“Lü… Xinjun.”

Zhao Yun, whose arm had just been reattached by a gentle woman resembling Zhou Chan in personality, cracked his knuckles around the black-tassel spear.

In the brief time he had returned to recover, Lü Xinjun had been assassinated.

The enemy, with an incredible method of concealment, had lured away the Demonic Nightmare satellites and then used that woman capable of long-distance teleportation for a feigned assassination.

Finally, catching Lü Xinjun’s moment of rage and post-assassination guard down turn, the traitor, who had always lurked by his side, delivered the final blow—using a weapon his own severed arm had become—killing him instantly.

Zhou Heng was already dead. Whoever orchestrated this trap, more treacherous and chilling than Zhou Heng’s schemes, possessed a masterful ability for tightrope-like coordination.

“That Li Mi guy? Or his actor superior?”

Hiding within the Monster Roster Alliance is a madman who holds failure’s risk in complete disregard!

“Lü Bu!” The floor thudded as it was blasted—Zhao Yun, brimming with frustration, thrust his spear up and stood from the stone bed.

Zhou Diao straightened up, gazing at his wrathful face:

“Your hand won’t be fully healed for a few months. Don’t fight anymore. Just wait for the contest to end.”

Zhao Yun spun around sharply; battle intent practically radiated from his eyes. Zhou Diao met his gaze with a gentle look, unwavering in the slightest.

“Little Red Riding Hood!”

In a corner of this Mordo Fang Chamber that resembles a architectural ruin, a golden-haired, blue-eyed girl stood up, wearing a small red soft cap.

“Give me Lü Bu’s hat.”

“It’s useless. Even if you face those Void Zero weapons, you will still be defeated.”

“I said, give it to me!”

Shrugging her shoulders, the girl walked over and tossed him a new baseball cap.

Zhao Yun removed the hat from his head and put on the new one.

[I have obtained a new “Second Cranium,” increasing protection locations for vital organs. Newly added protective organs today: Heart, lungs, small intestine.]

“Good. In addition to the brain, three new parts have been added.”

Zhao Yun turned his head to the other side, where a brown-skinned youth of about seventeen or eighteen was squatting with his arms wrapped around his legs, leaning against the wall.

“Pino, give me all your Virtual Zero Sequence.”

“I don’t have much.”

“Then go keep Lü Bu company.” Zhao Yun’s spear was gripped without hesitation.

[Cao Pinuo wants to make an active investment for me.]

[Cao Pinuo invested 13,000N of Virtual Zero Sequence for me.]

“I’ve been saving this for a very, very long time. This is all I have.”

This time, the brown-skinned boy wasn’t lying. Given his barely existent Virtual Zero Sequence conversion rate, the fact that he had accumulated so much by now was only thanks to the grace of the Xiongying Group.

By a pile of earth over twenty meters away inside the grinding room, a man fixed his gaze on Zhao Yun:

“Zhao Yun, what are you trying to do? Lü Bu is dead, Fang Tian has a new master, the Xiongying Group can’t afford to lose another powerful fighter!”

Zhao Yun closed his eyes, breathed slowly twice, and let out a long sigh from his nostrils.

“The first president supposedly named it ‘Xiongying’ inspired by some information. I believe that inspiration was this very grinding wheel beneath our feet.”

Zhao Yun raised his head and puffed out his chest, tiger eyes snapping open, his aura slowly rising and radiating outward.

“It’s time to return Xiongying unto itself, Zilong!”

A soaring humanoid form unfolded from his body, towering like a giant god.

This silhouette opened eyes the color of sunset clouds.

[For Zilong, I invest 13,000N of Virtual Zero Sequence.]

[For Zilong, I invest 9,999N.]

“Yang Zicang, Shao Min, and that so-called headquarters…”

 Thump!  Zhao Yun adjusted his grip on the spear resting on the ground; then, under Zhou Huamiao’s anxious gaze, he lifted the long spear and walked briskly out of the stone door.

……

Among the last grinding tooth sets outside the Hall of the Magos Larynx.

Cheng Yunze, who was almost at the topmost level of this set of grinding wheels, frowned slightly.

“Lü Bu actually died at the hands of some unknown nobody.”

Even that powerful satellite had changed hands; the situation in City 41 had reversed overnight.

Wang Chun from the team said, “Captain, according to the brother monitoring the Xiongying Group, Zhao Yun has gone to our core wheel set. I think he’s going to snipe Yang Zicang.”

Cheng Yunze glanced at his skeleton Moon Angel, then stroked his chin in contemplation:

“Although I cut off his arm back then, Zhao Yun wasn’t the least bit flustered—instead, his killing intent grew stronger. Hah, I really hope Yang Zicang hurries up, so maybe we’ll still have a good show to watch.”

Cheng Yunze seemed to think of something: “Wait, what is Hong Haocheng doing?”

Those around him were momentarily confused.

Wu Yun on the edge of the group extended a red model. A few seconds later, with the corners of his eyes and forehead slightly twitching, he turned his head and said:

“He’s leading a team to attack our core gear set.”

“He—!” Cheng Yunze’s voice suddenly rose sharply, but after a pause of two seconds, he forced it down, letting out a slow breath.

“Alright, alright, he’s actually improving—now he knows how to coordinate as a team.”

As the others were about to say something, Cheng Yunze added impatiently, “Just get him out of here quickly. Don’t let him get in Zhao Yun’s way.”

Bai Xiaoshou glanced at Wu Yun, who was about to contact Hong Haocheng, and warned:

“Tell Haocheng the reason, otherwise that guy won’t listen to you.”

……

Everyone disembarked from the boat.

With Yang Zicang around, their team advanced through the grinding wheel set outside the Hall of the Magos Larynx at an exceptionally fast pace.

