[Nightmare Demon!]

"I know!"

Lu Xiaotian slowly emerged from the darkness.

Just as Lu Luo had previously mentioned, she was wearing a black and purple floral dress, which she was very fond of.

This seemed to be the exclusive color of the Nightmare Demon, which she also loved to wear.

Her appearance didn't surprise Lu Luo; her existence, her purpose, were never that simple.

Lu Luo had pondered what these Eighth Order disasters truly wanted.

Destroy humanity? The Dawn Disc?

Undeniably, the power of an Eighth Order disaster was immense, but the humans of today were not to be trifled with. Accomplishing those two things would actually be very difficult.

After 100 years of peace, both Exotic Species and humans had developed separately.

And Lu Xiaotian, this individual who inherited both human and Exotic Species wills, certainly had aims different from common Exotic Species.

She had tried her best to become human, to join human society, to become a part of mankind.

It most certainly wasn't about leading a simple, honest life in the Fourth Ring!

Her power didn't allow her to be so ordinary.

"Lu Luo, Auntie Yang, hello!"

Lu Luo curled his lip and didn't speak. Lu Xiaotian's actions were a mixed blessing for him.

Although he had been manipulated, it also informed him that there were people in the Inner Ring targeting him now.

From the enemy lurking in the shadows while he was exposed, to him being in the dark while the enemy stood revealed—this shift was indeed beneficial for Lu Luo.

Compared to Lu Luo's composure upon seeing Lu Xiaotian, Yang Liya, standing to the side, was overwhelmed.

The appearance of Lu Xiaotian at this moment made her feel incredibly estranged.

When Lu Luo told her that Lu Xiaotian had done all these things, Yang Liya was unwilling to believe it.

But now that Lu Xiaotian had appeared of her own accord, she had to believe it, even if she was reluctant.

"Da Tian, what exactly are you now?"

Yang Liya had guessed Lu Xiaotian's identity.

But the implications of that guess were something she never dared to believe.

How could an eight-year-old child possibly be the Nightmare Demon?

"Auntie Yang, why bother caring about such meaningless matters? What we should focus on now are meaningful things."

"What counts as meaningful things?"

"For instance, how to construct a new order, one that belongs to our own Eastern Fourth Ring."

"Our own order!"

Lu Xiaotian took small steps toward Yang Liya, gently pressed her down onto a chair, and began to massage her shoulders.

Just like a well-behaved, endearing, and clingy little daughter.

"Yes, we need our own order."

At this moment, Yang Liya looked at Lu Xiaotian, not knowing what to say, and could only lower her head in silence.

Lu Luo, on the other hand, didn't feel as much. He, Lu Xiaotian, and the Nightmare Demon had already had too many interactions.

Although Lu Luo still couldn't comprehend the relationship between the Nightmare Demon and Ludie—their communications, collaborations, and plans—to this day.

But after so long, he had clarified some key points.

Ignoring all extraneous conditions, Ludie and the Nightmare Demon had only one major common goal.

That was what Lu Xiaotian had just spoken of.

To build a new Fourth Ring!

This goal sounded simple, but it was terribly difficult to achieve in reality.

The Fourth Ring first had to face the pressure, domination, and unequal military force from the Inner Ring.

Yet all of this suddenly changed after the alteration of the Dark Energy Level.

Everything that followed seemed to have been orchestrated by two people: Ludie was abandoned by the Inner Ring Faction and died in battle for the Fourth Ring.

He saved the Fourth Ring, defeated the disaster, and became a hero.

By doing so, Ludie could awaken the will of the Fourth Ring's people, but that was only the first step of their plan.

There was a second step to the plan.

That was the Nightmare Demon Lu Xiaotian. The surviving Lu Xiaotian would inherit Ludie's will.

Or rather, she would become the new King of Hunters, in human guise.

"Am I being played by you two?"

Lu Xiaotian looked at Lu Luo and helplessly waved her hand.

