Chapter 1865: Third Purple Jade Crystal Part II

The human emperor's coronation totem reappeared above his head, utterly astonishing the old emperor before him.

"It seems you have long surpassed the limits of martial arts cultivation, ascending beyond the realm of a Martial God, and have likely comprehended the ultimate truths of life and death. To think that the final battle of my life would be against a formidable individual like you. Even if I am to perish by your hand, I shall have no regrets."

Xu Yang remained calm. Although he and the old emperor, who was concealed within the ancient tree, stood in opposition, Xu Yang harbored no desire to utterly destroy him. Knowing all this and realizing that the old emperor did not possess the purple jade crystal, Xu Yang had no intention of engaging in a fight to the death. Moreover, Xu Yang and his companions were, in a way, at fault, as it was their actions that had inadvertently caused the destruction of the Empress's soul essence.

Xu Yang's strategy was simple: first, suppress the old man, and then, from a position of superiority, present terms for negotiation. This would make resolving the situation much easier. He knew well that, given the old man's temperament, direct negotiation without first overwhelming him with sufficient strength would likely be disregarded entirely. Therefore, subduing his opponent was Xu Yang's immediate top priority.

Supported by this conviction, Xu Yang had no other distractions. The incredibly powerful Eternal Sword Dao behind him finally unleashed an unimaginable effect. With a flick of Xu Yang's finger, an infinite expanse of sword energy filled every corner of the void. Then, guided by his mental power, countless sword beams relentlessly struck the ancient tree's innumerable giant branches. Each beam could effortlessly cleave off a large branch approximately one meter in diameter. A single wave of this assault inflicted considerable damage on the colossal tree, undeniably demonstrating Xu Yang's formidable power.

"For tens of thousands of years, no one has been able to harm me. You truly are a rare existence among humanity. But even if you are an emperor among men, what then?"

The next moment, the colossal tree roared furiously. Not only did all its branches move freely in unison, but it also utilized the inherent advantages of its plant-based life form to completely envelop the space occupied by Xu Yang and his two companions. This combat tactic was not unfamiliar to Xu Yang and his companions; in fact, they had encountered similar attacks shortly after entering the Lost Mountains.

Xu Yang burst into laughter. "It seems you've been confined here for far too long; even your combat strategy has become quite laughable. You know full well that my companion and I possess the inherited power of the Phoenix lineage, wielding the most potent flame in this world, yet you still attempt to seal us three in this manner. Don't you find that absurd?"

The old emperor roared back dismissively. "My current physical form is far more complex than you imagine. The roots of this ancient tree have been embedded deep within the Lost Mountains for countless years. Over these years, it has actually been absorbing the power of the array that the traitor sealed upon me. One could say that the life force of this great tree has perfectly merged with the entire array. While I cannot break free from the constraints it imposes, I can utilize its body as an aid in battle. You can consider it my personal divine artifact, only it has already completed its fusion with my body."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yang and Long Kun immediately understood the source of his profound confidence. Because with his life force now bound to the tree, the burning effect of their Phoenix flames would not merely act upon a plant-based life form, but directly impact the old emperor, a Martial God-level expert. Consequently, his fire resistance was far superior to that of ordinary plant life.

"Boss, what should we do now? This fight looks quite difficult. If he manages to complete the spatial encirclement again, I'm afraid it will be very hard for us to break through."

Po Xiao had completely lost her desire to act. In a confrontation of this magnitude, her combat capabilities as a top assassin, who typically posed a significant threat to human cultivators, felt severely constrained within a direct offensive and defensive system like this. Since assassins are generally not adept at direct frontal assaults, the core combat strength for this battle remained Xu Yang and Long Kun.

"Now is the time for you to truly unleash your potential, my boy. Believe in yourself."

Xu Yang's sudden words to Long Kun, who was beside him, momentarily stunned the latter. "But Boss, his strength seems far superior to mine. That last offensive wave, launched by just one of his branches with a pure power attribute attack, completely shredded my defenses."

Xu Yang, however, smiled and shook his head. "I'm not asking you to engage him in close quarters. I'm telling you to push the Phoenix power within you to its absolute maximum. No matter how powerful he becomes, he ultimately cannot escape the inherent weaknesses of a plant-based physical form. Fire will always be their greatest nemesis. Next, I will personally unleash the inherited power of the Phoenix God. You will assist me in further enhancing the purity of the fire attribute, and I will personally deliver the decisive blow to finish him. If all goes well, with this strike, I am confident that I can help separate the old emperor's soul from the physical body of this ancient tree, thereby assisting him in breaking this array seal."

It was only at this moment that Long Kun and Po Xiao realized Xu Yang's true intention: while he spoke of conquering the old emperor, in reality, Xu Yang was still intent on helping him break the sealing shackles on his body.

As for Xu Yang's subsequent objective, it became clear: after rescuing the old emperor, he intended to find a way to resolve the prior conflict regarding the Empress's shattered soul, or discover other methods to help her fragmented soul recover. Following that, with their combined assistance, they would return to the Imperial Palace, expose the true nature of the false emperor, and obtain the third purple jade crystal from him. Although Xu Yang was well aware that the subsequent process would be far from as easy as imagined—because if anything were to happen to the true emperor, the imposter seated grandly in the palace would undoubtedly exhaust every means to prevent Xu Yang's team from leading the true emperor back to the imperial capital—the perils they would encounter along the way would likely be even more formidable than anticipated. Of course, these were matters for another time.

For now, the only task for Xu Yang and his two companions was to first subdue this arrogant old man.