BOOM!

The moment Ganmu appeared, Ellie the witch was still in shock. She was slammed into the wall and bookshelves by Ganmu's huge shove. Although protected by an energy shield, the shield itself was compressed into a ball by Ganmu's massive strength. Then, Ganmu followed up with several punches at the witch in the wall, causing the energy shield to tremble repeatedly.

Seeing the bad turn of events, Ellie immediately used a straw man decoy to dodge Ganmu's subsequent attacks.

"What kind of monster are you? Who are you?"

With a wave of her hand, Ellie summoned the surrounding Specter Species to pounce on Ganmu. Meanwhile, in her hand, intense Dark Energy was gathering, ready to detonate the Specter Species in an attempt to take Ganmu out in one fell swoop.

But Ganmu wasn't a pushover either. It had thick skin and toughness, along with its acid and poison gas attacks. In such close quarters, its abilities could be considered an absolute counter to the witch.

ROAR!

Ganmu let out a roar towards the sky full of ghosts. Its intimidating power caused scores of First Tier Specter Species to instantly dissipate. When facing such low-tier Exotic Species, the oppressive might of higher-tier Exotic Species was simply overwhelming. Quantity was meaningless in the face of quality.

Acid and poison gas began to spread throughout the room, all of it released by Ganmu.

Situations like this are perfect for cooperation!

Lu Luo was exhilarated by the turn of events. Releasing poison is our specialty!

Steam Level Three, Toxic Mist.

HA!

Following behind Ganmu, Lu Luo also expelled a large breath of multicolored, toxic fumes.

Even though Ganmu itself would be affected by Lu Luo's poisons, Ganmu, known as the King of Decay, was virtually immune to toxins, so Lu Luo's effect could be almost disregarded. Meanwhile, Lu Luo relied on his armor's characteristics and his already powerful toxin resistance to be largely immune to most poisons. Therefore, although they affected each other, it was all within a reasonable range.

If the two of them aren't majorly affected, then the ones affected will be others!

The combination of their toxic gases had taken the corrosive and destructive power of the fumes to a new level. The floating witch feathers and books were corroded and withered by the combined toxic gases, turning into rotten paper that could no longer take flight.

Ganmu continued its assaults on Ellie. It was in pristine condition. Although not fast, it could force Ellie's positioning by continuously releasing poison gas.

In this situation, Lu Luo barely needed to lift a finger. Simply by mixing in some poison gas, he had broken the witch's Domain. The rest was up to Ganmu. Its strength was somewhat beyond Lu Luo's expectations!

Is this what it feels like to hand-craft a Lord-level Exotic Species? The power of the Doomsday Disc is terrifying indeed! I love it, I love it! Ganmu, let's go!

ROAR!

With a roar, Ganmu lunged at Ellie once again.

Although the Ganmu before him was ferocious and full of fighting spirit, Lu Luo was still somewhat disappointed. He remembered that the Ganmu from Rotten Valley had already completed its self-evolution. It could even shed its condensed body and transform into a girl's form, which was quite beautiful. But the Ganmu before him seemed only capable of roaring. And overall, it didn't seem to have much intelligence, which was a bit regrettable.

Ah, life is always full of so many disappointments!

[You're interested in Exotic Species? Be a human, will you!]

SLAP!

Ganmu's long tongue and Witch Ellie's long tongue tangled together, vying for strength. How could the witch stand a chance against such a behemoth? With a fierce pull, it yanked Witch Ellie into the air.

But Witch Ellie was no pushover, and this was her Domain. Though suppressed by the combined toxins of Lu Luo and Ganmu, it still had some effect. She quickly controlled the surrounding energy to form a magic shield, then used a moving bookshelf to block Ganmu's assault.

However, Ganmu wouldn't stop because of that. It opened its huge mouth wide, spewing out a glob of dark green phlegm. The phlegm shot past the bookshelf, heading straight for Witch Ellie.

