Die, Replay, Repeat

Chapter 253: "The Wife"

Fang Moli and Joker both tensed up at the sound of approaching footsteps.

It was the kind of situation where no one expected anyone to show up, let alone walk in so casually.

They turned and saw Fang Xiu, strolling into the scene like he owned the place.

"Fang Xiu, the Foreseer!" Joker's eyes lit up with interest, almost like he'd found a new toy.

"Fang Xiu, I wasn't even looking for you, but here you are, walking into your own death sentence. Let me guess, that Taotie from earlier? Just a projection, right? You really think you can fool me with cheap tricks?"

But Fang Xiu wasn't fazed. He locked eyes with Joker, who was exuding an aura that could make anyone freeze up. Calmly, Fang Xiu said, "I'm done listening to your nonsense. You like to say the weak adapt while the strong change the game? Please. The human world can't even produce a fifth-tier being. You ran off to the Other Side to reach your level. That's not changing anything, that's just running away. I get it now—no wonder you hide behind that mask. Too embarrassed to show your face, huh?"

Joker's gaze turned deadly in an instant.

Fang Moli, standing nearby, was caught off guard but pieced it together quickly. It made sense. No one in the human world could hit the fifth tier, but the Other Side had no such rules.

Entering that place was next to impossible for most people, and surviving there was a whole other story. But Joker? He was different. After getting Specterized, he could go back and forth, living there without breaking a sweat.

Fang Moli couldn't believe it. Joker's whole act of being all-powerful was just smoke and mirrors, much like his own.

"Fang Xiu, you go to hell!" Joker's shout was full of fury from humiliation. In the blink of an eye, his body became a streak of lightning as he darted toward Fang Moli.

Fang Moli, bewildered, thought,_ 'Wait, what? Fang Xiu insulted him, but now I'm the target?'_

BOOM!

Fang Moli was knocked flying, blood spilling from his wounds. The impact tore up the ground, leaving a long trail from where he slid.

If he hadn't thrown up his Xuanyuan Sword at the last second to block the blow, he would've been dead on the spot.

Joker sneered, "You think I don't see what you're up to, Fang Xiu? You're just trying to give Fang Moli time to recharge."

Fang Xiu only shook his head. "You're giving yourself too much credit. I just wanted to see what else you're hiding."

He wasn't lying either—there was no point in stalling. If things got messy, he could always reset the game.

The real reason he had shown up was because Fang Moli had pushed Joker to the brink, but hadn't managed to dig deep enough into his abilities. Fang Xiu decided it was time to take over.

Since a restart was always on the table, why not gather as much intel as possible?

"Manifestation of Pain!" Fang Xiu called out, tapping into his power once again. But this time, instead of bringing forth Taotie, he summoned his "wife."

Taotie had devoured a ton of Snakeworms earlier, but it was still in rough shape—like someone who had been starving for days and needed more time to recover.

In Fang Xiu's current state, summoning Taotie's projection again was out of the question.

So, his "wife" was the choice.

Her strength had always been an enigma. Fang Xiu knew she was powerful, but exactly how powerful remained unclear.

She wasn't on Taotie's level—Taotie's mere existence could break minds, leaving weaker psychics dead in its wake with its terrifying whispers. No, his "wife" didn't possess that kind of overwhelming presence.

As he started summoning her, though, something made Fang Xiu's brow tighten.

Deep in the unseen reaches of the universe, something ancient stirred, as if a terrifying presence had just opened its eyes.

Its gaze traveled across endless miles, piercing through the veil that separated worlds, locking directly onto Fang Xiu.

For a split second, time itself seemed to freeze.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the strange sensation vanished, leaving everything seemingly normal again.

Fang Xiu was momentarily disoriented. 'What was that? An illusion? No... with my current power, it shouldn't be so easy to get lost in a hallucination. It felt like... something was watching me.'

Before he could dwell on it, a graceful figure appeared, materializing in front of him.

She stood barefoot, her long, elegant legs glowing faintly in the dim light.

Dressed simply in a white dress, her cool, pale skin seemed to shimmer. Her long, black hair flowed down her back, and her delicate, flawless face radiated a soft, gentle beauty.

It was his "wife."

But even as this beautiful figure emerged, Fang Xiu's mind erupted into chaos.

A cold, murderous intent surged through him. This was just a projection, not the real her, yet the mere sight of her filled him with rage.

Taotie had killed him over and over, hundreds of times. But none of those deaths compared to the hatred he felt toward his "wife."

Taotie's endless cycle of death had warped his perception of it, making him numb. But the first time he ever died? That was at her hands.

It was like a deep-rooted trauma. Like when people encounter something terrifying as kids—it sticks with them, no matter how tough they get later on. The things they experience as adults might be worse, but it's never as frightening as that first encounter.

"Kill him," Fang Xiu commanded coldly, his voice devoid of any warmth.

The moment his "wife" heard his order, she began to change.

Her once-perfect skin cracked, like a fine porcelain doll breaking apart. Black lines spiderwebbed across her body, and from these cracks, the sound of rushing water echoed out. Dark red blood began to seep from the openings, wriggling like tiny, living creatures.

Her once-silky black hair came to life, writhing and twisting like a nest of black snakes.

Her small, delicate mouth stretched unnaturally wide, splitting all the way back to her ears, revealing rows of sharp, jagged teeth.

And deep within her gaping maw, another mouth could be seen, as if ready to devour anything in its path.

Joker's eyes narrowed in response. Without saying a word, he made the first move.

A bolt of lightning appeared in his hand, crackling with energy. The blood that swirled around him merged with the lightning, turning it into a sinister, crimson hue.

BOOM!

He unleashed the blood-infused lightning straight at Fang Xiu's "wife."

She didn't even flinch. Hovering just above the ground, her body moved like a ghost drifting through the air.

The crimson lightning slammed into her, but instead of reacting, something eerie happened. The bolt passed right through her, as if she were nothing more than a shadow.

Joker's eyes widened in shock.

"Impossible! What kind of Specter is this? She's ignoring my lightning, even with Mindflare power?"

Fang Xiu's mind raced at Joker's words. _'Mindflare? So this is the ability of a fifth-tier being?' _He studied the blood aura swirling around Joker, suspecting that it was indeed connected to this Mindflare power.

Determined, Joker refused to accept what had just happened. He continued hurling bolts of blood lightning, one after another, bombarding Fang Xiu's "wife" relentlessly.

Fang Xiu's "wife" floated through the air as if she were nothing more than a figment, entirely unaffected by the blood lightning raining down on her.

It was as though she existed on a plane outside of reality itself, beyond the reach of Joker's attacks.

Then, without warning, she appeared directly in front of Joker. Her pale, slender arms rose gently, moving with a soft grace that almost seemed out of place in the midst of battle.

She reached out delicately, as if merely brushing the air, her expression serene, movements tender—like she was tracing the face of someone she cherished.

But in that gentle motion, something invisible, something far more dangerous, rippled through the air.

SWISH!

An unseen force cut through the space between them.

Joker's eyes widened in shock. A sudden, sharp pain, like needles piercing his neck, hit him.

It wasn't an obvious blow, but he felt it deep, an attack that didn't follow the usual rules of combat.

Reacting instantly, Joker summoned his blood energy, causing it to flare into a deep, menacing crimson.

The energy surrounded him, pulsating. It formed a shield of blood meant to protect him from whatever mysterious force Fang Xiu's "wife" had unleashed.

But the look on Joker's face showed that he knew something was wrong. For the first time, he wasn't so sure if his defenses would hold.