From the moment Chu Lian awakened her LV4 Teleport ability, only a minute had passed, yet the monsters in the forest had already been slaughtered by her in droves. Only about a dozen remained, scattered and trembling under her gaze.
The tattered remains of more than thirty monsters lay strewn across the ground. Chu Lian stood at the center of the carnage, head lowered, her entire body exuding an overwhelming aura of killing intent. The remaining monsters quaked in fear but dared not move.
"Now, do you still want to harm those I care about?" Her indifferent tone reached the ears of the surviving monsters, making their bodies tremble with an inexplicable sense of dread.
"Human, I admit you are powerful. But all you can do is slaughter us. When the true elites of the Nightfiend clan arrive, there will be no place for you to die in peace."
The lead monster was covered in wounds, one eye blinded. Its semi-upright body trembled—not out of fear, but because it had lost too much blood. Its life force could barely sustain it.
Yet its tone remained arrogant. Even though it acknowledged its inferiority, it still believed Chu Lian wouldn't escape the pursuit of its clan's elites.
"Heh, Nightfiends, huh? Nice name, but such ugly looks... it's honestly laughable." Chu Lian paid no mind to its so-called elites. She simply spoke to herself.
Ever since Chu Chu had been hurt, Chu Lian's mentality had subtly shifted. She became increasingly self-focused, increasingly cold. The advanced combat techniques inherited from the Key of Seven Illusions had, within this single minute of frenzied killing, become deeply internalized. With each graceful movement, she felled monsters like weeds—effortless and precise.
To put it mystically, it was the awakening of a second persona. In plainer terms, it was blackening. In this state, all her senses heightened—especially her self-awareness.
"Damn it, if it weren't for... our Nightfiend clan would never have ended up like this! Driven to hide in this world and hunt in the shadows! Even if you are stronger than me, I won't let you insult my race!" Her words, much like those Chu Chu had uttered earlier, seemed to strike a deep nerve in these monsters, sending them into a frenzy and fearlessly provoking them.
"I'm not interested in your backstory. A monster is a monster. Death is your only end..."
As she spoke, she appeared behind one of the monsters. The Void Greatsword swung down—instant kill triggered—and it was cleaved in two.
"So-called Nightfiend clan..."
This time, the monster didn't even trigger the instant-kill effect, but died an even more gruesome death. Chu Lian used subtle strength, striking a dozen times in the span of two seconds, slicing it into eighteen pieces.
"Nothing more than..."
She appeared in front of the lead monster. With a delicate step from her lotus-like foot, the force layered with multiple bursts of precision sent it flying over ten meters back, slamming into a large tree with a deafening crash. However, Chu Lian had deliberately held back. Though it suffered fatal injuries, it still clung to life, watching in despair as she butchered its kin.
"A bunch of pitiful slaves..."
The last three monsters were close to one another. Using her aerial movement ability, Chu Lian dispatched them swiftly—one per second, clean and efficient.
But after all that, her steps faltered. She drove the Void Greatsword into the ground to steady her drained body.
This battle had depleted nearly all her spiritual power. Yet her eyes remained cold and indifferent, as though this meant nothing to her.
"Haha... cough cough... Human... cough... You're out of strength, aren't you? Looks like even without our elites, the remaining ones will tear you apart... I may be finished, but they will capture your souls and torment them with the cruelest of punishments... That's the price for insulting our clan..."
The lead monster was now barely clinging to life. Even so, upon witnessing this final scene, it summoned the last of its strength and let out a chilling laugh. Even if it died here and now, this arrogant human who dared insult the Nightfiend clan would ultimately die as well.
And with that, it opened its eyes wide, locking its fading gaze onto Chu Lian. Its life force completely vanished, and it died there in the heart of the primeval forest. If it had any regrets, it was likely that it didn't get to witness Chu Lian's demise.
"It seems the name 'Nightfiend clan' is more precious to you than your own lives. I killed so many of your kin, and yet your dying words are about me insulting your clan... heh... But so what? In the end, you're all just the lowest tier of beings with monstrous forms..."
Chu Lian panted, her modest chest rising and falling rapidly. This time, she was truly exhausted. Otherwise, she wouldn't be breathing like this.
"Hehe... You're absolutely right... They really are just a bunch of monster-like humanoids..."
A pair of razor-sharp claws landed on Chu Lian's shoulder just as a chilling voice whispered in her ear.
"Yes, I know..." Chu Lian replied softly, as if expecting this. In an instant, the Void Greatsword thrust backward.
Pffft... Her counterattack was so swift that it outpaced the ambusher's sudden appearance. Caught completely off guard, the figure was impaled cleanly by the Void Greatsword. As fate would have it, the instant-kill effect activated once more. A ripple of spiritual power surged from the blade into the creature's body before exploding with a deafening boom.
Blood mist filled the air behind her, yet not a drop touched her. Her snowy white dress gleamed under the moonlight, untainted.
"You talk too much..." Chu Lian slowly withdrew her blade and lifted her gaze toward a nearby tree, where several strange figures had silently appeared.
