The End

As the Will Soul dispersed without any suppression, a terrifying darkness and deathly silence descended completely upon this eerie willow forest.

Aurenli has retired.

In the blink of an eye, he retreated dozens of meters, creating distance between himself and Xu Yuan.

Although he sometimes couldn't stand the guy who was even more pretentious than him, Xu Yuan had to admit that he had a keen eye for judging the battle situation.

Perhaps Aurenli did indeed deceive Xu Changge with her superb acting skills and hidden schemes, successfully concealing her true strength, but none of this could affect Xu Changge's judgment on the outcome of the battle between him Xu Yuan, and Aurenli.

Aurenli's magical power may be very strong, and her defensive spells may be difficult to penetrate, but none of this can change her fatal weakness of being physically weak.

His body, being like a glass cannon, has a natural compatibility with hers.

Standing still, Xu Yuan glanced at his shoulders, which were pierced by ice spikes.

There, Black Death Fungal Mat, as thick as flesh and blood, was slowly writhing, stitching up his wound.

It hurts a lot, but the sensation of the pierced collarbone being removed is gradually dissipating.

After a moment of observation, Xu Yuan's gaze shifted upwards to the surrounding Thousand-Thorn Ghost Willow.

As the price for forcibly using the Black Death Fungal Mat to heal his wounds, he would inevitably be in excruciating pain after this battle, but now was not the time to think about that.

Under the shroud of black mist, the ghost willows that had been growing unconsciously all around suddenly began to react.

As if in response, as if in joy, as if ingratiating themselves, countless drooping willow branches began to sway silently.

Xu Yuan felt that he was connected to this willow Black Mist Will Soul.

He seemed to have become both the king of this Ghost Willow Forest and a part of it.

With these thoughts in mind, Xu Yuan's gaze fell once again on that slender figure.

As the thought crossed her mind, countless willow branches shot towards Aurenli from all directions.

Like an arm directing its fingers.

Just like when he went berserk, these ghost willows seemed to have become a part of his body.

A sound like ghostly wails echoed through the silent darkness.

In the instant she was plunged into darkness, Aurenli quickly regained her composure from her shock. The moment she heard the sounds around her, starlight rapidly condensed into a honeycomb-shaped defensive light membrane around her.

The two collided instantly, and the powerful force contained in the tough willow vines immediately cracked the honeycomb light membrane, but it was only cracks; none of the willow branches could penetrate Aurenli's defense.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan's expression flashed with interest.

This attack actually consumes the power of the Willowwood Ghost Blade; he only needs to expend some mental energy and Will Soul to control it.

In other words,

Now, Aurenli is not facing Xu Yuan, but a half-crippled Saint-level Yingui.

Thinking to himself, a dark glint appeared in Xu Yuan's eyes, which had no whites, and he slowly raised his hand toward Aurenli.

As if in response to his action, the surrounding Thousand-Thorn Ghost Willow immediately emitted a chilling rustling sound in the silent darkness, and countless willow branches began to grow, climbing from the ground and attaching to the honeycomb-like light membrane surrounding Aurenli.

Ten.

Dozens of

One hundred.

Thousands.

In the blink of an eye, countless willow branches intertwined like a confluence of snakes, enveloping the thin layer of honeycomb light into an impenetrable cocoon.

Xu Yuan slowly closed his raised hand.

A sickening cracking sound emanated from within the cocoon, accompanied by Aurenli's cold voice:

"Xu Changtian, with this ominous power, are you even human?"

Who knows?

Perhaps due to the influence of the black mist and the ghost willow, Xu Yuan's voice sounded somewhat hoarse, "However, I don't think you have time to delve into this now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Yuan suddenly lunged forward.

As he swept past the forest floor, the Willowwood Ghost Blade blade stuck in the water trembled, burst from the ground, and spun back into his hand.

Although the Willowwood Ghost Blade contains a vast amount of Yin energy, Xu Yuan can only utilize its superficial aspects at present.

The Ghost Willow Forest spawned by the Willowwood Ghost Blade might be able to suppress Aurenli, but to think that it could defeat her is wishful thinking.

However, for Xu Yuan, that was enough.

Watching the constantly cracking light shield, Aurenli unconsciously bit her lip, a hint of impatience flashing in her eyes for the first time, her voice carrying a trace of killing intent:

"Xu Changtian, if you continue to be so stubborn, I can no longer guarantee that you will leave this willow grove alive."

In the previous exchange, she had held back because of her brother's sake, but the current situation made her realize that if she continued to hold back, she might be defeated by Xu Changge before Xu Changtian even had to make a move.

Xu Yuan's figure appeared before the giant cocoon wrapped in willow branches in an instant. Black Source Qi poured into the ghost blade, instantly dyeing its surface pure black. His voice was filled with laughter:

"It's too late for anything you say now."

After saying that,

The Willowwood Ghost Blade pierced directly into the giant cocoon. The moment the blade tip touched the honeycomb-like light membrane, it emitted a sizzling sound as the Source Qi melted, and then it pierced straight into it!