"This matter was an unforeseen incident. I wasn't planning on involving you in it in the first place."

"I know. I also know that you arranged this, so I went with the flow and dealt with these people."

"Lu Luo, working with you is always so satisfying. You always handle things so beautifully; it brings me great comfort."

Lu Xiaotian's praise didn't resonate with Lu Luo, who just curled his lips.

"I'm involved in the affairs of the Eastern Fourth Ring now, so your actions are essentially dragging the entire Eastern Fourth Ring down with you.

If the Inner Ring decides to purge the Fourth Ring, a small player like me probably won't be able to escape.

So, Da Tian, are you really ready to fight the Inner Ring?

How confident are you? Ninety-five percent? Or ninety-eight percent?"

Lu Xiaotian was somewhat speechless. Lu Luo had many strengths: he was intelligent, powerful, and his progress was swift.

But his flaw was also quite obvious: he was too timid.

"There's no such thing as a one hundred percent certainty. If there were such assurance in this matter, I wouldn't need to plan so much or even give up my Red and White Castle."

"You don't even have ninety percent confidence? Isn't that almost like courting death?

Alright then, until we meet again. Farewell!"

Lu Luo said this and prepared to leave.

The people of the Inner Ring were thinking, the Hunters were thinking, Lu Xiaotian was thinking, and Lu Luo himself also needed to think.

If a civil war truly breaks out, what are the chances that the current Fourth Ring could withstand it?

[According to probability and statistics, as well as the potential number of experts from the Inner Ring, the chances are approximately zero!]

The Observer was right, and Lu Luo thought so too.

If the Inner Ring really made a move against the Eastern Fourth Ring, then the probability of the Eastern Fourth Ring remaining safe was almost zero.

Even if Lu Xiaotian was a Nightmare Demon, even if she was an Eighth Order disaster, this probability was still zero.

The gap between the Inner Ring and the Fourth Ring wasn't something that one or two people could bridge.

Apart from top-tier combat power, if today's Fourth Ring wanted independence, it needed other conditions as well.

A sound economic system, political system, and military system.

The only thing the Fourth Ring could currently offer was its military system.

So, with this incident, if Lu Xiaotian didn't have a reasonable plan, Lu Luo was very likely to take his whole family and flee.

Even if he was very reluctant to leave the Circular, he would still have to take his whole family and flee.

Just as Lu Luo was about to leave, Lu Xiaotian called out to him.

"Lu Luo, wait a moment."

"What else is there?"

"You don't think that by taking the people of the Circular and running away, you'll be safe, do you?

What's the difference between what you've done and what we've done?"

Lu Luo frowned slightly. What had he done?

"I am a good citizen. Don't just slander me, you hear? Someone who just slandered me has already been dealt with.

If you slander me again, I'll accuse you of defamation. Do you understand defamation?"

[With that kind of assertiveness, it feels like if you could defeat them, you would have acted already.]

Facing Lu Luo's strong reaction, Lu Xiaotian just smiled.

"Have you forgotten what Ludie once told you?"

"Ludie? What about it?"

"If you really were just a minor leader in the Fourth Ring, you could stay out of it. But you're not, are you?

You slept with the Church's Saintess, and you're about to sleep with the daughters of the Judgment Chief and a councilman.

Do you really think the Inner Ring will let you go?"

[Why should the host bear the sins committed by Niu Zi? Off with it.]

Bullshit! What's the point of a life without Niu Zi?

However, this time Lu Luo truly sat down obediently. What Lu Xiaotian said was true. His own problems were not significant, but the issues with his women were too great.

Tsk, it's all Niu Zi's fault.

"So, what should we do now?"

"Lu Luo, in fact, the Inner Ring is not as stable and powerful as you think. I may not have been to the Inner Ring, but my people have, and they've shared information about the Inner Ring with me.

So, I'm very certain that the current Inner Ring is not as strong as we imagine.

You can choose to believe me or not, but this matter will have an outcome soon enough."

