Divine Lord Lu Sheds His Cicada Shell

Little C, aren't you sure you won't get a 404 penalty for doing this?

Little B... didn't I ask you to play rock-paper-scissors with Little C for a while?

Lu Ping chose A.

[You chose A.]

Upon hearing this, the Crow Daoist gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"So, in the end, I, Lu, was outmaneuvered and fell into the hands of Pavilion Master Hua."

He raised his head, meeting Hua Yunzhen's gaze, his expression calm.

"Now I am at their mercy, like a fish on a chopping board. Either way, I'm going to die. I wonder if Pavilion Master Hua could enlighten me and allow me to die knowing the truth?"

[Hua Yunzhen plan is about to succeed, and she is clearly in a very good mood.]

[Looking at your resigned attitude, she actually nodded, a wicked smile playing on her lips.]

"Fellow Daoist, please feel free to ask. As for whether I will answer, that depends on my mood."

[This woman, you manipulated her for so long in the Gathering Immortals Tower and the Alchemy Chamber, and she endured it all in silence.]

[Now that you've finally managed to turn the tables and sing, even if it's against a dying person, you still have to try and win back with words, you can't feel satisfied until you've completely dominated them.]

Is this the magnanimity of a peak-stage Void Refining expert?

Where has your sophistication gone? Where has your aloofness gone?

A woman's heart is truly unfathomable.

[The Crow Daoist ignored her mockery and asked seriously.]

"Having just witnessed the methods of Pavilion Master Hua, I now understand what it means to be a frog in a well."

"But I really can't understand it. With Pavilion Master Hua's extraordinary abilities at the peak of the Void Refining Perfection stage, who in this world can't be defeated?"

"Why go to such lengths to refine this 'Severed-Fate Hehuan Powder'?"

["Laugh."]

Hua Yunzhen scoffed, as if she had heard something ridiculously absurd.

"Fellow Daoist Lu is exceptionally intelligent, how come he can't even understand this simple truth at the last moment?"

[She slightly raised her chin and casually replied.]

"Naturally, it's because my current methods are insufficient..."

[Halfway through her sentence, Hua Yunzhen suddenly paused.]

[Her smile faded slightly, she stared at you for two seconds, then clapped her hands and laughed again.]

"Excellent, excellent, excellent Lu Ping, truly a man of extraordinary talent."

"Even in such a desperate situation, you managed to extract my secrets with just a casual remark."

[This woman's mood is unusually good today. In a short period of time, she laughed more times than she had in the previous months combined, a stark contrast to her behavior during their previous confrontations.]

[But before Hua Yunzhen's laughter had even faded, the murderous intent in her eyes had already materialized.]

[She flicked her finger at the imprisoned Crow Daoist, and a stream of Spiritual Power shot straight towards the Crow Daoist's brow.]

[This seemingly casual gesture is actually a display of effortless mastery.]

[It was a full-force attack from the start.]

[Old silver coins, impressive!]

[This woman praises you to your face, but she leaves you no chance to survive.]

[Options pop up.]

[A: Just sit and wait to die; at worst, we can start all over again.]

[B: That little Void Refining Demoness, she's been exposed, completely exposed!!]

[C: The main body leaps out from the shadows, spreading its arms to block the Crow Daoist: "Don't hurt my clone! Come at me if you have a problem..."]

Little C, your madness hasn't even touched the host's heart.

You'll be fined eight hundred!

Little B, it's time for you to collect your Performance Assessment.

Lu Ping chose B.

[You chose B.]

[Faced with this fatal blow, the immobilized Crow Daoist showed no fear whatsoever.]

[The fiery energy within Crow Daoist's body surged wildly in reverse at that moment, then collapsed with a deafening roar.]

["Boom--!"]

[Hua Yunzhen's fatal finger strike hadn't even touched the center of the forehead yet.]

[Dense, crimson fire patterns appeared on the surface of the Crow Daoist's body.]

[The fire patterns instantly blazed to their brightest point, followed by an incredibly violent burst of flames that exploded outwards from him in all directions.]

[The Crow-Crow self-destructs!]

[Amidst the raging flames of the explosion, a wisp of Sun True Fire still lingered.]

["Not good!"]

[Hua Yunzhen's expression changed drastically. Without thinking, she retreated rapidly, her protective Gang Qi blazing.]

[The raging flames, accompanied by terrifying heat, instantly engulfed the entire Alchemy Chamber.]

The light barrier of the great formation shook violently.

