Chapter 227: Grand Caster, responds to the summon!!!
The moment Ethan finished the summoning incantation, an enormous surge of magical energy burst forth from the golden summoning circle.
But the very next second...
Inside the summoning circle was completely empty—there was nothing at all?!
Ethan stared at the slowly fading summoning circle in front of him in disbelief.
Nothing had actually appeared.
How could this be...
'System, system!!!'
Ethan frantically screamed in his mind.
'Didn't I already confirm it?! Where's the Grand Servant???'
[Beep... A temporary successful summoning of a Grand Servant has been detected.]
[Host, please reconfirm.]
"But there's clearly nothing here!"
Ethan looked around—he didn't see any new Servant appear at all.
Goddamn it, where the hell is my giant Grand Servant?!
Seeing Ethan's reaction, the golden-furred fox burst out in loud laughter.
"Though I don't know what exactly you were trying to summon, this is MoonCell. Ordinary summoning rituals are immediately nullified. Sadly, this isn't caused by my power—it's due to MoonCell's own defense mechanism."
"——————————!!!"
Ethan finally recalled the incident where Noah and Draco were blasted away from the group during Rayshift.
Goddamn it, to think MoonCell still maintains that mechanism even now?!
No wonder he could clearly sense a successful summon, yet no one appeared.
It was also unclear where exactly the Grand Servant he summoned had been blasted off to!
But there was no more time!!!
The golden-furred fox had already broken through the formation of the two great tacticians, slowly and leisurely walking toward Ethan, one step at a time.
At this moment, standing between her and Ethan—
Only Mash remained.
"I absolutely will not let you lay a finger on Senpai!"
Mash's eyes were resolute, her hands gripping her shield tightly.
Right after, the golden-furred fox gently flicked her sleeve—and from the golden kimono's sleeve, a talisman shot forth!
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOM————————!!"
Like light turned into a solid force, the massive explosion forced Mash and the nearby Ethan to be blasted dozens of meters backward!
"Ugh…!"
The overwhelming pressure made it hard for Mash to breathe—just staying on her feet here had already exhausted all her strength.
But she did not back down.
She wanted to protect Ethan… until the very last second.
"Courageous."
The golden-furred fox seemed to have developed a clear interest in the small, unknown girl standing before her.
"But no matter how humans struggle, they can never oppose the power of the divine. After all… that's what gods are. Only when I allow humans to sense that power at will can I remain eternal. In the end, it's merely a difference in survival methods."
As the golden-furred fox spoke, she waved her hand—a mirror flew out from beside her.
"Reflected in water's image, the soul shall be sealed inside forever… and become part of my collection!!!"
The golden-furred fox let out a laugh.
Along with her words, dazzling golden light erupted from within the mirror!
Even with Mash's shield standing before him, Ethan began to feel suffocated.
It was as if some overwhelming power was pulling something out from inside him.
Just as he was on the verge of collapse—a sharp voice suddenly rang in his ears!
"This time there's no mistake, the target is that fox over there!!!"
Right after, a figure shot down from the skies of the Digital Ocean!
"Don't think your petty defensive barriers can stop me, Daji!!!"
A black-haired man riding a tapir-like creature charged straight toward them!
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM————————————!!"
The massive impact blasted away the mirror that had been absorbing Ethan and Mash's souls!
The golden-furred fox's figure also retreated backward to avoid the blow.
"You?!"
Upon seeing the face of the one who had arrived, for the first time, the golden-furred fox revealed a look of astonishment.
She stared at him in disbelief.
"You actually possess a Saint Graph at the Grand level?!"
"Of course it's me. The moment you became a Human Evil, I gained the qualifications to become Grand. Seems like I made it in time, right?"
The man dressed as a Taoist priest, his eyes curved in a smiling squint, turned his head to look at Ethan and Mash.
"Grand Caster—Taigong Wang, responds to the summon!"
"Jiang Ziya!!!"
As soon as he confirmed the man's identity, Ethan shouted his name.
He knew very well that temporarily summoning a Grand Servant was random, but he never expected it would actually be Jiang Ziya.
"The moment I sensed Daji appearing here, even if I had to run all the way from the Throne of Heroes, I was going to get here no matter what!"
