"He's an unforgivable villain," Xiang Tian said grimly, clenching his fist.

Everyone in Tianxiong City was watching the events unfolding in the sky. Their expressions turned grim, especially when they saw Wang Zhan sent flying.

Whispers immediately buzzed through the crowd.

"I didn't expect that even Mr. Wang is no match for that guy. Who on earth is he?"

"I don't know. He looks like a powerful human expert, doesn't he?"

"At this point, only our City Master can take action. Perhaps if he joins forces with Mr. Wang, they can stand against him."

Everyone was on edge, fretting for Wang Zhan.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhan, still in mid-air, had an extremely grim expression.

He glared frostily at Luo Tianhong before him, but there was nothing he could do. After all, in the face of absolute power, skill mattered little.

Wang Zhan tightly clutched the Deep Fire Blade and swung it. Fire Dragons soared into the sky, enveloping Luo Tianhong in an instant.

"Nine Heavens Mysterious Fire Formation!"

Seeing Wang Zhan gradually gain the upper hand, the spectators grew excited, clenching their fists and shouting passionately.

"Well done, Mr. Wang! We believe you can definitely defeat this guy!"

"Go, Mr. Wang!"

"The people of Tianxiong City will always stand by you!"

Despite the encouraging words, Wang Zhan's expression remained grave.

Experts understood the danger, while laymen only saw the spectacle. How could they know that Wang Zhan was already a spent force?

But Luo Tianhong seemed unfazed. It was as if she had been deliberately stalling for time with Wang Zhan.

In other words, Luo Tianhong seemed to be toying with Wang Zhan.

Wang Zhan clenched his fist slightly. He raised the Deep Fire Blade above his head, and a massive Fire Dragon immediately shot upward.

He had to use this moment to inflict significant damage on Luo Tianhong, to temporarily repel her. Killing Luo Tianhong would not be easy with his current capabilities.

However, Wang Zhan's intentions did not seem to escape Luo Tianhong.

Luo Tianhong squinted at Wang Zhan, then said with a smile, "If this is all you've got, you're still no match for me."

Luo Tianhong stated confidently.

In the face of absolute strength, technique was useless.

Wang Zhan shot Luo Tianhong a cold glance before retorting, "You'd better worry about your own predicament instead of wasting time with me here."

In the blink of an eye, the huge Fire Dragon crashed towards Luo Tianhong.

With a loud BANG, the Fire Dragons surrounding Luo Tianhong suddenly exploded.

Ripples of energy spread above everyone's heads. Around Luo Tianhong, a surge of extremely violent energy erupted.

But to everyone's surprise, despite the destructive energy, Luo Tianhong seemed unaffected, still standing there arrogantly.

"How can this be?" Xiang Tian exclaimed in shock.

He had heard Wang Zhan mention that he might not be Luo Tianhong's match. But this was clearly Wang Zhan's most powerful attack, launched without holding anything back, yet it had no effect on Luo Tianhong?

This was, frankly, terrifying.

Luo Tianhong dusted herself off, squinted, and gestured towards Wang Zhan with a finger, continuing, "As I've said, if these are all your tricks, you won't be able to protect the people within Tianxiong City in the end."

"Moreover, I tried to negotiate peacefully earlier, proposing you join me to find treasure in the ruins. But not only did you refuse, you dared to attack me. So don't blame me for being impolite."

"I was initially considering sparing the lives of the people in Tianxiong City. After all, I had no intention of killing them. But since you're being so aggressive, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Although I took their city-guarding treasure, I feel no gratitude towards them."

Upon hearing this, the spectators' faces turned ashen. They watched in shock as someone in the crowd cried out, "The city-guarding treasure has been taken?"

Panic swept through the crowd, their hearts filled with dread.

After all, Tianxiong City had been able to stand firm on the Star War Battlefield entirely because of its city-guarding treasure. In a critical moment, Ju Tian'en could activate the City Protection Formation to ensure the citizens' safety. But now that the city-guarding treasure was stolen, the situation had become far more severe.

"Was it her? Did she steal the city-guarding treasure?"

"Mr. Wang, you must find a way to help us retrieve the city-guarding treasure!"

