Beast in a Trap

Aise's abilities were incredibly tricky to deal with; any defense was practically useless before him.

But even so, Xia Lun did not ask Aina for help.

It wasn't out of some sense of pride, but rather he truly had the confidence to resolve the current situation.

Aise's attacks were indeed powerful... but as long as they didn't land, there wouldn't be any problem.

Xia Lun could tell that Aise was still not accustomed to this body of his... Moreover, Aise himself had to be careful; if he ruined this one and only body, he would be helpless once again.

The battle between the two had surprisingly reached a bizarre equilibrium. Both were holding back, aiming to exhaust the other's strength and find an opportunity to suppress their opponent, rather than dealing a lethal blow to kill.

It seemed as if they had returned to the past, when Xia Lun had taught Aise sword techniques by acting as his sparring partner.

Now... Aise's sword techniques were already stronger than his own.

Indeed, just as he had said, after experiencing endless years of slaughter in the Spirit World, Aise's sword skills had reached the pinnacle of perfection. Among everyone Xia Lun had ever met, perhaps only Joli, who had similarly honed his skills for hundreds or thousands of years, could match him in swordplay.

But the old saying held true: absolute power overcomes all techniques.

This body forged for Xia Lun by Aina... whether in speed or strength, was far beyond what Mian could compare to.

Even though Aise currently possessed the immense magic power of an entire magic stone vein within him, drastically boosting his strength, his magic output still had a limit, making him unable to keep up with Xia Lun's speed.

Xia Lun abruptly halted his movements, abandoning his pursuit. The Sword of Chaos in Aise's hand slashed past Xia Lun's face at an incredibly tricky angle, severing a lock of his hair.

Aise swung the Sword of Chaos once more. Wherever the blade passed, space tore open like fragile silk, revealing the chaotic void behind it. Yet Xia Lun always managed to dodge and shift at the critical moment, as if he could predict all of Aise's movements.

Aise's attacks were terrifying, leaving no room for error... Therefore, Xia Lun's tactics were exceedingly cautious; he preemptively evaded any possibility of getting injured.

"Father, you really are good at hiding... but how long do you plan to drag this out?" The blade in Aise's hand easily tore open spatial rifts. "I can afford a war of attrition, but can you hold on? I possess the magic power of an entire vein... while you will eventually exhaust your strength."

The magic power within Aise was endless, and although Xia Lun's stamina was also fearsome, it truly could not compare to Aise's.

If he couldn't find a way to break the stalemate, Xia Lun would be the first to run out of stamina.

Xia Lun's breathing was long and steady, showing no signs of reaching its limit.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Lun forcefully stomped the ground. The rocks shattered as he launched himself into the sky. He raised his flaming sword high above his head; the flames on the blade suddenly retracted, condensing into a pure, almost incandescent light.

"What are you planning to do? Erase me along with this kid?" Aise sneered. He knew his father too well; Xia Lun would never do such a thing.

At the same time, Aise cast a wary glance at Aina, who was watching over the battle from the sidelines.

If it were his mother, she would definitely sacrifice the boy he possessed without a moment's hesitation.

While Aise was still looking around, Xia Lun, holding the flaming sword high, had already charged right in front of him.

Xia Lun descended like a meteor. The flaming sword tore through the air without making the slightest sound—all its power was concentrated on the blade, pointing toward the depths of the soul.

Under Aise's astonished gaze, the flaming sword slashed down without hesitation.

"Ah!"

The blade struck the body, but there was no expected spray of blood and flesh. Aise let out a miserable, distorted howl, his entire body blasted away as if hit by an invisible, massive force.

Xia Lun really had slashed down with his sword. Aise immediately pulled away, creating distance between them.

Aise only felt a terrifying burning sensation coming from his soul, as if he were cast into a furnace.

The pain far exceeded the limits of physical endurance, causing his vision and hearing to go blank for a moment.

Looking at himself, there were no wounds at all. Despite clearly being struck by a sword, his robes remained completely intact.

Xia Lun's strike had actually only attacked his soul.

Aise finally realized what was going on. Xia Lun's eyes were tightly shut; the moment he launched the attack, he had already entered the Spirit World.

"Father..." Aise propped himself up. The excruciating pain of his burning soul made his voice twist and tremble, yet a crazy, excited light burst from his eyes. "You really... surprise me!"

Xia Lun remained silent, his eyes closed, but his perception enveloped the entire barrier. He had elevated his spiritual senses to their peak. In his "vision" right now, Aise was no longer a concrete human figure, but a twisted, pitch-black existence—this was Aise's soul.

Xia Lun's figure transformed into a streak of light as he chased after Aise.

Aise turned and fled without hesitation.

The magic barrier that Aise had previously destroyed... Aina had already restored it, trapping Aise inside like a cage. The two figures darted rapidly within the barrier, moving so fast that ordinary people wouldn't be able to catch sight of them.

Naturally, he wasn't going to stand there foolishly waiting to be slashed by Xia Lun.

The soul is a whole entity... just like the orbs of light seen in the Spirit World, which is the soul's most original form.

The injury caused by a sword strike wouldn't directly affect the body's movements, unlike when arms or legs are cut and rendered immobile. It was more like in a game, where a chunk was slashed directly off a health bar.

Of course, a wounded soul also brought about agonizing pain that ordinary people could not endure, but to Aise right now, it acted more like a stimulant.

Continuing like this was too much of a disadvantage. He hadn't fully mastered this body and was not yet a match for Xia Lun... Not to mention, the one he was even more wary of was Aina.

Aise already wanted to escape. While fleeing, he arrived at the edge of the magic barrier and brought his sword down upon it.

Sizzle—!

The blade sank into the barrier, like a red-hot knife cutting through a thick layer of wax, instantly carving out a deep groove.

But Aise's expression instantly turned ugly. In the distance, Aina's lips curled into a cold smile.

This magic barrier had been rearranged by Aina. It was now like a city-defending rampart, a full dozen meters thick... Even if Aise's Sword of Chaos could destroy all things, the longsword was entirely unable to pierce through her newly set barrier.

Aise continued to hack at it, as if trying to dig a tunnel through it, but the gaps he chopped out actually began to heal themselves.

And Xia Lun had already reappeared behind him.

Like a father getting ready to spank his child, while the mother had already helped lock the door.

Gritting his teeth, Aise could only temporarily abandon his plan to escape.