The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The members of the Nine Mystics Society had already arrived, and Thomas, along with his crew, had broken free from the clutches of the dark-cloaked adversaries.

The remaining foes were left to the capable hands of the Emerald Mountain's senior brothers.

Not far off, the sky darkened ominously as a group of dark-cloaked figures appeared once more, their sights set determinedly on Vivienne.

The Nine Mystics Society positioned themselves in a defensive formation, ready for both attack and defense.

Vivienne, however, was fixated on the looming crowd ahead.

There, amidst them, was her true target.

A wave of energy morphed into existence from the air, aiming straight for her vitals.

Percival, ever vigilant, wrapped an arm around Vivienne's waist and dodged the assault with ease.

A woman in red, her figure shrouded in mystery and her face hidden behind a veil, appeared before Vivienne. Despite the disguise, Vivienne recognized her instantly.

"Abigail!" Vivienne's voice was firm, leaving no room for retort.

The woman chuckled behind her hand, her voice dripping with seduction, "Vivienne, we finally meet." Vivienne scoffed, "Haven't we already met before?" Ignoring her, the woman in red flicked her crimson nails, signaling the dark-cloaked figures, "Her powers are beneath you. Capture her for me. I want her to watch as her loved ones perish before her eyes." With that, an attack was launched at Percival.

Hearing this, Vivienne's expression darkened.

She had guessed right; Abigail's vendetta was against Mr. Wolf.

Following hermand, a dark-cloaked figure aimed a vicious blow at Vivienne.

Vivienne raised her hand in a mere gesture, and the assailant's power dispersed into the air, rendered useless.

Shocked, a raspy voice emerged from beneath the mask, "Your powers exceed the fifth rank?" Vivienne smirked, "Fifth rank? That washalf a year ago." In the tshe spent in seclusion, her abilities had soared beyond the seventh rank.

A mere fifth-rank power user was of no concern to her.

And with the Spirit Suppression Pill she had prepared for everyone upon receiving that message, the oue of today's battle was still uncertain.

Disbelieving, the assailant attacked again, only to have his power extinguished mid-transformation by Vivienne's hand.

What followed was a blow of full force from the seventh rank.

The dark-cloaked figure was sent flying, blood spewing from his mouth.

Vivienne spared him no second glance.

To be incapacitated by a single blow was somewhat disappointing.

Meanwhile, Percival and Abigail were locked in intensebat.

Vivienne now turned her full attention to this formidable adversary who had eluded her for so long.

Fair is fair.

To stand toe-to-toe with Mr. Wolf, whose powers neared the tenth rank, Abigail's strength was indeed monstrous.

A pity she was a cancer.

Otherwise, Vivienne would have been intrigued to bring her back to the lab for a collaborative study with Brody.

The surrounding energy waves intensified suddenly. Vivienne squinted, hurrying to Percival's side, ready to join forces against Abigail.

The woman's garments fluttered as she traced an arc in the air, her gaze lazily arrogant, "Overestimating yourselves." "Vivienne, be careful." It was Percival who pulled her to safety, though Vivienne felt the near miss on her internalans.

She frowned, "The Spirit Suppression Pill has lost its effect.” "It must be due to her breaking through to the tenth rank," Percival wiped a trace of blood from his lip, his handsface clouded with fury.

Today was supposed to be their wedding day. To have their celebration interrupted was univable! Vivienne's eyes lit up with a spark of intrigue, "Mr. Wolf, remember the move we practiced?" Percival's gaze narrowed, quickly catching onto Vivienne's plan. Though he had reached the heights of the tenth rank, facing a barrier-breaker like Abigail required endurance.

But with Vivienne by his side, they could shorten the battle significantly.

Nothing, not even a barrage of bombs or a path of fire and brimstone, could stop him frompleting his marriage to Vivienne. Vivienne's lips curved, "Mr. Wolf, it's been a while since we fought together." The woman in red scoffed unabashedly at their resolve, "Thinking you can stop me? Neither of you will leave here today." Vivienne ignored her, her gaze darkening as she flicked her fingertips, sending a flurry of silver needles flying.

The woman in red dodged with a mere tilt of her head, dismissing Vivienne's tactics as child's play, "Such naive tricks are a waste of my time." She then launched a fierce palm strike at Percival, her tone full of arrogant certainty, "Only with your death can I truly savor this divine feast bestowed uponby the heavens." Percival's eyes glinted with a merciless chill, his aura radiating lethal intent.

Even faced with Abigail, he stood unyielding, "A person of limited talent dares to boast such confidence." Her face twisted in rage but quicklyposed itself as she attackedz with even greater ferocity, clearly agitated, "What does it matter? Once you're dead, your powers will be mine." Her greatest insecurities were her obscured beauty and her natural aptitude for learning powers.

Had it not been for her method of absorbing others' strengths, she couldn't have even dreamt of reaching the realm of internal cultivation.

But that was irrelevant. As long as she killed enough power users, their abilities would effortlessly be hers.

After several exchanges, Abigail sensed something amiss.

Percival, clearly a tenth-rank power user, had been on the defensive since their confrontation began.

With Vivienne's seventh-rank assistance, they were managing to hold their own against her.

And with her forces dwindling, Abigail found herself at a disadvantage.

Vivienne was playing a gof attrition, gathering their forces to collectively take her down.

A murderous intent flashed through the woman's eyes as she aimed for a quick resolution. But just as she moved to strike, a sudden constriction in her chest forced a mouthful of blood out. Frozen in place, she stared at Vivienne in disbelief. How could this be? Vivienne smirked, "This, my dear, is a poison I concocted just for you. It's clear, tasteless, and just a touch is enough to drain you of your strength, especially effective against someone with your... unique abilities." The woman in red bit her lip hard, "When did you...?" "The moment you thought my little syringe was child's play, the poison was already coursing through your veins. All that was left was to wait for it to take effect." Vivienne glanced at her watch, offering a candid response, "Not bad, you lasted six minutes." The woman in red tried to break free, surprised to find the toxin wasn't lethal, "You don't wantdead?" "Where's the challenge in that?" Vivienne retorted.

It wasn't about killing Abigail. After all, what would be the point of her long wait then? She planned to unravel the secrets Abigail harbored slowly and then hand her over to Brody. The lab was always in need of test subjects.

A strong specimen like her, Brody would be on his knees in gratitude if he saw her.

So what if she had broken through ten levels? Mr. Wolf's defensesbined with her specially engineered poison meant that even Abigail couldn't escape.

Vivienne reached out, gripping the woman's throat, increasing the pressure, "Tell me, why did you go after Mr. Wolf? What were you hoping to gain from him?" mmMwWLlilOfiflo&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflo&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflo&1