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

The Sixth Holy Spirit Bureau, Director's Office.

"Director, they... they're acting so strangely!" Xuehua clenched her fists, her voice full of confusion.

"Hmm, why not? This is the [earless layer]! If the two of us are looking at each other, we can help each other immediately if anything happens!"

"Why do they have to stare at each other when they could fight back-to-back?"

"Xiaoxue, don't rush!" Suijiu shook the celadon teacup in her hand and spoke slowly. "I have a rough idea of ​​why."

"This demon should be called Gain. Like Zezir of the third layer [Blind Layer], he is one of the paladins who went missing fifty years ago."

"Mmm, Chief!" Qiongren obediently raised his hand and asked, "Just how many paladins went missing fifty years ago?!"

"Xiao Qiong, don't interrupt, let me explain slowly!" Sui Jiu put down her teacup, tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, and continued.

"What disappeared fifty years ago was an exorcist knight order, consisting of eight people. They had different abilities and were considered the best among the younger generation of major exorcist families at the time."

"And Gaiyin's Stigmata are extremely special, granting him a strange ability—"

He cannot be detected by direct visual observation; his form can only be glimpsed through the pupils of another person!

"So, they weren't 'flirting'?" Xuehua said through gritted teeth when she said the word "flirting".

"Xiaoxue, how can you think like that? They're in grave danger right now, they wouldn't be thinking of doing something like that!" Sui Jiu looked anxiously at the circle of light.

"The stigmata of the Hidden Mark, when combined with the hearing loss state of the [Auricular Layer], is practically unsolvable!"

"I hope Xue Li and Mu Jing can work together seamlessly and escape successfully." Sui Jiu understood in his heart:

Although Mu Jing was slightly weaker, his psionic abilities were more suited to escaping.

But in terms of courage, strategy, and even a thorough understanding of the history of the exorcism world, he is almost an all-rounder.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to quickly analyze the optimal solution and successively pass through the [No Thought Layer], [No Mind Layer], and [No Eyes Layer]!

Within the aperture, Mu Jing and Xue Li's gazes met tightly, as if an invisible chain bound them together.

Xuehua's pent-up frustration had dissipated somewhat, but now a complex emotion inexplicably welled up again.

At that moment, the Tower of Echoes, fourth floor [the Earless Floor].

Xue Li grasped the warm hands of the man in front of her.

Their eyes met, and they looked at each other.

She could clearly see her reflection in his obsidian-like pupils, swaying gently with his breath.

Xue Li suddenly felt a little dazed, but her heart was beating very fast at an inopportune time.

She subconsciously tightened her fingers, trying to suppress the inexplicable flutter in her heart, but a trace of doubt couldn't help but rise in her heart.

—Was the battle just now too intense?

—Or is there really something wrong with my body?

She couldn't help but feel a little regretful for agreeing to Mu Jing's strategy—

"Ms. Xue Li, the next challenge is for us to hold hands and look into each other's eyes." Mu Jing's voice was as calm as a deep pool.

"Then react to the movement of my palm."

"Hmph, so you're finally willing to tell me in advance this time?" She turned her face away, but didn't loosen her grip on his hands.

"Because only by trusting each other can we escape from the Tower of Echoes!!!"

The man answered in a calm tone, a tone so calm it irritated her.

"So you should have told me beforehand! You're changing the subject again!!!" She raised her voice.

"Alright, Ms. Xue Li." He paused for a moment, then gently stroked the back of her hand with his palm. "Perhaps telling you will upset you, but I must be honest—"

"Tell me quickly!" Her heart skipped a beat, and she even held her breath.

"I don't think you trust me, so we must cultivate trust and understanding between us."

"You despicable man, your thoughts are still so vile! It's clearly you who don't trust me!" Xue Li suddenly looked up, her anger meeting his calm gaze, and instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.

"What would you have done if I had let go back then?"

"Don't worry, I've prepared a backup plan!!!"

—Damn man, why is he speaking in that reassuring tone again?

"I don't care! You have to trust me from now on! If you don't trust me, you won't be able to get out of this mess!" She decided to use a man's words to fight back.

Xue Li was lost in thought, yet she maintained eye contact with Mu Jing's pupils.

