Deep within the underground palace, the ancient vaulted ceiling groaned under the strain of the chaotic battle. Cracks spread like spiderwebs, and fine stone dust drifted down like black snow. At the entrance, the light flickered between the black flames of the Evil Specters and the golden radiance of Shen Mingyue’s barrier. The shifting red and green lights cast grotesque, terrifying shadows across everyone's faces. The Crown Prince’s black sword tore through the air, whipping up a gale of debris that surged toward Shen Mingyue, the stone fragments shimmering with an eerie, cursed blue light. Gu Jinghong parried, his Xiuchun Saber clashing against the black sword. The sparks that showered onto the cracked floor instantly corroded the stone, leaving behind a dense cluster of pockmarks, while a nauseating stench of acrid smoke and sulfur filled the air. Shen Mingyue felt the Jade Pendant vibrating violently against her chest; the power within it surged through her meridians like an erupting volcano, each pulse bringing a tearing agony, as if countless sharp blades were shredding her from within.
"All of you, attack! Kill them!" The Crown Prince shrieked with manic laughter that echoed through the cavernous space like a funeral bell from hell. The Evil Specters behind him swarmed forward like a tide, the black flames upon them growing ever more intense. Where they passed, the air warped and twisted into black vortices. The flames crackled, accompanied by the piercing shrieks o…
Chapter 42