Lu Ma's Counterattack

Zhao Xiaoya watched Ning Rongrong's body collapse and ended her Martial Soul Possession.

Her martial soul was bone, belonging to the Body Martial Soul category; even though she claimed to have ended the possession, there was no visible change.

In her eyes, Ning Rongrong had already lost the power to resist.

She considered herself a kind-hearted person, so before Ning Rongrong died, she decided to reveal the truth about the Saintess Ritual.

Ordinary people only knew the first two steps of becoming a Saintess; her grandfather was like that, and so was that person in charge. Only after completing the first two steps would the third step appear in her mind.

Yet, this third process was extremely long. She had plotted against her grandfather, attempting to end it all prematurely, but her calculations had failed.

She had escaped the space, fled back into it, and gone through great lengths to kill Zhao Asi, only to find that the old thing had only used a clone.

She was still wondering why the Smoke hadn't dissipated and why the Purple Fire was still burning.

"When I get out, I will avenge your father and the others. You should thank me properly when you're up there."

She smiled, a very natural smile.

Then, she froze.

Ning Rongrong had somehow pulled out a bottle of red liquid and poured it into her mouth.

"Wait..." Watching Ning Rongrong's swallowing motion, Zhao Xiaoya felt her heart pounding; she had a vague premonition that she was finished.

As the red liquid entered her stomach, Ning Rongrong's consciousness gradually cleared.

Have I arrived in heaven?

She thought. But as she watched her own hand uncontrollably feed her the red liquid she couldn't reach, she realized something was wrong. Especially after seeing the purple stone, she became certain that she was being controlled.

There was no fear, only joy.

Her Holy God had not abandoned her; he had returned.

Although the timing differed from her predictions, that no longer mattered.

Ning Rongrong watched her own body stand up, dodge Zhao Xiaoya's attack with ease, and wipe the corner of her mouth.

The entire movement was fluid and natural.

Next, she felt her Eight Spider Lances begin to stir.

Lu Ma, sitting in front of the computer, couldn't stop praising the situation.

"This level 28 physique really is different; the movement speed is noticeably higher. And these Eight Spider Lances are just too useful."

The Eight Spider Lances behind Ning Rongrong began to assist in the assault following Lu Ma's commands. One lance pierced Zhao Xiaoya's body, pinning her in place; another swept across, a third slashed down, and a fourth neared her to release Poison. The remaining four shot out toward Zhao Xiaoya, piercing her body just as her Bone Flying Daggers had pierced Ning Rongrong's.

After this set of operations from the Eight Spider Lances, Zhao Xiaoya lost a quarter of her health, while Ning Rongrong recovered a significant amount of soul power.

So, were there any drawbacks to such a powerful auxiliary attack?

There were.

Executing the auxiliary attack required Lu Ma to press the Q key to trigger the combo, and there was a thirty-second cooldown afterward.

However, as long as the lance with the lingering paralysis effect pierced the enemy, the target could hardly escape the ensuing combo.

As the Eight Spider Lances finished their attack, Lu Ma got greedy and threw a few extra punches. Though these hits connected, they only dealt 3% damage to the opponent, nowhere near the power of the Eight Spider Lances.

Seeing the opponent begin to recover, Lu Ma quickly retreated to the side.

Zhao Xiaoya stood up straight, looking at the Ning Rongrong opposite her, clutching her eye with one hand, her face full of confusion.

Why did it feel like Ning Rongrong had become a completely different person after standing up?

She stared at Ning Rongrong's expression, trying to grasp any useful information, but only saw a face full of craftiness.

Why that expression?

Zhao Xiaoya was going slightly mad. Could it be that being beaten to the brink of death by her own hand was also part of the opponent's plan?

She refused to accept this fact, condensing dozens of Bone Flying Daggers to shoot at Ning Rongrong, controlling them to explode in front of her...

Explode? Why aren't they exploding?

