"Long time no see, you two..."
The man's voice was incredibly strange, hollow, deep, and resonant, as if it changed to some extent every second.
Although Lin Ran had never heard such a voice before, judging from the aura, it was none other than the蜃气妖 (Shènqì yāo) he had met before!
So Lin Ran smiled:
"What, you're back again?"
"Didn't you have a bad time getting your clone obliterated last time? Is the main body here this time?"
"Hmm... but your kind, the 蜃气妖, are known for having multiple hiding places. I reckon this might not be your true form after all..."
"But at the very least, you should be much stronger than that weak, insubstantial clone from before."
The 蜃气妖 nodded:
"Indeed, very clever..."
"Then you should also guess what I'm here for, right?"
Lin Ran narrowed his eyes:
"Is that thing really that important? It's completely irrelevant!"
"You eighteen forgotten ones, since you've chosen to be my enemy, your only end is to perish one by one."
"All your goals will only become unfulfilled wishes..."
The 蜃气妖 laughed heartily:
"Good! You've got spirit!"
"I hope your mouth remains just as tough when you fall before our curses!"
"I've come this time to tell you in advance..."
"As of now, the entire Kyushu Island is under our control. You have no chance whatsoever!"
"If you surrender now, we can consider sparing your female companion and minimizing the casualties among the residents of Kyushu Island..."
"And if you insist on resisting, the terrifying consequences you'll face are unimaginable!"
Lin Ran found him amusing:
"Putting aside whether you have the strength to do so..."
"The way you're trying to threaten me is utterly ridiculous."
"Threatening me with this little girl is one thing, but I never expected you to include the residents of Kyushu Island..."
"Do you really think I have any feelings for them?"
"Let alone the entire Kyushu Island, even if everyone in the entire Sakura Nation dies, I won't bat an eye."
The 蜃气妖's expression showed a clear hint of surprise:
"Oh? Those are your countrymen, and you abandon them like this?"
Then, he immediately regained his smile:
"Right, I almost forgot, you are humans..."
"Humans, the race famed for internal strife. It's normal for you to look down on your own kind."
Lin Ran smiled even more heartily than he did:
"Your kind, who may not even see a single companion in your entire lifetime, naturally wouldn't understand..."
"Nations, homelands, social interactions – these are far more complex than the things you understand."
"Of course, this is of no consequence to you anymore."
"Since you dare to provoke me by appearing before me, then there is only one outcome awaiting you..."
The smile on the 蜃气妖's face gradually intensified:
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Since you can recognize me as a 蜃气妖, you must also know the characteristics of our kind..."
"Our kind fears not death in battle."
"After all, as long as the core 蜃气珠 (Shènqì zhū) remains undamaged, our lives are endless..."
"And how could you possibly find my 蜃气珠?"
Lin Ran's smile began to turn cold:
"You're being so verbose..."
"You'll soon find out how different I am from others..."
*Swish!*
Amaterasu!
The 蜃气妖 indeed knew immediately.
A black flame, so dense it could bake a person dry, ignited out of nowhere on the 蜃气妖's face.
And this black flame was intensifying.
Normally, when faced with such a situation, one would quickly use their internal energy to block it, stopping the spread of the flames first.
Then, they would use other means to extinguish the source of the flames to save themselves.
But the 蜃气妖 immediately realized that this approach was completely unfeasible.
First, the energy transmission.
When attempting to block the flames, the 蜃气妖 found that his own energy, when it clashed with the black flames of Amaterasu, acted as a counterforce.
His energy not only failed to effectively contain the spread of the black flames but instead became fuel for the flames to expand their domain.
This black flame seemed like an inextinguishable fire, capable of devouring everything in its path.
No matter how hard one tried, the outcome was always annihilation.
Especially for a 蜃气妖 without a pure physical body, the means to counter Amaterasu were even fewer.
Of course, that wasn't all!
The next instant, a cyan light screen enveloped the 蜃气妖.
It was a magical cutting ability!
The 蜃气妖 immediately realized what Lin Ran intended to do.
Having long harbored intentions to oppose Lin Ran, he was quite familiar with Lin Ran's past matches and public performances.
He was naturally very clear about what Lin Ran was attempting to do now.
However, the 蜃气妖 did not retreat at all. Instead, he charged directly towards Lin Ran's room domain.
Even more arrogantly, he transformed the 蜃气 in his hand into a dark blue sword, dragging the flame trail formed by Lin Ran's Amaterasu with it, charging forward directly.
"You don't think I'd fear this move of yours, do you?"
"The power of a 蜃气妖 is far beyond what you can learn from those so-called textbooks!"
It was evident that the 蜃气妖 was extremely dissatisfied with the depiction of his clan's situation and form in various national secret texts. Seizing this opportunity, he clearly intended to vent his frustration on Lin Ran.
Unfortunately, Lin Ran was not afraid of him.
"You don't think I'd mistakenly believe this is a simple cutting move, do you? How naive..."
"I truly wonder how you've lived so long, with all these years, without achieving anything worthwhile!"
Lin Ran's words were filled with provocation as he conjured a lightning bolt in his hand.
"Hahahaha!"
"No way, after finding out that conventional physical attacks like cutting are ineffective against me, you resorted to this solution?"
"Our 蜃气妖 clan fears elemental forces the least!"
The 蜃气妖 spoke as he mindlessly charged into the lightning bolt in Lin Ran's hand.
Then, as Lin Ran's lips curved into a smile, the 蜃气妖's expression underwent a dramatic change.