On this side, Ji Shaoran was sent flying, his body rigid and unable to move in mid-flight.

He felt that within his body, besides the steam outburst from before, there was also a very insidious power.

This power was like some kind of flame, burning away the life force within him.

This child...

Ji Shaoran flew fast, but Lu Xiaotian chased faster.

THUMP!

Pink steam appeared on her body—yet another of Lu Luo's habitual moves.

Steam Form Second Tier, a fierce assault.

Lu Luo, who was watching, felt even more uncomfortable. He had originally snuck in to steal an ultimate move, but now she was using all his techniques.

It felt like a thief had snuck into a tycoon's house to steal, only to find that all the discs playing on the TV starred himself!

[About that disc you mentioned, is it decent?]

"Decent!"

Lu Xiaotian threw a punch, a second, a third—more and more fists, raining down on Ji Shaoran like droplets.

Ji Shaoran, flying mid-air, desperately suppressed the burning, malevolent flame within his body and began trading blows with Nightmare Lu Xiaotian.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions and shockwaves swept through everything around. The fight between Nightmare Lu Xiaotian and Ji Shaoran was very straightforward.

She hardly defended herself, even when Seventh Tier Black Energy Fists struck her.

Even when those hits caused her body to rupture, Lu Xiaotian made no attempt to defend.

She just attacked, attacked frenziedly, and continued to attack.

Ji Shaoran initially counter-attacked Lu Xiaotian, but after a few punches, he realized something was wrong.

She seemed to be fighting with a suicidal resolve.

It was either you die, or I perish.

But Ji Shaoran did not want to die; if he did, he wouldn't have joined the Inner Ring.

So, Ji Shaoran began to reduce his attacks, using part of his strength for defense instead,

defending against Nightmare Lu Xiaotian's overbearing fists and the chilling, burning energy.

He watched Lu Xiaotian accumulate severe injuries, yet her attacking force seemed completely unaffected.

He was constantly defending, but there were always moments when his defenses failed.

Injuries gradually appeared—one punch, two punches. By the time Ji Shaoran was hit by Lu Xiaotian's seventeenth punch, he felt something was terribly off.

She was already so badly injured, her head nearly shattered. Why wasn't she dead?

The Lu Xiaotian before him seemed like a lump of festering meat, but even as such, it continued to attack him.

Horrified and uneasy, Ji Shaoran began to doubt whether the thing before him was indeed human.

"What exactly are you?"

But what answered him at that moment was just a burst of maniacal laughter from Lu Xiaotian.

"Hahahaha!"

Ji Shaoran was unclear where this laughter originated, because the Lu Xiaotian before him no longer had a complete mouth.

For the first time, Ji Shaoran felt true danger. This child in front of him was definitely a monster, a real monster.

From ancient times to the present, no one at such a young age could reach the combat power of the Seventh Tier.

If such a monster existed in the Fourth Ring, then the future of the Fourth Ring would be an utter disaster.

"Dark Domain!"

Thick Dark Energy began enveloping the surrounding area.

Lu Xiaotian, nearly reduced to minced meat, touched the black Dark Energy Barrier and immediately let out a low cry.

SIZZLE!

"Bursting Dark Energy Barrier? Is this the ability you intended to showcase?"

Then, under Ji Shaoran's shocked gaze, Lu Xiaotian's body rapidly recovered!

Flesh, bones, meridians—in just a few seconds, they were completely regenerated.

The power of Netherflame, the source of life and death, Superior Regeneration.

At this moment, Lu Xiaotian had changed out of her previous purple dress and into a black one, akin to what one might wear to a day of mourning.

The Dark Energy barrier enveloped the combat area between them but also obscured vision.

Those outside couldn't see what was happening inside the barrier!

Ji Shaoran spat out some blood. Although Lu Xiaotian had put him in an embarrassing position earlier, the Dark Energy barrier had now formed.

As long as he compressed the barrier, Lu Xiaotian would be crushed into mincemeat.

He didn't believe that Lu Xiaotian, once compressed into mincemeat, would be able to regenerate and recover!

"Little girl, you have no chance!"

Ji Shaoran brought his hands together, and the Dark Barrier instantly tightened.

This time, even Lu Xiaotian felt the pressure.

She pushed back with her hands, releasing Dark Energy to resist the force of the barrier. The Dark Barrier was Ji Shaoran's ultimate sealing technique.

It wasn't that easy to break!

After resisting for a while, Lu Xiaotian found that her power was still no match for the Dark Barrier, and she suddenly started laughing again.

"Hahahaha!"

It was still that somewhat shrill and maniacal laugh, a laugh that always left Ji Shaoran somewhat baffled.

"You're about to die, and you're still laughing?"

