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

"Keng——唔!!!"

In the distance, the shrill sound of metal colliding with rock strata pierces the deathly silence of the desert like a poisoned needle, striking the eardrums of the snow-covered glass.

In her perception, a ring of magical power swept outwards with overwhelming force.

At first, there were only a few scattered ones, but then they multiplied like ants.

One, two, three...

One hundred, two hundred, three hundred...

Until two thousand streams of magic power, originating from the same source as the demon from before, burned into her senses like a red-hot iron!

"Hiss~~"

"Hiss~~"

"Hiss~~"

The sound of quicksand shattering surged from all directions, each sound corresponding to a "demon".

Xue Li's voice trembled, and fine ice shards formed at her fingertips: "Mu Jing, is this the second stage you were talking about? A full two thousand mid-level, second-stage demons!"

"Don't be afraid!" Mu Jing's voice remained calm, as if everything was always under his control. "Follow my instructions!"

If it were anyone else encountering Zezir's second phase, they would have been crushed by the overwhelming despair of his sheer numbers.

If the first stage was an "assassination" hidden in the sand...

The second phase, "Sand Shadow Illusion," is a "deterrent" that involves placing two thousand "realistic illusions" in the open.

Instead of concealing their magic, they unleashed a fierce hissing sound of sand rubbing against each other, making even the air thick and sticky.

The real-world comment section is completely boiling over:

"Demon: My empire exists within every grain of sand!"

"The quantity is explosive!"

"Could this be the legendary 'righteous brawl'?"

'No, just the aura alone is that terrifying...'

"Has the production team gone mad? This mini-boss scene is even better than the final episodes of other anime series!"

"Sorry, Rima, your emperor has risen from the dead!"

"The protagonist of 'Prison Mirror' is still so calm, great! This book really reflects my daily life!"

But Mu Jing's next words made her think she was hallucinating: "Follow me, run forward!"

Ahead? There stood hundreds of "demons," each wielding a weapon shrouded in quicksand, shrieking as if they wanted to tear them to shreds!

With her and Mu Jing's strength, a direct confrontation would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

But before she could utter the word "okay," her wrist was gripped by a warm force—it was Mu Jing's hand, his palm calloused from years of wielding a sword, yet as steady as an anchor.

"run!"

Mu Jing had just given his command.

The quicksand beneath their feet suddenly collapsed, and Xue Li was almost dragged forward by him as they ran wildly.

The wind howled in my ears, and the monster roared ahead.

Run wildly!

They looked just like lovers committing suicide together at the end of the world, running wildly without regard for anything else!

But dozens of demons were standing in front of them!

Their sharp blades sliced ​​through the air, whipping up scorching sandstorms that even caused a slight stinging sensation as they brushed against Xue Li's cheeks.

"Watch out!" Xue Li's voice was solemn and deep.

But Mu Jing's steps did not stop for a moment. Instead, he ran faster and faster, as if he wanted to crash headfirst into that pile of demons!

The distance is getting closer and closer!

The magic, as sticky as glue, is visible several meters away!

She instinctively reached to activate her Holy Mark, and icicles were about to form on her fingertips, but Mu Jing stopped her: "Don't use the Holy Mark!"

"what?"

Xue Li's mind went blank.

She had initially thought Mu Jing's plan was to "escape," to avoid the two thousand illusions and break through the Eyeless Layer.

But now...

She didn't have time to ask any questions!

His body followed Mu Jing as he crashed into those "demons".

The cold glint of the sharp weapon almost brushed past his eyelashes.

The skin felt like it was being burned.

The only sound was the booming of metal buzzing in my ears.

—Did he lie to me?

—Shouldn't I have believed it!

Why does my body have to run after him on its own?

Countless thoughts exploded in her mind. She gripped Mu Jing's hand tightly, feeling the warmth of his palm against her own.

—I'll risk my life for him, at least he'll be with me!

So she endured the pain!

So she stopped doubting herself.

So she chose to believe.

So she chose to go to her death together!

"Huh!"

She clearly felt six sharp weapons pierce her brain at the same time, and she even felt the pain!

