"Sister Huan! What brings you here?" Nan Gong Qian’er caught sight of Nan Gong Huan out of the corner of her eye and couldn’t help but smile and wave.

  "Humph, you must’ve followed us here, Nan Gong Huan. I told you to stop pestering me!" Wei Yu Gong snorted disdainfully, truly believing that Nan Gong Huan had come chasing after him.

  Ye Wan Jun couldn’t stand it anymore. Frowning, he pointed at the two of them and unleashed a verbal barrage, "What’s it to you if we come to Great Zero Lake? We’re not here to watch your little rendezvous. Pestering you? Who do you think you are? Can’t you take a good look at yourself in the mirror? Just standing there, you’re polluting my eyes. It’d take eight hundred years to wash that filth away!"

  As he spoke, he rubbed his eyes in disgust, as if something dirty had gotten into them.

  "Whatever. You’re just jealous that we got the flags first!" Wei Yu Gong’s face darkened. Unable to match Ye Wan Jun’s words, he could only bring up the number of flags they had collected. "We’ve already swept through this area and collected over twenty yellow flags. There are no flags left here. You’re too late!"

  "Sister Huan, you should really find another spot. There are no flags left here," Nan Gong Qian’er said proudly, finally feeling like she had beaten the ugly girl to the punch.

  Victory was hers!

  "Is that so?" Nan Gong Huan flashed her signature cruel smile. "The rules don’t say we can’t steal. Sister Qian’er, you’d better hold onto your red ring tightly."

  At the mention of "stealing," the smiles on Nan Gong Qian’er and Wei Yu Gong’s faces vanished instantly.

  According to the rules, stealing was indeed allowed.

  "Here I come~" Nan Gong Huan’s voice was light and airy, and she even kindly reminded the two of them.

  With a wave of her hand, the lake’s waters began to churn, and water bubbles rose from the surface, hurtling toward the two of them!

  The ground also trembled as roots rapidly climbed and wrapped around their bodies.

  Wei Yu Gong and Nan Gong Qian’er quickly dodged, using their swords to slash through the roots.

  "Summon, Little Flame!" Nan Gong Qian’er shouted, and a summoning circle lit up beside her. A fire-breathing dragon emerged!

  Its body resembled a large bird, covered in fiery red, hard dragon scales. Its front limbs stretched out into wings, spanning a full ten meters!

  Although it wasn’t quite a divine beast, this fire-breathing dragon was still incredibly rare!

  "Roar—" The fire-breathing dragon let out a deafening roar, and with a flick of its tail, the flames it released turned the water bubbles into steam.

  It breathed fire from its mouth, and the roots stretching across the ground were instantly incinerated.

  "Sister Huan, this time I might not lose to you!" Nan Gong Qian’er stroked the fire-breathing dragon’s scales, a confident smile on her face.

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  "I like your unruly attitude," Nan Gong Huan said with a smile. That’s what made the fight exciting.

  With a swing of her Radiant Gold Blade, Nan Gong Huan charged at Nan Gong Qian’er with incredible speed!

  Wei Yu Gong tried to intercept, but Ye Wan Jun had already engaged him. The two of them became locked in a fierce battle, their swords clashing and energy blades flying in all directions.

  Nan Gong Qian’er’s swordsmanship wasn’t particularly strong, so she could only mount the fire-breathing dragon and take to the skies.

  "You can’t fly up here, can you? Come up if you dare!" Nan Gong Qian’er laughed triumphantly. "Little Flame, Fireball Technique!"

  Countless small fireballs formed around the fire-breathing dragon and shot toward Nan Gong Huan!

  Nan Gong Huan looked up, unfazed. With a wave of her hand, she stirred the lake’s waters, forming a thin water barrier in front of her.

  Sizzle, sizzle—

  The fireballs hit the water barrier, producing large plumes of white smoke.

  Nan Gong Qian’er frowned, unable to pinpoint Nan Gong Huan’s exact location through the thick smoke.

  At that moment, a flash of cold light shot through the air. The Radiant Gold Blade was thrown into the sky, and Nan Gong Huan followed closely behind. Just as her momentum was about to wane, she stepped on the hilt of the Radiant Gold Blade, using it as a springboard to leap into the air and land right in front of Nan Gong Qian’er.

  Nan Gong Qian’er’s eyes widened in shock and fear. She hadn’t expected Nan Gong Huan to actually make it up here!

  She tried to command the fire-breathing dragon to flee, but Nan Gong Huan had already pounced onto its head!

  With a swift motion, Nan Gong Huan summoned a gust of wind, bringing the Radiant Gold Blade back into her hand. Right in front of Nan Gong Qian’er, she plunged the blade into the fire-breathing dragon’s neck!

  "No!" Nan Gong Qian’er screamed, slashing her sword toward Nan Gong Huan!

  But with a graceful spin, Nan Gong Huan’s Radiant Gold Blade cleanly severed the fire-breathing dragon’s head!

  Blood gushed out, and the lifeless body of the fire-breathing dragon began to plummet. Nan Gong Qian’er, suffering from the backlash, coughed up a mouthful of blood!

  "Ugh—" Nan Gong Qian’er clutched her chest as she fell into Great Zero Lake alongside the fire-breathing dragon, creating a massive splash.

  Nan Gong Huan also landed in the water, but with a wave of her spiritual energy, a wave rose beneath her, carrying her back to shore.

  "Qian’er!" Wei Yu Gong cried out in panic. He slashed his sword, forcing Ye Wan Jun back, and then jumped into the lake to pull Nan Gong Qian’er out.

  Blood spread across the lake’s surface, gradually turning it into a sea of red.

  Nan Gong Qian’er choked on both water and blood, coughing violently and spitting out more blood. She quickly wiped the blood away and drank a potion.

  "Brother Yu Gong, Sister Huan killed my spirit beast!" Nan Gong Qian’er collapsed weakly into Wei Yu Gong’s arms, tears streaming down her face.

  The backlash was unbearable. If she didn’t recover properly, she wouldn’t be able to contract another spirit beast.

  "Nan Gong Huan, you’re too cruel!" Wei Yu Gong immediately condemned her, his voice venomous. "You’ve treated Qian’er so badly before, and she’s never held it against you. Why must you keep pushing her? Are you happy now? Qian’er’s summoning beast is dead by your hand!"

  "So noisy. Little Ye, are you slacking? You couldn’t even take care of him," Nan Gong Huan said, picking at her ears and rolling her eyes.

  Of course, there was no real blame in her tone. Wei Yu Gong was a nine-level talent, naturally stronger. Ye Wan Jun had done well just to hold his own and not get injured.

  "I... he... alright, my bad. I’ll practice my swordsmanship harder in the future," Ye Wan Jun grinned sheepishly, scratching his head in embarrassment.

  Nan Gong Huan turned her gaze to Wei Yu Gong, tilting her head with a mischievous smile.

  Wei Yu Gong’s heart clenched. A bad feeling washed over him, but before he could react, the ground split open again, and thick roots emerged, tightly wrapping around the two of them!

  A pebble flew from Nan Gong Huan’s foot, hitting Wei Yu Gong’s hand and causing him to drop his sword in pain.

  Both of them were now bound, firmly stuck in place.

  "Nan Gong Huan, what are you doing? I’m warning you, don’t do anything reckless!" Wei Yu Gong shouted, watching as Nan Gong Huan approached step by step. His eyes filled with disgust. Was she planning to take advantage of him?!