Bai Ruoyue stepped out of a chamber, a gleam of joy lighting her face, the earlier urgency fading from her expression.


    But she’d barely gone a few steps when two figures emerged from around a corner. She halted.


    Fang Cheng and Li Hai from the Tianlong Gate—one at the peak of the Visceral Realm, the other a solid mid-tier.


    “Bai Ruoyue?” Fang Cheng blinked, caught off guard. He glanced around, noting Han’s absence. “I thought you came in with Han. Why’re you alone now?”


    Bai Ruoyue’s voice was ice. “What’s it to you?”


    Li Hai chuckled, a mocking edge to it. “What, did you two stumble on some treasure and fall out over splitting it?”


    “Trash talk from a filthy mouth,” she shot back.


    Fang Cheng’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t buy the idea of Han and Bai Ruoyue turning on each other. This place was a death trap—beasts everywhere, strong ones too. Splitting up for no reason just invited trouble. Which meant…


    “What did you find? Where’s Han?” he pressed.


    “No comment,” Bai Ruoyue replied, moving to slip past them.


    Fang Cheng stepped into her path. “You’d better cooperate,” he said coolly. “Don’t think being Bone Refining makes you untouchable.”


    He knew her strength and wasn’t fazed.


    “Why should we answer to you?” Bai Ruoyue’s gaze turned frosty. “Tianlong Gate disciples sticking their noses where they don’t belong, huh?”


    “Watch your tone!” Li Hai snapped. “This isn’t Black Cloud Town, Bai Ruoyue. No one’s here to back you up.”


    “Answer Senior Brother Fang, or else…” His eyes glinted with malice.


    Bai Ruoyue nodded, as if mulling it over. “You’re right—this isn’t Black Cloud Town. Took me a second to realize that…”


    Whoosh! A sword flashed through the air. Bai Ruoyue struck first, slashing at them both.


    “Since you know no one’s here to protect you either, how dare you yap like dogs in my face?”


    Boom! Fang Cheng and Li Hai reacted in unison, deflecting her strike. True qi erupted, scattering debris across the floor.


    She’d held back in Black Cloud Town, but here—lawless, untamed—she wouldn’t. Did they really think her blade was dull?


    “Courting death!” Fang Cheng’s face hardened. A spear materialized in his grip, thrusting straight at her. The wide space favored his weapon’s reach.


    Clang! Metal screamed as their clash forced Fang Cheng back several steps.


    “Tianlong Gate’s inner disciples—nothing special,” Bai Ruoyue taunted, her smile sharp. She didn’t hold back, pouring everything into her assault.


    Fang Cheng wasn’t weak—outclassed by her, sure, but capable of tangling with Bone Refining foes. Among peers, he outshone Li Hai by a mile. No wonder he led this crew.


    “Quite the Taibai prodigy!” Fang Cheng growled, his expression darkening. He and Li Hai charged together, a united front against her.


    Sword qi flared, spear shadows danced, winds howled, and the air crackled with force.


    “If this is all Tianlong Gate’s got, your decline’s inevitable,” Bai Ruoyue sneered.


    “Arrogant!” Fang Cheng roared. “Attack us, Bai Ruoyue? You’ll pay for this today!” He leaped back, spear slashing the air like a dragon’s tail.


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    An ominous aura descended—majestic, oppressive, suffocating. A faint dragon’s roar echoed, and twin lights sparked behind Fang Cheng—dragon eyes. A blue dragon silhouette coiled around him, then merged into his body.


    His presence surged, skyrocketing. The spear in his hands shimmered with a dragon’s phantom, its tip morphing into a snarling dragon head—regal, ferocious, hungry for blood. A dense, bone-chilling pressure flooded the space.


    The heavens shifted, the realm’s energy funneling into the dragon’s form. Bai Ruoyue felt a shiver down her spine—danger loomed.


    “Heavenly Dragon Transformation!” The dragon’s growl sharpened, piercing the air. The spear, wreathed in ruinous power, lunged at her—its dragon roaring, towering over all, a sovereign force tearing through the world.


    Fang Cheng’s strength flipped from outmatched to overwhelming. Tianlong Gate’s signature Heavenly Martial Art: Heavenly Dragon Transformation!


    Bai Ruoyue’s face tightened. This was her first brush with a Heavenly Martial Art—its might defied reason. A technique that let you punch above your weight, its mere execution set it apart from ordinary skills. In Fang Cheng’s hands, a Visceral Realm peak cultivator, it was jaw-dropping.


    Boom! The dragon devoured everything in its path, the spear striking without hesitation.


