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Zhang Xuezhou had never met Yu; he only learned bits and pieces of information about Yu from Huang.

But when a humanoid creature with white wings appeared in the dark space, Zhang Xuezhou felt that this might be the form of the feather.

He noticed this unexpected, uninvited guest first.

Just as Zhang Xuezhou had calmly observed the appearance of the black dragon, Zhang Xuezhou also remained silent about the emergence of 'Feather'.

It wasn't until the other party frantically flapped its wings and swooped down towards the nine-petaled flower, calling out "Xuezhou" in a familiar voice, that Zhang Xuezhou realized the truth of the matter.

How could An Ran possibly get involved in this conflict of tactics?

Zhang Xuezhou had many questions in his mind.

He even suspected that something might have gone wrong, or that the nine-petaled flower had released a mind-altering ability that had an effect on him when he was physically weak.

But Zhang Xuezhou's thinking couldn't keep up with his physical instincts.

As Ren Anran charged toward the nine-petaled flower, his body involuntarily appeared, and he also let out a cry, choosing to insert himself once more.

"An Ran?"

His body somersaulted and landed again, the black on his back still blending perfectly into the darkness, but when he thrust into the nine-petaled flower again, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the force he was facing was stronger than before.

Seeing the tentacled flower stamens wrapping around his body, he quickly cried out.

This was Ning Que's opportunity to fight, but it was not Zhang Xuezhou's opportunity to intervene.

The power of the nine-petaled flower did not increase; it was only because Zhang Xuezhou was injured and weakened that he felt a stronger power than before.

His previous battle with the Nine-Petal Flower was a fierce contest, which allowed him to defeat the opponent with a single blow despite being slightly weaker.

If he were to fall into the same trap again now, Zhang Xuezhou felt he would find it difficult to escape the nine-petaled flower.

"Xuezhou?"

He swayed his body as if performing the Fish-Dragon Exercise, his voice carrying a hint of bitterness, and also a hint of Ren Anran's doubt.

Clearly, Ren Anran mistook Ning Que for Zhang Xuezhou.

Ning's defective entry into the crisis also made Ren Anran lose all restraint, thus calling out his name in the midst of the crisis.

"I know who you are now! I finally know who you are! Hahahaha!"

Amidst the nine-petaled flower, maniacal laughter echoed continuously.

"Even if I pay the price to withdraw from this contest of luck, once I know your true identities, you will all die!"

"Roar!"

The frenzied roar of the black dragon that Ning Que had transformed into emerged.

The sounds of tearing, laughing, cursing, petals pressing together, and stamens piercing and pulling filled the nine-petaled flower's bud. When roars joined in, countless echoes reverberated throughout the area.

Zhang Xuezhou pulled at the four flower stamens with his three-toed dragon claws. He pulled and exerted force violently, but before he could break the four flower stamens and turn them into purple qi, he felt as if his head was about to be torn apart. The sound that was so shocking that he could hardly bear it echoed throughout his mind.

This is very similar to the 'Moo Lan' power possessed by Changkong Luo, which guides the enormous destructive power of sound within a limited space, causing those within the space to suffer ten times or even more damage.

Golden light continuously fell from his body, and his body shrank rapidly as if water had been squeezed out.

As the cracking sound came, Zhang Xuezhou felt his body break, and the pulling and squeezing sensation instantly disappeared.

Along with this, the deafening roar of the shockwave subsided considerably.

"Roar~"

"Get away from me!"

Ning Que's roar and the Nine-Petal Flower's angry voice reached his ears. Zhang Xuezhou instinctively wanted to turn his body and plunge into the darkness, but he forcibly stopped himself.

In his blurry vision, he could only see the petals of the nine-petaled flower twisting and splitting open, bursting out puffs of purple smoke. The black dragon, with its six-zhang-long body, was covered with holes the size of human heads, from which blackish-gray light flowed out like water, and countless feathers fell like snowflakes.

"Xuezhou, you have to hold on!"

Ren Anran's voice came through, and Zhang Xuezhou opened his mouth slightly.

He looked at his body and saw that his lower body was empty; his body had been cut in half without him realizing it.

