The black armor gleamed with a cold light in the dim underground space.
No one spoke.
Everyone stared at the suddenly appearing black figure, their minds feeling as if they had been jammed by something.
Ye Yu sat on the ground, looking up at the figure that had saved her life. She wanted to say something, but not a single word would come out.
It had happened in a mere instant—it was too sudden.
Wan Qianhong used the rock wall to pull herself up, her gaze fixed intently on that back.
Her ability was still active, allowing her to sense the blood flow of everyone present.
Everyone’s heartbeat was accelerating; some felt the terror of a narrow escape, while others were lost in a daze, completely unable to grasp the situation.
But that black figure was different. She couldn’t sense his blood or his heartbeat at all!
It wasn’t that they didn’t exist, but rather that her ability seemed completely insufficient to influence or even probe him.
Hong Jiu crawled out from the pile of rubble and wiped the blood from his face. Looking at the black figure, his brow furrowed into a tight knot.
He had been prepared to risk his life just now. He could have personally withstood Li Gui’s volley of stone fragments, but many of the weaker ones behind him would have surely died.
Who is this?
He couldn't see through this person's strength. That black armor seemed almost alive, and the aura around him fluctuated unpredictably, making it impossible to determine his rank.
Saving everyone in an instant wouldn't have been difficult for Hong Jiu at his peak, but this person’s relaxed posture made him seem unfathomable.
Is this a Prophet?
How many Prophets are there in all of Dawn City?
Moreover, the wicked, dark temperament of this individual didn't seem like someone from Dawn City.
After ruling out those options, a name instinctively flashed through his mind.
“The Masked Hermit Society...”
Hong Jiu blurted out the name in a low voice without realizing it.
The moment the name left his mouth, the air around them seemed to freeze.
Wan Qianhong whipped her head around to look at him, while Yang Shuo and Ye Yu’s eyes widened simultaneously.
They all remembered that name—or rather, no one could ever forget it. Once you heard someone talk about containing the corpses of Evil Gods of the Old Days, you couldn't unhear it.
Thinking back, the S-rank Containment Object that had vanished earlier and the tremors in the ground...
It seemed they were the handiwork of the person standing before them.
Wan Qianhong instinctively looked around, as if searching for something—or someone.
Where was Bai Feifei?
Had she not appeared... together with him?
Wan Qianhong felt a complex swirl of emotions. She gritted her teeth and forced her attention back to the battlefield.
Survive first. Only the living have the right to talk about anything else.
The black figure stood in the center of the battlefield, motionless.
Li Gui’s attacks had stopped, his malformed face filled with confusion.
The grotesque arms protruding from various parts of his body and the eyes growing from his shoulders and waist were all staring at the black figure.
His body was afraid.
That instinctive fear, etched into every fiber of his flesh, made his superfluous arms tremble as if they were bowing before their master.
How was this possible?
He was now an Avatar-level being, equivalent to a human Prophet. There was no one in all of Dawn City who could completely suppress him.
Who is this guy?!
What confused Li Gui even more was that the aura surrounding this person felt incredibly familiar.
It was as if its source was even older than his own, and the power it carried was far more pure.
“Who are you?!” the aberrant Li Gui roared. His voice was shrill, filled with rage and a very subtle hint of terror.
The black figure tilted his head, as if looking at something amusing.
“Who am I?” Xu Mo chuckled, his voice echoing from within the helmet with a metallic resonance.
“Technically, a little thing of your level really doesn't have the right to know who I am.”
“Before I kill you, is there anything else you want to say to me?”
“Kill me?” Li Gui let out a furious hiss. “You arrogant fool, who do you think you are? I have already touched Reality and glimpsed the truth of the world!”
Hearing Li Gui’s voice, the black figure didn't get angry. Instead, he spoke leisurely:
“How high the heavens are and how deep the earth goes... I know far more about that than you juniors ever will.”
Li Gui’s expression became hideous. His extra arms rose simultaneously as an earthy yellow light gathered in his palms, causing the entire space to vibrate.
Hong Jiu’s expression shifted. Red light flared around his body as he prepared to step forward and help.
Regardless of who this black-clad man was or whether he truly belonged to the Masked Hermit Society, they were on the same side for now.
Besides, the fact that he had just stepped in to help already proved his alignment.
But just as he took a step, he heard a soft chuckle.
“No need.”
The black figure raised a hand, palm down, and waved it dismissively.
He was signaling him not to come over.
“You take a break,” Xu Mo said, looking down and touching his chest, feeling the throbbing within.
“This thing is quite good. It’s a rare opportunity, so I’ll take the time to get used to it.”
Then he looked up and, with the air of a supreme master, pointed at Li Gui.
“I’ll just use him for a bit of practice.”
Hong Jiu’s eyelid twitched.
From the moment the man had appeared, he could clearly sense that the anomalous aura on this person was even more severe than that of the Li Gui before them!
What did he mean by 'this thing is quite good'?
Which thing?
Combining that with the goals of the organization he supposedly belonged to, Hong Jiu hardly dared to imagine the implications.
And... practice?
You’re saying you’re going to use an Avatar-level aberration, a monster equivalent to a Prophet, for practice?
He had heard lines like this before—there was no shortage of arrogant types in the Rangers—but in an actual fight, no one would be that careless.
Yet when this man said those words, his tone was far too casual. Hong Jiu opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing and silently retreated to the side.
“You’re asking for death!”
Li Gui could finally no longer endure it and attacked.
Over a dozen arms swung simultaneously. Walls cracked and the ground churned as countless stone fragments converged in the air into an earthy yellow torrent, crashing toward Xu Mo!
Xu Mo didn't dodge.
He just stood there, watching the stones bear down on him like an overwhelming tide.
Instead of evading, he suddenly lunged forward!
The black figure slammed directly into the torrent of rubble. The sharp stones, carrying an aberrant aura, struck his body with a dense series of metallic clangs.
Not a single stone could crack that pitch-black shell.
Xu Mo tore through the debris and appeared before Li Gui, raising his right hand with fingers splayed.
Black air currents surged from his palm, condensing into a pitch-black spear!
The tip of the spear wasn't metal, but a pure, constantly twisting darkness, as if a piece of the void itself had been torn away to form a weapon!
Li Gui’s dozen or so arms all swung at him at once.
Xu Mo pivoted, letting the first arm pass. He ducked, letting the second pass. He twisted his waist, letting the third pass...
In the blink of an eye, his subtle movements evaded countless attacks.
Then, the pitch-black spear thrust outward.
In that lightning-fast moment, everyone clearly heard the black figure’s arrogant voice:
“I hope you can hold out a little longer... at least until I’m finished with my test!”
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