“It’s a pity the Nightmare Train can’t get in here.”

“You’d need a true parasitic nightmare for that.”

“We’re already much more convenient than others. Let’s hurry up.”

A pack of flame-spewing demon wolves charged straight out of the colliding room. These monsters here could even escape the Mordo Fang Chamber. If it were an ordinary team, they’d likely be caught in a tough fight right after clearing just one room.

{Hear that? Someone else has gone straight into the main hall through a secret door.}

Amid the fractured signals, there were plenty of anxious voices.

{Master Zi Cang, why the hell did you design so many secret doors!}

The headquarters staff nearby looked at Yang Zicang, who said helplessly:

“I didn’t design those lottery secret doors. Someone else must have added them.”

Following behind, Shao Min, acting as an information receiver, added: “Master Zicang, that guy who stole your core pieces is currently competing with our city’s ‘Skyriders’ and ‘Vanguard Group’ for the key to the Final Hall.”

It was Hong Haocheng. Yang Zicang pressed on as he spoke:

“How’s that kid doing?”

“Well, I can only say, he really lives up to the title of the man who swiped six core pieces from you, haha.”

Shao Min had barely laughed twice when his expression abruptly shifted. “Zhao Yun has gone through the secret door!”

“Hm?” Yang Zicang’s heart suddenly tightened.

The warning of Morrie’s death had been detected earlier than ever before.

He had always feared that Morrie might die at any moment. Now, this worry had grown so intense that his heart raced, blurring the line between premonition and mere anxious thoughts.

“The associated nightmare behind Zhao Yun is so strange—it’s a mass of gas!”

“Wow, he just instantly killed someone with a temporal sequence over ten thousand years upon entering!”

Shao Min said in surprise:

“Mr. Zicang, Zhao Yun’s associated nightmare can transform into a gaseous giant three stories tall, and it even conjures weapons. I’ve never seen that thing before.”

Yang Zicang’s heart was in turmoil. If Zhao Yun truly was the most powerful member of the Xiongying Group, a king on land, then the greatest threat to Morrie right now might not be Cheng Yunze and his men, but him!

The pattern on Yang Zicang’s chest spread out again.

[Has anyone found Morrie yet?]

{No.}

{Master Yang, maybe he didn’t come, or perhaps he entered a deeper wheel group?}

Su E, with her hair tied back, showed worry on her face.

For the man who had saved her life from the Xiongying Group, she desperately wanted to help.

“Brother Zicang, could Morrie have already entered the Hall of the Magos Larynx?”

“Impossible, he’s alone, it shouldn’t be that fast.”

……

Inside the central core wheel group hall of the 23rd City.

A chaotic battle was raging within the hall between members of two cities and among different teams.

The nightmare guarding the key was instead left alone.

As Zhao Yun entered, Ziyun Jun shattered the bloodshot-eyed assailant charging at him with a single crimson-stained punch.

Hong Haocheng kicked away a rider from City 41, who wore a silk scarf and straddled a motorcycle, then turned and shouted:

“So you’re Zhao Yun? Cheng Yunze told me to go easy on you. Go grab the key and open the door—and don’t forget to give Yang Zicang a proper thrashing for me.”

Zhao Yun, heading toward the monster guarding the formation eye, paused briefly and turned to look at Hong Haocheng, who didn’t seem to be joking.

The gaseous humanoid also cast its gaze toward Hong Haocheng.

{He says he’ll go easy on me? Good. That’s just lit a fire in my soul.}

In an instant, Zilong Jun, in his mist-like form, had stepped from one end of the hall and stood ten meters away, driving a thunderous downward punch at Hong Haocheng.

[The Even-Odd Lake Sword declares: Now is even.]

Swiveling his body, Hong Haocheng swept his sword upward, just as the fist closed in…

[The Even-Odd Lake Sword declares: Now is odd.]

Behind Hong Haocheng, someone rushed in, aiming to strike from the shadows.

The long sword, radiating waves of aura, stabbed straight into Zilong Jun’s fist—three thousand beats of that blow timing reduced by half as only fifteen hundred hit.

Boom! One of Zilong Jun’s fingers shot out from his fist, and Hong Haocheng was sent flying backward like a man struck by a speeding steel pillar, slamming into the attacker behind him. Both crashed into several others amidst a chaotic clatter.

“Pathetic,” Zhao Yun snorted coldly, then turned and headed toward the monster.

Lord Zilong’s figure followed closely behind; the foul odor emitted by the monster ahead, resembling a pile of garbage, was mutually neutralized by his gaseous state. A fierce battle soon began.

Suddenly, Zhao Yun turned his head and saw a figure with spiky short hair, like a little leopard, rushing toward him at top speed.

“You’re asking for death!”

Seeing those eyes stare coldly at him, Zhao Yun suddenly flew into a rage.

Longspear versus silver sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two exchanged blows rapidly.

“Haocheng, go for it!” someone called out in a brief moment.

“This Zhao Yun is a match for Yang Zicang from District 41; be careful!”

“This is exactly what I want!” Hong Haocheng attacked furiously against this man said to be on par with Yang Zicang. “I want to see how big the gap between me and Yang Zicang is!”

After a few thrusts, Zhao Yun sensed that the young opponent was nearly fighting purely on instinct, with rigidly performed moves that ran dry in less than twenty exchanges. Having probed his adversary’s limits, Zhao Yun sneered coldly.

Holding the spear sideways with one arm to block the blade, Zhao Yun flicked out his foot. Hong Haocheng twisted to dodge, but at the same time…

“Explosive Dragon Roar!”

Boom! The spear’s shadow instantly lengthened, and a shockwave-form spear stabbed straight into Hong Haocheng’s chest!