"That idiot always thought too highly of himself. Never expected him to get taken out by a little girl. Ridiculous." One of the newcomers—a grotesque and burly figure with blue-black skin, tusks, and a massive broadsword—spoke in a low, grim tone.
Clearly, the monster Chu Lian had just slain wasn't well-liked. Otherwise, its companion wouldn't mock it so readily.
"Still, no matter how annoying he was, he was one of our Yasha clan. You killed him, so you must pay with your life..." Another hideous Yasha, clutching a long sword, spoke with chilling intensity.
"Nightfiends, Yasha... sounds like two different races with a shared history, doesn't it? Hehe... You really think you can kill me?" Chu Lian chuckled at the sword-wielding Yasha's words, showing no hint of nervousness.
"Oh my, little girl, you seem to have forgotten something. You're not alone here... That little line you drew may have terrified the Nightfiend slaves, but it has no effect on us Yasha..."
A seductive voice chimed in. It came from a stunningly beautiful woman, the most human-looking among the Yasha. If not for her claw-like hands, she could easily pass for a graceful and alluring noblewoman.
"I've heard the legends: the male Shura are grotesquely ugly, while the females are breathtakingly beautiful. Didn't know your Yasha clan was the same. But in the end... you're just incomplete, half-baked monsters."
Chu Lian gave the seductive Yasha a brief, disdainful glance. Her tone brimmed with contempt.
Her words struck a nerve. The smile on the woman's face instantly vanished, replaced by a cold, murderous aura.
Chu Lian paid her no mind. After a brief pause, she added, "Do you really think I'd be so careless as to leave those two alone and unguarded?"
"Ghostshade, the two girls are gone..."
A shadowy figure cloaked in a dark mantle appeared beside the broadsword-wielding Yasha, speaking in a low voice.
The Yasha named Ghostshade narrowed its eyes, unleashing a terrifying wave of killing intent. It stared at Chu Lian and clapped slowly. "Impressive. For someone your age to possess such power... and such terrifying cunning. You managed to send a transfer signal before I even gave the order. Flawless foresight. So, tell me—how did you get those two out of here?"
Chu Lian stared at Ghostshade with utter contempt. "That's none of your business. You didn't come here to ask such pointless questions, did you? Hmph. The Otherside spent so much to send you all here, and it turns out you're just a bunch of useless trash. Pathetic..."
In her blackened state, Chu Lian wasn't just colder—her words became venomous, provoking hatred with every syllable.
"You think that was praise? Laughable human. Prepare to face the Yasha's wrath. Shadowbane, handle her."
Ghostshade showed no anger, only a disturbing curiosity as it gazed at Chu Lian like a rare treasure, eyes glinting with greedy delight.
Shadowbane, the long-sword-wielding Yasha, stepped down calmly and stood before Chu Lian. He lifted his chin and said arrogantly, "Our Yasha clan reveres strength. Against a worthy opponent, we do not gang up. If you want to escape here alive, defeat me. I'll let you strike three times. The Yasha clan never takes unfair advantage against those who deserve respect."
"Such a foolish yet admirable tradition... Should I call it honor or just blind confidence?"
At barely 1.4 meters tall, Chu Lian looked like a child standing before the hulking, 1.8-meter-tall Shadowbane. Yet her eyes were crystal clear and cold, showing not a trace of fear.
Since the enemy was offering her the first move, she wasn't about to decline. Gripping the Void Greatsword, she launched forward in a burst of high-speed movement, charging straight at Shadowbane...
Meanwhile, perched on Tina in combat form, Chu Chu anxiously watched the distant battlefield—Chu Lian's battlefield, where she couldn't intervene. All she could do now was protect Inori and ensure the Void Greatsword's duration wasn't prematurely shortened.
"Damn it... I thought this strength would be enough to protect Big Sis... cough cough... and yet I still need her to protect me..."
She clenched her fists tightly, frustration and helplessness weighing heavily on her heart. She desperately wanted to be strong enough to truly stand at Chu Lian's side.
"Chu... don't worry. Lian will be fine..."
No one knew whether it was Chu Chu's voice or the jolting ride on Tina's back, but Inori—who had been unconscious ever since the Void was extracted—suddenly woke up and comforted her.
"Y-you're awake?" Chu Chu was startled. She clearly remembered that Inori had fallen into a coma after losing the Void. If she was awake now, then...
"The Void Greatsword is still with Lian. As for why I woke up... I don't know either," Inori replied honestly. She couldn't explain the reason herself.
Just as Chu Chu was about to ask more, a terrifying surge of spiritual power erupted from Chu Lian's location. White spiritual energy raged outward as the elliptical sphere swelled to a critical point—then burst apart.
The overwhelming force rippled across the area, reaching even Tina hundreds of meters away. Her form faltered briefly mid-leap through the trees.
When the chaotic waves of power finally subsided, Inori—unaffected—looked over at Chu Chu, who stared in stunned silence at the fading remnants of the explosion, unable to utter a single word...