Just as she was lost in thought, she had already followed Mu Jing through those "demons".

"It's a hallucination!"

Mu Jing's voice, carried by the howling sandstorm, entered Xue Li's ears, as clear as an icicle slicing through the air.

Why?

Her voice escaped from between her lips, cold and devoid of warmth, like an icicle hanging on a cliff edge, sharp and poised to fall.

The piercing desert air infused it with a bone-chilling cold.

But the hand she was holding betrayed her coldness; she still gripped Mu Jing's hand tightly, her nails almost digging into the thin calluses on his palm.

"A realistic illusion!" Mu Jing said succinctly.

But this answer did not appease her; instead, it made the chill in the air even more intense, and the icy mist that condensed on Xue Li's fingertips even formed a layer of frost on the back of Mu Jing's hand.

"Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

The moment those words landed, it was as if an invisible ice wall suddenly stood between the two of them, freezing even the wind.

Mu Jing didn't reply, continuing his steps: "We're here!"

"Huh?" Xue Li was taken aback, not getting the explanation she expected.

"The real enemy lies ahead!"

As they spoke, Mu Jing had already dragged her several hundred meters away.

Along the way, they smashed through dozens of illusory demonic phantoms.

Although Xue Li still couldn't sense any magical fluctuations,

However, she was inexplicably certain that this man would never lie to her in a life-or-death situation.

Watch out for the stones under your feet!

She followed him onto a flat rock.

Mu Jing gave the command again: "Downwards, use the small-scale [Frozen Thousand Miles] skill!"

"Awooo—Zzz!!!"

As soon as Mu Jing finished speaking, the two thousand demons around him seemed to realize something and roared in unison!

Xue Li suddenly came to her senses—without realizing it, the demons had quietly formed a huge ring around her.

The sharp weapons entangled in quicksand were all aimed at them in the center, like a death trap about to tighten.

She didn't have time to ponder the meaning of this commotion; she only heard Mu Jing's voice pierce through the noise once more: "Quick!"

"【Freeze a Thousand Miles】!" Xue Li practically roared out the secret incantation, and the icy mist at her fingertips instantly solidified.

An icicle pierced the ground beneath her feet, as thick as a yak shinbone, and crashed into the rock beneath her feet with a chilling aura.

"Snap!"

The crisp sound of icicles colliding with rocks had just begun.

Immediately following was a muffled "crack—!!!" that shook the ground like an iceberg collapsing.

At that very moment.

Suddenly, a ring of pitch-black demonic energy surged from the inside of the ordinary rock, spreading rapidly like a drop of ink thrown into a lake!

Wherever they passed, the magic of those "demons" receded like a tide, and their originally hideous figures turned into sand and vanished in a flurry.

In a short while, the two thousand magical fluctuations completely disappeared from Xue Li's perception.

"Mu Jing, we won?" She gazed at the empty sand, her voice light and incredulous. "Could this rock be theirs...?"

"It's not a life support device, it's a bomb!" Mu Jing's voice, accompanied by lingering sand and dust, crashed down. "The two thousand illusions were all a smokescreen—this stone is the detonator. If we'd found it a few seconds later, we'd all be buried to dust!"

"And!" he suddenly emphasized, his words like an icicle piercing Xue Li's relaxed nerves, "we haven't won yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint wisp of black smoke suddenly rose into the air above the sand.

Then, the magic power that dissipated when the two thousand illusions vanished surged wildly toward the black mist, gradually coalescing into a continuously expanding entity!

Mortal, Common Rank, First Breakthrough Rank...

The rise in magical power levels was like a runaway hourglass, visibly churning and solidifying within the black mist.

In Xue Li's perception, that wisp of energy, initially as faint as an ant, instantly swelled to the oppressive force of a tiger, finally settling at—

Breaking through the initial stage three times!

"They've arrived." Mu Jing looked up at the black mist that had revealed its ferocious outline. Mu Jing's words remained calm, as if he were mentioning a trivial matter.

"The final chapter of the third layer, the [Blind Layer]—the third stage of the demon."

Within the black mist, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly opened, and sand swirled around it, creating a storm that even made the air whistle.

…………