Along the corridor on B5 of Herrom Prison, the black mist behind the gray-haired beauty swept in like a thundering tempest, every note she produced carrying an invisible, suffocating pressure.
Standing there, her eerie Tier 8 presence was enough to send shudders through any living soul.
The Tier 7 warden lying on the ground was the best testament to her lethality.
Her deep blue eyes were sharp and profound, her posture exuding supreme authority and grace, as if capable of seeing through all things.
Yet the black-haired, green-eyed figure standing in the distance remained as nonchalant as ever. Her eyes were clear and untroubled, as though all the chaos and pressure of the world could never touch her.
"You... know ordinary methods won't defeat me, so you're trying to put on an act with a different personality, aren't you?"
The Phantom Poet of Great Love pondered for a brief moment and seemed to arrive at an answer, a flicker of surprise passing through her eyes.
Her opponent hadn't shown emotional turbulence because of her; instead, she had been the first to grow angered by the other's reaction. This was clearly her opponent's ploy.
They were demons of the exact same kind; rather than relying on brute force, their way of defeating foes leaned heavily toward psychological warfare and spoken words.
"How brave. But sometimes, courage isn't enough to change destiny."
The gray-haired beauty leaned forward slightly, an amused smirk playing at the corners of her lips.
"..."
The black-haired, green-eyed figure said nothing.
Say what you will, Lanfu had served him diligently all these years, racking up bitter toil even if no dazzling credit. Even if this was just Lanfu's phantom, since she hadn't launched an attack right away, he didn't quite have the heart to treat her as an enemy and beat her half to death.
"Haha, look at your pathetic attempt! Do you really think you had a sliver of a chance? How naive!"
The Phantom Poet of Great Love crossed her arms, showing no intention of lifting a finger herself.
Even at Tier 8, her physical strength and mana reserves might not necessarily overcome a Tier 5 combat vocation.
Yet through her voice alone, even a Tier 8 enemy could scarcely resist.
Let alone a Tier 1 version of herself.
"Then how do you plan to win?"
Seeing that the Phantom Poet of Great Love made no move to attack, Lanqi asked helplessly.
"Do you know? Once your pleasure is magnified a thousandfold, you can no longer distinguish between pain and ecstasy. And I can make you experience that over and over again, until you die. Even if you perish at my hands, you will still thank me from the bottom of your heart and fall hopelessly in love with me."
Twirling a silky strand of hair around her index finger against her shoulder, the gray-haired beauty spoke with utter certainty:
"You don't think my voice can only amplify existing emotions and cannot actively incite the desires deep in your heart, do you? That is the absolute chasm between Tier 8 and Tier 1."
"Really? You can do that too?"
Lanqi asked, curious and surprised.
"..."
The Phantom Poet of Great Love felt as though the other was still looking down on her.
"Heh, keep putting on airs all you want, you weak little Tier 1 demon. However calm you act now, your begging will sound all the sweeter later. I'll find all sorts of ways to make you weep and plead for mercy, until you are utterly broken."
The gray-haired beauty's gaze grew chill; she was tired of playing around.
She lightly raised a finger and pointed at him, invisible mana gathering and enveloping their surroundings.
"Descend into madness, foolish creature."
Her words fell as a perilous aura surged forth.
Once she unleashed this spell, not only emotions but even the desires buried deep within the heart would be ignited!
Yet.
One second passed.
Two seconds passed.
Five seconds passed.
Nothing happened in the corridor.
"..."
Lanqi was still looking at the Phantom Poet of Great Love as if looking at an idiot.
This made the Phantom Poet of Great Love's expression freeze.
She looked at her finger, verified the spellcasting hadn't gone awry, and cast it at him once more. Still, he didn't budge an inch.
"Why aren't you going crazy?! Do... do you have no desires in your heart?!"
The Phantom Poet of Great Love shouted, baffled as to why inciting desires failed so completely against her counterpart.
Clearly she herself was being driven to emotional turmoil by the other's reactions, yet her counterpart's nerves were like reinforced rebar—utterly immovable!
"Maybe a little, but not much. At least, not enough for you to affect me."
Taking a deep breath, the black-haired, green-eyed girl gazed calmly at the Phantom Poet of Great Love and patiently explained.
"What kind of monster are you?!"
The Phantom Poet of Great Love gradually began to sense that something was deeply wrong. She knew full well that if this were truly her Tier 1 self, she should have fallen for it without fail.
It was almost as if some unspeakable entity had taken complete control of her original body!
"I am a human. No one can revoke my human citizenship,"
Lanqi answered.
"A human? Your current will belongs to an ascetic female monk or priestess, which is why you can barely resist my charm?"
The Phantom Poet of Great Love reasoned that even if a human managed to form a pact with her true form, that human would have to possess extraordinary willpower.
Otherwise, her original self alone would be enough to turn them into a puppet, manipulating their mind and enslaving them completely.
"First of all, I'm a man. Second, I'm not a member of the clergy. And third... you call that charm? Every time I see you speak with that face, all I can think is: why is an old hag putting on the coy airs of a maiden..."
Lanqi really seemed unable to hold back his laughter anymore.
At least the original Poet of Great Love had never possessed the ability to crack him up like this, but the Tier 8 Phantom Poet of Great Love had pulled it off. Lanqi had to admit she was pretty impressive after all.
"...?"
The Phantom Poet of Great Love stood frozen in place. She didn't grasp the exact meaning of that literary phrase, but she could feel the sheer, unadulterated insult in it.
What was an old hag?!
And on what grounds couldn't she charm a single male?!
Did this creature truly look down on a Tier 8 demon like her to such an extent?!
"You bastard! Even if I have to use my fists today, I will beat you to your knees and make you my slave!"
The Phantom Poet of Great Love shrieked, driven half mad with rage.
For the greatest power she took pride in to produce not the slightest effect, forcing her to resort to fists and feet to subdue an enemy, was an unprecedented humiliation!
"I'm going to break you!!"
Unable to suppress the venomous hatred curling the corners of her mouth, the Phantom Poet of Great Love lunged forward, her black-jade fingertips gleaming with a cold light as they carved an arc through the air, shooting straight for the neck of the distant black-haired, green-eyed figure.
Her ferocious voice was soft and chilling, echoing through the cavernous corridor, while a bloodcurdling glint of bloodlust flickered in her eyes, proclaiming to the world her impatience to inflict torment.
Just as the gray-haired, blue-eyed Phantom Poet of Great Love struck with the speed of lightning tearing through the night sky, moving so fast that the eye could barely follow—
in that very moment, an orange, translucent magic card had already appeared in Lanqi's hand. Its unstable face trembled faintly, as if existing in a space that resonated at a different frequency from this world.
"Lanfu, acting like this makes me very sad."
No one knew what expression lay beneath the mask, but judging by his eyes alone, he was deeply reluctant to defeat the Poet of Great Love with his own hands.
Chapter 422