[But the Protective Gang Qi at the Void Refining Perfection is ultimately formidable.]

[This explosion, powerful enough to level half a mountain, struck the invisible barrier of Hua Yunzhen form, producing only a muffled thud.]

[A shockwave rolled in, and the flames gradually dissipated.]

[Hua Yunzhen stood rooted to the spot. Apart from the shimmering Array Patterns on the edges of her sleeves, some minor damage, and a faint mark on the back of her hand, the rest of her body was completely unscathed.]

However, her expression at that moment was so gloomy it seemed to drip with tears.

[Because at the very center of the explosion, there was no trace of Spirit Transformation cultivator's demise.]

Only a rapidly dissipating wisp of pure fire told her what had just happened.

"An Avatar?!"

[Hua Yunzhen somewhat surprised and doubtful.]

[The method of Avatars outside the body is not uncommon in the cultivation world.]

[But to refine Avatar to such an extent, where its speech, mannerisms, cultivation level, and aura are completely identical to the original body, is undoubtedly an extremely skillful technique.]

[You have far more secrets than she realized.]

[But what concerns her most is... exactly when did your original body leave?]

[Was it a chance to slip away unnoticed in this Alchemy Chamber filled with arrays? Or was it that from the moment the Nü Zhi City stepped onto the Cloud Boat in the Desire Sea Pavilion, the one who arrived was never the real person?]

[Hua Yunzhen stood amidst the charred rubble, her fingertips pressed against the rim of the Jade Bottle, her expression shifting between light and shadow.]

At this moment, looking at the empty Killing Formation, Hua Yunzhen finally felt a slight hesitation about her earlier decision to forcibly retain the people.

[Moreover, this dissipated anger gave Hua Yunzhen a vague sense of déjà vu.]

[Like... that subtle, almost imperceptible, surveillance after I left Doushu City?!]

[At this moment, not far from the epicenter of the explosion, you stand suspended in mid-air within a sea of clouds.]

[You activated the Formless Myriad-Breath Cloak to conceal your form, watching the churning air currents below from afar.]

[Early after Crow Daoist received the Pills, you had already used the Formless Myriad-Breath Cloak to escape the Alchemy Chamber and hide in this sea of clouds.]

[You possess the Great Sun First-Emptiness Seal to erase all traces, the Heguang Tongchen Talisman to conceal Heavenly Secrets, and the Formless Myriad-Breath Cloak hide all forms.]

Even a master strategist wouldn't be able to find you for a while.

[And Crow-Crow was originally a clone of your divine soul, carrying your original aura, which is why Hua Yunzhen.]

[At this moment, within the Primordial Spirit Mansion of your Dantian, a Fire Crow Seed is re-condensing.]

[You looked down at Hua Yunzhen, who was completely unharmed, and couldn't help but sigh.]

[Even though Crow-Crow self-destructed with all her might, it didn't cause her any real damage.]

[Back when you were still Golden Core, Crow-Crow's self-destruction was one of your trump cards.]

Even last time, when Nascent Soul Spirit Transformation cultivator killed Gu Wusuan, a Nascent Soul cultivator, Crow-Crow played a crucial role.

[And now the Crow-Crow have turned into fireworks...]

[Although this was within your expectations.]

[After all, your usual ability to kill opponents of higher ranks relies on having all your Trait maxed out, giving you a 33x damage boost right from the start.]

[But Crow-Crow is just a blank clone, offering no bonuses whatsoever, and ultimately cannot stand alone.]

[It's still somewhat disheartening that a Transformation Great Demon couldn't even be harmed in the Void Refining Perfection by its self-destruction.]

[Above the Spirit Transformation, there is a vast chasm between each realm; this is truly no exaggeration.]

[Options pop up.]

[A: This little vixen is truly formidable. We should avoid her for now and escape as far as possible.]

[B: You little vixen, how dare you try to double-cross me? Do you really think you can take advantage of a master like me so easily? Follow me and find a chance to get revenge!]

[C: She ripped off her invisibility cloak, donned a leopard-print leather skirt, and descended from the sky, performing a wild pole dance on the ruins: "Pavilion Master Hua, what skill! The one who just self-destructed was merely my temporary worker. Now, this director will personally provide you with top-notch after-sales service! Since you enjoy double-crossing, let's close the door tonight and have an in-depth sparring session on 'Guan Yu and Bao Shuya's friendship'! This grandmaster will see whether your Desire Sea Pavilion's work is better, or my Hundred-Forged Medicine Body Formula is more powerful!"]