A Battle of Wits

After the live stream ends, there will be a free-fighting match.

Dongli Cang's hand, wreathed in tiny arcs of electricity, hovered in mid-air. His confident smile remained, as he waited for Di Yubing to place her delicate hand in his palm, just as he had anticipated, filled with gratitude and admiration for Surviving the Calamity.

However, Di Yubing did not reach out.

She simply gazed at him Jingjing. The dazedness and vulnerability that had previously flickered in her clear, beautiful eyes vanished like a thin mist blown away by the wind, replaced by a bottomless calm.

Dongli Cang frowned, somewhat puzzled.

I saved her...

"Your Highness..."

Before the words were even finished!

Di Yubing moved!

The wind that had been quietly gathering to its limit on the hilt of the sword she had been gripping tightly suddenly erupted with an ancient yet incomparably sharp Superpower!

This was a sword light unlike anything ever seen in the world.

Heavenly Mandate has decreed upon me; I shall wield my sword and slay demons!

That wasn't just simple elemental power; it was more like the World Will compressing countless sharp edges into a single point.

Without any warning, she twirled her hand, dodging the suspended hand, and the long sword in her hand transformed into an extremely refined, chilling light that seemed to cleave space, piercing straight into Dongli Cang's chest.

This strike was so fast it was beyond the sight of those around it, so ruthless it was unrestrained, and so accurate it struck the vital point.

The full-force sneak attack, almost at the peak of SS Rank, coupled with the covert support of the World Will, even briefly overwhelmed the naturally emanating lightning around Dongli Cang.

Dongli Cang's pupils suddenly contracted, and in his haste, the lightning power within his body instinctively surged out wildly, forming a dazzling lightning shield in front of his chest.

Sizzle--!

That sword strike, imbued with Di Yubing's full power and the World Will, pierced through the formed lightning shield, its tip unstoppable, continuing its advance.

Dongli Cang was forced back a hundred meters, his entire body radiating lightning.

Looking down at the bleeding wound on his chest, he suddenly looked up at Di Yubing, his face filled with disbelief and shock.

"You... you..."

Di Yubing's all-out sword strike failed to achieve its goal. His breathing became slightly disordered, and his face paled even more, but he still slowly sheathed his sword and stood still, the tip of the sword touching the ground, as steady as a rock.

Seeing that she had no strength left to attack, Dongli Cang slowly stepped forward, walking on air. He saw clearly the undisguised disgust in her eyes, as if she were looking at something filthy.

That gaze, cold and disdainful, was like the most intense flame, instantly Ignite a twisted excitement in Dongli Cang.

So beautiful...

The alluring appearance of this stunning beauty, filled with hatred and malice, aroused his blood even more than her meekness and obedience, transforming the excruciating pain in his chest into a thrilling pleasure.

In the past, she had a terrible reputation in Dongli Cang's mind.

As they approached, they observed the Great Yong Dynasty closely, the most beautiful and noble woman in the world, and the look of disgust on her pretty face.

Right!

Right!!

Right!!

That's the look in my eyes!

This is so exhilarating! I'm practically waving my flag!

Watt!

Mom stepped on me!

Dongli Cang almost couldn't help but tremble as he flew back to the city wall with a powerful, oppressive aura, walking step by step toward Di Yubing, as if admiring a thorny, peerless treasure that was about to be obtained.

"Relying on a 'system' from outside the world, you orchestrated this catastrophe, treating billions of lives as playthings and pawns, building up your so-called 'savior' vanity..."

Di Yubing's cold voice suddenly rang out, each word like Ice Cone piercing Dongli Cang's eardrums.

Dongli Cang stopped abruptly.

How did she know?! When?!

A chill ran down his spine and up to his head, making him almost break out in a cold sweat.

"... Clown!" Di Yubing uttered the last word, then continued to stare coldly at the stunned Dongli Cang.

Dongli Cang met her gaze, and for a moment he felt as if dark clouds were gathering around them, and an invisible pressure was pressing in from all directions...

It was as if their thoughts, intellect, and will had already clashed countless times before they even met...

