It felt so good to be close to the witch!

Absorbed, transformed, and purified, the wisp of black energy quickly disappeared, transforming into a highly refined energy.

"interesting……"

A smile appeared on Roy's lips.

The Demon-Slaying Dagger in his hand seemed to sense something and began to tremble.

"Now that you're here, don't even think about leaving."

Roy completely released his body's defenses, capturing the eerie black energy that wanted to escape.

At this moment, the black mist resembled a delicate young girl, while Roy was a villain with a sinister grin, grabbing her and trying to drag her into the room.

Roy did this, of course, not to absorb the Demon-Slaying Dagger.

He has no shortage of energy; this move is simply because he wants to try a second experiment.

As we all know, forbidden objects are powerful, but using them comes at a huge cost; this is the nature of forbidden objects.

The previous experiment proved that the invading energy from the Class A forbidden object had no power to resist the [Infinite Desire God]. So, can we interpret this as the [Infinite Desire God] being of a higher rank than the Class A forbidden object?

Is there a way to circumvent the rule that using forbidden substances must come at a price?

Roy knew that his idea was a bit far-fetched.

But how will you know if you don't try?

This time, he did not absorb or transform the black energy that invaded his body. Instead, he kept it as it was and left it in his body to see if the [Original Sin Cube] would react.

Time passed second by second, but the [Original Sin Cube] remained completely still.

Is the method wrong?

After a moment's thought, Roy decided to use the "intimidation method".

He gripped the Demon-Slaying Dagger, looked at the "Absorb?" message that appeared before him, selected "Yes", and then, less than 0.1 seconds later, selected "Cancel".

Under this manipulation, the [Original Sin Cube] had just begun absorbing the Demon-Slaying Dagger, but because it was later canceled, the absorption stopped, and the forbidden primordial substance it had absorbed was returned to the Demon-Slaying Dagger.

This phenomenon brought to Roy's mind a very vivid term: "inch-stopping," cough cough...

Roy looked down at the Demon-Slaying Dagger in his hand.

After this back-and-forth struggle, he felt that the Demon-Slaying Dagger in his hand seemed to be emitting a wave of fear, trembling, and even flattery and fawning.

Has the "intimidation tactic" been successful?

Roy wasn't sure, but he decided to give it a try.

Even if we fail, it'll just be a depletion of life essence. With Shanika around, it's not a big problem. As for the backlash from not killing any living beings? If the Demon-Slaying Dagger dares to backfire, [Infinite Desire God] dares to teach it how to be a dagger!

However, there is still one question before that: how should the Demon-Slaying Dagger be used?

Did he bleed himself and pour the blood onto the dagger?

Roy looked at the Demon-Slaying Dagger in his hand with a questioning look.

Seemingly sensing the gaze that seemed to be devouring Roy, the Demon-Slaying Dagger began to vibrate and emitted a faint suction force, pulling at Roy's fighting spirit.

With a thought, Roy channeled his fighting spirit into the Demon-Slaying Dagger.

After absorbing a small amount of Roy's fighting spirit, a thin layer of jet-black light, as thin as a wing of light and vibrating at a high frequency, appeared on the surface of the Demon-Slaying Dagger.

"Oh?"

Roy raised an eyebrow, wielded the "Open" Demon-Slaying Dagger a few times, leaving behind streaks of pitch-black space wherever it went.

Once this thing is turned on, its sharpness alone is enough to cut through space?

No wonder it's said to be able to break through any defense.

Roy was surprised but also looked at the Demon-Slaying Dagger with great interest: "This thing actually knows how to seek advantage and avoid harm? It has a good eye."

"Is it only this type of item, or are all Class A forbidden items like this?"

The "trained" Demon-Slaying Dagger only requires battle qi to activate, and the amount needed is not much, so there is no need to pay any additional price.

Clearly, Roy's actions had frightened it.

After trying the Demon-Slaying Dagger a few times, Roy estimated that even if he were hit by it, he would suffer extremely terrible damage, and he became increasingly satisfied.

One more card!

When Roy closed the Demon-Slaying Dagger, he noticed that the black aura on its surface had dimmed, as if it had become weak due to lack of nourishment.

Is the price to pay for using forbidden substances the root cause of their long-term sustainability and even increased power?

This guess came to Roy's mind.

To verify this, he activated the Demon-Slaying Dagger several more times. Although the Demon-Slaying Dagger trembled continuously, it dared not disobey due to its "tyranny." However, the black aura became increasingly faint, eventually turning into a pale black.

"It seems that's indeed the case..."

Roy nodded, not surprised at all.

The law of conservation of energy applies everywhere.

You have to give something to get something in return. If you haven't given anything, it's only because what you gave was something you couldn't see.

With the pitifully begging Demon-Slaying Dagger tucked into his waistband, Roy's high-level spatial ring flashed, and a coffin made entirely of ice crystals appeared before him.

—Class A Forbidden Item: The Lost Ice Coffin

Following the same method as before, Roy found that the Lost Ice Coffin could also be used without paying a price while trembling.

