Mission Complete

"You... how did you all get out? Especially you, Zhao Xiaoya, my granddaughter, wasn't stabbing me in the back enough? Why didn't you finish off that little thing from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect while you were inside? You are clearly also... have you truly betrayed us?"

The hunched old man pointed at Zhao Xiaoya, speaking in shock.

Zhao Xiaoya patted her head, looking at Ning Fengzhi and his companion with a worried expression.

Lu Ma looked at this stranger, and the information displayed above his head showed his name was Zhao Asi, level 82, and he was Zhao Xiaoya's grandfather.

His current state was not great; his shield was nearly depleted, and it would soon be shattered by Gu Rong and the other.

"Rongrong, be careful..."

Ning Fengzhi reached out, but before he could finish his sentence, he saw Ning Rongrong had already charged forward. Ning Rongrong herself had no second thoughts; unlike the two previous times she had been controlled, she was now certain that Lu Ma had his ways.

Lu Ma had always had a theory. If the Eight Spider Lances could deal 25% health damage to a Spirit King, how much could it deal to a Spirit Douluo?

The first lance, strike!

The remaining attacks followed in quick succession.

Zhao Asi had not expected Lu Ma's surprise attack at all; he had absolutely no defense prepared.

With a "clatter," the shield in front of Zhao Asi was shattered.

To Lu Ma's regret, the Eight Spider Lances only dealt 3% health damage to Zhao Asi.

He shook his head, and Ning Rongrong also shook her head, looking equally regretful.

After the character optimization and based on the microphone and camera permissions granted by Lu Ma himself, the character could perform the same gestures as Lu Ma.

And just as Ning Rongrong made this gesture, Ning Fengzhi, Gu Rong, and Zhao Asi were all stunned.

Taking advantage of this moment, Zhao Xiaoya threw an Explosive Bone Grenade, directly blasting away 2% of Zhao Asi's health bar.

The three of them were stunned once more.

Gu Rong was the first to react; the opponent's defense was no longer what it used to be, so he immediately unleashed a highly aggressive move.

The attacks from the four of them engulfed Zhao Asi, who had no idea how to defend himself.

He had thought he could contend with the two of them without the Bone Dragon, but he had been wrong. Even though he appeared to be defending perfectly against them, his spirit power was actually being consumed at a rapid rate; the others simply hadn't noticed.

Now that the protective barrier maintained by his spirit power was broken, he naturally had no spirit power left.

Facing the siege of the four, he ultimately met his bitter end.

Zhao Asi was dead.

Ning Rongrong looked at Zhao Xiaoya beside her, but there was not a hint of sadness on the other girl's face.

"Aren't you upset?"

Ning Rongrong asked.

"Not at all." Zhao Xiaoya shook her head. "An old geezer like him—I'm just glad he's dead."

Ning Rongrong nodded, then stepped forward to rummage through Zhao Asi's clothes.

The clothes were still warm, but there was nothing in the pockets.

It seemed the Holy Spirit Pill and the rest were indeed all on Zhao Xiaoya.

Ning Rongrong sighed and kicked Zhao Asi into the Purple Fire.

The Purple Fire flared up for a while, then the flames dwindled and finally extinguished.

Zhao Xiaoya was overjoyed; according to her theory, if the Purple Fire went out, she would become the Saintess.

However, she sensed for a long while but felt none of that pure power.

She had not become the Saintess. Perhaps it was because the fire hadn't burned out naturally, or perhaps that old geezer's soul wasn't pure enough to ascend.

But she was not discouraged; at least she knew who the Saintess was.

She looked at Ning Rongrong and revealed a happy smile.

Ning Fengzhi looked at his returning daughter, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke: "Rongrong, your injuries, and your clothes..."

Ning Rongrong looked at her own clothes; there were many scratches on them, the wounds were still oozing blood, and there were clearly several holes in the back of her outfit.

Large patches of snow-white skin were exposed to the air, looking quite alluring.

Seeing the murderous look in Ning Fengzhi's eyes, Zhao Xiaoya knew he suspected her, so she quickly took out the Black Robe that had belonged to Zhao Asi and gave it to Ning Rongrong to wear.

