Chu Tian gazed at the holy and valiant girl in the swirling dust, his expression extremely complicated.
Anger, Disappointment and a far more tangled emotion, spread silently within him.
Had Su Nian been looking for an opportunity to kill him all along?
So, all of the girl’s obedience before him, all of her dependence, all of her bashfulness—
It turned out, all of it was fake.
Su Nian had utterly and completely deceived him.
That girl who called out “Master♥” again and again, her eyes full of affection and trust, was nothing but…..
A mask she had meticulously crafted.
This realization burned him from within, far more than any physical wound could.
Added to that, Da Hei’s soul had suffered a grave injury to save him and might dissipate completely.
All these emotions tangled together—rage, sorrow, and the humiliation of being played—erupted to a peak in an instant.
And it was precisely because of this that he awakened a deeper ability within the Annoyance Value System.
Enough.
He would still win!
Just like every time before.
No matter what power the girl before him had gained, or how many cards she hid up her sleeve—
In the end, she would once more crawl at his feet.
And this time, he would make Su Nian understand, in no uncertain terms, what price one paid for deceiving their master…
At this moment, the demonic energy around Chu Tian was no longer purely wild and violent—it now carried a bone-chilling coldness and a heavy sense of oppression that made one’s heart tighten.
He slowly straightened his body.
Brand new, more powerful strength surged through his limbs and bones, bringing with it an unprecedented sense of fullness and absolute confidence.
The legendary Wind Elemental Holy Dragon.
A Purple Domain Spirit Cat capable of wielding both space and lightning magic.
Truly, it was a lineup he had never even imagined before.
Su Nian had actually accumulated such terrifying power right under his nose, without making a sound.
This patience and calculation—even he had to admit—had far exceeded his expectations.
But so what?
‘Since you’re so disobedient… Then I’ll just keep beating you until you’re obedient.’
Chu Tian stretched out his hand, his five fingers slowly unfurling.
Just now, his gaze had inadvertently swept over the form of Su Nian’s [Lingyuan Flame Barrier], witnessing the perfect fusion of water and fire, two mutually opposing elements.
A sudden enlightenment, like lightning piercing endless darkness, instantly illuminated his mind.
‘Fusion…’
‘Yes Fusion.’
In that instant—
The powers of lightning, darkness, and space within his body began, in a mysterious and arduous way, to slowly approach, penetrate, and fuse with each other.
In a flash, the demonic energy on his body grew even more violent and surging—yet carried with it a strange, underlying stability.
Three powerful forces of completely different attributes began, under his forcible control and guidance, to attempt a deeper level of fusion.
Had this been before the System’s breakthrough, trying to merge these three attributes would have been nearly impossible for him but now, with such a massive increase in potential and strength—
It was almost as simple as a single thought.
A wave of power, far more dangerous and terrifying than any previous single force, erupted from him in an instant.
At the same time, Su Nian only felt that as she finished releasing a skill, some inexplicable change occurred in the Horned Demon before her.
Originally, this man already exuded a faint but violent and vicious aura.
But now, that aura made her instinctively feel even more threatened.
‘Hmph!’
‘No matter what kind of fiend or monster you are, this little change won’t affect the overall situation!’
Though their opening strike with her two Contract Beasts hadn’t managed to directly kill or seriously injure the Horned Demon—
They had successfully crippled that troublesome Terrifying Knight.
That meant, for the coming battle, it would be—
Three against one!
And she was teamed up with the Wind Elemental Holy Dragon and the space-wielding Purple Domain Spirit Cat—a dream combination.
With such an overwhelming advantage, she couldn’t imagine any way she could lose.
“Let’s go together.” Su Nian wasn’t stupid enough to challenge the Horned Demon to a one-on-one knight’s duel.
She absolutely wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating the Horned Demon a second time.
After all—
If she were to be defeated by the Horned Demon again, she didn’t even dare imagine what kind of miserable fate would await her.
Moreover, her [Spirit Road]’s resilience had already reached fifty-one percent.
The Spirit Road reflected her Dao heart, mirroring her innermost will.
This also meant that, if this carefully planned battle for revenge failed once more, she might never again muster the courage to resist.
Perhaps, she would choose to run away completely…
So, this battle—she had to win!
As Su Nian launched a fierce assault with Little Green and Little Violet, the clearing deep canyon within Blackstone Gorge was instantly swallowed by unimaginable explosive light and the surging aftermath of battle.
The brilliance of Saint-level magic shone wantonly at the bottom of the Gorge as if it cost no magic at all.
Every flare of light shook the earth and mountains.
“Boom boom boom!”
“Roar roar roar…!!”
The dragon’s breath swept through everything, carrying world-destroying might.
Wild thunder tore through the sky, its devastating aura permeating every inch of air.
All sorts of powers—so strong that even ordinary Saint Level experts would pale instantly—clashed, poured forth, exploded, and finally faded into oblivion.
Boulders shattered like rain, the earth groaned under the strain, trembling violently.
Thick smoke and violent energy currents rampaged without end, turning the surrounding environment into a shocking mess.
However, her opponent—that bastard Horned Demon—was now displaying astonishing strength as well.
