In fact, Lu Luo was very clear that Yang Liya's sudden defeat was greatly related to his actions.

Previously, Zhuang Yanshan had the upper hand in the battle against Yang Liya.

As long as they kept delaying, with the effect of Ultra Regeneration, defeating Yang Liya was just a matter of time; there was no need to use the Word Curse.

Yet, she used it. She wanted to defeat Yang Liya quickly and kill Lu Luo.

The reason was simple: it was highly likely because there was something in the pool that she cared about.

So Lu Luo's guess that the Nethersource Flame Seed was in the water was probably correct.

"What do we do now?"

"You run that way, I'll go this way. Let's split up. Help me distract her again!"

"Okay!"

Yang Liya, who had staunched the bleeding, was already capable of moving. After all, she was a Sixth Tier expert and not so fragile.

She and Lu Luo split up and started running at high speed around Zhuang Yanshan's body.

At this moment, Zhuang Yanshan's attention was clearly focused on Lu Luo.

Three consecutive Netherflame Breaths were aimed at Lu Luo.

[Dive forward, roll, Qi He + Jet Belt reorientation!]

Lu Luo followed the Observer's advance warnings to the letter, as he had no energy to spare tracking the Nightmare Centipede's position.

Dive forward, roll, Qi He + Jet Belt reorientation!

Having dodged attacks repeatedly, Lu Luo once again arrived at the edge of the pool filled with Netherflame.

"Yang Liya!"

"I know!"

Yang Liya, her bleeding stopped, took action once again. But this time, she didn't choose to punch or kick.

Instead, she grabbed the tail of the Nightmare Centipede and flung it away with brute force.

Since attacking was ineffective, controlling the opponent to buy Lu Luo as much time as possible was the best remaining option.

"Nice!"

Lu Luo activated his Jet Belt and, coordinating with his Steam Qi He, made a quick dash and suddenly leaped toward the center of the pool.

A tiny wisp of Netherflame ignited in his palm. Though small, it could extinguish the surrounding Netherflames.

This little flame was enough to ensure Lu Luo landed safely in the pool.

But just then, Zhuang Yanshan knocked aside Yang Liya, who was already drained of strength.

The humanoid's eyes were fixed on Lu Luo mid-air, and it opened its mouth.

"Drained!"

Though it was just two words, Zhuang Yanshan seemed to have used all her strength. The eyes on her human torso, atop the centipede body, turned blood red, and blood flowed from her nose and mouth.

She looked at Lu Luo somewhat incredulously; how could one Word Curse almost drain all her Life Energy? How was that possible?

What's with this kid's body?

Meanwhile, Lu Luo's pupils also constricted, as the effect of the Word Curse had descended upon him.

Drained!

Such a simple word, but now Lu Luo knew all too well the disgusting and vicious effect it had.

His Steam Qi He instantly dissipated. The unvented pressure began to damage Lu Luo's body; fortunately, his Constitution was strong enough for him to endure.

This was just the beginning. Lu Luo felt utterly powerless; he couldn't even lift his arms or move his body.

And in front of him was the pool filled with terrible Netherflame!

Lu Luo plummeted headfirst into it without any defense.

"Lu Luo!" Yang Liya exclaimed.

If something happened to Lu Luo, how would she explain it to Ludie?

Although the Security Bureau's task for her was to monitor Ludie, monitoring was predicated on Ludie being compliant with their surveillance.

This was it, all over!

Lu Luo was engulfed by the pool of Netherflame, leaving Zhuang Yanshan without an adversary. She watched everyone and let out an angry roar.

"AHHH!"

The piercing scream reverberated throughout the entire Church district, carrying towards the East Ring.

"Today, I am going to destroy the East Ring Church."

...

[Netherflame is extracting the host's Life Energy; host's Life Energy continues to drain.]

[The Devourer is devouring Netherflame; the host's Netherflame seed is small, devouring speed is slow.]

[Netherflame is extracting the host's Life Energy; host's Life Energy continues to drain.]

[The Devourer is devouring Netherflame; the host's Netherflame seed is small, devouring speed is slow.]

These alternating messages left Lu Luo somewhat numb.

Netherflame grew stronger by draining his Life Energy. Simultaneously, the Devourer consumed the Netherflame. They were caught in a strange cycle, a bizarre kind of reincarnation.

[This cycle poses a great risk. Do you need to enter the Disc World?]

"No need."

Lu Luo lay quietly at the bottom of the pool. In front of him was the core of the entire pool: the Nethersource Flame Seed.

Countless Netherflames began to converge around Lu Luo's body, seemingly burning and forging his flesh, reorganizing his blood and bones.

In the process, all the hair on Lu Luo's body turned to ashes.

His skin gradually became pallid, his lips turned purple, and his eyes grew darker, like a corpse that had traversed the realms of the living and the dead.

