### Chapter 9: Chaos (10)
==============================
Outside the castle, where snowflakes danced like they were having a party, the fierce battle raged on.
Let’s just say, after Li Hanbo drank the strength of nearly ten thousand Fallen Species — including several Guild Leaders — his abilities were definitely *not* what one would call “ordinary.”
In fact, Lin Nan thought he might just be able to go toe-to-toe with the leaders of various Immortal Gates.
The evolution of Fallen Species was truly something to give you nightmares.
They started off siphoning energy from humans, and once they reached a certain level, they began to cannibalize one another, with the victor absorbing the power of the loser.
This meant that the last Fallen Species standing had amassed energy that was practically exponential compared to where they began—indescribable, really.
Lin Nan now felt that truth hit her like a snowball to the face.
Sure, the tentacles flailing around her couldn’t hurt her for now, but she had a hunch that Li Hanbo’s tricks weren’t limited to just this.
To break his territorial skills, Lin Nan intentionally led him away from the castle, but Li Hanbo didn’t care; he was clearly riding high on his confidence.
And of course, Li Hanbo had sent his giant minion to thwart those Extermination of Immortals members hunting down the Fallen Species in the city.
An empire can’t just have an emperor!
With so much power under his belt, if he wanted to keep developing, he needed loyal Fallen Subjects to share his burdens.
Thus, the Fallen Species scattered around Sky Sword City became targets of his plan to save them.
However, to wrap things up quickly, he needed to get rid of that loquacious, preachy woman once and for all.
Unfortunately, he no longer had the live-streaming feature; otherwise, the world’s players would have loved to tune in to watch him butcher the charming Cold Moon Witch in real time.
Meanwhile, back inside the castle, human players who had just thoroughly minced those two Fallen Species erupted with cheers that could practically shake the roof.
They had bottled up their frustration for too long!
They even went so far as to stray off course.
If it hadn’t been for Xiao Ai waking them up at a critical moment, they wouldn’t have realized the negative consequences of their wrong mindset.
In any case, the killing of the Fallen Species proved that human players still had some fight left in them when faced with enemies.
Among this survivor crowd, there were some seasoned players, much like Xiao Ai. However, they either hadn’t invested much time in combat skills or were just a couple of months ahead of the new folks. But they’d seen the fearsome reputation of Extermination of Immortals in the live chat or forums.
So, when they burst out of the castle, weapons swinging, hoping to take down a few more Fallen Species while they had the momentum…
Amidst the swirling snowflakes, two figures flickered around like celestial beings in a fierce brawl, causing everyone to halt and stare in awe.
“Ah! It’s the Cold Moon Witch! It’s the Princess Witch!”
One player with keen eyes shouted in excitement when he spotted Lin Nan, now back in her Black Robe.
Against the whirling white snow, Lin Nan’s dark silhouette dashed back and forth, facing off against the Guild Leader they had once trusted, Li Hanbo.
Turns out, they’d all been duped by Li Hanbo!
Who would have thought this supposedly tireless leader was actually the fiercest Fallen Species boss lurking in the shadows?
Now clad in white, he contrasted sharply with the Cold Moon Witch.
At this moment, players naturally pinned all their hopes on the witch.
If Li Hanbo won, these survivors would definitely meet a fate worse than d*ath — like being turned into *actual* servants!
“Lotus Command!”
When Li Hanbo shouted this out, it was as if an alarm had gone off in their heads. The tentacles that had been attacking the witch from every angle suddenly vanished, only to reappear in the form of lotus petals, swirling outward with Lin Nan at the center.
And Lin Nan noticed something peculiar about those lotus petals.
No matter how she moved, those beautifully detailed, almost artistic petals kept gracefully spinning around her feet!
Anyone who didn’t know better would think she conjured them herself.
Naturally, the players watching couldn’t contain their excitement.
“Look! Is that the Princess Witch’s ultimate move?”
“Wow, so pretty! She must be a reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara! That lotus throne is simply stunning; she’s definitely about to *trap* those monsters!”
“Trap what? The Princess Witch *is* a Great Demon! Are you daft? That’s a big-deal move, the kind that can determine the fate of a battle!”
Everyone was hyped about what the witch would do next.
Little did they know, Lin Nan was in a bit of a pickle.
She didn’t quite understand why Li Hanbo had suddenly pulled out such a bizarre tactic, but she certainly felt an extraordinary pressure.
The petals swirled below her, as if an invisible force field enveloped her entirely.
And as those giant, fragrant petals slowly rose as if they wanted to close in, Lin Nan felt like she had landed on a planet with ten times Earth’s gravity. She was barely holding it together!
With the increasing gravity, she could even hear her bones creaking under the pressure.
*Clang!*
The Black Wind Sword slipped from her grasp.
In a panic, Lin Nan quickly stored it in her inventory.
But this sudden turn of events meant that Lin Nan could no longer sustain herself and crashed down, leaning heavily to the side.
She couldn’t even use her teleportation to escape the grip of the petals.
Li Hanbo witnessed the witch’s predicament and felt a sense of triumph.
Well, well, who would’ve guessed the witch would fold so quickly under his “Lotus Command,” before he even exerted his full strength!
Just when had he learned this move, anyway?
But soon, he brushed that off — all that mattered was taking out the Cold Moon Witch, regardless of the skills employed.
As the petals closed in, tightly wrapping around the witch and beginning to constrict, Li Hanbo could practically envision the pain and despair she would face within.
Ha! It’s all over.
The era of Fallen Species ruling the Asking Dao Continent was about to commence.
And as the self-proclaimed emperor of the Fallen, he would conquer the Three Realms, making every creature on this continent tremble in utter terror at the mere mention of his name.
An emperor needs no adoration or worship.
All he needed was loyalty and submission, and strength was the perfect means to control his subjects — those who defy him, well, let’s just say they’d meet a dead-end.
With that in mind, Li Hanbo brimmed with confidence.
He could hardly contain his desire to laugh uproariously, excited to express his spirited ambition.
Meanwhile, the onlooking players were dumbfounded: Wait, wasn’t that supposed to be a big move? How did he end up trapping himself?
Could it be… that the lotus petal trick was actually Li Hanbo’s move?!
At that moment, everyone felt their hearts plummet as if they’d fallen into a deep ravine, and the blizzard above seemed to intensify; even opening their eyes felt like a daunting challenge.
