A black pillar of light exploded deep within Bone Valley, and evil energy swept across the valley like a tsunami. The Bone-Eroding Cult's pope slowly emerged from the pillar. He wore black robes embroidered with sinister patterns, black-and-red evil energy flowing along their edges, and a crown of white bone set with a fist-sized black gem that pulsed with eerie light. Black mist shrouded his face, leaving only a pair of scarlet eyes visible. Demigod-level pressure erupted from him, making the rocks throughout the valley tremble. Even the air seemed to solidify.
"White, a thousand years have passed, and your power of light is still so feeble." The pope's voice was cold and metallic, every word striking their hearts like a heavy hammer. "And you, Loran Kane-a fourth-tier brat, daring to destroy my Heart of Evil Bone?"
Elder White tightened his grip on his staff. Pale golden light gathered around him into a shield, resisting the pope's pressure. "Pope, to break through to Deity Level, you went so far as to draw upon the power of the Evil Bone Plane and slaughter the continent's living beings. Even if it costs this old man his life, I will stop you today!"
He swung his staff sharply, turning the pale golden light into dozens of arrows that shot toward the pope like meteors. The arrows carried the power of the Middle Saint Level, scorching the air with a sizzling sound and dispersing most of the surrounding evil energy.
But the pope could not even be bothered to dodge. He merely raised his right hand, and black-and-red evil light poured from his palm to form a sinister shield. Clang! Clang! Clang! The arrows struck the shield and were instantly swallowed by its evil energy, leaving not even a trace. "With that paltry strength, you dare show off before me?"
The pope flicked a finger, sending a black thread of evil energy toward Elder White. It moved so fast that Elder White had no time to dodge and could only hastily put his light shield in front of him. Bang! The thread struck the shield, instantly covering it in cracks. Elder White staggered backward, a trickle of golden blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. A Saint-level expert's defenses were actually this fragile before demigod-level power!
"Elder!" Loran's heart clenched. He was about to rush over to help when the pope's pressure locked onto him. He felt as though an invisible hand had seized his throat. Breathing grew difficult, and the Dou Qi and magic within him began to run wild. Under the demigod-level pressure, he could not unleash even half of his late fourth-tier strength.
Sensing Loran's peril, Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin exchanged a glance and let out long cries in unison. Crimson flames and pale blue cold erupted from their bodies, the two lights intertwining in midair into an enormous two-colored cocoon that sheltered Loran and Elder White. Ancient runes flowed across its surface. This was the ultimate form of Twin Qilin Resonance-the Twin Qilin Guardian Barrier.
As soon as the barrier formed, most of the pope's pressure was weakened. Loran took a deep breath, and the chaotic power within him stabilized again. He looked at the two qilin and noticed their auras rapidly weakening. Maintaining such a barrier took an enormous toll on them; they probably could not hold out for long.
"Loran, use the domain you comprehended at the Ice and Fire Spring together with our power!" Lei Lin's voice rang out in Loran's mind, tinged with exhaustion. "Only by fusing the power of both qilin can we barely contend with the pope's demigod-level strength!"
Loran nodded and connected the two-colored energy ring within him to the barrier's power. His Ice and Fire Domain spread out around him once more. This time, it was no longer simply interwoven ice and fire. It incorporated the two qilin's qilin power, adding a trace of sacred golden radiance to the crimson flames and a luminous white halo to the pale blue cold. The domain and barrier nourished each other, forming a two-colored screen that covered the entire valley and kept the pope's evil energy outside.
"Oh? Twin Qilin Resonance and an embryonic domain. Somewhat interesting." A flicker of surprise crossed the pope's eyes before they grew even colder. "Unfortunately, before absolute power, all of this is futile!"
He abruptly raised his hand. The evil energy remaining in the valley surged frantically toward his palm, forming a black-and-red sphere. It swelled rapidly until it was the size of a millstone, countless twisted evil souls writhing across its surface and letting out shrill screams. "Evil Bone World Destruction Bullet!" The pope hurled the sphere at the two-colored screen with a force that threatened to destroy heaven and earth.
"Defend with everything you have!" Loran roared, pouring all his power into the screen. Elder White also summoned his remaining power of light, merging its pale golden radiance into the screen and making its colors more vivid. Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin poured in the last traces of their qilin power, sharpening the runes of the Twin Qilin Guardian Barrier.
Boom! The evil sphere struck the screen. The tremendous impact shook the entire valley violently, splitting the ground into deep trenches. Lava erupted from the cracks, only to freeze instantly upon touching the screen. The runes across its surface began to flicker. Crimson flames and pale blue cold were consumed at a frantic pace, and the screen's colors gradually faded.
"We can't hold on!" Snow Spirit Qilin's voice was weak. The pale blue cold had grown extremely thin, and exhaustion filled those golden, slit-pupiled eyes. Lei Lin's fiery wings also began to tremble, the crimson flames threatening to go out at any moment.
Despair welled up in Loran as he watched the screen slowly collapse. Was demigod-level power truly impossible to resist? He thought of the people of Fallen Maple Territory, of Old Byrne's instructions, and of the two qilin's trust. No, I can't give up like this!
He suddenly remembered a passage from an ancient book: "The power of twin qilin; ice and fire share one source." Their previous Twin Qilin Resonance had merely stacked their powers together. If he could fuse the powers of ice and fire completely, perhaps they could unleash even greater power!