After the experiment ended, Roy put away the lost ice coffin, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He looked down at the dark blue doll in his pocket.

Before each battle, he would carefully store the doll containing Cecil's sleeping soul. Once in a safe environment, he would put the doll in his pocket and let it follow him, watching the outside world together.

Roy wasn't sure if what he did would allow Cecilia, residing in the doll, to see the outside scenery, but...

Roy knew how long and lonely a hundred years of sealing would be, and that Cecil would certainly not like being alone...

More than half a month has passed since the Star Lake incident, and Sehir still shows no signs of waking up.

With a sigh, Roy closed his eyes and began practicing his daily breathing technique.

A thousand miles begins with a single step.

He can use A-level forbidden items without any cost, which will further enhance his combat power. However, when facing a true powerhouse, relying solely on external items is far from enough; one's own strength is the most fundamental element.

If he could raise his battle qi level to Legendary Three Stars, he would probably be able to contend with the Legendary Limit without even needing to activate "Destruction State".

……

The Duke's intelligence department acted swiftly.

In less than half a day, the relevant intelligence had been delivered to the border duke.

Inside the hall, Roy and the Border Duke sat facing each other. In addition to the two of them, Fuma and all the witches who had reached the Grand rank were also present.

"Your Grace, what is the specific situation now?"

Roy looked at the border duke and asked.

The border duke didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "As expected, the temple in the Emerald Feather Province has not yet completed the recall of the witches. This is mainly because Marquis Stanger of the Emerald Feather Province refused to return the serving witches. With him taking the lead, several viscounts also refused."

"However, the temple's attitude is very firm, so it probably won't last much longer."

Cuiyu Province borders Lafa Province. It is mostly plains and is a major grain-producing province, as well as the main grain supplier for Lafa Province.

"The Azure Feather Province, Marquis Stanger, huh..." Roy stroked his chin. "How powerful is Marquis Stanger?"

"The Stanger family is a hereditary marquisate with three legendary warriors, making them quite formidable among the imperial nobility," the Border Duke said. "What do you intend to do?"

Roy smiled, glancing at Elena, Lilia, and Latie sitting at the long table, and said with a smile, "Two methods."

"First, we will strike secretly, stunning the Divine Punishment Knights without them noticing. Elena will then hypnotize them and remotely read everything the Divine Punishment Knights see."

"The drawback of this measure is that it cannot guarantee that the Divine Punishment Knights escorting the witch will see the real core item; it's more of an extra bonus."

"The important one is the second one."

"Among the shadow contract creatures that Lilia can control, there is a special small creature called 'Black Fly'. It is smaller than a flea and has a unique 'stealth' ability. Even legendary knights would find it difficult to detect. It can be placed on the witches being escorted, allowing Lilia to project the scene seen by 'Black Fly' through the contract."

"However, neither of these two methods, whether it's Elena's mental reading or Lilia's shadow creature visual projection, can be too far away, at most one hundred kilometers. Therefore, we need to have Elena and Lilia secretly follow the escort team, accompanied by Ms. Latie, to ensure their safety. If anything goes wrong, they can be teleported back immediately."

"By employing this two-pronged approach, we will surely uncover the secrets hidden within the shrine of the Privy Council!"

-

(Thanks to the generous donor "high死我" for the donation!)

Daily book recommendation: "Just Reborn, and the Vicious Female Villain is Coming!"

[Recommendation]: The protagonist is reborn from the world of cultivation, but unexpectedly, that demoness has also come after him?!

Chapter 193 Shanika's Second Talent Evolution (Please Subscribe!)

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After Roy finished speaking, everyone in the hall fell into a brief silence.

A few seconds later, the border duke finished thinking and nodded slightly: "If the two witches do indeed possess such abilities, then the two methods you mentioned are indeed highly feasible."

"As for the danger, there is no need to worry too much if Latie is willing to take action."

The Border Duke had personally experienced the improvement that Latie received.

In the past, during the battle of the capital city of Saint Fuye, he had just escaped the black sky created by the A+ forbidden object "Inverted Cross" when he was directly dragged into space by Latie and teleported over a long distance, leaving the temple chief and others who came out 0.1 seconds later with nothing but powerless rage.

Although it is unclear why Latie's strength has increased so much in such a short time, there is no doubt that if she simply wants to escape, no one can stop her unless a demigod intervenes. Even a demigod might not be able to stop her if they are not careful.

Under everyone's gaze, Elena's large tail wagged behind her: "I can do it."

Lilia didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly to indicate that it was fine.

As for Lattiyi.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze fixed on Roy, without even glancing at the border duke beside her: "If this is your request, I grant it."

"Then I'll have to trouble you." Roy said with a sincere expression of gratitude, and then he continued, "The personnel for the operation have been determined. Our next task is to find an opportunity to take action against the Divine Punishment Knights team in the Emerald Feather Province."

"There is a good opportunity for this soon." The border duke tapped the table with his index finger: "The temple's final date for Marquis Stanger is before sunset today. I expect that the Divine Punishment Knights of Emerald Feather Province will come to escort the serving witches, and their archbishop will most likely accompany them as well."