The Queen''s tentacle was a massive, seemingly indestructible force, covered in thick, scale-like armor that glistened with a dark, otherworldly sheen. The texture was unlike any flesh I''d encountered, hardened as though it had been tempered in the fires of some ancient abyss. "It took an entire arsenal of tungsten rods to pierce the First Born''s flesh," I said, my gaze fixed on the monstrous appendage. "But this thing… it''s far more resilient than any First Born."


    Tao Yang stepped forward, unflinching as she drew the scimitar gifted to her by the Blue Sun. The de was pure Soulsteel, radiant with a subtle glow that seemed to drink in the darkness around it. There was a quiet, deadly resolve in her stance, and though her Qi was almost imperceptible, the power radiating from her was unmistakable.


    "Have you recovered your cultivation?" I asked, a hint of surprise in my voice.


    "Yes," she said, her gaze never leaving the tentacle. "I''m back to where I was—a true Sun Stage." Her voice was calm, but the edge in her tone hinted at a determination hardened by countless battles. She raised the scimitar, and the light in her eyes red, emboldened.


    "Blue Sun, could you deflect the tentacle''s tip for me?" Tao Yang called out, her voice ringing clear across the battlefield.


    "Sure," Blue Sun replied, a spark of excitement glinting in her eyes. "What are you nning?"


    "I''ll sever the tip—about an arm''s length. That should be enough," Tao Yang replied, ncing at me. "Will that suffice?"


    "Yes, that''ll be more than enough," I said, the possibilities of what we could learn from the sample already racing through my mind.


    "Then give me space," she said firmly. We needed no further prompting and quickly backed away. A Sun Stage cultivator at full power was a force of nature, capable of leveling a if they wish to. Here, in the open, Tao Yang and Blue Sun could unleash their full might without fear of coteral damage. After all, we''re not in the beyond where they need to care and limit their power in fear of destroying the poption.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Stay tuned with empire


    From our vantage point, I could feel the ground tremble with each pulse of power they emanated. The of Srous itself seemed toe alive, resonating with their power. But this time, the world''s vibrations were not those of a thriving civilization; they were a dark, twisted symphony of awakened rakshasa, who stirred and rumbled in response to the sudden surge of energy.


    As the tentacle rose to its full, terrifying height, it began its descent, aiming to smash Blue Sun in one crushing blow. Unfazed, she took a deep breath and tightened her grip on her mallet, one hand firmly sped around the base of the handle. "This is going to be a big one," she muttered, and with a fierce roar, she began to spin, her body transforming into a whirlwind of power.


    She spun up, creating a massive gust of wind that created a tornado of raw Qi and force of inertia, going up to the tip of the tentacle like a spinning bullet. Right as she was at the zenith of her force, she charged her mallet with a giant portion of her Qi, increasing the mallet''s size to match that of a small mountain, the force of her spin added to the mallet struck true.


    It met the tentacle''s side with a force that shook the entirendscape. The sound was deafening, and the shockwave sent debris flying in every direction. Blood sttered from her hands, her fingers nearly pulverized under the strain, and the sound of cracking bones echoed from her grip. But she held steady.


    The tentacle itself buckled, forced to the side with such force that it mmed into a second tentacle, driving both appendages into the ground. The impact shattered the earth, sending colossal chunks of rock and dirt hurtling into the air, carving a massive crater and creating a new valley as thend buckled and split. Yet the sheer force of Blue Sun''s attack didn''t just throw the tentacles into the ground; it rebounded, forcing the appendage to whip back, vulnerable and unguarded.


    That was the opening Tao Yang had waited for. The tentacle, now bruised and battered, had softened just enough. With a battle cry that resonated like a war drum, she poured her own Qi and soul energy into the Soulsteel scimitar, which ignited with a brilliant, furious me. Sheunched herself forward, and as she swung, the de connected with the tenderized flesh of the tentacle tip.


    The tentacle which should be made of organic, though unnatural manner actually sparked incinerating andrge mes the moment the sword struck at it, and with a forceful heave Tao Yang screamed further enhancing her power and tore about an arm''s length out of the tentacle''s tip.


    The severed piece, wreathed in the scimitar''s energy, sparked and smoked as it burned. Tao Yang wasted no time. She snatched the severed chunk, its scaly surface still bubbling, and threw it toward me.


    "Let''s leave!" she shouted, but her voice barely carried over the sound of the tentacle writhing in pain.


    I caught the piece, but before I could even begin to examine it, the severed flesh in front of Tao Yang began to twist and writhe. Boiling and bubbling, the scaly chunk pulsed as it transformed. Within seconds, a ghastly figure began to emerge from the severed flesh, taking on the torso and features of a human. Its skin, a patchwork of scales and wounds, contorted as it molded into a twisted, mockery of a face—a face that bore an uncanny resemnce to Tao Yang''s uncle.


    The creature, an amalgamation of filth and darkness, looked at her with cold, lifeless eyes. Its mouth twisted into a sinister smile as it whispered with a voice that sounded like gravel scraping against steel.


    "Tao''er…" it rasped, each syble dripping with malice.


    For a moment, the battlefield was silent, the sheer shock of the scene freezing us all. The grotesque, twisted visage leered, its gaze locked onto Tao Yang.


    "RUUUUUN!!!"