She had no intention of dying anytime soon, and she knew Ning Rongrong had thoughts of killing her, only refraining because of the Holy God.

Once the Holy God left, if she and Ning Rongrong remained in this state, she would surely die.

Ning Rongrong looked at the Black Robe on her body, quite amazed.

The Black Robe was made of a special material. After inspection by Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong, the robe itself possessed no evil energy or danger.

Moreover, the moment this Black Robe touched Ning Rongrong, it transformed into a black lace short skirt outfit. The style was similar to what she had been wearing before, but more comfortable, and it had the effect of amplifying spirit power and mental strength. It wasn't hard to guess that the black long-sleeved dress on Zhao Xiaoya had come about the same way.

Ning Rongrong looked at the long dress on Zhao Xiaoya; although it had been struck many times by the Eight Spider Lances, there wasn't a single tear, and the one she was wearing now was surely the same.

She nodded in satisfaction, while Zhao Xiaoya, on the other hand, remained in a state of panic.

"What happened over there?"

Gu Rong asked in a deep voice, his gaze fixed on Zhao Xiaoya, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Ugh."

A stormy sea was already raging within Zhao Xiaoya's heart.

What should she do? Lie? If she lied, would the Holy God kill her?

She noticed the corners of Ning Rongrong's mouth curling upward, clearly showing no intention of speaking up for her.

Then, not lie?

Looking at the murderous glares from Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong, Zhao Xiaoya wilted.

"I did it, I admit it," she finally said. In the end, she feared the Holy God more. She had means to preserve her life and was confident that the two of them couldn't kill her; at worst, she would just be bedridden for a year or two.

She got her wish and was beaten, while Ning Rongrong watched from the side, expressionless. No, it looked more like she was holding back laughter.

The four of them eventually came out. Since Ning Rongrong had not killed Zhao Xiaoya amidst the Purple Stones, Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong did not kill her either.

Ning Fengzhi now carried a backpack, which contained the statue and the scales.

Gu Rong's spatial Soul Tool held two Purple Stones, the pile of Purple Stone fragments from Zhao Asi's cane, and that bone which belonged to an unknown creature.

Ning Rongrong followed behind the two of them, the Holy Spirit Pill and Holy Spirit Scroll tucked away in her spatial Soul Tool. The token seemed unable to be stored inside, and as it happened, her new black skirt had a spot for hanging tokens, so Lu Ma naturally hung the token there.

The white "Seven" on the black background was exceptionally eye-catching. Although the token's position on the garment was relatively concealed, the corner of the thin token would occasionally peek out, revealing the character "Seven." Anyone who saw it would know that Ning Rongrong's status was extraordinary, and if they encountered the Holy Spirit Sect, the effect would be even more outstanding.

Lu Ma was unaware of this; he simply needed a place to put the token—he couldn't just hold it in his hand forever, could he?

Although Ning Rongrong herself knew these things, she had no objections.

Judging by the behavior of Ning Fengzhi and the others before she had hung the token on her clothes, just as they could not see the Holy Spirit Pill and the Holy Spirit Scroll, they could not see the token.

This token seemed to be visible only to members of the Holy Spirit Sect.

This then led to another question—why was the "innocent" Tang Twelve able to see the Holy Spirit Pill and the scroll earlier?

Ning Rongrong decided to investigate this further after the Holy God departed.

Behind Ning Rongrong was Zhao Xiaoya, bruised and limping. Thanks to her black dress, which did a good job of covering these things up, she did not attract the attention of passersby.

Meanwhile, inside the Silver Dragon King Palace, Gu Yuena's heart was pounding. She had naturally been able to sense the Eight Spider Lances being activated just now, and she could also feel the changes around Ning Rongrong. Ning Rongrong had been in a desperate situation, and for a split second, regret and worry had surged within her. But soon, things took a turn.

Although she could not operate the Eight Spider Lances from a distance, she could feel the aura of the Holy God on Ning Rongrong. The moment she sensed that aura, her worries for Ning Rongrong vanished instantly.