Lan Yan's eyes flickered with a hint of panic as she grabbed the system and prepared to flee in another direction.
Half a minute later, Lan Yan was terrified to find herself trapped within a blood-red cage, with Ming Li, holding a silver sword, standing not far away.
Meeting Ming Li's emotionless gaze, Lan Yan completely panicked and began to frantically attack the cage that held her with all her might.
She knew that if she fell into Ming Li's hands now, the consequences would be unbearable for a mere Heavenly Dao like herself. However, no matter how hard Lan Yan attacked the cage, it showed no sign of yielding.
Soon, Lan Yan was horrified to realize that the cage was shrinking, and the more forcefully she attacked, the faster it closed in.
Not far away, Ming Li stood quietly in mid-air, watching Lan Yan struggle powerlessly within the illusion she had created, her expressionless face betraying nothing.
It was like a cat toying with a mouse, not killing it outright but tormenting it slowly.
Because Ming Li was waiting, waiting for Yi to appear.
Soon, the space where Ming Li was located fluctuated almost imperceptibly.
Ming Li narrowed her eyes, a slight curve forming on her lips, a perfect arc. Her silver sword was drawn. With a flash of silver light, a thunderous boom erupted from a spot not far from Ming Li. Following the loud noise, a pleasant male voice came through.
"Heh! Lord Ming Li! How has your power weakened... Ah!"
Before he could finish his babbling, Ming Li, expressionless, charged forward with her sword and delivered a strike, inflicting a deep, bone-gaping wound on the man's right hand.
Ming Li: ... Villains die from talking too much, don't they know? Isn't it more satisfying to just attack directly? If all this nonsense were useful, why would she need her sword? Truly a perfect imbecile.
Without further ado, Ming Li, brandishing her sword, began to attack left and right, catching the man completely off guard.
After a while, the man finally reacted, but it was too late, as Ming Li had already pinned him to the ground and was dominating him.
Man: ... Damn it!! I only said half a sentence?!
At this moment, Ming Li was still one-sidedly beating the man, showing no pretense of being a great figure. She stuck her silver sword into the ground nearby and proceeded to rain down punches on the man.
Ming Li: ... Damn it! I was just trying to do my mission, and you, you shameless bastard, came to disturb me, hinder my mission, and even try to snatch my system!
Lan Yan, watching this scene from within the cage, was stunned.
Lan Yan, completely bewildered: ... What's going on? Lord Yi, weren't you supposed to save me? How did you get yourself into this mess too?
And in a way that left you completely defenseless?! Didn't they say Lord Ming Li's soul was missing and her power was greatly diminished?! Looking at this situation, did I get false information?!
Yi, being thoroughly beaten by Ming Li on the ground, was inwardly devastated. He never imagined that even though Ming Li's soul was incomplete, her power hadn't diminished at all compared to her prime.
If he had known this, he wouldn't have come to save this foolish Heavenly Dao even if it meant death. His injuries would likely take hundreds of years to heal.
Finally, Ming Li had had her fill of beating. She pulled out her sword, cleaved the light circle in two, rescued the system, which was excitedly trembling, from Lan Yan, who had cowered into a ball, and vanished from the spot.
You ask why Lan Yan didn't use the system to threaten Ming Li?
Lan Yan: ... My life is more important. When even the boss, who is hundreds of times stronger than me, was beaten like that, how could I dare to threaten her? Unless I wanted to die.
Author's note: