141: victory

Looking at Zhu Yan, who completely ignored the spatial collapse, a hint of surprise once again appeared on Lin Heng's face.

He hadn't expected that the Shadow Light Spider, which hadn't been particularly outstanding among Xu Yan's three Spirit Beasts due to the comparison with the other two, had now not only completed its evolution, far surpassing its previous strength, but had also gained a Space Element affinity.

If that's the case, the situation has suddenly become a little tricky, Lin Heng thought.

Thinking this, Lin Heng didn't show any worry. Instead, he looked slightly excited as he spoke toward Zhu Yan: "Xu Yan, I didn't expect your Spirit Beast to have such accomplishments in the spatial domain. In that case, let's have a battle between two Space Elements!"

While speaking, the Void-Fleeing Rat standing on Lin Heng's shoulder didn't stop. As its claws waved again, a powerful Spatial Confinement force appeared around Zhu Yan, attempting to trap her within the small space carved out by the Void-Fleeing Rat.

However, due to the existence of the Shadowlight Realm, the Spatial Confinement didn't have much effect and was easily broken free by Zhu Yan.

At the same time, listening to Lin Heng's "passionate declaration" and recalling the "provocation" the opponent had made to him in the group chat before this event, Xu Yan's voice was transmitted solely into Lin Heng's ears using the wind as a medium.

"A battle between Space Elements? I'm sorry, but if you're thinking that, you might be disappointed. When I can win by directly crushing the opponent, I prefer a more direct approach rather than deliberately hiding my strength to fight to a draw."

As Xu Yan's words fell, Zhu Yan, who had easily broken free from the Spatial Confinement and stepped out of the space carved out by the Void-Fleeing Rat, began to emit light.

Seeing this, Lin Heng, knowing that Xu Yan was not the type to make empty threats, immediately became wary and commanded the Void-Fleeing Rat to set up layers of protective measures around himself.

However, before the Void-Fleeing Rat, which had received Lin Heng's command, could make any move, it and Lin Heng realized that they couldn't see anything. Furthermore, the feedback from the Spiritual Energy of both human and Spirit Beast was nothing but pitch blackness.

Not only that, but in the perception of the human and the Spirit Beast, the environment of the battlefield, which originally contained various elements, now only had one element remaining: Darkness. The Void-Fleeing Rat and Lin Heng, the "anomalies" in this environment, were being gradually devoured and assimilated by their surroundings.

If Lin Heng and the Void-Fleeing Rat could still see, they would notice that the yellow/silver skin/fur on their bodies seemed to be covered by a layer of ink, and as time passed, it was gradually merging with their skin/fur, becoming a part of their bodies.

At the same time, the Vitality and Spiritual Energy of both the human and the Spirit Beast began to deplete rapidly and lost the ability to self-recover. Only consuming and not restoring, in just a few breaths, the Vitality and Spiritual Energy in their bodies were reduced to just over half of their original amount.

Faced with this situation, Lin Heng and the Void-Fleeing Rat attempted to struggle after their initial shock.

However, the moment either Lin Heng or the Void-Fleeing Rat attempted to mobilize their Vitality and Spiritual Energy, they felt a curse-like power, like a maggot attached to the bone, adhering to their Vitality and Spiritual Energy. Abilities that were practically instantaneous for them were now incredibly difficult to use.

After finally completing the circulation of their Vitality and Spiritual Energy, just as they were about to finish casting a skill, they found that the remaining Vitality and Spiritual Energy in their bodies had bottomed out.

Before Lin Heng and the Void-Fleeing Rat even had time to choose whether to risk releasing a skill or give up using it to recover some Vitality and Spiritual Energy, the devouring force in the surrounding environment drained the last shred of their strength. The human and the rat completely lost consciousness and disappeared from the battlefield.

The cause of all this was the Dark Domain, a partial separation from the Light-Shadow Domain (Pseudo) that Zhu Yan had gained prematurely after her evolution and association with the Shadowlight Realm.

Outside the battlefield, seeing Lin Heng and the Void-Fleeing Rat, who had been teleported out after triggering the battlefield's protection mechanism and were then led away by the healing teacher waiting nearby, the other three people in the group chat remained silent.

After a long silence, Jing Xing finally spoke with some difficulty: "Was that a Domain that Xu Yan's Spirit Beast used just now?"

Listening to Jing Xing's question, Mu Jin and Chen Yan did not immediately reply.

Compared to most of the spectators, they, who were backed by family influence, naturally had knowledge of, or even personal experience with, Monarch-level Spirit Beasts, the related Power of Heaven and Earth, and Domains. Even setting that aside, they had only felt the power of a Domain from those two Wind Flame Lion Kings at the end of the last semester.

Regarding the ability Zhu Yan had used earlier, Jing Xing and the other two understood what it was, but they were simply reluctant to believe it.

After all, near the end of the last semester, those of them who had broken through to the Commander Rank first were still sharing their cultivation insights with Xu Yan, who was still at the General Rank.

Yet, after just one winter break plus one month, they were not only overwhelmingly crushed by two of Xu Yan's Spirit Beasts in battle, but Xu Yan didn't even need to send out his strongest one, Zhu Yan.

And now, this battle between Xu Yan and Lin Heng revealed an even harsher reality: while they were still striving for Shuai Rank Middle Grade, Xu Yan had already come into contact with the power of the Monarch Rank.

The gap between them was even greater than the difference between them and the average students in the Combat Department. Even Lin Heng, who was once again easily crushed by Xu Yan, had widened the distance between himself and them.

At the very least, if they were honest with themselves, they had no effective countermeasures for the Spatial Collapse and Spatial Confinement that Lin Heng deployed against Xu Yan. Except for Jing Xing, whose Spirit Beast might last a round or two due to its strong defense, the other two would essentially be instantly defeated.

This realization was a massive blow to the three individuals, who had grown up constantly bathed in the praise and envy of others, and who had remained firmly among the strongest cohort even after entering the talent-filled Third Academy, where they were still called geniuses by their classmates.

Thinking this, a hint of disappointment appeared in the eyes of all three. However, after exchanging glances and seeing the same sentiment in the eyes of the other two, they simultaneously smiled, and fighting spirit reignited in their gaze.