That despicable, scheming woman, she actually disguised herself as an elf lady!

At the end of the narrow, cramped cave lies a lake of crystal-clear water, with the faint glow of fireflies from the rock ceiling reflected in its surface.

Also reflected in the lake were Liu Huan and Ophelia.

"Derek?!"

"Liu Huan?!"

"senior?!!"

Three different sentences were uttered by the group the moment they saw Liu Huan.

Liu Huan was also somewhat surprised. How could he have met several unexpected acquaintances here at the same time, and how could these acquaintances have gathered together and become prisoners of the Podolian Order?

Fortunately, Cecilia and Gareth slipped up to the two of them, but as soon as the Portorian Order was mentioned, the smile on Liu Huan's face vanished instantly, and his gaze sharpened.

Ophelia frowned and said calmly, "Cecilia, why are you being hunted by the Podolian Order?!"

Cecilia blushed with shame after being beaten to the point of vomiting blood by the deacon. In the end, it was because she was careless. She never expected that this unassuming man in black was actually a master of the Refining Realm!

The Purification Realm has three minor realms: Purification, Condensation, and Fusion.

The first two realms only involve drawing upon the primal force of the world to cleanse the internal organs and solidify the internal organs and bones.

If bone forging is merely about strengthening the body and granting adventurers immense power, enough to shatter rocks and split the earth, and break through thousands of troops...

Adventurers in the Refining Realm can strengthen their internal organs, limbs, and bones to an inhuman level by enhancing their physical constitution.

Not only is its recovery ability far superior, but it has also begun to develop the rudiments of battle qi—internal energy—which greatly enhances its destructive power.

Cecilia bit her lip, saying unwillingly, "Ophelia, stop making sarcastic remarks. This cult deacon is very strong; he's already in the process of being corrupted!"

Normally, even adventurers at the Dirty Realm would find it difficult to capture her.

However, the monsters in the Fusion Realm are different; their stamina and destructive power are already inhuman.

Upon hearing this, Liu Huan's expression changed slightly.

Of the three realms of purification, only the realm of fusion of filth was one he did not want to encounter. The enemy there was like a monster with infinite energy, whose energy remained abundant no matter how he fought.

"Hoo~" Liu Huan took a deep breath and whispered to Ophelia beside him, "I'm going to swallow the Silver Lotus Root later and forcefully break through the fourth level of Body Tempering. That's the only way we'll have a chance!"

He sensed the tiny seed within his dantian, which seemed to be hibernating. This was something that had appeared after he became a demon swordsman, and upon sensing the Silver Heart Lotus, he suddenly felt eager to try it out.

When Gareth and Cecilia saw that Liu Huan wanted to continue fighting, they shook their heads like rattles.

"Let's keep running for our lives. There's no point in fighting an enemy you can't beat!"

"That's right, there's still a chance to escape from here!"

To their surprise, Liu Huan gently shook his head, "No, you don't understand the terror of the Refining Realm. We can't escape now!"

The deacon, a wicked smile playing on his lips, crossed his arms and watched the group of insects as he gave his last words.

For him, he did not share the bloodlust of the other deacons of the Podolian Order. Rather than killing, he preferred watching the little insects' faces contort with fear as they faced death.

Only in this way can he feel the meaning of existence and the strange beauty of life passing by.

"Hand over the Silver Heart Lotuses you possess, and I might consider leaving you with a complete corpse."

The steward was a discerning person; handing over this precious silver lotus root was a great achievement.

His subordinates had told him there was treasure here, but he didn't believe them because he thought it was too far away. He never expected there really was treasure!

Liu Huan lowered his head and did not answer the question. Instead, he took advantage of Ophelia's unpreparedness, turned around, snatched the silver lotus root from her hand, and began to chew it in large mouthfuls.

As soon as the snow-white lotus root enters the mouth, its sweet juice fills the mouth. The cool liquid slides down the throat and slowly sinks into the lower abdomen. At the same time, a warm current flows along the meridians to nourish the limbs and bones, and soothes the internal organs.

Upon seeing this, the deacon's smile vanished instantly, replaced by anger that flashed across his eyes. His icy voice echoed through the underground cave.

"You idiot, you're asking for it!!"

Ignoring everything else, Liu Huan's face flushed red, his teeth clenched, and he roared, "Break...break it for me!!"

The chieftain of the Gray Feather tribe once said that the lotus root of the Silver Heart Lotus is best used in medicine before consumption, so as to maximize its medicinal effects.

While direct ingestion might lead to a breakthrough, there's a higher chance of the body exploding and dying because it can't withstand the Silver Heart Lotus's violent potency!

Liu Huan had no way out. Facing a master of the Refining Realm, if he didn't fight to the death, he would only face certain death!

Veins, like gnarled tree roots, covered his entire neck and face; his eyes bulged out; and his skin seemed to surge and churn like waves.

Liu Huan was so audacious as to break through enemy lines in front of them!

The deacon sneered, "Do you think I'd just stand by and watch you break through?"

In a typical storyline, the villain usually holds an absolute advantage, constantly verbally attacking the protagonist, only to be ultimately defeated in a dramatic turn of events.

But this one doesn't seem to have such intentions!

As the steward approached Liu Huan, a cool and aloof young woman, her eyes filled with determination, stood between the two, sword in her right hand.

Ophelia slightly raised her eyes. "I won't let you touch a single hair on his head!"

Upon hearing this, the deacon snorted coldly, took a step forward with his hand shaped like an eagle claw, and seized the other person's shoulder.