Ha! So you figured out my background and schemes by piecing together countless clues and unraveling the mystery?!

Dongli Cang understood everything and couldn't help but smile.

"Your Highness is truly brilliant... You saw through my disguise even though I was hiding it so well..."

Ah, in this silent battle of wits, I, Dongli Cang... have been slightly outmaneuvered.

This is truly... terrifying!

The pressure that this battle of wits put on Dongli Cang was no less than when he first saw Dora searching for the Mischief Ghost. The Mischief Ghost's oppressive presence was too strong, and he still doesn't understand how Dora found him. The mutual probing and repeated questioning were actually to lower the Mischief Ghost's guard. Dora and the Mischief Ghost's behavior was completely unpredictable. Dongli Cang had to watch each episode at least ten times to even begin to understand it...

'Isn't this obvious to anyone...?'

Di Yubing was speechless. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she remembered the otherworldly mage who had run away without saying a word before, and compared him to the brain-dead Dongli Cang in front of her.

Heavenly Mandate... Protagonist Aura... does it also come with Intelligence-Lowering Halo?

Can the system host... also have their intelligence forcibly reduced?

"Since you already know..."

With a snap of his fingers, Dongli Cang's massive Beast Tide, which had been frantically attacking the city and roaring Bloodthirst, seemed to be paused at that moment!

The swooping bird froze in mid-air, the biting beast held its sharp teeth in a stalemate, and the surging torrent became a still sculpture... The world fell into a deathly silence, with only the sound of the wind and the faint crackling of distant, still flames.

"Then I won't act."

Dongli Cang opened his arms:

"Submit to me! My dear, Your Highness."

Di Yubing did not react immediately, but closed her eyes slightly to hide her fatigue.

Or... is it impossible?

Three days is too short...

Even with the help of the World Will, is it still impossible to defy Fate?

"You win, do whatever you want."

The princess is defeated!

Before Dongli Cang could even feel happy, he heard Di Yubing say calmly, "I may not be able to beat you in a head-on fight, but I can definitely effectively target your 'weaknesses.' If you're planning to do anything to me, you'd better forget it."

Dongli Cang felt a chill run down his spine and looked at Di Yubing with a look of horror.

The two remained silent for a while. Dongli Cang's expression was uncertain. Finally, he raised his hand again and snapped his fingers.

The frozen world began to turn again. The roars of the Beast Tide, the wails of humans, and the sounds of collapsing buildings once more filled our ears, as if the previous stillness of the Beast Tide had been nothing but an illusion.

Di Yubing breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Dongli Cang had indeed been brainwashed, directly choosing to threaten Di Yubing with the lives of the people in the city.

He could have directly controlled Di Yubing: broken limbs, drug control, mind manipulation, supernatural Superpower...

But they chose this method anyway.

Dongli Cang looked at Di Yubing with amusement, trying to find a trace of weakness on her face. Di Yubing closed her eyes again, seemingly oblivious to the hellish scene outside, and began to regulate her breathing to recover.

The two faced each other in silence once more, with the city behind them ablaze with blood and fire, a battlefield where endless lives were being devoured.

Time passed amidst the bloodshed.

The playfulness on Dongli Cang's face gradually turned into confusion. He looked at Di Yubing, who had an indifferent expression and seemed to be in deep meditation, and then looked at the direction in the distance where almost everyone had been slaughtered and turned into a deserted place.

"You..."

Di Yubing slowly opened her eyes. Her beautiful eyes were devoid of any emotion, only a cold indifference, as if she were looking at a dead person.

Are you expecting an empire's eldest princess to have mercy on those destined to sacrifice themselves?

"To place one's hopes and dreams on those in high positions..."

"Director Dongli, you've been reading too many Fairy Tales."

"They were destined to die. They died from the Beast Tide, from famine, from our struggle... What difference does it make whether they die sooner or later?"

The city was engulfed in flames, and the land was desolate.

These people.

Heavenly Mandate doesn't care, the empire doesn't care, the savior doesn't care.

But who cares? And who has the right to care?

No answer...