"Yes, without its protection, how can we dare to remain in Tianxiong City? This is our home!"

At this moment, Wang Zhan had no time to deal with the townsfolk. If he could, he naturally would want to retrieve the city-guarding treasure. However, this wasn't to give an explanation to the people of Heaven Dome City; his goal was simple: to impede Luo Tianhong's growth as much as possible.

After all, if Luo Tianhong were allowed to continue developing, the situation would become increasingly uncontrollable. Her cultivation speed was simply too fast—terrifyingly so.

Luo Tianhong stared at Wang Zhan with a smile for a long moment before asking, "Have you made your decision? I'm offering you one last chance. If you agree to enter the ruins with me, perhaps I won't make things difficult for the people of Tianxiong City. But if you refuse, well, I honestly can't predict what I might do."

"You know my true nature, of course. Since those demonic beasts failed to slaughter the people of Tianxiong City back then, perhaps I can help them fulfill that 'wish' for them."

This was a blatant threat.

The faces of the people in Tianxiong City turned paler still. They could see how incredibly powerful Luo Tianhong was; if Wang Zhan were defeated, they would undoubtedly be in dire peril.

Wang Zhan gave Luo Tianhong a cold look, clenched his fists, and tightened his grip on the Deep Fire Blade, clearly preparing to fight again.

Luo Tianhong, anticipating his move, coldly reminded him, "I advise you not to resist futilely. Otherwise, not only will everyone in Tianxiong City die because of your recklessness, but you won't be able to escape either."

"I can't worry about that now! Defeating you is what matters most!" Wang Zhan declared grimly. He once again lifted his Deep Fire Blade, his figure transforming into a streak of light as he rushed towards Luo Tianhong at a jaw-dropping speed.

This time, even Luo Tianhong dared not underestimate him. While she possessed the absolute power to crush Wang Zhan, if he fought to the death, she too might not escape unscathed. Even if she ultimately defeated him, she would likely be severely injured.

She didn't have much time left; she needed to increase her cultivation rapidly. How could she afford to be injured now?

Luo Tianhong raised her hands, and energy swiftly converged above her palms.

The next moment, as Wang Zhan closed in, Luo Tianhong raised her palms and gently pushed them towards him.

A colossal beam of energy struck Wang Zhan's chest. Though he managed to block it in time with his Deep Fire Blade, he was still sent flying backward.

Wang Zhan crashed heavily to the ground. Propping himself up with the Deep Fire Blade, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

It was clear to everyone that Wang Zhan was now seriously injured.

Xiang Tian and Luo Xue rushed to Wang Zhan's side. "How are you?" they asked hastily.

Wang Zhan waved his hand, then grabbed Xiang Tian's collar and whispered in his ear, "Quickly, organize everyone to evacuate Tianxiong City. I'm no match for Luo Tianhong. If this fight continues... you can imagine the outcome. Just leaving here will be incredibly difficult."

"Everyone must prepare to leave immediately."

"I'll do my best to buy you some time. You all need to leave as quickly as possible."

Xiang Tian froze, his eyes welling with tears. He clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, "I can let them leave first, but I absolutely must stay by your side! I can't let you face this alone!"

Wang Zhan managed a weak smile and shook his head. Perhaps this is all my Fate?

Ever since he first arrived on the Star War Battlefield and appeared in the fifth war zone, so many things had happened there. It seemed back then that he had already embarked on the path of his own Fate.

But this also brought Wang Zhan his first sense of gratification: meeting such good friends in the fifth war zone was truly comforting.

"Regardless, I don't agree! I must stay with you! No matter what you say, I won't agree!" Xiang Tian reiterated, clenching his teeth and speaking each word firmly.

Luo Xue, at his side, chimed in, "Yes, I also want to stay with Brother Wang! He's here entirely because of us. I absolutely cannot let Brother Wang face all this alone!"

Wang Zhan smiled, gratified. Having these two as friends is indeed a great comfort.

He patted their shoulders, then smiled and said, "Alright, it's not over yet. Let's not get sentimental. Who knows? Perhaps I can still deal with Luo Tianhong."