“What the hell kind of time is this…” Dr. Zhao said urgently, “Do I really need to lie to you here? And would I even use… this kind of reason to lie to you?”
Yan Zhichun naturally had her own considerations. She turned her head to look into the distance and then called out, “Xiaoxiao.”
“Xiao…?” Dr. Zhao felt like the name rang a faint bell.
He had once participated in a game called “Weapon Cards” with Qi Xia, hosted by “Earth Rooster.” After leaving, they encountered three “Extremists”—one named Old Sun, another named Jiang Ruoxue, and the wildest-looking woman among them was called Xiaoxiao.
Sure enough, the familiar figure pushed through the gale from the crowd. She seemed completely unaffected by the wind, even standing half a head taller than Dr. Zhao.
“I’m here,” Xiaoxiao said. “What’s up?”
“Later, you’re responsible for protecting this man at all costs while he touches the display and the giant bell. He has a way to destroy them,” Yan Zhichun instructed. “Even if it means sacrificing your own life at a critical moment.”
“No problem,” Xiaoxiao nodded.
“Wait… hold on…” Dr. Zhao froze. “I… I meant I wanted a girl to come with me… but Xiaoxiao is just too…”
Xiaoxiao clearly didn’t quite understand and turned to Dr. Zhao to explain, “I am indeed a girl.”
That left Dr. Zhao speechless, his words stuck in his throat. This wasn’t exactly a matter of gender.
Yan Zhichun added, “From every angle, the ‘Extremists’ don’t have many abilities suited for protection. Xiaoxiao can guarantee your safety to a large extent.”
“But…” Dr. Zhao didn’t know how to voice his real concern.
“I’ll go with you too,” Lin Qin said. “This path is too dangerous. If I join you, the chances of success will be higher.”
“You…?” Dr. Zhao was stunned.
Yan Zhichun gave Lin Qin a meaningful look before nodding in agreement.
Without further hesitation, Lin Qin and Xiaoxiao escorted Dr. Zhao toward a narrow path nearby.
Since the White Tiger stood directly ahead, the best approach was naturally to flank him from the side.
After sending the three off, Yan Zhichun positioned herself beside the White Tiger, steadying her resolve to activate her “Soul Snatch.” The White Goat had once said that even “Celestials” couldn’t resist “Soul Snatch,” so presumably, the same applied to the “Beasts.”
The real question now was… whose “conviction” was stronger—hers or the White Tiger’s.
She moved into position, waiting for the moment when the White Tiger was distracted by “Expansion,” and attempted to seize control of his movements.
From above, Luo Shiyi noticed Yan Zhichun’s maneuvering and frowned.
If he remembered correctly, Qian Wu had once tried a similar tactic—using “Twin Flowers” to assimilate the Black Tortoise. And how had that ended?
Yan Zhichun closed her eyes, sinking her consciousness deep within, faintly sensing a strange force connecting her to the White Tiger.
But the next second, her arm involuntarily rose.
Confused, she snapped her eyes open—only to see the distant White Tiger raising his hand. The overwhelming disparity in conviction backfired on her. Though “Soul Snatch” had linked them, she was the one who had lost control of her own body.
The White Tiger, seemingly oblivious, clenched his fists in the air, causing massive trees to sprout from nowhere.
At the same time, Yan Zhichun awkwardly mimicked the gesture, raising her own hands and clenching them.
She hastily severed “Soul Snatch,” freeing herself, then urgently shouted warnings to “Expansion.”
“Expansion,” who had been using her ability nonstop, was now red-faced and visibly dazed.
In the distance, the massive pillar connecting the display and the giant bell had swollen grotesquely. But “Expansion” was, after all, just “Expansion”—she could make the metal pillar bulge, but she couldn’t snap it outright.
Yan Zhichun knew this was the best she could do. Most people had no idea about the internal structure of the display, so even making it “expand” was impossible. But damaging the pillar would topple both the display and the bell.
This was, after all, just a “destruction” mission—the simplest, quickest method would suffice.
Now, the White Tiger had conjured several enormous trees above “Expansion,” poised to crash down at any moment.
Seeing that her shouts to “Expansion” went ignored, Yan Zhichun realized the woman was beyond saving.
She was about to give up when a thought struck her.
Why… was there no hope left?
The “Extremists” were no longer lone wolves—they were an unbreakable team.
With that in mind, Yan Zhichun closed her eyes and leaped backward, soaring through the air.
At the same time, “Expansion” jolted, her “Echo” disrupted, and she too was flung backward.
Almost instantly, the trees in the sky plummeted, slamming into the ground.
**BOOM!**
The deafening impact sent tremors through the earth.
Several nearby “Extremists” stumbled from the shattered ground, while “Expansion” was saved at the last possible second—half a second later, and she would’ve been reduced to pulp.
The White Tiger frowned, then summoned another gale. He seemed to realize that this abnormally obese girl could indeed threaten the bell and display, and his killing intent flared.
“Fools… absolute fools,” the White Tiger muttered. “Do you really think I’m trying to harm you?”
Before he could unleash his “Gale Force,” however, massive rocks inexplicably sprouted from his arm.
The stones, skewered like candied haws, seemed fused with his flesh.
“Such childish conviction…”
The White Tiger paused, then violently shook his arm, scattering the rocks like soap suds.
Countless fragments shot out like bullets, raining down on every “Extremist” in sight.
Just as the group raised their arms to shield themselves, tiny sparks flickered across the flying stones.
Aunt Tong looked up just as a sparkling rock hurtled toward her. Before she could react, a rotund figure lunged forward.
“Xiaochan, watch out!”
**BOOM!**
Explosions erupted all around. Old Lü shielded Aunt Tong just in time, weathering the blast.
“Old… Old Lü!” Aunt Tong rushed to check on him.
Old Lü stood with his arms crossed, his skin reddened but otherwise unharmed.
“Lucky… damn ‘Hardening’ saved me,” Old Lü muttered, shaken. “What the hell is this old bastard…?”
From above, Luo Shiyi coldly observed the chaos below. The “Extremists” had been thrown into disarray by the White Tiger’s terrifying power. With two more “Beasts” yet to appear, the situation was dire.
“Gale Force,” “Lush Wood,” “Combustion,” Luo Shiyi murmured. “So-called ‘Beasts,’ yet they rely on our own tricks.”
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