Jiang Ziya said this.
"Though I don't know who pulled me mid-transit—thought I was catching a convenient hitchhike, but ended up crashing into something and got flung off the route. Haizz… good thing Sibuxiang caught me in time. Otherwise, who knows how long it would've taken me to arrive."
"As long as you made it in time, that's what matters…"
Ethan finally let out a breath of relief.
This time, it was definitely someone in the right field.
"I sense a familiar presence here… Noah?! You're here too!!"
Jiang Ziya immediately noticed Noah lying unconscious nearby and rode Sibuxiang straight over.
At the moment, although Noah's soul hadn't been completely stolen, his eyes were tightly shut and he was entirely unconscious.
"He's this badly wounded?!"
Jiang Ziya took two medicinal pills from his sleeve, forced Noah's mouth open, and popped them in.
"No idea if these immortal elixirs will have any effect on him."
After that, he turned his gaze to the distance—where the golden-furred fox stood.
"Daji, are you trying to bring harm to the people again!!!"
"Daji?!"
The golden-furred fox curled her lip in contempt and said,
"That name can temporarily be counted as one of my identities. Lu Shang, did you come here intending to destroy me again?"
"My mission—aside from the Investiture of the Gods—has always been to defeat you. Isn't that something you of all people should know?"
Jiang Ziya placed Noah securely on Sibuxiang's back, and with neither arrogance nor fear, stared directly at the familiar figure before him.
"You've got a point. Maybe it's because I appeared here… that your presence followed as well. But it doesn't matter, because this isn't China."
Suddenly, the golden-furred fox's entire body burst into a blazing golden light.
"This is MoonCell! The Far Side of the Moon, already beyond the domain of Earth!!! What do you think you can do to me here, you filthy Taoist priest?!"
A loud shout—and from the golden-furred fox's sleeves, countless talismans shot out, flying straight at Jiang Ziya!!!
"Sibuxiang!!"
With Jiang Ziya's firm command, the dream-eating beast immediately dashed forward at lightning speed!
Everywhere it passed was scorched by burning light. The talismans launched by the golden-furred fox continuously exploded, shattering the MoonCell's walls as though they were about to collapse.
"Looks like it really is difficult to use Xian Arts in this place."
(Note for readers: Xian Arts means Immortal Arts in English, or Senjutsu in Japanese.)
Jiang Ziya continued maneuvering Sibuxiang to dodge the barrage of attacks while drawing a wide arc to circle behind the golden-furred fox.
Once in position, he pulled out eight talismans from his sleeve and threw them toward eight cardinal directions!
"Hah!!"
In the blink of an eye, those eight talismans formed a Bagua Diagram behind him.
The chasing talismans that the golden-furred fox had hurled earlier were instantly absorbed by the Bagua in midair without causing even a ripple.
"Even if I never achieved immortality, how could petty sorcery like yours ever compare to my orthodox Daoist magic?!"
Jiang Ziya leaned forward and commanded Sibuxiang to dash straight at the golden-furred fox at high speed!
"Daji, this... is going to hurt!"
At that moment, he pulled a wooden whip from his sleeve and lashed it directly toward the golden-furred fox!!!
"BOOOOOOOOOOOM——————————!!"
A mirror flew out to block her front, intercepting Jiang Ziya's strike.
The golden-furred fox glared coldly at him.
"Lu Shang, you're nothing but a man with no talent for cultivation, and in the end, you had to sell your life to Yuanshi Tianzun—was it really worth it?"
"It's true I had no gift for cultivation… but as someone who practices Daoist arts, even without my master's orders, I will absolutely stand up to eliminate evil beings like you that endanger the world!!!"
Jiang Ziya's voice overflowed with righteous, heroic spirit.
"Even if we're no longer on Earth—even here on the Moon—I still have a way to punish you, Daji!!!"
Immediately after that roar, the wooden whip in his hand erupted with terrifying magical energy.
The whip was 3 chi, 6 cun, and 5 fen long, made of 21 segments, each inscribed with 4 Daoist seals—for a total of 84 seals.
It was the God-Striking Whip, the supreme spiritual treasure of the Jade Void Palace, owned by Yuanshi Tianzun during the Investiture of the Gods—originally meant to strike the divine generals named on the Investiture List.
