The Sky is the Limit

Margaret, having campaigned for years, possessed an abundance of combat experience. While Andy's absorption of the moonlight momentarily stunned her, she swiftly comprehended that an unfavorable mutation had occurred, one that demanded eradication in its nascent stage!

With this realization, Margaret’s longsword, held in her right hand, abandoned Du Chen and Green Cloud, who were utterly incapable of escaping her impending "cage," and instead thrust towards Andy!

The longsword, wielded by the Marshal of the Skylands, effortlessly arced through the air, seeming to paint a shimmering ribbon of light, before piercing the back of Andy’s head with a flick of her wrist. Yet, there was no sound, no gush of blood, no agonizing scream as she had expected. Margaret’s blade felt as though it had struck a mere illusion!

Just then, another Andy stood behind her, staring blankly at his own legs. "Me? When did I get so fast!?"

As his voice trailed off, the Andy who had taken the sword blow before Margaret vanished – he had become so swift he could leave behind afterimages!

Margaret sneered coldly, spinning to thrust her sword once more at Andy’s throat! The slightest unexpected anomaly would never disturb the unwavering battle intent she had forged through countless grand wars as the Marshal of the Skylands!

At this very moment, Du Chen was even more astonished than Margaret. Perched on Green Cloud, his eyes widened as he gazed at Andy. As the Snow Wolf dodged Margaret’s sword with unparalleled speed, his form, too, was transforming. The originally four-legged Snow Wolf now stood upright, its pristine white fur, long limbs, and robust, inverted-triangle torso culminating in a majestic, proud wolf head, all enveloped by a faint, ethereal moonlight mist...

His dark golden eyes shimmered with light. This was not the appearance of the Composite Aberrant Beast Pamir, nor was it the lazy, gluttonous Snow Wolf!

Green Cloud, beneath Du Chen’s feet, stirred, and Du Chen roared from his Battle Soul, "Andy, stop gaping!"

After instinctively dodging Margaret’s longsword yet again, Andy’s body trembled. He was right; now was not the time to ponder the reasons for his transformation! "Understood, Master!"

His eyes locked onto Margaret’s longsword, which again thrust towards his chest. Andy sidestepped to the right, narrowly evading the blade. Then, a pair of immense, elongated wolf claws shot out like lightning, seizing Margaret’s longsword. Though blood welled from his paws, Andy twisted with immense force. With a resounding *snap*, Margaret’s sacred artifact sword was utterly twisted into a pile of components…

"Owoooo… Aoooo!!!"

A wolf’s howl, echoing across the heavens and earth, filled the Labyrinth of Life!

Andy felt exhilarating, incredibly exhilarating; only such a wild roar could vent the surging energy within his core!

Du Chen was overjoyed, yet he didn't lose his head. Green Cloud surged next to Andy. "Stop howling! Get on, quickly, and break through the Old Hag’s cage!"

Green Cloud was swift, and Andy was no less so. He sprang onto Green Cloud, charged to the edge of the confined "cage," and with a powerful grab, tore through the misty confines. Amidst fleeting wisps of cloud, the two vanished without a trace…

Margaret gazed in the direction they had disappeared, then glanced at the scattered components of her sacred artifact sword on the ground. She showed neither fury nor vexation, but an unnerving, extraordinary calm!

The female generals of the Qingshui Saintess Legion rushed forward. Seeing their Marshal alone, her longsword shattered, they were greatly alarmed. Their leader stepped forward and whispered, "Marshal…"

Margaret abruptly waved her hand. "It was merely an ordinary sacred artifact sword; it means nothing. If I had used my Water's Embrace Sword just now, his wolf claws would have been left behind…" A faint smile touched her lips. "Intriguing! Originally, his power was barely Thirteenth-rank, yet after absorbing my moonlight, he reached the critical juncture between Thirteenth-rank and Fourteenth-rank. A mere trace of moonlight actually allowed him to temporarily ascend an entire rank… I underestimated this Snow Wolf. Do any of you have information regarding him?"

The female general hastily replied, "Marshal, General Sword Slave once investigated. Du Chen's Divine Cult reportedly possesses two renowned Divine Pets…"

"One! The truth is, Andy and the Composite Aberrant Beast Pamir are, in fact, the same Aberrant Beast!"

"Your insight is brilliant, Marshal! If they are indeed the same Aberrant Beast, then General Sword Slave’s investigative report contains some inaccuracies! After my own compilation, I believe Andy’s origin to be as follows… Snow Wolf Andy was a Divine Pet acquired by Francis in the Misty Forest. Initially lazy and gluttonous, his only useful ability was tracking auras. Later, Andy left Francis but, through a fortuitous encounter, was transformed into the Ferocious Beast Pamir, demonstrating Eleventh-rank-plus strength in the Auerbach Grand Canyon. Du Chen, the Divine, subsequently subdued him, bringing us to today! The Ferocious Beast Pamir has previously exhibited various abilities, including the Golden Behemoth, Deep Abyss Beetle, and Frost Dragon…"

"Only this much?" Margaret’s eyebrow twitched slightly. "Possessing six diverse abilities, combined with a moonlight Secret Technique… Hmph, the era of the Imperial Divine Beasts has truly passed!"

The female general was startled. "Marshal, does that Ferocious Beast give even you pause?"

