Loss

Sanctuary. The limit of genius, the worldly zenith, the ideal of countless sorcerers. In any country, whoever achieved the rank of Sanctuary Sorcerer was undeniably among the highest stratum of society. Curiously, according to Sword Princess, One-Wing Sorcerers were mostly production sorcerers, Two-Winged Sorcerers were mostly combat sorcerers, and Sanctuary Sorcerers reverted to being mostly production sorcerers. That wasn't to say Sanctuary Sorcerers had abandoned combat; rather, their research shifted toward production, no longer delving into combat as they once had. There were three reasons for this. The primary reason, naturally, was that crafting and production by a Sanctuary Sorcerer offered an extraordinarily high return on investment. Spatial items could only be produced by Sanctuary Sorcerers, and they were essentially consumables with limited durability. As a result, every Sanctuary Sorcerer was a non-stop gold mine. In the Starry Country, Sanctuary Sorcerers were even required to pay a 'spatial tax,' having to craft a certain quota of spatial items each year as their tax payment. Secondly, producing spatial items was extremely helpful for researching the space faction. Compared to other cultivation methods, crafting spatial items was an exceptionally effective form of training with above-average efficiency. The final reason was that Sanctuary Sorcerers themselves were keenly aware that if they wanted a quantitative or even qualitative leap in combat power, the best path was not delving into combat, but... Mastering space. *Clang!* A cold glint of light arrived first, followed by a heavy spear smashing down! Watching the spear-wielding Sanctuary Sorcerer drop suddenly from above, Yaxiu didn't slow the Crowflight motorcycle in the slightest. The two clashed head-on and tore past each other! *Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!* In a split second, Yaxiu parried five blows with his sword. Even though he had haphazardly stacked the sorcery spirits Heart Sword, Earth Sword, and Sword Mark onto the blade, Honeyed Words and Daggered Heart was still left with several dents. The violent impact even threw the Crowflight motorcycle into a drift! Moving at such extreme speed, most of Yaxiu's miracles were difficult to deploy; only instantaneous bursts or sustained enhancements like Rage Sword and Love Sword could take effect. But being unable to cast miracles didn't mean sorcery spirits were useless. Driven by iridescent sorcery power, the sorcery spirits could at least reinforce his weapon enough to cleave through Sanctuary miracles! The Crowflight motorcycle traced a series of heart-stopping doughnuts across the rain-slicked ground. Yaxiu never once touched the brakes, continuing to carve a line of blood through the night at top speed. The attacking spear Sanctuary Sorcerer pursued swiftly from behind, his speed matching the Crowflight motorcycle thanks to movement miracles and the amplification of the Path of Heaven's Choice! Yaxiu suddenly summoned his Substitute, and the two swung their swords in unison. As dozens of sharp gunshots pierced through the curtain of rain, their blades deflected an identical number of bullets. If the spear Sanctuary Sorcerer had used the space faction to lunge directly before Yaxiu, then the gun Sanctuary Sorcerer was delivering bullets right to his side. Under normal circumstances, no one could predict where the shots would manifest. Sometimes a gun Sanctuary Sorcerer would aim right at your face, yet the bullet would drill through the back of your neck. Unless a sorcerer expanded their Sanctuary or spent Gospel points to pray for all-around protection, there was simply no stopping a gun Sanctuary Sorcerer's fire. Yet now, an exception had appeared. At that moment, a fist-and-claw Sanctuary Sorcerer stopped his pursuit, planted his feet, and threw a punch toward the Crowflight motorcycle. The space struck by his fist buckled and fractured inch by inch, rushing toward Yaxiu's back like falling dominoes! Suddenly, Yaxiu slashed a backward arc with his sword. The Sword Mark sorcery spirit carried a certain spatial nature. When activated by iridescent sorcery power, it barely managed to coat Honeyed Words and Daggered Heart in a sliver of spatial reinforcement, granting it the property to cut through anything unprotected by a Sanctuary and allowing Yaxiu to influence space with his slashes. However, that trace of spatial reinforcement was far too meager. If it encountered genuine spatial turbulence, it would likely be worn away in an instant. Yet facing the spatial turbulence punch unleashed by the fist-and-claw Sanctuary Sorcerer, Yaxiu brought down his blade and completely halted the collapsing space, effortlessly neutralizing the Sanctuary Sorcerer's lethal strike. To the right, thirteen gunshots. To the left, a water sorcery detonation. From behind, a sniper. From the front, a spear. Facing a relentless barrage of attacks from the Sanctuary Sorcerers, Yaxiu managed to dismantle and deflect every single one while maintaining full speed! Aside from a few scratches, he was virtually unharmed! Even the Sanctuary Sorcerers couldn't help but look on in astonishment. To them, it was like watching an elementary school kid breeze through an advanced calculus exam using only the four basic arithmetic operations. Unavoidable Sanctuary attacks could only be countered with a Sanctuary; he hadn't even deployed a Sanctuary, so how was he blocking them?! Yaxiu truly couldn't block them. But Yayin could. Yayin already occupied half of his soul. Even without active