"I am laughing at your ignorance. You have given me far too much time."

Lu Xiaotian's words only deepened Ji Shaoran's confusion. What did this little girl mean by "time"?

"Who are you, really?"

Lu Xiaotian spread her arms, her fingers turning purple once more.

"Although your Dark Barrier is strong, you probably didn't realize that I've been hiding my strength ever since we started fighting.

This Dark Barrier is now the perfect cover for me!

Sorry, Mr. Ji Shaoran, you're too weak. You can only become a trophy for the Fourth Ring!"

Before Ji Shaoran could react, Lu Xiaotian's hands suddenly burst forth with intense Netherflame.

The Netherflame covered the entire Dark Barrier, engulfing Dark Energy, vitality, and everything else.

At the sight of the Netherflame, Ji Shaoran finally understood the sinister power that had been coursing through his body.

"Netherflame? You're a... Nightmare Demon?

How could you have survived and become human?"

Lu Xiaotian didn't speak. She accelerated, instantly appearing in front of Ji Shaoran.

She grabbed his throat with one hand!

"I never died to begin with. As for becoming human, I'm not the only one who can achieve that!"

CRACK!

Lu Xiaotian crushed Ji Shaoran's throat. Ji Shaoran, desperate to escape her pursuit, prepared to abandon the Dark Barrier and find a way out.

But Lu Xiaotian wouldn't give him the chance. The purple flames gradually turned black.

These black flames slowly burned through Ji Shaoran's Dark Barrier, yet they maintained a stable and balanced state, mimicking the appearance of the earlier Dark Barrier.

Seventh Tier battles weren't something humans could directly witness. After the Dark Energy barrier was replaced, no one noticed.

Except for Lu Luo, who possessed the Observer!

[Netherflame's advanced power, the Dark Flame that consumes everything.]

When Lu Luo saw the black flames replace the Dark Energy barrier, he knew deep down that Lu Xiaotian had won.

The Seventh Tier sent by the Inner Ring Faction was no match for Lu Xiaotian.

Her rate of progress, her strength, was truly unfathomable!

A monster like Ji Shaoran, who could suppress Yang Liya with just a few punches, had been defeated by Lu Xiaotian in such a short time.

Truly deserving of being the calamity species that reached the Eighth Order in just seven short years.

Now that Lu Xiaotian had taken on human form and practiced the Six Paths, her strength was even more inconceivable than before.

Deliberate Bombardment Fist, Steam Form Second Tier!

Even without any direct exchange, she's already learned so much.

If we were to have another 'academic exchange,' wouldn't she learn everything?

Watching her, I even feel as though I'm looking at an enhanced version of myself!

How to describe this feeling? It's not particularly pleasant.

Especially when the other party's progress far exceeds my own expectations, the feeling becomes even worse.

[Look at your pathetic ambition! You're using Steam Form; why not trade it for her Netherflame Second Phase?

Dark Flame is such high-quality power that it can contend with and suppress even at the Seventh Tier. Surely you don't think it's inferior to your steam?]

The Observer's hint made Lu Luo pause slightly; it seemed to make some sense.

If I exchanged Steam Form for the second phase of Netherflame, this deal seems pretty good!

"Feasible."

Qi Xinzhu, standing by, watched Lu Luo muttering to himself and was somewhat puzzled.

"Lu Luo, aren't you watching such an important fight?"

"No need to watch anymore. Nightmare—that is, Lu Xiaotian—won. The Inner Ring people are probably about to die."

"So soon? How is that possible? The battle just began, didn't it? How do you know?"

Lu Luo pointed to the black sphere on the ground.

"You all think that thing was created by the Inner Ring people, but the reality is Nightmare made it.

She's been hiding her strength all along. Now, she's not just stopped hiding; she's actively disguising it.

That naturally signals the end of the battle."

"Is that so?"

Qi Xinzhu stared blankly at the black sphere on the ground. The defeat of the Seventh Tier from the Inner Ring gave her an unreal feeling.

She herself was from the Inner Ring, so she didn't know whether to be happy for Lu Luo's side or to feel sad for the current state of the Inner Ring.

Aside from Qi Xinzhu and Lu Luo, several other groups of spectators had also discerned the outcome.

Tong Yuan, Tong Yan, and Qin Wanyu stood together.

Although Qin Wanyu was the weakest in terms of strength among the three, she was the one who knew Lu Xiaotian best.

When she noticed the Black Flame, she, like Lu Luo, confirmed the outcome of this battle.

"Master won."

"Won? Then what about us?"

At this moment, Tong Yan wanted to take action, but she was interrupted by Qin Wanyu once again.

"No need to go. The Hunters will take care of cleaning up the battlefield for us.

