The day of the enthronement drew closer day by day.
*Bang — *
*Bang — *
During this time, Elia never gave up on her attempts to break the palace seal and find an opportunity to leave.
However, no matter how hard she tried, the palace’s formation and invisible barrier remained completely unmoved.
‘There must be… another way!’
Elia threw another punch at the invisible barrier.
The reflected force instantly caused the skin between her thumb and forefinger to split, and blood flowed freely. Her hands were already covered in scars from the continuous attacks she had launched against the seal over the last few days.
“Don’t waste your effort.” Eventually, even the Shadow Moon Hall Sequence member guarding her couldn’t bear to watch any longer and tried to persuade her to give up. “The formation was personally arranged by the Elders. Even someone in the Earth Vein Realm would find it difficult to shake this formation in the slightest.”
The Sequence member never imagined that Elia would exhibit such an extreme side.
Her fingers were cracked and blood was splattering, yet she continued to strike the barrier time and time again.
She looked exactly like… a madman.
What was supporting her, making her want to get out so badly?
Hatred?
Or was it…
A specific person?
***
On this day, within the death row prison, the array for the Dark Baptism was finally prepared.
This time, the Dark Baptism was personally presided over by the Hall Master of Shadow Moon Hall.
“Xue Yue, even now, are you still unwilling to plead guilty?” an Elder asked, looking coldly at Lu Mo, who was chained in the center of the ceremony.
Lu Mo was covered in blood, and her life force seemed withered to the extreme.
Even so, she remained silent.
“Then, let us begin,” the Hall Master said, a flicker of regret passing through his eyes.
In the next moment, the formation circuits slowly lit up. Endless darkness surged upward from the array, gradually enveloping Lu Mo’s figure.
‘The Dark Baptism, huh…’
Feeling that dense dark power, along with the cold and chaotic aura hitting her face, Lu Mo murmured in her heart.
The Dark Baptism would erase a person’s memory and generate a new personality that was absolutely obedient to Shadow Moon Hall.
‘Can I maintain my sense of self?’
‘Will the Dark Baptism… affect me in the real world as well?’
Lu Mo could feel the darkness seeping into her body, repairing her physical form and restoring her strength.
Soon, the moment she was most nervous about arrived —
Within the tide of darkness, complex brands were moving toward her soul and will. Once the branding was complete, her memories and personality would be wiped clean. She would become a complete slave to Shadow Moon Hall.
Lu Mo prepared herself to fight to the end.
‘Huh?’
In the next instant, when those brands touched her soul and will…
Every single brand shattered simultaneously!
‘What happened?’
She hadn’t even done anything yet. Why did the Dark Baptism collapse?
Lu Mo was dazed.
‘Is it because I don’t strictly belong to this Simulated Reincarnation, so the Dark Baptism is ineffective against me?’
As the brands collapsed, a corner of the Dark Baptism Great Array on the outside actually cracked. The entire mass of darkness immediately showed signs of extreme instability.
Then, it exploded completely!
“What — ” Even the Hall Master of Shadow Moon Hall found it hard to believe.
He had presided over several Dark Baptisms, but a situation like this… was simply unheard of!
Was there a problem with the materials?
Were the circuits drawn incorrectly?
At this moment, the expressions of several Elders shifted between shock and uncertainty.
The Dark Baptism had failed.
And a person could only undergo the Dark Baptism once in their life.
As the darkness dissipated, Lu Mo stood in the center and let out a cold laugh. “It seems the Dark Baptism is useless — “
In truth, she had recovered quite a bit of strength during the process. This power was enough for her to break out of the death row prison.
However, she feigned weakness, intending to deceive the people in front of her.
Ultimately, she was thrown back into the death row prison once more.
Over the next few days, the Sequence members guarding the prison were all discussing the upcoming day of the enthronement.
“In a few days, it will be the grand enthronement ceremony.”
“Who is the new emperor? The First Prince, Faxon?”
“No, Faxon already tried to knock on the Ancestral Gate five years ago and failed. Trying again would inevitably raise suspicions. He’s preparing to let his eldest son, Fuersi, take the throne while he becomes the retired emperor.”
“Who would have thought that the purest Frostspeak Bloodline would have escaped that day?”
“Yeah. And this time, to ensure no more mistakes occur, they plan to sacrifice Elia at the Ancestral Gate after the enthronement ceremony begins.”
The Sequence members continued their conversation.
Lu Mo felt a slight sense of relief.
It seemed she didn’t have to worry about Elia being killed for the next few days. Elia would be sacrificed at the Ancestral Gate. At that time, Fuersi would seize Elia’s Frostwhisper Blood to undergo awakening and become the new emperor.
‘But what if… it goes the other way?’
‘What if I can kill Fuersi there and help Elia complete her final awakening?’
Elia would become the new emperor right before the eyes of every major power in this great domain.
It was undoubtedly a crazy idea.
However, she wanted to take the gamble.
Right at that moment, the door to the death row prison was opened again.
“Elder!”
Upon seeing the newcomer, the guards immediately became respectful.
“Bring her out,” the Elder said coldly.
“Yes!”
This time, Lu Mo was brought before the Elder of the Punishment Hall.
Before she could even speak, the woman pressed a brand onto Lu Mo’s body. A strange black texture began to spread across Lu Mo.
“!” Lu Mo’s expression changed.
“Xue Yue, how do you feel about my Stripping Technique?” the woman asked, looking at Lu Mo with a playful expression.
“The Dark Baptism failed, but we can’t let your aptitude go to waste — “
“So, the Hall Master found me and asked me to use the Stripping Technique to peel away all of your talent and power so they can be transferred to other Sequence members. Although the success rate of doing this is lower than the Dark Baptism, there was no other choice.”
The woman spoke the most horrifying words in the gentlest voice. “The thing just branded onto you is a realm-stripping array. At first, you might not feel anything, but as the formation continues to spread through your body, it will gradually become painful. Eventually, when you can no longer hold on, your cultivation realm will be forcibly torn away to become cultivation resources for others.”
The woman wanted to see panic or cowardice in Lu Mo’s eyes.
But in the next second, Lu Mo suddenly let out a cold laugh, causing the woman’s heart to shudder.
‘What’s wrong with this girl?’
‘How can she still laugh in a situation like this?’
“Is it just a mere realm stripping?” Lu Mo spoke at this moment. “Since you’re looking for excitement, why not go all the way? Talent, soul, and will… use every stripping technique you have.”
Lu Mo’s gaze was serious.
“Xue Yue, you — ” The woman was stunned.
She looked at Lu Mo as if she were looking at a pervert.
“Fine, then it shall be as you wish,” the woman said coldly a short while later.
She wanted to see just how long Xue Yue could maintain that calm appearance!
Lu Mo knew that Shadow Moon Hall would not let her off easily. Since things had already come to this, she might as well turn all of her remaining strength into the fuel for Elia’s awakening.
Whether Elia had a future, and whether she could complete her mission…
Everything depended on the day of the enthronement!