The villain, caught in a chaotic situation, only wants to boost his popularity.

The so-called weak can only approach victory by utilizing everything.

Mu Jing never considered himself to be the same kind of person as that dark and gloomy witch.

She was a powerful being bestowed by heaven, while Mu Jing was merely a weakling.

He already knew that the trigger condition for the [Heartless Layer] was "heart-pulling", but he never mentioned it to Xue Li.

As expected, under his enticement, Xue Li did not hesitate to use her breakthrough technique in order to break the deadlock.

And so, the slime-like, mud-like demon before us was created—the Heartless Demon.

That was an aggregate of resentment formed from the combined grievances of countless psionicists imprisoned here—the [Heartless Demon].

It had no pupils, yet it sensed Mu Jing's arrival the moment he stepped onto the battlefield.

The heartless demon's muddy body suddenly contracted, its surface rippling with dark purple waves, and a black vortex swirling from its core.

When it contracted to its limit, it suddenly expanded its body and then ejected ten suspended black spheres, each two meters in diameter, which shot towards Mu Jing like cannonballs.

The surface of the black sphere was covered with a corrosive viscous liquid, and wherever it passed, the air hissed and melted.

Mu Jing, however, ran towards the black ball as if he were willingly going to his death.

Just as the black sphere was about to engulf him, he suddenly lunged forward and leaped like an arrow through the narrow gap between the black spheres, which was only fifty centimeters wide.

The movement was so precise it was as if it had been measured with a ruler. The hem of his clothes brushed against the edge of the black ball, and a wisp of black mist stuck to his shoulder, instantly corroding a charred hole.

"It was really too much of a stretch." He sniffed the rotting smell from his shoulder, his gaze fixed on the Heartless Demon's movements.

"Then next up is the [Heavenly Strike]!" Mu Jing looked up.

The next second, the Heartless Demon's body contracted inward again, like a spring compressed to its limit.

Mu Jing keenly caught this omen, and the moment it "splashed" out a huge black ball that smashed towards him, he rolled away to avoid it, and then sped all the way to the spot where the Heartless Demon had been standing.

The ground immediately sank five meters, and gravel flew like arrows.

"Next up is [Corrosive Mist]."

Mu Jing threw the silver fork in his hand, and the tip precisely pierced the head of the Heartless Demon.

The silver fork sank in without any resistance, but he didn't stop. He then threw out a second silver blade, which landed exactly where the silver fork had pierced.

This time, the Heartless Demon finally became agitated.

Its body convulsed violently, and dozens of viscous black wisps exploded from within, covering an area with a radius of ten meters in just 0.3 seconds.

The black mist writhed like a living thing, and wherever it passed, black corrosive bubbles rose from the ground, and even the air became viscous.

Just then, Mu Jing rushed towards the Heartless Demon, roaring at Xue Li, "Use [Frozen Thousand Miles] on me!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Xue Li instantly understood Mu Jing's meaning and immediately recited the secret incantation!

"【Frozen Thousands of Miles】—"

A pale blue cold wave instantly swept over Mu Jing, gripping the ends of his fluttering gray hair.

Ice crystals condensed around him like dust, making a crisp "crackling" sound when they collided with the black mist.

Just as the black mist was about to penetrate Mu Jing's skin, countless hexagonal, scale-like transparent ice shards began to systematically cover his body.

Layers of soft ice were stacked on top of each other, including the shoulders, arms, torso, elbows, and knees.

"Five seconds of freeze! That's enough!"

Finally, the helmet materialized, and the Mirror of the Shepherd just happened to crash into the slime-like mud.

I was instantly drawn in.

"【Deviation】!" A deep voice came from the center of the mud.

Initially, the mud churned wildly, as if trying to tear the intruder to pieces.

But ten seconds later, it suddenly stopped moving and there was no sound from Mu Jing.

Xue Li clenched her fists, her beautiful eyes filled with worry—she could feel a silent tug-of-war taking place inside the mud.

The next moment, the mud began to disintegrate, turning into a dissipating black mist that retreated, with viscous foam churning at its edges.

Xue Li's eyes suddenly lit up as she looked at the figure clad in ice crystal armor in the center of the black mist.

Mu Jing stood there, his ice armor still stained with lingering black mist.

He was already staring at the system notifications that kept popping up in front of him:

[Character "Mu Jing" popularity +1]

[Character "Mu Jing" popularity +1]

[Character "Mu Jing" popularity +1]

The live chat was already buzzing, with all attention focused on him:

"The King of Pretension is back! Get out of the way!"

"The Backpack Immortal is truly godlike! He even calculates the cooldowns of the Heartless Demon's skills perfectly!"

Xue Li: I haven't even used my full strength yet!

Mu Jing: Strength has never come from raw power, but from strategy!

"The peak breeds false support, twilight witnesses devout believers! Convert to the Holy Mirror Sect!"

Wow, Mu Jing looks like a supermodel!

Only a grand story deserves a grand victory.

A sneak attack during the Holy Spirit Bureau.

Gain Xue Li's trust by "shaking hands" and "dancing" in the [Heartless Layer].

Then, lure her into using her breakthrough skill, triggering a branch and summoning a demon.

As for those popularity ratings? They're just a byproduct of victory.

Deception, trust, weakening, control!

The enemy's habits, the teammates' abilities, and even the audience's emotions!

The so-called weak can only approach victory by utilizing everything.

That witch was merely there to satisfy her dark desire to manipulate everything!

As for the witch Mu Jing mentioned.

A void somewhere.

Her face was flushed: "My dear contractor, why do you always make me feel like this..."

She seemed to be following his rhythm, experiencing a thoroughly enjoyable "hunt".

Then, she experienced an incurable and complete relaxation.

Meanwhile, at the Tower of Echoes.

Xue Li rushed over to Mu Jing, her footsteps clattering over the gravel, and said anxiously, "Mu Jing! Why did you take such a risk? You could have... you could have trusted me one more time!"

But Mu Jing's reaction at this moment was not quite right. His gaze was unfocused, and his usually sharp eyes were now as if they were covered with a layer of fog.

He put his hands behind Xue Li's back, trying to hug her.

Xue Li's pupils contracted sharply, and she instinctively grabbed his wrist, pushing him back and taking a step back: "Mu Jing! Wake up! What exactly do you want to do?!"

The brief embrace during the dance in the [No Thought Layer] can still be barely explained by "survival" and "he is Xuehua's lover".

But now the Heartless Demon has long since collapsed, and only the two of them remain on the battlefield. What does this man want by suddenly approaching?

—Could it be…?

No! Absolutely not!

First of all, she has not forgiven this despicable man who only knows how to launch sneak attacks!

—Secondly, he is Xuehua's lover; all philanderers must die!

—And then, even though he saved her a few times, it was just a temporary "cooperative relationship"! She had absolutely no good feelings towards him!

—And then… won’t our age difference be too big?!

—Finally, he's too good at showing off! What if he secretly flirts with a bunch of girls?

Just as her thoughts were exploding in her mind, Mu Jing suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse with suppressed emotion:

"Miss Xue Li, my psychic ability is [Divergence]! Its effect is to separate two objects."

His gaze was clear and free of any distractions.

But the muscles in his face were twitching slightly, fine beads of sweat were seeping from his forehead, and even the end of his voice was trembling, clearly indicating that he was enduring great pain.

"And the price is..." He moved closer, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe, his voice extremely low.

…………