A middle-aged woman, 40 to 50 years old, stood before them. She was very tall and extremely thin, with sunken cheekbones that gave her a malnourished appearance.

Her gaze was profound, yet tinged with a hint of madness.

"I didn't expect you to arrive so soon! It's a pity the water wasn't released, but that's fine. I can use it myself!"

Yang Liya took the lead, flashing forward in an instant and throwing a punch!

"Disperse!"

WHOOSH!

A polar light erupted from Zhuang Yanshan's body. The Sixth Tier Yang Liya actually failed to gain an advantage; a single blow repelled her, sending her back to the doorway!

"Her strength is somewhat strange!"

As Zhuang Yanshan gazed around, the walls of the entire hall began to ignite with purple Netherflame.

These Netherflames continuously forced Lu Luo and the others back, not stopping until they were pushed to the edge of the door.

The people rushing in now weren't just Hunters; Church members were also among them.

They looked at Zhuang Yanshan at the far end of the hall with complicated expressions.

"Priest Zhuang, did you do all this? Are you really polluting the water source?"

Zhuang Yanshan smiled.

"This isn't pollution; this is evolution. A turning point in human transformation, understand?"

One Priest found it hard to believe that the usually amiable Zhuang Yanshan could utter such words.

"Why would you do this? If you think there's something wrong with the Church, we could slowly improve it!"

"Yes, Priest Zhuang, if you do this, many people in the East Ring will die!"

In response to the Church members' questions, Zhuang Yanshan merely sneered.

"The Wasteland Alliance is humanity's Wasteland Alliance, the high walls are humanity's high walls, and the Fourth Ring is humanity's Fourth Ring.

These things all belong to humanity as a whole, not to the Parliament, and certainly not to the Church.

Nowadays, the Church, apart from its self-proclaimed righteousness, has nothing commendable.

They have strayed from faith and Holy Light. The brilliance of Li Ming is no longer with them."

"Priest Zhuang, why would you say such things?"

Zhuang Yanshan paced slowly, heading towards the center of the water purification pool.

The Netherflame grew more vigorous and terrifying. Except for Lu Luo, everyone else felt as if their life force was being drained away.

"Heh, let me give you the simplest example then!

When the Church sends out a Priest to heal and save people now, they even charge money—a great deal of money.

Does such a Priest still count as a Healer under the Holy Light?"

At the mention of Priests charging money, many Church members' eyes darted about evasively.

According to Church doctrine, Priests were representatives of care, healing, and love, always helping people selflessly.

But today's Priests, to put it mildly, were rarely poor.

Zhuang Yanshan looked at them, her head held high again, an unmistakable disdain in her eyes.

"The Church's Priests always say they are powerless to change these things, and their reasoning is simple.

It is that individual power is insufficient to change the greater environment. Heh, how nice they make it sound!

But you've never considered the expressions of new recruits, fresh to the priesthood, when they hear that you charge exorbitant fees for healing.

You ignore their questioning gazes; you even ostracize other Priests who heal without charging.

When murkiness becomes the norm, purity becomes a sin. That's exactly what you're doing.

In a world of crows, even a beautiful white swan is a heretic."

What she says is all true!

Lu Luo was also silent. These issues within the Church were likely why Han Shiyu and Qiao Xing had distanced themselves from its center of power.

As Zhuang Yanshan finished speaking, You Jian'an, one of the East Ring's bishops, walked in, leaning on a cane.

The moment he entered, Lu Luo whispered to Yang Liya,

"See? I told you this old man isn't as frail as he pretends. He covered such a long distance in so little time.

If he were really at death's door, could he walk this far without his face turning red or gasping for breath?!"

Lu Luo's words were crude but not unreasonable. Yang Liya had also noticed something odd about You Jian'an.

It wasn't just his speed. Even for the stretch You Jian'an had just walked coming in, his pace was much faster than before.

And not only was it fast, but it was also very steady. His breathing was even, without the slightest hint of panting.

"There's something wrong with this old man's vitality and physique!"

As a top executive of the East Ring Hunters, Yang Liya knew about the Fruit of Life.

