"My apologies, Mr. Wuyan! Your sweet dream is about to fall through…"
A witch clad in vivid crimson robes strode in, cradling an ancient parchment book in her hands.
"Witch Maya!"
Wuyan bowed respectfully. She was a being far older than himself, possessing astounding magical power and commanding the entire Witch Council. In truth, without her unwavering support and personal intervention, the assault on Demon Island would not have proceeded so smoothly.
"This is a true Demon Island, and our enemy is a being a hundred million times more terrifying than any demon…"
Witch Maya murmured.
"What do you mean?" Wuyan scratched his head, somewhat bewildered.
"The X Project only seeks to control the body. Have you ever heard of the 'Life Tree' project?"
"Life Tree? What's that?"
The Round Table Knight and the old man felt their minds were on the verge of complete collapse.
"This is another top-secret imperial project, on par with the X research…" The witch's very first sentence drew a sharp breath from everyone else.
If the X Project was already this terrifying, just how evil could the Life Tree project be?
"The so-called Life Tree project is essentially the medium that connects the Shadow Magic Network to ordinary people…"
Witch Maya swept a casual glance over everyone present.
"The Empire's ultimate goal is to implant the Shadow Magic Network directly into every human individual, assimilating all their minds into a single entity, erasing every trace of independent will, and forming a transcendent existence…"
"Through the magic network, controlling everyone's thoughts…"
Wuyan froze for a moment. The sudden thought of how widespread the current Swift Shadow series had become sent cold sweat trickling down his back.
"Yes! The X Project handles the physical transformation; the magic network handles the mental transformation. Once their plan succeeds, the entire Empire will become a single entity in an instant! And if they so wished, every last civilian could instantly be turned into a Shadow Slayer — the most elite soldiers, completely devoid of independent will!"
Maya's voice remained as calm as ever, though one could only imagine what price the Witch Council had paid to obtain these secrets.
"This is... how... how..."
Not only the body — even one's spiritual space was to be stripped away. For an extraordinary being like Wuyan, that was even more unbearable.
"Mad! Mad! The world has gone mad!"
The old man from the Martial Arts Palace kept mumbling, and Wuyan feared he might simply collapse under the shock.
"We have to defeat them! Overthrow the Empire's rule entirely!"
The Knight brought his blade down in a savage slash, carving a deep furrow into the alloy floor before him.
"We need more allies — I'm sure that once word of this plan gets out, plenty of people will be willing to join our side!" Wuyan's mind was racing.
"I see the mark of death on your faces!" the Witch Maya suddenly spoke.
"Please, Witch, enlighten us!" Wuyan implored with genuine urgency.
"Everything you've done is futile. You cannot stand against the true Empire, nor against the being lurking behind the curtain... unless you can find Eli's Book of Salvation!"
Maya's eyes turned stark white as she screamed in a shrill voice.
"It's a prophecy!" Wuyan's eyes lit up. "We still have a chance!"
"No!"
Suddenly, Witch Maya let out a sorrowful, furious roar, and her entire body went limp, crumpling to the ground.
"Witch! Lady Witch!" Wuyan lunged forward, only to find her life force rapidly draining away.
"The Book of Salvation has been lost... I see a future of blood and fire..."
Witch Maya clutched Wuyan's sleeve in a death grip, thick white foam and fresh blood gushing from her mouth.
"Wait — let me heal you first..." Wuyan fumbled to act in a panic.
"No! It's too late — listen carefully..." The strength gripping his arm was so tremendous that Wuyan couldn't help but freeze.
"I saw... the shadow... and the return of the ancient ruler... the great serpent..."
Suddenly, the Mayan witch's body convulsed, and every trace of life vanished from her.
"Mayan Witch! Mayan Witch…" Wuyan stood frozen, utterly unable to believe it — the leader of the Witch Coven, perhaps the very pillar of the entire Resistance Alliance, the Mayan Witch who had lived far longer than he had, was dead — just like that?
He simply could not accept it, yet the icy corpse in his arms, which had aged beyond recognition in an instant, spoke to him of this iron-hard truth in no uncertain terms!
"According to legend, once a witch prophesies a being far more powerful than herself, her life force is stripped away… Given that the Mayan Witch had drunk from the Fountain of Life, and with her inherent bloodline advantage as an immortal race, she should still have had over a thousand years of life remaining…"
The old man from the Martial Dao Palace muttered under his breath.
"To reduce someone with that much lifespan to instant aging and death — just how powerful a being could she have foreseen…"
The Knight clad in armor shuddered violently, then stepped before the witch's body and performed a solemn knight's salute.
"Mayan Witch… Though you have passed, the spark of resistance will never be extinguished… Allow us to carry on your will and stand against the Empire's evil!"
Wuyan clenched his fist. "That's right! The World Tree and Plan X — we absolutely cannot let the Empire succeed, or they will rule this world completely and wipe us all out…"
"No need to wait until then…"
A flash of vicious sharpness shot out from the shadows at the side, instantly piercing through the old man from the Martial Dao Palace's chest.
