After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

The evening wind in the mountains was biting, carrying with it the lingering smoke of battle.

Little Fish stared intently at the warmly lit manor, her eyes churning with madness and jealousy. She dared not linger. Gritting her teeth, she turned and followed the few remaining Illuminati members, their figures scrambling into the darkness as they fled.

Half an hour later, at a hidden underground base on the outskirts of a city in southern Xinjiang.

The entire structure here is made of alloy panels, with various intelligent instruments operating in an orderly manner and blue light screens flashing alternately, exuding a strong sense of technology. However, its layout and level of precision are far inferior to the destroyed underground secret realm, revealing a sense of haste and simplicity everywhere.

Beside the medical operating table, two staff members dressed in white research uniforms quickly stepped forward, their movements skillful and efficient.

One person held a mechanical prosthetic limb that gleamed with a cold silver luster, while another person, holding a precision adjustment instrument, stepped forward, bowed, and spoke.

"Commander, the custom-made bionic mechanical right arm has been fully tested and the neural connection system is perfectly compatible. The feel, strength, and flexibility are indistinguishable from the original arm."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two immediately started operating the equipment.

A faint electrical hum was heard as the robotic arm precisely connected to the wound on Xiaoyuer's right amputated arm, instantly reconnecting and locking the nerve pathways.

Little Fish slowly raised his right arm, repeatedly clenching, stretching, and turning his five fingers into a fist.

It has a powerful feel, a realistic touch, and an appearance that is indistinguishable from a normal person's arm.

But even as she clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white, the violent rage in her heart did not diminish in the slightest.

fake.

Ultimately, it is a lifeless object forged by cold machinery, and can never replace a real body of flesh and blood.

Her meticulously planned earth vein array, elite guards, and top-secret assassins were all destroyed by Lin Ping. She lost an arm and was crippled, suffering a complete defeat and becoming a utter loser.

Overwhelming rage caused her chest to heave violently, and her aura of malevolence suddenly exploded.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

Little Fish suddenly shouted and swung his right hand fiercely!

Bang!

The sturdy alloy control panel was slammed down by the robotic arm, the instruments on the panel shattered, and fragments of parts flew everywhere.

The staff around her trembled with fear, all bowing their heads and remaining silent, none daring to look directly at her furious outburst.

The air pressure in the entire sealed base instantly dropped to freezing point.

Just as Xiaoyuer was about to retaliate again, the heavy alloy gate of the base opened by itself without any wind.

A tall, slender figure in black slowly walked in, shrouded in an extremely gloomy and oppressive aura.

The man wore a matte black ghost mask that covered his entire face, revealing only his hard, cold jawline. His voice was deep and hoarse, devoid of any emotion, and chillingly cold.

"Have you made enough of a scene?"

With just three simple words, all the commotion within the base was instantly quelled, and a deathly silence enveloped the entire area.

Xiaoyuer froze, the surge of anger he had just felt instantly forced back down, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly composed himself, bowing his head and speaking with barely concealed panic.

"Your Excellency, Your Lordship."

The masked man approached slowly, his steps steady, each one striking at the most tense spot in people's hearts.

"He secretly set up a deadly trap in the southern border region, arbitrarily mobilized the secret realm's garrison, acted rashly, underestimated the enemy, and advanced recklessly."

His voice suddenly turned stern, and a barrage of harsh rebukes rained down upon him.

"The loss of a large number of elite troops, the destruction of dozens of top-secret modified suicide soldiers, the bombing of the core underground secret realm, and the expending years of effort and countless resources of the organization—all of it was destroyed by your own hand!"

"I shouldn't have made an exception to protect you in the first place, giving you the sole authority to manage the affairs of the southern border!"

Each word was like a blade, piercing through all of Xiaoyuer's hopes.

Little Fish's body trembled violently, his head was lowered even further, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. Extreme fear replaced his previous madness.

She knew very well that the mysterious lord before her was the true top leader of the Illuminati, capricious and ruthless, who could kill her in the blink of an eye.

"Your subordinate knows his guilt!" Xiaoyuer's voice trembled, but he still gritted his teeth and raised his eyes, a ruthless, obsessive glint rekindling in them. "This crushing defeat was due to my carelessness and underestimation of the enemy!"

