In a perfect world, you start by relying on your own strength.

"I think Charles will agree, otherwise I wouldn't mind replacing him with someone more obedient as the city lord."

Shi Geng smiled faintly, speaking casually. After he finished speaking, he turned and walked slowly towards the area where Charles was.

An invisible spiritual force, like a vast and boundless sky, silently enveloped the entire lighthouse, perceiving every corner with crystal clarity. Even if Charles wanted to hide, he had nowhere to conceal himself.

For Shi Geng, who sits in the position of city lord has never been important. He doesn't care about the change of power in the lighthouse; he only needs a docile and obedient person to sit in a high position, to allocate the lighthouse's resources and direct everyone to do things for him.

If Charles is out of touch with reality, replacing him would be a piece of cake.

Jingnan stood there, watching Shigen's departing figure, his face full of astonishment. His heart sank suddenly; in the end, there was no way to avoid this conflict.

Shi Geng walked calmly through the narrow corridor of the lighthouse. The spiritual pressure emanating from his body spread silently. The city guards on duty along the way felt tense all over and their breathing became labored. They subconsciously lowered their heads and dared not look directly at him. They did not even have the courage to step forward and stop him.

Suddenly, Shi Geng stopped in his tracks, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He muttered with interest, "Interesting."

His mental power had long since locked onto Charles. Just a moment ago, his mental perception detected an unusual aura, faint and elusive, like a vast and boundless starry sky, deep and boundless, carrying an ancient rhythm that transcended the mortal world, and faintly revealing an inexplicable aura that did not belong to humankind.

The aura was deeply hidden, mixed in with the fluctuations of Charles's thoughts. It was impossible to detect without careful observation. If Shi Geng's mental power had not reached the planetary level and he had not comprehended the martial arts realm, he would not have been able to capture this fleeting anomaly.

Shi Geng remained completely still, his expression calm and composed. He walked slowly and steadily, but in reality, he subtly gathered his mental energy, transforming it into a barely perceptible ripple that quietly coiled around Charles like a spider's web.

His gaze narrowed slightly as he pondered silently.

This aura was neither the aura of a human nor the ferocious aura of a Devouring Beast; instead, it carried a trace of ancient and desolate charm.

Just as Shi Geng was about to continue exploring with his mental power, Charles's eyes suddenly turned white, and then a vast starry sea slowly flowed in the depths of his pupils. His long silver-gray hair flew wildly without wind, and his originally weak and effeminate aura suddenly surged and soared into the sky.

His aura surged wildly, layer upon layer, and an ancient, vast, and otherworldly pressure spread out, sweeping across the entire lighthouse terrace.

The mysterious aura that had been lingering within him was no longer deliberately concealed; it broke free from its restraints and transformed into a boundless, surging tide of stars.

There seemed to be an invisible Daoist chant in the world, and starlight floated and swirled around him. His profound essence did not belong to this planet at all, but rather carried a transcendent realm.

Shi Geng raised an eyebrow slightly, quietly withdrawing his probing mental energy, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He could clearly sense that Charles seemed to have shed his mortal form and was being possessed by some mysterious being from the other side of the starry sea. His cultivation aura was rising at an alarming rate and soon reached the planetary level.

"To instantly transform a mere mortal into a planetary-level being? Just who is this Lord of Light and Shadow?"

Shi Geng frowned, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes. Even though Charles had forcibly stepped into the planetary level with the help of mysterious power, he was still not a real threat in his eyes and could be suppressed with ease.

But what truly made him wary was the unfathomable Lord of Light and Shadow, hidden behind Charles.

Such a method, which can forcibly elevate one's cultivation level at will, is something that ordinary beings cannot possess.

As Shi Geng's gaze deepened and he silently weighed the pros and cons, Charles's starlight surged, and an overwhelming pressure swept across the sky, causing the airflow above the lighthouse to become wildly turbulent and the building to tremble slightly.

His expression was numb and empty, devoid of any personal emotion, only cold, desolate, and a divine indifference that looked down upon all living beings. With a wave of his hand, endless light and shadow gathered, transforming into a sharp blade of light that cleaved through everything, slicing straight toward Shi Gen.

The light blade pierced through the entire lighthouse, and Shi Geng silently shifted his body, lightly dodging all attacks.

"This is such a hassle."

Shi Geng shook his head helplessly, unwilling to linger inside the lighthouse any longer. With a flicker of his body, he leaped off the platform and flew out of the lighthouse.

Charles's eyes shimmered with starlight, his expression still numb and cold, but his body moved without hesitation. Light and shadow surged around him, transforming into a streak of light that followed closely behind, breaking through the clouds and relentlessly pursuing him.

In an instant, the two figures broke through the layers of clouds and hovered ten thousand meters in the air.

The wind howled, the sea of ​​clouds surged, and the world was vast and desolate.

Charles unleashed his planetary aura completely and without reservation, his starlight swirling around him and spreading outwards like a tide, causing the surrounding high-altitude air currents to stagnate slightly.

He remained silent, devoid of any human emotion. With a wave of his hand, countless light patterns condensed, and extremely refined spears of light and shadow emerged from the void, locking onto Shi Gen from afar. They carried a terrifying power that could crush everything, poised to strike.

Shi Geng stood in mid-air, his clothes fluttering slightly in the high-altitude gale. His expression was calm and indifferent as he looked at Charles, who was possessed by the Lord of Light and Shadow, with only a faint indifference in his eyes.

The planetary-level power, built up with the help of external forces, may seem overwhelmingly powerful, but in his eyes it is still full of flaws.

Ten thousand meters above the ground, fierce winds raged, and the sea of ​​clouds surged like waves. Charles's body was surrounded by a sea of ​​starlight that trembled violently. Countless spears of light and shadow took shape in the air, carrying a sharp light that tore through the sky, and bombarded Shi Geng with overwhelming force.

The immense power of the planetary scale shook the airflow, instantly igniting the surrounding air and bursting out with blinding white light. The entire high sky was enveloped by a torrent of energy, as if it were about to crush all living things.

Shi Geng stood in the void, his expression calm and composed, with no trace of his powerful aura emanating from him, allowing the countless spears of light and shadow to approach.

Just as the attack was about to reach him, he lightly tapped his fingertip, and an invisible spiritual force suddenly spread out, transforming into an invisible barrier in front of him.

Boom—!

The countless spears of light crashed violently against the barrier of psychic power, unleashing a deafening roar that shook the heavens and the earth. Light fragments scattered everywhere, and a violent shockwave swept in all directions, blasting large swathes of clouds into disintegration and drifting away.

However, that attack, which was powerful enough to crush even a king-level Devouring Beast, couldn't even get past Shi Geng by half a step.

Charles's empty eyes swirled with starlight even faster. As if sensing a troublesome situation, the power of light and shadow around him surged once more. In a flash, he transformed into a dazzling stream of light, charging straight toward Shi Heng. A giant holy sword of light and shadow, spanning the sky, condensed in his palm, carrying a chilling pressure that could judge all things, and slashed down.

Shi Geng's gaze narrowed slightly, and he sighed inwardly that the Lord of Light and Shadow was indeed domineering, able to use planetary-level power to such an extreme degree by using a mortal body.

His figure transformed into a blurry afterimage, his footsteps shattering the void as he easily dodged the holy sword's slash.

At the same time, a wisp of extremely restrained magnetic force quietly emerged from his fingertips, neither ostentatious nor violent, precisely targeting the weakest point of the light and shadow power on Charles's shoulder, directly dispersing the light and shadow enhancement with skillful force and forcing it to retreat.