"Faster, a little faster!"

[Your body is being continuously tempered by Netherflame; your Essence of Life has changed.]

[Your Sequence Chain B-00 Extreme has undergone some new changes, transformed into Sequence Chain B-00 Unbeliever.]

Sequence Chain B-00 Unbeliever

Effect 1 - Resilience: Reduce 30% of all damage, stacks with any other damage reduction, all damage ultimately -10.

Effect 2 - Agility: Increase 30% overall speed, reduce damage from high falls, enhance jumping ability.

Effect 3 - Might: Increase 30% physical damage, physical damage penetration 10%.

Effect 4 - Vigor: Increase 50% vitality, increase 16% of physical damage.

Effect 5 - Superstition: You are very superstitious.

You do not believe in the power of others, so ignore 30% of attribute energy damage not from yourself.

You only believe in your own power, so you cause additional effects when inflicting damage on others.

Poison - Weaken, Thunder - Paralyze, Nether - Aging.

You do not believe in destiny, so reduce any control or mental effects by 50%.

Description 1: Only the Unbelievers who persist through the Extreme State can become those who transcend life and death.

Description 2: The Unbeliever cannot evolve again; you need the blood of a Titan.

The transformation of the Sequence Chain surprised Lu Luo. Had 'Extreme' finally evolved to the level of a titled entity?

Although still Grade B, its effects were now so powerful they seemed almost insurmountable.

However, Effect 5 - Superstition, was a bit problematic. What did it mean he didn't believe in the power of others, thus reducing 30% of attribute damage?

And what did it mean to only believe in oneself? That wasn't accurate at all, was it?

If people like Ludie and Qiao Xing were standing before him, wouldn't he believe in them? That was called strength.

If you were a nobody, how could he believe in you then?

And that last bit, not believing in destiny—how should he put it? It wasn't exactly true either.

If his rich ladies and little sisters were all taken care of, he could compromise with something like destiny.

So, even though the Superstition Effect was strong, Lu Luo still felt it wasn't quite right.

If it's wrong, then I should dispute it.

GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE... UH!

Lu Luo opened his mouth, then remembered he was at the bottom of a pool filled with Netherflame, where speaking only produced gurgling sounds.

But now, it was time to emerge.

He stared at the Nethersource Flame Seed in front of him, suddenly opened his mouth, and swallowed it whole.

Then!

GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE!~

[Unknown energy entity invading. Scan complete: energy entity identified as Nethersource Flame Seed.]

[The Devourer is now devouring Netherflame on your behalf. Please wait...]

[The Fusioner is currently fusing the Nethersource Flame Seed for you. Please wait...]

...

The Netherflame burned through the entire Church district. This power was simply too sinister and irresistible; low-grade Transcendents died in droves.

The Church here also hadn't been allocated enough high-grade equipment, which allowed Zhuang Yanshan to go on an unstoppable rampage.

She was mowing down lives as if they were grass.

BANG!

Yang Liya was sent flying by a sweeping tail strike; her stamina and Dark Energy had reached their limits. A war of attrition was never her strong suit.

To have lasted this long was already impressive.

"Why haven't the Bureau reinforcements arrived? And Qiao Xing isn't here either—that guy!"

Just as Yang Liya was about to be killed, Zhuang Yanshan shook her long legs somewhat gleefully.

"Although it's a pity the Netherflame hasn't spread, our primary goal has been achieved. And being able to kill a Sixth Tier expert right now? I'm very satisfied with that! So, die!"

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

Numerous missiles bombarded the colossal body of the Nightmare Centipede, the impact of the Dark Energy explosions tearing its torso apart once again.

The reinforcements from the East Ring Hunters had finally arrived!

However, the effects of Ultra Regeneration were still terrifying. Even though releasing two Word Curses just now had diminished Zhuang Yanshan's recovery ability, this decline was not enough to affect her near-resurrection capabilities.

Four Hunter team captains, fully equipped, arrived simultaneously.

"Prepare the Dark Energy Sniper Cannon! I'll buy you time."

The speaker was Ping Hezhi, Captain of Team 16, who was already piloting his Mecha towards the Nightmare Centipede.

"Understood, the Dark Energy Sniper Cannon is ready."

"Firepower suppression."

Large Dark Energy cannons continuously bombarded the Nightmare Centipede's body. It was repeatedly destroyed, only to regenerate, over and over.

Although the four captains were somewhat astonished at the Nightmare Centipede's exceptional regenerative power, they also noticed that its regeneration speed was slowing down!

"Her regenerative ability shouldn't be unlimited. Continue the suppression! Kill her with the sniper cannon!"

"No problem."

Ping Hezhi took the lead, ramming the Nightmare Centipede aside, then carefully tossed Yang Liya to safety.