However, like many other Hunters, she was skeptical about its specific effects.

The Church had never provided any substantial case studies, and the Hunters' records were ambiguous.

But when she saw You Jian'an, this old fellow, walking swiftly due to urgency, Yang Liya was truly convinced.

"It seems the effects of the Fruit of Life are quite astonishing."

Seeing Yang Liya seemed to have taken an interest, Lu Luo hurriedly added,

"If you were to investigate this matter relentlessly, you'd certainly find even more astonishing things."

Hearing Lu Luo's words, Yang Liya didn't nod in agreement. Instead, she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You seem very concerned about this Fruit of Life matter?"

"Isn't something like this worth being concerned about?"

Although Yang Liya's actions seemed very aggressive, in reality, every step she took was carefully considered and prepared.

She had stormed the Church because the East Ring riots were too significant, having crossed the bottom line for the East Ring Hunters, the Parliament, and all its citizens.

The Nightmare Demon's Netherflame was a fundamental problem that allowed no ambiguity.

But the Fruit of Life, as inhumane as it seemed, didn't actually have as great an impact as it sounded.

The consequences of the Fruit of Life were merely the deaths of some women from the Fourth Ring.

In the Fourth Ring, women's lives were the least valuable; even if sacrificed, it wouldn't attract much attention.

Yang Liya's fierceness wasn't recklessness, nor was she the type to pursue truth at all costs. If she were, she wouldn't have reached her current position.

She cherished her reputation, believing her status and position enabled her to make more meaningful contributions.

For her to investigate the Fruit of Life with no holds barred was simply impossible.

"Let's discuss this later. First, let's see what this woman, Zhuang Yanshan, is up to!"

Lu Luo looked at Yang Liya and nodded thoughtfully.

From this brief interaction, he had understood one thing:

He and Yang Liya could be excellent cooperative partners, but they could never become true friends or companions.

Their work methods were similar, and they shared the same rhythm, but their fundamental principles differed.

As the saying goes, "Those with different paths cannot make plans together."

Regarding joining Hunter Team 2, Lu Luo had already made his decision.

At the far end of the hall, Zhuang Yanshan had slowly walked to the edge of the purification pool.

She stopped at the pool's edge, crouched down, and placed an arm into the water.

HUM!

Purple Netherflame erupted violently within the pool, its chilling power spreading throughout the purification chamber.

The Netherflame burned along Zhuang Yanshan's arm and over her body, but she seemed to feel no pain. Instead, she wore an entranced expression.

"You Jian'an, you deserve to die! You should have died long ago! The position of Bishop should not belong to someone like you."

With a gesture from Zhuang Yanshan, You Jian'an's body was unexpectedly seized and suspended in mid-air.

Purple energy was continuously extracted from You Jian'an's body. The healthy old man began to age rapidly.

And this time, he was truly aging.

Neither Lu Luo nor Yang Liya moved to stop Zhuang Yanshan.

In just over ten seconds, You Jian'an, a relatively healthy old man, aged to death just like that!

Zhuang Yanshan looked at the dead You Jian'an and smiled.

"The Church has made a mistake, a tremendous mistake. Since it's a tremendous mistake, it naturally needs correction.

But the powers that erred are too strong. I knew I lacked the strength to contend with them, so external forces are needed to correct these errors.

For instance, the power of the Nightmare Demon."

Zhuang Yanshan, Fifth Tier Transcendent, abilities unknown, sequence unknown, extremely high Dark Energy Level, highly dangerous. Possesses Netherflame energy, potential for aberration; the Netherflame is consuming her original life force. Attributes: Strength 20, Agility 15, Constitution 15.

"I'll give you time. Continue detecting; find her weakness."

Detecting weaknesses of Zhuang Yanshan (Unknown Entity), please wait...

Watching the Netherflame continually burning on Zhuang Yanshan's body, Lu Luo narrowed his eyes.

This woman was so confident; she definitely wasn't as simple as her attribute values suggested.

He needed to buy some time for the Observer to analyze her flaws.

He shouldn't have been the one to speak up at this moment, but when it came to understanding the Nightmare Demon, perhaps no one here had a deeper insight than him.