Seeing this, Xu Yuan smiled, gripped the hilt of his sword, and said softly:

"It seems my Source Qi can also reverse-engineer your Xien magic."

As he spoke,

Xu Yuan's gaze seemed to pierce through the giant cocoon, looking directly at Aurenli inside:

"However, Your Highness, you do indeed possess investigative methods that transcend mere sight."

Aurenli tilted her head slightly, glancing at the wooden knife that had almost grazed her cheek, and made no attempt to hide it:

"Yes, there is."

"Through sound? Or through the fluctuations in the surrounding air?"

"Can't you confirm it yourself?"

"Then it seems you have more than thirteen magic rings on you."

Maybe.

"How indifferent."

As the two talked, the willow blade was repeatedly pulled out of the giant cocoon and then thrust in again. Each thrust left a trail of black smoke in the air, like a ribbon. But unfortunately, all these attacks were in vain, as Aurenli was able to dodge them perfectly.

Until the Willowwood Ghost Blade was stuck by two ice crystals and could no longer be pulled out, a chilling aura spread rapidly along the blade towards the cocoon.

Ice crystals are formed by the condensation of water vapor and are not energy bodies; their Source Qi cannot reverse-deconstruct them.

Realizing this, Xu Yuan decisively released the Willowwood Ghost Blade and said with a smile:

"You still haven't given up? You should know very well that you can't defeat me in this Black Mist Ghost Forest, and Xu Changge should be almost done dealing with things."

"."

This time, Aurenli did not answer immediately.

After a few breaths of silence, her voice finally drifted out from inside the cocoon:

"If I could, I really wouldn't want to confront your brother directly, but given the current situation, it's unavoidable."

Xu Yuan chuckled, a hint of sarcasm in his voice:

"You haven't even defeated me yet, and you're already thinking about Xu Changge?"

Aurenli's voice was calm, but also very earnest:

I will kill you directly.

"Then, let's experience firsthand the true strength of a monster on par with that crown prince."

Xu Yuan slowly retreated, saying as he went:

"Looks like you're about to use your trump card?"

"."

Inside the giant cocoon, Aurenli slowly closed her eyes. The cracking sounds of the light shield instantly ceased, and the previously crumbling honeycomb surface gradually became covered with a layer of ice crystals.

"I don't need a killer move to deal with you."

After saying that,

She opened her eyes, her gaze shining brightly.

The seven magic rings beside him simultaneously emitted light, trembling and dancing rapidly, converging towards the purplish-black magic ring in the center.

Wisps of lightning instantly filled the narrow space inside the cocoon. A black, point-like lightning arc gradually condensed, and the wisps of electricity emanating from it instantly turned the willow cocoon into black charred dust upon contact. The air within a hundred feet instantly dried up, and the crackling static electricity sounded like a hundred phoenixes singing in unison.

Looking at the changes around him, Xu Yuan opened his mouth, a strange look appearing in his dark eyes.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

The clang of metal rang out, dust flew, and two figures darted back and forth. The flat terrain was completely gone, replaced by craters and a scene of devastation.

Huron's heavy helmet was gone, and bright red blood streamed down his blond forehead, blurring his vision. The gauntlet gripping the sword trembled slightly from the broken skin between his thumb and forefinger.

He looked at the blue-clad, flame-wielding man not far away.

He remained standing there, sword in hand, just as he had at the beginning, calmly awaiting his next attack.

In just ten minutes, he had completely understood the insurmountable chasm between the two of them.

Even if he burned his life force, even if he risked everything, he probably still couldn't force the other party to use their full strength.

Even so, his knightly duty compelled him to complete his lord's orders before he died.

Huron straightened up again, letting demonic energy surround him, and gripped his sword tightly, his resolve to die already Huron.

This time, however, the man in blue robes looked away from him and instead looked in the direction they had come from.

For the first time, a look other than indifference appeared on his face.

It seemed somber.

Seeing Aurenli Aurén's solemn expression.

Before he could think any further, a chilling feeling instantly enveloped Huron.

His gaze, drawn by this unease, locked onto the blade in the hand of the blue-clad, flame-wielding man.

As the moonlight shone down, the man's tattered blue robes fluttered in the wind, and in the vast world, it seemed as if only the sword in his hand remained.

In an instant,

Countless indescribable feelings flashed through Huron's mind.

And all these feelings eventually converged into one thought.

Unable to avoid,

Undefendable

Unable to retaliate

as well as

die.

Even before they made contact, Huron already sensed that even if the princess used the spatial magic ring to teleport him away again, this sword would still be able to behead him.

Huron, his throat bobbing and enveloped in the aura of death, still moved.

The ground shattered, and he charged towards the blue-clad, flame-wielding man once more, disregarding everything else.

If he doesn't take this sword, the opponent's target will inevitably be his lord, Princess Aurenli.

The next moment, in Huron's view, the man in blue slowly turned around and looked at him.

At this time,

The solemnity on his face had vanished, replaced by gentleness in his eyes and a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

I'm in a good mood.

"Then I will allow you to die by my strongest sword, armored warrior."