"How rude, to go around saying we're haunting you—you're practically calling us stalkers." Hong Ling and Yiren flanked Luo Tianyi, one with an expressionless face, the other with a smile hiding daggers.

"Are we not?" Hearing Yiren, Luo Tianyi replied coolly, "You bunch always trail right behind me whenever I make a move, and you always show up at the absolute last second when things get critical. Even if you want to show off, isn't this a bit excessive?"

Luo Tianyi’s calm statement was laced with subtle sarcasm.

"Oh my, I didn't realize that after some time apart, not only have you become more radiant, but your skill with words has improved so much. You could be a minstrel now," Yiren remarked, adopting an expression of surprise.

"When it comes to the art of repartee, I can’t compete with you, Princess Black."

"Yiren, there’s no need to trade barbs with her." Before Yiren could speak again, Hong Ling cut in, interrupting their exchange. Looking at Luo Tianyi with a serious expression, "None of us are three-year-olds, so let's skip the beating around the bush. I just want to ask one thing: What is your true purpose in doing this?"

"I've done many things. I'm not sure which one you mean… Advisor of the Time Trip Squad," Luo Tianyi tilted her head, smiling sweetly towards Hong Ling.

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

"Apologies, I truly have no idea."

"You..." Hong Ling’s brow immediately furrowed. She had always assumed that someone so arrogant and self-important would never evade her questions, but Luo Tianyi pretending ignorance was entirely unexpected. However, this only solidified Hong Ling’s suspicion that a massive conspiracy lay hidden behind Luo Tianyi's recent actions.

"Speaking of which, our relationship isn't intimate enough for hand-holding," Luo Tianyi suddenly let out a strange smile, and then her figure shifted. In an instant, she broke free from the pincer attack formed by Hong Ling and Yiren.

"Trying to escape?" At almost the same moment, a figure silently materialized behind Luo Tianyi, blocking her path—it was Yao Yao.

Luo Tianyi tilted her head back, glancing at Yao Yao with the corner of her eye, and said calmly, "You are quite fast. You managed to send that little girl back already."

"What did you expect?"

"Hehe. Saving someone from my grasp, I’ll grant you a small compliment—truly remarkable."

The 'little girl' Luo Tianyi referred to was naturally Nanoha. Nanoha had forcibly entered the Celestial Rank state through her ferocious rage. Although she was qualified to fight a Celestial Rank powerhouse, facing Luo Tianyi, who was on the verge of the Ninth Heaven, was akin to an egg hitting a rock. If Yao Yao hadn't forcefully ejected her from the Endless World first, survival would have been impossible.

Though the words sounded like praise, Yao Yao felt only disdain from them. While she wanted to mock Luo Tianyi back, she was not sharp-tongued like Yiren, nor as cunning as Hong Ling. She dismissed the thought immediately and said in a deep voice, "Enough idle chatter. You won't be leaving unscathed today!"

"Tsk!" Luo Tianyi clicked her tongue and chuckled lightly, "You really don't learn your lesson. Last time, I wasn't even using my full strength, and the three of you couldn't do anything to me. Has it been so long already that you think you can beat me now? Although, it does look like you've grown quite a bit stronger."

Ignoring the sarcasm in her words, Hong Ling stated, "Thanks to him, because of his premature awakening, we've recovered a little strength. Even so, it would be difficult for the three of us to take down you, who possess the Mirror of Truth. However... I never said we were only three people."

"Hmm?" Luo Tianyi paused slightly upon seeing the cunning glint in Hong Ling's eyes.

Then, in the next instant, a brilliant point of light flared in the distance. It shot towards them like a meteor at incredible speed, almost accompanied by a whistling sound... Luo Tianyi quickly understood: it was a sword, a sword representing the ultimate, a sword unmatched throughout history!

Even Luo Tianyi subtly frowned upon seeing this sword.

The sword light halted near them and transformed into a young girl with delicate features—it was Xixi, the second Dark King, who possessed the Book of Beast Taming. Yet, the transformation lasted less than a second before she shifted again into a tall, imposing figure clad in silver armor, her long black hair tied in a single ponytail, holding a silver longsword in both hands—a truly heroic maiden.

The girl kept her eyes slightly closed, her beautiful and delicate face set in an expression of unwavering focus. Just by standing there, she exuded a sharp sword aura that seemed to pierce the heavens, as if she herself were an unparalleled divine sword.

"With nothing on my person and no chains on my heart, I roam the world with a single sword; fearing neither the might of heaven nor the force of earth, one strike brings forth freedom and ease," Luo Tianyi murmured as she watched the sword-wielding girl, then realized with a start, "Now I understand why you are so confident. You’ve awakened, haven't you... Sword God Xue Yin!"

Yes, this sword-wielding girl was a member of the Time Trip Squad, ranking fifth. Lin Luo's awakening not only boosted Hong Ling and the others' strength but also awakened Xue Yin, who had been dormant within Xixi’s body. However, even though Xue Yin ranked fifth, this did not mean her strength was the fifth best.