Lu Luo could more or less guess what outcome Lu Xiaotian was referring to.

"Will the Inner Ring send a Seventh Tier here?"

"Yes, they definitely will."

"You seem quite confident!"

As Lu Luo spoke with implied meaning, this time, Lu Xiaotian's gaze took on a somewhat different expression.

"It's Ludie who gave me confidence. He made me realize where the strength of Seventh Tier humans truly lies, and also made me aware of the weaknesses of the Exotic Species."

"So, you've been cultivating the Dust Devil in human form?"

Speaking of Ludie's Dust Devil Mystery Technique, Lu Xiaotian showed a rare interest.

Her power was too great, and she usually had no interest in any strength other than her own.

However, she cared very much about the Dust Devil Mystery Technique left behind by Ludie and had been practicing it diligently.

"Yes, Lu Luo, I know your Dust Devil is very special. It's the kind that you've improved yourself.

I've improved my Dust Devil too, and I've integrated some of my own abilities into it.

If there's a chance, we can share our experiences with each other; perhaps we'll come to some different insights."

Is this little girl trying to steal my Secret Technique? Lu Luo suddenly had this thought.

[She's Eighth Order, and you're Fourth Tier. Why would you have such an undignified thought?]

Lu Luo shut up, but he still didn't accept Lu Xiaotian's proposal to exchange cultivation insights.

He hadn't yet mastered the third stage of the Dust Devil. He would talk about it after he had.

"Let's talk about the Dust Devil another time!

As for the Inner Ring, you've told me so much. There must be something you want me to do, right?"

Lu Xiaotian smiled.

"Speaking with smart people really saves energy. My request is simple: just take a look at the Dawn Disc for me!"

After speaking, Lu Xiaotian placed her hand on Lu Luo's chest.

Lu Luo initially wanted to dodge, but after thinking it over, he decided not to. There was no need, and it made no sense.

[The Netherflame seed is being enhanced.]

Lu Xiaotian transmitted a kind of energy into his body that Lu Luo found somewhat familiar. It was the Netherflame that had been drawn from him before.

"This is the Netherflame I extracted from you last time. I've nurtured it to grow a bit.

Giving it back to you now, consider it an advance payment.

Lu Luo, take a look at what's inside the Inner Ring for me. See if there are any Exotic Species, and if so, how many.

Of course, the most important thing is to take a look at the Dawn Disc."

Lu Luo nodded. Lu Xiaotian's request wasn't particularly excessive, and these were things he would have done anyway, even if Lu Xiaotian hadn't asked.

"I can do these things for you.

If there's nothing else, then I'll be going."

Lu Luo really did intend to leave this time. Yuan Mian was waiting for him to conduct an interrogation.

Although interrogating this woman, who had no combat capability and a very fragile body, was troublesome, fortunately, he had Priests. Both Qi Xinzhu and Han Shiyu had healing abilities.

Worst comes to worst, they could fight and heal at the same time. No big problem.

"Hey, Lu Luo, the people from the Inner Ring Faction should arrive within three days. If you're interested, you can come and have a look."

Lu Xiaotian's reminder made Lu Luo hesitate for a moment.

"A battle above the Seventh Tier? Don't worry, I'll definitely go and watch."

After Lu Luo left, Lu Xiaotian sat down again next to Yang Liya.

"Auntie, Lu Luo has left."

It was then that the always silent Yang Liya finally spoke.

"Da Tian, are you really Ludie's daughter?"

"I'm Ludie's daughter, and I'm also the Nightmare Demon. That much is certain.

At this point, there's nothing left to hide."

Yang Liya nodded. There were some things she couldn't say while Lu Luo was there.

Now that Lu Luo was gone, she could reveal her most delicate and vulnerable side.

"In his eyes, am I very useless? Are we all very useless?"

Lu Luo's earlier words had been harsh and made Yang Liya feel as though her many years of perseverance had been meaningless.

But Lu Xiaotian didn't see it that way. She hugged Yang Liya.

