One person: Practicing all magic skills! The old master was stunned!

The masked man rushed towards Anthony like a wild horse, whistling with the wind. Just as his fingertips were about to touch Anthony's body, Anthony's figure mysteriously disappeared, leaving only the lingering lightning in the air and the masked man's stunned expression.

"God's power!" Anthony's voice echoed behind the blonde, accompanied by a lightning-fast attack. The blonde reacted with remarkable speed, dodging the blow by a narrow margin. However, Anthony's attacks continued unabated. He stalked around the blonde like a ghost, each strike carrying the force of thunder.

"Hmph, trying to sneak attack me?" the blonde snorted, a flicker of disdain in her eyes. She leaped up like a ferocious cheetah, pouncing on Anthony. However, Anthony was even faster. Like a flash of lightning, he weaved through the blonde's attacks with ease, always keeping his distance.

"You think you can trap me like this?" Anthony sneered, then vanished again, reappearing at the edge of the three-man encirclement. He looked around, only to hear incessant screams. The blood of the gods' people and soldiers stained the ground red.

Anthony closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if sensing every subtle movement on the battlefield. The next second, his figure vanished again, teleporting above the soldiers. With a wave of his hands, a bolt of lightning, like divine punishment, struck the soldiers' formation, instantly causing immense chaos.

"Anthony!" the masked man roared. He looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with anger and unwillingness. "Fly Archer, keep an eye on him. He won't leave the battlefield!"

The plane circled overhead, and the people in the cabin watched Anthony's every move through binoculars.

"Don't worry, he can't escape." The person inside the plane said calmly, "I've been looking for an opportunity."

Soon, the fly shooter found his opportunity. He aimed at Anthony's figure and slowly pulled the trigger. However, Anthony seemed to have eyes on his back. At the moment the bullet was about to hit him, he moved his body strangely to the side, successfully dodging the blow. Even so, a slight scratch remained on his arm, the mark of the bullet.

"Damn it!" Anthony cursed inwardly, realizing the threat on the plane was far greater than he'd imagined. He'd gotten away with it this time, but what about next time? He couldn't imagine it.

"Shoot down the plane first!" Anthony made up his mind and prepared to launch a surprise attack. However, his action was stopped in time by the blonde and others. They were like a solid wall, trapping Anthony firmly.

"Want to run? Not that easy!" The blonde woman sneered, and waved her hands. A golden light instantly enveloped Anthony. That was her special ability, which could temporarily seal the opponent's actions.

However, Anthony did not sit still and wait for death. He struggled violently, and with the help of the power of God, he broke through the seal of the blonde woman in an instant and appeared outside the encirclement.

"One against four? Humph, so what!" Anthony sneered.

Across from him, the burly man in the yellow tights, his chest as solid as a rock, sneered as he said to Anthony, "No more running around? It seems you've finally figured out that with us here, you have no time to worry about anything else."

Anthony's eyes were cold, lightning flashed at his fingertips. He snorted coldly, "Hmph, but as long as you can put enough pressure on the gods and people blocking the road to the royal city, it will be difficult for me to stay away from here. But, suppressing me is not that easy!"

The burly man didn't take it seriously. He stretched his muscles, making a "bang bang" sound. "As long as we work together well, we, the true evolvers who have developed our talents, are more than enough to suppress you Nasen Guardians. Today, let us see who is the true ruler of this land!"

The night was as dark as ink, the stars were hidden, and beneath the sacred tree, there was a dead silence. Elijah led the soldiers of Behemoth, like ghosts in the night, silently approaching the sacred tree and the place where the king was.

The king knelt on the ground, with Elena snuggling close beside him. When Elijah came into view, the king's eyes instantly ignited with rage, anger at betrayal and unwillingness to lose everything.

"Elijah, how dare you!" The king gritted his teeth, his voice revealing hatred that was hard to conceal.

Elijah remained calm, simply waving his hand, signaling the soldiers around him to advance. He knew the king's methods well, and he didn't dare to be careless. "Go ahead, use the anesthetic, and don't let her have the chance to use the sacred tree."

Two soldiers responded, expertly lifting Wang up. Wang struggled in vain, glaring in frustration and despair. The anesthetic needle, gleaming coldly, plunged into Wang's neck without hesitation.

The anesthetic quickly spread through Wang's body, blurring her vision and fading consciousness. She seemed to realize Elijah's intentions, her lips moving slightly as if to call out Elijah's name, but only a faint whisper escaped. The next second, her body collapsed limply, and with a thud, she fell heavily to the ground.

