But just as she was about to touch the general's banner.
Three terrifying waves of oppressive force descended from above, locking onto her with absolute precision. The three Nascent Soul enemy general puppets had finally shaken off their entanglements and returned in time to block the banner.
It's over!
Xie Zhaolin's heart sank.
All her efforts had come to nothing. Against the combined assault of three Nascent Soul puppets, she had absolutely no chance of winning. Before the attack even landed, the sheer destructive aura made her Primordial Soul scream, nearly suffocating her. She couldn't dodge it! She couldn't block it!
The absolute gap in strength was laid bare in this moment.
Yet, Xie Zhaolin's face showed no panic, no despair. Her gaze was eerily calm, as if these three Nascent Soul puppets, capable of tearing her into pieces in an instant, were no different from the ordinary puppets she'd slain before.
The thought of "It's over" rippled in her mind like a stone dropped into a deep pool—just a faint wave before it sank and vanished. mShould she figure out a counter? Dodge? Defend?
None of these thoughts lingered. The instant she realized she couldn't possibly fight them head-on, all her thoughts condensed into the simplest, purest one:
Rush!
By any means, touch that banner!
Even if it's just once!
Hum—!
She forced out the last ounce of strength from her dantian, her body turning into a blurred shadow as her speed surged impossibly!
No dodging, no blocking!
Straight toward the gap sealed by the three Nascent Soul puppets, straight toward the eerie banner behind, she charged without hesitation.
In the cold eyes of the three puppets, a flicker of faint surprise appeared. They hadn't expected such a tiny intruder to charge recklessly against an overwhelming force. But surprise or not, their attack didn't hesitate.
Boom—!
The last protective aura Xie Zhaolin had raised shattered instantly. Her body began to crumble the moment it touched that raging energy. And yet, even as darkness threatened to swallow her consciousness, her eyes remained locked forward! Her fingertips were less than half an inch from the icy bannerpole.
In the end… she still fell just short…
That thought was the last one in her mind before she vanished completely.
The starry battlefield returned to deadly silence.
"Third simulation, failed."
The old voice remained icy, yet if one listened carefully, beneath that coldness lay a trace of something complex—acknowledgment of the suicidal charge, or sighing at a fate long decided?
Xie Zhaolin's figure slowly reformed at the starting point of the battlefield. Her face was pale, almost translucent, her body trembling, barely able to stand. But she steadied herself quickly. She lifted her hand slowly, feeling her body fully restored, her eyes utterly calm.
No anger, no regret, no frustration.
Only a freezing serenity, tempered by extreme madness. She flexed her fingers gently, sensing her fully reformed body. Then she raised her head, her gaze returning to the massive enemy army in the distance, resting on the banner that seemed forever out of reach.
Three simulations, three strategies, three different ways of failing.
She had given her all, yet the absolute gap in strength couldn't be bridged by command alone. But this hadn't destroyed her will—it stripped away every illusion of luck. And with it, she'd learned nearly all the enemy's tactics and limits.
"Three simulations completed… Xiaoyou, do you still have the courage to fight… the final battle?"
The voice echoed in the void, awaiting her decision.
Failure wouldn't make her bow!
"Fight!"
She spat the word out, hoarse but resolute!
"Prepare… for the final battle!" the old voice announced.
Real life and death were about to begin. This time, no simulations, no retries. Xie Zhaolin took a deep breath, suppressing every emotion, and— She moved!
Her commands mirrored the third simulation almost exactly!
Orders sent, the three hundred puppets once again moved silently. On the other side, the enemy formation was tighter than before. Seeing Xie Zhaolin repeat the previous tactics, the three Nascent Soul general puppets flickered with subtle, almost human ridicule and disdain.
Even the old voice seemed to let out an imperceptible sigh in the void.
Is she out of tricks?
Against absolute power, could she only repeat her failures?
Stealth, assembly, energy infusion… it all replayed the third simulation.
Once more, she reached the banner!
Once more, the three Nascent Soul generals blocked it!
The scene repeated itself eerily.
"Fools! The same mistake won't happen twice!" a cold thought sneered.
This time, the three Nascent Soul puppets weren't rushing back—they were ready. Their positions perfect, sealing every path forward. There'd be no space left for her dash.
It's over!
Again, trapped in a deadly predicament.
Yet, at the critical moment. A cruel smile flickered across Xie Zhaolin's face. Her gaze calmly swept over the three Nascent Soul puppets, finally landing on the banner behind them.
"Who told you… my target's still that flag?"
Next, she did something no one expected. She didn't try to bypass or break through the three Nascent Soul puppets.
Instead…
She poured every last drop of spiritual power into Liuyun Ribbon without holding anything back.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Liuyun Ribbon instantly split into countless strands of unbreakable white threads, racing toward the three Nascent Soul puppets faster than anyone could blink.
"Hmph? Looking for death!" one Nascent Soul puppet snorted, swinging its arm to crush the tiny threads.
But these threads were strange.
They weren't rigid—they held a strange elasticity and stickiness. Most of the puppet's force was cleverly deflected, and while some threads were shattered, many more wound around it.
In a single breath.
The three Nascent Soul puppets were momentarily restrained by the seemingly fragile Liuyun Ribbon. Even if just for a second or two, it was enough. And at the same instant the ribbon entwined them.
Xie Zhaolin didn't retreat. Instead, she used the pull of the Liuyun Ribbon, charging headlong into the three temporarily bound Nascent Soul puppets. Her eyes burned with a near-crazed calm.
"Together… let's go!"