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

As soon as she finished speaking, a thick, inky fog spread out from the street corner, rapidly expanding and growing thicker, like an invisible giant net, slowly enveloping the four of them.

Mu Jing keenly noticed that the figure wearing the purple-haired ghost mask paused almost imperceptibly on the shoulder for a moment.

He understood immediately—the other party must not have realized that the psionicist she had been so focused on and considered her a sure thing had now turned from one person into five.

And at the very moment the black mist first appeared.

Min Su had already activated the [Extreme Speed] skill, his figure turning into a blurry afterimage as he instantly rushed to the little girl's side, picked her up and carried her behind the group, watching the surging darkness warily.

"Hahaha! I didn't expect the captain to guess right! Quietly clearing the area and staying behind with the little girl, we successfully lured out this sneaky guy!"

Yan Li stood with his hands on his hips in front of the crowd, pointing at the masked man and laughing loudly, his tone full of confidence.

"boring."

A hoarse, dry voice came from beneath the mask, as harsh as sandpaper rubbing against wood, yet it was clearly a woman's voice.

These two words, though seemingly casual, startled everyone present.

Yan Li was utterly enraged by these words, veins bulging on his forehead: "You heartless and insane demonic cultivator! You've harmed so many innocent people, your hands are stained with blood, and you still dare to say it's boring? You're utterly hopeless!"

Before her anger subsided, the masked woman with the vengeful spirit had already made her move.

The black mist surrounding her suddenly surged, transforming into a pitch-black torrent.

Like a cheetah that had been lying in wait, this black mist, accompanied by a fierce wind, charged towards Yan Li.

In the blink of an eye, the cold black mist had already wrapped around Yan Li's body, enveloping her.

"[Giant Strength • Giant Form]!"

Yanli then shouted out her spiritual energy, and a dazzling red light instantly erupted from her body, wrapping around her as if it were a tangible substance.

Immediately afterwards, her body expanded wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The white coat, which had originally fit well, was suddenly stretched taut.

The next second, it tore open with a "rip," and the muscles on his arm bulged rapidly like an inflated balloon, their lines as hard as steel.

Originally about 1.6 meters tall, he suddenly grew to 2.5 meters tall, becoming a giant, strong man.

The collar of the coat had already ripped apart, revealing not fair skin, but a red bodysuit that clung to the body and stretched as the muscles swelled.

"throat!!!"

She raised her head slightly, her once gentle eyes now bloodshot, turning fierce and violent. A deep, heavy roar came from her throat, making the surrounding air tremble slightly.

But the black mist showed no fear and continued to spread like a persistent, insidious infection.

The cold sensation climbed up her ankles, like a sticky spider web, tightly binding her limbs.

At this critical moment, the others reacted in unison.

"Stigmata Breakthrough—!"

Xuehua's clear voice rang out, and a silver storm instantly swirled around her.

The storm was mixed with countless sharp blade fragments, which gleamed coldly against the backdrop of red light and black mist.

The next second, she appeared wielding two swords and spreading her wings, looking like a Valkyrie descending to earth.

Before Xuehua could even complete her breakthrough, Yanli slammed his feet into the ground, instantly cracking the thick cement floor.

Ignoring the black mist surrounding her, she charged straight at the masked ghost woman like a cannonball being fired, with a muffled thud as it cut through the air.

Perhaps not expecting Yan Li to be so fearless, the masked woman was slightly taken aback, her figure freezing in place for a brief moment.

"I'd like to see what kind of ugly face you have under your mask, you charlatan!" Yan Li roared, his huge fist carrying immense force as he slammed it into the other's ghost mask.

"Clang—!"

A sharp, piercing cracking sound rang out.

A spiderweb-like crack instantly appeared on the mask's forehead, sending fine iron filings flying into the air.

Before the iron filings even hit the ground, the masked woman's body, like melting ice, slowly transformed into a blurry humanoid black mist.

Yan Li's fist pierced straight through the black mist, completely missing its target.

But the black mist behind her grew increasingly rampant, like living vines that tightened their grip and spread wildly upwards along her calves.

Before she knew it, it enveloped her completely.

The black fog grew thicker and thicker, so thick that it was almost impossible to see any human figures. Only a pair of scarlet eyes flickered in the darkness. At this moment, Yan Li looked like a red giant possessed by an evil spirit.

