Nie Xu Gong was bleeding.
In front of a human girl whose strength was only at the Earth Vein realm!
And it wasn’t just him.
The black rectangular prism he was shielding in his arms was also affected by the sixfold Fusion Sublimation Power at this moment.
A few more cracks appeared on its surface.
In that instant, that terrifying and ominous aura began to leak out more and more.
Sensing that aura, Lu Mo was also inwardly shocked.
And the next second, terrifying Heavenly Dominion power erupted once more between the two.
Lu Mo flew backward.
Upon landing again, she raised her head and looked once more at Nie Xu Gong not far away.
Blood was slowly trickling down his cheek.
He held the black prism even tighter with one hand, while his other hand gripped the gray mist scythe.
Complex patterns lit up on the scythe, extending into the surrounding mist.
He looked at Lu Mo, his composure gone.
His blood-red eyes held anger, and an extreme killing intent.
“You… what exactly are you? Possessing both human power and demon power…”
Lu Mo returned his gaze with an equally icy stare, offering no answer.
Nie Xu Gong spoke again. “I will know the answer. You will tell me yourself, and then… pay the price for your blasphemy and arrogance. Unwilling to speak?”
“Rumble—”
For a moment, the entire demon realm mist surrounding them trembled.
Nie Xu Gong’s Heavenly Dominion phenomenon fully manifested at this moment.
The mist rapidly merged into one, as if some terrifying entity was gradually awakening, intertwining with the demon realm mist itself.
At this moment, not only Lu Mo felt it underfoot, but even Cecilia and the others far on the other side sensed it.
“What’s happening?”
“The demon realm mist is shaking? Has another anomaly occurred?”
They only felt a sinister, terrifying aura mixed into the wind blowing towards them.
That aura…
It reminded them of when they faced a Demon Duke!
“The tremors and the aura are coming from the direction Miss Lu Mo went.”
Cecilia stopped, looking towards Lu Mo’s direction.
Her already worried face tightened further, turning pale.
Could something have happened to Miss Lu Mo?
“Cecilia! What are you doing!”
Solaris’s voice rang out. “Focus on the fight. The enemies on our side aren’t easy to deal with either!”
While they didn’t have a Duke here, the number of demon nobles was high, and these newly emerged nobles from the Demon Emperor’s Eye were more difficult to handle than the previous ones.
“Yes… I understand.” Cecilia nodded, throwing herself back into the battle.
“This aura… it’s Lord Nie Xu Gong’s, right?”
“Encountered a powerful human?”
“To actually force Lord Nie Xu Gong to manifest his phenomenon…”
In the mist, Cecilia faintly heard demons speaking.
A Duke-level demon?
Miss Lu Mo… is fighting a Duke?
Cecilia’s expression grew increasingly unnatural.
She only felt the unease in her heart growing stronger and stronger.
‘Miss Lu Mo, please be safe…’
She pressed a hand to her heart, whispering softly.
***
The scene returned to the space between Lu Mo and Nie Xu Gong.
Mist enveloped everything.
Their battle continued.
Lu Mo’s figure constantly shifted within the mist, dodging the various sudden anomalies that appeared.
Nie Xu Gong’s Heavenly Dominion phenomenon was the Annihilating Void Mist.
The Annihilating Void Mist perfectly overlapped with the demon realm mist at this moment.
It seemed omnipresent.
At times, it was like a scythe blade slicing out unexpectedly; at others, it transformed into a cage trying to trap her; and then it would morph into a giant beast lunging to devour her.
No warning, no rhythm.
In such a situation, even an existence at the Deputy City Lord level would quickly fall into a disadvantage and eventually be consumed by the mist.
Yet Lu Mo had persisted until now.
Her perception and judgment far surpassed that of a Deputy City Lord.
The moment the mist twisted, she had already moved, avoiding the erupting Heavenly Dominion power.
The mist around her twisted again, a mist beast thrusting its head out, opening an abyssal maw towards her.
And at this moment, a flicker of darkness passed through Lu Mo’s eyes.
Sixfold Fusion Sublimation Power transformed into withered branches, instantly tearing through space.
The next instant, they pierced through the beast’s head, impaling it!
The mist beast instantly exploded.
Lu Mo used the Earth Vein withered branches to shield herself, blocking the majority of the explosion’s force.
“Her Earth Vein power…”
The existence of the Earth Vein withered branches also surprised Nie Xu Gong.
Logically, his Heavenly Dominion phenomenon should suppress the vast majority of Earth Vein power.
