Versatile Mage: Get the Desert Emperor clone at the start

Chapter 267 In a sorry state, the person I least wanted to see.

Jesse hadn't used his strongest plant-based magic yet, but he knew that even if he did, he wouldn't be a match for his opponent.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the wind-type team member, severely injured and slumped against the rock wall by the deep blue water ball, and the fire-type female team member beside him with the glaring bloodstains at the corner of her mouth and the undisguised fear in her eyes.

That surging anger and fighting spirit were instantly extinguished, leaving only a deep sense of powerlessness.

If they were severely injured by Lan Xi at this moment, it would be a huge loss for them.

For the sake of the bigger picture, they had no choice but to compromise.

“We…” he managed to utter two words, “…hand over.”

Washington, D.C., is submerged by Lan Xi's mother, the Azure Scale Mermaid Empress. Meanwhile, members of the Nationalist government are robbed by Lan Xi in the same location...

After that, Lan Xi stayed in the canyon, and she would investigate anyone who wanted to go there.

Until a familiar and gentle aura quietly appeared at the entrance of the valley.

When Lan Xi saw the person who had arrived, she smiled warmly.

"Sister Mu."

The person who came was none other than Mu Nujiao.

She seemed to have just been through a battle; a few tiny blades of grass clung to her hair, and magical energy emanated from her.

Upon seeing Lan Xi on the boulder, Mu Nujiao's exquisite face revealed a knowing and helpless smile.

"It's really you."

"We met a few shaken guys on the way, saying that the entrance to this valley had been taken over by a 'water-elemental female demon,' who was robbing people and leaving nothing but barren land. I guessed, besides our Lanxi, who else would have the leisure and... strength to do that?"

"whee."

She leaped lightly off the boulder, her bare feet landing on the wet pebbles. She walked a few steps to Mu Nujiao's side and naturally took her arm.

"Sister Mu, let's go together."

Thus, at the entrance of the valley, beside the magnificent boulder, another pleasing figure was added.

The girl in the light blue dress was lively and charming, like a fairy in a stream.

The gentle and serene woman stood smiling, like a fairy in the forest.
-
At this moment, Qin Xiaonan and Mu Ningxue were following the faint magical fluctuations and traces of battle as they traversed the edge of the decaying forest.

The scenery here is slightly better than in the deeper areas, but it's still oppressive.

The branches of the towering ancient trees twisted and intertwined, blocking out most of the sky, allowing only dim, mottled light to filter through.

Suddenly, Mu Ningxue's icy blue eyes narrowed, and she stopped in her tracks.

Her cold gaze fell on an unusually dark area to her left, covered by huge black ferns.

There, a few extremely faint yet chaotic and violent spatial fluctuations remained, along with... a bloody stench!

Qin Xiaonan immediately sensed the abnormality. He quickly approached, and a thick layer of earth magic quietly covered his entire body, forming an invisible defense.

The two exchanged a glance, and without a word, tacitly parted the huge fern leaves that exuded a damp, musty smell.

The sight before them surprised them somewhat.

On the desolate open ground, the limbs of Shadow Beasts, torn apart by immense force and covered in slime, lay scattered.

In the center of the open space, there lay a figure crawling in a pool of dark red blood!
The man was dressed in rags, covered in mud, moss, and blackened blood.

The exposed skin was covered with crisscrossing scratches and signs of corrosion, so deep that the bone was visible.

The most horrifying thing was her left arm—severed clean off at the shoulder blade!

The cut was a bloody mess, with an eerie purplish-black edge, as if it had been corroded by some kind of deadly poison. Although it was forcibly sealed by some force to prevent massive blood loss, the gruesome wound still made one's scalp tingle.

Her breathing was very weak. "Nan Rongni?!"

Qin Xiaonan never expected that the injured person in front of her was actually Nan Rongni.

Mu Ningxue also walked slowly closer, her cold gaze sweeping over Nan Rongni's tragic appearance, finally settling on the hideous wound on her severed arm and the painful expression on her face.

Her stunningly beautiful face was expressionless, except for a faint, chilling glint in the depths of her icy blue pupils.

Nan Rongni's consciousness oscillated between excruciating pain and weakness.

She fought desperately to escape from the clutches of a commander-level shadow beast called the Shadow Soul Eater.

The power of the Void Worm saved her life at the critical moment, tearing the Shadow Beast apart, but the violent backlash almost severely injured her.

She used up her last bit of strength to crawl out of that nightmarish area, hoping to find a safe place to catch her breath.

In her hazy state, she seemed to hear footsteps, and... Qin Xiaonan's voice?
'No...no...' A wave of humiliation and panic, stronger than the physical pain, suddenly gripped her heart!

She struggled, using all her strength, to lift her heavy eyelids.

The blurry vision gradually focused.

The first thing that catches the eye is Qin Xiaonan's figure.

Then, her gaze passed over Qin Xiaonan's shoulder and landed on the figure standing quietly to the side—

Dressed in a silver-white outfit, spotless.

Her waist-length silver hair was as cold as a waterfall.

His icy blue eyes were looking down at her from above.

Like a goddess atop a snow-capped mountain, looking down upon ants struggling in the mud.

Mu Ningxue!
boom--!
Nan Rongni's mind went completely blank!
All the excruciating pain and weakness seemed to be frozen in that moment!
Instead, there is resentment, shame, and despair that are enough to burn away reason!

How could it be her?! Why her of all people?! Why did she have to encounter the person she hated and least wanted to see when she was at her most vulnerable and miserable?!

Scenes from the past instantly flashed through her mind:

When she was plotting to seize the Ice Crystal Bow, Mu Ningxue's cold and disdainful gaze was evident!

She was thrown backward in a disheveled state by the force of Mu Ningxue's attack, and the humiliation she felt was etched into her very bones!

Afterwards, Lan Xi reprimanded him, and the fear and resentment were branded into the depths of his soul!

And now... she has lost an arm, is covered in wounds, her magic is depleted, and she lies in the blood like a rag doll...

And her most hated enemy appeared before her in such a perfect manner, scrutinizing her miserable state with such cold eyes!

The immense shame felt like countless red-hot steel needles, piercing every nerve in her body!
She was most afraid of encountering Mu Ningxue.

She made a "hoho" sound in her throat.

He tried to say something, but only more blood and foam came out.

Those eyes, dimmed from blood loss, now blazed with a terrifying, venomous light, fixed intently on Qin Xiaonan and Mu Ningxue.

If it weren't for Lan Xi incurring the hatred of the Chinese team, how could she have fallen to this state and been seen by Mu Ningxue?

Just then, Mu Ningxue's red lips parted slightly, and her clear, icy voice rang out, each word like an icicle, piercing Nan Rongni's already shattered heart:

"retribution."

Two words, light and airy, yet carrying the weight of a mockery.

"Pfft—!" Nan Rongni could no longer bear the extreme humiliation and stimulation, and suddenly spat out a mouthful of dark red blood.

(End of this chapter)