"He's a Dragon Worship Sect believer!" Tianlan couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

And upon seeing this scene, Atira also subconsciously raised the Hailin Spear in her hand—both Nikopolas and the Dragon Worship Sect were her enemies.

But this time, Fang Hong stepped forward to stop her. He looked at the scholar, feeling a certain connection with the object in the scholar's hand—a sensation very peculiar, like the resonance of magic power.

He lowered his head, looking at his own chest, where something seemed to be throbbing faintly—but it wasn't his heart.

It was at that moment the scholar opened his hand, and a bright light radiated from his palm, as if he were holding a star. When Tianlan and Gita saw the object, they couldn't help but cry out:

"The Ring of Golden Flame!"

"How did the Ring of Golden Flame end up in his hand?"

Upon hearing the two exclamations, Fang Hong also subconsciously raised his head. He saw what was in the scholar's hand—the ring of glowing gold, Mazak's masterpiece, the Ring of Golden Flame.

Almost at the same moment, he felt a slight burn in his chest, as if something was trying to burst forth from there, which scared him so much that he hurriedly covered the spot with his hand.

In the bright light between shadows, only Hudi took the chance to slip away quietly with his sword while everyone's attention was focused on the ring, and after leaving the square, he ran towards a direction as fast as he could.

Nikopolas did glance back at this minor character but didn't pay him much attention. She immediately drew her gaze back. She watched the ring in the scholar's hand with a playful look.

The scholar felt a shiver down his spine under her scrutiny and stammered, "Lord Nikopolas, you should recognize this ring. That thing Xiuyuede made with one of your eyes, the Covenant Ring. Lord Manlo has been looking for it all these years because regaining it would certainly restore your strength to its prime."

"Don't mention that name in my presence," Nikopolas said darkly, "The Covenant Ring?"

"My lord, this is..."

"Shut up." The woman let out a long howl, cutting him off, a howl that exploded like a shockwave in mid-air. At that moment, Fang Hong had just removed his Wind Goggles and looked up to see the sonic wave sweeping across the sky over the square.

Almost like a tangible scream.

The sound buzzed past everyone's eardrums on the square, and Hudi, who was just about to dash into an alley at the far end of the square, collapsed to the ground without any consciousness after being hit by that piercing howl.

And Fang Hong felt a complete void in his mind, as if the whole world had suddenly gone silent. The trembling frequency was so high that it exceeded everyone's hearing limit, and blood spurted from their mouths and noses at once.

Except for Xiesta, almost everyone was momentarily dazed.

And this maid stepped in front of her mistress, lifting her head and watching the 'creature' in mid-air with a wary look. At that moment the sonic wave swept over the people, continuing to move forward and crashing into the surrounding buildings.

In an instant, windows shattered in unison, and even the frames broke and deformed inward, shards of glass and tiles silently fell to the ground.

After the long howl, the woman didn't even glance at Xiesta, she just lowered her head and continued to the man, "Do you dare to negotiate with me using a counterfeit?"

"A counterfeit?" The color drained from the scholar's face. He looked closely at the Golden Flame Ring in his hand and said in disbelief to Nikopolas, "My lord, are you saying this... this is a fake?"

With a scoff, Nikopolas said, "The Ring of Golden Flame—Xiuyuede's descendants really have you fooled. What do you think the Covenant Ring is?"

Only then did the scholar turn pale with fright, disregarding the blood gushing from his mouth and nose, he turned and fled—although it was just a futile struggle. Nikopolas flapped her wings in mid-air and fell like a shooting star.

"No, we are all devout followers of Verdant, you can't kill me!" the scholar screamed in despair.

But the other seemed not to hear; Fang Hong watched as she 'thumped' onto the scholar, who exploded into a mist of blood like a torn rag doll.

The entire square shook slightly.

With the spot where Nikopolas landed as the center, the ground sounded a thunderous collapse, cracking inch by inch, and a statue of a knight on one side also tilted and collapsed.

After the loud noise, nothing but a half-remaining stele was left on the spot.

Amid the dust, she slowly straightened up. "I've said before that I would never trust anyone again. As a Lone Wanderer, how could I have followers?" she said before turning her head to look, her gaze coldly upon Fang Hong and the others.

Those cold, golden-red eyes made everyone shudder involuntarily.

By now, Fang Hong didn't need Gita to tell him the other's level or anything—based on that last strike, she must have strength akin to a Dragon Knight. But Fang Hong felt a nagging suspicion; to him, this Nikopolas, the Shadow of the Past—seemed different from the Shadow at the Traveler's Rest.

First, she appeared before them in human form.

Second, there seemed to be a slight difference in their personalities; at least at the Traveler's Rest, she had never said that she didn't need followers.

But Fang Hong knew that the display of strength she showed here was not her true power in reality. It was just the reenactment of her in Dolifen's Phantom from thirty years ago when she appeared here, like the reenactment of past dreams.

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