Chapter Forty-Four: Domination

“Even after having your heart taken, you can still stand again—no matter how you look at it, that’s just too much.” Shiyu Ling crossed her arms, regarding him as she had during their past idle conversations. “Is your true ability immortality?”

“Perhaps it’s manufacturing robots. Right now, I’m just a puppet remotely controlled by the real me. How’s that for a theory?”

She rolled her eyes.

“A puppet’s heart has no power.”

Given that his heart had just been gouged out, such a lie would be exposed in an instant.

He needed a more plausible, more convincing explanation.

“You have a point. Then I’ll tell you the real reason.” Gongsun Ce adjusted his glasses. “The answer is love. It was my love for you, Miss Shiyu, that let me return from the abyss of death!”

“—What?!”

Clearly, the dark-haired woman had not anticipated this answer. Her face flushed as she let out a gasp of astonishment.

The psychic pressed his advantage: “It is the power of love that creates miracles! Ah, Miss Shiyu, you are too beautiful, too elegant—the sight of you speaking with words flowing in your very blood is simply unforgettable!”

“Stop it, you’re going to make me embarrassed for real!”

“The flames of passion burn in my hollow chest, driving me here to confess my love! Forgive me, Miss Shiyu, I can’t help but—”

The psychic clenched his fist. “—deliver a hundred heavy punches right to you.”

Thoughts moved far swifter than speech; as soon as the idea formed, the attack was already unleashed. Invisible giant fists tore through the air, hurtling toward the blushing, dark-haired woman!

“Invisible Fist—Hundredfold Strike.”

This was a technique he’d used in the battle at Tirlos—back then, three punches had shattered the enemy’s demonic body. Now, he held nothing back, just as he’d declared…

This time, it was a full hundred strikes!

Shiyu Ling remained where she stood, hands pressed together. “The abilities of those below cannot reach me.”

A marvelous phenomenon manifested once again. The attacks were neither blocked nor dodged; the moment the invisible fists neared Shiyu Ling, they quite literally vanished.

From the psychic’s perspective, the scene was especially bizarre: one moment, he could feel the telekinetic energy slicing through the sky, the next, that very force was gone, leaving only the air currents stirred by the vanished blows.

The psychic quickly assessed the situation.

The attack still existed when launched. The real issue arose the moment the fists reached Shiyu Ling.

The dark-haired woman slit her palm with a fingertip; a drop of crimson blood fell onto the dragon’s scales.

“Ten thousand blossoms bloom, pale shadows enchant the realm.”

A delicate daffodil sprouted from the blood.

“Spirit Manifestation: Water-Mirror Fairy, Near Yet Far.”

Countless blossoms bloomed in unison, transforming the dragon’s head into a sea of flowers.

At the heart of that white expanse, she laughed softly. “Really now, a girl doesn’t appreciate such a rough confession.”

Spirit Manifestation—it now seemed that the Pure Aspect technique she used as Alice was nothing but a smokescreen to conceal her true identity.

He recalled the common knowledge spread by the “Hunter”: Spirit Manifestations often appeared as illusions, mind control, or thought manipulation. The scene just now—was it an illusion, or had she somehow severed his control over his own power?

He could not draw hasty conclusions. He remembered Xu Junyi’s “Inch-Time Duel.” His Wild Aspect Manifestation had no apparent connection to physical enhancement. The Manifestation Realm’s formless arts clearly transcended common sense—who knew what Shiyu Ling’s true ability was?

He fired both pure white spikes and invisible spears, but not a single daffodil was harmed. The pristine flowers swayed like reflections on water, shifting from illusion to reality.

Environmental destruction was ineffective. Over two minutes had passed, and he still hadn’t discerned her true power. He had to find a way to draw out information… but perhaps he should abandon such self-deceiving tactics. Even in this desperate situation, he found it impossible to force himself to fight in silence.

“I thought women of a certain age might prefer bold words.”