Just as he prepared to engage in close combat with an alloy vibrating sword, Zhuang Yanshan sprayed a mouthful of Netherflame onto his Mecha's face.

"This fire! Put it out for me!"

"We've doused it, but it's no use!"

Netherflame couldn't be extinguished by water; the intense flames continued to burn Ping Hezhi's cockpit.

"Captain Ping, eject! This flame is different! It's much more potent than any Netherflame we've encountered before!"

Ping Hezhi was about to eject when Zhuang Yanshan's long leg stabbed towards him.

SPLAT!

She was human and, as such, was intimately familiar with all the strengths of human tactical weapons.

Her first leg instantly severed one of the Mecha's legs, causing it to lose balance.

Her second leg immediately pierced the Mecha's cockpit, impaling Ping Hezhi.

The Netherflame outside the cockpit, seizing the opportunity, swiftly claimed the life of this Hunter team captain.

"Captain Ping?"

"Captain Ping!"

"Another one dead! Hehehe!"

A smile appeared on Zhuang Yanshan's face again, but it didn't last long.

The Dark Energy Sniper Cannon had fired.

A powerful beam instantly hit the Nightmare Centipede's torso, turning Zhuang Yanshan's body to dust in an instant.

This obliteration was even more devastating than Yang Liya's Heaven Tyrant Cross Blast—such was the power of human technology.

"It's done! Hurry up and save Captain Yang!"

"Okay."

Just as Captain Zhong Hong of Team 30 jumped out of the cabin, a long tentacle from the Nightmare Demon pierced through her body.

The dust particles in the air began to coalesce and grow—rapidly, wildly!

The Nightmare Centipede, restored once again!

Netherflame descended, draining the life from everything in sight. Zhong Hong perished as well.

When Zhuang Yanshan was about to kill the third team captain, she suddenly sensed something was off and then looked at the pool with a face full of horror.

"No!"

Shoving aside the few Transcendents who tried to stop her, Zhuang Yanshan plunged into the ruined pool.

At the same time, all the surrounding Netherflame was converging towards the pool.

The roiling, burning water prevented even the Hunters in their reinforced Mechas from approaching.

Deep within the glowing pool, Lu Luo's eight tentacles had already pierced Zhuang Yanshan's body.

The Nightmare Centipede's entire being continuously flowed into Lu Luo through the Devourer's tentacles.

"You're not a Nightmare Demon! How can you possibly control Netherflame?"

Lu Luo admired Zhuang Yanshan's ability to speak underwater. He was just about to open his own mouth when—

GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE!~

Forget it, I'll just focus on absorbing!

Zhuang Yanshan was still struggling, her long legs swinging towards Lu Luo. But with a clench of his hand, she felt as if her heart was seized by some force and suffered a heavy blow.

Even so, her sharp leg still managed to press against the center of Lu Luo's forehead.

Just as Lu Luo prepared to drag Zhuang Yanshan into the Disc World, the old Priest unexpectedly lowered her legs.

Zhuang Yanshan's form continuously shrank. Her ravaged body floated before Lu Luo, growing ever weaker.

After a long time, Zhuang Yanshan, who no longer had the strength to counterattack, spoke again:

"Actually, from the very beginning, I never thought about surviving.

"I could have struggled a while longer, killed more people inside the walls, but now it seems unnecessary.

"With the Netherflame, you are the best candidate; you will do a better job than I ever could.

"You will do better than anyone.

"Mr. Lu Luo.

"I've seen sights unimaginable to humankind: bright sunlight, charming flowers, cheerful smiles.

"I've also witnessed countless lives burning fiercely under the Netherflame.

"I have watched brilliant lights flare in the darkness at Heaven's Gate, and seen all those past moments dissolve in time.

"Like tears in rain.

"Mr. Lu Luo, my time of death has arrived!"

Soon, she couldn't even maintain a human face anymore and completely turned into the form of the Nightmare Centipede.

Everything she was—her very being—was mercilessly absorbed, devoured by the Devourer.

Not only her body but also the specialized pool water continuously diminished. Not a single drop remained, as it all converged within Lu Luo.

[You have obtained 29,044 Life Energy from the Nightmare Messenger - Zhuang Yanshan.]

[You have obtained some information on Sequence B - Word Curse.]

[You have acquired the Doomsday Factor - Nightmare Messenger - Centipede Form.]

[The Nethersource Flame Seed has fully fused; you can now use Netherflame normally.]

The surrounding Netherflame was still burning, but the pool water and Zhuang Yanshan had disappeared without a trace.

Lu Luo, naked, stood at the bottom of the pool, looking at his hands.

Pale, extremely pale.

Not only had his skin become incredibly pale, but he had also lost all his hair.

However, when Lu Luo slightly clenched his fist, his hair and eyebrows grew back, though they were now white.

Lu Yu, don't you dare die!

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