The scene suddenly became quite awkward. After a long while, Shí Jīngxián finally heard the commotion from the other side of the wall again. 

Yuán Xiāo’s voice was hoarse, sounding even more terrifying. “Do you know what will happen if you refuse me?” 

As he spoke, Shí Jīngxián had already begun to secretly manipulate the Two Lives Flower, making it absorb energy from the seeds. 

Lán Luòhǎi’s calm voice came through, “I know.” 

Yuán Xiāo paused for a moment before saying, “I noticed you the first time we met in Country A. You are unlike anyone I’ve ever seen, ten or even a hundred times stronger than that Jì Xuānrán. So, I’m giving you one last chance.” 

“But you better think it through; your choice doesn’t just concern you. It also involves this palace beneath your feet, this city, and the lives of everyone.” 

Shí Jīngxián frowned slightly. Even though he couldn’t see, he could imagine Yuán Xiāo’s arrogant and gloomy expression at that moment. 

With such grandiose words, it seemed Yuán Xiāo was very confident in his abilities. But had he really fully awakened to the ninth level? 

Shí Jīngxián had seen the plot supplement; the reason Yuán Xiāo chose Jì Xuānrán as a sacrifice was due to their previous connection. When a pharmacist concocts potions, they leave their own energy in the potions. After five years of marriage, most of Yuán Xiāo’s potions were provided by Jì Xuānrán, which is why he chose to use her blood to help himself advance. 

Now, without Jì Xuānrán, Yuán Xiāo must have captured another pharmacist to serve as a sacrificial offering for his advancement. Logically, his breakthrough shouldn’t be perfect. 

However, the ninth level was still the peak of supernatural abilities, and Shí Jīngxián didn’t dare to let his guard down. Just as he was considering whether to enhance the absorption of the Two Lives Flower at the cost of drawing attention, he heard Lán Luòhǎi’s voice. 

What surprised Shí Jīngxián was that, under such circumstances, there was still a calm and leisurely tone in his voice. 

“Since you’ve already destroyed the surveillance and defensive cameras, I’ll give you an extra piece of truth.” 

“This city, this country, and even this entire continent, Yuán Xiāo, including your ninth-level abilities.” 

Lán Luòhǎi’s voice was cold. “In my eyes, everyone combined isn’t worth even a single hair of his.” 

Shí Jīngxián was slightly taken aback. 

Lán Luòhǎi’s words… 

Before he could think further, the massive impact generated by the collision of their supernatural abilities erupted nearby, with a thunderous roar that shattered the dim sky, revealing a faint glow. 

Shí Jīngxián’s heart sank. 

They had really started fighting. 

The enormous and almost terrifying energy fluctuations didn’t stop; the brick wall in front of him had already been reduced to rubble during their first clash. Broken bricks flew chaotically in the air, most of them crushed to powder by the colliding supernatural forces. 

It felt like being in the midst of a furious storm; under the impact of the power, Shí Jīngxián found it hard to even stand firm. In the end, it was the flamboyant Two Lives Flower that protected him. 

The vibrant multi-petaled flowers bloomed fiercely, and under Shí Jīngxián’s control, they began to continuously absorb energy from Yuán Xiāo. As the brick wall collapsed, the intense battle was laid bare before Shí Jīngxián. Both of them were clearly giving it their all, with green and aquamarine lights colliding, sending energy waves rippling through the air like splashing sparks. 

The roaring hurricane enveloped Lán Luòhǎi’s tall figure, as if trying to completely imprison him. In the next moment, several sharp water blades sliced through the raging wind, shattering the massive wind-based supernatural force. The battle situation changed rapidly, reaching a critical point in an instant. 

Shí Jīngxián no longer waited; he took out a dozen bottles of plant growth agents and poured them onto the swaying branches of the Two Lives Flower, watching as the vibrant flowers grew even more robust and resilient. 

With the ample application of the growth agents, large patches of Two Lives Flowers bloomed freely, quickly covering most of the rooftop. Under the dimly lit sky illuminated by the supernatural impact, the gorgeous petals resembled a flowing river of blood. 

