Night Sovereign's Dominion!

The moment Mo Fan handed over the Shadow Demon-Beast, he stepped back and put distance between himself and the chaos.

*I'd have to be an idiot to stand alone against this many Intermediate-Level Mages.* That Tidal Surge alone — if he hadn't moved fast enough, it would have left him half-broken.

"You deranged Water Element Mages — if you won't let anyone else have it, then you don't get to have the Shadow Demon-Beast either! Brothers, stop holding back! Let's throw these Water Element Mages out first. They're nothing but troublemakers, and keeping them around helps nobody."

The voice was deep and commanding. The speaker was Zhang Xiangming, one of the most influential figures among the senior students, and the moment he rallied the crowd, the other-element Mages who'd been suffering under the Water Element's assault finally snapped. One by one, they seized Control of their Star Charts and turned their attacks squarely on the Water Element Mages.

The Shadow Demon-Beast was technically everyone's true objective — but in a situation this chaotic, most people let their anger take the wheel. What had started as a scramble for treasure was rapidly turning into a grudge war.

Tensions between elements had always simmered beneath the surface, and in this ruleless brawl, every old grievance became justification for throwing a punch. Never mind the Shadow Demon-Beast. With this many people still standing, nobody was going to claim it anytime soon — so why not settle some scores first?

The Water Element Mages had made enemies of everyone. They were booted out one after another.

Fortunately, the commotion had reached the school. Teachers appeared outside by the dozen to drag injured students clear, and Dean Xiao — who probably hadn't expected Mo Fan to herd every single participant into one place for an all-out brawl — moved quickly. He deployed high-level Light Element magic and erected an enormous Barrier, sealing the crowd inside and preventing their energy from spilling outward. The school's buildings would be spared, and innocent bystanders kept safe.

The Light Element teachers had mobilized alongside him. Had they arrived any later, the entire Blue District would have been reduced to rubble. Every element had its share of destructive power, but Fire Element was the biggest headache — one stray Blazing Fist punching through a classroom building, and the fallout didn't bear thinking about.

Fortunately, this was the most remote corner of the campus. The administration had chosen this site precisely because they knew students might end up brawling here. What they hadn't anticipated was every single participant brawling here at once.

"Dean, someone is going to die at this rate." Zhou Zhenghua couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

"Activate the Night Sovereign's Dominion Formation. Suppress all of their power." Dean Xiao's voice was flat and final.

The brawl had only just gotten started, and most people hadn't yet crossed into blind fury — but combat had a way of spiraling. Emotions would escalate, casualties would mount.

The academy had prepared for exactly this. The very reason they had chosen this location at all was that the ground beneath it housed a Night Sovereign's Dominion Formation.

Night Sovereign's Dominion was a high-level Shadow Element spell. Magic Stones were arranged along painstakingly laid Star Trails and Star Charts; then, with a massive infusion of energy, it could be activated in formation form — multiplying the spell's power severalfold, even dozens of times over.

The Night Sovereign's Dominion Formation sat squarely beneath the students' battle zone. The moment Dean Xiao gave the order, the brilliant night sky was swallowed whole.

It was as if a colossal dark hand had risen above them, its palm wide enough to blot out the heavens.

As that sovereign hand slowly descended from the sky, Dark Stones buried in the earth blazed into view around the Beast-Taming Cage — one appearing after another.

Viewed from high above, the arrangement of those Dark Stones would have traced the unmistakable shape of a Star Chart.

The Shadow Star Chart manifested first. Then, as each Dark Stone acting as a Star Mote poured out streams of light that wove together overhead, more Star Charts materialized in the air itself.

Star Mote by Star Mote, they linked into Star Trails.

Star Trail by Star Trail, they formed Star Charts.

And the Star Charts didn't stop at one — several blazed across the ground, while the dark-light nodes crossing high overhead formed patterns of their own.

Ai Tutu and Mu Nujiao were on the rooftop. They had the perfect vantage point, looking straight down.

One colossal Shadow Element Star Chart after another manifested before their eyes, the spectacle stunning even Mu Nujiao — who had seen more than most. She hadn't imagined the school harbored a Shadow Element formation of this scale.

"A constellation... it's a grand formation of high-level magic!"

Mu Nujiao stared at the scene below, awe written across her face. The sacred, solemn Star Charts filled her vision.

A constellation. A Shadow Element constellation.

She looked up. The night sky had become a descending hand — a vast cloak, settling slowly over everything beneath it.

The starlight was gone. The city lights in the distance were gone. Even standing right beside someone, you could barely see your own hand in front of your face.

It had been a nighttime battle to begin with — but the moment the Night Sovereign's Dominion Formation activated, an absolute, total darkness swallowed the entire campus. From outside, the affected area looked like a gaping, horrifying void torn into the world.

"What's happening?!"

"I can't see anything — I can't see anything at all!"

"My magic — why can't I Release my magic?!"

The constellation had vanished. The Night Sovereign's cloak had settled over the land. In the blackness, a sourceless dread took root in every heart — and that dread fed on itself, swelling, multiplying, curdling into panic.

"Priest, there's a formation here — have we been discovered?!" Gray One had gone pale.

A grand formation of high-level magic. A Shadow Element formation at that — Night Sovereign's Dominion.

Under its influence, magical power didn't merely diminish. You'd find yourself trapped in a lightless labyrinth, and walking back out was anything but simple.

"Don't panic," Yu'ang said, composed and cool. "If they were targeting us, they wouldn't have used a Shadow Element spell that traps the students along with us — unless the school is willing to let us slaughter their own people."

"Priest, this formation is something the school prepared long in advance, specifically to prevent mass casualties in an all-out brawl," Fu Tianming said quickly, eager to be useful. "Its only purpose is to suppress the power of Intermediate-Level magic — to keep it from killing indiscriminately. I found this out from a teacher who let it slip after a few drinks."

Yu'ang turned a cold gaze on him. "And you didn't think to mention that sooner?"

Fu Tianming went quiet.

The formation had genuinely shaken Yu'ang — for a moment he'd thought they'd been exposed. But if this was just a precautionary measure to reduce student casualties, then the Shadow Element formation had just done them an enormous favor. In this pitch-black chaos, even if they summoned the Black-Beast Demon, who could possibly know it was theirs?

"Under Night Sovereign's Dominion, virtually every elemental system takes a severe hit," Gray One said, his lips stretching into a grin. "Our Black-Beast Demon is a cursed creature — it won't gain any boost from the darkness, but it won't be weakened by the formation either. Mo Fan, with his Fire Element, Lightning Element, and Summoning Element, will be crippled across the board. He'll be far easier to deal with."

Yu'ang let out a laugh he couldn't suppress.

The situation had swung completely in their favor.

This time, the Earth Sacred Spring inside the Shadow Demon-Beast would be theirs — and Mo Fan would meet his end right here.