The air in the square seemed to freeze solid, not from pressure, but because the temperature had dropped so abruptly. A thin layer of cold frost began to form on the ground.
Lam Minh stood on the rooftop, narrowing his eyes. He could feel the chilling energy coming from the crescent moon behind Deacon Yue. It wasn't ordinary ice or snow, but a type of extreme yin energy, capable of freezing even spiritual power.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Deacon Yue did not move. She just gently raised a long, slender finger, as white as jade.
From the crescent moon behind her, hundreds, thousands of tiny ice shards, as sharp as blades, formed in mid-air.
"Moonlight Scatter," she whispered.
Instantly, that storm of ice shards shot towards Lam Minh. Their speed wasn't overly fast, but their trajectories were incredibly unpredictable, fluttering like a swarm of butterflies, sealing off all his escape routes.
Lam Minh dared not be careless. He knew that if he were touched by these ice shards, the cold energy would invade his body, freezing his meridians.
He drew his God-Slayer sword. Golden Core spiritual energy surged.
Ancient Dragon God Art – Dragon Fang Slash!
He didn't unleash one giant beam of sword qi, but dozens of smaller ones, spinning like drills, flying out to meet the ice storm.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
A magnificent firework display erupted in the night sky. The turquoise sword qi collided with the silver ice shards, creating countless sparks and tiny explosions.
Both attacks dissipated in mid-air. The first probe ended in a draw.
"Not bad," Deacon Yue said, her expression still emotionless. "To be able to neutralize my Moonlight Scatter, you have some skill."
"Just an appetizer," Lam Minh smiled. "Why not use some real strength?"
"As you wish."
Deacon Yue began to move. She didn't charge forward directly. She danced.
Her figure was graceful and light, like a dancer performing under the moonlight. Every step, every twirl, every wave of her hand was elegant and beautiful.
But to Lam Minh, that dance held a deadly killing intent.
Every time she waved her hand, a cold beam of moonlight would shoot out, sometimes like a blade, sometimes like a silk ribbon.
Every time she spun, countless sharp ice spikes would form around her, shooting towards him from all directions.
Lam Minh was drawn into a strange battle. He was no longer facing a warrior, but a snowstorm controlled by an artist. He had to constantly move, using his swordplay to defend and neutralize attacks coming from a slew of unexpected angles.
He felt extremely uncomfortable. This opponent didn't fight with raw power, but with skill and finesse. She was like water, soft yet capable of eroding even stone.
"Damn it! This isn't good!" he thought. He was being led by her rhythm, his spiritual energy being consumed uselessly.
He decided he had to break this dance.
He stopped dodging. He roared, and the Dragon God Battle Armor appeared, enveloping his body. He accepted a few less dangerous hits in exchange for a chance to close the distance.
THWACK! SWISH!
A beam of moonlight hit his shoulder, and an ice spike grazed his hip. The battle armor vibrated, but held firm.
At the same time, he had managed to charge right in front of Deacon Yue.
"Here I come!"
He swung the God-Slayer, a powerful slash carrying the domineering might of a dragon.
Faced with Lam Minh's direct attack, Deacon Yue showed no fear. The corners of her mouth, for the first time, curled into a cold smile.
"You've fallen into my trap."
She didn't retreat. Her body suddenly blurred, transforming into a full moon, brilliantly bright yet incredibly cold.
Lunar Body Manifestation!
Lam Minh's sword struck the full moon.
KENG!!!
A piercing sound rang out, as if striking a block of ten-thousand-year-old ice. The God-Slayer was repelled, and Lam Minh's entire arm went numb.
He was stunned. This defensive state... was terrifying!
And he realized he had made a huge mistake. He had been too hasty in approaching her.
While he was still reeling from the backlash, the full moon suddenly contracted, then exploded.
Countless threads of moonlight shot out from it, wrapping tightly around his entire body, binding him like a cocoon.
Moonlight Bind!
"Now," Deacon Yue's voice echoed from all directions, "you are mine."
Lam Minh was bound tightly, unable to move. The moonlight threads not only restrained his body but were also slowly seeping inside, attempting to seal his Golden Core and spiritual energy.
The situation had once again become extremely perilous.
