"Human, if it weren't for this brand, you would have already experienced the feeling of drifting naked in space." The voice of the flame sounded emotionlessly next to Fang Senyan's ear: "Those bastards, while detestable, still have good judgment. They should be able to distinguish spies from true allies. Who gave you this friendly-force brand?"

Facing this terrifying existence, which lacked physical form yet possessed the power to wield the Divine Artifact, Fang Senyan could only brace himself and respond with utmost deference: "Esteemed... Your Excellency. I am Human Brigadier Sailor, Army Serial Number 1018. I came to this Lost Temple Planet while searching for one of my comrades. This is a personal endeavor, in no way connected to the will of those above. The one who branded me is named Ur'aki. Previously, during a battle against the Zerg, I had the honor of fighting alongside two powerful Protoss warriors, the Zealot Soka'da and the High Templar Dochege, and even earned some merit."

The ball of blue flame suddenly ceased flickering. The pattern behind it instantly shifted and transformed, displaying a series of data files concerning the individuals Fang Senyan had mentioned. At this point, the blue flame seemed too weary to converse further with Fang Senyan, addressing the sinister voice that had led him in instead: "Shade, you are responsible for this human. Determine if what he says is true or false. Then... pass down the appropriate judgment."

Hearing the word "judgment," Fang Senyan's heart sank. The Shade, meanwhile, was already scanning the data on the light screen: "Hmm, Human, I see your life has been quite the saga, your experiences hardly inferior to many of our own Protoss heroes... Ur'aki, this minor Acolyte, has now grown to a position where he can interact with us. Hmph, does he even qualify? Zealot Soka'da and High Templar Dochege are unrecorded; this signifies they are inconsequential within our race. This still does not absolve you of the sacrilegious sin of setting foot upon this Holy Ground."

Fang Senyan narrowed his eyes and retorted coldly: "And what do you intend to do? Though in your eyes I am a lowly human, I will tell you this! You can kill me, but you cannot defeat me! You can destroy me, but you cannot insult me!"

The Shade let out a soft chuckle: "Do you still intend to resist? Before His Excellency and the greatest wonder of the universe, the Divine Artifact?"

Fang Senyan clenched his fists and said calmly: "If the Divine Artifact is truly so magnificent, then why were you all exiled to this Lost Planet?"

This statement clearly struck a nerve among the Shade and his kind! Not only the Shade, but two perfectly aligned rows of warriors, identical in attire to the Shade, stepped out from the surrounding air and let out an enraged shriek! "I had originally intended only to sever your legs. Now it seems I must add your tongue as well," the Shade stated coldly.

Fang Senyan stood tall: "Though you saved me, you may not insult the pride of a warrior or the honor of his race!"

The Shade took a step forward. The markings on the "long staff" he carried suddenly emitted a clear glow, which then began to spread outward from the tip of the staff! It finally coalesced into a terrifying blade of light—a scythe!

The Shade was already well over two meters tall and exceptionally imposing, but beneath this massive scythe, he appeared somewhat miniature! "No human has ever engaged a powerful Dark Templar in face-to-face, one-on-one melee combat without mechanical assistance! If you surrender now, you might still have a chance to live!"

Liquid metal began to churn continuously over Fang Senyan's hands, finally forming into the +10 Planetary-Grade High-Energy Power Gauntlets. He then lowered his head, slowly opening his hands, as if preparing to seal himself entirely within a shell, entirely unconcerned by the outside world.

The Shade was equally uncompromising. His form blurred, leaving long afterimages in his wake, and he raised the colossal scythe, bringing it down in a powerful overhead slash. The scythe's edge cut effortlessly through the air, producing an indescribably faint sizzling sound, as if a powerful plasma stream could cleave the very air in two!

At this precise moment, Fang Senyan suddenly raised his palm, intending to meet the plasma blade head-on with his Planetary-Grade High-Energy Power Gauntlets! These gauntlets were far superior to before, as the base equipment had been upgraded to a High-Tier Legendary Weapon, causing the rank of the gauntlets it materialized to ascend proportionally.

Thus, as the plasma light-blade struck Fang Senyan's gauntlet, it unleashed countless piercing sparks of light but could not advance an inch. Although Fang Senyan was still injured by the penetrating energy from the blow, he seized this opportunity, pressing forward half a step during the opponent's momentary pause, and delivered a horizontal elbow strike directly into the Shade.

