Chapter 108: The Diva's March

"Heh, you, just focus on protecting me." Seeing the expression on Wen Hui's face, Zhuang Xiaoyuan knew that she must be feeling frustrated at not being able to contribute at such a critical moment. With a reassuring smile, Zhuang Xiaoyuan spoke to her.

"Understood." Wen Hui was taken aback by the reply, a ripple of surprise flashing through her eyes before it transformed into a deep, heartfelt smile. She nodded firmly, accepting the task.

"Divine Armament: Descent Transformation." Golden light erupted once more. Amidst the brilliant radiance, an elegant young lady stepped forth. She had silver-violet hair and matching eyes; she wore a bodice with hollow sleeves and lace-like light ribbons, paired with a skirt featuring pleated light-edged ruffles. It was a gown of light, dominated by bright yellow with pale purple accents. Adorning her long, silver-violet hair was a crescent-shaped hairpiece decorated with white lilies. This maiden possessed an appearance entirely different from Zhuang Xiaoyuan's, particularly in her height and chest, which had seen significant development.

"As expected, a new transformation form I've never seen before." Witnessing Zhuang Xiaoyuan's divine descent transformation again, Wen Hui couldn't help but marvel in her heart, let alone Man Yutong, who was seeing it for the first time.

Zhuang Xiaoyuan's transformation was unlike ordinary divine descents; it was as if she had become an entirely different person, even her aura shifting completely. Yet, in Man Yutong’s eyes, while Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s presence had changed, the core essence remained the same.

"You must protect me well, Xiao Hui." The transformed Zhuang Xiaoyuan suddenly wore an alluring smile, leaning in close to Wen Hui’s cheek. Her lips, coated in a tantalizing gloss, brushed against Wen Hui’s ear, whispering in a melodious voice.

"W-w-what are you doing, Xiaoyuan?" Caught off guard by the sudden proximity, and with the warmth of her breath causing a strange, sensitive stir in her ear, Wen Hui flushed a deep red. She reached out to push Zhuang Xiaoyuan away, her hand landing directly on a sensitive area.

"Oh my, Xiao Hui, you're quite lewd. But if it's you, I suppose it's fine." The smile on Zhuang Xiaoyuan's face didn't waver; instead, it took on a playful, predatory glint. With her left hand cradling her chest, she pressed her right index and middle fingers to her lips and blew a kiss at Wen Hui.

"Stop joking around, mind the situation!" Seeing the flying kiss, Wen Hui felt her heart race uncontrollably, as if she had been struck by a sudden infatuation. *No, no, I wouldn't be attracted to the same sex, I’m not a pervert!* Despite her internal protest, her ears burned crimson as she looked at Zhuang Xiaoyuan.

"Xiao Hui, you're truly adorable. However, if we want to savor the victory, we must first clear away the unsightly trash." As Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s gaze shifted to the intense battlefield, her alluring expression cooled into one of calm focus. The heavy scent of lilies surrounding her began to fade.

"Come, sing, chant, and celebrate: Gabriel." As her high-heeled foot touched the ground, Zhuang Xiaoyuan assumed the form of the Tree of Life Sequence Nine Music Spirit, codenamed Diva: Miku Izayoi. At her summons, a massive golden pipe organ rose slowly behind her. Simultaneously, a stream of white light encircled her, forming a ring of musical keys. This was Miku Izayoi’s sound-based Angel, Gabriel.

With the appearance of the golden organ, golden pipes erupted from the earth around the battlefield, their muzzles tilting downward to aim at the Guardians and the maiden demons locked in combat.

"Enjoy my first melody: March." As Zhuang Xiaoyuan moved her hands nimbly across the light-keyboard, a stirring, passionate melody erupted from the organ. The clear, spirited notes of the march echoed across the battlefield through the countless pipes.

"This is..." As the march reached their ears, Wang Mingyue, Hua Ze, Hua Jing, and even Wen Hui and Man Yutong were enveloped in colorful musical notes of energy. With the appearance of this energy, they all felt a significant boost to their strength—especially those Zhuang Xiaoyuan focused on.

As the musical energy swirled around Wang Mingyue, a surge of power welled up within him. He felt as though he had broken through, reaching the mid-tier Grace level. Although this elevation was temporary, bolstered by external force, it would prove immensely helpful for his future cultivation.

However, the greatest benefit belonged to Man Yutong. While Wang Mingyue’s advancement was a higher-tier Grace level progression, it was merely a minor breakthrough. Man Yutong, though grievously wounded and lying on the ground, crossed the final threshold under the influence of the march, ascending from the Descent level to the Grace level.

It was not a temporary boost, but a permanent breakthrough. Experiencing the insights of the Grace level through Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s music, the bottleneck that had restrained Man Yutong shattered in an instant, allowing her to advance to the low-tier Grace level.

This major leap in cultivation significantly eased her injuries. As she stood up, the internal damage had largely healed. Though not fully recovered, she was once again capable of combat.

Noticing the change, a flicker of emotion passed through Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s eyes. The musical notes circling Man Yutong intensified, appearing almost solid. Under the influence of this energy, Man Yutong’s divine power climbed steadily. Within seconds, bolstered by the march, she reached the mid-tier Grace level. Though new to this state and unable to control her abilities perfectly, she was now capable of inflicting effective damage on the maiden demons.

"What a remarkable amplification ability. Wen Hui, protect Xiaoyuan. I'm going to jump into that fight." Her calm expression replaced by a rare, excited grin, Man Yutong spread her restored eagle wings and flew into the fray.

"Haha, what an unexpected little one. Die, monster!" Feeling her abilities slightly boosted by the swirling notes, Hua Ze laughed heartily, swinging his flaming greatsword—which had already clashed countless times with the maiden demons—back into the heart of the battle.