Wherever the supernatural attacks landed, bricks and stones flew everywhere, and the building structure was left in ruins. Only the Two Lives Flowers, climbing over the rooftop, remained unyielding, even becoming more vibrant as they continuously absorbed the energy. 

With the Two Lives Flowers blooming so flamboyantly, the two combatants naturally noticed the commotion below. Yuán Xiāo’s eyes turned blood-red, his venomous gaze fixated on Shí Jīngxián, but under Lán Luòhǎi’s attack, he couldn’t spare any focus to attack Shí Jīngxián. 

Lán Luòhǎi also sensed Shí Jīngxián’s presence, but with the battle so intense, he didn’t speak; he just cast a deep glance at Shí Jīngxián before continuing his fierce assault on Yuán Xiāo. 

After being glanced at by Lán Luòhǎi, the Two Lives Flowers coiling around Shí Jīngxián became much more vigorous, their plump petals wrapping around him, shielding him from the scattered energy. 

The battle was so fierce that the eighth-level Lán Luòhǎi was clearly at a disadvantage. Fortunately, Shí Jīngxián’s guess was correct; Yuán Xiāo’s ninth level was not perfect, and with the massive consumption of the Two Lives Flowers, Lán Luòhǎi was barely able to hold his ground. 

Shí Jīngxián frowned secretly. 

The ninth-level Yuán Xiāo was different from before; even with this intensity of energy absorption, he couldn’t shake his foundation. 

It seemed he could only use another trump card. 

While Yuán Xiāo and Lán Luòhǎi were locked in a fierce battle, his desire to capture Shí Jīngxián’s heart had not diminished. However, every time he tried to attack Shí Jīngxián, he was seized by Lán Luòhǎi and dealt a heavy blow. After several attempts, not only did Yuán Xiāo fail to succeed, but he also exhausted a considerable amount of energy. 

Thanks to the time Lán Luòhǎi bought, Shí Jīngxián finally managed to summon the Lièchǐguǒ, which had been sleeping soundly in the nutrient solution in the lab. However, during the communication process, he sensed another unusual presence nearby. 

Recalling what Yuán Xiāo had just said about destroying a city, Shí Jīngxián’s mind raced. He temporarily calmed the Lièchǐguǒ, which had crawled out of the lab window, and called out to Yuán Xiāo, “Marshal!” 

His voice quickly attracted the attention of the two fighters. 

“Do you really want to put me to death?” Shí Jīngxián asked. 

Yuán Xiāo trapped Lán Luòhǎi with a wind barrier and sneered, “What? You still have the nerve to ask me? I’ve known all along that you had ulterior motives; you married me just to monitor me. I never expected that despite all my precautions, you still succeeded.” 

His words dripped with sarcasm, “You’ve been acting for five years, Jì Xuānrán; you’re truly impressive!” 

Whether in the past or present, Yuán Xiāo had never believed in Jì Xuānrán’s feelings, and every step she took was filled with calculation. He was so cold-blooded and cruel, yet he still felt justified in blaming everything on Jì Xuānrán. 

Shí Jīngxián looked at him and sighed softly. 

“No, I once loved you.” 

Yuán Xiāo scoffed, and then nearly got his face sliced by Lán Luòhǎi’s water blade. 

After he awkwardly dodged the attack, he heard Shí Jīngxián’s next words. 

“I once carefully noted all your preferences: how many sugar cubes to put in your coffee, how many centimeters to fold your cuffs. I even specially made you a custom health potion. The first crystal tool knife you gave me, I used it for five whole years, and I even replaced the handle three times.” 

His calm, familiar voice seemed to suddenly pull the surrounding space back from the bloody chaos to a gentle everyday life. 

Yuán Xiāo was momentarily taken aback. 

Shí Jīngxián sighed again. 

“Unfortunately, Marshal, you missed your chance.” 

“When you held that sharp knife that could hurt me, you didn’t stab me. Now, the knife is gone; no matter how hard you try, how carefully you plan, you can’t touch a single hair on my head.” 

