I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The moment the words were spoken, the weather on the wasteland changed dramatically.

Ji Tian's body suddenly surged with spiritual light, and a nascent soul image slowly rose from the top of his head.

The illusory figure was only about ten feet tall, yet it resembled a small, pure yang sun hanging overhead, radiating golden light and exuding an overwhelming aura.

The phantom's face was exactly the same as his, with indifferent eyebrows and eyes, yet it contained a cold and stern look down upon all living beings.

The next instant, an invisible domain suddenly expanded outwards from him, sweeping across hundreds of feet.

The heavens and earth suddenly froze, the gale stopped abruptly, the flowing clouds solidified, and the flying pebbles in mid-air were frozen in place, as if even the air itself was being gripped tightly by an immense force.

The surrounding space was slightly distorted, and the light was dim; this place had become a world of its own.

In this realm, he is heaven and earth, he is the only one.

Alex felt his magic power sluggish and stagnant, and the golden runes on the holy sword pulsed wildly, as if being held tightly by an invisible hand.

His sacred domain was compressed and squeezed, shrinking from ten zhang to five zhang, then from five zhang to three zhang, until it could barely cover his entire body—the light of the holy sword dimmed by more than half in Ji Tian's domain, like a beast trapped in a cage, with fangs but nowhere to exert its power.

"What is this…" Alex's voice was hoarse. His pupils reflected the white-clad figure with the illusory image of a nascent soul above its head. "This isn't magic, it's not holy light… what are you—"

"This is my [Domain]." Ji Tian originally intended to shout out a name that sounded superior when he unleashed it, but his mouth moved faster than his brain, and he only shouted "Domain Unleashed".

Forget it, let's just call this move [Domain - Deployment]. Maybe in the future, I can launch a surprise attack when the enemy subconsciously thinks of the domain name and catch them off guard.

Evil thoughts gradually took shape in Ji Tian's mind, but he strode forward without changing his expression. His steps were not fast, but they were like drumbeats, each step hitting the intervals between Alex's heartbeats, as if the whole world was pulsating with his footsteps.

Ji Tian raised his right hand, his five fingers making a grasping motion in the air.

A longsword formed from spiritual energy emerged from his palm. Its blade was as clear as jade, with golden Dao essence flowing within it, and faint starlight could be seen swirling on its edge.

"Come, let me try your sword."

Alex gritted his teeth, and the light from the holy sword exploded once more.

Although his [Sanctuary] was suppressed, the power of the Holy Sword itself remained—this power represented the accumulated beliefs of heroes throughout the ages, the embers left behind by countless burning souls.

Don't underestimate the bond between heroes, you bastard!

He moved.

Golden lightning ripped through the frozen space, and the holy sword, imbued with resolute will, pierced straight into Ji Tian's chest.

This time, he didn't hold back much. He unleashed the full power of [Liberation], with magic, physical strength, and mental strength all burning, except for his unforgettable memories.

Ji Tian sidestepped, his spirit sword blocking the attack.

The two swords clashed, producing only a low hum, like two mountains colliding in the void.

Golden holy light and white spiritual light intertwined, tore, and annihilated each other. Centered on the two, a visible shockwave spread outwards, carving another deep circular trench into the already ravaged wasteland.

Alex was knocked back several steps, his hand split open, and blood flowed down the hilt of his sword.

But he didn't stop. The holy sword swirled, changing from a thrust to a sweep, and slashed down at the waist.

Ji Tian lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure rising like a willow catkin, dodging the sword strike while the spirit sword slashed down from above.

Alex raised his sword to parry, and spiritual power and holy light exploded at the point where the blades met. His knees bent slightly, and the soil beneath his feet instantly turned into glass, with cracks spreading outwards.

One sword, two swords, three swords... ten swords, a hundred swords.

On the wasteland, two figures crossed, collided, separated, and collided again like lightning.

Golden holy light and white spiritual light exploded into bursts of intense light in the night sky, illuminating the entire wasteland.

The 127th sword strike.

Ji Tian's spirit sword clashed with Alex's holy sword once again, and this time, Alex did not retreat.