Shiyu Ling replied with a cold sneer, “Do you find willful ignorance amusing? I really will get angry.”

The young man clenched his fists.

“So that part is genuine, not an act. I thought you’d critique my lies first.”

“Clumsy lies? I never care about those, because…”

The psychic locked eyes with his enemy. “Because the lies of those beneath you can’t deceive you, isn’t that right?”

He saw a flash of surprise in her dark eyes, which he didn’t let slip by. Using his ability, he propelled himself forward with the speed of a seasoned fighter. Psychic attacks had failed, so he’d try a physical blow instead!

He had no intention of showing mercy to the one who had killed him minutes ago. With his ability enhancing his strength, his punch—enough to shatter walls—was aimed mercilessly at Shiyu Ling!

“The body of one beneath me cannot reach me.”

This time, Gongsun Ce’s fist halted in midair.

He was just a centimeter away from striking the enemy.

Yet his fist stopped of its own accord.

There was no overwhelming resistance, nor had he struck an invisible barrier; what he sensed was utterly absurd—his flesh, from fingertips to forearm, simply wouldn’t obey him, as if his body was defying its master’s will!

“Body control?”

“Who knows? Maybe it’s all just an illusion.” The dark-haired woman raised a finger. “Wandering white light.”

All the white flowers covering the dragon’s head turned in unison toward the psychic, unleashing a barrage of pure beams from their centers! Gongsun Ce immediately leapt back; as he retreated, the immobilized arm regained its freedom. He soared into the air to dodge the deadly beams, conjuring a massive white hammer to strike down—

“Those beneath me cannot evade my attacks.”

This time, his entire body rebelled. Gongsun Ce had just begun to rise when he became utterly motionless, a living target suspended mid-air, as the beams from the daffodils closed in to pierce his body!

The beams were so dense as to be uncountable; to take them all head-on, not even Shiyu Jun could save him.

He needed a plan—any plan—while his body refused to obey!

“White Barrier!”

The unused hammer in his hand exploded, transforming into a sturdy white wall before him. This impervious barrier blocked the overwhelming majority of the beams at the crucial moment, though a few struck him, burning hot holes through his flesh!

“Gah…!”

The psychic fell limply downward, but found that he finally regained control over his body. Gongsun Ce managed to steady himself atop the dragon’s scales, clutching several wounds between his chest and abdomen.

Two and a half minutes had passed, and he had not harmed Shiyu Ling at all—on the contrary, his own injuries had worsened.

The dark-haired woman swept her hair back, sounding thoroughly exhausted. “The words of those beneath cannot deceive me. I do prefer that phrasing… Not that the effect is any different. You should be dead, yet here you are fighting me. It seems I made a mistake earlier. Was it because I showed off that little power on purpose?”

He recalled their first meeting.

During their conversation in the student dorm, the Hunter had reacted to his lies. For someone with keen intuition, that was reasonable.

But her subsequent behavior had been illogical.

After the Tirlos battle, he’d passed himself off as Mo Yuankai. During dinner at the ramen shop, he’d hidden his conversation with Shiyu Jun. If her intuition was truly that sharp, she should have noticed such irregularities.

When heading underground, he’d gone a step further—vague half-truths had gotten him through without issue.

So the answer was simple.

“Direct lies are detected, but omissions or surface truths slip through. It’s less intuition, more like some lie-detecting mechanism. I didn’t pay it much mind—everyone has secrets, and it’s normal to hide things from someone you’ve just met… But you have so many suspicious traits, I couldn’t help but grow wary.”

“I see. I’ve slipped up elsewhere, too.”

If he were facing Alice Eidol, the occasionally careless and fiercely proud Hunter, she would have pressed him eagerly.

Where did I slip? I thought my act was perfect?

The psychic would habitually tease her, then explain each point, confirming their deductions one by one, as if matching answers… In the end, the Hunter would give a wry smile, shake her head, and pay him a seemingly mature compliment.