Shí Jīngxián even deliberately used the phrase about a single hair that Lán Luòhǎi had mentioned earlier. 

He asked, “Marshal, do you regret it?” 

Actually, without needing to see Yuán Xiāo’s reaction, Shí Jīngxián could guess the answer. Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, he heard a notification sound. 

【Ding——Task repair progress, 75%】 

Having completed so many tasks, he had never tried to mend the harm done to those who had hurt the original self. 

Hoping for scum to turn back and cherish feelings was less likely than expecting a pig to climb a tree. 

Rather than exhausting himself to make scum regret, it was better to slap him in the face until he cried. This was the reason Shí Jīngxián could always efficiently achieve excellent results. 

Amidst the blooming flowers, Shí Jīngxián smiled slightly. This smile, in Yuán Xiāo’s eyes, who was almost driven to the point of spitting blood, was particularly glaring. He roared angrily, taking Yuán Xiāo’s attack head-on, and suddenly waved in a certain direction— 

A loud rumble followed, and in the bright lights, thick, twisted plants suddenly appeared from mid-air, crashing down onto the land of the imperial city one after another. 

Lán Luòhǎi frowned. 

“Strangling Banyan?” 

Yuán Xiāo laughed heartily, “I’ve said it before! Today, the entire imperial city will be your burial ground!” 

The towering Strangling Banyan wildly waved its long and numerous aerial roots, wrapping tightly around everything it could grab. Like a tangle of vines, they accepted all, and anything containing energy could be strangled to death by them. 

Because of this characteristic, even though the Strangling Banyan ranked lowest among high-level plants, its ferocity was still terrifying. Except for ninth-level supernatural beings, no other humans could control or stop it; even eighth-level supernatural beings faced a life-and-death situation when encountering it alone. 

Moreover, the Strangling Banyan loved water by nature, so Lán Luòhǎi’s attacks would definitely be greatly weakened against it. Yuán Xiāo had been plotting for a long time; from the very beginning, he was prepared to unleash a massacre! 

As soon as the Strangling Banyan appeared, the situation shifted instantly. Yuán Xiāo looked down at his opponent from a high vantage point. He had originally planned to destroy the imperial city first, but after being provoked by Shí Jīngxián, he simply used his supernatural ability to grab a nearby aerial root and smashed a Strangling Banyan onto the rooftop. 

The massive Strangling Banyan, needing five people to embrace it, made the space on the rooftop feel much more cramped as soon as it landed. Yuán Xiāo even deliberately blocked Lán Luòhǎi, preventing him from rushing back to rescue Shí Jīngxián. 

After being blocked by Yuán Xiāo several times, Lán Luòhǎi’s anger began to rise. He had already stationed his subordinates to guard various places in the imperial city; the Strangling Banyan wouldn’t harm many people, and he didn’t care about the battle situation elsewhere at all. 

He only cared whether Shí Jīngxián was injured; the one he truly cared about had always been just one person! 

With a “whoosh” sound of breaking air, dozens of water blades suddenly erupted, finally forcing Yuán Xiāo back. Lán Luòhǎi didn’t linger in battle; he leaped through the gaps in the Strangling Banyan’s waving aerial roots and headed straight for Shí Jīngxián, who was in the corner of the rooftop. 

He rushed too urgently, and when he turned to dodge an aerial root attack from behind, he was caught by a cluster of Two Lives Flowers. 

When Lán Luòhǎi hurriedly got up, he saw the person he had been thinking about standing boldly in front of the Strangling Banyan, showing no intention of dodging at all. 

Seeing Lán Luòhǎi, he even turned his head to comfort him. 

“Your Highness, no need to panic.” 

With supernatural powers overflowing everywhere, the faint light outlined Shí Jīngxián’s handsome profile. Under the soft light, his brown eyes faintly reflected a beautiful blue. 

In that fleeting moment, his appearance perfectly overlapped with the familiar outline in Lán Luòhǎi’s memory. 

For the first time, Lán Luòhǎi showed a genuine look of astonishment. 

He watched as Shí Jīngxián calmly raised his arm, reaching out toward the ferociously waving aerial roots.