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"————"
The atmosphere in the audience chamber subtly shifted.
It was as if something foreign had seeped in, muddying the air.
Fan Xinglou fixed her gaze on Orphelia.
In return, Orphelia met her stare with unshaken composure.
It wasn't that Orphelia was unaware of how dangerous the girl before her was. Rather, as always, she simply didn't care— completely detached from everything, as though nothing in the world held meaning to her anymore.
Fan Xinglou arched an eyebrow at this, only for her expression to quickly dull, as if she had lost interest entirely.
"Has your 'heart' truly died?"
With that question, Fan Xinglou dismissed Orphelia completely.
"No matter how enticing the aroma, if the taste itself is bland, then the dish is meaningless."
Her words made it clear how she viewed Orphelia.
"What a waste of such fine ingredients."
Regret flickered across Fan Xinglou's face.
Everything about her demeanor exuded disappointment.
For anyone else, such a dismissal would have been unbearable.
Yet Orphelia remained indifferent, silently enduring the scrutiny.
Fan Xinglou, on the other hand, turned her gaze toward Fang Li, seemingly having lost all interest in Orphelia.
Then, she spoke.
"You've brought back quite the troublesome one."
A genuine, heartfelt remark.
Fang Li, however, fully understood the implications.
Orphelia was no ordinary existence— someone who couldn't be taken lightly or moved around without consequence.
Still, his response was simple.
"She followed me on her own."
With that single statement, he absolved himself of any responsibility.
"You really are shamelessly straightforward," Fan Xinglou remarked, half-amused, half-exasperated. "But others won't see it that way. Didn't you also have dealings with 'that side'?"
"That's true." Fang Li replied nonchalantly. "It's troublesome, but not something worth worrying too much about."
"Fair enough." Fan Xinglou's lips curled into a playful smile. "In that case, I'll turn a blind eye once again."
"Is that really fine?" Fang Li countered. "Setting aside the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, Master also has a non-aggression pact with them, doesn't she?"
"At most, it's just a non-aggression pact." Fan Xinglou huffed. "Since this little girl came of her own accord, it's not interference."
Then, she cast Fang Li a glance, her smile deepening.
"As for you… you may handle things however you see fit."
With that, she snapped her fingers.
'Snap!'
In response to the crisp sound, a surge of energy rippled through the space. The air distorted, swallowing both Fang Li and Orphelia whole.
As the two vanished, a gleeful light danced in Fan Xinglou's youthful eyes.
"Now, what happens next?"
—
''Yellow Dragon Temple, Stars Room''
Just like when he had previously arrived at Jie Long with Sylvia, Fang Li and Orphelia were transported into this special chamber through spatial distortion.
'Buzz————!'
The moment they materialized, the Stars Room trembled violently, and a crushing gravity descended upon them.
However, the pressure wasn't directed at Fang Li.
It was entirely focused on Orphelia.
"Guh…!"
Caught off guard, Orphelia let out a muffled gasp, her crimson eyes wavering slightly.
'Boom————!'
In the next instant, an overwhelming surge of Prana erupted from her body.
Feeling the unseen force bearing down on her, Orphelia instinctively responded and her immense energy flared without hesitation.
Her entire being radiated with raw, untamed power as she pushed back against the oppressive gravity with sheer force.
'Buzz Buzz————!'
The Stars Room shuddered violently, continuously increasing the gravitational pressure.
Orphelia furrowed her brows slightly but responded in kind, raising her Prana even further to counteract the intensifying force.
"This…"
Watching the scene unfold, Fang Li couldn't help but be stunned.
He had anticipated that Orphelia would struggle against the Stars Room's suppression.
After all, her control over Prana was far from refined— it was crude, not much better than his own when he had first become a Genestellar. Given that this room specifically targeted Prana, it was only natural that she would be at a disadvantage.
However, Fang Li had only guessed the beginning— he never expected the outcome.
Rather than being overwhelmed, Orphelia was forcing the room's suppression back with brute strength alone.
It was absurd.
The Stars Room's mechanism was simple—the more Prana one used, the stronger the suppression became.
Yet Orphelia remained unfazed.
No matter how much the gravity increased, she simply pushed back with even greater Prana.
Eventually, the room reached its upper limit, unable to suppress her any further.
And Orphelia, with her relentless torrent of power, stood victorious.
"So this is why she's the strongest Strega…"
Fang Li couldn't help but mutter to himself.
In terms of raw power, she far surpassed him.
Yet, paradoxically, she was completely countered by him.
Her overwhelming ability meant nothing in the face of his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
Her immense Prana could push her physical abilities to the extreme, but without proper combat technique, she remained vulnerable to Fang Li's close-quarters expertise.
Thus, despite being an absolute powerhouse, she posed no true threat to him.
"Is this what they mean by a perfect counter?"
As Fang Li pondered this, Orphelia had already fully negated the Stars Room's suppression.
And yet, her expression barely changed, as if she hadn't even exerted herself.
It made him wonder— did she even have a limit?
Once the room settled, Orphelia turned her gaze toward Fang Li.
Her eyes didn't hold any questions. She simply stared at him.
This made Fang Li feel somewhat uneasy.
(He had planned to contact Sylvia and let her know he was safe, but now that didn't seem like an option.)
After all, what would Sylvia think if she saw Orphelia in his room late at night?
Considering their already strained relationship, Fang Li had no desire to find out.
So…
"Maybe it's better to just forget about it…"
'(End of Chapter)'