From the dense, dark foliage of the canopy directly below them, a massive, glowing purple tether shot upward like a harpoon. It wasn't an arrow. It was a chain forged of pure, crackling dark magic.
Before Zhāo Yàn could evade, the chain slammed directly into the underbelly of the spirit-fox.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact was deafening. The dark magic violently reacted with Zhāo Yàn's illusionary energy. A shockwave of purple and red light exploded in mid-air.
The spirit-fox shattered like fragile glass.
The plush cushions, the glowing barriers, the floor beneath their feet, it all vanished instantly, disintegrating into thousands of useless red sparkles.
Gravity reasserted its brutal dominance.
"MAMA!" Zhēn screamed, jolting awake as the ground suddenly dropped out from underneath her.
"ZHĒN! TAO ZI!" Bai Yue shrieked, her stomach plummeting into her throat as she tumbled backward into the open air.