"It really wasn't my fault; his eyes are indeed very beautiful."

Looking into Mu Jing's obsidian-like black eyes, Xue Li couldn't help but feel joyful.

"Why is my heart beating so fast right now, while this man's heartbeat is still so steady!"

Xue Li's fingertips were tightly clasped in Mu Jing's palm. She could clearly feel her heart pounding wildly, but the heartbeat he was giving her through their clasped hands was still steady and strong, which made her feel inexplicably at ease yet somewhat anxious.

"It must be because they're in danger that they're so nervous!"

"It was him after all! Even in such a critical moment, he remained so steady and gave me such a sense of security!"

"No! The [Earless Demon] could appear at any moment now, what am I thinking! Concentrate! Concentrate!"

Xue Li snapped back to reality, her eyelashes trembling violently as she forced herself to focus all her attention on Mu Jing's pupils—the only window through which she could detect Gai Yin's presence.

Just then, Mu Jing gently pressed her little finger with his thumb.

Her pupils contracted sharply. In his dark eyes, she clearly saw a blue-haired figure appear out of thin air, a giant scythe emitting black smoke in its hand slashing down toward her neck with a deathly howl!

"【Ice Lotus - Frostthorn】!"

A cold, sharp shout shattered the deathly silence!

In an instant, ripples appeared in the air behind and to the left of Xue Li.

Six pale blue halos appeared quietly, like ripples stirred by an invisible hand.

"Pfft—Sizzle!"

The sharp whistling sound and the crisp sound of flesh tearing apart exploded almost simultaneously!

Within the aperture, thousands of ice hairs poured out like a sudden rain.

The silvery-white blade, carrying a chilling aura, precisely pierced the blue-haired figure that had just materialized.

The dull thuds of ice blades piercing flesh echoed one after another.

Blood droplets splattered on the ground, instantly freezing into tiny ice crystals by the cold air.

Almost at the moment the attack hit, Mu Jing's arm wrapped around Xue Li's waist like an iron band.

The warmth and strength emanating from her palm sent a jolt through her.

He touched the ground with his toes, his spinning movement as fast as lightning, carrying her away like an arrow released from a bow, retreating five meters away, leaving the splattered blood droplets and black mist far behind.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

A piercing scream shattered the deathly silence.

The blue-haired man collapsed heavily where Xue Li had just stood, his body convulsing violently.

His voice suddenly became hoarse and indistinct, and a demonic roar came from his throat, as if countless vengeful spirits were howling inside him.

"[Gaiast]——"

With that low, venomous roar, the black aura around him surged wildly as if alive, and the half-mask peeled off his face, revealing a twisted and ugly face.

His skin was wrinkled like withered tree bark, his eye sockets were sunken, and two curved black horns, like bull horns, suddenly sprouted from the top of his head, gleaming with an ominous luster.

He trembled as he grasped the giant scythe emitting black smoke and slowly stood up.

The next second, he suddenly raised his head and roared, and the black mist around him suddenly reversed, turning into blood-red mist that swirled wildly.

Even the scythe began to glow with a scarlet light, as if it had been infused with endless resentment and power.

—"The second form is coming!"—

Xue Li felt the touch of Mu Jing's fingertips tracing across her palm.

Her gaze suddenly sharpened like an icicle, instantly switching from a moment of slight surprise to a fighting stance.

Meanwhile, in the [Real-world Bullet Comment Section]:

"Greetings, Lord of Shadow Stream!"

"Wow, after the Ascended One, the Chosen One has arrived too!"

Wow, a battle of the century! "The Chosen Ones" vs. "The Darkin"! This lineup is simply godlike!

Then, comments expressing CP (couple pairing) sentiments began to flood the screen:

From now on, please refer to the "Tower of Echoes" as the "Tower of the Matchmaker"!

"No way, you two are fighting, fine, but why is Xue Li's gaze so suggestive?! Help, this atmosphere is incredible!"

"Lock Mirror is still incredibly reliable; he's managed to romance all the unromanceable characters from the original work!"

"Are you sure that's called an 'unromanceable character'? It's clearly a 'character who dies at the start' but was miraculously brought back to life by Mu Jing!"