"The power is good," Duan Chen's eyes flickered with surprise.
"Hehe."
Mi Xue'er waved her hand, and the long sword turned into paper and floated away.
"Let's continue."
But soon, Duan Chen discovered a problem. Although the severed trees could not regenerate, they could still move. He had Mi Xue'er use sword techniques a few times, and he himself used an electromagnetic cannon once. However, the forest was dense with trees, and complete clearance would be troublesome.
A large area of trees still surrounded Duan Chen and the others.
"What do we do now?"
"Our attacks are completely ineffective. After all, this is an entire forest; we can't possibly destroy it all, can we?"
Duan Chen's gaze was stern.
"Since he doesn't intend to show himself, I'll just have to destroy this forest."
"Are you alright? Although your cannon has a wide range, it also consumes a lot of spiritual energy. You might run out before you even see Prince Hao."
Bai Ye rolled his eyes. The others also felt it was not feasible.
Only Jia Yunlian smiled slightly.
"Then let's do it. Quickly."
"Okay."
Duan Chen raised his hand and took a deep breath.
Since you won't come out, don't blame me!
"Nightfall!"
"Stars Shine!"
"Moon Descends!"
"Sunrise!"
Whoosh!
Night suddenly enveloped the area, carrying an aura of ferocity and destruction. Stars hung high in the sky, hiding behind the moon, and a bright sun began to slowly rise!
"Holy crap!"
Bai Ye was so startled that he fell to the ground.
Isn't this Gu Sang's move? This kid really dares to copy anything!
"Master!"
Sheng Chen's eyes were blazing. In this darkness, he felt a strong aura of death!
"So strong!"
Qi Qing's blood was boiling from these moves.
"Fall..."
"Wait a moment!"
Duan Chen breathed a sigh of relief, but his eyes remained icy.
"Finally decided to come out?"
"If you don't come out soon, all my painstakingly nurtured anomalies will be destroyed by you."
[Prince Hao] slowly emerged from the darkness. His expression was blank, but his gaze towards Duan Chen held an inexplicable fervor.
That's The Magician, not Prince Hao!
Duan Chen retracted his arm and snorted, "Your group of things has harmed countless people; they deserve to be destroyed!"
"Nonono."
Unexpectedly, [Prince Hao] shook his head.
"Godfather, this is prepared especially for you. Others don't have this fortune."
"Godfather?"
Upon hearing this strange title, everyone looked at Duan Chen.
"Enough. Why do you call me Godfather? I've never met you!"
[Prince Hao]'s expression suddenly turned extremely gloomy upon hearing this.
"Godfather, I told you, you'll regret abandoning me, your child."
"Duan Chen, when did you have such a big child?" Bai Ye asked, as flippant as ever.
"Godfather, this is a gift you personally gave me, and one you personally severed. Yet now, I still can't bear to throw it away."
[Prince Hao] took out a top hat from behind him, and his eyes instantly softened. He looked like he was gazing at his own child.
Suddenly, he withdrew his gaze, glared coldly at Duan Chen, and his eyes towards Jia Yunlian and the others were filled with unconcealed jealousy.
"I revered you so much, but you! You abandoned me!"
The Tarot card in Duan Chen's embrace grew slightly warm. He didn't need to take it out to know it was definitely The Magician card.
Why? Could it be... The Magician is on his side?
Something's not right. Duan Chen felt he must have overlooked something.
"But..."
[Prince Hao] was like a mentally unstable patient, gentle one moment, violent the next. His behavior frightened them, making them forget to even act.
"Don't worry, Godfather. You will return eventually. You will eventually become the Godfather I expect, and this man will replace me to protect you!"
Saying this, [Prince Hao] pointed at his own body, gave a strange smile, and actually fainted.
Duan Chen gritted his teeth, retracted his stance, and quickly stepped forward to check Prince Hao's condition.
"Instructor...?"
"And Sister Xue, Brother Bai Ye, why are you here?"
Prince Hao looked utterly bewildered.
"You... you're normal?" Mi Xue'er asked tentatively.
"Sister Xue, what are you talking about? Of course I'm normal. Right, Godfather..."
Prince Hao covered his mouth. The others' eyes immediately became vigilant.
Unexpectedly, he himself looked confused.
"What did I just say? Godfather... who is that?"
Duan Chen sighed, "We'll explain as we walk."
"So, you're saying I would harm you?!"
Prince Hao's eyes widened in disbelief.
"I think it's related to that pocket watch. When we get back, I will still keep your secret. I will handle the psychological work for Long Yi and the others, but your condition, I need to report to Sister Ming Yan. You might need to undergo examinations and observation for a period."
"Yes, yes, no problem."
Knowing that he might have been controlled by The Magician and inadvertently harmed others, Prince Hao did not dare to be careless and quickly agreed.
"Now, how do we get back?"
Qi Qing shrugged helplessly.
"Where are you going? I can take you," Prince Hao said sincerely.
"You? You know the way?"
He nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I can feel the connection between myself and this forest. And... I feel very familiar with it, I don't know why."
Of course, it was The Magician's doing.
Duan Chen's heart grew heavier. What did The Magician's words just mean?
"Don't worry, Godfather. You will return eventually. You will eventually become the Godfather I expect, and this man will replace me to protect you!"
What did that mean?
Did he establish some kind of mental link with Prince Hao?
Could he see through Prince Hao's eyes?
Why did he have such a guess? Because the Magician card in Duan Chen's embrace was still warm.
Upon returning to the wooden cabin, Duan Chen explained the situation to the others. Everyone agreed to help Prince Hao keep the secret, as he wasn't to blame anyway. If anyone was to blame, it was that anomalous apostle.
Duan Chen arranged for Long Yi, Prince Hao, Su Baiyi, Tian Ximeng, and Lu Shuishui to return to the Spirit Hunter Guild, while Bai Ye wanted to accompany them to Taohuatan.
"You're saying, was that person really an apostle?"
On the way, Bai Ye asked.
"Otherwise?" Yan Qiuren glanced at him.
"Setting aside the fact that he doesn't always wear a mask, his abilities don't seem like it."
He shook his head, not agreeing with the claim that The Magician was an apostle.
"But he said so himself." Duan Chen was also skeptical of the claim that The Magician didn't always wear a mask.