We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

Xu Zhou's lips moved, but he didn't know what to say.

He looked at the villagers gathered around him, their clothes stained, their hair disheveled, their expressions blank, and every pair of eyes seemed to be filled with despair and confusion.

He didn't know how to comfort her, and his fists clenched unconsciously.

"I'm late."

The village chief hurriedly waved his hand, but the movement was too large and he accidentally aggravated his injury, causing him to wince in pain.

"No, no, no! Nobody here would think that way, and you mustn't blame yourself."

He clutched his chest, panting for a few breaths, a hint of melancholy rising in his eyes.

"Sigh... Ever since the caravan failed to arrive at the village on time, I've been on edge, always feeling that something bad was going to happen."

A flicker of reminiscence crossed the old man's eyes, tinged with deep self-reproach and helplessness.

Seeing that the village chief wanted to say something more, Xu Zhou raised his hand to interrupt him.

"We'll talk after we survive." His tone wasn't harsh, but it brooked no argument. "You guys stay here and hide. I'll go figure something out."

The village chief hesitated, but when he met Xu Zhou's eyes, which had already made up their minds, all his words ultimately turned into a soft sigh.

Please.

Xu Zhou understood what the other person hadn't said, so he didn't ask any questions.

From the moment these pioneers set foot on this land, they were destined not to leave easily. After all, once they lost the protection of their homes, ordinary people without superhuman strength would simply die silently on some lonely night.

They have no way out.

He didn't either.

-----------------

boom!

The spear and fist clashed in mid-air, creating a powerful shockwave.

In order to dodge the strange flames wrapped around Chi Feng's fist, Wu Lulu's movements were frequently restricted. What was even more deadly was that her opponent was fighting with a reckless style, neither dodging nor defending, only seeking to hit the target with one blow.

"Hahaha! Little wolfhound, you seem weaker than you were a few days ago?"

Chi Feng laughed wildly, then turned his fist into a palm and pushed forward, sending a ball of flame flying straight at Wu Lulu's face.

This happened without any warning.

Wu Lulu twisted her waist in an astonishing arc, barely managing to avoid the ball of fire. A cold sweat broke out on the girl's back.

"You bald jerk! You've been hiding this trick all along, turns out you were planning to ambush people!"

She cursed inwardly, but her anxiety only intensified.

"This can't go on! Our weapons aren't strong enough to break through his defenses, and a protracted war is disadvantageous for me!"

Just as she was desperately trying to figure out a way to break the deadlock, Chi Feng suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked at her meaningfully.

"Oh? I think I've discovered a little secret..." He narrowed his eyes, a sly smile playing on his lips. "The upper limit of your mystical energy reserves seems a bit low."

These words struck a nerve with her. Wu Lulu remained calm on the surface, but her stubborn and unyielding demeanor only confirmed her statement.

At that moment, Wu Lulu realized that she had no way out.

The mysterious energy within his body surged and churned, all converging at his chest. His heart, like an engine ignited, pumped its turbulent power continuously to his limbs and bones with a deep, powerful thumping.

"Bald man, prepare to die!"

The girl bent her knees slightly, the tip of the gun pointed straight ahead, her eyes showing no fear, only determination.

"Supernatural Power - Meteor Piercing the Sky!"

hum!

In an instant, the girl's figure disappeared.

Chi Feng's pupils suddenly contracted, and before he could react, the spear tip pierced his chest skin and continued to drill inward with immense force.

The green ghostly flames that were wrapped around his fists were instantly dissipated by the shockwave.

In the instant before his death, a crazy thought exploded in Chi Feng's mind.

"Supernatural Power - Blood Burning Secret Technique: Dissociation!"

At that moment, all my understanding and connection to this supernatural power vanished completely in an instant.

However, the price of sacrificing his supernatural powers was another leap in power, directly pushing his physique to an unprecedented level.

boom!

The moment the muscles tensed, a muffled sound like an avalanche came from inside the body.