...
Bound tightly by the threads of moonlight, Lam Minh felt the spiritual energy in his body freeze. These threads were like energy leeches, not only squeezing but also slowly siphoning away his strength, while simultaneously infusing a chilling cold energy in an attempt to seal his Golden Core.
The Dragon God Battle Armor on his body also began to fade under the corrosion of the Moonlight.
Deacon Yue slowly materialized again, standing before Lam Minh, looking at him with the cold eyes one would use on a trapped beast.
"It's over," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "Your Dragon race bloodline is very strong, but you are still too green. You are too easily swayed by anger."
She had no intention of killing him right away. She stepped forward, raising a finger, intending to touch Lam Minh's forehead, perhaps to completely seal his consciousness.
Hung Ba and the "Saint Children" in the distance cheered loudly at this scene.
"All hail Deacon Yue!"
"That bastard is caught!"
To them, the battle was decided. The hero of humanity had been subdued.
Deacon Yue thought so too. She had won. She wouldn't kill Lam Minh. The Holy Master wanted this perfect specimen intact. She would only seal him and bring him back to the Holy Sanctuary. Then, she would make him watch with his own eyes as the "harvest" plan was completed, watch as the most elite students were transformed, watch as humanity's hope was extinguished right before him.
She wanted him to taste the ultimate feeling of powerlessness and suffering. That would be the sweetest punishment.
As her finger was about to touch Lam Minh's forehead, she saw that the one who was bound, the one who was about to lose everything, was looking at her... and smiling.
A smile full of mockery and contempt.
"Child's play," Lam Minh whispered, his voice weak but incredibly clear. "You people... have underestimated me."
Deacon Yue was stunned. "You... what did you say?"
"I said," Lam Minh raised his head, the golden eyes of the Dragon God suddenly blazing with light, "this binding trick... is too boring. It's time to end it."
Instantly, from his dantian region, a dazzling golden light erupted. The light grew brighter and more powerful, carrying an extremely unstable and destructive energy.
The Dragon God Golden Core inside his body was spinning at a frantic speed, to the point where it was about to shatter.
When Deacon Yue sensed that energy, her expression finally changed. Her calm, cold demeanor vanished, replaced by horror and disbelief.
"You... you're insane!" she screamed, hastily retreating. "Are you going to self-destruct your Golden Core? You'll really die! Your soul will be crushed!"
She couldn't understand it. Why would someone choose such a miserable and permanent death, just to avoid capture? This was an act completely beyond her logic.
Lam Minh didn't answer. He just smiled, one last smile.
"Really die? I don't think so."
With his final thought, he detonated his Golden Core.
BOOM...!!!!
A small, golden sun exploded from Lam Minh's very body.
The self-destruction of a Golden Core expert, its power was more terrifying than any attack.
A massive pillar of light shot straight into the sky, tearing the clouds apart.
A destructive energy wave swept out, even more powerful than their previous collision.
The moonlight threads binding him were instantly incinerated into ash.
Deacon Yue, despite having retreated, was still caught by the edge of the explosion. Her Moonlight defense shattered. She was thrown like a leaf, fresh blood spraying from her mouth, her pristine white dress stained with blood and dust.
Hung Ba and the "Saint Children" further away were also blown away by the shockwave, crashing down in a heap, knocked unconscious.
When the light faded, where Lam Minh had just stood, only a deep, blackened crater remained, with nothing left.
He had erased himself from this world.
Deacon Yue crawled up from the rubble, coughing with difficulty, more blood welling up. She was severely injured.
She looked at the deep crater, her eyes still filled with shock. "Mad... a true madman..."
She had won. The enemy was dead. But she felt no sense of victory. On the contrary, she felt a sense of failure and a vague fear.
She had lost a perfect specimen and was heavily wounded.
But she didn't know that at the center of that crater, a paradox was taking place.
10...
9...
8...
Tiny specks of light began to gather again.
[Host has successfully committed suicide. As it was not an enemy kill, bonus points will be significantly reduced.]
[Received 1 Immortality Point.]
[STATE [IMMUNITY] ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 29:59]
One point.
The price of one suicide.
But in exchange, 30 minutes of being a god.
A price well worth it.