The Pinnacle of Transformation!
Jiang Cheng's pupils contracted as he stared at Xue Ming in disbelief.
Who could have imagined that this unassuming Poison Prince actually possessed strength at the pinnacle of the Transformation Realm!
"Well, shall we continue?"
Xue Ming's deep green hair partially obscured his eyes as he revealed an eerie smile.
Yang Tian, with one arm severed, could only grip his greatsword with his remaining hand, his face still twisted with fury and killing intent.
After consuming the enhancement drug, Xue Ming's power had surged to the pinnacle of the Transformation Realm.
Meanwhile, Yang Tian was only at the early stage of Transformation, and with the injuries inflicted by Bai Xiu, he stood no chance against Xue Ming.
A reckless fight now would mean certain death!
Xue Ming lunged forward, his short blade slicing toward Yang Tian's neck.
But the blade never landed.
A silver whip coiled around Xue Ming's arm, stopping him mid-strike.
"One of the Four Guardians—Vermilion Bird?"
Xue Ming's gaze turned icy as he fixed his eyes on Yan Zhi.
Among the Four Guardians of the Enforcement Bureau, Yan Zhi was arguably the least conspicuous.
Before the selection for the Four Guardians had even begun, Jiang Cheng had already claimed the top spot on the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
Meanwhile, Yang Tian and Wang Dahai had also built some reputation through their missions.
But Yan Zhi was different—she emerged abruptly, seemingly out of nowhere, and secured the Vermilion Bird seat overnight.
Sensing the power coiled in the silver whip, Xue Ming's eyes trailed over Yan Zhi's alluring figure before he chuckled.
"Impressive. Who knew the Vermilion Bird wasn’t just a beauty but also a master of the whip?"
"Filthy mouth!"
Yan Zhi lashed the whip toward Xue Ming's face.
The two clashed—and to everyone’s astonishment, Yan Zhi gained the upper hand!
Zhang Fan tugged on the chain, his lips curling into a sinister grin as he turned to Xue Ruirui.
"Let’s go. Your senior brother can’t even save himself, let alone you."
Just then, a chilling aura surged behind him.
Zhang Fan dodged instantly—but not fast enough.
A sword slashed into his shoulder!
"Can’t cut through?"
An Yi, who had appeared behind Zhang Fan in a flash, was stunned. His Dragonfang Demonblade, despite the 150% damage bonus from a sneak attack, couldn’t cleave deeper.
Gritting his teeth, Zhang Fan spun around and parried with his dagger, forcing An Yi’s sword aside.
"It’s you!"
Zhang Fan’s eyes burned with malice as he glared at An Yi.
An Yi twirled his sword lazily. "Color me impressed. You’re actually unbreakable."
There was no mercy in An Yi’s heart—if given the chance, he would kill Zhang Fan without hesitation.
And Zhang Fan felt the same.
"Hello there, Miss AA."
An Yi grinned at Xue Ruirui.
Zhang Fan scoffed, glancing at the wound on his shoulder. "Seems your sword still lacks refinement."
"Swish!"
Another flash of steel!
A deep gash split open across Zhang Fan’s chest, blood gushing out.
An Yi flicked the blood off his blade, smirking. "If it lacks refinement, then I’ll just have to strike more."
Though his dark spiritual energy was nearly depleted, An Yi’s strength had surged after being nurtured by Shangguan Qianqian’s cauldron.
Zhang Fan was no match for him now.
"Interesting. Can’t kill you, huh?"
An Yi’s lips curled into a cold smile as he raised the Demonblade again.
"Slash!"
One strike after another!
His eyes icy, An Yi unleashed a relentless barrage of slashes.
Zhang Fan’s dagger couldn’t even keep up—his defenses were utterly overwhelmed.
"Thud!"
With the final strike, Zhang Fan collapsed to his knees.
His clothes were in tatters, his body crisscrossed with bleeding wounds.
"Ding! Skill [Silent Execution] triggered!"
An Yi sheathed his sword.
In that brief exchange, he had struck Zhang Fan’s throat twice.
With a 50% activation rate, the second slash had sealed his fate.
"You… you can’t kill me…"
Zhang Fan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he felt his life slipping away.
After his body’s modification by the system, his throat shouldn’t have been a weak point—so why was he dying?
"Thump!"
Zhang Fan collapsed, his eyes glazing over.
Xue Ruirui couldn’t bear to watch, closing her eyes in sorrow.
"Snap!"
With his last ounce of strength, Zhang Fan flicked his fingers.
The shackle around Xue Ruirui’s neck loosened and clattered to the ground.
Staring at the fallen restraint, Xue Ruirui was lost in thought.
Had he… spared her in the end?
For some reason, grief welled up in her heart.
Then, her beautiful eyes froze.
She wasn’t mistaken.
Zhang Fan’s pinky finger—supposedly lifeless—had just twitched.
"Finally dealt with."
An Yi exhaled in relief.
Though Zhang Fan was also a Chosen One, he was more like a villain—ruthless, cruel, bloodthirsty, and unscrupulous.
The only way to deal with such a man was to kill him.
"Ding! Chosen One [Zhang Fan] slain!"
"Ding! Reward obtained: Evil Power Value +100! [Soul Shackles] ×1!"
An Yi raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously? Killing Chosen Ones gives rewards now?"
Meanwhile, Xue Ming, unable to defeat Yan Zhi, retreated and fled without hesitation.
"Don’t you dare run!"
Yan Zhi fumed, but she knew she couldn’t stop him if he was determined to escape.
"Didn’t expect you to step in."
Chen Bing approached, glancing at Zhang Fan’s corpse with indifference.
Having lived through a thousand-year cycle, he had witnessed firsthand how vile and brutal this man could be.
This death was long overdue.
An Yi picked up the fallen chain.
"Ding! Item [Soul Shackles] obtained!"
An Yi: "..."
He had no words for how shameless this damn system was.
[Soul Shackles]
Consumable (1/2 uses remaining)
Effect: Commands the bound by suppressing their soul.
An Yi sighed.
Useless.
In this world, who could he possibly imprison with this?
He wasn’t running a harem.
"Are you hurt?"
Shangguan Qianqian’s voice carried concern.
Among those present, only she knew that the one who had battled the Colossal Beast in the sky was An Yi.
Now, his clothes were torn, his appearance ragged.
An Yi grinned. "Relax. Do I look like I’m in trouble?"
"Let’s go. This hall is about to collapse."
Bai Xiu’s dead-fish eyes stared solemnly.
The moment those words left his mouth, the faces of every martial artist present turned green as they scrambled for the exit.
The group rushed out of the grand hall.
They stood outside, staring at the massive structure… but after a long wait, it showed no signs of crumbling.
Under their collective gaze, Bai Xiu coughed awkwardly.
"According to the usual plot, it should’ve collapsed. Something must’ve gone wrong."
"Foolish humans!"
The Colossal Beast lumbered past the hall, its single remaining eye filled with disdain.
Su Xue’er pointed excitedly. "What a cute doggy!"
"One-eyed, pitch-black, and ugly—where’s the cuteness?!"
"One-eyed black dog?"
An Yi turned at the mention.
The Colossal Beast’s fur stood on end in terror!