It only took a few seconds for Qin Chu to break free from his weakness, though he still wasn't at his strongest state.

Hearing Little Saye's words, the corners of Qin Chu's mouth lifted slightly, seemingly because Asina hadn't been able to reach him and had informed Little Saye instead.

Rose Vesper was indeed a very cunning woman.

Yet even she couldn't fathom the plan jointly devised by Qin Chu, Asina, and Little Saye.

"Let's move out!"

...

The forest at the boundary between humans and the Demon Territory.

The night was deep and silent.

Occasional bird calls did little to enliven the quiet night, only making it seem even more desolate.

Shhhh... Shhhh... Snap!

In this silent night, a different kind of sound gradually emerged.

It seemed someone was walking on the ground, stepping on the crispy, dry fallen leaves and branches, producing sharp snapping sounds.

Above were dense branches, and under the moonlit night, shadows were cast on the ground, creating a fragmented image... enveloped in an eerie atmosphere.

In this eerie atmosphere, two figures gradually appeared, none other than Catherine and Asina.

This was the third location Rose Vesper had chosen.

That woman was even more cunning than imagined, but Asina felt it was enough now because she didn't think a mind solely focused on reviving Jie Luo could endure for so long.

The agreed meeting place was this forest.

But this forest covered a large area, and finding Rose Vesper here didn't seem like an easy task, yet Catherine and Asina weren't too worried, for they knew Rose Vesper would come to them.

Sure enough, after proceeding a little further, there was suddenly a different commotion ahead.

A figure emerged from behind a large tree under the moonlight.

If it wasn't Rose Vesper, who could it be?

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Though both had ulterior motives, they had to admit, Rose Vesper was indeed a beautiful woman, her fair and delicate little face paired with an innocent and charming demeanor acted as a real deception.

There was also a kind of holy quality about her that, unless someone was aware of her true nature, would make them believe she was a good person.

After failing to seize the position of the Holy Court Pope, having sustained severe injuries, she was forced into hiding... Over the long time that followed, Rose Vesper clearly didn't have it easy.

Though still beautiful, one could, at a glance, detect some haggardness, and her body seemed to have grown slimmer.

The Saintess costume embroidered with the special symbol of the Holy Court seemed somewhat worn from being washed many times.

Yet, this wear did nothing to diminish her charisma; beneath the facade of innocence lay a pride rooted deep in her marrow and bloodline.

Rose Vesper appeared alone, with Aili, the puppet, nowhere in sight.

Rose Vesper was cautious, carefully keeping Aili's presence concealed... She did not believe her plan would fail; it wouldn't take much effort to kill these two women.

But she nonetheless kept a hidden force, just in case.

Her golden eyes swept over Catherine and Asina.

Asina was very weak, witnessing firsthand was much more telling than spying through Aili's eyes, hardly feeling a trace of magic power within Asina.

For someone who relied entirely on magic for combat, losing magic power reduced her to a waste.

It seemed that in the search for Lord Jie Luo's final Soul Fragment, this woman indeed suffered severe injuries.

Not to mention, Rose Vesper even admired Asina's determination.

In the absence of magic power and despite Catherine's aid, reaching here could not have been easy. The journey alone could have claimed a mortal's life.

Hmph...

Rose Vesper felt a sense of pride, believing she saw through Asina's true intentions... The more miserable and distressed she appeared, the more she would garner Lord Jie Luo's favor.

This cunning woman's plan must have been like this.

Too bad her plan would fail.

This thought flashed briefly through her mind.

In less than a second, Rose Vesper adjusted her expression, turning into a jubilant smile. She resembled a little girl, running up quickly to Asina and Catherine, grabbing their hands and shaking them lightly: "Catherine, Ms. Asina, you're finally here; I've missed you to death."

"The two of you, staying in the Imperial City, at least could keep each other company and lean on one another, but I was miserable, wandering alone outside; you have no idea how scared I was during this time."

As Rose Vesper spoke, her eyes began to redden.

It seemed tears could start falling at any moment.

Ugh, disgusting.

Asina really didn't understand if Rose Vesper had become addicted to acting and disguising herself?

What was the point of feigning in the presence of someone who knew her true nature?

Naturally, Asina would not be so foolish as to tear their faces; she forced herself to raise her hand gently and pat Rose Vesper's shoulder: "Sister Rose Vesper, you've had a hard time."

"But rest assured, all the suffering we endure is worthwhile; as long as it can lead to Lord Jie Luo's resurrection, it's all worth it."

"And now, our suffering is about to come to an end."

Rose Vesper took a deep breath, seemingly steadying her emotions; her little face blossomed with excitement: "Oh, Ms. Asina, how is your wound?"

As she spoke, Rose Vesper let go of Asina's hand.

Even with direct physical contact, there was still no sensation of magic power.

At this point, Rose Vesper was convinced that Asina was finished.

On the list of those to be wary of and eliminated, Rose Vesper had preemptively crossed off Asina's name.

She was very confident that with her current strength, if Asina was truly faking weakness, she could not escape detection under her touch.

However, Catherine was a matter to take note of.

Among the original ten members of the Hero Team, Catherine's power was among the top.

This encounter led Rose Vesper to notice that Catherine's strength had further improved, seemingly on the brink of breaking through the Level 90 barrier.

What is with this woman; how did her power increase so rapidly?

Rose Vesper felt suspicious yet somewhat fortunate.

Thankfully, Asina was out of the running; otherwise, with Catherine's skyrocketing power joining forces with Asina, it would have been quite troublesome to handle.

Asina seemed completely unaware of Rose Vesper's behavior; upon hearing, she merely gave a slight smile: "It's bearable."

"It's my fault, it would have been much easier if we could perform the Resurrection Technique right in the Imperial City, sparing you from all this exhaustion, Ms. Asina." Rose Vesper expressed her apology: "This is all because of that bastard Qin Chu; if it weren't for that scumbag meddling, I wouldn't have ended up in this situation."

That bastard Qin Chu? Scumbag?

Upon hearing this title, Catherine and Asina's eyes narrowed almost simultaneously, a cold light seemingly flickering in the depths of their gazes.

This slight change in expression did not escape Rose Vesper's notice.

Yet Rose Vesper merely thought it was the hatred that grew in them after being tormented by Qin Chu for so long, and didn't give it more thought.

She just let out a long sigh.

Then she directed her gaze towards Asina: "Ms. Asina, where is the filthy, tainted blood of Qin Chu, along with the last Soul Fragment?"

A smile curved at the corner of Asina's mouth: "Are you planning to perform the Resurrection Technique here... If not, once we reach the location, I'll take it out."

Hmph... a scheming woman.

Rose Vesper cursed internally but said nothing further.

She understood Asina wasn't one to easily give in.

"Follow me."

She merely whispered before turning and walking ahead.

Asina and Catherine followed closely behind.

After approximately two hours, a cleanly cleared open area emerged in the forest before them.

Right at the center of the clearing, there lay a massive circular Magic Array with a diameter of at least ten meters.

This... is the Magic Array for the Resurrection Technique!