"Priest Zhuang, is it? Your intention to change the Church's current state is good, but you and Priest Wu En have made the same mistake."

"Mistake?"

"Yes, you made the same wrong choice: believing in the Nightmare Demon.

The power of the Nightmare Demon—nightmares, Netherflame, chaos, control over hearts and lives—the Nightmare Demon itself represents extreme evil.

So, are you sure that by borrowing its power, you can truly change the situation in the East Ring as you wish?

And ultimately, your actions have killed too many people in the East Ring, most of whom were just ordinary civilians.

These civilians work diligently, from morning till night. They make 200 yuan a month, without a single day off, just wanting to live a decent life.

They just want to live. What's wrong with that?

What gives you the right to decide their life and death?"

To be honest, it's true. People just want to live their lives peacefully, not cause any upheaval.

Zhuang Yanshan was incapable of answering Lu Luo's questions, nor did she intend to explain.

Having become so fanatical, she certainly wouldn't back down just because of a few words from Lu Luo.

"Hehe, your thinking is very clear! However, I still believe the Church, the Parliament, and even the entire Alliance need to be restructured.

We need a new era, a new way of life, a world where everyone is equal.

No Fruit of Life, no corruption, no exploitation.

Everything I've done is not for myself but to correct these mistakes.

In the process of correcting mistakes, some sacrifices are inevitable.

They didn't die in vain; they simply became the keys to ushering in the new era."

Fanatical and crazed, Zhuang Yanshan at this moment was so similar to Wu En back then!

Wu En's madness at the time stemmed from seeing a former colleague he'd looked down upon living too well, leading him to profoundly question his own life's path.

In more mystical terms, his Dao heart had collapsed; in plainer terms, his worldview had been annihilated, a cognitive disorder.

And the meaning in Zhuang Yanshan's tone was already quite clear: she knew, or at least understood, the current decay within the Church and the Parliament.

Zhuang Yanshan had a certain awareness of the Fruit of Life, the corruption of the Inner Ring, and the exploitation in the Fourth Ring.

This awareness fueled her desire to change the world, but her abilities were insufficient to actually do so.

Therefore, she was enticed by the Nightmare Demon. It was just unknown if she, like Wu En, had undergone the baptism of the Dawn Disc.

Listening to her explanation, Lu Luo shook his head.

"Ignorant, and uninteresting."

The Netherflame burned more fiercely. Everyone except Lu Luo continued to retreat.

Although Zhuang Yanshan's strength was only at the Fifth Tier, the power of Netherflame was, as Lu Luo had said, something not even a Sixth Tier expert could touch directly.

Yang Liya had already taken her battle armor and gauntlets from a nearby teammate, preparing to join the fight when the time was right.

However, Zhuang Yanshan paid no attention to Yang Liya, the Sixth Tier expert. Instead, she shifted her gaze back to Lu Luo.

It was as if Lu Luo could pique her interest more.

"I originally thought this plan was perfect. As long as I waited for the water from this pool to spread, no matter what you did, you'd have no chance to turn things around.

But I never expected someone could uncover the truth, layer by layer, so quickly and find this place.

I know Yang Liya's abilities. Though she has Void Tracking, solving cases like this isn't her strong suit.

The key person who found this place... it must have been you, right?

Mr. Lu Luo."

"Yes, I often play the 'key person.' But after dragging this out for so long, your mutation should be almost complete, shouldn't it?

I can feel you absorbing the Netherflame in the pool."

"Mutation?" The others were startled.

"Mr. Lu Luo, you truly are formidable. This feeling, of having every step anticipated by someone else, is truly hard to accept!

However, foreseeing the enemy's moves also requires the strength to match!"

Zhuang Yanshan's voice gradually began to tremble.

CRACK!

Segmented, chitinous limbs appeared behind Zhuang Yanshan. Her human form was gradually replaced by long, jointed legs.

Meanwhile, Zhuang Yanshan's body grew larger and larger, transforming into a colossal, human-faced centipede monster.

Its elongated body snaked through, almost completely blocking the entire purification pool.

