I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

This aura was overwhelmingly powerful, definitely belonging to the ninth rank, and quite high at that, at least at the Divine Gathering level.

Against this level of sneak attack, an eighth-tier character has absolutely no ability to resist.

It seemed that Si Mo would be captured alive in the next second, but before that, the large hand formed by black energy paused for a moment.

Swah——

A streak of blue-purple starlight pierced the night sky and returned to this place in an instant. The scorching wind instantly tore apart the giant hand formed by the black aura.

Even the person who launched the sneak attack didn't expect Yan Ziming to be so fast; it only took a few seconds.

Less than three seconds at most.

Or did she never leave at all, and just wait for him to reveal his location, like a hunter lying in wait?

However, when the shadowy figure examined Yan Ziming's hand closely, it realized that this was not the case.

"What a pity, we only caught one; the one with the big head got away..."

Yan Ziming let out a soft sigh, calm and undisturbed, yet one could sense the raging fury within it.

In her hand was a person... no, it should be said that it was once a 'person', or rather, a severed limb, because it was a human hand, extending to the forearm, with drops of blood dripping from the cut, pooling on the ground.

Yan Ziming did go to Murong Haiyi's place just now and saw the three people who attacked Murong Haiyi. One of them was actually at the ninth level, and the other two were at the eighth level!

The ninth-ranked individual seemed to have planned ahead, retreating if the first attack failed. His identity absolutely could not be exposed, as that would lead to diplomatic disputes. Therefore, he brought two other eighth-ranked individuals to finish off the enemy.

Yan Ziming only had time to kill one of them and capture another before realizing the possibility of a diversionary tactic. After a quick assessment of the situation, he turned back.

Noticing that the prisoner he was holding seemed to have lightened considerably, Yan Ziming looked down and sighed.

"Ah, I was careless."

She had originally intended to take the person she had captured to a special department to verify his true identity, but now... it seems that on her way back at the speed of light, the powerful acceleration tore his body apart, leaving only this arm.

Snapped

Yan Ziming casually tossed the severed limb away, as if discarding a worthless piece of trash.

"..." The person standing opposite her didn't say anything, but was quietly looking for an opportunity to retreat.

She had witnessed Yan Ziming's incredible speed just now, and it would be extremely difficult for him to escape. She had to find an opening.

Yan Ziming silently observed the shadowy figure. She still couldn't determine who this person was. Her cold gaze was as if she were looking at a dead man. She said:

"You guys are pretty capable, actually managing to do something like this in this place..."

"So... before doing something like this, shouldn't you be prepared to pay a bloody price?"

The next moment, the atmosphere became incredibly cold, emanating from pure killing intent, all of which fell upon the black figure.

Yan Ziming pointed a finger, and a crimson light shot out from her fingertip, making the air extremely hot. The dark figure dared not take the hit head-on and could only dodge.

He doesn't seem inclined to reveal his true identity; he will never show his special abilities unless it's a crucial moment.

"Humph!"

Yan Ziming seized on this point and recklessly pointed out three more fingers in succession. At the same time, he approached the shadowy figure like a ghost and lightly struck out with his palm. With a "bang", lightning exploded from his body and he was sent flying backward.

whoosh-

With her index and middle fingers together, Yan Ziming swung her arm, and a blue-purple arc shot out from the tips of her two fingers. Her movements were as powerful as thunder, and wherever it passed, space, air currents, and waves... appeared to be separated by the naked eye, cut apart by the arc of light.

Snapped!

The whip struck the shadowy figure squarely, producing a terrifying sonic boom, but it failed to produce the effect Yan Ziming had hoped for—

A ripple pattern appeared on the surface of the shadowy figure's body, seemingly dispersing the force and power of the whip, yet without dispersing all the force. He shot out like a cannonball.

Just as Yan Ziming was about to give chase, intense energy fluctuations also came from several other directions in the city. One of them was very familiar to her, and Yan Ziming's expression changed again, her movements slowing down for a moment.

opportunity!

Seizing the opportunity, the shadowy figure flew away in an instant, emanating a peculiar aura that caused all resistance around it to disappear. The shadowy figure retreated in a flash.

His speed was unbelievable, as if the space itself was giving him a boost, and in an instant he was reduced to a tiny dot.

"Leave me alone!"

Just then, Yan Ziming's Chasing Lightning was still charging up, and he only had time to raise the Spear of Victory and thrust it at the shadowy figure that still had a trace of movement.

