It took Qi Ling a great deal of effort to finally defeat the enemy. Afterwards, she was covered in sweat and had used all her strength. Compared to Zhen Hong's calm and collected demeanor, she was in a much more disheveled state.
After Xiao Hei effortlessly absorbed the demonic energy, its belly seemed to grow even rounder. Qi Ling looked at its plump figure and worried that it might not be able to run away anymore.
"Sigh, no, I give up. I can't use your method." Qi Ling said helplessly to Zhen Hong. Her fighting method was truly not something that ordinary people could imitate.
"Everyone has their own fighting style, and you don't necessarily have to learn from others," Zhen Hong said. "Besides, you've already done well; at least you weren't injured in the fight."
Qi Ling gave a wry smile, because he knew that he hadn't been injured just now not because he had dodged all the attacks like Zhen Hong, but simply because his defense was stronger and he had withstood all of that guy's attacks.
His own Dragon God Armor was an evolving armor that grew stronger as his power increased. Although it couldn't defend against the masked man's attack that night, it was more than enough to deal with the attacks from these Demonic Qi People.
What Zhen Hong did next further confirmed Qi Ling's suspicions. They later encountered three more red-clad Demonic Qi People, all of whom were defeated by Zhen Hong. Each battle never lasted more than ten seconds.
No matter how powerful the Demonic Qi People they faced were, or how well-hidden their vital points were, it was all no problem for Zhen Hong, who easily dealt with them all.
Riding on Xiao Hei's back, Qi Ling could only sigh, "Comparison is the thief of joy! I'm so far inferior to Zhen Hong."
Qi Ling finally understood why even someone as arrogant and conceited as Chu Ling didn't dare to cause trouble for Zhen Hong, and she also learned how Zhen Hong had dealt with those magical beasts that others couldn't handle.
What puzzled Qi Ling was why Zhen Hong, who was so unapproachable, mysterious, and powerful, would take the initiative to approach him, reveal her fighting style to him so openly, and even teach Qi Ling.
Moreover, along the way, Zhen Hong gave Qi Ling the feeling that she was intentionally getting close to her, but was just not good at expressing herself, which is why there was such an awkward atmosphere between them.
Zhen Hong can only act more naturally when she is giving guidance or explanations, and only then can their communication go more smoothly.
Qi Ling couldn't help but recall Cang Yue's evaluation of Zhen Hong: a mysterious and powerful woman who was someone people wanted to pursue but could never catch up with, someone who seemed unapproachable.
Qi Ling guessed that perhaps Zhen Hong wasn't unwilling to interact with others, but rather that she felt it was unnecessary, or perhaps her personality simply made her bad at communicating with people.
Working together, the two quickly approached the location of the black-clad Demonic Qi People. Qi Ling originally thought that with his and Zhen Hong's combined speed, plus Chu Ling and Cang Yue hindering each other, they would definitely be the first to arrive. However, to his surprise, there were others who had arrived before them.
Kurumi was sitting leisurely on a strangely shaped building, seemingly bored as she looked at everything in front of her. When she saw Qi Ling arrive, she became happy and walked towards Qi Ling.
"Oh dear, Mr. Qi Ling, you're so slow! I've been waiting for you for ages. Why did it take you so long?" Kurumi said, glancing at Zhen Hong beside her, and added, "So you had a beauty to keep you company, huh? No wonder. If it were me, I wouldn't have come so late either."
Faced with Kurumi's joke, Zhen Hong didn't react at all, seemingly unsure how to respond. So Qi Ling coughed and said, "Ahem, don't misunderstand, Kurumi, we just happened to be traveling together."
"It might be a coincidence for you to be traveling together, but it might not be the case for others," Kurumi chuckled. "Heh, whatever, Qi Ling, this isn't the first or second time you've done this."
Qi Ling was speechless for a moment. To avoid further embarrassment, he changed the subject, saying, "You arrived here so early, didn't you try to deal with that Demonic Qi People? That's the biggest prize this time, isn't it?"
Kurumi then honestly replied, "Actually, I came so quickly to test whether I could handle this guy, but unfortunately, I couldn't."
"Huh? Is there absolutely no possibility?" Qi Ling asked. After all, he wasn't entirely sure about Kurumi's strength, but he was certain she was powerful.
"While it wasn't to the point of risking my life, I've done my best," Kurumi said with a smile. "As for how much effort I put in... I probably died about 140 times."
"Huh? Died over 140 times? This..." Qi Ling was completely bewildered. What kind of special adjective was this to describe the extent of her efforts? It was certainly quite novel.
However, since Kurumi cannot solve it on her own, others naturally need to try together. After all, Alice had said before that only by working together could they have a sliver of hope in dealing with this final, ultimate Demonic Qi People.
The last black Demonic Qi People truly resembled the final boss. Standing three meters tall, it not only had bulging muscles all over its body, giving off an explosive power vibe, but also looked as ferocious as a monster, with a large mouth full of sharp teeth and a long tongue!
At the same time, two thick tails, also uniformly black, extended from behind him, and his weapons were his own arms, only they had been transformed into two giant scythes!
Seeing this guy's appearance, Qi Ling couldn't help but say, "Wow, he really looks terrifying. Now I'm starting to believe what you said earlier."
Even seeing this guy's terrifying appearance, Zhen Hong didn't hesitate for a moment. It seemed that to her, this guy was no different from the one she had just casually killed. She still gripped the hilt of her long sword and was about to step forward.
Just as Qi Ling was about to stop Zhen Hong to discuss the matter further, Cang Yue and Chu Ling suddenly arrived from two other directions almost simultaneously. Upon seeing the final Demonic Qi People before them, they both looked eager to try.
Seeing this, Qi Ling felt helpless. There was no way to stop them now, and it seemed that she had no choice but to join them.