Unlike others who possessed various laws or supreme principles, Xue Yin had only one thing: a sword. Although she was a protagonist loved by the world, she had neither superior talent nor noble birth. Like ordinary people worried about daily necessities, she was so ordinary that she wouldn't garner special attention.

What was worse, her eyes were flawed. Unlike others who saw a colorful world, for her, the world was only gray, and she couldn't even perceive depth—everything she saw was flat, purely two-dimensional.

The saying goes that Heaven burdens those it intends to elevate with rigorous tasks and physical hardships; perhaps no one was more suited to this than Xue Yin. Raised by snow wolves, while her peers enjoyed happy families and sound education, she struggled simply to survive in a world teeming with ferocious beasts.

While elites from powerful families gained renown, she continued to swing her longsword just to stay alive.

But perhaps because she had nothing, she could entrust everything to the sword in her hands. Because she saw less of the world than others, she could focus more intensely on that sword.

Without guidance from a master or systematic training, Xue Yin carved a path to the supreme realm solely relying on the sword in her hands... Living by the sword. Moving by the sword. Smiling by the sword. Growing strong by the sword. She was a late bloomer, the first to take flight—this was Sword God Xue Yin!

During the period when she broke through the world's barrier and walked alone in the Endless World, she clashed fiercely with enemies who were fighting the then four-member Time Trip Squad due to certain circumstances. She single-handedly, with one sword, first defeated the incidentally overcome Yiren, and then struck down the Heavenly Dao, injuring Hong Ling. Although luck played a part, she genuinely defeated the third and fourth most powerful figures in the Time Trip Squad. It was only when the Commander personally intervened, after a bitter struggle, that she was subdued.

Then, under various forms of coercion and inducement from the Commander, she was forcibly inducted into the Time Trip Squad. In the time that followed, Xue Yin served as the squad's irreplaceable vanguard.

Thus, even within the monster conglomerate that was the Time Trip Squad, despite being inherently flawed, when measuring sheer strength, only the Commander and Vice-Commander Qiqi could completely suppress Xue Yin; no one dared claim superiority over her.

And now, this Sword God Xue Yin, who was legendary for rarely losing against external foes, had been resurrected. Even Luo Tianyi felt considerable pressure.

Of course, if it were only Xue Yin, Luo Tianyi wouldn't have cared. After all, Xue Yin was on par with Qiqi and the Commander. But with Hong Ling, Yiren, and Yao Yao all present, adding Xue Yin made the situation terrifyingly potent.

Even if these four only possessed the strength of the second stage of the Celestial Rank, while Luo Tianyi was a peak existence just one step shy of the Beyond Heaven realm, facing these four, she felt she stood virtually no chance of winning.

After all, when these four joined forces, they could even suppress the invincible duo of the Commander and Qiqi!

"Fight? Or not?" Xue Yin held her sword by the body with one hand and rested her other hand on the hilt, asking directly. Just like her delicate appearance, her voice possessed a clarity and purity, like unsullied snow.

Because Xue Yin’s eyes were naturally flawed, viewing things as normal people did led to highly inaccurate judgments. Therefore, she had closed off her sight since childhood. Even when her power grew and her vision defect was cured later, this habit remained. Thus, no matter the circumstance, Xue Yin kept her eyes tightly shut, rarely opening them.

As she was now, she spoke with her eyes closed.

Yet, though she wasn't looking at anyone, all four present could feel Xue Yin's 'gaze' resting upon them.

"Forget it," Luo Tianyi spread her hands and admitted frankly, "While I'm confident I can defeat any three of you, if all four of you attack together, I can't handle it. So, no fight."

"Then you'll come with us," Hong Ling immediately stated.

"That won't do. I still have matters to attend to," Luo Tianyi shook her head.

Yiren immediately let out a light laugh, "How interesting. You don't want to fight us, but you refuse our 'invitation.' Do you think such good things exist in the world? Just surrender obediently!"

Luo Tianyi showed a disappointed expression and sighed, "Inviting me? Isn't that just threatening me with your strength? Is this the Time Trip Squad that supposedly represents justice? You're just a dark organization that disregards fairness entirely."

"Hahahaha!" As if hearing the funniest story, Yiren completely abandoned her ladylike demeanor and burst into laughter, "What a joke! Are you out of your mind? No one ever claimed the Time Trip Squad was a righteous organization maintaining world peace. Frankly, we’re just a group of impossibly bored individuals, gathering together to make life more lively and interesting. Saving the world? Unless absolutely necessary, only a fool would do that. We aren't that chuunibyou. Furthermore, the word 'fairness' doesn't exist in my dictionary. Strength is the only truth!"

"..." Hearing this, Hong Ling, Yao Yao, and Xue Yin on the side were left speechless. Yiren had not only belittled herself but also smeared the entire Time Trip Squad. Truly unrestrained speech. But to be fair, things were largely as Yiren described; initially, they had no desire to save the world, they were just forced into it later.

If the sins Luo Tianyi provoked hadn't stained them, they probably would have continued living carefree and heartless lives as they had in the beginning.

