[Crane · Strong: Possesses five times the duelist "Purgatory" strength]

[Crane · Neither strong nor weak: Possesses three times the duelist "Purgatory" strength]

"What the hell! The players from Taleblade Building really have nine lives!"

Xu Lang raged silently in his head.

During the simulation, he had thrown everything at him yet failed to kill Song Fei instantly. After bottling up power for so long this time, he still couldn't finish him in one burst.

And he had let that item come into play.

The Blood-Red Box's Waterfowl Performance was unbeatable. Unless there was something of a far higher rank, it could only be countered by overwhelming difference in tier.

No choice, the people he was dealing with now were not the players from Mad King Building.

These guys were top-tier.

His power wasn't weak, and they were not run-of-the-mill opponents.

The two cranes stared at his "weak-tier crane," eyes filled with predatory focus!

Boom—

Crane · Strong raised its blade, a world-shattering blade aura cutting through the air!

Xu Lang's pupils flicked. He saw Crane · Neither strong nor weak already closing in at extreme speed, and he immediately stopped resisting, letting this body be extinguished within the blade aura.

Both cranes wanted to swallow this weak-tier crane first.

A malicious smile tugged at Crane · Strong's mouth. Its movement was so fast it seemed to teleport, instantly appearing in front of Crane · Neither strong nor weak!

They began to clash!

"You think you can kill me?!" Not long after, Crane · Neither strong nor weak's chest was cleaved open, its form rapidly thrown back, screams of fury spilling out.

Heart!

Exploded!

Crane · Neither strong nor weak's state instantly refilled.

Seeing this scene, Song Fei's dead-still eyes flickered slightly.

That guy actually had such a trump card.

Too bad, it was all already over. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Purgatory had already died, and he himself had not been sent back to the resting room.

The Iron Blood Coliseum was clearly out to maliciously mess with him.

Or perhaps the Blood Immortal Treasure's mystery exceeded his imagination.

The current situation: Purgatory had been usurped by a crane, the crane was the identity of a Mad King Building player... and when it finally devoured him, it would turn into a Taleblade Building player's identity.

"When he devours me, I can use the remaining half of my spirit to establish a binding with the Gluttony Demon... After my death, let the new me give Purgatory's loser pack to the Dorm Owner..."

"As long as they get that sword, Taleblade can be cut down!"

"Long live Taleblade Building!"

Song Fei composed himself and calmly awaited death.

...

In a space between illusion, spirit, and matter, blood-colored clouds instantaneously pressed against the sky, blood-colored thunder and rain converging. Blood fell across the crimson plateau, the world wept.

Xu Lang was the first Scarlet Shepherd. He did not know whether death was commonplace for a Scarlet Shepherd.

But this was indeed his first death.

It felt strange.

All the Herd Spirits sensed something and rose from their tombstones, looking toward the firmament.

"The Shepherd is dead?" Thunderfall Venerable could not believe it.

"No, he is not gone. He has always been here. This entire pasture is his will," Harlan shook his head.

The Grave Pasture's world-will was Xu Lang's will.

Suddenly, one tombstone split open a crack, then the fissure widened.

It was the tombstone of a Taleblade Building player.

The associated Herd Spirit looked back in horror.

The next second, its body exploded into spirit light and surged into the tombstone.

A blood-red vortex formed in an instant. From that whirl stepped Xu Lang, perfectly intact.

He pinched his hand and smiled, "Still feels better to have a body."

To the Herd Spirits, this sight was utterly terrifying.

All the Herd Spirits bowed and kneeled, heads lowered, calling out honors.

"Hail the Shepherd!"

Xu Lang did not let them rise. With a thought, Purgatory March appeared in his hand.

Before dying, he had sent his equipment into his backpack.

Right now, the other items in the backpack were locked; only the five preselected pieces of equipment and one item were usable.

This meant the Scarlet Shepherd's power had not exceeded the Coliseum's specifications. The Iron Blood Coliseum knew he was still alive.

But one thing was certain: the Nightmare Lord's mystery exceeded even the Iron Blood Coliseum. Nightmare Eye's ability to reveal information was the best proof.

This resurrection had been part of the plan, everything proceeding according to plan.

He had lost a tombstone, but could inherit the duel's final victory.

The only downside was the Scarlet Shepherd sequence was growing stronger again; its origin emitted much chaotic information, making him somewhat out of control.

But he did not show it.

"This Herd Spirit's origin material is too weak. It only restored seventy to eighty percent of my strength."

"To be safe, I'll reinforce a bit."

"Haven't used Nightmare Coins to reinforce my core battle power in a long time."

Xu Lang took out the Aberration·Corpse Liberation Immortal Transformation Card.

In the last simulation he used the Corpse Liberation Immortal transformation card, and when the crane appeared, it also simulated his Corpse Liberation Immortal form.

That had been genuinely terrifying!

Honestly, the Blood-Red Box had shocked him considerably.

The simplest combat method would be to force Song Fei to use the Blood-Red Box while not showing too much strength. The Blood-Red Box could only simulate the target's initial state.

But then the inheritance he would receive might be poor.

The Blood-Red Box's brilliance lay in inheritance...

Three cranes devoured one another; the victor gained everything. So his weak-tier crane actually still had a shot to be the big winner!

[Aberration·Corpse Liberation Immortal Transformation Card consumes 3000 Nightmare Coins, upgrade to level 11]

[Aberration·Corpse Liberation Immortal Transformation Card consumes 5000 Nightmare Coins, upgrade to level 12]

[Aberration·Corpse Liberation Immortal Transformation Card consumes 7000 Nightmare Coins, upgrade to level 13]

[Aberration·Corpse Liberation Immortal Transformation Card consumes 9000 Nightmare Coins, upgrade to level 14]

[Aberration·Corpse Liberation Immortal Transformation Card consumes 15000 Nightmare Coins, upgrade to level 15, please choose upgrade direction]

...

After Crane · Strong slew Crane · Neither strong nor weak, its aura skyrocketed, its demeanor changed greatly from Xu Lang's original, becoming uncanny and extreme, faintly resembling the "Blood Immortal" from Song Fei's memory.

That experience left the two Floor Leaders' dormitories fighting for their lives.

"Come then, devour me, this tamer. Even if you truly are the Blood Immortal's body, you must obey the Blood-Red Box's rules," Song Fei said, staring calmly at Crane · Strong.

At this time, Song Fei had returned to human form, life force thin.

The Blood-Red Box opened wide, and Crane · Strong was sucked inside.

The next instant, Song Fei's body distorted; feathers sprouted from his skin, his face shifted toward a hooked beak, his shoulder blades writhed as if to grow a pair of crane wings.

Song Fei's teeth nearly shattered—he had never imagined the Blood-Red Box's consciousness would be so strong!

On the verge of his humanity being devoured, he rasped out a shout!

"Gluttony Demon, consume all my spirit, seal this body!!!"

The oath was made.

Immediately after, his deepest, most abiding wish erupted into a roar, crashing into every player's ears like a death knell!

"With our fires of reason, we will burn all false narratives!"

"In the fractured world, we will be the new gods!"

"The only thing that can save this world is Taleblade!"

"We are the apex of every narrative!"

"Taleblade Building, welcome everyone to join us!"