Starting from the Planetary Governor

The perspective shifts back to Mei Zheng, Ye Lixiao, and Yao Xiaomu.

After Xiao Mu unleashed her overwhelming might, the path ahead became much easier to traverse.

The Divine Bird Soldiers, who were beaten relentlessly, had no time, nor any chance, to reconstruct their defensive formations. The recent retreat quickly devolved into a chaotic rout. One by one, they were pursued and annihilated, and their scattered resistance couldn't impede the Crazy Maiden engulfed in black mist, nor could it slow the Rebel Army's advancing forces by even a step.

The fleeing Divine Bird Soldiers even dragged along reinforcements who had rushed to support them, all of whom were swept into retreat.

As they charged upward, floor by floor, they had now reached the third floor above ground.

Here, however, the soldiers of the Divine Bird Group had finally reconstructed a complete defensive formation, halting the tide of retreat.

Yao Xiaomu, who had been gleefully hunting her enemies, was now obstructed and visibly displeased.

She already had personality flaws, some eccentricity. And when wielding the power of the 'Dark Side of Sky Net,' her tendencies toward madness became magnified tens of times over. At this moment, she had absolutely no interest in considering anything else—her mind was consumed solely with slaughter.

Even so, she still managed to retain a sliver of rationality, enough to distinguish between friend and foe, ensuring that the dangerous dark powers did not strike down the Rebel Army warriors. That alone was commendable.

Unhappy as she was, in the next instant, Yao Xiaomu summoned a torrent of dark power, surging wildly toward the Divine Bird Soldiers' defensive line.

No one would be surprised by the outcome.

Previously, the power Yao Xiaomu had displayed made it abundantly clear: unless a foe of equal caliber arose to intercept her, any ordinary defensive formation would crumble like paper under her dark power.

This time was expected to be no exception.

Yao Xiaomu, commanding the Dark Throne, charged ahead—but this time, an 'unexpected event' truly occurred.

A golden light abruptly burst forth from a spot not too far away!

It was a War Angel, with steel wings spread wide from her back and a great sword gripped in her hands!

The great sword cleaved a resplendent golden path, slicing through the dense darkness like sunlight piercing shadows, like an angel descending to save the mortal world.

This was none other than the 'Martial Goddess,' Xie Lian!

Yao Xiaomu's expression darkened.

She gathered an immense amount of power, continuously blocking Xie Lian's advance. She could clearly sense that the rapidly approaching Xie Lian possessed an undeniable force capable of threatening her. If she failed to intercept this figure and allowed her to continue her charge, this Martial Goddess might truly have the ability to cut through all the darkness, and to strike her down from her throne.

The blockade created by her summoned power did yield some effect.

Along Xie Lian's path, the intense darkness morphed into grotesque and distorted monsters, strange in shape yet fiercely powerful, standing in the way of the Martial Goddess.

These monsters, though terrifying to behold, were no sturdier than blocks of tofu under the golden sword of the Martial Goddess. Xie Lian barely needed to exert effort; by merely raising her sword, by merely radiating her power outward, the creatures attempting to hinder her weakened in the golden radiance, and when they collided with her sword, they naturally split apart and crumbled into dust.

Nevertheless, these manifestations of dark power were not entirely meaningless.

The golden light surrounding the Martial Goddess dimmed as it absorbed the foul contamination of the chaotic and unrestrained pollution emanating from the Dark Side of Sky Net. Accumulating on her, the impurity dulled the brilliance of her golden aura.

When she finally approached Yao Xiaomu, Xie Lian's once-dazzling golden light now appeared pale and dim, as though it had faded.

At the same time, the throne beneath the Crazy Maiden suddenly dissipated, transforming as though it had come alive. It surged forward, positioning itself between her and Xie Lian.

Xie Lian's strength, after all, had its limits.

She failed to cleave through the concentrated darkness that had turned into the throne. Instead, the erupting power repelled her body, sending her tumbling backward. She flipped through the air several times before eventually stabilizing herself at some distance away.

Xie Lian's expression grew solemn.

"What is this power? It's the first I've encountered of its kind."

"The power to kill you!" Yao Xiaomu screamed, her tone brash—but deep down, she was clearly apprehensive.

From farther behind Yao Xiaomu, Mei Zheng voiced the Crazy Maiden's innermost thoughts: "The Martial Goddess... truly lives up to her name. Terrifying. She might very well be the strongest individual in all of Era City."

"Indeed..." Ye Lixiao echoed with a sigh. "I've read the reports. When Li Ang faced off against Xiao Mu, he didn't dare engage her in direct combat. He was entirely at a disadvantage in terms of raw power and could only focus on a defensive strategy. It wasn't until he managed to sever Xiao Mu's connection to the Dark Side of Sky Net that he finally claimed victory."

"That's right. But this Martial Goddess... she's actually able to storm her way up here on her own, unstoppable, and nearly managed to harm Xiao Mu." Mei Zheng similarly marveled.

"Thankfully..." Ye Lixiao appeared slightly optimistic as he commented, "the pollution aspect of the Dark Side of Sky Net still showed its effects. Even the Martial Goddess Xie Lian couldn't completely withstand it. Clearly, she's not in great condition either—she looks entirely... faded... uh..."