SPURT! Acid splashed everywhere.

SIZZLE! SIZZLE! SIZZLE!

The potent acid made a heart-stopping sound against Ellie's magic shield. The strength of the magic shield exceeded Lu Luo's expectations. Facing such ridiculous acid, the magic shield actually didn't break?

Ganmu itself was also rather surprised; this was its strongest attack. So, it spat a few more times.

PUFF! PUFF! PUFF!

The acid barrage almost drowned Witch Ellie, and her magic shield was teetering on the brink of collapse. Finally, unable to endure any longer, Witch Ellie floated angrily into the air, raising her hands high.

Netherflame began to swirl around her!

"You filthy monsters! You've ruined my lord's garden of knowledge! I'm going to..."

Before the witch could finish her roar, her Netherflame strangely drifted towards Lu Luo. In Lu Luo's hands, the Netherflame Seed blazed fiercely, actually absorbing Witch Ellie's Netherflame.

While she was stunned, Ganmu had already landed a punch on her magic shield.

BOOM!

Punch, smash, spit!

Ganmu's attacks were simple and unadorned, while Witch Ellie kept trying to summon things from the room to interfere with Ganmu. However, no matter what she summoned, Lu Luo would slay it immediately.

"AHH!"

A stream of acid completely melted through Ellie's magic shield and instantly corroded her entire arm.

Ganmu grabbed Ellie's tongue, and with a sharp pull, yanked her underneath itself. Then it pried open Witch Ellie's mouth.

PUFF! PUFF! PUFF!

"AHH!"

The strong acid continuously dissolved Witch Ellie's body. Taking advantage of her screams, Lu Luo quickly moved to her side and stopped Ganmu.

"Alright, Miss Ellie, as I said before, a true hunter disguises himself as prey before his quarry. The victor is decided. Now I want to ask, where is Ling Jia's key?"

Witch Ellie glared at Lu Luo with venomous hatred.

"You despicable creature! You can never understand my lord's ambitions, nor my lord's power! To think you could get the key from the hands of a loyal witch, you..."

Such loyalty!

SWISH!

Lu Luo really couldn't be bothered to listen to any more of Witch Ellie's nonsense. So he could only behead her with a single sword strike, while Ganmu violently thrashed the lower half of Ellie's body, clenched in its jaws.

"Alright! Ganmu, stop."

Lu Luo commanded Ganmu to stop. Ganmu, somewhat irritated at having its play interrupted, turned its head angrily. However, as soon as its eyes met Lu Luo's, it suddenly cowered.

"S-sorry!"

Looking at Ganmu, Lu Luo frowned slightly.

Observer, show me Ganmu's attributes.

[Summoned Creature: King of Decay - Ganmu, Fifth Tier Lord.

Summon Attributes: Non-recoverable, non-devourable, Doomsday Factor consumed.]

Lu Luo looked at the information from the Observer and had a vague feeling that something was amiss. Non-recoverable, non-devourable, Doomsday Factor already consumed—all that Lu Luo could understand. But the Ganmu before him had no duration limit for its existence! It wouldn't just disappear after a certain time like many summoning spells, with a "POP!" and the creature gone. As long as Ganmu kept feeding, it seemed it could continue to exist indefinitely, perhaps forever.

In that case, what's the difference between it and a normal Exotic Species?

Forget it. I won't consider these things for now. Better find where Ling Jia's key is. Observer, perform a full room scan. And you, Ganmu, stop releasing poison. Absorb the poison gas.

"Okay!"

「」

At the top of the Red and White Castle, Da Tian was perched on the balcony of Qi Xinzhu's room, her face a mask of astonishment. Her eyes were like the void, and she kept chuckling. GIGGLE, GIGGLE.

This behavior seemed very strange to Qi Xinzhu, and she couldn't help but ask, "What are you laughing at?"

"A very interesting fellow. I thought he would fight by himself, but I didn't expect him to find a helper. Such a big guy! To fight a witch with hardly any combat power, that's just too shameless."

