The Wandering Final Boss

Butterfly?

A black butterfly that passed through rocks as if using an escape technique, yet not quite?

Wang Jixuan's heart had been tense ever since he discovered the location where Dragonfly Aunt was attacked.

In a flash, Wang Jixuan transmitted a shout and rapidly formed hand seals with his Sword Fingers.

"Enemy attack! Eject quickly!"

Peony and Black Shell were clearly stunned for a moment.

Their various sensors and radars detected no sign of any enemy.

Suddenly!

A jet-black butterfly flew out from the rock face above, its wings fluttering, scattering extremely faint points of light in the pitch-black environment.

It seemed to be heading straight for the shuttlecraft Wang Jixuan was in.

In that instant;

Two shuttlecraft silently began to collapse inward, deforming.

Without a word, Wang Jixuan tightly gripped his left wrist with his right hand and pointed his left Sword Finger forward.

Great Evolution Heart Sword!

A transparent sword light swept towards the jet-black butterfly!

Explosions erupted beneath the three seats in the two shuttlecraft, ejecting them upward as the cabin doors blew open.

The jet-black butterfly seemed not to have expected Wang Jixuan's counterattack to be so swift and fierce. Its body was struck by the sword light and sent flying sideways, causing light to distort around it.

The deformation of the shuttlecraft was interrupted for a moment!

Wang Jixuan, Peony, and Black Shell were ejected from the cabins, their backs slamming hard against the top of the tunnel.

The jet-black butterfly had transformed into a young human woman. She was now kneeling awkwardly on one knee, raising her hand towards the shuttlecraft ahead, her eyes glowing black as she clenched her fist.

The shuttlecraft emitted several popping sounds, as if being crushed into twisted soda cans by a giant's iron fist.

The explosion's flames illuminated the young woman's appearance.

With disheveled hair and a pale complexion, she was quite terrifying in the deep, dark underground tunnel.

Wang Jixuan landed steadily. Two small flashlights popped out from the shoulders of his X Armor, illuminating the tunnel ahead and behind as brightly as day. He now held a long sword radiating ripples like autumn water.

Blinded by the intense light, the woman instinctively closed her eyes.

A dark shadow shot out from above Wang Jixuan's head. Her slender figure spun rapidly in the air on an axis from head to toe, her twin ponytails behind her helmet swirling like a whirlwind.

Peony was charging forward!

She lunged at the young woman with her right fist, while her left palm's Annihilation Cannon had completed its rapid charge.

Wang Jixuan's long sword flickered, a sword light brewing upon it. It seemed as if he were about to unleash a sword aura, but in reality, ripples spread out.

Demon Suppression Recitation!

The young woman not only hadn't expected to be exposed so early, causing her sneak attack to fail;

She also hadn't anticipated that the opponent's offensive would be so fierce.

She crossed her arms in an X shape, a faint black light blooming around her, as she took the brunt of Peony's incoming right fist. The sudden chanting made her feel agitated and unable to concentrate, causing her body to lag.

Bang!

A dull thud, the black light scattering like sparks.

The young woman was sent flying backward like a comet, her back slamming hard against the stone wall. She spat out a mouthful of blood and enveloped herself in a dark black light.

Wang Jixuan's long sword vibrated, the chanting growing more urgent.

Peony advanced rapidly, circling along the curved stone wall. Her clenched left hand seemed about to throw a punch, but she opened her fingers, and the Annihilation Cannon in her palm was pressed against the young woman's forehead.

Close-range shot!

Voom!

The young woman abruptly turned her head to the side.

A light purple beam erupted.

The black light she had condensed in front of her negated most of the energy, but her right ear and the skin above it were instantly vaporized.

"Ah—"

The woman let out a piercing shriek, and a wave of dark black ripples spread outward.

Wang Jixuan and Black Shell felt as if they had been hit hard!

Peony's body leaped backward, landing elegantly and precisely to Wang Jixuan's front left. Her left Annihilation Cannon entered cooldown, and her right palm began to charge.

The woman's ear and hair on one side were burned away, making her look truly terrifying.

Yet, she calmly stared at Wang Jixuan, seemingly feeling no pain, as the destroyed skin and even hair began to regenerate at an astonishing speed.

Black Shell, who had been observing, had now completed the highest energy charge for his Annihilation Cannon.

He wasn't in a hurry, instead quietly looking for the best opportunity to strike.

Moreover, according to Black Shell's understanding, this opening was the perfect time for both sides to exchange a few words, greet each other, curse, or extract some intelligence from the other party.

As expected.

Before Wang Jixuan could speak, the woman was already asking.

"You're not a psionicist?"

"And you're not a psionicist either?" Wang Jixuan's voice was clear and relaxed, as if he had an army of thousands behind him.

The woman tilted her head slightly, a smile appearing on her lips: "Oh? How did you figure that out?"

"Unstable soul."

