The night wind rustled as the eight figures ascended the ancient city wall. A chill seeped into their skin. The night was devoid of stars and moon, with only the eerie, silent castle lying low, like a sentry in a dark abyss.
"Yuan Hao! You're here!" Ji Fu's voice had barely finished when Mo Yunfei, from behind her, clamped a hand around her throat, stifling her words into a choked gasp.
"Well, Ren Yuan Hao, you certainly made it fast."
Leng Wuhuan was not wearing his fox mask this time. After all, for a man on the verge of demise, there was no need to conceal his identity.
"It is you, after all. I never expected someone who looks so respectable to be so wicked at heart."
Seeing their young lady held captive by Mo Yunfei, the seven women moved to rescue her. However, Ren Yuan Hao drew his long saber, blocking their path, and said in a deep voice, "Do not act rashly. Your task is merely to wait for an opportune moment to rescue Ji Fu."
Leng Wuhuan carried no weapons, only a folding fan in his hand. He walked forward a few steps and then said, "Ren Yuan Hao, I have a few questions. Can you enlighten me?"
"You want to ask why I happened to appear here, don't you?"
Leng Wuhuan nodded, his eyebrows lifting slightly. "It's always straightforward when talking to someone intelligent."
"I'm sorry, I've never considered myself intelligent. If you must blame someone, then blame yourself for being too ruthless. Even Heaven can't stand it."
Ren Yuan Hao's body, having been conditioned by the 'Great Vajra Pill', was in optimal condition, both in terms of true qi, inner breath, and even his wounds. Moreover, his physical attributes had returned to their peak. Coupled with his control over his third ability, his confidence was incomparably greater than it had been the previous night.
"What do you mean?" Leng Wuhuan, sensing an abnormality in Ren Yuan Hao's words, his expression instantly changed.
Ren Yuan Hao pointed towards the heavens. "Man does, Heaven watches. I can only tell you, you've messed up."
"Could it be... that little girl..."
Ren Yuan Hao applauded. "Not bad, not bad. I thought your blockhead of a brain would deny it to the bitter end."
"Hahahaha, ridiculous. I, Leng Wuhuan, stand by my actions. I must say, your rash attempt to rescue her is quite a noble deed. However, have you considered if you can leave this Sky Castle safely?"
"How will I know if I don't try? Besides, do you really think we're the only ones offering help?" Ren Yuan Hao took out his communicator and shouted, "Brothers, aren't you going to say hello to this son of a turtle and grandson of a dog?"
As soon as his voice fell, the walkie-talkie and the entire Sky Castle erupted with a deafening echo!
"Now you understand, it's not me who is surrounded, but you, Leng Wuhuan."
Ren Yuan Hao's long saber vibrated, its blade shining like the autumn moon reflecting in a clear spring, emitting a faint, dragon-like cry!
"Wait!" At this moment, Dongfang Xu stepped out from behind Leng Wuhuan. "How is the Wuji Blade in your hands! Could it be, could it be~"
Dongfang Xu's emotions suddenly spiraled out of control, her face turning pale. Fortunately, Leng Wuhuan steadied her. Dongfang Xu took a few breaths before asking, "Tell me, what have you done to my grandmother!"
Ren Yuan Hao was bewildered, but he quickly realized.
—Damn, that old woman was the head of the Dongfang family! The legendary strongest woman, Dongfang Ji! Could it be that she had long detected the conspiracy between Leng Wuhuan and the Chixiao Sect, and thus entrusted this task to me? No, I only met her once! She doesn't know my character at all, does she have such foresight and courage?
Ren Yuan Hao glanced at the saber called Wuji Blade and laughed heartily. "So, everything was within Grandmother's plan. Since Grandmother gave me the blade, Leng Wuhuan, today, we shall settle our differences!"
Seeing that Ren Yuan Hao was not answering directly, Dongfang Xu suddenly lunged!
"Be careful, Dongfang Xu is also an ability user!"
In fact, Ren Yuan Hao had already sensed it without Ji Fu's reminder.
Dongfang Xu's five fingers became sharp claws as she lunged forward. For some reason, in a daze, Ren Yuan Hao could see the qi flowing between heaven and earth, and these masses of qi were converging and swirling clockwise into Dongfang Xu's palm!
—Holy crap, isn't that a Rasengan!
"DiDi, look at your little spirit. I have a bold guess. It's highly possible that the so-called masterless ability core was actually stripped from the previous owner's body!"
"Miss, what do you mean? Can you offer some constructive advice at this critical moment? Just stop blabbering, okay? I feel like being hit by that 'Rasengan' would be very bad!"
"What are you panicking about? Analyze what I just said properly."
"You should just tell me directly. My mind is a mess right now, and if you suddenly pull me into this illusion, I won't be able to adapt to the combat rhythm, hey!"
"Fine, fine. I wasn't sure before, but now I completely understand the whole story."
"First of all, have you ever considered that your masterless ability core might belong to Dongfang Ji!"
"Holy crap! Is that possible? Wait, if you say so, doesn't that mean everything is under Grandmother's control?"
The system miss's voice suddenly became incredibly silent.
"If that's the case, even I find it terrifying."
"Holy crap, it's not just terrifying, alright? If this were a chess game, she would have to see how many moves ahead! This old woman is too terrifying!"
"From the moment Leng Wuhuan appeared, Dongfang Ji began to fade from people's sight. She even disguised herself, concealed her abilities, and became an old woman running a small shop. She even watched her own granddaughter being buried alive with her own eyes, yet could leisurely ride the Ferris wheel. She even had the guts to use her own ability core as bait to lure out Leng Wuhuan, who thought himself a master strategist, and gave you this ancestral treasure blade of the Dongfang clan, indirectly giving you her ability core as well. She even calculated the situation in Yun Jin City, calculated that you, Ren Yuan Hao, are a responsible man, and calculated the infighting between the great clans. This foresight is something even I, an intelligent AI, find hard to comprehend!"
"Could she have a precognitive ability?"
Ren Yuan Hao suddenly thought of something that even the system dared not speculate about!
"Yes, but that kind of ability, don't you think it's too overpowered?"
"The key is, I don't think that old woman is normal! With such powerful abilities, and the blade, she can discard them without batting an eye."
"Don't think of her as too divine. You're overlooking her lifespan and age, perhaps~"
"Never mind, after all that talk, I should go out and face the battle. First, tell me how to neutralize Dongfang Xu's ability."
The system miss laughed brightly and heartily, "Since you've compared it to a 'Rasengan,' why not release a 'Reverse Rasengan'?"