Elijah looked at the king lying on the ground. The face he once swore to protect had now lost all its luster. He slowly walked forward, squatted down, and stared at the king with complicated eyes.

Meanwhile, Behemoth's squad was advancing unimpeded along another route. One soldier, beaming with relief, even hummed a little tune: "Everywhere else is blocked, but we're completely clear here. It's going incredibly smoothly."

The person next to him echoed, "That's great! If we keep going this way, we can get straight to the Royal City!"

However, before they could finish their words, their smiles froze on their faces. Not far away, a figure stood quietly, as if he had been waiting for a long time. He was dressed in black and wore a wide-brimmed hat. His face was shrouded in shadow, making it difficult to see his features.

"Stop!" The soldiers quickly raised their guns and pointed them at the mysterious man. "I told you to show your face. Do you understand?"

The mysterious man slowly raised his hand and gently took off his hat. In the sunlight, a handsome face was revealed. It was Bestia, and his eyes revealed an indescribable indifference.

"Besdia?" the soldier shouted in surprise, "Why are you here?"

Besdia smiled slightly, but there was a hint of sarcasm hidden in that smile: "Why can't I be here? The road to the royal city is not a passage exclusively for you Behemoths."

The soldiers looked at each other, a sense of foreboding welling up in their hearts. They knew that this seemingly handsome young man was actually a hidden master, and his appearance undoubtedly added a huge uncertainty to their path forward.

"Prepare for battle!" The leader quickly gave the order, and the soldiers adjusted their postures and pointed their guns at Bestia.

However, Bestia did not move. He simply stood there quietly, as if waiting for something. The air was filled with tension and oppression, and a battle was about to break out.

"Hmph, Bestia, do you think you can stop our Behemoth army by yourself?" The leader sneered and tried to shake Bestia's determination with words.

. . . . . .

The night is as dark as ink, the stars hidden behind thick clouds, and only the occasional flash of thunder heralds the coming storm. On this island shrouded in ancient magic, every leaf seems to carry an unknown secret.

"These giant trees on the surface are but a vast illusion. Their true source of life lies deep beneath the earth," Ye Qing whispered to Zhang Chulan and the others beside him, his gaze piercing the dense canopy, attempting to glimpse the invisible subterranean world. Beneath our feet lies a network of countless roots, like the veins of the earth, quietly transporting nutrients for life.

“Once that core is touched, even the toughest branches will wither like dead leaves.”

Not far away, Ron sat slumped on the ground, his eyes hollow. His former arrogance and confidence had been replaced by despair. A wry smile played on his lips, a sorrow that came from being powerless to fight fate.

"It turns out that all this of mine is just a joke." He muttered to himself, his voice weak and trembling.

Rain Man slowly approached. "We'll take him back to the ship and away from this troubled place." His voice was calm and firm, as if everything was under control. "While DC is evacuating Ron, Behemoth should temporarily reduce its offensive. You can move freely now."

"We won't move quickly, so we'll give you plenty of time." Rain Man nodded, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. "Of course, if you have any other unfinished business on the island, it's none of my business."

As Rain Man finished speaking, a gust of wind blew by, bringing with it the salty, damp air of the sea and the distant call. Ye Qing took a deep breath; he could finally go home.

Li Muxuan's steps were steady, each one seeming to carry a heavy burden, yet revealing an indescribable sense of freedom. He slowly said, "Let's go. I'll go back with you guys." These words seemed to break the long silence and mark a new starting point for this journey.

Zhang Chulan stopped and turned to look at Li Muxuan, with a tentative tone in his voice: "Aren't you thinking about your granddaughter?" As he spoke, he clenched his fists.

Li Muxuan sighed softly, and a barely perceptible tenderness flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by calmness: "Don't test me anymore, I just want to vent my anger on these bastards. As for what path my granddaughter and her followers will take, it's their own choice. I have never been a qualified grandfather; and she has never been an obedient granddaughter." At the end, there was a barely perceptible tremor in his voice, but it was quickly swallowed up by the night.

Zhang Chulan was silent for a moment, then pulled his phone from his pocket, flicked his finger across the screen, and dialed a number. A slightly lazy yet steady voice came from the other end: "Hello, Lao Qing, can you hear me? I'm done here." The brief words revealed an indescribable sense of relief and ease.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Chulan looked back at the three people he was traveling with, "Let's go home!"

(End of the book)