Lord Zephyr dragged the shackled Fang Yuan toward the Lotus-ship, his golden aura scorching the ground with every step. With his other hand, he pulled Lin Xiao by a leash of pure energy, treating her like a prized animal he had just captured in the wild.
"The tribute is ready," Zephyr declared, his voice booming over the terrified villagers. "But this world has grown too thin, too weak. It is time to condense the essence."
He tapped the Cloud Anchor with his staff. Suddenly, the pillar emitted a deafening, high-frequency scream. The green mist that had protected the village for centuries began to reverse its flow, being sucked into the Anchor at a terrifying speed.
The villagers screamed as their life-force was forcibly ripped from their bodies. Their skin turned to gray ash, their souls being refined into a single, glowing emerald orb—the true Life-Seed of the planet.
"Stop it! You're killing them!" Lin Xiao shrieked, her eyes streaming with tears as she watched her father and friends wither away into nothingness.
Zephyr ignored her, catching the glowing orb in his hand. "They are fulfilling their purpose, little lotus. They die so that I may ascend."
He threw Fang Yuan into the dark, cold hold of the ship and pulled Lin Xiao toward his private quarters. As the lotus-ship's engines ignited, a massive shockwave leveled the village, leaving nothing behind but a barren, lifeless rock.
Inside the ship's hold, pinned against the hull by gravity shackles, Fang Yuan felt the ship leave the atmosphere. A trickle of blood ran down his chin, but his eyes were fixed on the ceiling.
[System Status: Planetary Essence harvested by the enemy. Lotus-Ship energy levels: 400%. Target 'Lord Zephyr' is now distracted by the 'Saintess'.]
"Enjoy your prize, Zephyr," Fang Yuan whispered, his voice cracking with a dark, insane mirth. "The more you consume from this world, the more of my 'Void-Rot' you take into your veins. The harvest has just begun.