"Damn it."
Water Demon's expression changed abruptly. As if sensing a fatal threat, he swung his arm without hesitation.
In front of him, a thick wall of water instantly condensed out of thin air—
Like a solid shield.
But the moment Di Yao's fist landed—
BOOM!
The water mirror shattered on the spot.
"Die!"
Di Yao roared furiously. Ghostly figures surged behind her, layers upon layers, her long hair whipping wildly as if an evil spirit had descended upon the world. Yin energy wrapped around her body, terrifying beyond measure.
As she spoke, a strange light flashed in her eyes. Her psychic force surged forward.
In an instant, Water Demon's expression twisted in pain.
It was as if an invisible shackle had locked onto him—
His movements slowed drastically.
Seizing the opening, Di Yao stepped forward and threw another punch.
Di Yao was famous for close-quarters combat. Her melee strength was terrifying, and with this punch—
Water Demon spat out a mouthful of blood.
His body flew like a cannonball, slamming hard into the cavern wall. His face instantly turned deathly pale.
"AAH!"
"Di Yao—you deserve to die!"
Water Demon roared in agony.
But before his threat even finished—
Di Yao was already upon him again.
"I deserve to die?" she sneered coldly.
"That depends on whether you have the ability to kill me."
Her punch came again, Yin energy covering her fist.
Seeing the rapidly enlarging fist reflected in his pupils, Water Demon's face changed in horror. In the next moment, his body visibly collapsed—
Turning into a puddle of water, vanishing instantly.
Di Yao's punch smashed into the rock wall instead.
The impact was terrifying. The entire wall trembled violently, cracks spreading outward.
Her strength was unmistakably monstrous.
Water Demon's figure reappeared several meters behind her.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes turned icy.
"Di Yao, you can't stay by his side forever."
"Next time will be his death."
"He took something from Heavenly Decree—and rejected our invitation."
"He won't get to live freely."
"You want to die?"
Di Yao's brows furrowed again as her killing intent surged.
Water Demon merely laughed coldly and glanced at Bai Jue.
"Until next time, little one."
With that—
His body once again collapsed into water and disappeared without a trace.
Di Yao snorted in disgust.
"These rats," she said irritably.
"They're not strong, but their escape skills are first-rate. Disgusting."
As she spoke, the Yin energy around her faded. The ghostly figures withdrew back into her body.
Her terrifying visage vanished, replaced once more by a playful smile as she looked at Bai Jue.
"Well, Xiao Bai," she teased,
"He threatened you pretty harshly. Scared?"
Bai Jue rolled his eyes and ignored her completely.
I'm enduring hellish pain here—can you let me suffer in peace?
"—Hiss!"
Despite himself, Bai Jue sucked in a sharp breath, clenching his teeth as he continued to endure.
The pain was overwhelming.
But the silver lining was clear—
He could distinctly feel his physical strength increasing continuously, and by no small margin.
That was the only reason he could keep going.
Seeing his miserable expression, Di Yao laughed mischievously, clearly enjoying the sight. Reminded of her own past, she popped a lollipop into her mouth and casually sat down on a nearby rock to wait.
No one knew how much time passed.
Eventually, the pain faded.
Standing within the Ghost Pit, Bai Jue stretched his body lightly.
The undead around him had long since withdrawn. Though their agonized wails remained, none dared approach him anymore.
"Teacher," Bai Jue asked, looking up,
"Am I… done?"
Di Yao looked him over carefully, then nodded.
"Yeah. You can come up."
Only then did Bai Jue leap out of the Ghost Pit.
He clenched his fist and swung it lightly, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"My strength now… probably isn't weaker than a Rank-Three."
"Oh?"
Intrigued, Di Yao hopped down from the rock.
"Come on," she said.
"Punch me. Let me test it."
"No problem."
Bai Jue nodded.
After seeing how terrifying Di Yao was earlier, he had zero concern about hurting her.
He took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and unleashed his power in a single punch toward her.
Di Yao raised her fist and met it head-on.
Boom!
Power exploded.
Bai Jue staggered back several steps.
Di Yao, however, widened her eyes in surprise.
"That strength…" she muttered.
"It's strong. At least comparable to a high-rank Rank-Three—maybe even stronger than most Rank-Three Festival Bearers."
"Haha."
Bai Jue laughed.
"Not just strength," he added.
"The intensity of my Yin Flame has increased a lot too."
As he spoke, he raised his palm.
Dark Yin fire emerged—
Denser than before, pitch-black like ink, yet radiating a heart-stopping aura.
"Oh, right," Bai Jue suddenly asked, scratching his head.
"Teacher, what ability did that Water Demon use to escape so easily?"
"Tch," Di Yao clicked her tongue.
"Water-Splashing Festival."
"It lets him instantly teleport to nearby water sources. That's why I call them rats."
"Not strong—but damn good at running."
"Otherwise, we'd have wiped them out long ago."
"Water-Splashing Festival…"
Bai Jue nodded slowly, understanding dawning on him.
No wonder he vanished so cleanly.
"You don't need to worry," Di Yao said, seeing Bai Jue thinking deeply.
"When you fully master all of Zhongyuan Festival's abilities, that guy will be nothing but a grasshopper in front of you."
"You'll crush him whenever you want—
And he won't even be able to escape."
"You mean… Yama Domain?" Bai Jue asked thoughtfully.
"Mm."
Di Yao nodded.
"That ability is terrifying. I don't know all the details, but it's Zhongyuan Festival's strongest power."
"Once you control it, escape-type abilities like Water-Splashing Festival become meaningless."
"You'll understand when the time comes."
"Heh."
Bai Jue grinned, confidence flashing in his eyes.
"I'm not worried about Water Demon."
"I'm just curious about different festival abilities."
"As for him…"
He laughed softly, a cold gleam in his gaze.
"Next time we meet—
Who kills whom isn't decided yet."
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