The campsite was quiet, with only the crackling of burning firewood to be heard.

Lin Xiyue and the other girls glared at Mark, who wore a wicked grin. Indeed, those who arrived uninvited were up to no good. And since their intentions were hostile, there was no need for words.

Lin Xiyue flashed forward, her sword light dancing through the air.

"Spicy! I like it!" Mark laughed, leaping backward to gracefully dodge her thrust. A violent aura erupted from his body, sending Lin Xiyue stumbling back several steps.

She was shocked to find that Mark's strength was above her own.

Just then, Mark seized the opportunity, his body flashing forward as he threw a punch at Lin Xiyue's chest. In his eyes, these five exquisite beauties were prey he had to obtain. And to tame prey, you had to beat them first.

Mark's sudden burst of speed was too fast for Lin Xiyue to dodge. Seeing his fist, wreathed in violent Qi Force, coming straight for her, she could only instinctively bring her sword across her chest to block.

CLANG—!

The sound of metal on flesh rang out, but the pain Lin Xiyue expected never came.

Somehow, Luo Xiu had appeared before her, calmly blocking Mark's fist with the Kun-stewing Divine Cauldron.

Luo Xiu looked at Mark with a half-smile. "I've heard you men from M Country are big, but not very hard. I guess your fist isn't as hard as my cauldron."

Mark gritted his teeth, his gaze turning grim as he slowly retracted his fist and stepped back. Luo Xiu hadn't caught his attention before, but facing him now, he realized this seemingly gentle, bespectacled man was far from simple. His aura was mysterious and elusive, making it impossible to determine his realm.

Mark suddenly sneered. "Kid, I was going to give you a quick death, but now I've changed my mind."

Luo Xiu met his gaze and asked, "Did you kill those two people?"

"I was simply rescuing them," Mark replied. "Freeing them from this painful Hell and sending them to the pure land ahead of schedule."

Luo Xiu raised an eyebrow. "The way you talk, you reek of a heretic cult."

"Since ancient times, right and wrong have been defined by the powerful," Mark said. "You weaklings can only survive under the rules we set."

"I can tell you're eager to visit the pure land and meet Buddha, but you're not qualified," Luo Xiu said. "I can only send you to meet your damned God."

"Hahaha, arrogant!" Mark roared with laughter, his face twisting with ferocity. He threw his large frame at Luo Xiu, his charge carrying the pressure of a mountain.

SMACK!

Luo Xiu slapped him with a backhand, sending his large body spinning before it crashed to the ground. Then, Luo Xiu walked over and planted his foot on Mark's head, looking down on him.

"It seems your strength isn't even half as impressive as your mouth."

"Heh, a bunch of clowns from M Country, trying to show off in Hua Country. Let me give you a piece of advice... I am invincible; do as you please."

From his brief conversation with Mark, Luo Xiu had already determined that he only possessed the strength of the early Core Formation Realm. Thanks to Chi Sha, Luo Xiu could also wield Core Formation Realm power after releasing one of the Blood Ban Seals. Coupled with his naturally strong physical body, dealing with someone like Mark was a piece of cake.

Within the Core Formation Realm, he was indeed invincible.

At this moment, Lin Xiyue and the other girls were dumbfounded. This refined-looking Dr. Chen, a substitute for the Hua Country team, was this ferocious?

Looking at that arrogant silhouette, her beautiful eyes trembled as she couldn't help but think of *that* man. From his tone just now, to the slap that followed, and finally the arrogance of trampling his enemy underfoot while mocking him... How similar all of it was to that man!

"Hahaha..."

Just then, Mark, still pinned under Luo Xiu's foot, began to laugh. His face was swollen and his mouth was full of sand. He looked utterly wretched, yet he seemed pleased rather than angry.

Seeing the other M Country Team members about to rush over, he immediately shouted, "Stay back! This kid is mine, and mine alone!"

"I'm going to have fun killing him slowly!"

Luo Xiu remained expressionless. He slowly raised the Bronze Hoe and said indifferently, "The only thing I'm pleased about is that you still have some backbone, still thinking about how you're going to have fun killing me. For that, I am deeply relieved."

"If you begged for mercy now or showed any fear, I probably wouldn't even have the interest to kill you."

Mark gritted his teeth, and a powerful force erupted from his body, managing to throw Luo Xiu back. He rolled on the ground and quickly scrambled to his feet.

"Kid, you're going to di—"

SMACK!