"But Lin Ping is indeed cunning and unpredictable, and his strength far exceeds expectations!"

She abruptly raised her newly attached mechanical right arm, clenching her fists tightly, the mechanical joints making a clicking sound.

"The hatred of losing an arm to my subordinate and the bitterness of defeat will be etched in my heart!"

"Please, Your Majesty, give me another chance! I will exert all my strength and spare no expense to kill Lin Ping, crush all his defenses, and make him repay today's losses a hundredfold, a thousandfold!"

The masked man looked at her silently, his gaze beneath the mask deep and unreadable.

After a few seconds of deathly silence, he spoke calmly: "Remember what you said today. If you lose again, I won't need to lift a finger; you can accept your punishment yourself."

After saying that, he said no more, turned around and strode away. The heavy alloy door slowly closed, and the oppressive pressure completely dissipated.

Only when the Lord's aura completely disappeared did Xiaoyuer's legs go weak, and he staggered half a step to steady himself. His back was already soaked with cold sweat. He exhaled a long breath, and his tense nerves suddenly relaxed.

After the initial relief of surviving the ordeal, a deeper hatred once again swept over him.

She glanced coldly at her remaining subordinates beside her, her eyes filled with chilling malice.

"Pass down the order: mobilize all personnel and thoroughly investigate this one person!"

"Investigate Shen Aoxue! Investigate all her whereabouts, her background, and all her relationships! Leave no stone unturned!"

The subordinate immediately bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, Commander!"

The deputy hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "Commander, if I may be so bold as to ask, who exactly is this Shen Aoxue? Why is Lin Ping going to such lengths to search for her?"

Xiaoyuer's gaze darkened, his eyes filled with doubt and resentment.

"I want to know too."

"I have controlled the Illuminati forces in the Southern Frontier for many years, traversing all the secret realms, strongholds, and connections, and searching through all the records, but I have never heard of or seen this name before."

She had already secretly investigated countless times, and she had indeed never arrested or seen Shen Aoxue, but all of Lin Ping's obsessions and actions revolved around this woman.

This name, which appeared out of nowhere, seemed to be Lin Ping's only weakness, yet it remained mysteriously elusive.

"Keep investigating! Dig three feet into the ground, we must uncover her secrets!"

Xiaoyuer gave a stern order, his mechanical right arm trembling slightly, a calculating glint flashing in his eyes.

Since Lin Ping sees her as an obsession and a weakness.

Regardless of where Shen Aoxue is or what her identity is.

Finding her is the only way to defeat Lin Ping!

Meanwhile, inside a private estate on the outskirts of the city.

The evening breeze was gentle, and the courtyard lights were warm.

Lin Ping stood under the corridor, his fierce aura completely dissipated, and a faint melancholy settled between his brows and eyes.

Adele stepped forward lightly, gently taking his arm in her hand, her voice soft and sweet: "Don't be too anxious. With everyone's help, we'll have news of Sister Aoxue soon."

Alu followed closely behind, her eyes filled with affection, quietly staying by his side and offering silent comfort.

Zhu Xiaohan brought over a glass of warm water and said softly, "Take care of yourself, sir. There's plenty of time to find the person in the future."

The three women gently accompanied him, their warmth enveloping him and slightly soothing the anxiety in Lin Ping's heart.

Dozens of martial arts and formation masters from the Southern Frontier stood respectfully behind him, awaiting his orders.

The powerful figure surnamed Zhang spoke again: "Sir, we will immediately divide the area and search all hidden strongholds, abandoned secret realms, and powerful bases in the Southern Frontier overnight. We will definitely provide you with clues by dawn tomorrow!"

Lin Ping nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "Thank you all for your trouble."

Just as everyone was preparing to set off to investigate, Lin Ping's phone suddenly vibrated slightly.

It wasn't a text message, it wasn't a phone call.

It was an extremely well-hidden, encrypted, anonymous dark web pop-up message, consisting of only one short line of text.

Shen Aoxue has not disappeared. She has deliberately gone into hiding in the Southern Frontier and is currently working alone to decipher the Illuminati's final ley line sacrifice array.

Lin Ping's pupils suddenly contracted, and his body temperature instantly turned icy cold!