"You must not have thought my evolution would let me grow to this level, do you?" Yuka asked. "Didn’t I tell you before that I am special even among my kind?"

"... You did," Amon responded.

"Hehe. You must have thought I would only be a Lower Primordial Beast after evolving. That’s why you limit my supply of the Primordial Blue Lotus’ nectar. Only after you enter the Mammoth Stage were you more generous in dispensing the nectar. It is because you wait until you are strong enough to deal with me, even if I evolve, isn’t it right? Well, the joke’s on you. You’ve underestimated my potential."

"I guess even I can be wrong sometimes." Amon brandished the Broken Justice and used its special ability. Its bright light illuminated the cave.

The large eyes on Yuka’s wings winced, but only slightly. She seemed to have trouble seeing, but wasn’t as affected as the first time when Amon used the Broken Justice on her.

’As expected,’ Amon thought. "The stronger the opponent, the less effective the broken sword’s ability was. Perhaps at its peak, the sword could affect even the Divine Realm cultivator. But in its broken condition, it held only a fraction of its power.

"Sheathe that weapon. I don’t wish to fight," Yuka said.

"Said the one who tried to eat me just now," Amon returned.

Yuka chuckled. "If you had failed to dodge me, then that would be the end of the matter. But you did, so I guess I would have to bear to continue working with you."

"... What do you mean?" Amon asked.

"Hehe. We have known each other for a long time. Though I never find you favorable, I admit you are an unusually capable person, especially in how you manipulate your own kind. I have observed your deeds, especially over the past few years. In the eyes of a common person, it will seem like you travel around without a clear purpose, but it is not so. You always do things with a purpose.

"Just like how you identify and isolate among Hai Di’s children who can serve your plan the most. How you sent Lin Li to disguise herself and used her mesmerizing voice to influence that offspring into requesting to be included in this peace talks mission.

"Then there is the other side, where you identify the woman who has enough willpower, beauty, and romantic wish to fall into the dance you prepare for her. You set her on a path that ensured she met Lang Man and doomed her to a forced marriage. You also had Lin Li plant the idea in her to bargain with him, enabling her to be the one who leads this peace talks mission.

"And eventually, bringing those two puppets to come across one another. I don’t know what plan you have for those two, but I don’t believe it is anything good. Considering you sent Lin Li to where they are, and also me to mount a fake assassination attempt on them. Heh, I must say, if that obese human you kept inside my old prison is the best puppet maker, you should acquire the title of the best puppet master."

"You give me too much credit. It’s all thanks to Lin Li’s abilities," Amon said.

"Don’t do that. It is not your nature to be humble. It sounds fake," Yuka said with a disgusted tone. "Though I agree that Lin Li’s power plays a major role, I know the mesmerizing voice of a multi-tailed fox does not alter the target’s mind permanently. If her suggestion is against the target’s desires or conduct, the target will immediately know something is wrong once her influence wears off.

"To have a lasting effect, her influence must be in line with the target’s desires. Even when her power wears off, the target will attribute her influence to their inner voices, telling them to seize the secret desire they would otherwise be too afraid or too reluctant to pursue. The one directing her on how to use her power to achieve this lasting effect is you, because you can uncannily read another human’s desires and know how to manipulate them to the fullest."

"Alright. I take all the credits, but how do you learn all that, anyway?" Amon asked. "I don’t let you see the outside world much. There is no way you can know all those details."

"I didn’t learn them myself. Lin Li told me," Yuka answered.

"Lin Li...?"

"I might have considered her only as a nutritious prey at first, but we are bestie now."

Seeing Amon’s confused expression, Yuka shrugged. "What can you expect? If you live in an enclosed world with only one other person to share it with, we inevitably hang out. I must say, I was at first annoyed by her loyalty to you. I can’t blame her, though. She was mentally linked to you, after all. But I can see that her connection with you goes deeper than the relationship between a tamed beast and a beast tamer. She truly cares about you deep down, and I know for a fact that her feelings for you are a result of your manipulation, just like how you manipulate those people through her."

"So what? Are you saying that you care about her now?" Amon asked. He did notice Lin Li and Yuka conversed from time to time inside the black space ring, but he didn’t bother to eavesdrop on what they were conversing about. He only kept partial consciousness to monitor the ring’s dimension. Enough to act if Yuka tried something, but not enough to see and hear all the details that went on inside.

"As I said, the feelings I had toward her were more of an annoyance and contempt at first. However, I must say she grows on me. So, I tell myself. If I manage to evolve myself and become stronger than you, I will try to take you out at the first opportunity. If I succeed, good. I would have gifted Lin Li her freedom. She will suffer some mental damage, but that is better than being a slave. She will also hate me when she learns what I did, but I will have no regrets."

"But you failed."

"That’s true, and I know my chance of eliminating you goes down rapidly if I cannot kill you with the element of surprise. I know about the giant battle puppet you tucked away at the corner of your ring’s dimension. I know it has the power to fight me, even with my current power. It might not win against me, but it is enough to prevent me from killing you.

"So, I told myself if I failed with my ambush, I would resume our cooperation, even when I no longer need the Primordial Blue Lotus’ nectar."

"Heh. Like hell I will. Do you think I can still trust you after you tried to kill me?" Amon asked.

"Hehe. Have you ever trusted me before?" Yuka asked back.

Amon gave the matter a thought. It might seem reckless to let her stay close. She could try to jump him again. But then again, she was right. It was nothing different from before. Throughout the time he let her inside the black space ring, there was always a risk of her ambushing him. The difference this time was that she was much faster, but Amon believed it would still not be enough for her to succeed.

Chasing her away would instead be riskier. A Zuanze Butterfly could track someone. He could avoid her, but he would never be able to hide from her. If he chased her away, she might jump him from an unseen angle. At least inside the black space ring, he always had his eyes on her.

"Alright." Amon extended his hand. A standard gesture when she wished to enter the black space ring.

However, when she was about to move towards him, he uttered, "Halt! Your main body stays where you are. I know your current look is not your true form. Extend only a small part of you to me."

"Hehe." Yuka grinned. She wasn’t offended by Amon’s distrust. She lifted her arm. The slim arm broke apart into multiple tentacles. One of the tentacles elongated and headed toward Amon.

Amon had the Broken Justice ready in his hand. If Yuka tried anything using that tentacle, he would cut it. He believed he would have no trouble if it were only one tentacle. Nevertheless, he focused all his senses so he could react in case Yuka made a sudden move.

"So tense," Yuka ridiculed.

Amon’s finger and the tip of Yuka’s lengthening tentacle touched. She vanished then. Amon remained still as his consciousness watched Yuka inside the ring. She strolled around the place without any care.

Yuka knew she was being watched. She looked up and said, "Don’t worry. I keep my word. I won’t ambush you... Then again, I know you will not trust me. Be my guest, stay alert at all times, then."

Amon snickered. He was always alert.

Nevertheless, with Yuka’s current speed, the available window for him to react after sensing her movement would be much shorter. To nullify the risk, he must either eliminate her or grow stronger than she is.