"Though the current Andy is formidable, I do not yet place him in my regard!" Margaret strode deeper into the Labyrinth of Life. "But his future… the sky is his only limit!"

The Saintess Legion members followed their Marshal, utterly awestruck. The rules of Water's Embrace Lake forbade them from questioning further, yet their hearts churned with a hundred forms of bewilderment and dread. "The sky is the limit" – their Marshal had never before praised anyone in such terms!

Perhaps only Margaret truly understood Andy’s latent potential. When Philip developed the Composite Aberrant Beast, Tenth-rank was already the planned limit. However, due to Andy’s existence, the Composite Aberrant Beast Pamir's ultimate strength reached the early Thirteenth-rank, which was considered the pinnacle for such beasts, with no further growth possible!

What truly weighed on Margaret’s mind was the symbiotic relationship between moonlight and Andy's power. The Marshal of the Skylands was eager to discover: if her merely simulated moonlight could temporarily elevate Andy by an entire rank, what terrifying heights would Andy reach if Francis could ever obtain the "Stellar Moonlight Array" – an artifact named 'Though the Moon Goddess has fallen, the Bright Moon Endures' – and unleash the purest moonlight in all the lands!?

Would he reach the peak of the Fourteenth-rank, like the Marshal of the Skylands and Bonis, or even the Fifteenth-rank, sufficient to rival Divine Emperor Prince, the greatest individual of all time!?

"Hidden Water Array, continue towards our objective… From this day forward, designate Du Chen's Divine Cult as our second greatest adversary, after the Requiem Death Knights. Employ every means necessary to eliminate him before Francis can mature!"

Within the boundless Labyrinth of Life, although Du Chen possessed Green Cloud's speed, he was wary of Margaret's ability to arbitrarily blast through walls and rampage through the maze. He let Green Cloud fly at full throttle, choosing any path they found. After flying for more than ten minutes, calculating that they should be an immense distance from Margaret, Du Chen finally slowed down, slumping back onto Green Cloud, and exhaled a long breath!

"Andy, I owe you big time this time…"

The Wolf-man Andy did not reply. Instead, like a deflated balloon, he abruptly reverted to his four-legged Snow Wolf form, slumping weakly beside Du Chen, utterly devoid of energy, as if he were completely exhausted.

Du Chen anxiously asked, "Are you alright?"

Andy smacked his lips. "An, Andy's too hungry to move. Can you… heheh!"

Du Chen laughed despite himself. He retrieved some dried provisions from his Precious Lotus Scripture and tossed them to Andy. The Snow Wolf devoured them ravenously, then explained, "Master, Andy was just lamenting that he was about to starve to death, but then the Old Hag suddenly struck me with moonlight. Not only was Andy unharmed, but it felt like I'd just eaten a full meal! All my energy surged, and I instantly turned into a Wolf-man." He stuck out his tongue. "But now all the moonlight is used up, and Andy's back to normal!"

"Can you still transform into the Composite Aberrant Beast?"

"That's no problem. But if I want to transform into the Wolf-man form again… I need more moonlight!"

Du Chen asked several more questions, quickly gaining a clear understanding of the Snow Wolf’s condition. The Golden Behemoth had been completely absorbed by Andy, meaning the Snow Wolf could now transform into the six-faced Composite Aberrant Beast Pamir at any time, becoming a true Thirteenth-rank Aberrant Beast! Although this Thirteenth-rank was merely nascent, how many individuals across the Three Continents could single-handedly defeat Andy?

As for the sudden transformation into a Wolf-man, Andy himself couldn't explain it, let alone Du Chen. However, Du Chen noted one crucial thing: the nascent Thirteenth-rank was the peak of the Composite Aberrant Beast’s strength, but it was not Andy’s limit. The Snow Wolf could still increase its power; as for how much… that depended on how powerful the moonlight Du Chen could find for him!

Realizing this, Du Chen lay on Green Cloud and burst into three peals of laughter!

At this point, Andy timidly asked, "Master, Andy is Thirteenth-rank now, so his future meals…"

Du Chen patted the Snow Wolf with a sly grin. "Does that even need to be asked?"

Andy smiled, happy and earnest. "But Master, Dus was pulverized…"

"Don't worry about him. That brat's sole purpose is to die. He'll just rub himself back together in a few days!"

"But, without Dus’s sensory perception, even if Andy could burrow through the life-wall, he wouldn’t know which direction to dig… Master, may I suggest that we are now lost in the Labyrinth of Life?"

Du Chen paused, taken aback. Indeed, they had relied on Dus’s perception to navigate upon entering, while using Sands of the Hourglass to mark their retreat. But the chaotic battle had not only pulverized Dus, but the Sands of the Hourglass used for marking had also vanished…

After a moment's thought, Du Chen chuckled. "No harm done! Dus will recover in a few days; at worst, we just wait a few days! If all else fails, Liana is still outside. If my brother sees that I'm gone for too long, he'll surely go to Durkes City to find little Duding to come search for us. Either way, we'll be fine!" He pointed casually in one direction. "But we can’t just wait here. Let's go this way; be careful, and move slowly forward…"

As he spoke, Andy suddenly frowned, his nose twitching.

"Why is *he* also in the Labyrinth of Life? Master, Andy smells the aura of an old friend of yours, not far from here!"