While meditating, the saint kept calm and answered Ah Jun calmly. There was no sense of negotiation, but a certainty and full of confidence.
"—— What are we waiting for?"
Arjun was a little curious, because the saints answer was so concise that he could not form a precise judgment and corresponding tactics.
"Soon, youll know!"
The saintess, however, reiterated her decision decisively and kindly, but this was not what Ah Jun wanted to know, because he had many ideas and concerns that needed a detail to ensure that he would not make mistakes again.
"Here we come!"
Suddenly, a reminder made Ah Jun, who was still worried, stop planning and filled with hope—— At this time, they were already fighting their best, but they were about to give up, because this monster was too difficult to deal with.
At this moment, fortunately, the affirmation of the saint girl came in time. Although the situation was urgent, the girl seemed to be calm in her heart because she knew what would happen next.
As soon as the words were spoken, a new light began to appear on the ground where the children were standing. It was a new force that Ah Jun had never known——from the power of the Cold Jade Pond, which was also the protection mechanism of the mind-refining mode. The Holy Maiden had activated it when she entered here.
The light from the ground upward gradually followed the strange movement and locked onto the position. It kept shrinking, condensing and strengthening until it clamped down on the monster like a big hand and squeezed it hard, almost bursting it.
At this point, the saintess had known that the opportunity had come... So she calmly reminded her teammates, kept the spell, and put her hand on Ah Juns shoulder again, ready to evacuate.
" come on!"
"—— So is that experience a failure?"
However, Ah Jun was full of reluctance and suddenly asked a question that put him in a dilemma, which was also what the saint feared.
"Um!"
After a moments hesitation, she gave an affirmative response——for she never told lies—not even the sweetest of lies. As Ah Jun followed the Holy Maiden under a beam of light, his mind raced with conflicting thoughts. His gaze fell on the trapped monster struggling desperately in the distance, its eyes gleaming with strange light once more. Then he glanced at the gemstone, which had clearly become as perilous as before under the black mists corrosive influence.
Based on this information, the boy was able to easily identify the hidden uncertainty, because he remembered the details of the past very well, so to speak, "you learn from your mistakes". On the other hand, the saint was so focused on the evacuation process that she was not aware of it.
"Okay!"
In a moment, the holy maiden kindly reminded the boy to remove the ritual, and they were safe——But Ah Jun did not move, continuing to maintain the formation. Because his intuition told him that a new crisis was approaching, which would be an even greater challenge.
Then, Ah Jun turned his head to look at the girl, with that smile and a firm—— look in his eyes, which made the saint a little confused, after all, she could no longer read his thoughts now.
Just as the evacuation was about to conclude, Ah Jun suddenly broke free from the girls grip and shouldered his magic device alone. Once again, he recklessly disrupted the Holy Maidens plan——Determined not to let this innocent girl be dragged into further complications, burdened with too many debts, he resolved to complete this trial. Even if it meant risking his own safety, he vowed to protect his friends through sheer strength. Though appearing utterly alone and vulnerable, his resolve burned brighter than ever!
"No! Its too dangerous!"
At this moment, the saints eyes showed fear. She did not expect that this man would be so stupid—— She wanted to rush over and help the boy again, but her hands were out of reach.
In the next second, the saintess also realized a new crisis. Maybe if it were not for Ah Juns action, neither of them could have left... However, no matter what, he was too impulsive.
The gem, after a series of metamorphosis, had been polished as before, with its seductive light and mysterious inner power agitating and resonating with the monster... The monsters eyes began to shine again with a deep red light, darkening constantly, looking very frightening.
"—— Thank you!"
At this critical moment, the rebellious Ah Jun silently thanked the Holy Maiden through his words——With his back turned, he strained to maintain his magical barrier, desperately trying to ensure the girls safe evacuation. Meanwhile, the monstrous entity broke free from its restraints like a snap of a rubber band, slipping through control with ease. It unleashed an even more intense assault, sending waves of dark energy mist eroding Ah Juns protective spell... The boy fought desperately until his comrades had safely evacuated the area.
As she watched her teammate struggle like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, the girl felt both awe and helplessness... Exhausted from the intense struggle and distracted by the enemy, the rescued saintess was visibly drained. Yet she persisted, maintaining her protective instincts forged through trials and keeping an eye on Ah Jun——Perhaps these were her only remaining options in this desperate situation.
"Ying-er!"
" mew ...?"
