178: Only magic can defeat magic.

“Pfft—”

The scepter pierced through the eyeball without any resistance.

“Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!”

Current surged along the optic nerve, burning directly into and destroying the snake’s brain.

The green snake head couldn't even let out a scream, it was caught in its throat.

It flopped limply towards the sea surface.

Stirring up a ten-meter-high giant wave.

Lin Yuan used the momentum of his descent, kicking the dead snake head, and launched himself upwards.

At the same time.

The sole remaining red snake head recovered from its fear.

The death of its companion didn't make it retreat; instead, it ignited the ferocity of a trapped beast.

“Hiss—!!!”

It opened its maw wide, and the magma sac deep in its throat contracted frantically.

Rolling flames spewed towards Lin Yuan in mid-air.

“Again?”

Lin Yuan’s Thunder Wings behind him vibrated, preparing to take the hit head-on.

A clear, cold voice penetrated the rain curtain.

“Duck.”

Lin Yuan instinctively folded his wings, plummeting straight down.

“Clang—!!!”

A forty-meter long green Sword Qi swept past, grazing Lin Yuan’s scalp.

The Sword Qi was like frost, cutting through the torrential rain.

And also cutting through the surging flames.

The red snake head only felt a chill at its neck.

Its vision began to spin.

It saw the churning sea, and its own headless body still spewing fire.

“Plop.”

The enormous snake head plunged into the sea, emitting large clouds of white steam.

The battle ended.

Clean, and decisive.

Zhao Ya sheathed her sword, her figure swaying slightly.

Su Wanqing quickly supported her, channeling her ice ability into Zhao Ya's body without reservation, helping her suppress her surging Qi and blood.

“Dead?”

Su Wanqing looked at the floating three-headed snake corpse on the sea surface, somewhat disbelieving.

It’s just… over?

“What else?”

Lin Yuan flew over and landed on a reef.

“No…”

Zhao Ya’s voice was trembling.

“Since the three-headed snake is dead, those controlled islanders should have stopped…”

The smile on Lin Yuan’s face froze.

He turned around, following Zhao Ya’s gaze.

The rain was still falling.

The thunder still roared.

But in the dim rain curtain, the long human Dragon on Nine Ring Island had not stopped moving.

On the contrary… it moved faster.

Tens of thousands of islanders, like a group of pilgrims rushing to be reincarnated.

They were expressionless, their eyes hollow.

Those in front drowned in the sea, while those behind stepped on their corpses and continued forward.

“How could this be…”

Su Wanqing covered her mouth, her face pale.

“Didn’t the people of Sakura Country all die? This monster was also killed, why is the ritual still continuing?”

Lin Yuan didn’t speak.

He activated [Thunder Magnetic Induction].

In his sensory field, the sea area that had swallowed countless lives did not return to calm after the death of the three-headed snake.

On the contrary.

A more obscure energy reaction was brewing deep beneath the sea.

“Gurgle… gurgle…”

The sea surface suddenly began to bubble.

The three-headed snake corpse, which had been floating on the sea, suddenly began to dissolve.

Flesh turned into pus, and bones disintegrated into ash.

This colossal creature vanished without a trace in just a dozen seconds.

In its place was a vortex with a diameter exceeding a hundred meters.

The center of the vortex was not seawater.

But a void.

“That is…”

Zhao Ya’s pupils contracted sharply; as a B-rank Expert, she felt a tremor from the Soul level.

“world gate.”

Lin Yuan uttered two words.

He had seen such things in the confidential archives of the Dragon Shield Bureau.

A passage connecting other dimensions to the current world.

Normally, it could only be opened at extremely stable spatial nodes after prolonged rituals and sacrifices.

But now.

This gate opened right before their eyes.

“Roar—!!!”

From the depths of that vortex came the roars of countless vengeful spirits.

Those islanders who walked into the sea disintegrated instantly upon contact with the edge of the vortex.

Red blood mist was sucked into the vortex.

With the infusion of sacrifices, the world gate rapidly expanded!

A giant hand covered in long black fur clutched the edge of the world gate.

Followed by a second one.

A decaying, corrupting pressure descended upon this world through the world gate.

“Is this the Sea God Cult’s objective?”

Su Wanqing looked at the apocalyptic scene.

“Using the three-headed snake as a cover, using tens of thousands of people as sacrifices… just to release this thing?”

Despair spread.

The communication channel was dead silent.

Everyone saw the terrifying entity climbing out of the world gate.

“Hey.”

An untimely voice suddenly rang out.

Lin Yuan took a step forward, standing at the very front of the reef.

The sea breeze made his tattered clothes flap loudly.

“Captain Zhao.”

Lin Yuan looked up, watching the increasingly thick thunderclouds in the sky.

“Can you still swing your sword?”

Zhao Ya was stunned for a moment, then shook her head with a bitter smile.

“I’m already overdrawn… and besides, physical attacks are ineffective against the world gate itself.”

“Yes, physical attacks are ineffective.”

Lin Yuan nodded in agreement.

“Since physical methods won’t work…”

“Then let’s try magic.”

“What?” Zhao Ya didn’t understand what crazy talk he was spouting.

Lin Yuan turned around and grinned at the two of them.

Under the illumination of the pervasive lightning, his smile appeared particularly wild.

“Do me a favor.”

“Hide yourselves well.”

“The commotion might be a bit big later; don’t get caught in the crossfire.”

After speaking.

Before the two could react.

The reef beneath Lin Yuan’s feet exploded!

He shot straight towards the churning clouds above!

“Lin Yuan! What are you doing?!”

Zhao Ya was greatly alarmed.

“Charging.”

Lin Yuan’s voice came from high in the sky, tinged with madness.

“I’m going to give it a try, you two retreat first.”

“Don’t worry, if I can’t solve it, I’ll naturally leave. I wouldn’t joke with my own life.”

...At this moment, Lin Yuan had already rushed into the clouds.

Violent thunder elements raged here, every inch of space filled with destructive energy.

【Warning! Environmental energy overloaded!】

【Primordial Thunder God Body is operating at overload…】

The System’s red alerts frantically scrolled across his mind.

Lin Yuan felt his body was about to explode.

His skin cracked inch by inch, and fresh blood was evaporated by the high temperature as soon as it flowed out.

But he didn’t stop.

He slowly raised his right hand, pointing towards the sky.

“Lord Lei! Aid me!!!”

Boom—!!!!!!!!!!

The sky collapsed.

It truly collapsed.

Streaks of lightning, descended from the Nine Heavens.

It pierced through the clouds.

It pierced through the torrential rain.

Carrying the will to destroy everything, it converged on Lin Yuan’s right hand.

In everyone's vision, only a vast whiteness remained.