Bai Xu's gaze turned cold.
"I don't think you have any intention of answering my questions," she said calmly. "So why should I leave you capable of answering them at all?"
Hun Luo Zhenren was staring at her shattered skeletal arm.
At Bai Xu's words, she burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.
"Hahaha-!"
"How amusing," Hun Luo said, her voice dripping with delight. "You really are entertaining. Crushing stubborn little girls like you is far more enjoyable than I expected."
As she spoke, Hun Luo Zhenren lifted her remaining hand and casually swept it through the air.
The ground behind her exploded.
A massive skeletal structure rose into the sky-
the enormous bones of an ancient snake, its spine stretching endlessly, its skull hollow and vicious. Purple flames burned within its eye sockets as it coiled through the air, filling the forest with overwhelming pressure.
The skeletal serpent lunged toward Bai Xu.
Without hesitation, Bai Xu drew her sword.
Her blade flashed as she leapt forward, striking fiercely at the approaching bones. Each clash sent sparks of spiritual energy scattering through the air.
Clang!
The impact rattled her arms.
This thing is tough... Bai Xu thought grimly.
How am I supposed to defeat this monster?
At that moment, Dark Moon's voice echoed urgently within her mind.
"Master, hold on! I'll find a way-there has to be a weakness!"
The skeletal serpent roared silently as it surged forward once more.
And the true battle began.
Bai Xu activated her Spirit Eyes and stared straight at the skeletal serpent.
But she saw nothing.
No weakness.
No core.
Nothing at all.
Her expression darkened.
Without hesitation, she reached into her storage ring and pulled out a black, rune-covered card-the Death Card.
With a flick of her wrist, she sent it flying.
The card sliced through the air like a blade of fate and embedded itself directly into the serpent's neck.
For a brief moment-
Silence.
Then the massive skeletal snake collapsed, its enormous body shattering as it crashed to the ground in pieces.
Bai Xu didn't waste a second. She turned and rushed toward Hun Luo Zhenren.
But behind her-
Crack... crack...
The broken bones began to move again.
The skeletal serpent reassembled itself, bones snapping back into place as if guided by an unseen will.
Bai Xu stopped mid-step.
"...You've got to be kidding me," she muttered.
"Master! Master!" Dark Moon cried out urgently.
Bai Xu snapped back angrily, "What is it, Darky?! Can't you see I'm busy right now?!"
Dark Moon didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she turned sharply toward Jiang Jin and released her spiritual power.
"Master-look at him!"
Bai Xu followed her gaze.
Her heart clenched.
Blood was flowing from Jiang Jin's eyes, thin red streams trailing down his face as the purple mist around him grew darker and more violent.
Bai Xu's breath hitched.
She clenched her sword tighter and fought with renewed desperation.
Hun Luo Zhenren laughed softly.
"You can't save anyone," she said mockingly. "You will stay here with me today."
Her gaze slid toward Jiang Jin.
"And that handsome man?"
"He'll become another attraction in my little collection of toys."
"Enough!" Bai Xu roared.
She turned sharply and shouted, "Darky-I need you. Now."
Dark Moon froze for a split second.
Then she understood.
Without hesitation, she flew straight into the center of the battlefield. Mid-air, her small rabbit form dissolved into pure moonlight.
In the next instant-
She revealed her true form.
A massive surge of lunar power erupted outward.
Bai Xu's lips curved slightly at one corner.
A dangerous smile.
The dry, dead forest collapsed into illusionary fragments.
The land transformed into a vast sea of blood, crimson waves stretching endlessly in every direction. Above them, the moon turned a deep, violent red, bathing the world in bloody light.
Hun Luo Zhenren froze.
For the first time-
She was truly shocked.
Blood coated every skeletal construct she controlled. Her bone puppets trembled, soaked in crimson as if the battlefield itself had turned against them.
"This... is impossible," Hun Luo whispered.
The balance of the fight had shifted.
And the hunt had begun.
Hun Luo Zhenren staggered back, her gaze sweeping across the endless sea of blood.
"Where... is this place?" she demanded sharply. "What kind of illusion is this?"
Bai Xu smiled.
It wasn't warm.
It wasn't gentle.
"It's not an illusion," Bai Xu replied calmly. "You know that better than anyone."
She stepped forward.
Each step caused the blood sea to surge violently.
"Stay away from me," Hun Luo snapped, her voice laced with fury. "Or I'll kill you."
Bai xu laughed suddenly.
"Oh?" she sneered. "You'll kill me?"
She moved.
In the next instant, her fist slammed into Hun Luo Zhenren's face.
Boom!
The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the Blood Moon Domain.
"This," Bai Xu said coldly, as Hun Luo reeled backward,
"is my domain now."
Before Hun Luo could regain her balance, towering waves of blood rose from the sea and wrapped around her body, binding her limbs and lifting her helplessly into the air.
"No-!" Hun Luo struggled, but the domain rejected her resistance completely.
The crimson tide dragged her forward, forcing her directly in front of Bai Xu.
Bai Xu's eyes burned with scarlet light.
"You can't do anything here," she said quietly.
She drew her arm back-
-and drove her hand straight into Hun Luo Zhenren's chest.
CRACK.
Bone shattered.
Hun Luo screamed as Bai Xu's fingers closed around something pulsing violently within her body.
With a sharp pull-
Bai Xu ripped out her core.
Blood sprayed as the glowing, corrupted core throbbed in Bai Xu's grasp, struggling like a living heart.
Hun Luo's body went rigid.
Her golden eyes widened in disbelief.
"No... impossible..." she whispered, her voice breaking.
Bai Xu withdrew her blood-soaked hand and let Hun Luo's lifeless body fall into the crimson sea.
The waves swallowed her instantly.
The Blood Moon pulsed once-
-and silence followed.
Bai Xu stood alone at the center of the domain, holding the core steadily in her palm.
The battlefield was over.
But the consequences had only just begun.
As Hun Luo disappeared, Dark Moon's domain began to fade as well, dissolving into nothingness.
Bai Xu stood silently in place, her gaze fixed on the ground beneath her feet. She didn't move-didn't speak-only stared, as if lost in her thoughts.
Noticing her master's sadness, Dark Moon stepped closer and asked softly,
"Master... what happened? Why do you look so sad?"
Bai Xu lifted her head slightly and replied in a low voice,
"Darky... I am still far too weak for this world. If you hadn't been by my side today, I would never have been able to defeat her."
Dark Moon blinked in surprise.
"But Master... you were the one who killed her."
Bai Xu slowly shook her head.
"No, Darky. You cornered her. Otherwise, I could never have defeated her at this level."
Her eyes darkened as she continued,
"I still don't know who she really was... or why she came after me. I don't even know how powerful she truly was. If an enemy even stronger than her appears someday, we won't be able to survive."
Hearing this, Dark Moon lowered her head in disappointment, her ears drooping.
After a brief silence, Bai Xu spoke again, her voice filled with determination,
"I must become stronger, Darky. You'll help me with that... won't you?"
At those words, Dark Moon's ears instantly stood upright in excitement.
"Of course, Master! Absolutely!"
Just then, Bai Xu's gaze shifted to Jiang Lin, lying nearby. He had already lost consciousness. The faint purple mist that had once covered his eyes vanished completely after Hun Luo's departure.
Dark Moon explained calmly,
"Master, the effects of the illusion have faded. He's only unconscious now. He should wake up shortly."
Bai Xu nodded and walked over, sitting beside Jiang Lin to rest.
A short while later, Jiang Lin slowly opened his eyes.