404: Chapter 44 Breaking the Moonlight!!

It fluttered and stretched slowly, as if it possessed a life of its own.

The long silk ribbon was crystal clear, looking as if it were woven from the purest moonlight.

Countless intricate and profound silver runes flowed across its surface, flickering as it danced.

Even more shocking was that this silk ribbon wasn't being driven by Xiao Wangshu's true qi; it hovered and defended autonomously!

It continuously released a moonlight barrier that appeared soft but was actually incredibly resilient!

“A spirit weapon! And it's a spirit weapon that has birthed an artifact spirit!”

Qin Yan's heart shook violently as he instantly judged the approximate rank of this silver silk ribbon.

To be able to protect its master on its own without relying on the master's true qi to maintain it—this was clearly a sign that a rudimentary intelligence, an 'artifact spirit', had been born within the weapon!

And weapons with artifact spirits were at least at the 'thousand-pattern spirit weapon' level!

The sheer wealth of her resources and the depth of her background refreshed Qin Yan's understanding once again.

“Damn!”

Qin Yan couldn't help but curse internally, feeling both the relief of surviving a disaster and a hint of envy. “If only the artifact spirit of my ‘blood condensation life creation cauldron’ were still here...”

That was a genuine supreme grade spirit weapon. If the artifact spirit still existed, even in a damaged state, releasing it would likely make suppressing a newly ascended Eighth-Rank Black Whale no difficult task.

Unfortunately, the cauldron spirit had long since been annihilated.

“Wangshu, impressive! You're the one to count on at the critical moment!”

Qin Yan suppressed the stray thoughts in his mind, turned to Xiao Wangshu beside him with a grin, and praised her sincerely.

Xiao Wangshu maintained her cold expression, but upon hearing Qin Yan's praise, the corner of her lips twitched upward in an almost imperceptible, fleeting curve.

She glanced at Qin Yan, her voice remaining flat but carrying a hint of gravity: “Don't celebrate too early. My ‘Moonlight Heavenly Ribbon’ was damaged in the past, and its artifact spirit is incomplete. The power it can exert now is less than its peak, and it won't last long.

We must find a way to escape as quickly as possible.”

As if to confirm her words, Black Whale's attacks outside the silk ribbon did not stop.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Successive terrifying impacts echoed from outside the moonlight barrier.

Black Whale clearly hadn't expected this suddenly appearing spirit weapon to have such defensive power.

The giant water palms repeatedly slapped and squeezed; every collision triggered violent tremors and ripples in the barrier, erupting in deafening roars.

The silver radiance on the barrier dimmed at a visible rate, and its coverage began to shrink slightly inward.

Black Whale's giant eyes stared fixedly at the dancing ‘Moonlight Heavenly Ribbon’. In his originally cold eyes, an irrepressible heat and ecstasy now burst forth!

“This is... the aura of a ten thousand-patterned spiritual weapon!”

Black Whale's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

“If I can obtain this ten thousand-patterned spiritual weapon, even if it's damaged... my combat power will surely skyrocket!

I might even surpass the other two in the clan in one fell swoop!”

Black Whale's breathing involuntarily became heavy.

At the same time, this made him even more certain that Xiao Wangshu's value far exceeded his estimates.

To carry a damaged ten thousand-patterned spiritual weapon for protection, her status in the eyes of Xiao Shan and even the entire Human Race's upper echelon was likely a hundred times more important than he had imagined!

Capturing her would not only be the most ruthless revenge against Xiao Shan but could also deal an incalculable blow to the Human Race.

It would seize unimaginable benefits for the Dragon Whale Clan!

“I can't delay any longer! I must settle this quickly and take them down before the Human Race's reinforcements arrive!”

A fierce light gleamed in Black Whale's eyes as his resolve was set.

“Roar—!”

A world-shaking roar of a Dragon Whale erupted!

The dark light around Black Whale's body flashed violently again!

In the blink of an eye, the black-robed figure was gone, replaced by that awe-inspiring, hundred-meter-long black Dragon Whale true form!

In his true form, his aura was even more violent and primitive, and his water-controlling abilities were exerted to their limit.

The water tornadoes originally surrounding him instantly thickened several times over, like roaring dragons of water!

Without the slightest hesitation, Black Whale's mountain-like body, carrying a terrifying momentum that could crush everything, slammed hard into the faltering moonlight barrier!

“Bang! Bang! Bang— Crack!”

Under the continuous impact of Black Whale's true form, the barrier released by the Moonlight Heavenly Ribbon let out an overburdened groan.

In just a few breaths, the outer layer of moonlight dissipated and dimmed like a candle in the wind, looking as if it would completely shatter at any moment!

Xiao Wangshu's brow furrowed tightly, and for the first time, a clear look of worry appeared on her exquisite face.

The Moonlight Heavenly Ribbon was connected to her mind, and she could clearly feel the fatigue emanating from the artifact spirit.

At this rate, it would hold for three breaths at most before the barrier shattered!

However, at this most critical moment, a voice transmission suddenly sounded in Xiao Wangshu's ear.

The message was only a few sentences long, but it caused Xiao Wangshu's furrowed brow to instantly relax, and the worry in her eyes vanished.

Qin Yan, who was focused intently on the violent attacks outside the barrier, did not immediately notice.

“Wangshu, how much longer can your ‘Moonlight Heavenly Ribbon’ hold?”

Qin Yan said in a heavy voice, looking at the increasingly dense cracks on the barrier.

Xiao Wangshu didn't answer directly. Instead, she slowly raised the longsword in her hand, the tip pointing toward the primordial beast-like black Dragon Whale outside the barrier.

Her gaze became incredibly 'determined' and 'resolute', her aura surged abruptly, and a tragic, heroic air rose spontaneously.

“Qin Yan, it seems we have no other choice now.”

“We are surrounded by powerful enemies, our defense is about to break, and reinforcements have not arrived. At this moment, there is only one path—to find life in the face of certain death!

We must risk everything and fight a desperate battle against this Sea Race Great Grandmaster!

Even if we die and our paths end, we must never let the enemy look down on the bloody courage and backbone of human warriors!”

She simply wanted to see Qin Yan's panicked expression; after all, he had beaten her until she spat blood during the day!

Qin Yan: “...?”

He was stunned for a moment, looking at Xiao Wangshu in some bewilderment.

This ice block was usually cold, aloof, and sparing with her words.

How did she become so 'righteous' at the brink of life and death?

She looked like she was about to drag him into a life-and-death struggle against an Eighth-Rank Grandmaster?

However, the situation gave him no time for deep thought.

“Crack—!!!”

The outer moonlight barrier, which was already faltering and dimming like a candle in the wind,

Finally let out an overburdened, crisp sound of shattering!

The last trace of moonlight enveloping them suddenly collapsed and scattered.

The “Moonlight Ribbon” guarding them above let out a wail, its radiance completely vanishing as it drifted softly back into Xiao Wangshu's hand.

The ancient runes on the ribbon's body dimmed completely.

The moment the barrier shattered, that suffocating Eighth-Rank pressure and deep-sea chill rushed in without obstruction, surging like a burst dam!

Black Whale's giant mouth opened, intending to swallow the two Human Prodigies, who were as tiny as ants, into his belly in one gulp!

Life and death hung by a hair's breadth!

(The New Year is coming soon, and all I can think about is slacking off~)