From within the black mist, a faint yet piercing "sizzling" sound emanated, like a leech's sucker clinging tightly to skin, slowly but greedily sucking something—it was Rock Force's spiritual energy and blood.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

Yanli roared angrily.

He frantically swung his fists, slamming them against the ground and surrounding walls, sending shards of stone flying across the concrete floor and leaving the walls riddled with dents.

But the black mist was like cold chains, tightly binding her body. No matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free even a little; instead, the chains tightened.

"Boring." The voice of the masked ghost came from afar, carrying a hint of mockery and contempt, as if she were toying with a caged beast, watching Yan Li struggle painfully in the black mist.

Only now did Yanli truly understand the feeling of helplessness and despair she had felt the night before when her partner's spiritual energy was being drained by the black mist.

In just a few moments, the force of her impact with the ground diminished, her strength rapidly dissipated like flowing water, and her originally swollen body began to slowly shrink. The effect of [Giant Strength • Giant Formation] was fading quickly.

Just as she was about to completely lose her strength, a silver light pierced through the black mist.

Yanli was overjoyed, thinking that Xuehua had come to his rescue, but what he saw was not silver armor and a sharp sword.

"【Holy Flame!】"

A deep, steady male voice rang out.

Immediately afterwards, a crimson sword wreathed in raging flames appeared in sight.

The bright red flames danced and leaped on the blade, radiating a scorching heat. Just by getting close, they caused the surrounding black mist to stir slightly.

Yanli was filled with shock—she had just activated [Giant Strength • Enlargement], yet she couldn't budge the black mist that was like a leech clinging to her bones.

But this man, who was only at the White level, managed to make the black mist wrapped around her arm slowly recede like a tide with just this one flame!

Although the black mist still clung tightly to its body like suction cups, it was already a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation.

"Hold on."

Mu Jing's voice was steady and calm, without the slightest ripple, yet it carried a reassuring power.

Just as Yan Li was wondering about his intentions, he saw Mu Jing gently twist the red sword in his hand.

The Crimson Sword suddenly emitted a deep "hum," like a sleeping behemoth being awakened.

The bright red flames that had been dancing on the spine of the sword suddenly exploded—like firewood ignited by a gale, instantly growing to half a person's height.

Flames, accompanied by sparks, surged toward Yan Li.

The flames swept across his ankle, bringing a burning pain, and Yanli's skin turned red from the heat.

But the black mist that was wrapped around her legs, like a scalded snake, frantically retreated, gradually receding until it finally revealed the pale but clean skin underneath.

"How interesting!!!" Not far away, the masked woman's hoarse voice rang out again, her tone now tinged with excitement and amusement.

Upon hearing this, Mu Jing felt a sense of helplessness.

How come these words are exactly the same as what that little witch said?

However, unlike the little witch, the masked ghost woman retreated abruptly as soon as she finished speaking, clearly intending to leave.

All of this was already within Mu Jing's expectations—the reason Xuehua didn't act immediately was because she was waiting for this moment.

"【Super Spirit Bullet】——"

Xue Hua's clear and melodious shout echoed in the black mist space.

Before the words had even faded, she was already enveloped in a dense silver light, her figure transforming into a sharp silver ray of light, shooting towards the masked ghost woman at extreme speed!

The moment the silver light and the black mist collided violently, a piercing hissing sound was produced.

But Xuehua suddenly felt empty—the black mist instantly scattered, turning into countless tiny black dots. She rushed straight towards it without even touching the hem of its clothes.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xuehua immediately changed direction and continued the pursuit along the trajectory of the largest patch of black mist that had dissipated.

They chased each other for a full three minutes.

She finally caught up with the fleeing humanoid black mist.

He swung his two-handed swords fiercely, sending a sharp gust of wind through the air as he slashed fiercely at the black mist...

But the next second, her sword pierced straight through the black mist.

The humanoid black mist dissipated in the night like a bursting bubble, turning into countless tiny points of light that drifted into the night sky like fireflies.

"Damn it..." Xuehua gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, her face full of resentment.

She then realized that she had rushed to empty-handed.

"No..." A thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and Xuehua's expression changed drastically.

"Oh no, Mirror-kun and the others..."

Xuehua's heart tightened, and without further hesitation, her figure transformed into a streak of silver light once more, rushing swiftly towards the shopping street she had just been on.

When she arrived, what greeted her eyes was the scene she least wanted to see.

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