Chu Tian’s mastery of space magic fused with darkness and lightning was now even more bizarre and unpredictable, impossible to defend against.
He flickered amidst the dense attacks, dodging most of the lethal strikes by a hair’s breadth.
His space jumps, fused with lightning and darkness, were especially covert—his landing points constantly shifting, and every time he reappeared, fine arcs of lightning shot out, suppressing the offense of Su Nian and her Contract Beasts.
Compared to Little Green the Wind Elemental Holy Dragon’s sweeping destruction, and Little Violet the Purple Domain Spirit Cat’s unpredictable lightning-space ambushes, Su Nian herself, controlling the energy giant formed by the [Lingyuan Flame Barrier], put even more direct and deadly pressure on Chu Tian.
At this moment, she was practically piloting an invincible magic mech herself.
She brandished a massive Light Sword formed from holy light, launching a stormy assault at Chu Tian.
Every strike carried her long-suppressed fury and the satisfaction of revenge.
Refreshing!
This was true battle!
The exhilarating sensation of wielding a Light Sword in close combat with a powerful enemy was far more thrilling than cautiously casting magic from the rear.
Especially with the [Lingyuan Flame Barrier]’s powerful offense and defense, the newly purchased Battle Armor, and the near-absolute defensive blessing brought by the Sea Island Giant Spirit Turtle, Big Mountain’s “Spiritual Attachment.”
She could now toss all thoughts of defense aside, investing her whole focus and spirit without reservation into this exhilarating attack.
Compared to her previous humiliating situation—constantly suppressed by that bastard Horned Demon, forced to dodge and rely on long-range magic—this was worlds apart.
Now, it was a head-on clash!
The only thing that troubled her was the cold, hard Lover’s Prison Collar at her neck.
Even amid such fierce battle, she had to spare a sliver of attention to remain on guard against and suppress any negative effects the collar might suddenly cause, just in case.
But this minor annoyance was negligible.
After all, she still had the powerful support of Little Green and Little Violet.
She could even remove Big Mountain’s Spiritual Attachment at any time and call him in as backup to give the enemy a “surprise.”
Her advantage was still overwhelming!
On the other side—
Even though Chu Tian’s power had reached unprecedented heights thanks to a comprehensive upgrade of the System,
Against Su Nian and her two powerful Saint-level Contract Beasts’ relentless assault, he was starting to feel the pressure and had narrowly avoided danger several times.
He had ultimately… underestimated the girl before him.
That Wind Elemental Holy Dragon, spewing out devastating dragon breath, was almost on par with the legendary ancient dragons—he had to go all out to respond to every blast, not daring to slack off for a moment.
And that black-violet cat, which Su Nian had once cuddled so sweetly in her arms, looked tiny and harmless—but its strength and mysterious tricks were far beyond his imagination.
Its mastery of lightning and space had reached an unimaginable, consummate level.
Several of its sneak attacks had thrown him into utter disarray.
It was perhaps even stronger than the legendary dragons.
Not only that, Su Nian’s own improvement was equally terrifying.
Her physical strength, her power to fight head-on, proved that the girl before him had been completely reborn.
The girl who once behaved so meekly before him, letting him do whatever he pleased, had actually been hiding such formidable strength.
Those three powerful magical pets he’d never seen before—where had she gotten them?
This woman—just how many secrets was she still hiding from him?
The more Chu Tian fought, the more shocked and grave he felt—and even a hint of irritation he didn’t want to admit…
As he gradually began to fall behind, suppressed by the joint attacks of Su Nian and her two Contract Beasts and even considered using space magic to escape—
The System’s notification sounded in his mind at just the right moment.
“Ding dong, [Lover’s Prison Collar] has successfully upgraded; the wearer now generates more effects.”
Lover’s Prison Collar: [Magic Suppression (Upgraded)]: Strengthens magic suppression effect, capable of suppressing even Saint Level wearers’ magic.
[Space Imprisonment]: Instantly creates a miniature spatial barrier around the wearer’s neck, restricting their movement and all magic casting or displacement.
[Mental Interference]: Strengthens the collar’s will-eroding effect on the wearer, making them more prone to confusion or obedience.
Right before the battle, besides spending three million Annoyance Value to purchase S+ Level Space Magic Mastery, he had also gritted his teeth and spent another full million Annoyance Value to upgrade the [Lover’s Prison Collar] on Su Nian’s neck.
It seemed the upgrade required some time and had just completed now.
The corners of Chu Tian’s mouth involuntarily curved into a smile.
With this—
This battle, without a doubt, would end in his victory!
Perhaps, he should now consider carefully how to punish this girl who dared to plot against her master.
At the same time a cold System notification suddenly echoed in Su Nian’s mind.
“Ding dong, accessory [Lover’s Prison Collar] has successfully upgraded; more effects (hidden) have been generated.”
‘The Lover’s Prison Collar… had upgraded?’
‘Who upgraded it?!’
Why would the collar at her neck… suddenly upgrade at such a critical moment?!
Su Nian’s heart sank violently, a wave of intense unease flooding her mind.
I don’t get why this stupid, overbearing and retard ML wonders why FL hates him, like he just forgot all the wrongdoing he did as is still doing