From the Paradise of Hope to the Hell of Despair

Gao Xu's preemptive strike, paired with his righteous expression, gave him the air of a hero entering the fray—dauntless, chivalrous, and impeccably presented.

Yet, his words sounded utterly brainless at first glance. Tang Mei'er sneered in disdain, snorted coldly, and chose to ignore him entirely.

Watching Gao Xu's sudden shift in temperament, a flash of blue light appeared, and a round bead materialized in Tang Mei'er's hand.

"Go to hell!" Tang Mei'er was decisive and ruthless. Since Gao Xu was clearly set on opposing her, there was no need for words; she would simply kill him.

The item she had produced was the Thunder Fire Bead, a signature hidden weapon of the Tianren Sect from the Jian Xia Qing Yuan world. It was a projectile crafted from gunpowder wrapped in iron sand and tar. Once it struck, the effect was similar to the Tianren skill "Mountain-Pushing and Sea-Filling," though naturally less powerful.

The most vicious aspect of the Thunder Fire Bead was that it exploited the tendency of ordinary reincarnators to crouch or bend over to dodge projectiles. It instantly created a sea of fire that enveloped all four sides. If one were caught unprepared and lying on the ground, they would be burned to a charred corpse within moments, dying a gruesome death.

Tang Mei'er was certain that no matter how deep Gao Xu's hidden talents were, his status as a newcomer remained unchanged. He would surely be ignorant of the various items within the Space, making the Thunder Fire Bead the absolute best tool to deal with him—bar none.

Many schemes seem unremarkable once explained after the fact, but the key lies in the lightning-fast progression of events. Being able to employ the most efficient and feasible method to reach one's goal within such a brief window is the mark of a true strategist.

Otherwise, one is just a "hindsight sage," utterly useless.

For a woman to possess such quick wit in a moment of crisis was truly rare. Unfortunately, her enemy this time was Gao Xu, a man who had been reborn. The moment the Thunder Fire Bead was launched, Gao Xu made a move to jump, but at that instant, something happened that even he had not anticipated.

"If you don't want to die, jump straight up! Trust me!!!" Zhu Hao's hoarse voice rang out. He not only shouted a warning to Gao Xu but also used every ounce of his remaining strength to hurl his sword at the Thunder Fire Bead, intercepting it mid-air.

Gao Xu slowed his movements, deliberately putting on a show of having narrowly dodged the projectile thanks to Zhu Hao's tip, and even remembered to nod in thanks after landing.

This scene, reflected in Tang Mei'er's eyes, caused her willow brows to stand on end. She roared in a fit of exasperated rage, "Zhu Hao, you dare betray me?!"

"Boss, you played the first move, so... I'll play the fifteenth!" Zhu Hao gave a miserable smile. Although he had saved his life, the blood spreading beneath him indicated that at least one major artery had been severed. Without the aid of a hemostatic potion, his life was forfeit.

In such a situation, if it were any other reincarnator, they might have humbled themselves to beg Tang Mei'er for a potion to save their life. But fools like Zhu Hao, whose intelligence was not high, hated nothing more than being played for a simpleton. Thus, without a second thought, he turned against Tang Mei'er.

A chilling murderous intent flickered in Tang Mei'er's eyes. Another Thunder Fire Bead appeared in her palm, already aimed at Zhu Hao.

Zhu Hao knew her secrets inside and out. If he didn't die, the difficulty of killing Gao Xu would undoubtedly increase significantly, and her nearly grasped success might well fall apart at the final hurdle!

After launching the second Thunder Fire Bead, Tang Mei'er had no time to check the result, for the Snake Demon, lured by the scent of realgar, had already slithered over.

Estimating that the Snake Demon had at most a few seconds of berserk time left, Tang Mei'er did not fear trading a few blows with him. Her weapon was a Snake Whip, which came with a skill that combined hardness and softness: it functioned as a whip when supple and a staff when rigid, integrating the binding power of a whip with the crushing force of a staff, leaving enemies unable to defend against it.

At this moment, the Fox Demon was at the end of her rope. Tang Mei'er boldly fought on two fronts, her Snake Whip flicking back and forth like a dancing silver dragon, a silver snake spitting its tongue, full of imposing momentum.

Such a soft weapon was impossible to wield without genuine skill, as it could easily injure the user, but when used with finesse, it was unpredictable and incredibly troublesome.

Tang Mei'er flicked her wrist, and the Snake Whip coiled toward the Snake Demon's chest, waist, and tail. Each coil carried the power of internal binding, capable of restraining the enemy's movements—this was her D-rank auxiliary skill: Binding Whip.

Affected by the Binding Whip, the Snake Demon's speed slowed immediately. Having gained precious breathing room, Tang Mei'er immediately used an Ethereal Scroll to lower her presence, while simultaneously scattering realgar powder toward the newcomers on the ground to create confusion.

