Eternal Companionship

More and more players poured in from every direction.

They surrounded the Evil Spirit Warrior in layer after layer.

While players with Taunt Souls took turns controlling the Evil Spirit Warrior, the dazed Duan Xing was dragged away from the scene by a group of players.

They escorted him farther and farther away.

The other players attacked the Evil Spirit Warrior in wave after wave, stopping it from going after God of Wealth again.

During the battle, players also shared the Evil Spirit Warrior's analysis panel in the regional voice channel.

[Earththought—Evil Spirit (Leader-Class)]

Hunting Level: 63

Target Analysis: An intelligent evil spirit born from the Black Tide, with powerful combat awareness and combat skills.

Even while surrounded by players, the already weakened Evil Spirit Warrior remained unstoppable.

It could easily kill groups of players with a casual strike, while their attacks couldn't even break through its outer defenses.

The players' only advantage was their sheer numbers. They kept throwing themselves into the fight, and more figures continued arriving from every direction to help.

"Does anyone else have a Taunt Soul? We're not going to hold out much longer. This thing can't be beaten just by throwing numbers at it."

"Anyone with Taunt, type 1 in the regional channel. I'll form a team, and we can use Taunt in rotation to buy God of Wealth more time."

Players with Taunt Souls were few and far between, and before long, there were gaps in the taunts.

But to the players' surprise, the Evil Spirit Warrior didn't pursue God of Wealth in the direction he'd gone. Instead, it transformed into a streak of black light, soared into the sky, and flew north.

With the crisis over, the players finally breathed a sigh of relief, believing God of Wealth had made it out alive.

At that moment, in one corner of the Crimson Plains, Duan Xing remained unconscious. His Runes Armor flickered faintly at intervals, as though it were breathing.

Black death energy had spread all over his body, and the corrosion was making his injuries worse.

On the verge of death, Duan Xing vaguely saw his late father.

The man who had died in his place.

Memories from when he was seven surged back like a tide, and endless pain filled his childhood.

In his memories, the Black Tide had seeped into his body from a mark on his left chest, gradually spreading inside him and corroding his heart.

The last time he saw his father, his consciousness had already grown hazy, but he still clearly remembered his father smiling as he stroked his head:

"Xing, do you want to have power as great as your dad's?"

"I do... If I had power like yours, I could definitely overcome the corruption... One day, I could join the Tidal Rebellion Legion like you and become an honored warrior."

"I hope you'll stay strong and keep walking your path in the years to come."

"Dad, where are you going?"

"I'm not leaving. I'll always be by your side, watching you grow."

His consciousness fell asleep at that moment.

When he awoke, his father had vanished. The corrosive energy that had seeped into his body was gone, too.

His once-weakened heart now beat with powerful strength. When he looked down, he discovered an energy core linked to his heart in his left chest.

At that moment, he understood his father's choice. This was the eternal companionship and the witnessing of his growth that his father had spoken of.

The withered, decaying heart in his chest had been removed, replaced by his father's strong, powerful heart.

From what the priests had told him, Duan Xing learned that the energy core in his left chest sealed the powerful heart within him. His weak body couldn't withstand his father's heart, so the core controlled its power and could be turned to release the seal.

When his father's heart and the energy core had joined perfectly, a last trace of his father's consciousness had flashed through his mind:

"Every time you turn the energy core, your father will fight by your side."

Memories surged through Duan Xing's mind. His body grew weaker and weaker, and the injuries inflicted by the Evil Spirit Warrior continued to worsen.

The death energy that had seeped into him caused his organs to rapidly deteriorate. Only his heart continued to thunder, keeping the last spark of life burning within him.

As his consciousness began to sink, Duan Xing vaguely saw his father standing nearby, smiling as he held out a hand:

"Keep up with me."

Holding his father's hand, Duan Xing walked toward the faint light ahead. At that moment, the darkness around him no longer seemed so frightening.

Outside, the players were frantic with worry.

The analysis feedback from Guidance showed that God of Wealth was on the brink of death and could die at any moment.

At that moment, many players chose to lend a hand.

"You made 800 Sacrificial Power off me. This 50-Sacrificial-Power healing pill can be my payback." A player grimaced as he spoke, then produced a green pill and stuffed it into Duan Xing's mouth.

"God of Wealth, you can't die!" One player exchanged 10 Sacrificial Power for a low-grade healing potion and poured it over Duan Xing.

"I'm a doctor! Everyone, move aside and let me check his injuries... I can't make heads or tails of them. Guess I'll just buy medicine."

As players poured healing potions over him and his heart continued beating defiantly, Duan Xing was slowly pulled back from the brink of death.

His injuries began to heal at a visible rate.

Seeing this, the players gathered around Duan Xing cheered.

"Check the analysis feedback! God of Wealth's 'near death' status has changed to 'weak.' We did it!"

"Now that we've succeeded, shouldn't we get out of here? God of Wealth will definitely attack us when he wakes up. He's fierce! Let's get out of here!"

"Run, run! God of Wealth kills without batting an eye. If he sees us here, we'll definitely end up in Xiao Hei's Room for an hour!"

Seeing Duan Xing's injuries gradually heal, the players hurried off, unwilling to stick around.

They liked Duan Xing, but they knew he didn't like them one bit. Every time they met, he came at them with two machetes and tried to kill them.

Not long after the players left, Duan Xing slowly awoke.

He opened his eyes and looked down at the energy core linked to his heart, then scanned his surroundings.

He didn't understand why he was here, or where the Evil Spirit Warrior he'd fought had gone.

Puzzled, he tried to activate the combat data recording function embedded in his Runes Armor. Countless video recordings immediately flooded his mind.

He saw the moment when, on the verge of death, the mysterious creatures he hated with all his heart had risked their lives to save him. He also saw them drag him away from the Evil Spirit Warrior, buy him time to escape, and fight the Evil Spirit Warrior to the death.

The final recording showed the mysterious creatures treating his injuries.

After watching the recordings, Duan Xing's hatred for the mysterious creatures turned to gratitude.

He didn't know why they had done it, but he knew they had risked their lives to keep him alive.

In the face of that kindness, all his hatred seemed insignificant.

Sitting up, he took a rune seal the size of his thumb from his armguard.

"The trial's failed. It's time to go back."

After this battle, the obsession in his heart had faded. He decided to give up on the trial and leave.

With the mysterious creatures in his way, he'd never be able to collect enough Evil Crystals. And when he saw them again, he no longer wanted to kill them.

"I'll repay your kindness once I'm strong enough."

With that, Duan Xing flew straight into the sky.

An hour later, Duan Xing reappeared in front of the crater he'd made when he arrived. He was about to insert the rune seal in his hand into the shuttle and call for an Observer to pick him up.

But when he looked down into the crater, he was shocked to find that the shuttle was gone.

He frowned and tried to activate the positioning system in his Runes Armor, but he could no longer locate the shuttle. He couldn't even read any information about its fragments.

His heart suddenly began to beat faster, and his blood pressure soared. Duan Xing's eyes turned completely red.

He thought of one possibility.

The ability to make objects disappear without a trace... Who else could it be but those mysterious creatures?

Half a day earlier.

Player Forum:

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