He caught the sword with his bare hands and even took a step forward.

"You're strong." Alex's voice was forced out through clenched teeth, a trickle of golden-red blood spilling from the corner of his mouth—a mark of the backlash from the holy light. "But you can't stop me."

"Stop you from what?"

"Stop me... Protect everything I must protect."

"What the heck?"

A resolute glint flashed in Alex's eyes. The light on the holy sword suddenly contracted, and then—exploded. It wasn't an explosion of sword energy, but a further burning of [Liberation].

He no longer just burned magic and physical strength; he began to burn his memories—all of them.

Ji Tian's pupils contracted slightly.

He saw Alex's blond hair losing its luster at a visible rate, turning from a fiery gold to a dull gray-white.

Fine lines began to appear at the corners of his eyes, his skin lost its firmness, and he looked as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

More importantly, his eyes were changing—that firm, fervent light, which seemed to illuminate everything, was gradually dimming.

"This can burn too?" Ji Tian deflected the holy sword with his sword, took several steps back, and frowned. He could foresee that if the other party continued to burn, it might even burn away its own "existence".

Alex did not answer.

He raised his sword again, but this time, his movement hesitated slightly.

It wasn't that he was physically exhausted; it was that his mind started to go blank.

He didn't remember why he was standing there, who the person in front of him was, or even his own name.

But his hand still gripped the sword, and his body was still fighting; it was his physical instinct.

Ji Tian sheathed his sword, stood with his hands behind his back, and slowly said, "That's enough."

If the other party truly ignites their own "existence," I'm afraid I won't be able to save them.

Alex's holy sword came slashing down, but he did not dodge.

The blade struck his shoulder with a muffled thud, and golden holy light exploded on his body, leaving only a faint white mark.

Ji Tian raised his hand and grasped the blade of the holy sword. The blade was sharp, and the holy light was scorching, but his hand remained motionless.

I said—that's enough.

Alex paused for a moment.

At that very moment, Ji Tian reached out with his other hand and unleashed a Heaven-Imprisoning Finger technique, just like the one used by the Martial Ancestor, slashing fiercely at the blade of the Holy Sword.

"Click—"

A crisp cracking sound.

The holy sword is broken.

The blade broke in the middle, and the upper half flew out and stuck into the soil some distance away.

Golden light gushed out from the break, like a torn blood vessel, flowing wildly away.

Alex looked down at the broken sword in his hand, his pupils contracted sharply, his lips trembled, he wanted to say something, but only a hoarse whisper came out.

Ji Tian didn't give him a chance to speak.

He raised his hand and placed a palm on Alex's chest. Spiritual energy surged into Alex's body like a tide, traveling and probing along the magical pathways.

He "saw" it. Alex's magic circuits were mostly dried up, and cracks had even appeared in several places—a backlash caused by the Holy Sword's excessive extraction.

Even more serious is his sea of ​​consciousness—the area where memories are stored—is being rapidly devoured by some force, like flames licking paper, the edges of which have begun to curl, char, and turn to ash.

Fortunately, he could be saved, and the cost wasn't too high for him.

Ji Tian breathed a sigh of relief. His spiritual energy transformed into countless hair-thin tentacles, which wrapped around the burning fragments of memory, rescuing them from the flames, carefully enveloping, securing, and returning them to their original positions...

Alex froze.

He felt a warm power flowing into his body. It was neither holy light nor magic; it was a mysterious feeling he had never experienced before.

Those memories that were slipping away were gently held up and brought back by an unseen hand.

He remembered his own name.

I thought of the old village chief's oak tree, the blacksmith's sword, and the apple the old man by the roadside gave me.

I remembered Bruno's greatsword, Anna's prayers, and Mason's smiling face. I remembered why I was standing here.

"You..." Alex looked up at Ji Tian, ​​his eyes filled with confusion, "Why?"

Ji Tian loosened the broken blade of the holy sword, took a step back, and looked at Alex's face as if he had seen a piece of uncut jade.

He let out a genuine laugh, one filled with appreciation and satisfaction:

"How delightful! Brave warrior, become my apprentice!"