"Damn, not here either," Lin Luo gritted his teeth, surveying the utter devastation of the hidden canyon before him. By the lingering aura, Mo Xinming had been present, but that wretch was too cunning, making only a fleeting stop here, deliberately setting false trails to obscure his path.

Three days had passed—half the allotted seven—and he hadn't even caught a glimpse of the enemy. Anxiety was inevitable. How could he possibly locate the target within the remaining time? His Perception Domain’s tracking capability was still severely lacking...

"Lin Luo, don't worry. We'll find him," Lei said softly, tugging gently on his sleeve. Her emerald eyes fixed on him, a tender smile gracing her features as she spoke in a hushed tone.

"En, rest assured. I won't give up like this. Not until the very last moment," Lin Luo smiled, relieved, taking her hand and instantly vanishing from the canyon. Hovering in mid-air, his Perception Domain spread out like unseen threads connecting the heavens and the earth.

"Here, over here!" A distant call from Little ABER reached him. Lin Luo turned to see her standing on a patch of grassland, waving him over.

"Any leads?" Lin Luo immediately teleported beside her with Lei, asking.

"I feel something strange about this spot. Look," Little ABER suddenly turned serious, pointing toward a small patch of earth before them.

Lin Luo followed the direction of her finger and looked closely, discovering several tiny footprints pressed into the ground... By their shape, they were indeed human footprints, yet judging by their size, the owner was barely larger than Little ABER herself.

"These footprints..." Lin Luo frowned. He recalled Evangeline mentioning that before she met him, she had encountered five Walkers. Though she defeated them all, every one had escaped using a highly unique method.

The technique Mo Xinming used was something like Ghost Step—materializing a phantom avatar from the Mind Codex. Could these small footprints belong to that phantom figure?

"Their escape maneuvers, though potent, should be usable only once or twice at most. They couldn't use them endlessly."

Recalling Evangeline’s words again, Lin Luo's confusion deepened. If it could only be used once or twice, the first instance was spent under Evangeline’s freezing stasis. Setting aside whether a second use was possible, Mo Xinming hadn't used that Ghost Step when the Walkers besieged him and were repelled by Evangeline; it shouldn't be possible... Wait.

No, Mo Xinming now possessed a World Heart, elevating him to a Rank 3 Walker. If it was a limited skill, it should have recovered by now. Just like his own "Non- Space Leap," usable only once per level. That being the case...

"Little ABER, three days ago when you and Lily were chasing him, how did he escape?" Realizing this, Lin Luo turned and asked Little ABER.

"Hmm, that..." Little ABER tapped her chin in thought, then replied, "I'm not too clear. I just saw his figure vanish in an instant, and then I couldn't sense his aura at all."

"Suddenly vanishing..." Instant teleportation or space jumping? Lin Luo frowned again. Either way, it was extremely troublesome. If he couldn't grasp the nature of the escape technique and counter it, even if he finally found Mo Xinming, the enemy would likely slip away again. He needed a single, decisive blow that would prevent any further escape.

"Lin Luo, the sound of the wind," Lei suddenly murmured at this moment.

"The sound of the wind? What do you mean?" Lin Luo was momentarily stunned, asking in bewilderment.

"Listen to the sound of the wind; it will tell us," Lei said softly, then gently closed her eyes. A light breeze lifted her hair, as if she were truly listening to the voice of the air currents.

Lin Luo struggled to understand at first, but in the next instant, he grasped it. As a weapon race with the Wind Attribute, Lei was perhaps the closest entity to the wind itself—assimilating her power with the element to hear its 'language.'

More importantly, no matter what method Mo Xinming used to flee, he would eventually have to return to solid ground, and at that moment... the wind would catch him.

"Mo Xinming, whether you flee to the heavens, burrow underground, or plunge into the sea, you have nowhere left to run," Lin Luo finally smiled. If he could just grasp that current of wind, he could capture Mo Xinming.

"Lei, let's merge."

"Yes."

The next moment, a distant, song-like chant echoed between heaven and earth as the two became one, listening to the voice of the wind...

...

The sound of battle resonated within the black and white castle.

A girl with uneven black twin-tails held a blade in her right hand and a cannon in her left. Her black coat whipped noisily behind her, and blue flames danced wildly in her left eye. The girl’s expression remained unchanging—calm and severe.

She was Black Rock Shooter.

The long blade in her right hand tore through the air's restraint, hacking forward fiercely. Opposite her, the space twisted, rippling faintly, and a black blade materialized from thin air. The two blades met, sparking furiously.

The girl's silver-white blade tip was deflected, and the shadowy blade instantly pierced toward her chest and abdomen.

Nearby, a cold-faced girl evaded twenty rock projectiles per second with an incredible trajectory. Her feet kicked against the void, and her body shot forward like an electric current, fists clenched, unleashing air pressure waves toward Black Rock’s flank.

