168: Chapter 168 I won't worship the moon, I'll smash its eyes.

Just as Chen Fan's fingertip was about to touch the moon marrow crystal, an bone-chilling coldness suddenly swept across the center of the lake.

The star sigil flowing across the surface of the milky white crystal suddenly shone as brightly as the Milky Way, resonating with the Fox Clan mark on Su Shuang's chest in his arms — a faint pink glimmer leaked from beneath Su Shuang's collar, resembling the steam rising from the teapot when she brewed tea, yet it was hotter than that, so hot it made Chen Fan's chest ache.

"This is..." His Adam's apple bobbed, and just as he was about to lean closer, a heartbreaking chant suddenly exploded near his ears.

The sound was not human; it was more like millions of ice shards scraping against glass. Chen Fan's temples throbbed violently. Looking up, he saw Water Flawless dissolving into water.

Her skirt first scattered into fine silver scales, followed by her legs and waist, and finally, even her face, painted with the Green Face pattern, began to melt away, leaving only a pair of eyes as red as dripping blood. "With my remnant soul, I sacrifice to the lake and seal the eye!"

A hundred-zhang water column shot up from her dissolving body, and the resulting waves slapped against the stone walls of the Ninth Palace, making Chen Fan's eardrums ache.

Only then did he clearly see countless translucent shadows floating within the water column — they were the priest spirits controlled by Water Flawless, now being dragged toward the bottom of the lake by her burning remnant soul.

Water Flawless cast one last glance at Su Shuang in Chen Fan's arms, and her lips involuntarily twisted into a smile uglier than a cry: "Little sister... don't wake up again..."

Before the words faded, a dull, booming sound of collapse echoed from the bottom of the lake.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on the back of Chen Fan's neck. Critical Hit Foresight flashed wildly on his retina, the red countdown numbers stinging his eyes so much he couldn't open them — [Lake Collapse Countdown — 3.2 Seconds] [Optimal Leap Point: 11 Degrees East, Jump 0.8 Seconds Early]!

Without a second thought, he clenched the moon marrow crystal in one hand and stuffed it into his embrace, while scooping up Su Shuang by the back of her knees with the other arm and hoisting her onto his shoulder.

Su Shuang's head hung in his arm, her hair tips still dripping lake water, which felt like hitting ice shards on the back of his hand.

Chen Fan took a deep breath, his back molars grinding audibly, and fiercely kicked off the stone wall 11 degrees to the east.

"Go!"

The moment he leaped into the air, the entire body of water suddenly seemed to be swallowed by an invisible giant mouth.

The descending lake water, mixed with gravel and broken chains, smashed down on him. A tear ripped open in the corner of Chen Fan's robe, and the Light Erosion scale armor let out a harsh scraping sound — it was the defensive gear provided by the system, yet it was now being frayed and rolled up by the lake water.

He gritted his teeth, adjusting his angle. Su Shuang's weight pressed painfully on his shoulder blades, but it only made him tighten his grip harder.

"Hold on," he growled softly near Su Shuang's ear, unsure if he was speaking to her or to himself.

When the lake water closed behind him, Chen Fan's toes finally touched solid ground.

He staggered back two steps, his back hitting a broken chain heavily, but he didn't even notice the pain — a 'crack' sounded above his head, like something ancient had shattered.

He looked up.

The full moon was exploding.

The silver moonlight shattered into countless specks of starlight. A second, more ferocious crack split the previously whole moon disk, resembling a rusty knife gouging open the firmament.

The gasps of players throughout the city reached his ears, penetrating the silence of the system prompts. Only then did Chen Fan realize that the system announcement had actually gone quiet for three seconds — this was the first time he had seen the system freeze since entering the game.

"Fan..."

Su Shuang in his arms suddenly convulsed.

Chen Fan hurriedly looked down and saw the moon marrow crystal floating out of his embrace. The milky white light merged with the mark on Su Shuang's chest, and a hoarse, ancient whisper echoed in his Sea of Consciousness: "...The Moon Breaker returns."

The silt and sand at the bottom of the lake suddenly churned, and a figure in black armor coalesced from the murky water.

The person wore shattered heavy black iron armor, and a saber scar ran across his left brow bone, yet upon seeing Su Shuang, he knelt on one knee, his voice trembling: "I slew the moon marrow not to betray the clan, but only to prevent it... from being taken by them." He raised his calloused hand, pointing to the crack in the sky, "The Eye of the Outer Heavens is already awakening."

Chen Fan's fingers instinctively tightened around the hammer of the thunder god, the thunder patterns on the hammer head glowing blue due to the force: "Then is this crystal saving her, or harming her?"

"The key is blameless; the wielder bears the intent." The figure of the Moon Breaker began to dissipate, his voice growing fainter, "It can complete the Fox Demon Bloodline, and it can also draw down the star tracks... It is up to you which door to open."

The system prompt exploded with golden light at the appropriate moment:

[Bloodline Devour · Evolution Complete]

[Can store one non-human buff (Current Storage: Fox Demon Charm - Beginner Level)]

[Cognitive Critical Hit · Active Trigger Cooldown Reduced to 15 Seconds]

Chen Fan stared at the prompts for three seconds, then suddenly looked down to feel Su Shuang's wrist.

Her pulse, which had been thread-like, was now stronger, and a faint pink light flickered beneath her skin — the Fox Demon Bloodline was reviving.

He stuffed the moon marrow crystal back into his embrace, pressing it against his own heart, where the water stains from Su Shuang's earlier convulsions still lingered. "You said a hundred people would be buried with her? I'll make sure a hundred people live instead."

The night wind whipped up his torn cloak. Chen Fan looked up toward the direction of the Shadow Pavilion.

The black building resembled a lurking beast under the moonlight, but now his eyes only focused on the flashing red light atop the Shadow Pavilion — a system alert.

"You all sacrifice to heaven; I will smash the Heavenly Eye," he whispered to the wind, the hammer of the thunder god humming in his palm as if agreeing with his words.

A crisp sound of tearing paper suddenly came from the core of the Shadow Pavilion.

The hand of the Third Seat of the Red Robes, clutching a remnant page of the 'Doomsday Protocol,' was trembling. He stared at the figure carrying a woman on the surveillance screen and roared, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Send the entire army! Kill him without question before he awakens!"

Chen Fan, of course, did not hear this roar of fury.

He only saw dozens of killing intents approaching from all directions in Critical Hit Foresight, like needle points lighting up in the darkness.

A smile played on his lips as his thumb stroked the grip of the hammer of the thunder god, where the cracks from smashing the chains earlier were still visible. "Come on, let me see... whose critical hit is fiercer."

The cracked moonlight poured down, stretching his shadow long.

The alarm sounds from the Shadow Pavilion in the distance grew closer. Chen Fan took a deep breath, turned with Su Shuang on his back, and walked toward the Shadow Pavilion.

His boot heels crushed gravel, leaving footprints of varying depths on the ground. When his last step left the edge —

A three-zhang wave of dust billowed up.

Chen Fan landed and rolled while carrying Su Shuang. The dull thud of the hammer of the thunder god hitting the ground sent surrounding gravel scattering.

He knelt on one knee, steadying himself. When he looked up, the silhouette of the Shadow Pavilion was faintly visible at the edge of his sight.