Wang Jixuan said calmly:

"I just used a little trick, and your soul and body developed a crack.

"This body you're in should only belong to a B-Class Psionicist. Its physical enhancements aren't that strong, but now, there's psionic energy comparable to an S-Class Psionicist within her, and her internal organs and body are damaged.

"So you are... a clone of a spiritual practitioner?"

The woman said thoughtfully: "The three of them warned me beforehand that a troublesome and despicable guy would come looking for trouble recently. You are indeed troublesome; you saw through my identity at first glance."

Wang Jixuan: ...

The six spiritual practitioners could indeed communicate with each other.

But shouldn't the Fourth Spiritual Practitioner have told her? Why "the three of them"?

Did "the three of them" refer to the three beneath the Psionic Capital?

"So," Wang Jixuan said calmly, "did you show up in person to ambush us? Or do you not even have a few trustworthy subordinates?"

The woman suddenly laughed, a very gentle laugh: "Human, you are interesting. Every word you say is an attempt to extract my intelligence, but I don't want to follow your lead in conversation... How about becoming my subordinate? You can name your conditions."

Wang Jixuan replied: "That depends on your offer."

"Name it yourself," the woman paced slowly. "I haven't notified Xing Tian that your whereabouts have been discovered, so you don't need to worry for now. Did those three say that Old Sophie was activated by you? Are you Old Sophie's student?"

"Old Sophie?"

"According to the number you humans gave, that's the Fourth Spiritual Practitioner. I should be the Fifth."

The woman's voice grew lighter, her pale chin lifting slightly.

That pride flowed from her bones outwards.

The woman said: "You don't need to bother killing this body of mine; it's just a vessel, allowing me to come out for some air. My power is beyond your imagination... Have you thought about your conditions?"

"You state what you can give."

Wang Jixuan responded verbally, while his mind raced.

Their shuttle had been destroyed by the woman.

This was the only reason the other party was so confident.

As long as this spiritual practitioner gave an order, they would be plunged into endless pursuit.

Wang Jixuan had anticipated many possibilities before, but he truly hadn't expected that the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner, who should have been the 'final boss,' would just come out for a stroll. Dragonfly Aunt was likely captured directly by the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner.

One tricky old fox like Xing Tian was already difficult enough;

The Fifth Spiritual Practitioner was no less formidable!

A text message popped up in front of Wang Jixuan.

[Black Shell: Stall for time as much as possible. You can pretend to agree. We are very passive right now.]

He then heard the woman murmur:

"What can I give you?

"My civilization is above Human Civilization. This is almost what you call a dimensional reduction attack. I can give you all sorts of things.

"If you want power, you can help me recover my strength, and then I will build a kingdom for you, making you the ruler of all spirit slaves. You can use spirit slaves to rule a portion of this planet.

"Note, a portion.

"Old Sophie (Fourth Spiritual Practitioner) is a spineless coward, weak-willed, accomplished nothing, and likes to brand herself as a gentle liberal.

"You should already know that three of us six are powerful old folks. They are already helping the Six Elders build the planetary ruling system. Their recovery speed is also far superior to mine.

"So, in terms of power, I can promise you one-sixth of the land and sea.

"How about it?"

Wang Jixuan smiled casually: "That's not what I'm pursuing?"

"Then what is it? Human primitive civilization should still be in the stage of pursuing a society where people rule people. Power can satisfy most of your desires."

"Individual advancement?" Wang Jixuan's voice also held a hint of uncertainty.

The woman suddenly laughed: "You crave power? You are a bit more advanced than them. They always feel that power serves power, but that's not actually the case. The real pleasure lies in gaining immense power yourself, in understanding the essence of this universe. I'm starting to appreciate you."

Wang Jixuan's heart skipped a beat.

This Fifth Spiritual Practitioner is much harder to deal with than the Fourth Spiritual Practitioner.

Her personal pursuits, and even her personality, align more with Wang Jixuan's perception of those cultivation fanatics.

Of course, he was a fanatic himself back then.

The woman thought carefully and said frankly:

"The reason I want you to be my subordinate is because you possess a completely different power system from us. I can sense that you are very interesting. The psionic energy within you is constantly rotating according to a certain pattern, and each rotation makes it purer.

"This could potentially grant me greater strength.

"I have always yearned to reach the pinnacle of power. The sudden attack by the Blade Beasts and the destruction of my civilization have prevented me from continuing my personal pursuits.

"Therefore, I cannot guarantee that I can help you achieve individual advancement right now, because I don't want to disrupt this peculiar psionic energy pattern within you.

"Once I have thoroughly studied you, I can make you the top-tier Spirit Slave. If you can contribute to me, or if we spend more than ten thousand Earth years together, I can plunder the core circuits of other Spiritual Practitioners for you, allowing you to advance into a true Spiritual Practitioner.

"The prerequisite is that you let me study you."

Wang Jixuan shook his head: "I don't crave your power."

"Why?"