Before he could finish his threat, Luo Xiu flashed forward and slapped him again, sending him back to the ground. Once more, he stepped on Mark's head to hold him down.

With his foot on the man's head, Luo Xiu slowly bent down, resting an elbow on his knee. He asked with a smile, "If you're going to lie down, then lie down properly. What's the point of getting up again?"

"Are you trying to tell me one slap from me isn't enough to keep you down?"

At that moment, Mark's gaze darkened as he fell into deep thought.

I never expected Luo Xiu to have the strength to crush me so easily. This kid is no simple matter. No wonder Hua Country has him as a substitute to protect these five girls... Is my only option now to increase my Cultivation? But if I do, will Lin Jianlong and the others outside notice?

As Mark was lost in thought, a wailing howl like the cries of malevolent spirits rose from the distance, rapidly drawing closer. In an instant, a terrifying presence swept across the entire Gobi Desert.

Everyone looked toward the dark horizon, their gazes trembling.

Rolling black clouds filled the sky, pressing down with incredible speed. Thunder and lightning flashed within them, as if countless demons dwelled inside.

"It's a Black Cloud Thunderstorm!" Zhang Yi cried out in alarm.

The Rule Manual stated that the Black Cloud Thunderstorm was a natural phenomenon in the Lop Nor Secret Realm. Its frequency was highly unstable; sometimes it would happen five or six times a day, other times not even once in half a month.

Hearing this, Luo Xiu's heart sank. Without hesitation, he swung the Bronze Hoe at Mark's head, splattering blood across his own face.

"Fuck, you're getting off easy!" he cursed, then spun toward Lin Xiyue and the girls. "Quick, find cover and hide!"

The destructive power of the Black Cloud Thunderstorm was far beyond what he could currently handle. It was, after all, a force of nature.

The girls stared at the blood-soaked Luo Xiu with strange expressions. This cultured, bespectacled doctor... he didn't even forget to kill someone before fleeing, and he did it so nonchalantly. He was really something else. However, knowing they had such a teammate, the girls felt a profound sense of security.

The Black Cloud Thunderstorm arrived swiftly. One moment it was on the horizon, the next it was upon them.

Luo Xiu had thought finding cover in the Gobi would be enough, but he had underestimated the storm's terror. In the lightning-lit darkness, his ears filled with the howling wind. The shelter behind him was obliterated by a lightning strike, and his body was tossed into the air like a leaf in a gale.

Dimly, he saw Lin Xiyue and the other girls being swept away by the black clouds, but he couldn't hear their cries.

...

「A long time passed.」

Only when the wind weakened did Luo Xiu, after drifting in the sky for what felt like an eternity, begin to fall back to the ground.

He landed in the desert. He looked around, but saw nothing but endless darkness. Releasing his Divine Sense, he searched the area but couldn't detect the auras of Lin Xiyue or the other girls.

He sat down on the sand with a sigh, his face etched with worry.

"Xiyue, Qian Qing, Yueyue... be careful and protect yourselves. I'll find you as soon as I can."

...

「Meanwhile.」

Back in that part of the Gobi Desert, Xia Chan retracted her Command Token. She checked on her teammates and found they were merely unconscious, not seriously harmed. When the Black Cloud Thunderstorm had struck, she had used the Command Token to defend against it, preventing them from being swept away.

A short distance away, Mark lay lifelessly on the ground, his head surrounded by a large pool of blood.

Xia Chan walked over to him and said, "I didn't get a chance to tell you before, but that bespectacled doctor was Chen Shuisheng."

As she finished speaking, Mark, whose head had been pierced by Luo Xiu's hoe, miraculously rose from the ground. The corners of his mouth curved upward as he spoke in an ancient voice, "Quite an interesting little fellow. I, Zhang Qiming, have never been so humiliated in my entire life, though the one humiliated... was just this striped-pattern Clone of mine, which only has the power of the Core Formation Realm."

"This Chen Shuisheng... I am determined to kill him!"

"As for those girls with him, except for Zhang Yi, I'll take the rest to be my Furnace Tripods!"

As he spoke, the ghastly wound on his head was repaired by a strange, striped pattern.

Xia Chan looked at him, a flicker of disgust in her eyes, and asked, "Then where does the esteemed Spirit Martial God intend to go now?"

Mark gazed into the distant night and spoke slowly. "The six of them have been scattered, which is perfect for avoiding that Chen Shuisheng. I can sense Zhang Yi's aura. Let's find her first. After all, she is my primary target."

...

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