We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

If I keep being asked like this, sooner or later I'll even get the color of the bitter tea seed out of them.

We must use super power immediately!

However, just as Xu Zhou was about to activate the [True Source Explosion] and explode with Chi Feng, a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in his mind.

"Does the effect of the relic only apply to me?"

He had sensed something from the beginning. Logically speaking, a shrewd and composed middle-aged priest like Chi Feng should not have such a large emotional fluctuation, no matter what was happening.

However, as the other party continued to use the relics, their mental state became noticeably different from before.

This is no different from those sacrificial offerings who gradually lose their minds in the cages illuminated by the sacred fire.

"Could it be that using the relic also deducts sanity points? Is the effect two-way?"

Immediately afterwards, an extremely strong question involuntarily surfaced in Xu Zhou's mind.

—Will Red Maple also be affected by the effects of "True Word"?

Practice brings true knowledge.

So before the other party could speak, Xu Zhou asked the first question.

"Father, are our reserves of mystical energy sufficient?"

"On the verge of depletion."

Chi Feng paused for a moment, then answered blankly.

Immediately afterwards, the middle-aged man seemed to realize something, his eyes widened suddenly, and he looked at Xu Zhou with a shocked expression.

"How did you...?"

"Thank you, I know what to do."

Xu Zhou couldn't help but twitch his lips; at that moment, he finally understood why the Dragon King had a crooked mouth.

That was a smile that was stretched to its limit!

"Begin the fight!!"

[No mystical energy detected within the body; replenishment has been achieved using one's innate true energy.]

hum!

The witch's hair suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light.

In that instant, Xu Zhou felt as if he were pushing a door, while Father Chifeng was exerting force on the other side of the door, and the two were thus locked in a struggle.

If mystery provides a continuous source of power, then individual will determines how long each person can persevere in this struggle.

Fortunately, Crimson Maple's reserves of mystical energy were almost exhausted, preventing the confrontation from becoming a protracted war.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the priest was defeated, and the door he had been holding firm was easily broken open by Xu Zhou.

"What did you do?!"

As soon as he said those words, Chi Feng realized that something terrible was about to happen.

At this moment, the witch's hair was still connecting the two of them, and the effect of the relic was still in effect, but he no longer had enough mystical energy to pay the price.

"Oh no, backlash..."

puff!

Chi Feng's eyes suddenly became bloodshot, his temples bulged, and he vomited a mouthful of blood on the spot.

Xu Zhou felt his hair loosen, and he finally regained his freedom.

The confrontation was successful; the access barrier has been breached.

[The body's mystical energy has been fully replenished; the remaining energy has been converted back into reserve value.]

[Currently refining the relic "Hair of the Witch's Mantra," energy conversion is ongoing, current reserves are abundant.]

Seeing Chi Feng's unsteady steps and his head retching, Xu Zhou gathered his strength in his legs and charged forward.

He threw a simple, unadorned punch!

boom!

Chi Feng's head was knocked to one side, blood splattering from his mouth. He staggered backward, taking more than ten steps before finally managing to stand up.

Xu Zhou, on the other hand, kept his fist-pumping motion, staring straight ahead and panting heavily, his heart pounding.

That punch was purely instinctive, and only now did he realize what had happened, pulling his hand back and staring blankly at his blood-stained knuckles.

That hit?

"Once the superhuman loses their mystical abilities, they are nothing more than ordinary mortals." Xu Zhou suddenly realized.

Maybe I really have a chance to defeat him?

Xu Zhou's mind began to wander again to these fantasies that he knew were unrealistic.

"A mere sacrificial offering dares to claim supernatural powers?!"

Chi Feng seemed to be enraged by Xu Zhou's remarks, or perhaps his mental state had deteriorated to the point where he could no longer maintain his rationality.

After roaring, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his gaze fixed on the target in front of him. As he turned his neck, his bones cracked, and he clenched his fists, bowing and stepping forward, pressing closer and closer.