Zhao Xiaoya saw Ning Rongrong merely pause for a moment when faced with the Bone Flying Daggers, then use the Eight Spider Lances to swat them all away into the distance. She then felt the soul power within the Bone Flying Daggers vanish, making it impossible for her to trigger the explosion.

Instead, in her moment of distraction, she was struck again by one of Ning Rongrong's lances, which pulled the distance between them closer.

Another unavoidable barrage of attacks from the Eight Spider Lances followed. Once the assault ended, she was kicked away by Ning Rongrong, crashing heavily to the ground.

"How could this be..." She couldn't understand it.

She was a level 47 Soul King, after all, and possessed the empowerment of the Holy God's power; how could she be beaten so miserably?

Moreover, Ning Rongrong had no intention of finishing her off—was this a provocation?

In truth, Lu Ma had no such intention; he was simply waiting for the cooldown.

It was known that Zhao Xiaoya had less than 25% health remaining, and one set of Eight Spider Lances attacks dealt over 25% damage. Since the Eight Spider Lances could be considered his ultimate move right now, this was what one called—

Tactical precision.

"19 seconds left. 19 seconds until I can laugh again."

After a few silky-smooth combos, Lu Ma felt quite satisfied. Although the Eight Spider Lances didn't have a one-shot kill effect, they gave him a sense of "hands-on control."

He boredly controlled his character to move around, dodging enemy attacks all the while.

Finally, the cooldown ended, and a lance thrust toward Zhao Xiaoya. Zhao Xiaoya's eyes widened; she wanted to dodge but was too slow, and she was struck regardless.

Seeing the remaining lances about to move as well, Zhao Xiaoya squeezed her eyes shut and shouted, "Stop! We can negotiate terms!"

This shout actually caused Ning Rongrong's movements to slow by a fraction. However, it wasn't because Lu Ma had a change of heart, but because a cutscene had triggered.

[The opponent has sent a request for peace]

[Zhao Xiaoya, Level 47, Loyalty 50%, Sin Value 50%]

[A: Hold A to Persuade; she will become your subordinate, establish a soul link with you, and be unable to betray you]

[D: Hold D to Execute; you will randomly obtain one item from her]

[Countdown: 20 seconds. After 20 seconds, automatic execution. Game time slows during this period.]

"Oh?"

Lu Ma looked at this design with interest. Some games did indeed feature mechanics to turn powerful enemies into allies, and he had experienced them before.

To be honest, in his experience, these persuaded companions often suffered from a common flaw—the "reformed character nerf," and certainly by more than just a little.

"This person must be the one who killed Ning Rongrong. Ning Rongrong probably died because she didn't know how to use the Eight Spider Lances and lacked real combat experience. So, should I take revenge for Ning Rongrong?"

Ning Rongrong felt all of this and was somewhat moved. However, she was prepared for whatever choice the Holy God might make; even if he didn't kill the opponent, she wouldn't have a single complaint, at most feeling a bit upset for a while.

Zhao Xiaoya's eyes widened.

She seemed to have heard a sound she shouldn't have—not the voice of Ning Rongrong, but an unfamiliar male voice.

Moreover, the aura was quite familiar.

On the cross, she seemed to have felt a similar aura—

The Holy God!

She realized it; so Ning Rongrong had become this strong because of the Holy God's power, it was just that the Holy God had given Ning Rongrong more of it. Her defeat was not unjust.

And if the Holy God was behind Ning Rongrong, many things made sense, such as how Ning Rongrong and the others could enter this space, why Ning Rongrong knew those techniques, and the Red Potion...

As for why she, who was also a Saintess chosen by the Holy God, was being attacked by Him, she only felt that Ning Rongrong must be more important.

What kind of existence could be more important than her, a candidate Saintess...

A true Saintess!

Zhao Xiaoya's pupils constricted.

A Saintess had the ability to communicate with the Holy God; in other words, the Saintess was the spokesperson for the Holy God.

If that was the case, hadn't she offended the Holy God?

It was over. She was finished.

She had to find some way to make amends.