The four stars slammed home in rapid succession.
Gu Lanyue's barrier of shimmering, poison silk met the first stellar impact head-on.
It was a thunderclap that shook the earth beneath them, the silk rippling violently like disturbed water, but holding firm, deflecting the raw force outwards in a spray of corrosive green light.
The second star struck moments later.
A deeper, groaning CRACK echoed as the shield visibly dented inward.
The silk strands groaned under the strain, their luminous sheen flickering erratically.
Gu Lanyue gritted his teeth, a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
The third star hit the dent.
The sound was the shriek of rending metal.
Hairline fractures, glowing with the contained fury of the star, spiderwebbed across the barrier's surface.
Gu Lanyue gasped, stumbling back half a step as the impact reverberated through his bones, the transferred force making his internal organs churn.
Blood now stained his lips freely.