Xu Zhou frowned slightly, caught in a dilemma.

The witch's hair hasn't been fully refined yet. Running away now might guarantee survival, but it would definitely be the option that maximizes losses.

However, it was this moment of hesitation that gave the experienced middle-aged man an opportunity.

Boom!

With a forceful thrust of his toe, Chifeng kicked up a cloud of flying gravel and dust.

Xu Zhou instinctively raised his hand to block, but the moment his vision was obscured by his own arm, his scalp tingled, and he knew something was wrong. He immediately dove to the side.

As expected, the priest's sharp footwork followed closely, piercing through the air where he had just stood. However, the attack did not end there; a swift whip kick immediately slashed towards Xu Zhou's ear.

The attacks came one after another, surging like a tide, continuous and unending.

So strong!

As a delicate flower who grew up in peacetime, how could Xu Zhou know anything about fighting?

Faced with this sudden change of tactics, he could only rely on instinct to dodge, his body almost touching the ground. Fortunately, his opponent suddenly coughed up blood midway, pausing his movements for a moment, which allowed him to extricate himself and retreat far away.

"Hmph... All you can do is hide? Cowardly coward!"

Chi Feng cursed angrily, his chest heaving violently. Before he could catch his breath, he charged forward again.

Xu Zhou didn't say a word, but immediately put what he had just learned to use, grabbing a handful of sand and throwing it in someone's face.

As expected, in order not to lose sight of him, Chi Feng had no choice but to stop and sidestep, using this brief opening to allow Xu Zhou to widen the distance again.

Seeing that this method worked, he simply grabbed two handfuls from the ground and, quite by chance, touched a hard stone with a pointed top.

Clearly, Chi Feng also saw the stone, which was just right in both shape and size, and immediately stopped in his tracks.

An eerie silence fell over the scene. The two men stood several meters apart, wary of each other, neither making any rash moves.

"..."

"..."

Xu Zhou raised an eyebrow and suddenly raised his hand as if to throw it, but Chi Feng subconsciously twisted his waist to dodge.

The priest raised his hand again, and then dodged again.

"..."

"..."

Seeing this, Xu Zhou couldn't help but curse:

"All you do is hide? You cowardly coward!"

Chifeng: ? ? ?

From Chi Feng's perspective, it was already a humiliation for a dignified superhuman like himself to be reduced to close combat with ordinary people. Now, he was even being labeled a "coward" by the other party. How could he possibly tolerate this?

This is no ordinary sacrifice; we must strike hard!

"Put your stone down first! Let's have a fair and square fight!"

"No way, I'll smash you to death!"

Halfway through his sentence, Xu Zhou suddenly raised his hand. The priest instinctively flinched, about to retaliate, but then saw that the stone was clearly being held perfectly in his hand.

Another feint.

Chi Feng was furious. Time and time again, this was clearly a trick on him!

"What the hell can you do besides throw things?!"

"I can not only throw stones, but I can also keep an old man occupied," Xu Zhou grinned.

"What do you mean?" Chi Feng frowned, puzzled.

The relic "Hair of the Witch's True Words" has been refined; current reserves are full.

[The reserves for "Rotten Wood Blossoms" are full, meeting the conditions for active activation. Please make your choice as soon as possible.]

Become!

Xu Zhou was overjoyed.

At the same moment, Chi Feng's body suddenly stiffened, and he abruptly turned his head to look at the strand of hair whose golden light was gradually dimming not far away.

"What happened? Why was the contact suddenly cut off?"

Taken aback, the priest subconsciously looked back at Xu Zhou and immediately caught a glimpse of the barely perceptible smirk on the latter's lips.

—Could it be him?!

"What have you done?!" Chi Feng's expression was genuinely horrified as he pointed at Xu Zhou, then suddenly changed his words, "No... who are you?!"

"I?"

Xu Zhou, holding the stone in his hand, stood up straight.

"Just an ordinary piece of firewood."