My starting summon is a small skeleton

Zone 11, within the Secret Realm.

Time seemed to have reversed.

After a complete rotation and a round of battle, they were back to the moment of the ultimate showdown between Lu Wu and the Third Apostle's Big Moves.

However, the power erupted by both sides in this round was incomparable to the first.

On the side of the Third Apostle,

after the Fusion of two Summoned Beasts, his Power soared to its peak, truly reaching the standard of Epic Level.

The Ultimate Level "Fallen Holy Light," unlike the first eruption, lacked the grand spectacle, not covering the entire sky, without that soul-shattering black Holy Light.

But as the spectacle shrank, the Power grew.

The Power became more inward, focusing in a swirling black cross that held a force not seen before.

That was the Power of Epic Level.

The combination of Epic Power and Secret Skills made this Big Move unfold with unprecedented lethality.

On the side of Lu Wu,

by this time, he was clearly going all out.

The silly voice within him resonated continuously, his aura soaring upward, with the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword in his hand flickering.

At this moment, Lu Wu pushed all the Power he could muster to its limit.

"Divine Judgment" erupted.

A blade with a holy aura, the shadow of the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword, fell from the sky and smashed onto the black cross.

The instant the two forces clashed,

signs of defeat appeared on the black cross.

Because Lu Wu's Divine Judgment Skill carried a holy aura, it intrinsically repressed the opposing attribute.

The Third Apostle distinctly felt the Fallen Holy Light he commanded rebelling.

But that wasn't the most dangerous aspect.

The most dangerous part was that, at the moment the Light Sword descended, the Third Apostle's sight blurred.

"Daddy!"

In a daze, the Third Apostle seemed to see a chubby child standing before him, reaching out his plump hand, with a face full of joy and happiness, softening the Third Apostle's soul at that moment.

"Will you hug me?"

This scene also brought forth an involuntary surge of shame within the Third Apostle.

Out of instinct, he stopped his attack and retreated several steps, trying to avoid the child coming toward him.

Although it was the son he longed for day and night, the present him dared not and could not bear to touch him.

With his hands covered in Blood and his body tainted with filth, he didn't want to face his son in such a state, as a father he wanted to show his son his best side.

This was a passive effect of "Holy Judgment", capable of triggering the softest spot in the opponent's heart, robbing them of the will to resist.

The Third Apostle was clearly afflicted.

The black cross began showing signs of energy interruptions, with faint indications of collapse.

However, just as the black cross was about to shatter,

the Third Apostle's heart skipped a beat, and the scene in front of him changed.

The plump child's steps halted before him, the innocent and cute chubby little face visibly withered away, turning into a ghastly pale and hideous Blood-covered face, his heart torn open, his eyes full of pain and helplessness, staring dead at the Third Apostle, murmuring,

"Daddy, it hurts so much, save me, it hurts..."

At that moment, the Third Apostle's sealed memories were unleashed.

The scene of his son being cruelly cut out of his heart replayed unceasingly before his eyes, a torrent of hatred surged forth, and he himself broke free from the "Holy Judgment".

But at this moment, his black cross was on the brink of collapse.

The light of the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword already bathed him.

The extremely sharp Sword Intent was about to pierce through him; if nothing unexpected happened, this place would be his end.

At this moment, the Third Apostle erupted.

"How can this be? How can I die here? I haven't avenged my baby yet, how can I die here?!!"

With a hysterical roar, the previously near-shattering black cross burst forth with unprecedented light.

The power of epicness circulated.

A terrifying force erupted, the black cross was reborn from the ashes, and directly shattered the shadow of the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword falling from the sky of Lu Wu.

His Big Move was shattered, and Lu Wu spat out a mouthful of blood due to a severe backlash.

At the same time, the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword in Lu Wu's hands also became incredibly dim.

Clearly, at this moment, Lu Wu had suffered greatly, his combat power reduced to a fraction of what it once was.

At this moment, the Third Apostle had secured the ultimate victory in this struggle.

And perhaps due to the illusions he experienced earlier, the current state of the Third Apostle seemed somewhat different from before.

