Chapter 231 Ninefold Stellar Sanctuary
At first, Lucien thought Zoey was a bit clueless,her strike had such a large deviation.
Even if the power was immense, without accuracy, it was useless.
But when the countless palm imprints rained down from the sky, he was completely dumbfounded.
That first strike of hers seemed like a powerful move.
But what on earth was this endless barrage of them?
In his panic, Lucien acted swiftly. With his feet firmly planted on the ground, his hands quickly formed an ancient astral ritual gesture. Centered around him, a massive blue constellation halo emerged in the sky.
Black palm imprints poured down like a storm, but Lucien stood like an unmovable celestial body. The blue constellation halo outlined an intangible shield. The palm imprints exploded six feet above Lucien's head, generating a tremendous shockwave that shot up to the sky. Centered around Lucien, a violent storm raged, uprooting trees on the mountain, their leaves scattering like rain.
Those outside the ring were blinded by the dust.
A vortex formed around William and Alice within a two-foot radius, keeping dust and debris at bay.
From a distance, Kyle watched and believed this had to be the result of Alice's superpower. After all, William was merely a novice Soulmancer and couldn't produce such an energy barrier.
Furthermore, Lucien stood on the Mars position of the Ninefold Stellar Sanctuary magical array beneath him, a radiant gleam in his eyes, appearing like a god descending from the heavens. When he looked up, his eyes shone golden. The Ninefold Stellar Sanctuary below him emitted a bright azure glow, managing to block all of Zoey's Cosmic Palm attacks.
William squinted slightly. A descendant of Nostradamus?
Adeptly using the Ninefold Stellar Sanctuary and Stellar Divination Matrix, it seemed Lucien had more skills than he initially thought.
An astrologer's strength wasn't solely based on their soul energy.
Lucien, standing on the Mars position, symbolized courage and passion. And as Zoey was caught in Lucien's magical array, no matter how powerful her energy, it would be suppressed by the formation.
"Mars, Judgment of Flames!"
Lucien murmured softly, and suddenly the spot where Zoey stood was enveloped by intense flames.
The fire surged, reaching a height of almost 30 feet, leaving everyone present utterly stunned. The intensity of the flames was so fierce that the majority of those in the field doubted their ability to evade such an attack.
Alice clutched William's arm anxiously, asking urgently, "Master, Zoey isn't going to be burned alive, is she?"
The flames roared where Zoey stood, completely obscuring her figure. Fire's fury fears no fortress. Regardless of how strong Zoey might be, whether she could survive within such flames was indeed uncertain.
Fire have no mercy,even if Zoey has extraordinary strength, it's daunting to imagine surviving in such a blaze.
"Don't panic! It's too soon!" William gently patted Alice's hand and calmly stated, "Zoey won't die."
As soon as his words fell, Zoey leapt out from the raging flames. The sky was free of falling palm imprints. Sparks clung to Zoey's clothes, but she was already lunging at Lucien.
Although Cosmic Palm was powerful, Zoey still preferred close combat.
"She's alright!" Alice's grip on William's hand tightened further, "I told you that woman isn't so easy to kill!"
As Zoey attempted to close in for an attack, Lucien began shifting his position, instantly moving to the Uranus position.
William gave a slight smile, "It seems Lucien recognizes Zoey's strength and has already played his best hand."
The Uranus position corresponds to the attribute of lightning. As Lucien stepped into the Uranus position, lightning swirled around him. Bolts of electricity darted within a 10-foot radius. Just as Zoey was about to approach, she was ensnared by serpents of electricity.
Crack!
Before Zoey could even touch Lucien, she was struck by multiple lightning bolts, causing her body to go numb. She managed to raise her fist, but lacked the strength to even throw a punch.
The electric serpents hadn't stopped yet, and streaks of purple lightning struck Zoey, causing her hair to stand on end and her skin to become charred.
"Hmph!" Lucien snorted coldly, and a cascade of purple lightning crashed down like a waterfall.
Zoey sensed the imminent danger. Even though her body was almost completely numb, she rapidly channeled her soul energy, retreating by 15 feet, just escaping the range of Lucien's Ninefold Stellar Sanctuary magic formation.
"Change!" Lucien's hands swiftly shifted through a series of gestures as he uttered a low command.
The moment Zoey's feet touched the ground, they sank deep into it. The once rock-hard ground had suddenly transformed into a marshy bog.
And it wasn't just that— the ground acted like a wild beast trying to swallow Zoey whole.
Despite Zoey's remarkable strength, this unexpected turn of events caught her off guard, and she was quickly consumed by the marshy ground.
Onlookers were astounded by the scene unfolding before them.
"Zoey's been bested this time!"
"Truly deserving of being Nostradamus's descendant; he wields the Stellar Divination Matrix so masterfully."
"The battlefield has its limits, and it's only so big. From start to finish, Zoey has been within Lucien's magic formation. How could she possibly win?"
William watched the scene expressionlessly, and just like the bystanders mentioned, the moment Lucien set foot, the entire battlefield was under the canopy of his Ninefold Stellar Sanctuary magic formation.
If Zoey had fled outside the circle and unleashed her Cosmic Palm with full force, she might have had a chance at victory. But standing within Lucien's magic formation, victory wasn't so straightforward.
Lucien stood with his hands clasped behind his back, and everything returned to a state of calm. The marshy bog that had just swallowed Zoey had vanished, reverting to its previous form as the solid blue-stone ground.
Zoey had thus been buried alive!
A gentle breeze passed by. Lucien turned to Kyle, saying, "Old mage, you can announce the result now!"
Kyle slightly furrowed his brows, staring at the spot where Zoey had been consumed. He could still sense her presence.
Lucien remarked, "Don't worry. After all, she has the Warrior God Constitution. She isn't so easily killed. She just won't be coming out anytime soon."
Just as he finished speaking, a patch of dark clouds suddenly appeared in the sky.
Kyle looked up, finding the scene eerily familiar.
The dark clouds rapidly coalesced into a massive black hand, completely shadowing the entire battlefield.
While its might wasn't as terrifying as when Zoey first unleashed her Cosmic Palm, the power emanating from this giant hand still sent shivers down one's spine.
"Again?" Sweat began to bead on Lucien's forehead. Activating the Stellar Divination Matrix earlier wasn't easy for him.
Zoey was like an indestructible cockroach—burnt by fire, struck by lightning, and now buried alive, yet she still managed to pull off such a powerful move.
The palm in the sky formed at an astonishing speed. Lucien, not lagging behind, once again activated the Ninefold Stellar Sanctuary, bracing himself to confront Zoey's attack head-on.
With Zoey buried underground, Lucien couldn't harm her, even with the Ninefold Stellar Sanctuary magic formation. But he didn't believe Zoey could stay underground for long. Once she emerged, she would still be within the scope of his magic.
Zoey was indeed formidable, but Lucien believed that if he withstood this move, even with her Warrior God Constitution, she certainly wouldn't be able to muster a second attack.
"Everyone, back away!" Kyle urgently shouted. Considering the trajectory of Zoey's attack, who knew if it might miss its target?
The previous palm strike possessed mountain-razing power. While the current hand's strength was less than one percent of the previous one, individuals below the level of a mid-tier Soulmancer might still get injured!
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