invocation, Yaxiu could still share in a fraction of Yayin's might. In Yayin's perception, everything in this world was transparent—including the past, the present, and the future. It was a marvelous sensation: untouchable destiny now unrolled before him like a scroll covered in exam questions. Yaxiu had merely solved every question, and by doing so, he dismantled the coordinated onslaught of over twenty Sanctuary Sorcerers. Of course, another crucial factor was that the Sanctuary Sorcerers did not want to kill him. Their objectives were to halt Yaxiu's advance and execute Lisi, so their attacks were aimed solely at Lisi, the Crowflight motorcycle, and Yaxiu's limbs. With one side literally blessed by divine aid and the other pulling their punches while practically feeding him moves, it was hardly surprising that the battle unfolded with such bizarre harmony. Furthermore, Yaxiu could feel his experience in all sorcery factions skyrocketing amid the clash—especially the space faction, which was already bordering on the realm of Sanctuary! It made sense. Since Yayin was omniscient and omnipotent, it naturally commanded knowledge of every faction. Even if Yayin only spilled a few scraps, to Yaxiu, it was a downpour of Experience Orbs! In the past, Yaxiu would have celebrated such an unexpected windfall by treating himself to several extra meals of Lalafell, and he would have rushed into the Void Realm eager to brag to Sword Princess. But right now, there wasn't the slightest ripple in his heart; he even felt a faint urge to laugh. The more he gained from Yayin, the more Yayin claimed of him. The more effectively he wielded Yayin's might, the sooner Yayin would replace his existence. Such a fleeting, deathbed vanity was hardly something to covet. Even so... "Almost there," Yaxiu said cheerfully amidst the symphony of blades and miracles. "We're about to escape Nabistin. Just ahead is the Azure Lane." "We'll break out, and then we'll be on the run everywhere, hiding from east to west. From now on, you'll have to collect scrap cardboard and sleep under overpasses with me." "Mm." A pair of small hands wrapped tightly around his waist like ten thorns, refusing to let go. Yaxiu seemed to know everything now, yet he didn't know that the little girl behind him had sunk into profound self-reproach. She blamed herself for accomplishing nothing, while Yaxiu had somehow ended up becoming the First Gospel. She blamed herself for needing Yaxiu's protection when he was the one who needed it most. She blamed herself for remaining a burden even now! She was clearly a three-winged sorcerer too! She clearly possessed Sanctuary-level combat power! Yet because the Bronze Dragon's trial was not yet over, she couldn't return to her true form, and her sorcery power in reality was completely sealed! Furthermore, the Bronze Dragon's trial could not be ended early—she either had to complete it, or undergo it until death! How desperately she wanted... to brave the storm together with Yaxiu! They drew closer and closer to the parking deck. The shimmering cyan light of the Azure Lane cutting through the night sky looked like rays of dawn. Yet right before the dawn was the deepest darkness. Over a dozen Sanctuary Sorcerers blocked the only way forward, coldly waiting to welcome Yayin back to the palace. 'Lisi's' small hands trembled. "Watch out!" Night fell, and a small bird let out a mournful cry. Yaxiu manifested a Substitute of Honeyed Words and Daggered Heart. With twin swords in hand, he carved streaks of pitch-black ink through the air that congealed space itself, and the Crowflight motorcycle roared as it charged the enemy lines. Then, a beast roared, and ink splashed across the canvas! A Sanctuary couldn't be breached, but nobody said it couldn't be rammed aside! Spotting the weakest point in their defensive line, Yaxiu punched clean through the Sanctuary Sorcerers' iron wall on his motorcycle! Right at that moment, Yaxiu realized with pleasant surprise that the noise in his mind had abruptly receded, and Yayin's erosion was rapidly pulling back. A god could not simply ignore distance and force its way into his fully furnished home; once the distance between him and the god grew large enough, even if he couldn't break free entirely, he could at least buy a little more time! That was it! Sorcery spirits had an area of effect, so how could a god not? Even if its range was vast, it had to have a limit! *I was terrified by the god earlier and almost gave up completely. Thank goodness Lisi convinced me to run, or I really would have waited around for death!* Yaxiu let out a long breath. Now, only a single bridge separated them from the parking deck. He said, "Lisi, we made—" A cold glint of light arrived first. When the spear Sanctuary Sorcerer materialized above him, Yaxiu's body reacted, but his mind did not—*Why didn't I sense his ambush?* *Because I lost Yayin's power.* Without an omniscient and omnipotent Yayin, it was impossible to completely defend against Sanctuary attacks. Ahead, the thrust of the spear Sanctuary Sorcerer. To the right, the spatial shockwave of the fist-and-claw Sanctuary Sorcerer. To the left, a water sorcery detonation. The encirclement he had cleaved through so effortlessly moments ago now clamped down on Yaxiu like a cage. Like an exhausted beast stepping into a snare, he realized he could no longer escape as he had before. And then, *Bang.* A perfectly timed sniper bullet expertly bypassed the rare beast marked for capture. Striking only the weakest prey. Yaxiu looked back and saw Lisi slipping away.