Amid the spray of blood, a cold voice drifted over, followed by a man in an Empire military uniform stepping out of the shadows.
"Head of the Empire's Special Operations Bureau, the Royal Family's most loyal dog — Janas!"
Wuyan stared at this suddenly appeared man through gritted teeth, wishing he could use his gaze alone to peel the flesh from his body strip by strip.
"Sir! Enemy attack! It's the Imperial Navy and Special Operations Bureau personnel… they're very strong… bu-bu…"
From the collar of Wuyan's garment, a small black button transmitted a panicked voice before quickly cutting out — clearly, things were dire.
"You're quite fortunate. We'll be carrying out the mop-up operation under the command of the Imperial Princess — feels like an honor, doesn't it?"
A sickly smile spread across Jaweisi's face.
"Hm?" But in the next instant, he flickered aside with incredible speed, dodging a fist cloaked in razor-sharp battle qi.
"The crippled old man from the Martial Dao Palace! To evade my Shadow Thrust — you really do have some skill…"
Janus looked at the old man whose chest had been pierced clean through, yet who seemed entirely unbothered, and let out a cold laugh.
"Once you've comprehended the Origin of Qi, this old body of mine no longer has any vital points..."
The old man from the Martial Dao Palace wiped his chest, and a faint layer of white light immediately filled his entire torso.
"I knew you wouldn't go down that easily, old man!" The Knight beside them shouted as well.
"Mm! The Round Table Knight's Steelman, the crippled one from the Martial Dao Palace, and Wuyan of the Blood Kin Alliance... all very valuable prisoners..."
The explosions were drawing steadily closer — clearly, the Imperial Army's siege was slowly closing in on this location.
What was even more terrifying was that elite operatives from the Empire's Special Operations Division — experts in stealth — had already infiltrated the area. Intense battles raged everywhere, and more than a dozen black-clad figures were closing in on their position.
"Janus... stop clinging to your delusions. Do you even know about the Empire's X and Tree of Life project? In the end, you'll all be sacrificed too..."
Wuyan was still making one last effort.
"All of that... I've known for a long time..."
Janus's eyes suddenly turned blood-red. "Domain of Slaughter!!!"
A crimson Field, radiating tremendous binding force, burst open and enveloped all three of them.
"I'm nothing like you lot! In the end, I will surely attain immortality within the Shared Consciousness..."
"Now, it's time to dispose of you small fry..."
A layer of dark shadow instantly shrouded Janus's body, coalescing behind him into the faint silhouette of a colossal black beast. With speed and power that transcended all limits, he charged at the three of them.
"He's lost it! This man has completely lost his mind!"
Steelman and Wuyan exchanged a glance — the same message clear in both their eyes.
"Leave him to me... the elites out there are far more worthy of your aid..."
Boom! Boom!
The crippled old man strolled forward, hands clasped behind his back, his pace seemingly slow yet impossibly fast as he positioned himself directly in the path of the black beast.
"I have never fully unleashed the 'Essence Qi' before... today I can finally make my wish come true..."
The old Heavenly Cripple muttered, and a violent surge of energy erupted from his body, surpassing even Janus's in intensity.
Crack! Crack!
His clothes shattered into tatters. Muscles swelled up one mass after another, and countless bulging veins twisted and writhed like fat earthworms.
In the span of a single blink, the old Heavenly Cripple had transformed from his original withered, diminutive frame into a towering giant over three meters tall, his skin a dark, ashen black.
"Roarrrr..."
With a deafening roar, the giant thrust both hands upward and caught the black beast's clawing strikes.
Two colossal creatures locked in combat almost instantly, and the entire Domain began to tremble and ripple.
"Go quickly... young ones... the world is in your hands now..."
Dark Eye and Steel Man were enveloped in a warm surge of energy and pushed beyond the boundaries of the Slaughter Domain. The old Heavenly Cripple's voice still echoed in their ears.
"No..."
From the old man's tone, Dark Eye could hear an overwhelming sense of foreboding.
The Heavenly Cripple's martial arts lineage might allow a one-time eruption of the Essence Qi, granting terrifying power, but the price was equally horrifying — especially for someone of his advanced age!
Dark Eye's mind flashed back to the Mayan witch. Hadn't she perished after burning through a massive portion of her life force?
"Besides... I may look young on the outside, but I've actually lived for over three hundred years. If anyone should sacrifice themselves first, it ought to be me... damn it!"
Dark Eye's fists clenched so tight that drops of blood seeped from between his fingers.
"Hey... don't let the Heavenly Cripple's sacrifice go to waste. The situation out there is even worse!"
Steel Man pointed toward a spot nearby.
Amid the raging crossfire, Dark Eye could see a massive Imperial army closing in from all directions. At their center, a cluster of elites surrounded a royal banner.