Having defeated Lu Wu, his face did not show much triumph or ecstasy.

Instead, he approached Lu Wu with the sword in hand and murmured softly, "You were right, I indeed sold you and the Ninth out.

Because Feng Xiu offered me an offer I couldn't refuse.

I chose to sell you out for that chip.

Because I have a reason to get that thing, a reason that necessitates my becoming stronger.

Also, the reason you all ended up like this today is entirely your own doing.

However, I can promise you, if the opportunity arises, I will help you kill Feng Xiu to avenge you."

The Third Apostle's sudden monologue was clearly due to the previous illusion.

The recent illusion made him unable to resist the urge to justify his actions.

However, Lu Wu on the other side laughed upon hearing these words.

"Do you think you've won?"

The Third Apostle's face changed.

Ordinary people would be stunned and doubtful in this situation; he was too, but he wasn't going to ask like the others.

Upon hearing Lu Wu's words, the Third Apostle's first response was to strike him down immediately.

The phrase 'the night breeds dreams' is clearly understood by the Third Apostle.

However, just as he was about to make his move, the Third Apostle found that he could no longer move.

The evil energy in his body surged uncontrollably; the moment he moved, he would explode before he could do anything to Lu Wu.

"What's going on? How could this be? What did you do to me?"

"Nothing much, just slipped you a little potion."

Lu Wu, looking at the Third Apostle now under his control, let a smirk play upon his lips and found a comfortable position to sit down.

Then he explained to the Third Apostle before him: "Some time ago, when I was researching evil cultivators, I found that the Evil Summoners' control over the evil energy within their bodies is actually very low.

In many subtle operations, they are unable to manipulate it as they would their limbs.

If not careful, there's even a risk of the evil energy running wild."

"Then it struck me, is it possible that I could develop something, something that could control the evil energy in an Evil Summoner's body.

Me? I'm a man of action. If I have an idea, I do it. Spending roughly a week, I successfully developed something that can control the evil energy inside an Evil Summoner."

"You don't need to know the specifics."

"All you need to know is that you've been poisoned by me, and without the suppressant potion I provided, you could burst open and die within minutes."

This was the project Lu Wu had been working on recently.

The rain of arrows he released earlier was to poison the Third Apostle.

When the Third Apostle shattered the arrow rain, the potion covered that area, and it was then that Lu Wu unleashed his Big Move.

The purpose wasn't to kill the opponent with his Big Move, but rather to draw his attention and deplete his energy.

Lu Wu's plan was a success.

"Divine Judgment" captured his attention, and the Third Apostle completely failed to notice that he had inhaled the potion.

And with the unleashing of Lu Wu's Big Move, it accelerated the consumption of energy and also sped up the time it took for the potion to take effect.

The Third Apostle had been poisoned without any realization.

Of course, the cost for Lu Wu was not small.

The potion he used on the Third Apostle was the highest-level potion he had developed to date, it took a considerable amount of legendary quality materials to research, and now it had all been used on the Third Apostle.

Fortunately, these costs were worth it.

Now, the life and death of the Third Apostle were entirely under his control.

By controlling the life and death of the Third Apostle, Lu Wu had managed to grab hold of a critically important chess piece.

Seizing the absolute initiative, Lu Wu stood up, smiling, and approached the Third Apostle, resting the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword on the Apostle's neck.

"Do you want to live, or do you prefer to die? Make a choice."

...

Zone 8.

Inside Feng Xiu's Secret Realm.

Ever since waking up the last time, Feng Xiu had not entered the state of cultivation.

On one hand, the ritual was approaching; on the other, the situation in Zone 11 was unstable, and the most crucial materials he needed had yet to arrive. Under such circumstances, how could he cultivate in peace?

Luckily, the efficiency of the Third Apostle was quite commendable.

In less than half a day, Feng Xiu received news.

The Third Apostle had successfully captured the Ninth Apostle and Zhengdaguangming, reclaiming the Angel Wings.