Nightmare Centipede - Zhuang Yanshan, Sixth Tier deformed Exotic Species, one of the Nightmare Emissaries, (formerly a) Fifth Tier Transcendent, Transcendent abilities unknown, Sequence unknown. Exotic Species abilities: Nightmare Tentacle, Netherflame Breath, Ultra Regeneration. Warning: The Netherflame is consuming her primordial life force. Attributes: Strength 150, Agility 95, Constitution 315.

Zhuang Yanshan held her human head high, looking down upon the Hunters and other Church members.

She suddenly spewed a mouthful of Netherflame.

Seeing the Netherflame bearing down, Yang Liya hesitated no longer. She pushed Lu Luo aside and charged forward, punching.

Strength Wave - Penetrating Force.

This was a move very similar to Lu Luo's Deliberate Bombardment Fist, their methods of generating force being very close.

However, Penetrating Force carried no attached energy; it was a pure shockwave of force.

BOOM!

The powerful Penetrating Force collided with the Netherflame. The resulting turbulent blast swept through the area, and where the Netherflame passed, nothing survived.

Many low-tier Hunters and Believers, their own energy insufficient to resist the Netherflame's power, had their life force drained away by the purple flames and died.

The scattered Netherflame forced the nearby Transcendents to flee, let alone try to help.

A clash between Sixth Tiers was not something that could be compensated for with numbers. Even someone like Lu Luo, capable of fighting beyond his level, could only prudently hide behind a wall.

The collision between Yang Liya and Zhuang Yanshan was terrifying.

Zhuang Yanshan continuously spewed Netherflame, but Yang Liya's strength dispersed all of it.

However, the scattered Netherflame set the entire purification room ablaze!

Amidst the blazing Netherflame, the two confronted each other once again.

"Zhuang Yanshan, I've figured out your abilities. This time, I'll finish you!"

Yang Liya's figure vanished in an instant. Her agility of over 300, amplified by her strength techniques, allowed her speed to completely overwhelm the Zhuang Yanshan before her.

Her high-speed movement was like teleportation. When Yang Liya reappeared, her fierce punch landed squarely on Zhuang Yanshan's human face.

The punch blazed with heat, its force shattering the vacuum and creating a violent vacuum explosion.

Strength Wave - Dominating Sky Obliterating Bombardment.

BOOM!

Flesh, carapace, everything that was the Nightmare Centipede turned into mincemeat under the might of that single punch.

Like a demon lord descending from the heavens, truly a walking calamity in the mortal world!

"Damn, Yang Liya's punch was incredible!"

Lu Luo, though amazed, sensed something was amiss.

The Nightmare Centipede's life force hasn't dissipated. It's still alive, and very much so.

"Its ability... Ultra Regeneration?"

Seeing the fleshy pulp already floating in the air and Yang Liya still suspended mid-air, Lu Luo immediately sensed the danger.

"Yang Liya, dodge! Quick!"

Although Yang Liya wasn't sure why Lu Luo was telling her to dodge, over the past day or so, Lu Luo's actions had earned her trust.

Though she was now somewhat fatigued and her arms ached, she instantly shot out a grappling hook, pulling herself to an adjacent wall.

Just as Yang Liya made contact with the wall, the Nightmare Centipede's body instantly solidified and recombined.

Its color changed from the previous purple-black to the current purple-red.

"Hahahaha! Yang Liya, do you feel it? This is the power of My Lord!

Want to kill me? Hehehe, go on, try!"

Zhuang Yanshan laughed with a touch of madness, but Yang Liya was dismissive.

"What's there to be proud of in an Exotic Species' power!"

Nearby, Lu Luo frowned slightly. He felt Yang Liya might have misunderstood.

The 'My Lord' Zhuang Yanshan referred to wasn't the Nightmare Demon. Just like with the former Wu En, when Church members like them said 'My Lord,' they generally referred to the Dawn Disc they worshipped.

So, Zhuang Yanshan's mutation wasn't solely due to the Nightmare Demon's enticement, but also involved the Dawn Disc?

This Dawn Disc... why does it feel like it's always causing trouble?

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