"Auntie Yang, you don't need to say such things. My father's ideals are indeed different from yours, but in his eyes, you are still trustworthy companions. The things you've done are never wrong. You've been living and fighting with effort, working hard to protect the safety of the Fourth Ring. It's just that some things can't be achieved by simply following the rules."

Lu Xiaotian's words may or may not have been comforting.

However, after listening to her, Yang Liya felt a bit more at ease.

"I understand."

"Auntie, do you not blame me?"

"Blame you for what?"

"After all, I deceived you."

"You didn't deceive me about anything. You want revenge. You are Ludie's daughter. All of that is true.

I also want to change the Fourth Ring, but as Lu Luo said, I'm not strong enough!"

Lu Xiaotian nodded slightly. Yang Liya had a point.

"Auntie Yang, you have fought against Exotic Species your whole life. Doesn't it make you uncomfortable to be with someone like me, a leader of Exotic Species?"

"Da Tian, you are no longer an Exotic Species now. You are Ludie's daughter; you are his legacy.

The Fourth Ring now needs your strength. You will lead the Fourth Ring to establish a new order, and that is enough.

The people from the Inner Ring have been killed. What we need to do now is rally our forces."

Yang Liya had always been a practical person. Once she understood the situation, she would choose the most rational approach available to her.

So it didn't matter whether she had any misgivings. Even if she did, she would say she didn't.

If the Inner Ring was certain to send people over, then the Fourth Ring really did need the power of the Nightmare Demon.

Lu Xiaotian nodded slightly. For now, things were going smoothly.

Next, it depended on what kind of Seventh Tier the Inner Ring would send.

Or rather, how many Seventh Tiers.

...

Lu Luo left Yang Liya's office and walked towards Yuan Mian under the watchful eyes of everyone present.

"Alright, Miss Yuan Mian, your plans have come to naught. Come back with me now."

"Okay."

The word "okay" seemed to have become Yuan Mian's catchphrase.

Upon hearing that Lu Luo was leaving, Wang Jie was the first to stop him.

"Kid, what about Yang Liya and the rest?"

"Women always need some emotional release. Giving them some private space is the best option right now."

With that, Wang Jie lost the urge to seek out Yang Liya.

He looked at Lu Luo, hesitating for a long time before slowly speaking up.

"Hey, kid, I've heard about everything from them.

Thank you!"

"No need to thank me. Even if I hadn't helped you, she wouldn't have let anything happen to you.

After all, the Eastern Fourth Ring now needs powers like yours."

Wang Jie smiled. His 2.3-meter frame flexing his muscles at Lu Luo was quite a shocking sight!

However, when Lu Luo approached Luo Sen, the atmosphere between them turned somewhat strange.

Both were friends of Ludie, but after his death, they had taken completely different paths.

Luo Sen didn't care much about being injured by Lu Luo.

Compared to his own wounds, like Ludie and Yang Liya, he cared more about the survival of the Fourth Ring.

"Lu Luo, what will become of the Fourth Ring in the future?"

"I'm not a messiah. Why are you asking me?"

Lu Luo spread his hands. Now that the Hunter organization had been taken over by Lu Xiaotian, he naturally had nothing left to linger for.

It was just that the former Circular Hunter Workshop would now truly have to abandon the name 'Hunter'.

From today onwards, the Hunters were the Hunters, and Circular was Circular!

"Savior? Maybe you are!" Luo Sen joked.

"Savior? Like hell I am! I've taken the person away. You'll soon meet your real savior."

Lu Luo left, and Luo Sen did not try to keep him any longer.

Their relationship could no longer return to the cooperative state it had once been.

Of course, their relationship had never been that good to begin with.

But both Luo Sen and Ludie had met Lu Luo in Exhibition Hall 404.

It must be said that in judging people, Ludie was much, much better than Luo Sen.

The Hunters watched Lu Luo leave. The Fourth Ring was now set to enter a new chapter.