Da Tian gestured exaggeratedly with her hands, making Qi Xinzhu a bit exasperated.

"Shameless or not shameless? What did you see?"

"Nothing, nothing. It's just that watching others fight is quite interesting!"

Seeing Da Tian's reluctance to elaborate, Qi Xinzhu blushed as she flipped through the books before her. These were books Da Tian had brought. As for their content, well, Qi Xinzhu hadn't wanted to read them at first. But Da Tian said that since she was going to be a bride, she at least needed to understand what a bride was supposed to do. Even for Lu Luo's sake, she should look at these books.

The books were titled "How to Be a Good Bride," "The Wedding Night," "The First Time"... and there were several more similar ones.

Qi Xinzhu's face was now flushed crimson. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Da Tian. Why would a child get her hands on such books?

"Da Tian, have you read all these books?"

"Of course!"

"But you're so young..."

"That's where you're mistaken. Growth isn't measured by age. Some people are like giant man-children at forty, while others, at seven or eight, can already hold their own. For example, me! I'm the kind of genius who could hold her own from a young age!"

Although what she said made sense, Qi Xinzhu still felt something was odd. Gazing at the bright moon outside the window, Qi Xinzhu felt an indescribable sensation in her heart. She kept feeling as if Lu Luo was nearby.

According to the Dawn Church, this was Qi Xinzhu feeling that Li Ming was with her.

"Da Tian, do you think Lu Luo will come today? I feel like he's very close, yet also very far."

Da Tian looked thoughtfully at Qi Xinzhu and nodded.

"Lu Luo? He's already here."

"Ah? Where is he?"

"He's in the castle!"

"He's in the castle? Then what are we still doing here waiting?"

Qi Xinzhu suddenly stood up. Dragging her long dress and headdress, she headed towards the door.

"Hey, hey! Qi Xinzhu, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to find him!"

"Hey, the wedding ritual hasn't started yet! If you go like this, aren't you afraid of causing trouble? What if you anger the Nightmare Demon? That wouldn't be good at all!"

"Since he has already come to this place, it means he's already prepared. Since he's willing to come after me, why can't I go to meet him? If I'm afraid of this and that, not even daring to pursue what I desire, then how could I truly become a bride? I am a Believer of Light, one who forges ahead fearlessly!"

Da Tian watched Qi Xinzhu, touched by her words. Maybe... Forget it.

Qi Xinzhu wasn't wearing the bridal shoes because they were very high and inconvenient for her to walk in. Now, she ran barefoot along the top-floor corridor. Her long red veil floated with her movements, like her current heart-stirring emotions, utterly captivating.

Da Tian watched Qi Xinzhu leave, not trying to stop her. She simply picked up the shoes from the ground with a smile.

"You can't go without shoes! After all, a bride must wear shoes, and they need to be put on by the groom."

「」

In the library, Ganmu squatted in a corner like a recluse. Meanwhile, Lu Luo was directly devouring Witch Ellie.

[You have devoured the Fifth Tier Lord, Witch Ellie. You have gained 4,315 energy points.]

[You have gained 35 Sequence Value points.]

[Your Netherflame Seed has been strengthened.]

[You have acquired Witch Ellie's Doomsday Factor.]

Looking at the notification, Lu Luo couldn't help but clench his fists. He had consumed over 9,000 energy points and Ganmu's Doomsday Factor. But his current gains definitely outweighed his expenditure.

Firstly, regarding the Doomsday Factor, it was a one-for-one exchange. Witch Ellie's value was definitely far greater than Ganmu's, because Witch Ellie could potentially create Witch's Candy. If he could somehow obtain Witch's Candy later, it would be an immense profit! It could even be said to be a boundless gain! As long as he had enough time and resources, he could continuously grant all his allies a +99 attribute boost.

