You must defeat him within two minutes, or once you detach from the Moon’s Phantom state, there will be no second chance. [Wan? Bookstore._ As Moon Shadow lunged forward, Star followed closely behind.

Two hazy afterimages, like crossing, misaligned bolts of lightning, closed in on Zhan Lang in the blink of an eye.

The Dragon Shadow and Sky Opening longswords simultaneously thrust towards Zhan Lang’s left and right flanks.

“Roar.” Zhan Lang let out a fierce roar, sweeping his greatsword in a horizontal slash! A dazzling crescent of sword energy shot forth! It was a stance demanding a direct, brute-force confrontation.

Clang! Boom! The expelled crescent sword energy slammed brutally into the longswords thrust by Moon Shadow and Star! The terrifying shockwave once again blasted Moon Shadow and Star apart.

What shocked Star even more was that Zhan Lang’s robust frame remained completely unmoved, standing firm as a mountain.

Although Moon Shadow and Star had anticipated Zhan Lang’s terrifying strength, the sheer degree of it far exceeded their calculations. However, their reactions were lightning-fast; at the instant they were repelled, they each utilized their astonishing projectile speed to dissipate the powerful recoil.

Whoosh! The two landed almost simultaneously, one to the left and one to the right, and before they could even regain their footing, they sprang forward again.

But before they could get close, Zhan Lang suddenly coiled and sprang upward like a rocket, rocketing into the high sky.

Such speed—Star was genuinely astonished. He knew that both he and Moon Shadow were operating at the absolute limit of the Moon’s Phantom state, yet even so, Zhan Lang’s speed was in no way inferior to theirs.

It was even faster.

This wasn't necessarily because Moon Shadow’s speed was less than Zhan Lang’s, but because Zhan Lang was currently under the control of the personality system, and his application of combat techniques was clearly a significant level above the controlled Moon Shadow…

More critically, Moon Shadow’s Moon’s Phantom was currently only operating at the first level, far from its strongest limit. Yet, this was already the absolute maximum Star’s body could endure.

If Moon Shadow were to force the Moon’s Phantom speed any higher, Zhan Lang wouldn't even need to act; Star’s own body would collapse and disintegrate first.

Once the host body died, the controlled Moon Shadow would either lose control or immediately crash.

It was clear then that what Zhan Lang said was absolutely correct: the existence of the host body was fundamentally a burden to the Hero.

In truth, Heroes originally appeared on this continent solely to protect the frail humans.

This realization brought Star a sense of shame; to think that he, too, would one day become the burden—it was an incredible irony.

But in this moment, he absolutely could not give up so easily.

Damn it, I’ll risk it all!

The Battle Qi of the Nine Dragons Body Protection was instantly pushed to its maximum limit.

Kaioken! This technique, which Star had almost forgotten and allowed to gather dust for ages, was now performing a miracle.

His physical resilience was massively reinforced in an instant.

Unquestionably, Kaioken was the ultimate weapon for challenging opponents of a higher level.

This was the only way Star could conceive of enhancing his physical strength in such a short time. Although the cost would be devastating, the current situation allowed no time for such considerations.

Sensing the instantaneous surge in Star’s physical strength,

Moon Shadow’s Moon’s Phantom elevated once more—

Moon’s Phantom, Level Two.

A torrent of powerful energy rushed toward him. Star felt as if his entire body had become an inflated balloon; the dense, surging Battle Qi energy threatened to burst his very frame. Yet, the feeling of boundless power throughout his body sent Star into a frenzy of delight.

This strength was simply astonishing!

All of this occurred in the span of a single blink.

Almost the moment Zhan Lang shot into the sky, Star had used the effect of Kaioken to fortify his body, and Moon Shadow seized the opportunity to raise the level of the Moon’s Phantom…

Zhan Lang’s figure, which had been swift as a specter, was now completely locked onto by Star.

Whoosh! Moon Shadow and Star, missing their lunge, simultaneously coiled and sprang upward.

Wrathful Dragon Charge! Sword energy rained down like golden dragons dancing wildly! Forming two massive, serpentine dragons of sword energy.

Their techniques were almost perfectly mirrored; the two dragon-shaped bursts of sword energy shot out like cannonballs fired from a barrel, slamming into Zhan Lang high above.

"Not bad, still capable of increasing combat power." Zhan Lang, suspended in mid-air, seemed momentarily surprised.

But power and speed of this magnitude were still far from enough.

A flicker of mockery crossed Zhan Lang’s placid face! He raised the Sky Opening Greatsword high above his head.

Sky Severing Sword Qi!

The greatsword, held high above his head, slashed down like lightning.

In an instant, the heavens and earth changed color, thunder flashed and lightning cracked! Two colossal dragons of light, following the arc of the lightning-fast slash of the Sky Opening blade, shot forth, charging directly at Moon Shadow and Star.

“Ah! What powerful sword energy!” With their current abilities, they stood no chance of blocking this terrifying strike.

Star’s expression drastically changed! He rocketed forward, his movement twisting unnaturally in the air—he stepped on the void, and the Phoenix Heaven Wings on his back flapped violently. His trajectory, originally a straight line, warped into a bizarre arc in mid-air.

Swish! The blazing, potent sword energy of the Flash Dragon shot past Star and Moon Shadow by a hair's breadth! It then slammed ferociously into a nearby hill.

Boom! Crash! Gravel scattered, and a cloud of dust erupted.

Amidst the earth-shattering roar, the previously rising mound was instantly blasted into a vast crater.

“Agh! What kind of power is that?”

Cold sweat beaded on Star’s brow! Had he been hit just now, there probably wouldn't even be ashes left.

Damn it, is this Zhan Lang’s true strength?

Even more terrifying, as the light dragons annihilated the hill, Zhan Lang, who was still hanging in the air, vanished whoosh! With Star’s current senses, he could only barely capture a fleeting afterimage! A sharp, whistling sound of air being cleaved instantly echoed beside him.

“Ah! Behind us!”

Reacting with supernatural speed, Star and Moon Shadow instinctively lunged forward, their longswords sweeping backward like lightning.

Clang! Almost simultaneously, their sweeping swords collided with an immense force…

Star was violently thrown forward, knocked off balance! He then crashed heavily onto the ground, finally managing to absorb that tremendous force.

Moon Shadow on the other side was equally battered, though she seemed slightly better off than Star; at least she remained standing! However, even the usually expressionless and calm Moon Shadow was now panting heavily, suggesting this exchange had placed a severe burden on her body!

“Damn it, does this guy have no limits? Why is it that even when we feel we’ve closed the distance, he instantly pulls away again?” Star gritted his teeth against the tearing pain surging through his body and struggled to rise.

“Hmph, hmph, not bad. Now you’re starting to look the part.” Zhan Lang did not press the attack, instead standing far off with the mocking expression of a cat playing with a mouse. “For someone of your cultivation level to achieve this much is already quite commendable.”

“……” Star glared fiercely at Zhan Lang’s infuriating composure.

What am I supposed to do now! Is there truly no solution left?