Like a galaxy flowing, dazzling lightning gathered on its spearhead, as if time had reversed, and huge, irreparable cracks appeared in the air along its path for a brief moment.

hum-

The beam of light pierced the clouds, violently scattering them and revealing the moon, which had been obscured by the clouds. However, its light was completely obscured, and the sky turned into a clear blue day, illuminating all directions.

At that moment, the entire city descended into chaos.

"Tch! Missed!"

Yan Ziming's face darkened, but she didn't have much time to make a judgment. She rushed to the other places where battles had broken out at an extremely fast speed.

Before leaving, he gave Simo a meaningful look, the meaning of which was roughly...

Do whatever you want.

"I told you to wait for me, why wouldn't you listen?"

Si Mo stomped her feet in frustration.

Not long after Yan Ziming left, several dark figures appeared around Si Mo, forming a circle around her and surrounding her. Each of them released their own domain, creating a powerful energy field that trapped her inside.

This is clearly yet another attempt to lure the tiger away from the mountain!

"..."

Si Mo coldly watched them as they completed all the preparations, then said, "Since you've chosen to do that, you should be prepared to pay a bloody price, right?"

Having said that, her eyes, her breath, and even her very existence... were tainted with a nauseating cruelty and bloodlust, and the smile on her delicate face was so cruel.

"If you're ready, then with the utmost respect for us... die!"

57. Wrath

Yan Ziming rushed to the location that concerned her. During the battle with the shadowy figure, Tian Tian's aura had been released there, which was the key reason why Yan Ziming had allowed the shadowy figure to escape.

As soon as he arrived, Yan Ziming saw Tian Tian kneeling on the ground, covered in blood. As for the person who attacked her, he had already retreated when Yan Ziming's beam of light shot into the sky. However, one person did not have time to run far and was pierced by Yan Ziming's spear from a distance. Like a bird with broken wings, he fell to the ground.

puff-

When Yan Ziming arrived, he found that the person had been smashed into a pile of minced meat, and his body contained highly toxic substances that had broken down his body's tissues and cells, leaving no useful information behind.

"Damn it!" Yan Ziming angrily shook his hand and returned to where Tiantian was.

"day by day?!"

"Ugh...cough cough—cough cough! Whoa—"

He coughed up blood several times a day, leaving a shocking pool of blood on the ground. For an ordinary person, this amount of bleeding would basically mean they were on the verge of death.

"No, it's nothing..." Tian Tian said weakly.

Her right abdomen was pierced by an energy attack, and thick blood was still oozing out. The still-steaming blood gathered on the ground into a thin, winding stream.

"Big sister!" Ye Qianxue appeared just in time, and when she saw Tiantian covered in blood, she couldn't help but cover her mouth.

"Qianxue, take Tiantian to the therapist immediately. Remember, find our own therapist!"

Yan Ziming's expression was serious, and he emphasized these four words.

In the current situation, no one can be trusted except one's own people. Yan Ziming doesn't want to be rescued every day only to be betrayed and killed by someone else.

"Okay." Ye Qianxue didn't hesitate. She picked up Tiantian, who had traveled through time, and returned to her home to seek help from a healer.

Drip, drip, drip—

"Hey, it's me."

“Little Momo, our other contestants were also attacked. Meng Qianyu was seriously injured, and Chen Ai is almost dead. She has been sent to our therapist for emergency treatment.”

"..."

The more she listened, the more violent Yan Ziming's aura became; she was almost unable to contain her anger.

Meng Qianyu is the third eighth-level contestant from China. His strength is undeniable, and he is already among those who are being targeted.

Chen Ai is also someone Yan Ziming greatly admires, but judging from Mu Mu's words, the situation doesn't seem optimistic.

The rising stars of China have been attacked one after another, and the perpetrators did this right under her nose. This is an extreme insult and utterly arrogant!

"Are the other players alright?"

"We haven't received any other reports of attacks yet, and the headcount is complete. Apart from a few contestants who weren't particularly deserving of being attacked, it's just the few I mentioned earlier."

"But I think... these are all just feints, and even Tian Tian and Chen Ai were just sidelined attacks by the enemy. The real focus is..."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ziming looked in the direction of Si Mo, his gaze cold.

Without a doubt, the real targets of the assassination were Murong Haiyi and Si Mo.

Murong Haiyi is basically half a ninth-level cultivator, possessing strength no less than that of Mu Mu back then, so it's only natural that he would be targeted.

Actually, even if Yan Ziming hadn't rushed to his rescue, he wouldn't have been in any danger. After all, how could someone with a celestial spirit following them have bad luck?

As for Si Mo... Yan Ziming doesn't need to worry about her at all. On the contrary, those who secretly want to attack her should be prepared to suffer heavy losses.