Little Pink Starfish

Yuan Yuanyuan’s guess was spot on. Right above their heads, countless surveillance cameras floated in the air, recording their every move. Several weapon systems were also trained directly on them, ready to fire at any moment if things got out of control.

But Yuan Yuanyuan wasn’t nervous at all. The way she walked forward looked calm and composed, as if the atmosphere weren’t nearly as tense as it was. As if this really were just a simple reunion between master and disciple.

In contrast, Fan Ning’s presence was noticeably weaker. From the very start, his face had been expressionless, revealing no emotion—but compared to Yuan Yuanyuan, he still seemed to fall a bit short.

“Let’s begin,” Fan Ning said to Yuan Yuanyuan. She smiled at him, and in the next instant, both of their figures vanished from where they stood.

The demon and human camps instantly erupted in chaos. The sky above was especially lively—people craned their necks, looking up to see the two figures overhead, trying to make out their movements. But the two were far too fast. Even the projections on the screens showed only blurry shadows. The footage had to be slowed down just to make out a hint of what was happening.

“How are they doing now?” someone asked.

“Can’t really tell,” another replied. “They’re moving too fast.”

The two had started a one-on-one fight. Yuan Yuanyuan, truthfully, wasn’t even trying very hard. Why were the onlookers calling her fast? Probably because she was using Void-Step Art the whole time… That technique was practically a cheat code, especially now that everyone around her who might’ve been able to use it had already died—she was the only boss-level figure left.

Back then, she hadn’t dared to be so cocky—or maybe she’d just been more cautious. But now things were different. The demons behind her were her greatest advantage.

Why? Because those demon threads seemed to be endlessly supplying her with demonic energy. She didn’t even feel the slightest bit tired now.

Void-Step Art consumed a huge amount of energy. A long time ago, Yuan Yuanyuan only used it sparingly and with extreme care. But now… it felt like she could cast it infinitely.

It was like she had some unlimited mana buff applied in-game—utterly satisfying.

The demon threads were violet cords floating around the demons. They connected as one unit, acting both as a shield that protected all the demons and a conduit channeling their power directly to Yuan Yuanyuan in the front.

It was a strange system, yet so aligned with the way demons had always survived.

Yuan Yuanyuan found the sensation so exhilarating, she even started worrying a bit—what if she could never feel this way again later on…? No wonder so many demons wanted to become great demons. It really was intoxicating. That kind of thrill was indescribable.

Fan Ning, on the other hand, wasn’t using Taoist spells at all—he was using the very demon techniques that Yuan Yuanyuan had once taught him. Specifically, a simplified version of Void-Step Art. But how could a simplified version compare to the full one?

So at the moment, Yuan Yuanyuan was basically going easy on him. She suddenly realized—if she lost to Fan Ning today, it would almost be like she had let him win… Wouldn’t that, in some twisted way, make her look cooler?

Fan Ning, for his part, hadn’t noticed that Yuan Yuanyuan was holding back. He was fully focused on matching her speed, and had no energy left to consider anything else. Yuan Yuanyuan looked at his face mid-air, twisted in concentration. It was probably due to the high speed—he couldn’t control his facial expression anymore, like a diver in mid-air…

But Yuan Yuanyuan wasn’t like that. All her strength was going into keeping her expression composed… She even joked to herself that, if Fan Ning hadn’t shown up so suddenly, she’d have ducked out just to put on some makeup.

“Can’t keep up!” Fan Ning was stunned. “She’s too fast.”

All the techniques he used had originally come from her, so he’d thought he understood her true strength. But only now did he realize—she’d been holding back all this time. Her current speed far exceeded what she’d shown in the past.

If back then he could barely keep up, now she was like the wind—melting into the air. He even thought she might literally be a demon made of wind—no trace of her could be seen.

No shadow when she came, no trace when she left.

“Can you see clearly?” someone roared in front of a large screen.