Even a Legendary-level existence would be slowly worn down within the Annihilating Void Mist.
Yet Lu Mo’s Earth Vein withered branches showed no sign of weakening.
First, simultaneously displaying human and demon power.
Now, her Earth Vein power was completely unaffected by suppression.
‘Strange… too strange.’
Just as Nie Xu Gong was pondering, Lu Mo suddenly turned.
Gray-black power instantly condensed.
Numerous Earth Vein withered branches converged upon the sword in her hand.
No spell formula, no combat technique circuits.
She simply swung the sword down!
This sword strike surpassed all complex combat techniques!
The girl’s speed was extreme, so fast that Nie Xu Gong had no time to dodge.
The gray-black sword pierced into Nie Xu Gong’s chest the next instant!
However, there was no sound of tearing flesh.
No blood splattered.
As if… it had merely passed through a clump of mist.
Nie Xu Gong’s figure turned at this moment, his scythe slashing fiercely towards Lu Mo.
The illusory, instantly becoming substantial!
Lu Mo sharply turned, using her sword to block.
Gray-black sword light and gray mist scythe collided violently.
The terrifying energy caused the space itself to collapse on the spot!
Lu Mo was sent flying back, creating distance once more.
Her expression remained calm and resolute.
But blood was already flowing from her hand, dripping to the ground.
Continuous fighting had left her battered and bruised, though not critically injured.
“Mistification… The Annihilating Void Mist allows your body to turn into mist?”
“Very perceptive.” Nie Xu Gong responded indifferently. “This is the gap between Earth Vein and Heavenly Dominion.”
“I will not give you another chance.”
“Your current struggle is meaningless.”
Lu Mo remained silent.
She knew very well her chances of victory were almost zero.
But she had to keep attacking.
Only by disrupting his control over the mist would she have a chance to tear through space and escape.
She tightened her grip on the sword, preparing to attack again.
Nie Xu Gong watched her coldly, as if watching an ant repeating its path.
“Futile.”
Lu Mo, however, whispered softly, “What if… it’s not?”
Gray-black withered branches tore through space again, converging on her sword.
Her will and soul also merged into the sword at this moment.
Transforming into—Sword Intent!
The entire mist seemed to tremble and retreat at this moment.
Sword Intent took form!
Nie Xu Gong’s expression changed drastically.
“This is…?”
That Sword Intent made even him feel a shock.
He had never seen such power before.
The next moment, Lu Mo swung her sword down!
That sword strike seemed to pierce through space.
Tearing through everything!
The sword light arrived before Nie Xu Gong in an instant.
Even in his mistified state, he was forcibly torn apart!
The boundary between illusion and reality was severed by this single sword!
Nie Xu Gong’s pupils contracted sharply. He hurriedly used his scythe to block.
BOOM—!
The two forces collided wildly.
For the first time, he felt pressure.
‘Damn it… Is this really the power of the Earth Vein realm?’
In the end, he barely managed to block this sword strike.
Cold sweat had seeped from his temples.
He looked at Lu Mo.
And at this moment, her right arm trembled, blood almost dyeing the sword’s body crimson.
Her face was pale.
The sword’s body was also covered in cracks.
That one strike had taken a massive toll on her.
Even bringing backlash.
But she whispered, “It worked.”
The Annihilating Void Mist’s blockade had already shown a flaw.
But it wasn’t enough.
She had to keep attacking.
“Then… once more!”
Killing intent flashed in Lu Mo’s eyes.
This time, she chose close combat!
Her figure vanished instantly.
The next moment, she appeared before Nie Xu Gong!
Sword and scythe collided once more!
Heaven and earth shook!
And at that moment—
Crack!
A shattering sound rang out.
The sound came from the sword in Lu Mo’s hand.
This sword was, after all, only an ordinary Epic-grade.
It could not bear the release of a second Sword Intent.
Cracks rapidly spread.
Finally—
It exploded with a roar!
The sword shattered!
The balance was instantly broken!
Nie Xu Gong’s scythe, carrying terrifying power, slashed heavily into Lu Mo!
She was blasted away, crashing heavily against the spatial wall.
She fell, kneeling on one knee.
Covered in blood.
A horrific wound tore open from her shoulder down to her abdomen.
Blood continuously gushed out.
“Ugh…”
She gritted her teeth, pressing on the wound.
She hadn’t expected her sword to break in the end.
When… she was so close…
Her body temperature rapidly dropped.
Her vision began to blur.
Nie Xu Gong walked over slowly, raising his scythe high.