"The Third has asked us to give him the items first, and then he can bring the Ninth, Zhengdaguangming, and the Angel Wings to you,"

Thirteen conveyed the Third Apostle's conditions in front of Feng Xiu.

Upon hearing these conditions, Feng Xiu's attention was severely skewed.

"Who is Zhengdaguangming?"

This was a name unfamiliar to him, and Thirteen responded immediately, "He's a newly emerged prodigy in Zone 11, a few months ago he cleared Divine Blade Tower and obtained a Divine Artifact of epic level.

Afterward, he joined the Cimu family under Princess Cimu's recruitment.

But after joining, a catastrophe struck the Cimu family; the Princess killed all the direct descendants for him, and he was imprisoned by Ibaraki Gangyan for some time.

Not long after, with the help of Xing Zhanlong, he killed Ibaraki Gangyan and fled from Zone 11 to Zone 12.

Upon reaching Zone 12, he had an altercation with the Ninth Apostle, and it seems their base was even destroyed.

Later, he returned to Zone 11, and with the Ninth Apostle's aid, he killed the Eighth…"

Thirteen briefly reported Lu Wu's recent actions to Feng Xiu.

And as Feng Xiu listened to the report, his eyes involuntarily narrowed.

The more he heard, the more he felt there was a trick to this Zhengdaguangming.

"Clearing Divine Blade Tower? Killing Ibaraki Gangyan? Killing the Eighth Apostle?"

Then, a flash of inspiration struck him, "When did he first appear in Zone 11?"

"The exact date is unclear, but it should have been around June or July."

"June or July, is it?"

Upon hearing this period, Feng Xiu couldn't help but show a cold grin.

"What a coincidence!"

Intuition told Feng Xiu that Zhengdaguangming and Lu Wu were inextricably linked; these two might very well be the same person.

There was no evidence for this deduction, but Feng Xiu was firmly convinced that his assumption was correct.

He always thought Lu Wu's death at that time was too strange.

The most bizarre point was the unexpected intervention of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

That was the biggest flaw.

Feng Xiu could not fathom the reason for their intervention at that time; had they gone insane?

"If this Zhengdaguangming really is Lu Wu, then everything makes sense – did he fake his own death to escape?"

With this thought, Feng Xiu's eyes couldn't help but widen.

"If my guess is correct, then has Lu Wu really been taken care of by the Third this time?"

Suddenly, Feng Xiu thought of a possibility – could Lu Wu be targeting him this time?

This speculation ignited anger within Feng Xiu, "Tell the Third to send over Zhengdaguangming's head first."

"Yes!"

Thirteen nodded and was about to proceed, but then Feng Xiu changed his mind.

"Wait, never mind."

This wasn't because Feng Xiu had a change of heart; he had realized something.

If Zhengdaguangming truly was Lu Wu and he indeed targeted him, then the Third Apostle surely hadn't genuinely subdued Lu Wu.

Whether the Third Apostle was controlled by Lu Wu or used by him, at this moment, the initiative was definitely in Lu Wu's hands.

By putting forward such conditions, there would surely be no outcome; instead, it would startle the snake and potentially alert Lu Wu that his identity might be exposed.

For Feng Xiu, that would mean losing an advantage.

So Feng Xiu promptly retracted the order he had just issued, bowed his head in thought for a moment, and then, after repeated deliberation, finally lifted his head to address Thirteen beside him.

"First, give the Third what he wants, let him bring the items and people here.

In addition, expedite the ritual procedures, there are some things I need you to prepare, and also contact Lao Wu for me…"

Feng Xiu issued one order after another.

Under his command, a net after net began to take form.

He was about to give Lu Wu a surprise.

Lu Wu wanted to target him, did he?

Lu Wu wanted to play games with him, did he?

Well, he would give Lu Wu that chance; if Lu Wu dared to come over, he was confident that Lu Wu would definitely not leave alive.

After setting up all the orders, Feng Xiu stared in the direction of Zone 11 with narrowed eyes, "Faking death, huh? Setting your sights on me, huh?

This time I'll see if you can die for real!"

...

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