Wild Strange Fire was nothing like the auction-house varieties. To subdue it, she needed to be at full strength. One mistake, and the backlash could kill her.
She swallowed a recovery pill. It melted instantly, releasing a surge of warmth through her meridians. Sitting cross-legged atop the frozen spring, she began restoring her spiritual energy as quickly as possible.
Moments later, White suddenly swooped down in a panic.
“Sister! Sister! Someone’s coming! I can’t stop them!”
Lauren’s eyes snapped open. She was forced to halt her recovery.
Three figures approached from the distance.
Her gaze swept over them—and her heart sank.
One Spirit Severing cultivator.
Two Nascent Soul cultivators.
Fuck. Terrible timing.
Had she really fought this hard just to be robbed at the finish line?
The three cultivators studied the battlefield around her—the blood, the shattered ice, the lingering aura of violent combat. Shock flickered across their faces.
This seemingly unremarkable female cultivator had actually killed a sixth-tier demonic beast alone… and already disposed of its body.
One of them stepped forward politely.
“Fellow Daoist, we discovered this hot spring first. We went to summon our martial uncle for assistance. We never expected you would slay the guardian beast before we returned.”
Lauren nearly laughed.
If they truly intended to call for help, they could have sent a transmission talisman. And when she arrived, there hadn’t been a soul within a hundred miles. Every nearby beast had already been slaughtered by her hand.
Still smiling faintly, she said calmly,
“My apologies. I killed it. Fellow Daoists… you’re late.”
Without hesitation, she formed a hand seal and retrieved the Earth Core Ice Lotus still embedded beneath the frozen water.
The three cultivators’ eyes burned with greed.
Not just the Fire Lotus—
There was an Ice Lotus too.
They quickly whispered among themselves.
“Martial Uncle… this woman must have more treasures. With early Nascent Soul cultivation, there’s no way she could kill that beast alone otherwise.”
Lauren caught every word.
Greed like that never ended with negotiation. Even if she surrendered everything, they would still silence her.
She leaned slightly toward White and whispered,
“When the fight starts, fly away. Hide and wait for a chance to strike.”
“Okay, Sister.”
Lauren swallowed another pill.
Then, right in front of them, she calmly switched into a fresh set of luxurious Spirit Treasure armor. At the same time, her wrist turned subtly, activating the bracelet hidden beneath her sleeve.
She met their gaze, expression tranquil, ready to kill.
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“We’ve struck gold,” one of them muttered.
“That armor is a treasure. Be careful not to damage it.”
“Understood.”
Inside her inner space, Edmund’s voice sounded cold and pragmatic.
“You haven’t recovered. You can’t beat all three of them.”
Lauren responded calmly,
“There’s a saying among humans… Man proposes, Heaven disposes. Victory isn’t decided by numbers or cultivation alone—it’s decided by—”
Before she finished speaking—
Whoosh.
Ten Grade Six Explosive Spirit Talismans shot toward them simultaneously.
“Explode.”
The quiet command detonated them all at once.
Strike first.
Strike mercilessly.
The Spirit Severing cultivator emerged unharmed, though forced back several steps.
The two Nascent Soul cultivators weren’t so lucky. They failed to evade in time. Their armor shredded apart, blood splattering as their faces turned ghostly pale.
“A… Grade Six Explosive Spirit Talisman?! Ten of them?! Impossible! There’s no such thing as a Grade Six Talisman Master!”
Lauren sneered.
“There wasn’t before. There is now.”
“You’re exhausted! You couldn’t possibly detonate ten Grade Six talismans at once! Impossible!”
Another ten appeared between her fingers.
Her smile turned sharp.
“Want to test that theory?”
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Explosions thundered without pause.
“Scatter!” the Spirit Severing cultivator roared.
Lauren fought with terrifying composure. White dove from above, harassing one of the Nascent Soul cultivators, disrupting his techniques.
Meanwhile, Lauren ignored the relentless attacks pounding against her armor from the Spirit Severing expert behind her. She focused everything on eliminating the weakest target first.
The female Nascent Soul cultivator panicked.
These weren’t ordinary explosives—they were Grade Six talismans. One mistake meant death.
Lauren’s ruthlessness stunned them. Even as blood poured from her lips from the Spirit Severing cultivator’s attacks, she pressed forward without hesitation.
Within seconds—
She killed the weakest opponent.
The woman’s Nascent Soul shot out in panic.
“Junior Sister!” the others screamed.
The younger male cultivator rushed to protect the escaping Nascent Soul—
But a dark shadow burst from Lauren’s sleeve.
In a blink, the Nascent Soul vanished.
“You dare?! I’ll rip your soul apart today!”
“She killed Junior Sister! Forget the armor—kill her!”
The Spirit Severing cultivator roared in fury and slammed his palm toward her.
Lauren’s spiritual energy was nearly depleted from the earlier battle with the giant fish. She couldn’t activate the Gintama Sword.
At this distance, Explosive Spirit Talismans were suicide.
She refused to flee with the Thousand Mile Talisman. She wouldn’t abandon the Strange Fire and this priceless spiritual spring.
Which meant there was only one option left.
“Master… you’re up.”
CLANG.
The palm strike slammed directly into Light's forehead.
Instead of crushing bone, it produced a sharp metallic ring—like striking divine steel.
“Esteemed benefactor… why is your killing intent so overwhelming?”
The Spirit Severing cultivator froze, then stared upward in shock.
“L-Light?!”
“It is indeed me.”
With a loud thud, the Spirit Severing cultivator dropped to his knees.
“Master! This disciple wishes to convert to Buddhism!”
Lauren narrowed her eyes slightly.
So… he knew Master Light. Not only that—he clearly understood the monk’s temperament.
Damn it.
Was this clone as softhearted as the original? Would he really spare someone just because they begged to become his disciple?
You’re only an avatar. You exist for barely the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
Nearby, the remaining male cultivator was equally stunned. However, White had him tied up, preventing escape.
“What nonsense! You think you can just become a monk and walk away?! No way!”
The Spirit Severing cultivator trembled, silently cursing him for opening his damn mouth.
Both Lauren and the kneeling cultivator fixed their attention on Light. The man’s fate depended entirely on his response.
Light sighed softly.
“Your murderous aura is far too heavy. This old monk is ashamed… I cannot save you.”
The kneeling cultivator’s face drained of color.
“W-What?”
“Be a good man in your next life. Then you may join my Buddhist sect.”
“…What?!”
BOOM.
A massive golden palm descended from the sky, as large as a mountain.
The man had no chance to dodge.
His scream cut off abruptly as he was crushed into a bloody paste.
A Nascent Soul shot into the air, and Edmund swallowed it without hesitation.
“Martial-Uncle…!” the remaining male cultivator cried out in despair.
Lauren bowed respectfully toward Light.
“Thank you, Master.”
Light smiled gently.
“Lauren, you have one last chance.”
“I will use it carefully.”
“Good. I will open the gate to the seventh level for you. My task is complete.”
With that, his figure dissolved into golden light and vanished.
Lauren stood frozen in shock.
He said he would open the seventh-level gate?
How did he know her master wanted Edmund to reach the seventh level?
No… wasn’t he only an avatar?
“Sister!”
White’s urgent voice snapped her back to reality.
The remaining male cultivator attempted to flee, but White intercepted him mid-escape.
Lauren’s spiritual core was still drained. Continuing a direct fight was impossible.
She raised her hand coldly.
Explosive Spirit Talismans flashed into existence.
The man barely had time to scream before he was blown apart.
His Nascent Soul tried to escape—Edmund devoured it in a single bite.