But now, his opponent was not blue-haired Alice, but black-haired Shiyu Ling. There was no familiar smile on her face, only a weariness she couldn’t quite hide.

She, too, was likely exhausted—just as he was.

The woman’s voice reached his ears.

“That’s enough. You must have realized by now, after this fight: you cannot defeat me. Consider yourself lucky to survive—take your friends and leave, Gongsun Ce,” Shiyu Ling said with a smile. “Otherwise, you’ll die again.”

“How strange, you say that as if I were actually wounded.”

Gongsun Ce swept a hand over his bloodstained clothes. Beneath, there were no wounds—only several holes filled with white substance.

Spreading his arms like a magician at his curtain call, he declared, “Ta-da! I patched them up with white matter!”

“I have nothing to say to that. If earlier you were rushing toward the whirlpool, now you’re leaping into the abyss yourself.”

Shiyu Ling smiled at him. “Since you insist on blocking my way, then die once more, psychic.”

Once again, white beams shot forth from the pristine blossoms. Gongsun Ce raised an arm, ready to summon the white barrier—

“Those beneath me cannot resist my attacks.”

It wasn’t just his body—this time, even his abilities disobeyed him. He couldn’t form the sturdy white wall, nor even the weaker telekinetic shield. Gongsun Ce was left completely defenseless!

“Defend—!”

At the last possible moment, he was blasted diagonally upward! His legs were riddled with bullet-sized holes, the smell of scorched flesh filling the air—a grievous wound by any measure. Yet Gongsun Ce smiled, contrary to all expectation.

“So your ability isn’t truly omnipotence, Spirit Manifestor.”

“Think whatever you like.”

Shiyu Ling raised her hand, gathering beams into a single white cannon. “Reckless Lightflame.”

Taking a hit from that would be no trivial injury. Should he defend or evade? The psychic had to decide quickly; unlike the battle with the Sky-Piercing Serpent, there was no perfect solution…

But combat was never a matter of multiple choice.

Imitating her gesture, Gongsun Ce pointed forward.

“White Matter Heavy Light Fist!”

A massive amount of white material formed a giant fist, the very symbol of primal violence, which met the lightflame head-on, shattering it and surging toward the dark-haired woman!

“Those beneath me cannot approach my body.” Shiyu Ling showed no sign of panic, issuing a new command. “The abilities of those beneath me cannot—?!”

Halfway through the second command, her expression changed. The gusts from the attack tossed her hair into the air; she threw aside all composure, rolling on the ground to narrowly avoid the giant fist!

For the first time, astonishment showed plainly on her face. “What is this—?!”

The gray-haired youth stood in place, thoughtful.

He could not move an inch himself… yet what had just happened sparked a new inspiration.

“That’s right, you don’t know this—not even Miss Qin does.”

Spirit Manifestation was Shiyu Ling’s formless art, and formless arts often reflected the heart’s true form. The Shadow Blue Orchid was also her power—what had he deduced from it? Blossoms blooming from her shadow, aversion to environment and others, longing to escape, seeing herself as a flower… above others…

She disliked jokes about her age… and he’d heard something interesting when he was dying minutes ago… wanting to become a god…

Those below, ability, commands, a successful attack…

He spoke slowly: “Your command failed. Because ‘white matter’ isn’t actually my ability.”

Then, the psychic laughed.

“Subordinate and ruler, huh! I see now—this really is an outrageous power!”

Shiyu Ling frowned.

“You sound just like that man from the Empire—utterly detestable.”

“Don’t say that. I’m not fond of him in the least.”

Three minutes and fifty-six seconds had passed, but the psychic remained unhurried.

Now, he was certain he would find the solution to everything.

Gongsun Ce adjusted his glasses. “So, let’s unveil the truth: Shiyu Ling’s Spirit Manifestation—what is its true nature?”