Facing this dual assault, Black Rock’s expression did not change; it remained smooth as still water. She rotated her left hand, using the massive cannon to shield her side, and instead of retreating, she advanced slightly to the left.

The black blade grazed past Black Rock's skin; one inch further, and it would have ripped open her abdomen. But precisely at that moment... a fierce gust of wind blew through a hole previously punched by a rock shell, concentrating its force onto the blade, causing it to veer sharply off course.

"Damn it," a low curse echoed in the air. The owner of the black blade revealed himself: a tall, thin youth, seemingly shrouded in shadow—it was Liu Qu, master of the Assassin's Tome.

Bang!

A slender fist struck the giant cannon. The immense impact traveled through the barrel to Black Rock. The girl's body shuddered slightly, and with a slight frown, she was blasted backward.

Just as she was about to smash into the wall, a gust of wind rushed in, gently lifting her body upward, allowing the girl to land steadily on the ground.

On the other side, the small, cold-faced girl who had attacked also stood firm. Seeing the result, she let out a slight scoff, a sneer curling her lip. She was Zhai Lian, a Walker and the master of the Brawler's Tome.

"Her luck is too high; this won't work if things continue this way," Liu Qu frowned, his gaze fixed on Black Rock Shooter as he addressed the girl beside him.

"It's difficult," Zhai Lian clenched her right fist. The opponent's cannon was peculiar, leaving her right hand slightly numb. But what concerned her more was the World Kinetic Energy the opponent possessed—it was astronomically high.

The fight had been going on for at least ten minutes. Although their side held an overwhelming advantage, they couldn't subdue a mere Spirit Rank initial Host. The reason lay in the World Fortune the opponent commanded.

In these ten minutes, she and Liu Qu had launched seven combined killing moves, including the one just executed, making it eight. Under such ultimate attacks, the opponent should have been dead or severely wounded, but that vigorous World Fortune allowed her to dodge death eight times.

This dense kinetic energy made the Protagonist Aura seem excessive. Moreover, as Walkers were supposed to be the emissaries of the gods, shouldn't they be the protagonists? Why was all the fortune in this world concentrated on a mere Host?

"It seems you two are in trouble, Liu Qu, Zhai Lian." Just as the two sides reached a stalemate, a fourth voice cut through the air. The three looked over instinctively. Standing at the entrance of the castle was a youth who appeared conspicuously lazy.

"It's you!" Liu Qu and Zhai Lian exclaimed in unison, recognizing the man. It was none other than their former ally, Yun Feng.

Even Black Rock Shooter's perpetually unchanging expression showed a flicker of unease upon seeing him.

A smile played on Yun Feng’s lips as his gaze settled on Black Rock Shooter. He said in a deep voice, "This woman has gathered all the Fortune in this world. Though I don't know why, if the three of us join forces, we should be able to take her down."

Liu Qu let out a cold laugh. "One World Heart isn't enough for three people to share."

Zhai Lian remained silent, but her eyes conveyed the exact same meaning.

Yun Feng continued, "But it's also not enough for two. Since you two can cooperate without any reservations, add me to the group. Besides, I still have an unresolved battle with this woman."

Liu Qu and Zhai Lian exchanged a look, realizing there was no way they could get Yun Feng to back down. Furthermore, his current strength had reached Spirit Rank intermediate, and with his help, there was indeed a chance of taking down Black Rock Shooter.

"Fine. Let's sign a Soul Contract then," Liu Qu nodded, addressing Yun Feng.

"What Soul Contract? Did you... already sign one?" Yun Feng’s expression changed, and he exclaimed in surprise.

A Soul Contract was a mandatory covenant among Walkers. Once signed, the Walkers bound by it could not betray the agreement—not physically nor mentally—until the contract was actively dissolved by both parties or its objective was achieved. Otherwise, their souls would suffer torment.

This contract enabled Walkers to unite without barriers, but it came with significant limitations. For example, if the contract's goal was reaching Rank 3, it couldn't be broken until both parties reached Rank 3. Moreover, the party that reached the goal first would be obligated to assist the other without reciprocation.

Furthermore, if one party died while the contract was active, the other would suffer significant damage... This was why they had avoided signing a Soul Contract during their previous collaborations.

Black Rock was replenishing her stamina while warily guarding against the trio. Yun Feng’s appearance drastically increased the pressure on her. Though she didn't know what a Soul Contract was, her intuition screamed that she must not let them sign it. Thus, the moment Yun Feng spoke, her cannon was already aimed squarely at him, followed by...

Boom, boom, boom...

A barrage of rock shells erupted!

P: I've had a headache today and slept fitfully all day. I’ll make up the overdue chapter tomorrow. My apologies. Also, I shamelessly ask for votes. A