Meng Yao unleashed every curse word she had ever learned in her life.
Just moments ago, she had been smug with satisfaction.
Er Niu was dead. A strategist had appeared. She even triggered a B-level side quest. A perfect day.
But the so-called strategist had immediately thrown her into a death trap.
The key was… how did that brat pull it off?!
A clone technique?
Impossible!
Meng Yao clenched her teeth so hard she thought they might shatter, forcing out two words between the cracks.
"Da Qiang!!!"
Her mind could only come up with one explanation—this was a setup by Da Qiang, that seasoned veteran!
Otherwise… what, was she supposed to believe that ninjutsu actually existed in reality?
That was absurd!
"Heh… hahahahaha!"
Realizing he had been played just as well, Fuming burst into wild laughter.
"Didn't expect this, did you, woman? You prey on others, but God always delivers justice! Go die!"
As he spoke, golden light erupted in a blinding flare.
In the sky, Fuming's figure merged with his flying sword, the aura of a Golden Core cultivator radiating in full. Deceived and mocked, he had finally erupted in fury!
At the tip of his blade, golden brilliance condensed into tangible form. Strands of sword qi danced like living beings, swirling in the air before suddenly diving straight at Meng Yao.
Facing such an assault, Meng Yao felt an overwhelming pressure crashing down on her. Her body, strengthened under the state of the Gene Lock, was formidable—but before a sword cultivator at the Golden Core stage, she had no way to resist.
Unless she could drag Fuming down from the sky, she had no chance of fighting back.
For now? She could only take the beating.
Her mutated limbs swung furiously, trying to block the sword qi that seemed to possess a will of its own.
Each strike slammed into her with crushing force, sending jolts of numbness through her arms.
Fuming's attacks grew fiercer and fiercer. Within every slash was the Golden Core cultivator's mastery over the forces of heaven and earth.
Each sword drew upon the surrounding spiritual energy, shaping golden whirlwinds that sealed Meng Yao within.
Trapped in the storm, her mutated limbs struggled to unleash their full power.
Meng Yao dashed desperately through the golden tornado, her sharp blades colliding against its walls again and again.
Every clash drained her, as if invisible hands were pulling the strength from her body with each impact.
If she didn't find a way to break free soon, the golden tornado would completely devour her.
Her eyes darted around, searching desperately for anything in the environment she could use.
An underground river!
That was the only chance left.
Mengyao summoned all the strength in her body and launched a frenzied assault against the walls of the golden whirlwind.
Flames burst out in every direction, sparks scattering wildly.
Far in the distance, Dio Brook, who had been watching the battle, flinched as the deafening sound of impacts reached him.
A clash of this level was far beyond anything he could interfere with.
In the brief pause between Fuming's attacks, Mengyao clung to her last shred of hope and pressed the intercom.
Her voice was hurried, trembling slightly.
"Daqiang! Daqiang! Can you hear me? We can still talk!"
But on the other end, there was only dead silence. No response at all.
Mengyao's heart sank. She quickly glanced down and realized the channel had been cut off.
Her face turned pale. She was completely isolated now, with no reinforcements coming.
The golden light flared violently as Fuming's attacks surged toward her like a raging tide.
He had to kill this woman quickly.
Because if the Central Continent team changed their minds, he might still be able to ride his flying sword and chase them down.
"Damn it!" Mengyao's eyes flickered with one last trace of hesitation. She knew that if she didn't play her final card now, she would die here.
In her despair, she made her choice. Her body lunged forward, throwing herself straight into the golden whirlwind of swordlight.
Her figure flickered in and out of sight within the blinding radiance. Each slash of swordlight tore through her flesh, carving deep wounds.
Even with her gene lock activated, her body couldn't withstand the full might of Fuming, a cultivator in the Golden Core stage. She was being ripped apart, piece by piece.
That was the terror of a Golden Core expert—power that could shred through any resistance.
A victorious smile had already crept onto Fuming's face. In his eyes, the battle was as good as over.
However, at that moment, Dio Brooke's shout shattered his confidence.
"Captain! Look!" Dio Brooke's voice carried a trace of urgency.
Fuming narrowed his eyes and followed the direction Dio Brooke was pointing.
He saw, not far from Meng Yao's body that had been sliced apart by golden light, a flesh-colored one-eyed little monster sprinting at an astonishing speed.
The creature was so fast that it was nearly impossible to track its movements.
A flicker of doubt crossed Fuming's mind—he had no idea what that thing was.
But he knew one thing. It had to die!
The little monster's speed was terrifying. In just an instant, it had dashed over a hundred meters.
Using the rugged terrain and its nimble body, it slipped away with several quick dodges, so fast that even Fuming, who had the high ground, could no longer keep up with its shadow!
Seeing this, Dio Brooke unleashed his spiritual scan at full force!
A second later, horror flashed across his eyes.
"Damn! Captain! I forgot—she can block mental detection!"
"Chase it together!"
On the Plunderer, Yujin slammed his fist against the chair as he watched the battlefield through the detection equipment.
"She got away again!"
His brows furrowed in thought. "So her true body is a parasite? Was Meng Yao just a vessel?"
"Doesn't matter!"
"Daniels!" Yujin shouted immediately.
"Do we really have to use that?" Daniels hesitated slightly. She knew that once the Black Water was unleashed, it would be like opening Pandora's box.
"Use it!"
High in the sky, the Plunderer drifted like a ghost in the night, releasing a metallic triangle without a sound.
The metal triangle floated steadily in midair, its surface flickering with faint light as though storing some terrifying power.
Suddenly, it activated, emitting a deep, resonant hum!
With the hum, the triangle released a vast cloud of black dust.
The dust spread rapidly through the air, writhing as if alive, twisting and weaving into an eerie black mist.
The Black Water swarmed like millions of mosquitoes, circling and fluttering in the air, their sheer numbers enough to strike fear into the heart.
Part of the Black Water drifted toward the Plunderer, while the rest rushed toward the battlefield blazing with golden light—the place where Fuming and Meng Yao were locked in their deadly struggle!
Zhang Jie watched Yujin's excited figure and was utterly stunned.
This entire scheme… it had completely ruined Meng Yao.
Not only was she forced into a dead end, but she was also tricked into handing over fourteen hundred reward points to a group of newcomers.
And Yujin, a seasoned veteran, even managed to secretly swindle an extra fourteen hundred from her.
Meng Yao could never have imagined that one day she would fall into such a vicious trap.
On the Covenant ship, Da Qiang held the walkie-talkie, staring at the endless black water with a complicated expression.
When he first sensed that something was wrong, he pretended to pick up the radio, acting like he wanted to say something.
But whether to turn back and save Meng Yao—well, that was another matter entirely.
The moment he saw the black waters descend, even his last shred of hesitation disappeared.
"Better you than me."
"Meng Yao… farewell."
****
Support me on my ko-fi account and read upto 15 early chapters,
https://ko-fi.com/aayume