A +99 attribute boost might not be terrifying on high-tier Exotic Species, but if applied to humans, it would be an unprecedentedly outrageous enhancement! Even Lu Luo himself couldn't resist the allure of a +99 attribute boost.

Besides the Doomsday Factor, Lu Luo also obtained 35 Sequence Value points. Sequence Value could be used to activate the Doomsday Disc World and spin the Doomsday Disc. This was a resource needed to use his ultimate ability, and Lu Luo would never feel he had too much of it.

So, the actual net cost was just over 4,000 energy points. With Lu Luo's current wealth, 4,000 energy points were nothing, less than nothing!

A gain, a massive gain!

At this moment, Lu Luo even had the urge to find and kill all the Exotic Species in Nightmare Castle. But then he reconsidered. There would undoubtedly be Sixth Tier Exotic Species here. He could still fight Fifth Tier Exotic Species, but Sixth Tier Exotic Species were not so easy to deal with.

Never mind Sixth Tier; even that lizardman Ku Ding on the first floor, Lu Luo felt, would be difficult to handle!

Sigh, I should just focus on finding the key and breaking through to the Fourth Tier first!

The battle with Witch Ellie had allowed Lu Luo to confirm that the areas where Lords resided were very likely safe zones. If this conjecture was correct, then one could indeed do whatever one pleased in a Lord's territory. If one was strong enough, one could indeed kill all the Lords encountered and collect Doomsday Factors. But the problem Lu Luo currently faced was that he wasn't strong enough.

The key, the key, the key! Damn it, where on earth is the key?!

Having searched for a long time, Lu Luo was growing agitated. Time was ticking by, second by second. He was very busy; searching like this yielded no clues. The Observer and Devourer abilities had already scanned Witch Ellie's corpse, but found nothing. The library was only so large. Under the Observer's detection, there were no hidden places left. So where on earth could the key be hidden?

[There is one blind spot you haven't checked yet.]

"Where?" Lu Luo asked.

[The witch's previous seat. She always hid her doll body under the cabinet.]

That's right!

Lu Luo slapped his forehead and immediately went to the spot under the witch's former seat. It was empty. There was nothing there!

Lu Luo frowned, then grabbed the witch's table and forcefully tore it away. This table was also alive, and it hadn't died despite the potent toxins.

It really is here.

Beneath the table was a mass of roots, entangling a box. Lu Luo opened the box. Inside, there was a very strange-looking doll.

When Lu Luo picked up the doll, his vision suddenly connected to a scene!

Is that... Qi Xinzhu?

Qi Xinzhu was sitting in a spacious and elegantly decorated room within the Red and White Castle. At this time, Qi Xinzhu was in bridal attire: a phoenix coronet and embroidered gown, delicately wrapped in red gauze. Her face, no longer bare as before, had been carefully adorned with makeup. Her red lips and blush were exceptionally alluring. The clothing, undoubtedly selected by the Nightmare Demon, was of superior quality and exceptionally chic, perfectly outlining Qi Xinzhu's curves. Combined with the book she held, the overall image was even more captivating.

In Lu Luo's vision, Qi Xinzhu was engrossed in reading a book titled "The First Time." The content was quite explicit. Qi Xinzhu squirmed as she read, though it was unclear exactly why she was fidgeting.

But just as Lu Luo wanted to see more, the vision ended.

Lu Luo's vision returned to normal. He looked at the witch doll before him with a peculiar expression.

[Witch Puppet]

Effect: Allows you to see what you wish to see.

Is the scene this thing showed me real?

[Mere visual information is insufficient to determine authenticity. Therefore, the scene you just witnessed could be real, but it could also be a trap set by the Nightmare Demon.]

Understood!

After a moment's hesitation, Lu Luo put away the Witch Puppet. Although this thing seemed a bit sinister, its effect was still useful. If the scene it showed was real, then it could become a clue in his search for Qi Xinzhu.

Opening the secret compartment in the base, Lu Luo finally found a key wreathed in Netherflame.

Found it!

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