The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned, so much so that they failed to notice the wisp of black mist seeping into the man's body through the blade.

Number 11 gritted his teeth against the pain and gripped the blade bare-handed, attempting to pull it out directly. Countless vines extended from behind him, targeting Yu Li with clear intent.

Before they could reach her, the woman abruptly yanked the knife out with unnatural speed and without hesitation plunged it into his eye. "Squelch—" Thick green blood instantly gushed forth.

The man let out a piercing scream: "Aaaaah!!!!"

Crows nesting in nearby trees took flight, their harsh cries nearly shattering eardrums.

Pale as paper, he hunched over on his knees, trembling violently from pain, hands raised but not daring to touch the blade embedded in his eye.

Yu Li released the hilt, calmly wiping blood from her cheek before walking over slowly. "Little Black," she called softly.

A small black figure immediately appeared on her shoulder.

With an impassive expression, Yu Li pulled out the knife and tossed it aside.

"Clang—" The blade rang sharply against the ground.

The man groaned, whimpering: "No..."

Showing no mercy, Yu Li looked down at his pitiful state before suddenly grabbing his hair, forcing his head up.

Seeing his handsome face now covered in disgusting green fluid, she narrowed her eyes and tsked, issuing an order to Little Black:

"Destroy that face."

Little Black nodded obediently and spat out a puff of black smoke that drifted onto Number 11's face.

The next moment, agonized screams tore through the quiet forest:

"Gaaaah! Yu—Li!!" His throat sounded scorched by molten metal, voice ragged and broken as he snarled, "I'll kill you!!!"

Only when his face became a bloody, unrecognizable mess did Yu Li release him with disgust, wiping her hands with a tissue.

Hearing his venomous words, she didn't react with anger but instead remarked coolly:

"What impressive vitality..."

Was this a plant's characteristic?

No matter—the black mist hadn't fully invaded his heart yet. This impostor couldn't die before then.

After cleaning her hands, she picked up the knife and handed it to Yu Jiao, who stood dumbfounded nearby. Her eyes curved gently, a stark contrast to her earlier murderous demeanor.

"Thanks for the weapon. It worked well."

Yu Jiao swallowed hard, truly realizing for the first time that the woman before her was undeniably insane.

Hesitantly accepting the knife, she finally mumbled after a pause: "You're... welcome..."

Her gaze involuntarily drifted to the mutilated man on the ground.

Even if this wasn't the real Bo Jingmo, the face had been identical.

Who would've thought she could do this without blinking?

Clutching the knife, Yu Jiao inspected it before blinking in confusion.

Huh? Where'd Black Moon go?

She turned to look at Yu Li and immediately spotted the familiar black wisp perched on her shoulder.

Pursing her lips, Yu Jiao stepped forward: "Yu Li, you're actually Li—"

Before she could finish, Yu Li suddenly yanked her arm forward, sending her stumbling into the woman's embrace. A familiar scent filled her nose.

The next second, the ground nearby shook violently as a massive vine erupted where she'd just stood, slamming down viciously.

The vine was enormous—so thick it would take five or six people to encircle it—with a deep, rotting color and wrinkled bark-like surface covered in sharp spines.

The black mist on Yu Li's shoulder leapt out, transforming into a sharp blade that sliced through the vine.

But soon more came, doubling in number.

Yu Jiao, now past questioning, steadied herself and stared at the gigantic vines in shock: "What is this?"

From the ground, Number 11 suddenly laughed hoarsely:

"You're done for... She's coming."

Yu Li glanced at him before stepping on his body: "Quiet. Stay put."

"Tch—" Gasping from the pressure on his wounds, he glared hatefully: "You guests think you can escape after killing me? That's breaking the rules!! None of you will get out alive!!"

Yu Jiao whispered: "But you're not dead yet?"

Number 11: "..."

He snorted coldly, his mangled face unreadable but undoubtedly hostile.

"You really think you can escape?! Dream on! There's no way out!"

Suddenly remembering something, he chuckled darkly: "And you trust Bo Jingmo so much—do you actually think he'll save you?"

Before Yu Jiao could process his words, the massive vines swung down again, accompanied by a shrill female voice:

"How dare you lay hands on my people!!"

Startled, she was about to summon a protective item when she saw Yu Li calmly kick the man forward—right into the vine's path where he'd be crushed.

Sure enough, the descending vine froze mid-air.

But upon seeing the man's condition, the yao ghost shrieked: "Yu Li!!!! What have you done to my puppet?!!!"

Yu Li tilted her head, explaining kindly:

"Isn't it obvious? I helped remove that ill-fitting skin."

"Ahhh!! You bitch!" The yao ghost was livid. It had invested tremendous effort into perfecting this vessel, only bringing Number 11 out because Bo Jingmo had shown abnormalities.

And now this wretch had ruined it!!

"I'll kill you!!!" it roared as multiple vines shot toward Yu Li.

Standing calmly with hands behind her back, Yu Li watched the approaching vines impassively.

Suddenly, a purple lightning bolt streaked from afar, striking the vines with a crackling burst and the stench of burning.

The yao ghost recoiled in pain: "Who?!"

Tian Jianmu came running, panting heavily, lightning crackling in one hand and a familiar loudspeaker in the other.

Yu Jiao stared.

The rescue loudspeaker??

Noticing it was active, she turned to Yu Li—only to see the woman holding an identical loudspeaker behind her back.

Yu Li had activated it the moment the yao ghost appeared, transmitting everything here verbatim to Tian Jianmu.

Yu Jiao was astonished. She'd discovered the item's alternate use?

While one loudspeaker could broadcast widely, two could relay messages between each other—a trick usually only veteran players knew.