Although the crowd was puzzled, the power of that punch was not to be underestimated, and they almost immediately dodged to the side. The moment they scattered, the Flame Witch directly suppressed the Ghost Matron in mid-air with immense power.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
Engulfed in raging flames, the White Cloth Person looked even more distorted. Without hesitation, it unleashed its psychic magic, a sharp mental force rushing straight toward Chen Ying.
"Kill her, Chen Ying, kill her!!!"
The psychic wave struck instantly.
Chen Ying's cultivation was not weak, but she was still only an Intermediate Mage. The moment the mental attack invaded her mind, her body stiffened. Her eyes lost focus as she slowly picked up her dagger, her movements turning mechanical, controlled.
At the same time, a faint flicker of violet lightning stirred.
It wasn't visible to most.
But it was there.
The Lightning Belle hovered close to Mo Fan, her tiny body trembling slightly as her eyes locked onto Chen Ying. She didn't fully understand what was happening, but she could feel something wrong—something invasive.
Something that shouldn't be there.
A soft pulse of lightning spread outward from her.
Not violent.
Not destructive.
But intrusive in its own way.
The psychic influence around Chen Ying flickered.
For a brief moment, her grip on the dagger wavered.
"Damn it, you idiot, what are you still standing there for?" Mo Fan shouted, his voice cutting through the tension. "If you don't kill her, are you waiting for your own daughter to kill you?!"
The Flame Witch froze.
Her hesitation lasted only a fraction of a second—but it was enough.
The White Cloth Person tightened its control, forcing Chen Ying forward again. The dagger rose, her steps becoming sharper, more determined under the external will.
But the Lightning Belle reacted again.
This time—
stronger.
A sharper arc of lightning pulsed outward, not attacking Chen Ying, but clashing directly with the invading psychic force. It didn't destroy it, but it disrupted it, like static interfering with a signal.
Chen Ying's body trembled.
Her movement slowed.
The dagger, just inches from striking—
stopped.
"Ling!!!"
"Boom!!!"
That moment was all it took.
The Flame Witch snapped out of her hesitation. Rage surged through her as she realized what had almost happened. Without holding back, she unleashed her full power, reducing the White Cloth Person to ashes instantly.
The terrifying aura of the Flame Witch spread across the battlefield.
Zhao Yu Lin and his team were all stunned at this moment.
Strong.
Too strong!
This was completely beyond what they could contend with.
But after their immense fear, they found that the Flame Witch did not continue to attack after eliminating the White Cloth Person.
Chen Ying also regained consciousness after the White Cloth Person died, her breathing uneven as she tried to understand what had just happened. She instinctively stepped back, still shaken, before turning toward Zhao Yu Lin to explain the situation.
Mo Fan, however, didn't pay attention to that.
His gaze shifted slightly to the Lightning Belle.
She hovered there, her small body flickering faintly, as if unsure of what she had just done. But her attention remained on Chen Ying, as though confirming the disturbance had completely disappeared.
Mo Fan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Not bad."
He hadn't expected that.
She couldn't overpower psychic magic—but she could interfere with it.
Disrupt it.
Just enough to break control at a critical moment.
That alone was terrifying potential.
After a brief moment, Mo Fan turned his attention back to the Flame Witch.
"You received the aid of the Flame Belle and became a Flame Belle, but you are still just human," Mo Fan said calmly. "If she stays with you, you can't protect her. Just now—if we weren't here, and Chen Ying had really stabbed you, could you resist?"
"Once you are killed here, what will be the Flame Belle's fate?"
The Flame Witch looked at Mo Fan, recalling both his earlier scolding and his current words.
After a moment of contemplation, she let out a soft 'ning' sound.
She understood.
In her current state, she could not guarantee the safety of the Flame Belle.
And that—
was enough.
Although she had originally wanted to learn more about Mo Fan, the reality of her situation was clear. With her former husband's return and the instability surrounding her, she could not ensure that others would not harbor ulterior motives.
Slowly, she lifted the fire calamity fruit in her hand, her gaze soft and filled with tenderness.
No matter what else could be said about her—
as a mother, she was worthy.
"Hoo~~~"
A breath of green energy flowed from her lips onto the fire calamity fruit. Even Mo Fan could feel the surge of life force within it.
Clearly, she was accelerating its growth.
The shell began to crack.
A small fragment broke off and fell to the ground.
Inside, a tiny arm stretched out, fragile and flickering like a weak flame. The small creature struggled, pushing against the shell, trying desperately to break free from its confinement.
The arm was no thicker than Mo Fan's finger, its form unstable, as though even a stronger breath could extinguish it.
Mo Fan watched quietly.
Crack.
The shell broke further.
The small creature finally emerged.
Unlike ordinary newborn life, it did not cry or show weakness. Instead, it immediately grabbed fragments of the shell and began nibbling on them, like a tiny, energetic creature.
Its small limbs, round body, and delicate flame-like structure made it look almost like a living porcelain doll, its faint sounds resembling a kitten that had just been fed.
The Flame Belle—
had been born.
At the same time, the Lightning Belle drifted closer.
She hovered beside her.
Watching.
The Flame Belle continued eating, completely unbothered.
The Lightning Belle flickered once.
Then again.
As if declaring something silently.
Older.
Even if only by a moment.
The Flame Belle glanced at her briefly—
then ignored her entirely.
Mo Fan smirked slightly.
"Already acting like the older one…"
After the Flame Witch let out a soft sound, Xin Xia explained gently, "Mo Fan gege… this is the last Flame Belle in the world."
Mo Fan nodded and looked at Jiang Feng seriously.
"Don't worry," he said. "I won't let you down. And I won't let down the Flame Belle lineage."
Hearing this, Jiang Feng nodded, letting out another soft 'ning'.
At that moment, Mo Fan had already placed a contract imprint on the newborn Flame Belle.
She did not resist.
Instead, she instinctively moved closer to him, her small body radiating attachment.
The people who came with Zhao Yu Lin watched this scene with envy, but none dared act. The Flame Witch's presence alone was enough to suppress any thoughts of interference.
After a final exchange between Jiang Feng and Chen Ying, she instructed them to leave.
Although Chen Ying was reluctant, the divide between human and demon could not be easily crossed. Unless she obtained a Summoning Element or a suitable contract artifact, she would have no way of staying with her mother.
Still—
she had not harmed her.
And that alone was enough.
Zhao Yu Lin's group prepared to leave, and Zhao Manyan's team followed along.
As for Mo Fan—
he stayed.
The Burning Plains, freshly reborn after the calamity, was filled with resources.
And for him—
this was the perfect place to grow stronger.