As soon as Han Yimo finished speaking, the atmosphere around them shifted abruptly.
At the same time, Zheng Yingxiong covered his nose with his hand.
Bai Jiu and Luo Shiyi hadn’t yet grasped what was happening when Jiang Shi slowly raised his head.
He sensed with sharp intuition that something had arrived—something so powerful it even stirred the “Immortality” within him for a fleeting moment.
Seeing Jiang Shi’s reaction, Bai Jiu immediately grew cautious and signaled to Luo Shiyi on the opposite rooftop, preparing for battle. Luo Shiyi, along with “Displacer” Ma Shier and “Hover” Wu Shisan behind him, focused intently, scanning their surroundings.
Yet, they found no trace of any other “Divine Beast.”
Like the others on the rooftop, Zheng Yingxiong felt enveloped by an overwhelming scent but couldn’t pinpoint its source.
“It’s Xuanwu…” Zheng Yingxiong said. “I remember this scent… She’s here…”
Han Yimo froze for a moment. “How…? Speak of the devil…”
Everyone frantically searched their surroundings, but Xuanwu’s figure was nowhere to be found.
With Baihu already holding them all at bay… if Xuanwu joined the fight, would they even stand a chance?
Jiang Shi slowly stood up, sensing an “Immortality” far stronger than his own. She was too close—almost right in front of him.
“Three feet of dragon’s spring, ten thousand scrolls of books—what fate has heaven bestowed upon me?” Jiang Shi lowered his arms, which had been poised for battle. “If I cannot serve my country and bring peace to the land, then what worth is this man’s body?”
After reciting these lines from a traditional storytelling prelude, Jiang Shi’s expression hardened, and the drowsiness that had plagued him vanished entirely.
“Xiao Jiang Shi… where?” Bai Jiu asked, frowning.
Jiang Shi slowly extended his hand, pointing in an eerie direction.
Luo Shiyi and the others, along with Bai Jiu, followed his gesture—only to find that it wasn’t aimed at the ground or any rooftop.
Instead, it was directed at a tangled mass of wires atop a telephone pole.
The wires seemed even more chaotic than before, with thick black strands dangling dangerously close to the ground.
Only then did Luo Shiyi realize that some of those black strands weren’t wires at all—they were Xuanwu’s hair.
Xuanwu’s coiled form slowly unfurled amidst the wires, revealing her pitch-black body.
Not an inch of skin remained on her. Every visible part of her was engulfed in endless darkness, like a vast expanse of the cosmos.
They had seen Jiang Shi’s ability—whenever he suffered severe injuries, the wounded areas would turn into a starry void. But Xuanwu’s entire body was already pitch-black… Had she reached some unfathomable state, or was she mortally wounded?
If “Immortality” truly covered her entirely… then did Xuanwu even have a physical body anymore?
How could one kill something without a physical form?
“Well, damn…” Luo Shiyi chuckled darkly. “Starting on hell difficulty… Guess our wait wasn’t in vain.”
Xuanwu lowered her head, her nonexistent eyes scanning the chaotic battlefield below. Then, in a voice as ethereal as the void itself, she murmured:
**”Why am I here…?”**
Her voice sent chills down Luo Shiyi’s spine.
At that moment, Xuanwu seemed to have transcended the concept of a “Divine Beast,” becoming something else entirely.
Baihu, too, sensed the anomaly. She unleashed an unprecedented gale, forcing everyone back three steps before raising her aged, murky eyes toward the sky.
There, perched atop the wires, stood a grotesque figure—utterly black yet shimmering, devoid of a face or expression.
The two seemed to lock eyes, yet that single second of contact felt like decades had passed.
“You… Could you be… Xuanwu…?” Baihu rasped, disbelief coloring her voice.
Though her words were soft, every “Extremist” present heard them clearly. They all looked up, confirming the presence of a figure resembling Xuanwu hovering midair.
But this Xuanwu bore little resemblance to the one they remembered.
Xuanwu tilted her head slightly at the old woman before her. Though her face lacked expression, her confusion was palpable.
After a long pause, she spoke:
**”Who are you?”**
“I…” The old woman hesitated, then let out a bitter laugh. “I have no name… But here, they call me ‘Baihu.'”
Xuanwu fell silent again, then tilted her head once more.
Everyone held their breath, uncertain of Xuanwu’s next move. If the two Divine Beasts joined forces, none of them would survive.
**”Audacious.”** After a long contemplation, Xuanwu finally spoke. **”Divine Beasts do not deceive. How could Baihu be an old crone?”**
“I…” Baihu paused, then grinned. “Indeed… But none of you ever cared about my fate. Had you noticed my condition sooner, perhaps the grand lie would have been exposed long ago.”
**”I don’t understand.”** Xuanwu shook her head. **”Why have you aged?”**
“Because I waited too long.” Baihu let out a maddened laugh. “Alone. For far too long.”
**”I remain unaged, yet you wither.”** Xuanwu mused. **”Then what are you doing now? And why am I here?”**
“I don’t know why you’re here,” Baihu answered truthfully. “But I’m stopping these ‘Participants’ from destroying the great bell and the display screens.”
**”Preventing destruction…”** Xuanwu considered this. **”Preventing destruction is good… These people seek to destroy the bell and screens, and they attack you…”**
Dread washed over the crowd as the black figure uttered two hollow words:
**”Violation.”**
The moment she spoke, the smallest of the uprooted trees embedded in the ground shuddered, then levitated. Its roots twisted midair before hurtling straight toward Xuanwu.
**”Whoosh—”**
Xuanwu made no move to dodge. The sapling pierced her abdomen, its length vanishing entirely into her body as if swallowed by the starry void within.
She glanced down at the tree protruding from her stomach, then lifted her gaze toward Luo Shiyi.
The one who had acted was none other than “Displacer” Ma Shier, standing behind Luo Shiyi.
“Hey!” Luo Shiyi grinned. “Xuanwu, does throwing a tree into your gut count as a ‘violation’?”
Only then did the Extremists notice the black-clad figures on the rooftops. Some among them had even dealt with “The Cat” before, instantly recognizing these individuals.
Xuanwu didn’t respond. Instead, she reached down, attempting to pull the sapling free. When it refused to budge, she simply pushed it deeper into the cosmic abyss within her.
**”Violation,”** she repeated.
“Perfect.” Luo Shiyi laughed coldly. “We worthless lives are just waiting for you to kill us.”
With that, Bai Jiu signaled. The rooftop operatives grabbed ropes and rappelled down, disappearing swiftly into the streets.
Xuanwu watched them flee before murmuring to herself:
**”As long as I uphold the rules, this time… I will die.”**
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