The great battle has come to an end, and Xu Xiao has successfully rescued the reincarnated spirit of the monkey.
When asked why it was imprisoned by a mere collective consciousness, the monkey looked utterly helpless.
"I had only just awakened when I was discovered by the false gods of this land, and before I even had a chance to experience this world, I was captured."
"If I weren't at least Golden Immortal's true spirit, this false god wouldn't have been able to do anything to me, and might have even swallowed my true spirit."
"That guy kept a close watch on me; I could only occasionally peek out with my soul by feigning sleep in my dreams..."
As the monkey explained, Xu Xiao gradually understood what was going on.
The monkey's true spirit was reincarnated in a Vastaya from Ionia. Upon awakening, it was discovered by the Spirit of Ionia due to its connection with the Spirit Realm.
The aura emanating from the monkey spirit made the Spirit of Ionia realize that it was not a native being. So it decisively attacked, taking advantage of the monkey's weakness to imprison it in a different dimension deep within the Spirit Realm, intending to seize its opportunity.
Fortunately, the difference in their status was enormous. Although the monkey's true spirit was only a wisp, it was not something that a mere pseudo- Divine Realm could covet, so it could only be imprisoned.
What happened next was simple. The monkey wasn't completely trapped and powerless. He also influenced many beings who resonated with him through the method of entering dreams with his soul.
Coincidentally, after Xu Xiao awakened, he learned of Sun Wukong's existence from Noxus spy, which enabled him to find the location where the monkey was imprisoned.
It's fortunate that the two have come together now.
"What a pity, that Old Sun ruined my physical body. Now I only have a bit of true spirit left. I need to ask the immortals to help me find a suitable body."
The monkey bowed to Xu Xiao.
He followed Xu Xiao through various reincarnations in different worlds in order to experience different powers, fight against different strong individuals, and comprehend the essence of Douzhan.
He didn't know what the true spirits of monkeys in other worlds were like, but he had suffered a great loss right from the start.
Having lost a physical body that was reincarnated through proper means, and only a trace of true spirit remains, one needs to find a suitable physical body to hone one's combat skills.
"It's nothing, just a small matter. A new target has conveniently come knocking."
Xu Xiao calmed the monkey's spirit, then turned his gaze to the distant coastline.
There, some unusual auras were approaching, somewhat similar to some of the powers he had encountered in Noxus —powers known as the Darkin.
Without even guessing, everyone knew the visitor was up to no good; it was perfect timing to borrow their services.
"All troops, listen up! Continue the encirclement and suppression of the Ionia. Keep the rear troops away from the coastline. You are not fit to participate in the upcoming battle."
Xu Xiao had no inclination to send ordinary people to their deaths; he directly issued orders to the army.
The auras behind them were quite strong; apart from the Arcane Warrior, there were few Noxus warriors who could match them.
Rather than waiting for mortals to die and then having to come out to save the day, it's better to just go in and kill them all from the start.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Darkin on the ship could already see the coastline of Ionia; these impatient fellows couldn't wait any longer.
A Darkin resembling a tortoise, wielding a sharp, heavy hammer, leaped onto the bow of the ship. "I'll go first, you guys take your time."
With a splash, the massive Darkin leaped into the water, followed by a white wave that surged towards Ionia.
Seeing this, the other Darkin could no longer hold back and all followed suit, leaping into the sea.
The Darkin are creatures who love to fight; nothing brings them more pleasure than slaughter, for these beings whose minds have been corrupted by the power of the Void.
Along the way, if it weren't for LeBlanc's clone constantly using Arcane Energy as bait to lure them, these guys would have already gotten bored and started fighting on the ship.
Now that the battlefield is right in front of them, these guys, whose minds are filled with violence, will naturally no longer suppress their nature.
As the first Darkin stepped ashore, inhaling the thick stench of blood in the air, his eyes gleamed with a chilling red light.
"It's the smell of war! I can smell death!"
"Indeed, you can smell death, because you are about to die."
Xu Xiao's voice echoed in the sky as he arrived alone at the shore.
Looking at the Darkin in front of him, Xu Xiao could sense two completely different powers within the other party.
One is the balanced and peaceful power of nature, while the other is the chaotic and malevolent power of nothingness.
The constant clash between the two forces within each other's bodies has transformed this once proud ' God Warrior ' into the Darkin, whom everyone now despises and fears.
"You are... no, Arcane power!"
"You are not Ascended! Why do you possess Arcane power?" the giant tortoise asked, as he could not sense any aura of the Sun Disc from Xu Xiao.
That's incorrect. Only those Ascended can wield the power of Arcane, and even then, they must be among the best.
" Ascended? Those things wouldn't even be considered dogs. They merely stole some of the sun's magic to merge with the forces of nature, turning their perfectly good human bodies into beastly forms. Do they really think they've attained enlightenment and ascended to heaven?"
Xu Xiao carefully examined the tortoise in front of him, seeing through everything about it.
Clearly, the animalistic nature of the other party is a side effect of the so-called Ascended.
Shurima, relying on the power of the Sun Disc, stole the magic of the sun and the power of nature to fuse and transform human bodies. While gaining immense power, they also had to bear the corresponding consequences.
Transforming into a beast form is only one aspect; the real weakness lies in the restless, beating soul within their bodies. These individuals have very low mental resistance and are easily corrupted and eroded.
Although its strength is greater than that of the Arcane Warrior created by Xu Xiao, its weaknesses are also more obvious.
"Hmph! What do you know? This is the heroic stance of God Fighter; you have no idea what glorious power this is!"
As the giant tortoise spoke, it raised the heavy hammer in its hand, and after a brief moment of preparation, it leaped from the ground into the air, aiming directly at Xu Xiao.
With just one hammer blow, he could kill this frail mage!
No, we need to save this for when we find out the secret of how he mastered Arcane.
But why can't I feel my body anymore when the camera pans downwards?
Could it be...?
The giant tortoise's final perspective shows a familiar, enormous figure falling from mid-air, its body cleaved into pieces, and its massive hammer shattered.
As his head slammed heavily onto the ground, his world plunged into darkness.
Xu Xiao raised his hand and hooked the blood and flesh scattered on the ground back, which he then collected.
"Trash is trash. They attack me without even realizing the difference in our strength."
"However, this flesh and blood is not bad. After extraction and purification, the best parts can be used to create a new body for the monkey."