“What do you think? You can’t escape. Give up struggling, and let me absorb your strange fire obediently. It’ll save you some physical pain.” The man in the red robe licked the blood off his long nails, his demeanor utterly manic.
“How do you know I can’t escape without trying?” Ye Lanshan’s expression was calm, her aura ethereal. If not for the faint scent of blood wafting from her wound, one might think she was an immortal who could ride the wind away at any moment.
“Since you refuse to face reality, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” The nails on the red-robed man’s hands grew longer and longer, eventually sharp as swords, thrusting straight toward Ye Lanshan.
Ye Lanshan took a step forward, appearing utterly unafraid of the man’s nails.
“What, have you come to your senses? Ready to offer me your strange fire now?” The red-robed man’s nails stopped just a millimeter from her neck.
“Heh, do you think that’s possible?” Ye Lanshan sneered, her gaze calmly sweeping over his nails without a trace of fear. Her tone could even be called arrogant.
“You won’t shed tears until you see the coffin.” The red-robed man’s nails instantly pierced her neck, but his manic grin froze as shock and disbelief filled his eyes. He thrust the nails forward another inch, yet Ye Lanshan still wore a faint smile, and no blood dripped from where the nails had entered her neck.
Slowly, Ye Lanshan’s figure grew fainter, twisting and vanishing into the air.
“This… how is this possible?” The red-robed man couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Why is it impossible?” A soft laugh came from behind him. He spun around to find the vanished Ye Lanshan standing before him, still smiling.
“How dare you toy with me like this? You’re asking for death.” The red-robed man flew into a rage, his nails growing wildly as he stabbed straight through Ye Lanshan’s body. But just like before, her form slowly faded, twisted, and disappeared.
“No, that’s definitely not an afterimage.” The red-robed man stumbled back a few steps, covering his ears with both hands. But a moment later, he regained his clarity. Tilting his head with a sinister grin, a flame appeared in his hand—a strange color, red tinged with yellow, yellow tinged with gold. “Since you love hiding so much, I’ll give you a good taste of it.”
Soon, the flame filled the entire cave, leaving only the red-robed man’s twisted laughter echoing: “How about it? Enjoying the taste of hiding in this fire?”
“It seems you’ve absorbed and merged quite a few strange fires.” Ye Lanshan appeared through the hazy flames, her form indistinct and hard to make out.
“What, now you see my power? You can’t resist, so just surrender and let me absorb your strange fire.” The red-robed man stood in the center of the cave, believing Ye Lanshan had submitted to him because of the flames.
“Have you been in this cave so long you’ve gone mad? Do I look like I’m about to submit?” Ye Lanshan waved a hand, looking exasperated as she stared at the red-robed man, at a loss for words.
“Since you’re still so stubborn, you’ll end up like those bones outside.” The red-robed man’s voice was wild and ferocious, the last traces of clarity in his eyes clouding over.
“Feel free to try, but I think you’re more likely to become bones yourself.” Ye Lanshan’s voice was calm as a red lotus flame ignited in her hand.
“Heh heh heh.” The red-robed man paid no heed to her arrogant words. Instead, he controlled the temperature of his strange fire, sharply increasing it. Ye Lanshan immediately felt the surrounding flames trying to devour and merge with her red lotus flame. Startled, she quickly withdrew it.
“Water Lotus.” A lotus-like shield of water tightly enveloped her, keeping the raging flames at bay.
“Fire Rain.” The red-robed man’s madness gradually faded, replaced by a serious expression, as if he truly saw Ye Lanshan as an enemy rather than prey.
“Ice Spirit Transformation.” Sweat beaded on Ye Lanshan’s forehead as she gritted her teeth, seemingly unable to bear the scorching heat of the sea of flames.
“Blazing Sun.” Clusters of sun-like flames seemed intent on roasting Ye Lanshan alive.
“Thunder Annihilation.” Just as Ye Lanshan was about to give in, a furious shout came from above, instantly knocking the red-robed man unconscious.
Ye Lanshan looked up to see Ye Yutian descending and landing beside her.
“Are you alright?” Ye Yutian anxiously placed his hands on her shoulders.
Ye Lanshan was about to say she was fine, but the faint scent of blood drifted over, and before she could speak, Ye Yutian had already noticed the wound beneath his hands.
He quickly withdrew his hands, frantically pulled a bottle of pills from his space, and handed it to her. Then he took out some Jade Muscle Ointment and carefully applied it to the wound.
A cool sensation spread over the burning wound, dulling the pain. Ye Lanshan felt her eyes grow moist, and she lightly wiped away a few tears clinging to the corners of her eyes.
“How is it? Does it hurt less?” Ye Yutian’s voice was gentle, his hands careful as he applied the medicine. It had been so long since she’d experienced such tenderness—so long that even Ye Lanshan herself had forgotten she was once a woman who needed care.
But it was only a fleeting moment of emotion. Soon, she regained her composure, wrapping her softness in a cold, stone-like shell, leaving no cracks exposed.
“Thank you. Consider this a debt I owe you. If you ever need my help in the future, I won’t hesitate.” Ye Lanshan quickly pulled away from Ye Yutian.
A pang of disappointment struck Ye Yutian’s heart, but his face betrayed nothing. He remained gentle and affectionate, a stark contrast to the cold, bloodthirsty Dark Lord.
“Another one’s arrived. How nice.” The red-robed man, who had been knocked out, stood up and stretched his limbs, exuding an eerie aura.
“Chain Lightning Flash.” Ye Yutian’s eyes were icy, his voice devoid of emotion.
“Fire Shadow.” The red-robed man was no pushover, instantly dodging Ye Yutian’s technique.
The sudden surge in the red-robed man’s combat power startled Ye Lanshan. She murmured under her breath, “So this is his true strength?”
“Heavenly Thunder Strike.” A flash of bloodlust flickered in Ye Yutian’s eyes as he dismissed the man’s explosive power increase entirely.
“No, this can’t be. How is this possible? You weren’t poisoned?” The red-robed man’s face was full of disbelief. Though he fought desperately and tried to flee, one of his legs was crippled.
“No, we were poisoned. I just didn’t let it take effect.” Ye Lanshan stated the fact calmly. They had indeed been poisoned with Weak Dark Pill, but thanks to the antidote pills concocted by Sikong Kuang, they showed no signs of poisoning.