The western region of the Guieye Domain, the clock struck midnight.
The nascent pollution sources of all three stages had been resolved. The remaining hordes of异鬼 (yi gui) naturally posed no threat to Xu Mu. Under the illumination of the red lanterns, within ten minutes, they had all fled the village.
In the darkness, only Xu Mu stood alone.
"Tonight, all is peaceful."
As usual, after declaring the night's end, Xu Mu struck the bronze bell heavily, then fell into silence.
If it were in the past, he would have seized the opportunity to speak with Charles, but tonight was different.
Tonight, his spirit and energy were at their peak, for he had just become a second-tier异人 (yi ren), and had overcome the inner demons of the wolf demon.
In the past, that person could seize his body at his weakest moment of the day. But what about today?
Xu Mu's eyes narrowed slightly. He could already feel an extremely powerful energy attempting to drag his soul into the Heavenly Palace.
If it were any other time, he would be utterly unable to resist. But tonight, he wanted to try.
He took a deep breath, sat down cross-legged, and with a click, plunged his hunting knife into the ground.
This was a tradition of the Great Xia army, similar to a duel of severed palms, signifying that the combatants were prepared to fight to the death, never retreating!
"Although becoming an异能者 (yi neng zhe) is thanks to you, this is still my body."
"So it's only natural that I refuse to lend it to you. What's more, you've never once thanked me."
He murmured, his consciousness clear and transparent, focusing his spirit to firmly anchor himself within this body.
No matter how strong the external force pulled, he refused to budge.
Seemingly surprised by his resilience, a soft sound of inquiry came from Xu Mu's mind.
"Why inflict unnecessary pain."
This voice was almost identical to Xu Mu's, clean and righteous, but lacking its warmth and filled with a chilling lifelessness.
"As long as I don't consider it pain, then pain will not exist."
A faint smile touched Xu Mu's lips. This was a method of thinking Charles had taught him.
He would drink this cup of chicken soup himself. Therefore, even though he was sweating profusely, gritting his teeth, and nearly losing consciousness, he would absolutely not surrender control.
In the vast and boundless Heavenly Palace world, within a magnificent palace, a bare-chested youth sat on a dragon carriage.
His eyes were gray and white. Infinite mental energy surged from the vast white mist. Then, two colossal arms, like celestial pillars, extended from Xu Mu's sea of consciousness. Their fingers were as long as mountains, reaching mightily into the sky.
Beyond the sky was the world of his sea of consciousness.
Xu Mu could feel the oppressive pressure from the dark dome above. Thus, the mental energy within his sea of consciousness surged upwards. Countless raindrops, the size of houses, plummeted towards the sky, beginning to confront those massive hands.
Dong dong dong dong dong dong...!
Each raindrop was shattered by the pressing giant hand, then exploded. Terrifying soundwaves bloomed. Countless raindrops meant countless terrifying soundwaves. The turbulence was like a vortex, and the entire sea of consciousness world trembled due to the clash between these two.
"Stop fighting, stop fighting!"
Charles appeared in the sea of consciousness, his face filled with distress.
He stood on a small island in the distance, the billions of miles away clash not yet reaching him.
"Now that your soul strengths are equal, continuing to fight like this will cause the sea of consciousness world to collapse!"
Xu Mu remained silent, continuing to guide the water droplets upwards. The one in the Heavenly Palace also continued to press down with his hand, seemingly unconcerned about the fate of the sea of consciousness world.
If the sea of consciousness world collapsed, they would both die.
Therefore, this also meant he was unconcerned about his own survival.
Amidst the explosions, blood seeped from the corners of Xu Mu's mouth. Several times, he nearly fainted, but he endured.
Because he knew that if he missed this opportunity today, he might never be able to suppress him again. He had only reached the second tier with some assistance; what about this person?
If he were allowed to enter the real world indefinitely, and one day reached a certain level, turning to suppress him, what would his status be?
So today, he decided to fight with all his might, just as Charles had said: believe in himself, fear nothing.
"You have grown."
The giant hand continued to press down, and the explosions continued. The person in the Heavenly Palace suddenly sighed.
In just one day, he could sense that Xu Mu's strength had improved considerably. Had he awakened his abilities?
And most importantly, his state of mind had changed. He possessed the determination to fight him to the death.
This was significant progress, but not enough. For humans, daring to fight to the death was merely accidental.
If it were a different time, or ten seconds later, his thoughts, or rather his courage, would be entirely different.
But his courage would not change. If Xu Mu insisted, then they would have no choice but to die.
"In this confrontation, you will be captured by me."
The sky seemed to collapse. The speed of the mountain-like fingers suddenly accelerated. The raindrops striking them were like bullets piercing rock, scattering countless psychic remnants.
"Because you are different from me. You only possess the courage and determination to fight to the death, but you merely use these as a means to win. You do not wish to die."
"But I am different. You know, I can die at any time, anywhere."
"So, do not struggle any further."
The two giant hands descended with a roar, striking the turbulent sea heavily.
Anger surged within Xu Mu. A look of desperate ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.
At that moment, he truly wished to detonate the sea.
Even Charles held his breath, though he didn't need to.
Only the gray and white eyes in the Heavenly Palace maintained their smile.
...
...
After an unknown period, the conflict in the sea of consciousness world ceased. Both the raindrops and the giant hands returned to the sea.
The mist in Guieye grew thicker.
Xu Mu, who had been sitting on the ground, stood up and picked up his hunting knife with his left hand.
His pupils were gray and white.
Charles finally let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Xu Mu had not fought to the death, so they were all still alive.
"Your Highness, it is good to see you again."
Charles's form coalesced on the ground, and he respectfully bowed to the young man before him, impeccable from any angle.
"You don't need to say that every time you see me."
His head still ached slightly, so he gently rubbed his temples.
The battle of souls had ended, but the vast sea of consciousness was still turbulent.
The final blow had been too decisive and violent. The resulting waves were thousands of feet high, so it needed time to calm down.
Charles remained silent, stepping aside and quietly waiting for the person beside him to recover.
At the same time, he sighed inwardly.
Although he was not surprised by the outcome, as Xu Mu had almost never won, today, he had the advantage of time and place, and with his guidance, possessed fearless courage, yet he still lost.
Charles looked puzzled. He had clearly sensed a desperate, suicidal ruthlessness in the host's eyes at the last moment. Why had he suddenly stopped?