Chapter 1077: Zhou Ying's Strength
The golden birds were made from concentrated solar energy, which was an advanced form of fire-attuned energy. As a result, they boasted immense elemental advantage against Zhou Ying's wood dragons.
After repeated contact with the wood dragons, the birdlike constructs of energy unraveled and unleashed tremendous explosions, sending golden flames spreading all around. The wood dragons were all lit aflame, and the golden birds that had been at the back of the flock were now able to pierce through them all.
"[Storm of Leaves: Void Cut]!" A dagger appeared in Zhou Ying's hand. As she waved it around, a series of afterimages manifested before her, like black scars criss-crossing.
Zhou Ying's dagger tore apart space. As the golden birds exploded, one after another, the golden flames spread all around her, singeing her hair.
Using her own vitality as a shield, Zhou Ying transformed into a berserker. She waved the dagger in her hands madly as she killed bird after bird.
The ground quaked as golden roots emerged from the ground. Zhou Ying, as though having sensed them in advance, hurriedly jumped back.
There was no reason that only the golden birds would attack while the golden mulberry tree hung back.
As a lifeform on the level of a superior king, the tree possessed no small supply of intelligence. It had been searching for an opportunity to strike, only to have Zhou Ying defend against its blows easily.
"[Avatar of the Fae: Worldbound Enclosure]!" Zhou Ying pressed her palms against the ground. Green motes of vitality spread out all around her as tens of thousands of wood dragons emerged from the ground, covering up the entire area. Not only had their quantity increased, but also their quality.
These wood dragons were three times thicker than the last. Their bark was black, with some resistance against fire, and they were able to block the tide of golden birds.
Even so, the birds flocked endlessly toward Zhou Ying, destroying the black wood dragons as they spawned. Only with Zhou Ying's infusion of vitality did the wood dragons manage to reach a semblance of equilibrium with the golden birds.
Realizing that they were unable to break through Zhou Ying's defenses, the golden birds suddenly flocked into the air, gathering by the golden mulberry tree's branches.
Golden energy lit up the sky, shining brighter than even the hundred suns. As the golden mulberry tree's energy poured into them, the golden birds glowed like golden clouds.
They began to merge with each other, forming a large golden bird that was, incredibly, on the level of a superior king.
The bird flapped its wings, sending scorching golden light raining down on Zhou Ying like a flurry of golden blades.
Zhou Ying knocked whatever blades she could aside with her daggers, her body radiant in the light.
The reason that Zhou Ying hadn't used hand-to-hand combat in her previous battles wasn't because she was unskilled, but rather that her other skills and techniques were more convenient.
Zhou Ying was particularly skilled with such combat, and launching a flurry of speedy blows had been her predominant style of fighting before the acquisition of her current framework. Now that her framework was proving ineffective against these enemies, she returned to her old style.
The golden bird swooped down toward her, its every feather glowing with resplendent light.
The golden light pierced through the ground, each beam like a sword. Zhou Ying's footwork allowed her to dart between the beams. As the golden bird drew closer, Zhou Ying tried to pull away from it, but the golden bird glided through the air in hot pursuit.
"[Avatar of the Fae: Dragon's Enclosure]!" A titanic burst of vitality emerged from Zhou Ying's body. Giant wood dragons shot out from the earth, forming a pitch-black sea in quantities so large as to be astounding. Within moments, roots had speared the golden bird through.
.
The golden bird shone with piercing light, cutting apart all the roots in its way—but there were so many of them that it was forced to slow.
Meanwhile, a green leaf fluttered through the air, amidst the golden light, and floated to the back of the bird's head. It transformed back into Zhou Ying.
Zhou Ying's dagger pierced through that gleaming golden light and into the bird's head, then dragged that dagger all the way down its back.
The golden bird cried out in pain. The golden light's intensity redoubled, shattering the roots that bound it and lighting them aflame.
The golden mulberry tree's leaves shook. They formed a storm of leaves directed straight at Zhou Ying. Each leaf was metallic, lustrous, like a miniature sun.
The golden storm that headed for her was more fearsome than even the solar king's solar storm.
The golden leaves tore apart the burning roots and added a layer of golden flames to everything they passed through. The roots were no longer able to supply Zhou Ying with vitality, and she was no longer able to regenerate them as easily.
As the leafstorm swept toward Zhou Ying, she waved her dagger around and knocked aside the leaves in her way.
Suddenly, however, those leaves glowed with blinding light and exploded like burning suns.
They set off a chain reaction, cascading into the heart of the storm. A wave of golden energy swamped everything in sight.
The explosions of golden light was an astounding sight, beautiful even in the face of the destruction they wreaked.
Zhou Ying escaped from the explosion, her body burned in patches. Her burgeoning vitality allowed her to heal from much of those wounds quickly, but anyone else would have lost their combat strength. The ground shuddered as huge golden roots burrowed upward in an attempt to catch her.
Zhou Ying's dagger traced black arcs through the air as she cut those roots off. Golden leaves continued to flutter toward her in a dense cloud, like butterflies.
Zhou Ying whirled around in mid-air, tearing apart space with her daggers. Those daggers formed a barrier against the leaves, cutting apart any that drew near. The leaves began to explode once more, but the black daggers protected Zhou Ying from the worst of the damage.
Golden birds gathered around the golden mulberry tree. The hundreds of suns in the sky poured their energies into the tree and its surroundings.
Red flame appeared all over the land, then slowly made its way toward the tree. All the energy from the world of blazing sun seemed to be gathering.
Ten nests atop the golden mulberry tree gave off blinding light. Moments later, those beams of light shot toward Zhou Ying.
Before the incandescent birds could strike her, Zhou Ying felt a wave of extreme, suffocating heat. If this attack were to land, Zhou Ying would surely turn into nothing more than ash...
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