"My own is enough," Wang Jixuan chuckled. "And for certain reasons, I cannot let you study me. The powerful entity behind me is very wary of that."

"Oh, alright."

The woman was clearly a little disappointed. She looked at Wang Jixuan:

"So, does this mean negotiations have broken down?"

Wang Jixuan replied: "Not necessarily... You are also very interesting. If possible, I would also like to communicate with you more. At the very least, you are much more honest than that hypocritical Fourth Spiritual Practitioner who is full of lies."

"Is that so?" The woman smiled happily. "That old guy is hypocritical and arrogant, and he doesn't have much real skill. You know, when every civilization develops to a certain stage, there will always be some bastards who rely on their seniority and act imperiously, blocking others' paths to advancement, and then smugly claim to be elders... It's disgusting."

Wang Jixuan: ...

He dared not respond to that.

It was too strong an area-of-effect attack on the cultivation world.

He directly asked: "Is there any way you can come back with me?"

"Me, go back with you?"

"Yes," Wang Jixuan replied frankly. "I've had enough of the Fourth Spiritual Practitioner's endless deception. If you can come back with me, I'll destroy that guy directly."

The woman thought carefully: "This is considered a provocation from a lower-tier civilization... Although I don't have much sense of collective honor, how you treat the Fourth Spiritual Practitioner now is how you might treat me later."

"That's different. I admire your straightforward personality."

"I also admire your thinking ability," the woman chuckled. "Without realizing it, you've started to lead our negotiations."

"Does it matter who leads? Let me formally introduce myself first."

Wang Jixuan walked in front of Peony, opened his helmet's visor, and said seriously:

"My name is Wang Zheng, my real name is Mu Liang. I am a representative of a certain high-level civilization, different from Spiritual Practitioners, Blade Beasts, and Earth humans.

"I was originally an Earth human, so I hate Blade Beasts. We share this in common.

"The reason I gained power is that a certain high-level civilization discovered that humans were suffering here and sent me to help eradicate the Blade Beasts and guide humanity back on the right track. This is a trial for me.

"In the war against the Blade Beasts, I fully realized that if I fought alone, I would ultimately be surrounded and killed by them.

"Therefore, I am now more inclined to seek partners.

"Commander Fu Jian of the D5 Comprehensive War Zone is my closest partner right now. If possible, I want the Spiritual Practitioners to join our ranks as well.

"Let's counterattack the Blade Beasts, retake the planet, and then I will provide some assistance to help you completely conquer the Blade Beasts."

The woman thought carefully.

Her current appearance was meaningless; this was a Spirit Slave she had seized.

Perhaps because Wang Jixuan's gaze was too calm and sincere, the woman actually hesitated.

She said: "To be frank, you are indeed tempting to me.--I mean, your abilities are tempting. Don't misunderstand me as having any ulterior motives towards you."

Wang Jixuan was confused: "We are discussing power, why would you associate it with such a base level?"

"I apologize," the woman's gaze actually showed a hint of remorse. "That was presumptuous of me, but I was truly disgusted. The Spirit Slave I chose before, Xing Tian, wanted to mate with me decades ago to achieve his own advancement. He even thought that if we had a relationship, I would become his spiritual subordinate... It truly disgusted me!"

Wang Jixuan: ...

Black Shell: ...

Fu Jian, watching from afar: ...

Peony whispered: "Then he probably likes watching popular novels from the Golden Age."

"However," the woman smiled, "although Xing Tian was a bit disgusting, his abilities were quite good. If you want to cooperate with me instead of becoming my Spirit Slave, then I will need to test you."

"Test me?"

"You probably don't know the location of my stone slab wall yet."

The woman said:

"I won't reveal your whereabouts.

"Next, find me. No matter how you do it, as long as you can reach me, even if you're severely injured and on the verge of death, I will accept your offer of cooperation.

"I know that the reason you're speaking to me so politely right now is largely because you're afraid I'll send people to hunt you down.

"That's what I initially thought too, otherwise I wouldn't have destroyed your transportation. But now, I've discovered this approach will be quite interesting.

"The most interesting part is that you're arrogant deep down, yet due to your current situation, you have no choice but to prove your abilities to me..."

She blinked gently, sniffing with her nose.

"I've already memorized your scent. Come find me. If you try to escape, then I'll have Xing Tian and the envoys sent by those three old men hunt you down."

Peng!

Her body was enveloped in black light, transforming into a dark butterfly that lightly flapped its wings, disappearing in a flash.

But her voice still echoed through the corridor:

"I like your assessment of Old Sophie."

Wang Jixuan hurriedly asked, "What about my scout now?"

"Mai Qingting? She's a promising seedling. I was planning to turn her into my Spirit Slave. Is she yours? Then I'll speed up the modification... You'd better come find me quickly. The modification process can be fatal."

The voice completely vanished.

Wang Jixuan and the Black Shell stared at each other, wide-eyed.

What should we do now?