“It’s over.”
He stated plainly.
Declaring the end of the battle.
And the end of her fate.
Was the second Simulated Reincarnation ending like this?
Lu Mo forced her consciousness to hold on.
She knew all this was just an illusion.
But she still couldn’t let go of Cecilia.
And she still wanted to ask Solaris about things.
At that moment—
An intense sense of distortion came from beside her.
As if calling to her.
She turned her head to look.
The black rectangular prism had, at some point, fallen beside her.
It was already covered in cracks.
Terrifying, chaotic, ominous aura spilled out wildly.
And she finally saw what was sealed within—
It was a jet-black sword.
Lying quietly inside.
Cold, lifeless.
As if… it could devour everything.
That sense of distortion reached out to her again.
As if inviting her.
But that invitation carried a fatal danger.
As if once accepted—
There would be no turning back.
Her expression remained cold and resolute, showing not a hint of wavering.
But at this time, blood flowed from her hand, dripping down the sword hilt to the ground.
After a series of battles, she hadn’t suffered any critically heavy injuries, but numerous wounds covered her body.
Blood had already stained her dress crimson.
“Mistification… Can the Annihilating Void Mist also instantly turn your body into mist, making you immune to attack?”
Lu Mo looked at Nie Xu Gong and spoke.
“Very perceptive.” Nie Xu Gong did not deny it. “Yes. Human, your perception… is indeed exceptional.”
Feeling the wound on his face, he continued, “This is the gap between Earth Vein and Heavenly Dominion.”
“I will not give you any more chances.”
“Everything you do now is a meaningless struggle.”
A struggle?
Lu Mo looked at Nie Xu Gong.
At this moment, Nie Xu Gong’s body was also surrounded by a faint layer of mist, making it impossible to tell if he was illusion or substance.
She knew, of course, that her probability of defeating Nie Xu Gong now was infinitely close to zero.
But she had to attack him.
She needed to disrupt his control over the mist.
Only then would this sealed mist space be thrown into disarray, giving her a chance to tear through space and escape.
Nie Xu Gong’s expression remained unchanged as he looked at the girl, still as if watching an ant repeating its path.
Her attack was destined to be futile.
Lu Mo tightened her grip on the sword, preparing to launch another offensive.
“What if… it’s like this?”
Gray-black withered branches tore through space, converging towards the sword in her hand.
Her will, her soul, extended towards the sword at this moment.
And then… transformed into a Sword Intent.
“—!”
In this instant, the gray-black Earth Vein power on the sword trembled.
Not just the Earth Vein power, even the mist around her began to tremble uncontrollably, a portion of it sliced away by the sword light.
As if the entire mist was avoiding her will!
“This is?”
Nie Xu Gong, sensing that Sword Intent, changed expression once more.
Even he felt a sense of alarm at this moment.
‘What is the girl doing?’
‘What exactly is that Sword Intent?!’
He had never seen such sword technique, never felt such a path before!
And at that moment, the Sword Intent finally fully merged with the Fusion Sublimation Power.
Lu Mo raised her blood-stained hand and slashed fiercely towards Nie Xu Gong!
“BOOM—!”
That sword strike seemed to pierce through space.
Tearing through everything.
In an instant, it arrived before Nie Xu Gong.
Nie Xu Gong was clearly still in his mistified state.
Yet the moment the sword light contacted the Annihilating Void Mist, it tore through even that mistified state!
This sword, in this instant, severed the boundary between illusion and reality!
Nie Xu Gong’s pupils contracted sharply.
As the sword light was about to tear into his chest, he immediately blocked with his scythe, Heavenly Dominion power and Annihilating Void Mist erupting simultaneously.
The moment sword light and scythe collided, he felt an unprecedented sharpness and pressure.
‘Damn it!’
‘Is this really power that should belong to the Earth Vein realm?!’
His expression changed, his body almost losing balance.
The dispersed Sword Intent struck the black prism, causing more and more cracks to appear on its surface.
Nie Xu Gong made a decision at this moment.
He threw aside the black prism, finally preparing to fight Lu Mo with both hands at full strength!
He gripped the scythe with both hands, power fully unleashed, pressing forward fiercely.
Two wills, two forces, intertwined wildly at this moment.
Reality and illusion, black and gray surged alternately, throwing the surrounding demons into confusion.
In the end—
Nie Xu Gong still blocked this sword strike.
Cold sweat seeped from his temples.
This will, this path of swordsmanship…
Was his opponent truly only at the Earth Vein realm?
