287: 'Dimension' is corrupt

Feng Xi silently produced a recording jade slip and snapped away at the battlefield with a series of crackling sounds.

She muttered to herself, "This tactic needs to be recorded in the Grass Spirit Dog 'Pest Control Manual.' Let's call it the 'Release the Hounds' strategy."

Just as the Zerg were about to be completely wiped out:

"Buzz..."

An extremely subtle spatial ripple emerged without warning in the center of the battlefield.

Wherever the ripple passed, the Iron-Haired Dogs that were frantically gnawing all froze in unison, a look of confusion surfacing in their canine eyes.

The next second!

"Poof! Poof! Poof!"

All the Iron-Haired Dogs currently "feeding" collectively bristled. This wasn't an exaggeration; it was a literal, physical bristling of fur.

Their charred dog hair stood on end like they'd been hit by intense static electricity. The insect carapaces held in their mouths fell to the ground with a series of clatters.

Big Dog: "???"

Little Black: "Woof~"

The smile on Chen Yu's face froze. "What's going on? Is that old schemer Zhu Yan using lightning arts to interfere?"

Before she could recover, the spatial fluctuations suddenly intensified.

"Crack."

Beside the largest ground fissure blocked by Little Black and Er Ha, the obsidian suddenly shattered.

It wasn't chewed by dogs; the space itself was twisting and tearing. A spatial vortex exuding an ominous suction appeared out of thin air above the crack.

Specks of crimson light flickered faintly in the center of the vortex, resembling countless eyes filled with malice.

"Woo..."

A chilling coldness emanating from the depths of the soul swept across the field. Even the fearless pack of Iron-Haired Dogs tucked their tails and let out uneasy whimpers.

"A spatial trap?"

Chen Yu's hair stood on end. This method was far more sophisticated than releasing insects. "Sister Feng Xi, take them and retreat."

"Alright, be careful."

The White-Haired Loli shouted as she quickly pulled out several formation plates engraved with defensive spirit runes, tossing them toward the vortex without even looking.

As soon as the formation plates touched the edge of the vortex, they were instantly ground into dust by the violent spatial turbulence.

"This strong?"

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat as she watched the vortex's suction skyrocket. Nearby gravel and small insect corpses were already being sucked in, vanishing instantly.

"A-Yu, watch your back!" Feng Xi shouted urgently, dragging the stiffened Big Dog.

Chen Yu turned her head in a hurry, only to see the space at the edge of the vortex twisting like the tentacles of a living octopus, lashing out at her like lightning.

It was too fast to react!

"Crap, am I going to lose my life here?" Just as the thought flashed by—

"Shink—"

A transparent sword qi tore through the void, precisely severing those twisted spatial tentacles.

"Sizzle!"

Amidst the ear-piercing sound of tearing, the spatial tentacles snapped, and chaotic divine power dissipated from the severed ends.

Following that, a cold female voice tinged with a hint of disdain rang out: "Tsk, that old turtle Zhu Yan is always resorting to these petty, unpresentable tricks."

Meng Jiang's figure slowly solidified amidst the ripples, her green robes and wide sleeves untainted by even a speck of dust. A faint glow of the sword qi that severed space still clung to her fingertips.

Without even glancing at the still-expanding vortex, she flicked her finger. A small, pitch-black 'seal' spun out and smashed into the center of the vortex.

"Suppress!"

With Sister Meng's light command, this unremarkable 'seal' expanded rapidly against the wind.

In an instant, it transformed into a towering monumental stele, firmly suppressing the upper right of the spatial vortex.

Runes on the surface of the giant stele suddenly brightened, and waves of suppressive force surged out from the body of the monument.

It suppressed the continuously expanding vortex, and the originally violent turbulence gradually calmed down.

"What kind of treasure is this?" Chen Yu's eyes widened in amazement.

Meng Jiang gave a light snort. "This is the Demon-Suppressing Seal I obtained by chance. It's somewhat useful for dealing with these spatial traps."

