I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

After calming his little apprentice down, Ji Tian stepped into the air and arrived in the wasteland, ready to engage in a great battle with the hero.

On the desolate plain, scorched earth wisps of smoke rise from the ground, and the air is filled with a sacred yet eerie atmosphere.

Moonlight peeked through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the land ravaged by the holy sword, its furrows and ravines resembling wounds torn open by the earth.

Ji Tian and Alex faced each other, separated by a hundred feet.

His white robes fluttered in the night wind. Ji Tian stood with his hands behind his back, his face calm as still water, as if he were not going to a life-or-death battle, but taking a stroll in the mountains behind his house.

His aura was restrained, and if one did not look closely, he was no different from an ordinary person—but deep within those eyes was a bottomless abyss, where starlight flowed and the Dao essence rose and fell.

Alex gripped the sword with both hands, the light of the holy sword turning his blond hair a fiery platinum. The golden patterns on the sword pulsed like veins, and with each pulse, his face paled a little more.

His magical energy was being frantically drained by the holy sword; magic, memories, life force… everything was burning. But he didn't care; his eyes were only on the white-clad man opposite him.

"You didn't have to do this. All you had to do was explain your identity and take good care of that girl—"

"No need for further words." Ji Tian interrupted him. How could he let this battle slip away? He had just entered the Nascent Soul stage and needed a thorough battle to consolidate his cultivation. "You've already decided that I'm the culprit, so whatever I say is just sophistry. Let's have a fight and talk about it afterwards."

"Very well." Alex said no more. He raised the holy sword high above his head, golden light exploding from the blade like a star rising into the world. "Since you insist—then let's go!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure disappeared from the spot.

Teleport?

No, that was extreme speed—blessed by holy light, his body transformed into a golden lightning bolt, tearing through the air and hurtling straight at Ji Tian.

A hundred feet, reached in an instant.

The holy sword, carrying a world-destroying force, cleaved down!

Before the sword arrived, its aura had already arrived.

Golden sword light shot out from the blade, tearing through the void. Wherever it passed, it plowed a scorched furrow several feet deep into the ground, the soil instantly vitrifying in the high temperature, gleaming with a cold light.

Ji Tian simply raised his right hand, joined his index and middle fingers together, and gently pinched the sword tip.

As his fingertips collided with the sword's edge, the golden sword light, powerful enough to cleave a city wall, vanished silently from his fingertips like a extinguished candle.

Alex's pupils contracted sharply, but his attack did not stop.

The holy sword followed closely behind, its blade flowing with golden runes, carrying an unwavering determination as it pierced straight for Ji Tian's throat.

Ji Tian turned his body slightly to the side, a very small movement, just enough for the sword blade to graz his collar.

At the same time, he reached out with his left hand, his five fingers like claws, and grabbed at Alex's wrist holding the sword.

Alex reacted extremely quickly, sweeping his holy sword horizontally, changing from a thrust to a slash, the blade drawing a golden arc as it aimed at Ji Tian's waist and abdomen.

Ji Tian touched the ground with his toes, and his body floated backward several feet like a piece of paper, barely avoiding the sword.

The first round of probing has ended.

Alex stood where Ji Tian had stood, the Holy Sword held horizontally in front of him, his breathing slightly rapid. His eyes were fixed on Ji Tian, ​​his heart churning with turbulent emotions—after he [unleashed] the Holy Sword, each strike was imbued with multiple blessings such as [guaranteed hit] and [demon-breaking], theoretically making it impossible even for a Demon King to catch with his bare hands.

But this person accepted it.

Not only did they accept it, but they accepted it with complete nonchalance.

"Who exactly are you?" Alex's voice was hoarse. "What is your purpose in abducting the Demon King's bloodline?"

Ji Tian did not answer. He simply looked down at his fingertips—there was a very thin red mark on his fingertips, a burn from the sword's edge.