Ophelia was far weaker than her opponent. With just this one move, the magic sword in her hand was knocked away, and the remaining force flowed back up her arm, causing her to stagger back several steps.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, but her red lips became even more alluring. She narrowed her phoenix eyes, suppressing the blood that almost welled up in her throat, drew her short sword from her waist, and thrust again.

The butler casually knocked her away again and again until Ophelia collapsed to the ground like a rag doll, too weak to get up.

He shook his head slightly, looking at Liu Huan who was unable to move like a roasted crab, and was about to pierce the other's chest with a palm strike.

A chilling aura suddenly swept over me from behind!

At that moment, the deacon thought his intuition was wrong. Where did the chill come from? Could it be that adventurer in the Bone Forging Realm? But how could a mere Bone Forging Realm cultivator pose a threat to him!

But alarm bells rang in their minds, and a powerful, suffocating chill suddenly gathered above their heads.

All that was heard was a clear, melodious voice.

"Second-level Arcane Spell: Frost Spear!"

Cecilia saw several crystal-clear ice spears condensing in the air, their swirling ice shards resembling dancing starlight, and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Gareth, standing nearby, looked much the same, muttering to himself, "Am I seeing things? She can cast magic while simultaneously being enveloped in battle aura?"

Inside the cave, the captured men also looked on in disbelief.

The spear of ice shimmered with a chilling light. Ophelia raised her hand and, with a piercing coldness, hurtled towards the deacon. Whether it was a misperception or not, everyone saw a faint white mark left where the spear flew.

Because of the close proximity, the moment a cold glint appeared in the butler's eyes, he was pierced directly by the icy spear.

In an instant, smoke and dust filled the air!

"Cough cough cough!" Ophelia's body was already depleted of magic power due to the Black Armor Turtle's pursuit, and now she had to draw all her magic power to use this trump card move.

She struggled to her feet, her right hand hanging limply on her shoulder as if its bones had been removed.

In the end, he couldn't hold back the blood rising in his throat and spat it out.

Cecilia and Gareth, who were standing nearby, were utterly shocked.

Is Ophelia really human?

Moreover, the power of this ice spear has already firmly reached the Refining Realm!

"Did it work?"

As the smoke and dust in the air gradually dissipated, Ophelia's beautiful eyes flickered, a hint of tension in her heart.

Unfortunately, the result of this attack was a huge disappointment to everyone!

"Hahaha, uh..." As the dust settled, the deacon, clutching one of the icy spears that was five centimeters embedded in his abdomen, roared with a sinister laugh: "I almost, I almost fell for a junior like you!!"

No one could have imagined that Ophelia, who was clearly a swordswoman, could use such powerful magic.

Even a steward at the Refining Realm wouldn't have thought of this.

However, even with arcane arts that had reached the pinnacle of refinement, he could not be killed by a sneak attack.

"We're doomed!"

Cecilia and Gareth's eyes dimmed when they saw that the butler was only seriously injured.

"The power of this spell is approaching the peak of the Refining Realm. If I hadn't been on guard, you might have actually killed me!"

"I don't know how you did it, but in this respect, wow~ I call you the strongest!!"

Upon hearing this, Ophelia, who was clinging to life by a thread, instantly collapsed to the ground.

"Hehe." Seeing this, the steward gave up on Liu Huan and went straight to Ophelia, pinching her chin and saying, "I also value talent. If you are willing to be my lover, I will let you go."

Ophelia didn't speak, but she had already answered by spitting a mouthful of blood onto the butler's face with a "poof".

"court death!!"

The butler wiped the blood from his face, his expression ashen, and grabbed Ophelia by the neck, preparing to exert force.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a large sword hurtling through the air.

Left with no other choice, he released his grip, took a step back, and then drew the curved sword from his waist to block the attack coming at him.

The steward glanced over and realized that Liu Huan had successfully broken through to the fourth level of the Bone Forging Realm after consuming the Silver Heart Lotus Root.

He sighed and said, "You guys are really like unkillable slimes, surprising me time and time again."

"Especially you, who dared to swallow the silver lotus root directly and didn't explode and die, I admire your courage!"

Today's shocks came one after another, leaving everyone somewhat numb, especially the deacons of the Portorian Order involved.

First, Ophelia, a swordswoman, was able to unleash magic. Then, Liu Huan miraculously survived a great calamity, not only escaping death but also taking that step with the help of the Silver Lotus Root!

Cecilia and Gareth stared at Liu Huan in shock. They thought he was about to be proven wrong after making those tough remarks!

Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and they finally overcame the three bone-forging trials, laying the foundation for the fourth.

At first, Liu Huan was still some distance away from the fourth stage of bone forging, but with the help of the silver lotus root, he still managed to reach this stage with great difficulty.

This should have been a cause for celebration, but facing such a powerful enemy...

Liu Huan, however, was not happy!

Even after four rounds of bone forging, he was still helpless against an enemy whose bones had already been corrupted. The powerful aura emanating from the enemy filled him with despair!

Their only chance of survival is to escape back to the real world, but what should Ophelia and the others do?

Sigh, I wish I were all alone!

Thinking of this, Liu Huan flashed and instantly appeared in the narrow cave.

"Cecilia, I'm leaving this place to you!"

Liu Huan punched the cultist's body to pieces, freeing the ropes binding Eric.

Cecilia stood to the side, somewhat hesitantly saying, "Leave...leave it to me!"

Upon seeing this, the deacon's eyes darkened, filled with murderous intent. "This pig dares to resist?"