In the main world... The Doctor, watching the screen that had somehow been set up before him, saw that Ying was about to clear the first hurdle at a speed beyond his imagination. He couldn't help but chuckle and tease,
"Hahaha... You've surprised me again. Truly worthy of being the one I've got my eye on."
"Whether to conserve elemental energy or maintain the body's good condition, this is not a question that requires a choice. One only needs to integrate and grasp the concepts, and this layer's troubles can be easily resolved. Although integration and grasping is easier said than done, for her, I believe it's not a difficult task."
"However..."
The Doctor's tone shifted, and he looked at Paimon, who was staring intently at the screen, a perfect smile gracing his lips.
It was quite interesting to have the person one cared about witness their hero giving their all.
Hahaha... A brilliant stage always requires the applause of the audience.
I wonder when those two will arrive...
At the Sumeru Desert's marked location...
Ying, cross-referencing the map, searched for a long time but couldn't find any trace of the Doctor. She couldn't help but frown.
Could it be that Ying analyzed it incorrectly?
Impossible. The Doctor would never give her a clue she couldn't understand.
But why can't she find him? Could something be obscuring him?
No... that's not right... Could it be?!
Ying's pupils constricted. She quickly returned to the Serenitea Pot, rushed into her room, and indeed saw Paimon sleeping soundly on the bed.
This is bad!
Ying hurriedly shook Paimon with all her might.
"Wake up! Paimon, wake up!"
Dizzy from being shaken, Paimon slowly opened her eyes, rubbed her slightly groggy head, and asked in confusion.
"Lumine? Did you already rescue Paimon?"
"No, I was tricked by Ying. In any case, you need to come with me quickly."
"Huh? You were tricked... Wah?!"
Deep within the domain...
*Pfft...*
After eliminating the last Hilichurl in sight, Ying let out a long sigh and stretched her aching waist. A hint of triumphant joy finally appeared on her weary face.
10000/10000
Looking up, the numbers on the display screen flickered a few times before transforming into a key and vanishing from Ying's sight.
At the same time, one of the twelve small lamps above the cage holding Paimon was extinguished.
Looking at the now-lit teleportation portal before her, Ying adjusted her breathing slightly and stepped directly into it without hesitation.
"Wow~ You cleared the first hurdle so quickly, Sister, you're truly amazing~"
As soon as she stepped onto the second level, Ying heard a familiar voice.
Ying turned her head, not replying to the compliment, and asked coldly,
"Weren't you supposed to be waiting on the twelfth floor?"
"Hahaha~"
"I originally thought so, but I was afraid you wouldn't last that long, Sister, so I changed my mind and decided to wait for you on the next floor forever~"
"What do you think, don't I care about you a lot, Sister?"
Ying showed no reaction to these words and spoke directly.
"Stop the nonsense. What are the opponents on this floor? Let's get started."
"Tsk tsk tsk... Sister is still so impatient."
The Doctor said with a tone of regret, then stepped into the teleportation portal behind him. Before leaving, he couldn't forget to add solicitously,
"Good luck, Sister. I'll be looking forward to your arrival on the next floor~"
"Tch... That damned two-faced jerk..."
Ying cursed under her breath, no longer focusing her attention on that little brat. She directly looked up at the sky and, as expected, found a display screen similar to the first floor.
0/5000
Good news: The number has been halved.
Bad news: The number has been halved.
Before Ying could even guess what kind of monsters were the opponents on this floor, the roars coming from the edges had already exposed their identity.
Ying immediately leaped into the air, using Anemo to hover, and gathered a massive Wind-Gale blade in her hand.
"Anemo Hilichurl Brutes, huh? That makes sense. If they've captured so many Hilichurls, it would be odd if they didn't bring along the Brutes."
As she spoke, a large number of Anemo Hilichurl Brutes rushed out from the dense fog, arriving at the spot where Ying had been.
The giant axes in the Anemo Hilichurl Brutes' hands were aimed to strike Ying directly, but the empty space made them freeze in place.
Looking at the scene below, a slight smile appeared on Ying's lips.
Indeed, even with their intelligence enhanced by that energy, Hilichurl Brutes are still just big simpletons.
With that thought, Ying forcefully slammed the Wind-Gale blade in her hand downwards, instantly unleashing its terrifying power.
*Boom—!!*
Amidst the violent roar, the screams and wails of the Anemo Hilichurl Brutes echoed as they all fell to the ground under this attack.
26/5000
Seeing this number, Ying couldn't help but frown slightly.
Although they were a bit dumb, their resilience was several times stronger. She couldn't possibly unleash two hundred massive Wind-Gale blades continuously.
It seems I'll have to use a borrowed knife...
Thinking this, Ying instinctively took a step back, dodging the axe that was aimed at her head.
Watching their clumsy movements, a thought flashed through Ying's mind.
Immediately, Ying acted. In just a short while, she had lured a large number of Anemo Hilichurl Brutes to surround her. Seeing that the surrounding Hilichurl Brutes had all raised their weapons simultaneously, Ying suddenly leaped up, landing on the head of one of the Hilichurl Brutes.
The Hilichurl Brute intended to pull off the little bunny on its head, but before it could act, the surrounding axes all swung rapidly towards its head.
*Pfft!!*
With the sound of blades slicing through flesh, blood splattered the next second. The struck Hilichurl Brute fell straight to the ground, turning into a cloud of dust, without even a chance to let out a cry.
And Ying, with another leap, landed on another Hilichurl Brute not far away.
*Chomp chomp chomp~*
"Hey~ Big dummies, who are you guys trying to chop?"
*Pfft!!*
"Hey, hey, hey~ Look properly, I'm right here~"
*Pfft!!*
"Is that how that two-faced guy taught you to fight?"
*Pfft!!*
Ying continuously leaped across the heads of these Anemo Hilichurl Brutes. Each leap meant that a Hilichurl Brute's head was cleaved into several pieces by its companions, like a watermelon.
At the same time, this method gave Ying ample time to recover elemental energy. Although it was slowed down by the need to avoid inhaling the dense fog, it was steadily increasing.
Whenever her elemental energy was fully restored, or when she saw a Hilichurl Brute about to throw a Fire Slime at her, Ying would directly unleash a large tornado towards the area with elemental energy, or get there before it did, directly in the direction of that particular Hilichurl.
As for the power, it was precisely controlled by Ying to be enough to sweep away the Hilichurl Brutes and then finish them off right after.
Soon...
83/5000
163/5000
246/5000