As it turned out, it wasn't just Lynelle's Taixu Sword Energy—Jing Yuan's Prana Extirpated and Dan Heng's Azure's Aqua Ablutes All also arrived in the blink of an eye. And that led to the most critical problem:
Phantylia had almost no time to think.
So, the battle-hardened Emanator of Destruction chose what she believed was the best course of action—prioritize blocking the attack from "Hua."
As for the Prana Extirpated and the Azure's Aqua Ablutes All…
Wasn't that exactly why she had crafted this abundant Abundance body in the first place?
Yet, while the plan sounded perfect, reality proved far more brutal.
The moment Phantylia made contact with "Hua's" sword energy, she regretted it almost instantly.
Because there was no sword energy at all—not even a Cloud Knight Marshal in sight.
All she saw was Lynelle's wicked, triumphant grin—and a searing pain that erupted inside her body the very next moment.
Jing Yuan had been secretly gathering strength for this strike all along, and the blow turned out to be far beyond what Phantylia had assumed she could withstand.
Under the Lightning Lord's thunderous might, she even felt her connection to the Ambrosial Arbor weaken—whether it was her getting electrocuted numb or the Arbor itself, she couldn't tell.
And what was worse… Phantylia suddenly realized that Dan Heng, who had struck from the other side, was also an opponent of monstrous caliber.
While she was badly wounded, Dan Heng—whose mental state could give Stelle a run for her money—didn't choose to pile on more damage.
Instead, he borrowed the Lightning Lord's power, channeling his own water currents throughout Phantylia's form, searching for the points where her power intertwined with the Arbor's.
Without a doubt, severing the Arbor's continuous supply to Phantylia would strip the Abundance blessings in this constructed body of their absurd, bounce-back-level regenerative power.
It wouldn't completely vanish, but her recovery would certainly fall short of the high-tier Abundance blessing directly bestowed by Yaoshi.
The tides of battle reversed in an instant.
"How dare you… How dare you!"
Staring at "Hua"—no, at Lynelle—who wore the smug expression of a bratty girl, Phantylia's eyes burned with bitter resentment.
The situation had now turned into a slow death sentence for her.
The side playing for time had shifted from her to her enemies. Because of her poor condition, the cost of resisting the Lightning Lord was far greater than before, and every time she drew upon the Arbor's power to heal herself, she only increased the chances of Dan Heng succeeding in "finding her weak spot."
But the problem was, because of that earlier decision, she now had no choice but to keep healing—otherwise, injuries upon injuries would quickly snowball, making the situation even worse.
And so, only one "best move" remained for Phantylia.
"Good, very good… I had originally planned to deal with these annoying pests first, and then take my time searching for you across the Xianzhou…"
"But now… since you've delivered yourself to me, there's no harm in fulfilling the other purpose of my visit ahead of schedule."
"Lynelle, fall back!"
Jing Yuan's sharp command rang out as the Lightning Lord instantly moved to shield Lynelle, clashing violently with the massive hand Phantylia had thrust forward.
At the same time, the Azure Dragon, black holes, even fiery lances and icy arrows—all shot forth in unison. But Phantylia's determination to seize Lynelle was absolute.
Even as she herself was blocked, two mystical lotus petals, sprouted from the Ambrosial Arbor under her control, materialized around Lynelle.
This was the only way out Phantylia had found for herself: transform Lynelle into a puppet of Destruction ahead of schedule, and force those present to choose between saving her and attacking Phantylia.
Of course, Phantylia had no intention of truly giving them a choice.
Knowing Lynelle's background all too well, she was certain that the moment her own blended power of Abundance and Destruction touched Lynelle, it would trigger a stress reaction to Abundance in Lynelle's body.
And according to what Lynelle had said before, once that reaction occurred, her body would indiscriminately absorb the surrounding energy to resist the Abundance invasion—but at that moment, the only energies around her would be Abundance and Destruction.
Which meant, fully conscious, Lynelle would helplessly watch as her own body madly absorbed the Path of Destruction power Phantylia poured into her, until she "willingly" fell into the embrace of Destruction.
Heh…
Just imagining the expressions everyone would wear made Phantylia forget the pain of her wounds entirely.
"Well, everyone… enjoying the fight?"
Dragging her battered "Abundance god-body," Phantylia grabbed Lynelle as if she were a petite figurine, weathering the attacks to pull her back.
"You all look so worried… Don't be. I'm only borrowing your companion for a moment. I'll return her soon."
"As for now… hehe…"
The power of Destruction slowly gathered around Lynelle.
"Now, I invite you all to witness—how a future Emanator of Destruction completes her first transformation!"
"What?!"
Phantylia's words struck the others like a thunderbolt.
After all, even Jing Yuan, with the most pessimistic view of Phantylia's motives, had simply assumed that Lynelle possessed some trait that attracted Phantylia, and that she wanted to turn Lynelle into one of her "collectibles."
But this…
"Radiant spirit, heed my word—"
"Hah, so the Hunt's lackey is panicking now? You want to kill me? Then what does it matter if I offer you my life? This is nothing but a body I cobbled together on a whim."
Phantylia swung her arm fiercely, sacrificing one hand to destruction by the Lightning Lord, and shielded Lynelle against her chest—in her mind, she had to prevent Jing Yuan from simply killing Lynelle to eliminate a potential future Emanator.
After all, if their positions were reversed, Phantylia would absolutely do the same.
"Oh, I almost forgot…"
Watching as golden patterns began to glow across Lynelle's body, Phantylia smiled faintly, and a verdant light gathered once more in her palm.
"Since you're so resistant to the power of Abundance, let me fan the flames for you!"
Immediately, the power of the Ambrosial Arbor, under Phantylia's control, surged toward Lynelle's body from the other side.
"No!"
At this, even Stelle—who hadn't been too frantic since she knew Lynelle could revive—instantly changed color.
Phantylia's actions might seem contradictory to the others, but to Stelle, who knew the "inside story," her intention was completely clear.
"Stelle! Have you lost your mind!"
March, who hastily pulled Stelle back, cried out in alarm, "That's Phantylia! Even if you charge in, you can't—"
"Mr. Yang!"
Stelle, held tightly by March, urgently looked toward Welt on the other side.
"Do something, save Lynelle! Her body will automatically absorb all the energy around her to reject the Abundance power! Phantylia is trying to make her…"
"Huh…"
But, to Stelle's surprise, neither Welt nor Jing Yuan made any further moves. Instead, they were staring at the sky with looks of astonishment.
"Stelle…"
Welt halted the blue light he had begun to materialize.
"Are you sure… that Lynelle is rejecting the Abundance?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.