“I-I can see clearly now… but it looks like Fan Ning is at a disadvantage…”

In the slowed-down footage, Fan Ning’s movements looked strained. His expression alone revealed the difference—his face was contorted with effort, while Yuan Yuanyuan’s face was composed and even carried a faint smile.

“This…” Everyone watching was stunned. Even if Yuan couldn’t overpower him, she should at least be evenly matched. But right now, she was clearly playing with him.

“…Prepare yourselves,” someone ordered. Though he didn’t say it explicitly, everyone knew what kind of preparation he meant.

Halfway through the fight, Fan Ning was already panting, trying to wear Yuan down. But she didn’t look tired at all—it was as if she had endless energy.

“This won’t do. At this rate, I’m going to lose,” someone said through the earpiece. But with such speed, Fan Ning could barely hear them—it all came through as fuzzy noise. “End it quickly…”

Easier said than done. If it’s that easy, why don’t you try?

Below, countless demons and monsters floated in the sky. Fan Ning was dancing on the edge of a blade. The original idea behind challenging Yuan to a duel had been to test the waters—to see what might happen.

Even if war couldn’t be avoided, it would be good to stall for a while.

Back then, it had never even crossed his mind that he might lose this badly. But now, he was getting completely suppressed. The observers might not notice—it was too fast—but Fan Ning knew it clearly in his heart.

“Both of them are incredible…” someone sighed in the crowd. The effect of watching live and watching recordings was entirely different. For most people present, aside from a few experts, no one could tell who had the upper hand—because they couldn’t see anything at all.

That’s why both sides remained on edge, staring up at the sky. Strangely enough, the fight had drifted upward, farther and farther from the crowd below. Now anyone who wanted to watch had to crane their necks just to catch a glimpse.

Still, no one dared fly up to join them on an equal level. The battle had reached such an intense stage that any interference might lead to accidental injury.

In a way, things had unfolded exactly as Yuan Yuanyuan had hoped. She and Fan Ning were now in a space where no one could interrupt. Even if they spoke to each other, no one else would hear.

After ascending into the sky, Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly slowed down. Fan Ning, thrilled, thought this was his chance. But after the previous intense speed bursts, he was already low on energy and couldn’t take advantage of it.

“Disciple, how many people did you bring this time?” Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly asked in a casual, chatty tone.

Fan Ning was startled. How did Yuan still have the energy to talk?

Maybe it was out of sheer pride, but he forced himself to respond, “We brought… a lot. You understand humans well, so you should already know our capabilities. If you don’t… stop now, we’ll be forced to take some drastic measures.”

“Ohhh—” Yuan Yuanyuan dragged out the syllable and gave Fan Ning a meaningful look. He quickly realized his threats weren’t affecting her at all.

“I don’t care,” Yuan Yuanyuan said lightly. “You and I both know that if we start fighting here, not one person in that city below will survive. So what’s with all the tough talk? Who are you trying to scare?”

Fan Ning… seemed to choke on his words.

Yuan Yuanyuan continued, her voice calm. Her demonic energy was still plentiful—probably the peak of her entire life. So speaking came effortlessly, and she could even whisper clearly to Fan Ning in midair.

“The situation now is already beyond what you or I can stop. We’re just people being pushed forward by circumstances. Do you think this all happened overnight? Of course not… Demons have been suppressed for so long that people started thinking it was normal.”

“There’s a lot of rot inside the demons,” Fan Ning said. “You probably won’t like hearing that.”

Yuan Yuanyuan looked at him and paused for a second, then said, “No, I actually do.”

She really was happy—and even gave him a sincere smile, flashing a bright set of teeth.

“A festering wound needs strong medicine,” she said quietly. “Otherwise it’ll never heal…”

“So you’re declaring war? Sure sounds like a way to tear open the wound,” Fan Ning sneered. “War, huh… You’re right. Maybe it’s time. What other options do we have?”

“There actually… is one more option,” Yuan Yuanyuan said quietly.

She timed it perfectly—stepped forward—

—and let Fan Ning’s dagger pierce her.