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As Maria saw the Immortal preparing for an attack, she glanced back at Wu, asking him an important question.

"Wu, tell me something."

"...Yes?"

"Is your father really dead?"

"They captured him... but I don't really know if he's truly dead or not. Something deep within me tells me that... perhaps, he's somewhere else."

"Well, I've got a new goal now. We're going to find your dad and free him."

"What?! But that's... it would be like going against all of Murim!"

"And so what? That sounds like fun~"

Maria gazed high into the skies as the Immortal smirked proudly.

"Maria, let me fight with you. He's not like that bastard I tore apart!" Lucifer said.

"Come on now, dear, you've had your fun." Maria floated in midair, rising toward the heavens as the Immortal overflowed with lightning. "It's my turn now, alright? I called dibs."

"Hmph... fine. But if it gets too dangerous, we're stepping in," Lucifer said.

"Fine," Maria shrugged.

"It's amusing how overly confident you all are about your strength. You're like frogs in a well, unable to truly grasp your position in the world. Just because in your pitiful little world you were strong, it doesn't mean that here you amount to anything."

"You're right. But I'd say it's the opposite here."

"...What?"

"You're the frog."

"Hah..."

The Immortal's calm face twisted into fury as his lightning surged everywhere, spreading like a storm.

"Face the ultimate form of the White Mist Technique—{White Thunder Cloud Arts: Thunderous Plasma Cannon}!"

RUMBLE!

A gigantic explosive beam of plasma and blue lightning erupted from the Immortal's hands, reaching Maria within a second.

BOOOM!

"Maria, don't be reckless!"

Lucifer, always overly protective and possessive, rushed forward without thinking. His hands pushed against the lightning, only for him to feel immense pain.

"Ungh?! T-This damned lightning...! It's cooking my hands!"

He saw his metallic scales melting, his flesh grilled alive, his bones cracking as the rest of his body was electrocuted. His Aura Barrier shattered instantly.

The power of Immortals in Murim wasn't something to laugh at. If Lucifer was suffering this much damage—and he was by far the most durable member of Maria's family—then only Maria could stand against it.

"I told you he's mine, dear. Come on, move aside."

Maria floated forward, her small, pale-skinned form tanking the lightning entirely. Half of her body revealed itself as golden lightning and black clouds.

She was using her Divine Thunder Body Skill—not just to endure the attack, but to absorb the lightning into her body.

"Hm?!"

The Immortal was left speechless as Maria emerged amidst the Plasma Cannon, extending her hand and grasping it completely.

Compressing it in her small, white hand.

And then—

TRUUUM!

She made it disappear completely.

"A-Ah... Wh... what...?"

The Immortal's lips trembled in disbelief. Everyone beneath reacted the same way—outer and inner disciples, and even the other two elders who had appeared.

"I haven't used this Skill in a long while," Maria said. "I obtained it by devouring the Divine Thunder Spirit that served one of the Gods of my world. I guess it even works with your weird blue lightning too?"

"You..."

The Immortal's eyes glowed with blue lightning. His Aura exploded as he summoned an Immortal Artifact into his hand—a long golden pole decorated with white cloud paintings and red jewels.

"{Golden Thunder Cloud Pole}!"

Maria analyzed the weapon as it appeared. These "Immortal Artifacts" seemed to be Soul-Bound to the Martial Artist's very Soul, tied to a strange core inside their chest—what she assumed was their Golden Core.

"So in this world you cultivate... and also create a bond with an artifact?" Maria wondered.

"Heh, you truly don't know a thing about us, huh? You really believe and trust Wu Lieng when he never told you anything about us?"

"Well, I'm sure he thought it wasn't that important after he saw what we had."

Maria quickly summoned a pair of weapons—a long halberd overflowing with darkness and void energies, and a sword made of bones, releasing phantasmal and necrotic power.

"You also have Soul-Bound Immortal Artifacts? No, wait... those aren't..." The Immortal laughed. "Hahaha! They're much weaker! Just some kind of 'Magical' Weapons from the other floors? Hahahaha!"

Mocking the "Magic" of other realms as beneath Murim's power system, the Immortal rushed toward Maria like a thunderbolt, sparks of lightning erupting as he reached her.

And they clashed immediately.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

RUMBLE!

The skies trembled. The White Mist Immortal moved gracefully, his Aura spreading like white clouds that darkened, generating more lightning.

His movements were fast and precise. His divine golden pole struck Maria's body several times. She seemed slower, inexperienced, even clumsy.

But her sword and halberd combined techniques that surprised him—explosions of alien elements he had never faced before.

Miasma, Chaos, and Void spread through his Aura and Cloud Barrier, infecting and weakening them like poison.

And although he avoided most of her physical attacks, Maria had Magic—powerful Spells that complemented her fighting style.

Abyssal Black Arrows, Divine Black Lightning, Chaotic Void Ocean Waves, Umbral Death Blight, and more bombarded the White Mist Immortal from every angle.

Unlike Martial Arts and Killer Moves, Magic Spells were far more versatile, unleashing attacks from any direction the caster desired.

Black thunder struck his back. Chaotic void waves hit his head, vortexes consumed his clouds, black arrows rained down, and beams of black light exploded across his body.

Yet despite their unpredictability, his body was reinforced as an Immortal, tanking most of the spells without damage.

"You sure have a beautiful firework show going on. But if that's all, I'll seize my victory right now!"

The White Mist Immortal blitzed through the skies, reaching Maria's back and striking her with his pole. Infusing it with thunder, he released a massive explosion of divine lightning.

BOOOOM!

Maria smiled back. The blow damaged her this time—her living dress was torn open with a huge hole—but the Immortal saw it begin to sew itself back together.

"Ouch."

Maria snapped her fingers. Darkness and shadows compressed into pure black void. Her sword rushed down from above. The Immortal evaded, moving left and preparing a strong counterattack with his pole—

Only for Maria's spell to ignite.

Right in his face.

"{All-Consuming Void}!"

FLUOSH!

"Ngh?!"

The White Mist Immortal gasped as the darkness exploded before him, black void consuming the sky and shattering the foundations of space and time.

BOOOMMM!!!

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