    The shockwave shoved Li Hai back, a mid-tier Visceral cultivator awestruck. His eyes burned with longing—envy for Fang Cheng’s mastery. Beyond raw skill, this technique was why they followed him, why they feared nothing despite Bai Ruoyue’s Bone Refining power. Under Heavenly Dragon Transformation, even a genius like her should fall.


    Li Hai couldn’t learn it—reserved for true disciples, Fang Cheng was an exception. That’s why he led this Tianlong crew to Black Cloud Town. The dragon’s rampage could shred early Bone Refining foes—Visceral cultivators couldn’t even get close.


    Fang Cheng smirked, certain Bai Ruoyue was done for. No rookie Bone Refiner could survive this.


    But then—a piercing screech. Fang Cheng’s scalp prickled as he dodged, too late. Pain seared his arm—an arrow lodged in his flesh. He yelped, stumbling back.


    The dragon faded, dust settled, and the chaos stilled. Bai Ruoyue emerged unscathed. Above her, a radiant wheel hovered, casting ten beams of celestial light—a shield that had blunted the dragon’s fury.


    Han appeared behind her, one hand steadying her back, the other lowering a bow. “Senior Sister, hope I’m not late.”


    The bow vanished as he stepped forward, aligning with her. The glowing wheel dimmed and disappeared.


    Bai Ruoyue glanced at him, joy flickering beneath her cool facade. “You’re early. A few more minutes, and I’d have handled them solo.”


    Han grinned. Everything about Senior Sister was soft—except that stubborn mouth of hers.


    His smile vanished as he faced Fang Cheng and Li Hai. “You two thought about how you’re gonna die? Spill it. Not that I’ll grant your wishes.”


    Fang Cheng yanked the arrow free, glaring at Han. “Nice defensive spell. Impressive soul cultivation.”


    “Heavenly Dragon Transformation’s solid,” Han replied. “Shame the user’s a letdown.”


    He’d felt its power—undeniable. In Bai Ruoyue’s hands, it’d crush early Bone Refining foes, boosting her a tier to slay across two realms. Han lacked such martial arts. If he learned it, even fresh in the Visceral Realm, he could challenge Bone Refiners.


    But Fang Cheng? Even juiced up, he couldn’t handle Han and Bai Ruoyue together—especially with Han’s soul techniques. Mid-tier Day Roaming, prodigy-level at that. His soul couldn’t fully flex without leaving his body, but stopping Fang Cheng? Child’s play.


    “Han, a sneak attack?!” Li Hai fumed.


    Han ignored him. With a burst of force, he vanished from Bai Ruoyue’s side, reappearing before Li Hai. Taibai gleamed, its edge bone-chilling.


    The speed stunned Li Hai. He blocked the strike but got flung back, crashing hard. “A fair fight—what then?” Han taunted, slashing again, cold light reflecting in his icy stare.


    Meanwhile, Bai Ruoyue lunged at Fang Cheng, her ferocity unleashed.


    Slash! Li Hai took a hit—blood sprayed, flesh tore, bone peeked through. “You’re barely Visceral! A nobody from Taibai Martial Hall—how are you this strong?!” he bellowed, incredulous. “I’m a Tianlong inner disciple! How do you match me?!”


    “Tianlong disciple?” Han’s face was stone. “Utterly useless.”


    “I let you off last time at the hall. No gratitude—just more trouble. I warned you: cross me again, and you’d leave something behind.”


    That “something” was their lives.


    A whistle cut the air behind him. Han’s senses caught Fang Cheng bolting. “Senior Brother Fang, save me!” Li Hai shrieked. With Fang Cheng fleeing, how could he face Han and Bai Ruoyue alone?


    “Thought I’d give you a few more minutes to live. Guess you didn’t value it,” Han said, pressing Li Hai. A massive hand of righteous qi materialized, slamming toward Fang Cheng.


    Bai Ruoyue didn’t sit idle—her sword qi swept after him.


    Han focused on Li Hai, exploiting his panic to finish him. His soul cultivation outstripped them, but martial prowess needed honing too. With the upper hand, he’d show off his combat chops.


    A Tianlong inner disciple—mid-tier Visceral, top-tier foundation, wielding at least Marrow Cleansing-grade skills. A worthy sparring partner.


    Weapons clashed, fists met flesh, blood surged, true qi roared like a river, kicking up waves of force. When Bai Ruoyue returned, Han’s swordplay flowed relentless—strike after strike, no room to breathe.


    “Spare me! I’m Tianlong—” Li Hai’s plea cut off as Han beheaded him.


    Over by Bai Ruoyue, Fang Cheng’s mangled form dragged behind her—half-crushed. Under her Binding Hand Seal, he’d crumpled. She’d just tidied up with a couple extra stabs.


    “Tianlong Gate,” she said. “That’s it?”