As she spoke, the crimson light within the spatial vortex struggled even more violently, as if unwilling to be suppressed.

A crimson ray shot out from the vortex, heading straight for Meng Jiang.

Her expression remained unchanged. With a flash of sword light from her hand, she completely shattered the ray.

"Zhu Yan, if you have the ability, come out and fight in person," Sister Meng said coldly.

The dog pack stopped bristling, their tucked tails loosening. They wagged their tails frantically toward the 'Demon-Suppressing Seal,' their eyes filled with the worship of 'Lady Meng is awesome!'

Chen Yu wiped away cold sweat and leaned toward Meng Jiang, still lingering with fear. "Sister Meng, you came at the perfect time. I totally worship you!"

Meng Jiang took back the Demon-Suppressing Seal and gave Chen Yu a sidelong glance. "I told you to scout the path, not to poke out all of Zhu Yan's insect nests and spatial traps."

"Making such a big commotion, are you afraid he won't know we're here?"

Chen Yu grinned, showing not the slightest intention of self-reflection.

"Wasn't I just creating an opportunity for Her Majesty and you to take action! See, the old turtle showed his hand as soon as he got anxious. He's even using spatial traps, which means he's panicking!"

"A belly full of twisted logic."

Meng Jiang didn't bother arguing with her. Her gaze swept over the Zerg battlefield, which had been gnawed into a mess by the Iron-Haired Dogs, and then at Feng Xi in the distance, who was quite shaken by the spatial trap.

"Clean up the battlefield and prepare to move. This place is no longer safe to stay."

Before her voice faded, the void beside her twisted again.

Shang Wan Ning's figure stepped out, her black phoenix robe remaining motionless in the chaotic demonic wind.

She first glanced at the suppressed spatial trap pit, her brow furrowing slightly, and then her divine sense landed on Chen Yu.

"At least you're not missing any arms or legs."

Chen Yu immediately straightened her back and said cutely, "Reporting to Your Majesty, your servant is perfectly intact and has even exceeded the mission goals."

"I've flushed out a defensive measure from Zhu Yan's old nest for you," she said, pointing at the deep pit, putting a positive spin on things.

Shang Wan Ning didn't want to deal with her right now. She walked to the edge of the pit, crouched down, and picked up a pinch of black soil that still held residual spatial fluctuations with two fingers.

The black soil turned to ash in her fingertips, and a subtle, dark-golden divine power was captured by her.

"Zhu Yan's aura... and..." Her eyes suddenly turned cold, and she said in disbelief,

"'Plane' contamination?"

Hearing this, Meng Jiang also walked over. Sensing this lingering energy, her face darkened.

"Plane Contamination? He actually dares to touch this stuff? Isn't he afraid of being assimilated into a mindless monster?"

"Heh, truly a bold 'Demon' with high skills."

Shang Wan Ning stood up and patted the dust off her hands, the chill in her eyes deepening by a few more degrees.

"No wonder he hid in the eastern part of the Demon territory and built a Floating Island. It's likely not just for hiding, but to isolate himself from the erosion of Plane Contamination, or perhaps to utilize it."

She looked toward Sister Meng and Chen Yu. "The plan needs to be moved forward."

"We can't stay here for long. Zhu Yan has been alerted and might be driven to desperate measures. Assemble the entire army immediately and strike directly at the core coordinates of the Floating Island."

"Understood!" Chen Yu's spirits lifted; it was finally time to fight the BOSS.

Feng Xi hurriedly summoned her clansmen to salvage the precious insect carapace materials that hadn't been gnawed away by the Iron-Haired Dogs.

[Every penny counts! You don't know the cost of living until you're the one in charge!!!]

Shang Wan Ning raised her hand, and a purple talisman shattered in her palm. "Secretary-General, move up the net-tightening operation. Target: the core area of the Floating Island."

Netherworld, Jiaotai Palace.

Ling Qi, who was currently deducing the battle situation on a sand table, saw a purple talisman shatter silently in front of her.