He asked himself this question again in his heart.
After being a Duke for so many years, this was the first time he had been so disheveled, so forced to go all out against an Earth Vein realm opponent.
He looked at the girl again.
He saw Lu Mo’s right arm trembling slightly, more wounds splitting open at this moment.
Blood almost dyed her sword crimson.
Her face grew even paler.
A feeling called “weakness” appeared on her for the first time.
Her sword also showed numerous cracks.
That previous sword strike had taken an immense toll on her.
It was an incomplete sword technique, forcibly executed now, bringing backlash.
Lu Mo forcibly suppressed the feeling of weakness in her body.
“But…”
That sword strike had been effective!
Because of that attack, Nie Xu Gong had been forced to fully mobilize the Annihilating Void Mist, significantly weakening the spatial blockade around them.
But it wasn’t enough.
She had to keep attacking, create a bigger opening!
“Then once more—!”
Lu Mo spoke, killing intent flashing in her eyes.
This time, she chose close combat.
Sixfold Fusion Sublimation Power erupted, her figure vanishing from her spot instantly.
The next moment, she appeared before Nie Xu Gong.
Gray-black sword light tore through a corner of the mist. As her will and soul merged into it, a Sword Intent that seemed capable of severing everything rose once more.
It met the giant scythe Nie Xu Gong gathered from all directions!
“—!”
Sword and scythe collided once more!
For a moment, the mist churned, heaven and earth seemed to collapse!
Even Solaris and Cecilia in the distance looked over simultaneously.
Energy surged wildly.
And at that moment—
Crack!
A crisp shattering sound rang out.
The sound came from the sword in Lu Mo’s hand.
Her sword, while not bad, was ultimately only an ordinary Epic-grade.
It couldn’t compare to Saint or Divine Artifact grades at all.
Such a sword could not bear the release of her second Sword Intent!
Cracks rapidly spread.
Finally—
It exploded with a roar!
Lu Mo’s hand instantly burst with a spray of blood.
With the sword’s destruction, the balance between the two was instantly broken.
Lu Mo’s sword momentum collapsed, while Nie Xu Gong’s gray mist scythe, carrying terrifying Heavenly Dominion power, slammed heavily into her!
Lu Mo’s figure was sent flying, crashing hard against the spatial wall.
She fell to the ground, half-kneeling, covered in blood.
A horrific wound tore open from her shoulder all the way down to her abdomen.
Blood continuously gushed from the blurred flesh.
“Ugh…”
Lu Mo gritted her teeth, clutching the wound.
She had never thought her own sword would break in the end.
When she was so close… to breaking through the Annihilating Void Mist’s spatial blockade…
She felt her body temperature dropping rapidly.
Her vision gradually blurred.
In the dimness, she saw Nie Xu Gong walking over slowly, raising his scythe, preparing to sever her head.
“It’s over.” He stated plainly.
Declaring the end of the battle.
And the end of her fate.
Was the second Simulated Reincarnation ending like this?
Lu Mo forced her consciousness to hold on, refusing to let herself fall unconscious.
She knew all this was just an illusory ordeal.
Once the reincarnation ended, everything would vanish like smoke.
But she still couldn’t let go of Cecilia.
And she still wanted to ask Solaris for answers clearly.
She… was unwilling!
At that moment, an intense sense of distortion came from beside her.
As if calling to her.
She turned her head and saw the black rectangular prism had fallen beside her at some point.
Perhaps it had been knocked aside by Nie Xu Gong’s scythe, accidentally landing here.
Now, the black prism’s cracks were even denser.
Terrifying, chaotic, ominous aura spilled out wildly.
And she finally saw what was sealed within.
It was a jet-black sword.
Lying quietly inside.
Cold, lifeless, as if capable of devouring everything.
That sense of distortion reached out to her again.
As if issuing an invitation.
But that invitation was poisonous.
As if once accepted, there would be no turning back.
After a brief silence, Lu Mo finally reached out her hand, grasping towards that jet-black sword.
Nie Xu Gong saw this but did not stop her.
“Do you wish to die faster?” he said coldly.
The Original Sin Imperial Armament was not something anyone could control.
Ordinary demons would lose their minds the moment they grasped it, exploding and dying.
Even he, as a Duke, could only carefully seal it away.
Probably only the Demon King could truly withstand this pressure and wield it.
It seemed the girl had been pushed to her limit.
So desperate that she would try to control the Original Sin Imperial Armament at all costs.
Pity… she didn’t