If they can't even handle the remaining two, then there's no need for them to exist or to be supported.

If we go now, it's very likely to cause complications."

Tong Yan looked at Qin Wanyu and ultimately chose to trust her.

"Alright. But what about Tong Meng? She wouldn't usually be absent at a time like this, right?"

Qin Wanyu's gaze flickered, and she said with an odd expression,

"Tong Meng is currently with that man."

"That man?"

This time, even Tong Yuan, who was staring at the black sphere on the ground, was curious.

That man? Is it Gu Fangyi?

On the other side, in a tall building, Gu Fangyi and Tong Meng were not observing from the rooftop but had found a room with a better view.

They could see the battle on the ground, but it was obvious that neither was seriously watching the fight.

At that moment, Gu Fangyi was lying on top of Tong Meng and had stopped.

"Gu Fangyi, why have you stopped?"

"The battle is over!"

"No, it isn't! I'm not satisfied yet!" Tong Meng's voice was urgent and expectant.

"I wasn't talking about you, but there's nothing left to see."

"My master's battle?"

"Yes!"

"It's over already?"

Tong Meng suddenly felt a bit regretful because once Nightmare's battle was over, she and Gu Fangyi couldn't continue to be together.

This feeling of regret was utterly impossible for her in the past.

But the current situation was somewhat different.

As the most human-like of the San Tong, Tong Meng found herself occasionally missing Gu Fangyi after they parted ways!

As the Nightmare Demon's confidante, Tong Meng's first reaction was to consult the Nightmare Demon to see if there was something wrong with her current state.

She began to doubt herself, wondering if she had been affected by some mind-related ability.

However, the Nightmare Demon gave her an approving look and told her to seek advice from Qin Wanyu.

Tong Meng had no aversion to consulting Qin Wanyu, so she went.

But Qin Wanyu's answer was beyond her imagination.

Qin Wanyu told her that this situation was an emotional outburst, an emotion called longing.

Tong Meng cherished Gu Fangyi's presence and the way he made her feel, which led her to develop feelings of longing for him.

The feeling of longing wasn't pleasant; whenever it arose, Tong Meng felt it disrupted her cultivation state.

She sought a solution, and the solution Qin Wanyu offered was simple: "Go see the person you miss and do what you want to do."

Tong Meng didn't understand too clearly, and her duties didn't allow her to leave the Nightmare Demon to look for Gu Fangyi.

So she continuously suppressed this emotion until today, when she saw Gu Fangyi and finally understood what Qin Wanyu meant.

Go see the person I miss, do what I want to do.

She saw Gu Fangyi, the one she missed, and did what she wanted to do with him.

An unprecedented sense of spiritual fulfillment filled Tong Meng's heart.

This change in her mentality helped her realize something: she was becoming more and more human-like.

And she was about to break through, with progress faster than ever!

Among the San Tong, her growth was far faster than Tong Yan and Tong Yuan, second only to the Nightmare Demon's pace.

Tong Meng wasn't sure if this was the power brought by humanity.

But she knew for certain that if she maintained her Exotic Species state, her power increase would never be as rapid as in her human form.

Tong Meng looked at Gu Fangyi with a hint of longing and murmured to herself,

"Are we parting now?"

At that moment, Gu Fangyi also sensed something off with Tong Meng's emotions; he rarely lowered his head, looking at her.

"You... What's the matter? Out of strength?"

Gu Fangyi's words made Tong Meng a bit angry.

Even though she missed Gu Fangyi a great deal, it didn't change the fact that he was a jerk.

The worst kind of jerk, who couldn't utter a single word that a normal woman would want to hear.

"Gu Fangyi, can't you say something nice for once?"

Tong Meng felt as if her emotions had been dragged through the mud. It was an awful sensation.

Soft words?

After pondering for a while, Gu Fangyi finally spoke slowly.

"I guess it'll be soft after a while!"

Tong Meng was stunned. Was that supposed to be 'soft words'?

Well, maybe it was!

Although she didn't know exactly what attracted her to Gu Fangyi, perhaps it was his forthrightness and unassuming nature.

Such a man might not have many sweet words, but at least he was straightforward enough, similar to an Exotic Species.

"Then let it be soft later!"

Gu Fangyi and Tong Meng intertwined once again.

This time, Gu Fangyi seemed to sense something different and was extraordinarily serious.

Tong Meng also felt Gu Fangyi's earnestness and said with a smile,

"Gu Fangyi, you really are a jerk!"

Gu Fangyi frowned slightly, speaking earnestly,

"I'll allow you some misunderstandings about me, but I assure you,

my reputation is actually quite good. Yeah!

So, you can take your time getting to know me. If it doesn't work out, you... find the reason yourself!"

Tong Meng was dumbfounded.

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