Shi Lan lifted her foot and turned to look at Xu Jiao, "Sister Xu, is what Zhao Chao said true?"

Xu Jiao chuckled, her laughter gradually turning into loud laughter, and finally, she laughed until tears welled up in her eyes.

Shi Lan frowned, then unleashed a burst of energy, and as she pleased, saw a bright red mark appear on Xu Jiao's arm. The burning sensation in her heart finally eased a little.

"Shut up, or I'll cut your fingers off one by one," Shi Lan said, her eyes blazing with anger as she approached Xu Jiao step by step.

"Now, tell me everything that happened back then," Shi Lan said through gritted teeth, as a stream of air swirled rapidly between her palms, tearing Xu Jiao's already tattered clothes to shreds.

Xu Jiao knew that given her current situation, there was no way she could escape from Shi Lan's clutches. Zhao Chao had already confessed most of the matter, so she didn't care whether she told him or not.

“Yes, your parents’ deaths are indeed related to me. I was the one who drugged the water. But it wasn’t my choice. Zhao Chao forced me to do it. He said that if I did it, he would take me away, and if I didn’t, he would kill me,” Xu Jiao said, raising her eyes. “I had no choice. I wanted to live. I didn’t want to depend on others. I wanted to become strong, to become a strong person who could control this world.”

As she finished speaking, Xu Jiao's eyes became unfocused, and her originally pale cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness.

After listening to their dog-eat-dog confrontation, Shi Lan kicked her, sending her stumbling back a few steps. "If scum like you can control the world, then everyone in this world has to die out."

Xu Jiao supported herself on her elbows, her shoulders trembling slightly. Shi Lan looked at her, her face covered by black hair, and couldn't tell whether she was crying or laughing.

Shi Lan spoke with great force just now, but she knew in her heart that Xu Jiao, the original owner of this body, was standing at the top of this world, leading the way and laughing last.

But now, she's like mud underfoot, and no matter how hard she struggles, she can't rise again.

Zhao Chao glanced at Shi Lan's slender back and quietly retreated out of the alley.

Shi Lan caught sight of his movement and immediately shot out a burst of energy that struck his knee directly.

Zhao Chao, bent over, hunched his shoulders, and tiptoed, suddenly stopped walking out. With a thud, he collapsed to the ground, clutching his shattered knee and rolling around on the floor. His shrill screams echoed through the dark alley, creating a truly terrifying scene.

The will-o'-the-wisp, annoyed by the noise, made its move, slicing a piece of bright red flesh from Zhao Chao's mouth. Blood gushed out immediately, choking him so much that he could only let out muffled screams.

Shi Lan frowned and turned his head away at the bloody scene. His ghostly eyes darkened, and he became even more dissatisfied with Zhao Chao. So, as he passed in front of Zhao Chao, he accidentally stepped on his ankle.

After a barely audible cracking sound, Zhao Chao reached his limit of pain, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Seeing Zhao Chao lying unconscious on the ground, Xu Jiao knew she would be in a worse situation than him. She immediately wiped away her tears and turned to say, "Little Sister Shi, I want to talk to you about something alone, is that alright?"

Shi Lan turned to look at the will-o'-the-wisp, who took a few steps back and turned its back to show that it would not eavesdrop.

"Alright, you can speak now."

Xu Jiao glanced at the will-o'-the-wisp and whispered, "Little Sister Shi, do you know that outside this world is the vast universe? The so-called breaking through the void is just finding a suitable way to leave this world, not ascending to the upper realm as they say."

Shi Lan raised an eyebrow. "In the past few hundred years, breaking through the void has become a legend. How do you know about these things?"

Xu Jiao raised her hand to brush away the hair covering her cheek and smiled slightly, "You don't need to worry about that. If you want to know these things, please swear an oath that you will never harm me for the rest of your life, and I will tell you everything I know. You should know that after ascension, your lifespan will not be just a hundred years, but could be hundreds or even thousands of years."

Shi Lan opened her palm, and the energy swirled faster and faster. "Sister Xu, you're really talking nonsense. You said yourself that there's no upper realm outside, so how could I have lived for thousands of years? Let me tell you," Shi Lan leaned closer to Xu Jiao and said softly, "You originally came from another world. That world had novel string games, games that developed children's intelligence, and tin cans that ran around on four wheels, didn't it?"

Xu Jiao's eyes widened suddenly as she looked at Shi Lan in surprise, "You... how did you know?"

Shi Lan smiled, but her eyes were filled with coldness. "Guess?"

Xu Jiao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly her face lit up with joy, "Little Sister Shi, I didn't expect you to be one too..."

"What am I?" Shi Lan interrupted her, coldly saying, "While time travel is rare, you're not the only one. I'm telling you this today so you know that the idea that the world revolves around you was just a ridiculous fantasy. Now that you've woken up, it's time to pay for the sins you've committed."

Shi Lan's words chilled Xu Jiao to the bone. She had thought that everyone was a time traveler, and that people from the same hometown were always close. The fact that they had all come here meant that they were destined to be together, and based on that, Shi Lan should let her go.

But Shi Lan had no such intention at all; in fact, she had already decided to kill him.

Xu Jiao used both hands and feet to retreat a few steps until she leaned against the cold stone wall, only then realizing that she had nowhere left to retreat.

"Sister Shi, please let me go. I was forced into it. I had no choice. I didn't want to do it, really," Xu Jiao pleaded.

Shi Lan seemed not to hear, her body surging with energy. As golden light flashed, Xu Jiao's arms, legs, neck, and cheeks were stained crimson, making her look exceptionally pitiful.

When Ghostfire heard Xu Jiao scream repeatedly, he turned around and saw a bloody scene. He quickly stepped forward and reached out to hug Shi Lan, who was on the verge of emotional collapse.

Shi Lan struggled frantically, the resentment and hatred she had been suppressing erupting like a volcano, "Let me go!"

Ghostfire held Shilan tightly, and only relaxed a little after she calmed down a bit, looking down at her.

Shi Lan took two deep breaths, trying her best to control her emotions, "I'm fine."

Ghostfire stared at her with his dark eyes for a while, and seeing that she was indeed not as irritable as before, he released her and said coldly, "You cleaned it too dirty."

Shi Lan rolled her eyes at him, as if he had handled things very well, when just now he had made a mess of blood.

Ghostfire also knew that the methods he used to deal with Zhao Chao were too simplistic and brutal, which made him lack confidence when he spoke.

Shi Lan walked back to Xu Jiao, who was lying in a pool of blood, and lightly ran her slender white fingertips across her thin neck.

Xu Jiao felt a flash of golden light, and then she fell into endless darkness.