But now, it had been sublimated into Jiang Ziya's Noble Phantasm.
"Eighty-four seals—Full Activation!!!"
The God-Striking Whip exploded with immense magical energy and struck down!!!
"Crack!!"
The stone-like mirror barrier cracked with a sharp shattering noise. The golden-furred fox's expression shifted—she immediately tried to escape the blast radius—but was still sucked straight into the vortex of magical energy!!!
"Don't let her escape, Sibuxiang!!"
Sibuxiang let out a roar, and its entire body released a radiant seven-colored light!
The light acted like a mini-barrier, sealing off every escape route around them.
The golden-furred fox had no way to dodge, and in the next instant—was struck directly by the God-Striking Whip!!!
"BOOOOOOOOOOM——————————!!"
In a flash, dust and smoke billowed into the sky, and the impacted ground trembled violently!
From afar, Ethan and Mash witnessed the entire scene.
"Senpai… can that Taigong Wang really defeat the enemy?"
Mash looked a bit anxious.
"Should I go over and help?"
"No need."
Ethan immediately stopped Mash from acting on that thought.
This was a divine-level battle. Mash charging in would only put her in more danger.
"Ethan, did you summon a Grand Servant again?!"
Doctor Roman's astonished voice came through Ethan's communication bracelet.
"I don't even know what to say anymore."
"Romani, by now you should start getting used to this."
Da Vinci was still operating the controls while monitoring the battle data on-screen.
"Besides, this time it's a Servant from China. After all, 'Immortal Arts' from there are something we still don't fully understand."
"With a Grand Caster capable of using Immortal Arts assisting us, we should be in good hands, right?"
Doctor Roman finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple."
Da Vinci immediately replied, her hands still tapping away at the console.
"Even if in history, Taigong Wang did defeat the millennia-old nine-tailed fox Su Daji, that's just one facet of the many names and identities the golden-furred fox currently holds. She's now a Beast V, and even infused her Saint Graph with that of Amaterasu."
Hearing that, Ethan also slightly furrowed his brow.
He had no doubt about Jiang Ziya's strength. If the opponent were just Daji, then with that special attack, he'd already be throwing a victory party.
But the opponent wasn't just Daji—she was also Tamamo no Mae, and even fused together with Amaterasu.
Just relying on the God-Striking Whip, he feared it wouldn't be enough...
"Mash, help me gather everyone who's unconscious into one spot. If I'm right, a real war is about to break out here."
"Yes, understood!"
Before the dust could even settle, another massive tremor shook the land!
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOOM————————!!!"
Jiang Ziya, still gripping the God-Striking Whip, looked up in alarm.
In his view, the body of the golden-furred fox was expanding at an unimaginable speed!
"You're just a rotten little Taoist priest. Hmph… what do you plan to do when faced with me—someone who has transcended all and possesses the Saint Graph of a deity?!"
The body of the golden-furred fox continued to swell—in the blink of an eye, it nearly filled all of MoonCell!
"Fufufu…!!!"
She gently flicked a finger—just that tiny movement forced Jiang Ziya to command Sibuxiang to retreat instantly out of range.
"Detected Saint Graph quality of Beast V rising continuously! She's absorbing MoonCell's authority to amplify herself!!!"
Da Vinci's analysis came through immediately.
"If we don't stop her, she'll seize control of all of MoonCell! This situation is completely different from Sesshouin Kiara—let me repeat, we must stop her at all costs!!"
"But even if you say that… the authority of MoonCell isn't in our hands!!"
Ethan gritted his teeth, eyes locked on the monstrous body expanding before him.
Even if he wanted to stop it, there was no way to act!
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa——————!!!"
Suddenly, from below, a silver beam of light shot upward like a meteor!
"MoonCell isn't yours to freely abuse—foreigners like you have no right to use it! Not even BB has that authority!!!"
Bathed in radiant silver light, Meltryllis charged forward, her sharpened heels gleaming with magical energy!
"Let's have the nuisances exit the stage. The Gogen Biwa... a pillar that swallows up all pleasures!"
"Begone! Sarasvati Meltout!"