Wei Chengwu's blackened body was now covered in fine, narrow wounds. Black blood seeped continuously from beneath his skin.
"Sigh, how could you be so careless?"
Luo Yichen walked over and placed a hand on Wei Chengwu's shoulder. A faint white glow appeared, and I watched as the wounds on Wei Chengwu's body gradually healed.
At that moment, I sensed a surge of ghostly energy swelling and intensifying. I stared, stunned, in its direction.
It was Vivian Maple. She was dressed in a tight, purple outfit, crisscrossed with fixed black straps wrapped around her body. Behind her, I saw locks of hair flying—long, tapering, and at their pointed ends, blades as long as half an arm stood upright in neat rows.
"Second Wraith Armament, huh. Impressive. This is the second time I've seen it. No wonder you couldn't win."
Luo Yichen said this, and Wei Chengwu smiled.
"Stop joking, Yichen. I was never her match to begin with. This time, I have to rely on you."
Luo Yichen smiled, and with a squelching sound, turned into a mass of mud. In a flash, Vivian Maple appeared beside me, hacking wildly at Wei Chengwu. With another squelch, Wei Chengwu was dragged into the mud, while I saw streaks of green blade light dismember the already ruined building before me, reducing it to scattered stones, each about the size of a fist.
"Are you alright, Ethan Zhang?"
Vivian Maple stood beside me, her gaze constantly scanning the surroundings.
"Sorry, Vivian. It's my fault I dragged you all into this."
Suddenly, a thunderous crash sounded. I turned quickly and saw, far down the street behind me, the sky thick with dark clouds. Two enormous bolts of lightning—one silver, one gold—intertwined overhead, crackling fiercely as the streets all around were devastated.
Master Zachary Wu and Zhang Anle were still locked in combat.
"Ethan Zhang, be careful. For the next few days, you might not be able to move at all."
Vivian Maple spoke, then suddenly soared into the air, her blade-wrapped hair fluttering wildly in the wind.
"Come out, both of you."
Vivian Maple shouted, but only a burst of laughter answered her.
"Miss Vivian, you know my attack power is nowhere near yours. But my endurance is unmatched in the Nether Syndicate—even our three clan leaders would struggle to take me down. The moment I show myself, your Specter Web will lock onto me and you'll launch thousands of attacks in an instant. I can't handle that."
Luo Yichen spoke as Vivian Maple quietly closed her eyes. Her swirling, blade-tipped hair slowly drifted back, gliding gently like flowing water.
"Enough talk. Show yourself."
Vivian Maple snapped, her voice sharp. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she moved in a flash to a spot more than ten meters in front of me. I saw a vivid green cross-shaped slash—there was a thunderous boom as the ground buckled and split into four pieces.
With a squelch, a huge mass of mud burst out from within.
"Sharp eyes, Miss Vivian."
I watched as the mud turned into a gaping maw, and then, in an instant, more mud splattered out. Vivian Maple's hair danced wildly in the wind, slicing every drop of mud in two. In a flash, two streams of mud shot past her on either side and landed on the ground.
"Stop playing these little tricks. Come out."
Vivian Maple spoke, one hand on her sword hilt and the other gripping the scabbard, holding them horizontally in front of her. With a sharp swish, I saw countless green slashes interweave. With a bang, two figures appeared out of thin air.
It was Luo Yichen, still in his mud form, wrapped around Wei Chengwu. The two of them finally revealed their true forms, and Luo Yichen wore a faint smile.
Suddenly, Vivian Maple had already drawn her sword and appeared in front of the two of them. A flash of cold light—Vivian landed behind them, half-crouched, her blade already sheathed.
With a wet splatter, Luo Yichen spat out a mouthful of brownish-yellow blood, clutching his chest.