"To be outnumbered and still sound so self-righteous..." At this moment, even Luo Tianyi didn't know how to respond. Although she knew the Time Trip Squad's integrity had never passed muster, hearing them say this about themselves was too much.

Luo Tianyi had no doubt that if Yiren's words reached those who viewed the Time Trip Squad as heroic saviors, a large number of them would weep tears of disillusionment. Although she disliked Qiqi, in this aspect, she had to admit Qiqi was the only conscience of the Time Trip Squad; if it were Qiqi speaking, she would never say such things.

"Of course. Since we can't defeat you one-on-one, we naturally need to call for friends. If you are ganged up on by us, you can only blame yourself for having few friends," Yiren asserted matter-of-factly. Then, she couldn't resist adding a barb, "But speaking of which, with a personality as rotten as yours, you probably don't have many friends. Hurry up and die."

At this moment, Yiren's dark and venomous nature was fully exposed.

Luo Tianyi let out a heavy sigh, her gaze sweeping over the four of them one by one, and murmured, "I'm truly sorry. While my friends are indeed few, I have one or two. At least this time, I didn't come alone... Number 36!"

The moment the character 'Hao' () fell, the space abruptly tore open, and a red figure flashed into existence like lightning, rushing towards Xue Yin with even greater speed, twin swords whirling to weave a dazzling net of sword light.

However, despite the sudden attack, Xue Yin reacted instantly. Her longsword unsheathed, and with just a single sweep of her sword light, the net-like assault was instantly dissolved. Then, with a clang, a dominant shockwave scattered outwards. Xue Yin involuntarily retreated backward, and the red figure was simultaneously flung backward.

The two stood facing each other across a distance of several dozen meters.

"This person..." Seeing Number 36, the expressions of Hong Ling and the other two changed.

"You actually had such a helper hidden... I sense a familiar aura. Who are you?" Xue Yin asked in a deep voice.

"3," Number 36 replied expressionlessly.

"You don't want to say?" From every perspective, Number 36 was clearly not a single person's name. Xue Yin immediately understood that the opponent would not reveal their identity and instinctively tightened her grip on her sword. "It's fine if you won't say. I will force your identity out with strength."

Instantly, an even sharper aura erupted from her.

"With your strength... That's a pipe dream!" Number 36's eyes also sharpened, and she said gravely.

"Hmph, a pipe dream? I only used five-tenths of my power to counter just now, and you were already struggling to hold on. If I attacked you with full force, you absolutely stand no chance of defeating me," Xue Yin stated with a stern expression.

"I only used three-tenths of my power to attack you earlier, and you needed five-tenths just to barely contend with me. If I unleashed my full strength, you would certainly have no way out!" Number 36 retorted in an equally serious tone.

"...Apologies, I misspoke. I actually only used two-tenths of my power just now."

"...Please allow me to confess, I only used one-tenth of my power."

These two... are idiots!

Even under such tense circumstances, listening to their exchange, the surrounding figures couldn't help but break into a sweat... To be capable of having a conversation fit for seven-year-olds in a situation like this was truly remarkable.

"Number 36, return," Luo Tianyi’s expression quickly returned to normal as she commanded.

Number 36 stared warily at Xue Yin, then nodded, "Yes."

In a flash, she returned to Luo Tianyi's side, but her vigilance towards Xue Yin did not diminish in the slightest. A clear desire for rivalry could be seen in her eyes... Both were sword masters, and Number 36 clearly held a strong competitive streak towards Xue Yin.

"Well, now do you still plan on capturing me?" Luo Tianyi asked Hong Ling and the others with perfect composure.

Hong Ling frowned, "Could it be that she is..."

"Yes, that is exactly what you suspect." Luo Tianyi knew that even if Number 36's identity could be hidden from Xue Yin and the others, it couldn't be hidden from Hong Ling, so she made no attempt to conceal it. "Since you've already guessed her identity, you must also know the power she possesses. While I might not be able to face the four of you alone, now that it's four against two, what are your chances of winning?"

As Luo Tianyi asked this, Hong Ling’s mind was rapidly calculating: If it were just Luo Tianyi, the four of them combined would have a ninety percent chance of winning. But with the addition of Number 36, who was no weaker than them, even with their power boost, they might only stand at an even fifty-fifty chance... In other words, even if they could win, they would likely have to sacrifice two of their own members.

Undoubtedly, this was not a worthwhile trade.

"Very well, this confrontation ends here." In the end, Hong Ling gave up on capturing Luo Tianyi. While she wasn't afraid of death, sacrificing so much at this stage against Luo Tianyi, whose goals were unclear, was meaningless.

"A wise choice." Luo Tianyi smiled faintly and immediately turned to leave with Number 36, "Then... I'll see you next time."

In the blink of an eye, the two figures vanished before the four women.

"You're just going to let her walk away?" Yiren frowned, clearly showing a touch of unwillingness.

Hong Ling sighed, "There's nothing we can do; we can't keep her. Moreover, we have more important matters to attend to right now. Wasting time on her is entirely unhelpful." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)RV