Loran took a deep breath and completely dispersed the two-colored energy ring within him. He no longer distinguished between Dou Qi and magic, instead fusing them with the two qilin's qilin power. He reached out, taking Lei Lin's claw in his left hand and Snow Spirit Qilin's claw in his right. Three powers circulated wildly through his body. The crimson flames and pale blue cold no longer merely intertwined, but fused completely into a light of gold and silver.
"This is... a Fusion of Ice and Fire Essences?" Shock flashed through Elder White's eyes. Even a Saint-level expert would struggle to achieve such a fusion, yet Loran, a fourth-tier boy, had comprehended it in the face of certain disaster!
Gold-and-silver light erupted within Loran, and his aura began to rise rapidly. Late fourth tier, Peak of the Fourth Rank, Early Fifth Stage... In just a few breaths, his strength had actually broken through to the Early Fifth Stage and was still growing! He raised his knight's sword. Its blade no longer shone with the two-colored light, but with the intertwined golden and silver power of origin. Ancient qilin patterns appeared along the sword, echoing those on the two qilin's bodies.
"Twin Qilin Ice and Fire God-Breaking Slash!" Loran let out a heaven-shaking roar and leaped into the air, swinging his sword to unleash an enormous gold-and-silver blade of light. It carried the origin power of ice and fire, instantly purifying the evil energy in its path and making even space ripple.
At the sight of the blade of light, the pope's expression finally changed. "Impossible! How could a fourth-tier brat comprehend the power of origin?!" He hurriedly summoned his evil power, forming three sinister shields before him. But the light blade sliced through them as easily as tofu and bore straight toward his chest.
Slash! The blade of light grazed the pope's shoulder, tearing a large gash in his black robe. Black-and-red blood flowed from the wound. The pope staggered back several steps, his eyes filled with disbelief and fury. "You dare wound me! I'll tear you into ten thousand pieces!"
He violently ripped open his black robe, exposing a chest covered in sinister patterns. At its center beat a black-and-red heart-the Evil Bone Plane's "evil core." To break through to Deity Level, he had actually replaced his own heart with an evil core! The pope formed seals with both hands, and the core began to pound wildly. Evil energy surged through the valley once more, and the black rift reopened behind him, releasing even more evil creatures.
"Loran, he's going to detonate the evil core and open a larger planar passage!" Snow Spirit Qilin cried anxiously. "We have to stop him!"
Loran was about to attack again when he discovered that the power of origin within him had already been exhausted. His strength fell back to the late fourth tier, and he could barely stand steadily. Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin were also completely drained and collapsed to the ground, without even the strength to maintain the barrier.
At that critical moment, a sudden flurry of hoofbeats came from outside the valley. An army clad in silver armor charged in, led by Old Byrne and several Saint-level generals from the royal capital! "Young master, we've come to help!" Old Byrne's voice was filled with excitement. "The conflict with the Elf Clan in the royal capital has been settled. Reinforcements have finally arrived!"
After Loran left, Old Byrne had worried for his safety and sent riders racing to the royal capital to request aid. Once the Elf Clan learned of the Bone-Eroding Cult's plot, they had also taken the initiative to cease hostilities, allowing the capital's reinforcements to leave and rush over.
Seeing what the pope was doing, the Saint-level generals shouted angrily, raised their weapons, and charged him. Pale golden light power, emerald green nature power, crimson flame power... Various Saint-level powers intertwined into a mighty attack that bore straight toward the pope.
Looking at the endless stream of reinforcements, the pope knew it would be difficult to accomplish his goal today. He shot Loran an icy glare. "Loran Kane, consider yourself lucky today. The next time I return, I will raze Fallen Maple Territory and bathe this entire continent in blood!"
He abruptly turned and leaped into the black rift behind him. It quickly closed, leaving only evil creatures scattered across the ground and dense evil energy.
With the crisis finally over, Loran could no longer hold himself up and collapsed to the ground. Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin hurriedly crawled over and nuzzled his cheeks, their eyes full of concern. Elder White approached Loran and healed his injuries with the power of light. "Young friend Loran, you've rendered a great service this time. If you hadn't comprehended the power of origin and wounded the pope, we would never have been able to stop him."
Old Byrne also hurried over. Seeing that Loran was all right, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Young master, all is well in Fallen Maple Territory. Rest easy."
Loran looked at his companions and the reinforcements around him and gave a weak smile. He knew they had only driven the pope back temporarily. The threat of the Bone-Eroding Cult had not been completely eliminated, and the pope would certainly return. But he was no longer afraid. He had the two qilin at his side, his companions' support, and the righteous forces of the entire continent behind him. The next time they met, he would crush the pope's plot completely.
The generals from the royal capital began clearing the evil creatures from the valley, while Elder White took Loran and the two qilin to the Radiant Temple to heal. Looking at the valley as life gradually returned to it, Snow Spirit Qilin said softly, "Loran, the pope's evil core has been damaged. He won't be able to open another planar passage anytime soon, but he will certainly seek new sources of power. We must grow stronger as quickly as possible to face the next crisis."
Loran nodded and tightened his grip on his knight's sword. He knew a new adventure was about to begin, and that the story of him and the two qilin would continue to unfold upon this continent.