Tang Mei'er executed her series of maneuvers with practiced ease, instantly neutralizing seven or eight-tenths of the threat posed by the Snake Demon. Only then did she have the leisure to look toward Zhu Hao to see if the traitor had been burned to death.

To her surprise, what greeted her was the sight of Gao Xu holding a red-backed, white-patterned card, drawing Zhu Hao into it!

"Rescue Card?!" Tang Mei'er's face turned ashen. This card, originating from the Fire Emblem world, could temporarily protect a reincarnator of the same faction. Although it didn't last long, it was considered a life-saving item.

The Rescue Card was quite valuable. Tang Mei'er had placed it on Zhu Hao, naturally intending for him to protect her at a critical moment. She never expected that Zhu Hao would trust Gao Xu enough to hand the card over to him!

Gao Xu had hesitated for a moment about whether to save Zhu Hao. After all, in his previous life, his own arm had been hacked off by Zhu Hao during a pursuit!

Gao Xu did not consider himself a saint; he had no interest in returning evil with good. But his most hated target was Tang Mei'er. Zhu Hao was, at most, a blade in Tang Mei'er's hand. By comparison, Zhu Hao, who could keep Tang Mei'er in check, could not be allowed to die just yet.

The sea of fire created by the Thunder Fire Bead burned on the ground. Gao Xu, seeing the rescue through to the end, pointed his long sword and flicked a cluster of flames onto Zhu Hao's back. As a shrill scream erupted, the massive blood loss from the severed artery was slightly staunched by the cauterization.

Just as ash or charred hair could stop bleeding, such methods—lacking any scientific basis—were exceptionally effective in the heat of the moment. Of course, this was predicated on the fact that reincarnators had physiques far beyond ordinary people; otherwise, even if saved, they would be a cripple.

Seeing Zhu Hao's health drop to the brink of death and finally stabilize, Gao Xu drew him into the Rescue Card, at least ensuring he wouldn't have to worry about releasing a corpse later.

The successive changes left Tang Mei'er burning with anxiety. She had sacrificed too much; now that one subordinate was dead and the other had defected, there was no turning back. This was a case of "succeed or perish"!

She usually wouldn't have spared a glance for a newcomer with Gao Xu's strength, but with Zhu Hao's assistance, he might well become the final straw that broke the camel's back!

When Gao Xu once again tilted his head to avoid a sleeve arrow, his nimble dodging and his ability to stay just outside the range of the Snake Whip finally shattered Tang Mei'er's hope of a quick kill.

Seeing that the situation was untenable, Tang Mei'er softened her expression, forced to compromise: "Your name is Gao Xu, right? A very capable newcomer~ People with strength can earn respect and honor in the Space. How about I give you twenty percent of the rewards after the boss is killed?"

This was not just a compromise; it carried the implication of recruitment. Surely, with Gao Xu's intelligence, he would understand.

But clearly, the terms Tang Mei'er deemed generous were worth nothing in Gao Xu's eyes. His only answer was a sharp flying dagger, aimed straight at the crimson crystal on Tang Mei'er's forehead—the source of the Succubus's power.

"You don't know what's good for you!" Tang Mei'er swung her Snake Whip, swatting the dagger away violently. She had been caught off guard the first time, but did Gao Xu really expect this piece of junk with near-zero damage to succeed in a sneak attack again and again?

In truth, the flying dagger that Tang Mei'er dismissed had actually succeeded. Because in that split second of distraction, a childish voice suddenly rang in the Fox Demon's ear: "Mother, that bad woman is about to... hurry... by the time..."

Hearing the vital message relayed by her daughter, the Fox Demon's spirit surged. Without a moment's hesitation, she decisively abandoned her demonic power, severing the Dream Return effect on the newcomers. Although she suffered a violent backlash and collapsed to the ground, Tang Mei'er's plan to finish off the Fox Demon by using the lives of the newcomers had clearly failed!

At the same time, the Snake Demon's berserk state faded. Entering a weakened state, he quickly slithered to his wife's side, scooped her up, and charged toward another exit of the room. Before entering, the Fox Demon used her final ounce of strength to release a cloud of mist. It spread instantly, and the figures of the two demons vanished from Tang Mei'er's sight!

"How is this possible?! No!!!!!!!"

Gao Xu drew her attention from the front, Su Mei notified her parents in secret—the perfectly timed entry, the peak of coordination, and the clean, decisive breaking of the deadlock caused the shrewd and ruthless Tang Mei'er to once again taste the pain and despair of falling from heaven into hell!

She remembered the last time she experienced this same feeling: it was after she drank that vial of Succubus blood, which was also the origin of this battle!

"Is it fated that I must live beneath others, acting as a groveling, undignified vassal?"

The Succubus transformation ended. Tang Mei'er, having returned to her original form, stared straight at Gao Xu. A sense of indescribable hysteria suddenly filled her eyes, and she began to laugh neurotically, "You have shattered my final hope... my final hope! Hehe, hahahaha, can you imagine? What I will do to you next...?"