object to Haoyun, the Destroyer felt a lightening in his chest, and the oppressive feeling from the Phoenix Stinger diminished significantly. Elated by the unexpected change, the Destroyer believed Yan Chaoyue had weakened, reducing her assault's impact drastically.
"Hahaha! I didn't expect you to be even weaker than I thought! You can't even maintain this little bit of pressure! Fine, then die!" the Destroyer sneered triumphantly, summoning his internal energy to counter the power Yan Chaoyue was still channeling into him. At the same time, he tried to regain control of his hands, slowly morphing them into claws aimed at Yan Chaoyue, preparing to tear her apart once he shattered her shield.
Haoyun and his companions ignored Yan Chaoyue's deteriorating situation and made no further attempts to help her, instead focusing on their rapid descent back to the ground. They knew Yan Chaoyue's sudden drop in power was directly related to the black object she had thrown to Haoyun—her Nether Spirit Battle Armor. Attached to this armor was the sixth Phoenix Feather, now covered in cracks.
Yes, although the Destroyer had forcibly locked the Phoenix Stinger within his body, preventing Yan Chaoyue from extracting it, he couldn't stop her from pulling out one of the Phoenix Feathers. Yan Chaoyue had used her power to split the Phoenix Stinger into thirteen Phoenix Feathers and took advantage of the Destroyer's pain from the disintegration and reformation to extract the sixth Phoenix Feather.
After throwing the Phoenix Feather to Haoyun, Yan Chaoyue's power significantly decreased due to the loss of the complete Phoenix Stinger. However, she had already inflicted considerable damage on the Destroyer, weakening him to some extent. Yan Chaoyue, fully prepared to perish with the Destroyer, had pushed all her potential to the limit. Thus, she could still pose a significant threat to the Destroyer.
Seeing Haoyun and his companions successfully retrieving the armor and dagger and retreating, Yan Chaoyue turned back, tears streaming down her glowing cheeks, and spoke with a voice full of guilt to the Earl King, who was still entangled with the Destroyer: "Earl King, I’m sorry. I couldn't protect Yongmu Star. I failed the expectations of our ancestors and your trust. I am truly useless!"
"Annie! My love! Don’t blame yourself! As the greatest queen of Yongmu Star, you have done everything you could! This is my fault! I failed to lead the people away from disaster! If it weren't for my negligence, you wouldn't have had to bear all this alone. It’s my fault, my dear Annie," the Earl King immediately comforted her, falling into deep self-reproach.
Upon hearing King Earle's words, Yan Chaoyue forced another smile. "Earle, my dearest. It’s truly regrettable that we can’t return to see my parents together. I believe they would have adored you."
"It’s alright, my love. Our duty is to combat the Mold Energy and protect this land. Even if we can’t return, my father and mother will surely forgive us. Dearest Annie, the love of my life, let’s fight bravely! Wherever and whenever, I will always stand by your side, through life and death, through all storms!" King Earle tried to suppress the sorrow on his face, speaking with a determined and free-spirited tone.
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"Through life and death, through all storms!" Yan Chaoyue also put away her sad expression, speaking with utmost determination.
After taking a deep breath, Yan Chaoyue spoke into the communicator to the people of Yongmu Star: "Dear citizens of Yongmu Star, my most loyal and beloved people. Thank you all for your unwavering support for the Wind Whisperer family and for your loyalty to the Spirit Realm. Even in the most difficult times, you have steadfastly upheld your beliefs, following the will of the Spirit Realm without a word of complaint or a step back. It is truly the fortune of the Spirit Realm to have such loyal and chivalrous subjects. And I, Anta Annelise Yan Chaoyue Feng, Queen of Yongmu Star, am also very honored to fight alongside you, through life and death!"
"Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we are still unable to resist the massive invasion of the Mold Energy and its minions, the Mastanians. However, even if we cannot save everyone here, and even if we cannot prevent the destruction of Yongmu Star, we must not give up hope! We must do our utmost to preserve the last spark for the people of Yongmu Star, so that the civilization of Yongmu Star can continue in the future!"
The soldiers of Yongmu Star were naturally aware that their situation was dire, so when Yan Chaoyue officially announced their inability to resist the enemy's assault, not a single person felt panic or fear. The people of Yongmu Star were not cowards fearing death; they would not retreat at the approach of death but instead became more determined to fight before death arrived.