The red marks healed rapidly under the nourishment of spiritual energy and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Not bad sword, it actually managed to wound me." He raised his head, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. "Again."

Alex took a deep breath and stopped holding back.

The light on the holy sword surged, and golden runes spread from the blade to his arms, shoulders, and chest, enveloping his entire body in a layer of intense holy light.

His eyes turned pure gold, and countless flowing runes were reflected in his pupils.

This is the second form of the hero's "Liberation"—completely fusing the power of the holy sword with himself to unleash the "Sanctuary" and gain home-field advantage.

The Sanctuary is the true source of confidence for heroes throughout history to dare to fight the Demon King in his castle. It can effectively sever the connection between the Demon King and his castle for a short period of time, preventing the Demon King from using abilities such as teleportation, plundering, or substitution.

The entire wasteland trembled. Golden holy light spread outwards from beneath his feet, turning the scorched earth into a dark red glaze wherever it passed, and filling the air with a scorching heat.

Ji Tian's brows finally twitched slightly.

"Domain-specific capabilities? Interesting."

Alex did not respond. His figure vanished again, cutting in from the opponent's left flank, his holy sword thrusting straight at the chest, while his left hand gathered holy light, preparing to unleash a [Holy Light Impact] upon close combat.

Ji Tian seemed to have no time to dodge. He was pierced through by the holy sword and then blasted away by the [Holy Light Impact] to a distance of more than a hundred meters before rolling and falling to the ground.

"I held back, only rendering you incapable of resisting." Alex drew his sword and approached Ji Tian, ​​who was lying on the ground, trying to get up but collapsing again due to his weak arms. "Tell me, what is your background and purpose?"

To outsiders, it seemed as if Alex had defeated a madman who was ignorant of his own limitations and dared to challenge the hero in just a few moves.

But is that really the case?

A round of applause rang out beside the hero, accompanied by hearty laughter. "Impressive! The power of those two sword strikes was enough to defeat that red dragon of Xiling! The way you gain power by burning your essence and even your origin is just like the methods of a sword cultivator."

"An illusion? When?!" The hero took a few steps back in shock and assumed a defensive stance. Looking down at the figure lying on the ground, he saw that it had turned into a pile of shattered stones.

"Hmph, when?" Ji Tian looked at the other party with regret. "When did you start to have the illusion that I didn't use the Nightmare spell in the first place?"

Yes, at the very beginning of the battle, Ji Tian used illusion magic on Alex. The galaxy flowing in his eyes was not just to highlight his superior aura; it was also the opening move to activate a nightmare-like ability.

However, just as the hero unleashed the [Sanctuary], Ji Tian realized that his illusion could not last long within the opponent's domain.

So I had no choice but to create an opening, letting the opponent knock away my phantom so I could study the opponent's [Sanctuary].

Ji Tian's divine sense surged into that golden [Sacred Domain] like a tidal wave.

The trajectory of the holy light, the order of the runes, the "replacement" nodes between the domain and the rules of the outside world... everything gradually became clear in his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Your [Sanctuary] is quite impressive; it must be some kind of means to defeat the Demon King, right?"

Alex did not respond; he was still in shock at the shattering of the illusion, but the holy sword in his hand was already raised once more.

Golden light exploded from the sword blade, and the [Sanctuary] suddenly contracted, shrinking from covering the entire wasteland to a mere ten-zhang radius centered on him.

As it contracted, the concentration of holy light surged dramatically, filling the air with a scorching, suffocating heat.

"Domain shrinking?" Ji Tian raised an eyebrow. "Planning to engage me in close combat?"

Alex did not answer, and his figure disappeared again.

This time, even faster.

With his extreme speed enhanced by holy light, combined with the suppression of the rules within the [Sanctuary], he believed that no one could catch his sword in this state.

Golden lightning ripped through the night sky, striking straight at Ji Tian's brow.

Ji Tian neither dodged nor avoided.

He simply took a step forward, forming a hand seal, and said:

"Domain Expansion"