Clearly, Ning Que was the fish on the chopping block, Ren Anran was an unexpected surprise, and Zhang Xuezhou was the one Nine Petals Flower had always wanted to kill, and their killing move was also used on Zhang Xuezhou.

While he was caught in Ning Que's roar, he lost Body Control and was sliced in two by the flower blade.

"Don't be afraid. This body is merely formed from a special power. As long as we kill it and win, we won't truly die!"

Zhang Xuezhou raised his head.

What came into his view was a blurry face that was both strange and familiar, a cold body embracing his half-fish-dragon body and pulling at the black dragon with its severed tail.

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head vigorously, trying to see more clearly, but only felt a coldness leave him.

From afar, the cursing voices from within the nine-petaled flower resurfaced once more.

"Ren Anran, Zhang Xuezhou, I know you two. I know where you live. You will both die. Anyone whose name is known by the Lord will die!"

Compared to its previously tightly closed petals, the nine-petaled flower failed to fully protect its body this time, and its hysterical screams, severely injured, even revealed the difference between itself and Huang Daoxian.

Ning Que's frenzied roar caused Zhang Xuezhou a lot of trouble and resulted in huge injuries due to the loss of control of the battle. However, the Nine-Petal Flower also suffered from this impact, and even more so than Zhang Xuezhou and the others.

The petals of the nine-petaled flower were now cracked, and most of the stamens had withered. Several holes appeared on its newly formed body, from which bursts of purple qi continuously emerged.

"His petals are like knives, his stamens have the ability to pierce and bind, and his heart can emit a dark, bewitching fragrance that confuses the mind. He also has a noise-based method of locating objects, but his most important ability is regeneration. Once you start killing him, there's no turning back!"

A series of hysterical screams emanated from the nine-petaled flower, to which Zhang Xuezhou responded with a calm voice.

"He is Huang Daoxian's successor, inheriting many of Huang Daoxian's abilities, and is also being manipulated and contested behind the scenes by Huang Daoxian. However, his current demeanor may simply be that of someone from Luo'an Province," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Perhaps it's because my battle with him lasted too long, or perhaps Ning Que's roar interrupted Huang Daoxian's control, thus turning Huang Daoxian, who was controlling the game, into someone else."

"He can't escape. A thorough search is underway throughout Western Capital City Western Capital City. No suspicious target will be overlooked. The committee passed the dispatch agreement with 64 votes in favor and 1 against. Troops have already been dispatched to Changqing City and Pan'an City. Those involved in Western Capital City will be traced back to their origins; not a single related Lineage will be spared!"

Zhang Xuezhou's words revealed the secrets of the Nine-Petaled Flower, while Ren Anran's words were like a sharp blade piercing the Nine-Petaled Flower's mind.

The threat from the nine-petaled flower was useful, but Ren Anran's threat was even more effective.

Regardless of who the nine-petaled flower truly is, the committee has already begun to eradicate it completely.

Two years ago, such actions by the committee would have been considered tyrannical, prompting provinces and cities to band together, and even leading to vicious infighting and beheadings among high-ranking officials in a sense of shared fate.

However, the situation is no longer the same as it was two years ago. Many committee members have moved into Western Capital City Western Capital City are becoming increasingly intertwined with it.

The only dissenting vote came from Luo'an Province Commissioner Lu Bing, but his vote had no effect.

You're destined to lose!

Ren Anran shouted at the nine-petaled flower.

She has wings on her back, her body is covered with layers of white, bony armor, and mysterious inscriptions swirl around her.

It was a strange body, yet it looked far too much like a human.

For Ren Anran, who possesses the ability to fly, relying on the wings on his back to fly is not a difficult task; on the contrary, he adapts to it as naturally as a fish in water.

With a flick of her arms, they transformed into White Bone blades.

To Ren Anran, the nine-petaled flower's body was as huge as a house, making it look awe-inspiring.

She wasn't sure how much power she could unleash with her strange body.

But Ren Anran showed no fear whatsoever.

Firstly, she had no way out.

Secondly, Ren Anran was quite certain that this opponent knew her and Zhang Xuezhou, and was also intimidated by their suppression of the younger generation. His mind had been frightened by her words, and he was also caught in the fear of being targeted by reality.