Support

"Brother Jun, what do we do? We can't find Xiao Yan and Xiao Jian. That shouldn't be possible—we already reminded them that this was an illusion." Xiao Kai said to Xiao Jun.

The three of them were experienced, so they had not been separated for long before finding one another. Yet they still could not find Xiao Yan and Xiao Jian.

"Let's go. As long as we kill the Magic Crystal Beast, the illusion will naturally shatter. They're newcomers, after all. We need to move quickly," Xiao Jun said.

"Fine. Next time, we definitely have to make them buy us drinks. They actually dared to flee before the battle," Xiao Yang said.

The three of them stopped wasting words and continued toward the Magic Crystal's cave.

"Husband, why don't we die together? Once we're dead, there won't be any more pain." Xue Rou came to Xiao Jian's side, her eyes brimming with hope.

"Rou'er..." Looking into Xue Rou's affectionate eyes, Xiao Jian wanted to say something, yet the words never left his lips.

"Rou'er belonged to Husband in life and will be Husband's ghost in death. Since Husband is unwilling, Rou'er will die alone. Husband, take care of yourself." Tears streamed down Xue Rou's face, a picture of heartbreaking sorrow.

"Fine. Rather than live the life of slaves, we might as well die with the ones we love. Rou'er, I'm sorry. If we had never become Dou Emperors, perhaps our lives would have been a different scene." Xiao Jian pulled Xue Rou into his arms and spoke softly, his voice carrying deep self-reproach.

Everyone was greedy. Even when they stood atop the highest peak of a world, they still would not be satisfied. They all craved even greater power. Yet they did not know that the road to gaining such strength was not easy to walk. They always came filled with confidence, but that very confidence made them die on the road where heroes contended.

"No, I'll go." Seeing the bloody mark appear on "Xun'er's" neck, Xiao Yan immediately changed his mind. He would never allow Xun'er to suffer even the slightest harm.

"Hehe, don't be so hasty. Now, I've changed my mind again. Since you don't want Xun'er to die before your very eyes, then kill yourself." "Xun'er" looked at Xiao Yan with a smug expression.

"Don't push your luck. You're nothing more than a phantom. Do you really think you're Xun'er?" Xiao Yan said coldly.

"Brother Xiao Yan, I really am Xun'er. Heavenly Fire is within me. Brother Xiao Yan, kill Xun'er. Absorb my Heavenly Fire. That way, Xun'er can be completely and utterly together with Brother Xiao Yan, becoming Brother Xiao Yan's power." "Xun'er" looked at Xiao Yan and spoke gently.

At that moment, Xun'er seemed to be his wife—so gentle, so kind.

"Brother Xiao Yan, if you don't kill Xun'er, Xun'er will be killed by someone else. So, you should kill me instead. Xun'er won't blame you." The phantom continued to toy with Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan shook his head, doing his best to remain clear-headed. This wasn't Xun'er. It wasn't...

"Brother Xiao Yan, you're too weak. You can't protect your family, nor can you protect your friends and comrades. So die together with Xun'er." "Xun'er" said slowly.

"Friends, comrades"—right, he had come to hunt Magic Beasts. She was not Xun'er. How could he endanger his friends for his own selfish desires?

With a sweep of the Heavenly Fire Eternal Ancient Ruler, Xun'er vanished, and the entire illusion was dispelled. He was still within this forest, but he had already strayed from their target.

Support

"If anyone truly wants to kill Xun'er, I'll kill them with my own hands first. I will never allow Xun'er to die, much less die before my eyes. I'll grow stronger. I definitely will grow stronger." Xiao Yan said as he desperately calmed the fear in his heart.

In the distance, several powerful waves of Dou Qi rippled out. Clearly, the battle between Xiao Jun's group of three and the Magic Crystal Beast had begun.

"Though I'm a little late, I won't be a deserter either." Xiao Yan said. Using the Three-Thousand Lightning Movement, he shot toward the battlefield like lightning.

Xiao Yan pushed his speed to the limit. At his current pace, he would reach the battlefield before long. However, Xiao Jian appeared before him. Xiao Jian stood alone in an open clearing. With a casual toss, a sharp treasured sword fell from the sky and stabbed viciously toward him.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan hurriedly swung his ruler and knocked the sword aside. "Xiao Jian, wake up! This is an illusion."

The illusion surrounding Xiao Jian shattered at once. Xiao Jian could not help collapsing limply to the ground, cold sweat pouring down his body. If Xiao Yan had not arrived in time, he truly would have fallen here today.

"Thank you." Xiao Jian raised his head and said to Xiao Yan.

"It's good that you're alright. The battle over there has already begun. Can you still fight? We need to get there," Xiao Yan said.

"No problem. I nearly got screwed to death this time. I have to eat its flesh and drink its blood before I can vent this hatred." Xiao Jian said. With a casual gesture, that treasured sword reappeared in his hand. At this moment, he had regained his former bearing.

Xiao Yan said no more. The two of them immediately darted toward the battlefield.

At the entrance of the Magic Crystal Beast's cave, the area before the cave entrance was in utter disarray. Clearly, an intense battle had just erupted here.

At the cave entrance stood a Magic Beast more than twenty meters long. On its forehead was a crystal-clear object like a gemstone. This object was the Magic Crystal, and the Magic Crystal Beast got its name from it. That was the greatest difference between the Magic Crystal Beast and other Magic Beasts.

Other Magic Beasts produced Magic Cores after death, but the Magic Crystal Beast did not produce a Magic Core. Instead, it left behind that Magic Crystal. Legend had it that Magic Crystals were the things alchemists loved most. Yet for some reason, their uses had gradually become fewer and fewer.

At this moment, the Magic Crystal Beast could be said to be covered in wounds. The three people before it were practically fighting for their lives, heedless of death. Combat had never been its specialty. Although it had already reached the Emperor King Realm, it had still been injured by them.

However, seeing the three people before it who were about to die, it finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Damn it, we really went too far this time. I never expected it to have reached the Emperor King level," Xiao Kai said.

"Ah..." Xiao Yang also sighed.

"What's there to sigh about? It's only death. Twenty years from now, I'll come back, and sooner or later I'll kill it," Xiao Jun said.

"If Xiao Yan and Xiao Jian were here, perhaps we'd still have some chance of winning. It can't hold on much longer either," Xiao Kai said.

"The two of them are probably still trapped in the illusion..."

"They're here." Before Xiao Yang could finish speaking, Xiao Jun interrupted him.

Two figures approached from afar and appeared before the three of them.

"You two are late again. Punish yourselves with three cups," Xiao Jun said to them.