The spear pierced the skin only an inch before it could go no further. Then, with a clang, cracks appeared all over the silver spear shaft, and the entire spear instantly disintegrated into countless fragments.

Instead of retreating, Wu Lulu transformed into a bullet, channeling all her remaining strength into her left arm and throwing a powerful punch forward.

At the same time, Chi Feng also threw a punch. It seemed like a casual strike, but it contained energy that was no less than that of Wu Lulu.

The two fists collided, and a ring of air exploded out, instantly carving a trench half a foot deep into the ground. The burning houses on both sides collapsed inward as if they had been cut in half by an invisible giant blade.

Wu Lulu had exhausted her supernatural powers and was now at her last gasp. In contrast, Chi Feng merely shook his body and absorbed the entire impact, then punched her away.

The girl's body crashed through several fences along the way, finally slamming her back to the ground, raising a cloud of dust, and then fell silent.

On the rubble road engulfed in flames, only one person remained standing.

Chi Feng felt the surging power within him like magma, and after realizing what he had done, he finally laughed loudly.

"Heh...it seems I don't need to wait for the Extraordinary Challenge. I'm going to take back everything that's rightfully mine, starting today!"

As he spoke, a ball of green flame condensed in his palm, and he struck out at the motionless girl in the distance.

"And you are the first sacrifice to witness my rise!"

Swish-!

Just as the flames were about to strike the girl, a golden thread shot out from the side, wrapped around Wu Lulu's body, and pulled her aside.

Xu Zhou caught the flying body and saw that the other person's eyes were still open, and his heart immediately felt relieved.

"Wululu, how are you?"

Wu Lulu forced a smile and raised her fractured left arm.

"Run! He sacrificed his divine power through disintegration, he's incredibly powerful now..."

Seeing the girl's arm, which was as limp as a rubber tube, Xu Zhou felt a pang of pain in his heart and unconsciously tightened his grip on her.

He looked up and saw that Chi Feng was faintly glowing in the distance, and it seemed as if orange-red lava was flowing in his veins under his skin.

The strength the opponent is currently displaying far exceeds what they showed a few days ago, and this cannot be explained simply by saying that they "have hidden their trump cards."

Either they've hit the jackpot these past few days, or there's more to the story.

"Don't be afraid." Xu Zhou looked away, his voice low. "He's not as fast as me."

He freed one hand, took out the priest's Swiftness potion, bit off the cork, and drank it all in one gulp.

[Status gained: Speed ​​increased by 20%]

Chi Feng strolled over leisurely, the long-term bonus brought by the Dissociation Divine Power being his greatest source of confidence at this moment.

"Haha, little Shiba Inu, you can't escape." He licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with an almost morbid pleasure. "This night is going to be very long."

Upon hearing this title, Xu Zhou inexplicably got goosebumps, picked up Wu Lulu, and turned to run away.

Under the influence of the medicine, he felt as if he had two wheels under his feet, and he ran a hundred meters in nearly ten seconds without feeling tired at all.

However, Chi Feng's speed far exceeded expectations. When he rushed around a corner, he suddenly saw the bald priest standing at the end of the road with his arms crossed, quietly waiting for him.

This is clearly an act of toying with the prey.

Xu Zhou could sense that the other party already considered him a sitting duck, and that their current cat-and-mouse game was merely an attempt to make up for the loss of face they had lost a few days ago.

Xu Zhou remained silent, only continuing to run away.

Until he plunged into a dead end, a wall of fire nearly three meters high rose up in front of him, with houses burning fiercely on both sides, and Chi Feng paced behind him, approaching step by step.

Xu Zhou put down Wu Lulu, leaned against the wall of fire, drew his short sword, wrapped his hair around his palm, and assumed a fighting stance.

Seeing this, Chi Feng finally couldn't help but grin and laugh out loud.

"Haha! Little Shiba Inu, are you kidding me?"