General Tie Dao pounded his chest heavily and said with a powerful voice, "Great King Earle, great Queen, you need not be sad, nor worry about us! The survival of the people of Yongmu Star to this day is entirely due to the protection of the Spirit Realm and the wise leadership of the King and Queen. As a repayment, we will hold our ground and firmly follow the leadership of both of you. Even if it means sacrificing our lives, we will forge the glory of the people of Yongmu Star alongside the King and Queen!"
As General Tie Dao spoke, he raised his giant sword high and rallied the soldiers of Yongmu Star, "Warriors! Since we have no way back, let’s fight the Mastanians with all our might in a fierce battle! Remember! Even if we bleed our last drop of blood, we must guard our positions and ensure the last spark of the people of Yongmu Star safely leaves here! Warriors! Do not retreat! Death is just a new beginning! Warriors! Take up your weapons! Charge bravely!"
"Kill! Kill! Long live Yongmu Star!" Under General Tie Dao’s impassioned speech, the soldiers of Yongmu Star, facing death, once again erupted with strong morale, fully countering the crazed Mastanians attacking them. Some of the Yongmu Star defenders even jumped out of their cover, forming a human shield in the sky, braving the destructive rain to launch an offensive against the Mastanians.
On the other side, after watching King Earle and Yan Chaoyue display their affection, and then listening to Yan Chaoyue's final impassioned declaration, the Destroyer Black Gate merely shook his head with a smile, remarking on how these people, on the brink of death, still had so many formalities. Of course, seeing Yan Chaoyue and the others encouraging each other in their dire situation, the Destroyer felt quite pleased. After all, all of this was thanks to him. Under his leadership, the Mastanians had finally conquered the hard-to-crack bone that was Yongmu Star. This filled the Destroyer with a sense of accomplishment.
The Destroyer watched with satisfaction as the sky shield disintegrated, as the out-of-control formation accelerated towards Yongmu Star, and as the battlefield below was filled with flying flesh and blood. The excitement and joy even made him forget the pain he was suffering. While observing the results of his actions, the Destroyer also saw Haoyun and his companions fleeing back to the palace of Yongmu Star in a flying boat. He noticed at least a hundred defenseless Yongmu Star children on the Xia Ba Square where they landed. In addition, a large number of Yongmu Star soldiers were rushing to Xia Ba Square, forming an impenetrable defensive circle.
The children, seeing Haoyun and his companions running towards the square, looked anxious. As soon as Haoyun and his group reached the center, the children quickly held hands and sat cross-legged. Haoyun, upon reaching the center of the square, quickly took out a shiny dagger and pointed it at the sky, emitting a beam of light from the dagger. This beam formed a shield over the square, temporarily protecting it from the destructive rain. After the light shield formed, Haoyun faced the dagger, closed his eyes, and began murmuring, appearing to prepare for some kind of ritual.
Wait! Performing some kind of ritual? Could it be that kid has found a way to leave Yongmu Star and is preparing to escape? Seeing that the dagger Haoyun took out was indeed the No. 6 Phoenix Thorn Feather, the Destroyer immediately had a bad feeling. He suddenly remembered how Haoyun had used some strange magic to successfully escape from Yongxing Star right under his nose.
"Damn it! I can't let that kid succeed again! Someone! Come here, now! Everyone, focus all your firepower on that square! Stop whatever ritual they are performing there!" Although he wasn't sure what kind of ritual Haoyun was performing, the Destroyer, having witnessed Haoyun's strange magic before, did not dare to be careless. He roared and commanded the Mastanian army to turn their guns and launch a tidal wave of attacks on the square where Haoyun and the others were.
"Tie Zhu, Sylph, both of you fall back to the center of the square! Leave this to us! Your mission is to lead those children safely out of here!" Seeing the Mastanians charging towards Xia Ba Square, General Tie Dao grabbed Tie Zhu and Sylph, who were preparing to lead their troops to intercept the enemy, and pointed at the children sitting around Haoyun.
"No, Father! I want to fight alongside you! I don’t want to be a deserter!" Tie Zhu shouted, shaking his head wildly in refusal.
General Tie Dao grabbed Tie Zhu by the collar with both hands and sternly said, "You fool! Who the hell told you to be a deserter! Those children are the last remaining jewels of Yongmu Star's civilization! They are not only the future of our people but also the last hope for the continuation of Yongmu Star's civilization! Therefore, someone must be responsible for protecting them and nurturing them to grow strong!"