The moment the Holy Maiden left her spiritual realm and returned to reality, Xiao Xi and Xiao Mao outside the grand hall were growing impatient——They kept peering through the holographic screen at the doorway, watching for any signs of movement inside... The strange manifestations in Ah Juns body and the Holy Maidens sudden weakness were heart-wrenching, yet all they could do was call out anxiously from outside, their concern never fading.
The sound kept coming from outside the gate into the hall... but the saintess persisted, blocking the two mens steps.
In a state of mind and spirit, Ah Jun breathed a sigh of relief after his companions had safely evacuated, but what was he to do next? The situation was difficult to maintain now. Although he could use his powers, he was not strong enough to counter them, let alone reverse them.
At this time, the black mist was devouring the spell, like eating ice cream, bit by bit——And Ah Jun thought of the uncle, if he were there, maybe there would be a way!
The child continues to fight, going all out, while making fun of his own ignorance and willfulness!
Until the black mist completely enveloped the boy... The monster, which had been watching with smug delight from across the way, could not keep its grin for long—— Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed from Ah Juns back, piercing through the dark fog like a tigers paws dispersing the terrifying energy surrounding the child.
Through the magical mirror, the Holy Maiden saw Ah Juns perilous journey filled with fortune and danger... Then, in a flash of lightning, her gaze turned to the Black Mist Demon. The self-satisfied villain she had just admired vanished without a trace—— As the girl finally heaved a sigh of relief, the lingering aftereffects began to overwhelm her. Suddenly losing her balance, she stumbled backward into the darkness.
And these were all seen by Xiao Xi and his friends. The little chubby boy rushed into the protective layer several times. After a long time, they actually broke the barrier with the help of a gust of wind——probably because the power of the Holy Maiden weakened and the secret technique failed.
Then, the two rushed into the hall regardless of everything... Xiao Xi was the first to support up the weak and surprised Holy Maiden, and began to ask about her well-being. Xiao Jiuwoo went straight to Ah Jun, jumped on his shoulder and meowed.
However, the silent saintess pushed away the others physical contact, sat down quickly and adjusted her breathing. Xiao Xi was still waiting nearby, and everyone watched auriens condition through the magic mirror.
With the help of lightning, the crisis was relieved again, but just at this time, the next second when Ah Jun thought the battle was about to win, unexpectedly, he saw a familiar figure gradually appearing beside the gem.
——Okay, thats the uncle! It looks like the uncle saved him.
So the child excitedly ran over and called out to him as usual—— but there was no reply. After a while, the uncle began to talk to him.
"Good boy, are you ok?" the uncle asked the child with concern.
"Um! Im still okay..." At this point, Ah Jun froze for a moment, then chose to answer immediately: "—— Thank you for your concern, what was it just now?"
"No offense—— You said it was weird just now, but thats because something went wrong with your training, but now its safe!" Then, the uncle comforted the ignorant child and explained in a gentle, calm manner.
"Then am I successful?"
"Right, youre really good!"
"Where did you go just now? How did you come here?" Facing his own people, the sensitive Ah Jun asked another strange question.
"Um, come over here, secret——!"
However, this time, the uncle did not get angry, but kept smiling, slowly took the child to the side of the gem: "Now this gem is very safe, you have been very eager to touch it, come on, you can try!"
At this moment, Ah Jun looked at the gem with a puzzled face and smiled at the uncle... The uncle nodded kindly.
" but?"
Although he looked calm, Ah Jun was already hesitant—— But the attraction of the gem was so great that his right hand reached out unconsciously, as if someone had pulled him.
The three figures in the grand hall, through the magical mirror, clearly witnessed the unfolding scene. Their hearts raced as they saw the energy from their earlier resonance with the Black Mist Demon within the gemstone suddenly manifest—though barely perceptible, it had unexpectedly coalesced into a tangible form.——
The uncle before you is formed by that terrible power, a fake uncle—— But at this moment, Ah Jun probably doesnt know the truth, nor does he know that beyond his minds eye, he is sitting on the cold jade pond, surrounded by a faint black mist.
The situation was settled—— The old mans face began to show a smile, one that carried an air of malice. But in truth, Ah Jun was quite shrewd. He had already guessed that the man before him wasnt the familiar, trustworthy elder hed known.
But what can he do now?
Ah Jun could only keep struggling, trying to stop but finding it hard. He used his left hand to pull at his right, fighting with all his might, though the strength was clearly insufficient——Moreover, the more troublesome issue was that his five senses were beginning to fade...