The Shade instinctively bent his elbow to block Fang Senyan's charge, but he was unexpectedly startled to find that the strength of this human was astonishingly immense. After absorbing the impact, he lost his footing and staggered backward.

Seizing this chance, Fang Senyan strode forward and unleashed the equipped skill, an uppercut, sending the Shade floating into the air. He then exhaled deeply and launched three successive punches, striking the Shade and throwing him off balance so he tumbled backward, sliding seven or eight meters across the polished floor.

The enraged Shade sprang up from the ground, raising his giant scythe in an upward diagonal slash across the air. At that instant, the entire grand hall trembled as if struck by a chill, and strange sounds of shattering porcelain echoed in the air! An invisible wave of energy spread rapidly outward with the Shade as its epicenter.

While Fang Senyan was still reeling in shock, he felt half his body go numb, followed by a spurt of blood erupting from his shoulder—he had been wounded by the Shade's Void Slash!

Seeing the Shade raise his scythe once more, Fang Senyan immediately charged forward again. As the scythe swung down in an arc, a fresh spurt of blood erupted from his body, but the distance between them rapidly shortened. Fang Senyan grabbed the Shade by the shoulder and activated his Tactical Throw ability, slamming him violently into a massive nearby metal pillar.

This blow was also a severe critical hit for the Shade. Dark Templars excelled in stealth and elusive movement; defense had always been their weakness. This giant metal pillar could be considered the very spine supporting the entire base, its hardness self-evident!

With a deafening "CLANG," the Shade was hurled against the pillar, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. Fang Senyan was waiting right in the blind spot as the Shade was bounced back, delivering a knee strike followed by a high whip-kick that sent him flying again.

The other Dark Templars watched with expressions of utter disbelief. Their impression of humans was a race that mastered powerful mechanical strength, but whose individual physical power was utterly insignificant! This was the first time they had witnessed a human, in a fair, face-to-face confrontation, suppress a Dark Templar through sheer personal force. They knew exactly how powerful the Shade was, but the distinct dents on the Shade Armor clearly indicated that the opponent's strength far exceeded that of a conventional human—he was practically a humanoid mammoth!

The Shade slowly stood up, looking intently at Fang Senyan, his will to fight only increasing. He used his palm like a whetstone, slowly and painstakingly running it along the scythe's sharp edge, producing a grating sound and showering sparks of blue fire! This was a Dark Templar sacrificing his own life force to sharpen the scythe—a powerful enhancement known as the "Blade of Blood," capable of multiplying the scythe's destructive power tenfold!

Seeing this, Fang Senyan’s expression turned grave. He took a deep breath and said chillingly: "If you intend to take my life, then do not blame me for being vicious."

As he spoke, Fang Senyan raised his right hand, and the terrifying weapon of scarlet light began to rapidly materialize in his grasp!!

The eerie, malevolent, yet immensely powerful glow of the Demon Sword Apophis instantly manifested within the sacred hall of the Protoss. At that moment, even the powerful Divine Artifact floating in the air emitted a faint hum, clearly drawn to the anomaly.

"You, a mere human, possess a weapon of such terrifying might?" The Shade was finally moved.

Fang Senyan stated gravely: "That is because my soul has never been tainted! Do you still wish to fight me? Anyone wounded by this weapon will bear a wound that can never be healed!"

The Shade could not help but sneer: "Have you ever seen a Dark Templar shrink back in fear during a battle?"

Just as both sides were locked in a tense standoff, about to clash again, another ball of ghostly blue flame slowly drifted down from the air. Following this, the ceiling of the hall slowly closed shut: "Wait a moment! Outsider, I sense a familiar aura on you. Can you tell me why?"

This ball of blue flame jumped a few times, its echo reverberating through the hall.

Fang Senyan thought carefully and suddenly realized there was indeed an item related to the Protoss on him—yes, the communicator he obtained from Old Qi, which could summon his 3D projection to complete tasks at any time.

However, after his mission failed, Fang Senyan had tossed this device aside as junk. But at this moment, a thought struck him, linking it to Old Qi’s fragile, candle-in-the-wind appearance and age. He immediately retrieved it: "Your Excellency? Are you referring to this? This is a token given to me by an elder of the Protoss..." (Yesterday night the network was struck by lightning, I finished writing but couldn't send it. I'm posting this from an internet café now... I hope the leaders understand. RQ)

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