A number of generals returning to Rohan were deeply uneasy about this troop’s departure. After all, this was an action personally led by the King, and they were heading out to confront another White Wizard. Consequently, they all wished they could accompany the party closely. However, King Théoden was a warrior even more formidable than Faramir and others, and his will was firm and resolute. He firmly refused their pleas and set off immediately. Furthermore, with the abnormal presence of Zheng Zha in their company, they felt that as long as they guarded against hidden arrows, their character would definitely not be a source of worry.

Along the way, the group encountered several large contingents of scattered Orc forces. Orcs were, after all, Orcs; they were creatures famous for their bloodlust. Even when routed in open battle, they remained exceptionally vicious during their retreat. Seeing that Zheng Zha’s party was small in number, every group of retreating Orcs exceeding five hundred attempted to attack them. Some more cunning Orcs recognized Zheng Zha within the group; the terror inspired by that god of slaughter was too profound. Many Orcs began screaming and fleeing the moment they saw him. A few duller Orcs, however, hadn't grasped the situation. They roared and charged toward the team, only to be immediately slaughtered by Zheng Zha.

Zheng Zha waved the blood from the edge of his Hu Po Blade and said with a sigh to the other four members of the Central Continent Team, "This is exactly why I am reluctant to use the release of the fourth stage of the gene lock. Unlocking the fourth stage doesn't provide a temporary boost; it genuinely alters the genes. Even though only a portion of the genetic alteration is retained after recovering from the gene lock state each time, changes occur with every use.

“Strength will increase steadily. To give an analogy, it’s similar to the monster we encountered when obtaining the Golden Mask—only his genetic changes were entirely at will.

“That’s the intermediate level of the fourth stage, and his changes were limitless. Now, he disregarded whether the change could balance his genes or if his body could handle the load, which is why he died during our prolonged confrontation.”

The other four were startled by this revelation. Zhang Heng was the first to exclaim in surprise, “Do you mean that every time you use the fourth stage of the gene lock from now on, you will also become progressively stronger? How strong can you become? As powerful as you were last night?” “Possibly stronger,” Zheng Zha murmured. “But simultaneously, my consciousness will gradually be altered. For instance, I already feel an overwhelming urge to kill when I see these Orcs, a desire to wipe them all out before resting.” These words caused the other four to frown. If anyone else had said them, it might have been less concerning, but the speaker was Zheng Zha. While his words commanded respect, Zheng Zha usually projected an image of an easy-going, fundamentally good person. Though not exactly kind-hearted, he was generally amiable toward ordinary people who posed no threat. When had they ever seen him this cold? It seemed the unlocking of the fourth stage of the gene lock was affecting him profoundly.

The team continued their journey away from Helm’s Deep. The Central Continent Team naturally could not leave Chu Xuan’s body behind in the valley. They all intended to return his remains to the real world for burial; cremation here was impossible in the short term. They had planned to strap Chu Xuan’s body onto a horse and, upon meeting up with Zero Point and the others, place him in a dimensional bag to carry him back to the ‘Main God’ space.

Unexpectedly, Gandalf possessed a cloth bag similar to a dimensional pouch. When opened, this bag resembled a large piece of sackcloth. He used it to wrap Chu Xuan’s body, shrinking it into a small bundle, and was about to place it on himself. However, the Elven Prince Legolas pointed out that he was about to confront the White Wizard Saruman, and if the cloth bag were burned or destroyed during magical engagement, it would be a disaster. Hearing this, Gandalf handed the cloth bag over to Legolas.

With all concerns lifted, the party galloped toward Isengard. The Orcs along the route suffered utter annihilation. Everyone switched horses every two days, and Zheng Zha’s skeletal steed required no rest, allowing them to cover the distance to Isengard in less than three days. After winding through several passes and a stretch of forest,

They finally glimpsed the magnificent fortress of the wizard—a man-made tower hundreds of meters high. At the tower’s base, the ground was flooded with muddy water, and the entire circumference was surrounded by accumulated water and earth. It was clear the Ent army had leveled the area.

Indeed, after following the watery path forward for only a few minutes, they saw a Hobbit sitting leisurely on a stone slab, smoking. As the group approached, he immediately shouted loudly and waved a greeting.

The group slowed their horses to a walk. The ground was saturated with water everywhere; one careless step could send them tumbling into an unseen pit. Thus, their progress on horseback was not fast.

When they reached Merry, the Hobbit had already stood up and said loudly, “Ha! Welcome, everyone! Welcome to Isengard.”

As he spoke, he gestured toward the Wizard’s Tower not far behind him.

Gimli immediately protested, sitting behind Legolas and shouting, “Hey, you wretched little fellow! We were fighting for our lives at Helm’s Deep, and you’re here feasting and smoking! How dare you!” As he finished, he smacked his lips.

Merry burst into laughter, wiping fatigue from his face. “This is spoils of war! Spoils awarded to me by the Ents for fighting alongside them. Say, Gimli, this ale tastes absolutely wonderful.”

Gimli swallowed hard, about to respond, when Gandalf spoke first. “Hobbit, where are the Ents? Where is the Ent army that defeated Isengard? Why do I see only you here?” Merry waved his hand. “There was nothing to be done. They said taking me along would just be a burden, so they told me to wait here for the Rohan men and you folks. Otherwise, why do you think they gave me so many spoils? Otherwise, I’d have starved to death.”

Gandalf was impatient. He pressed on, “Then where are they?” “They went to the capital of Gondor.”

Merry spoke slowly. “Treebeard convinced the Ents. Over two hundred Ents went with him toward the capital of Gondor. Since the Ents travel slowly, they said they wouldn’t wait for you. They just asked that you follow quickly to Minas Tirith. Their general direction of travel is Eastfold, moving along the forest line. They said to meet everyone in the capital of Gondor.”

But now was not the time for such discussions; there was still a White Wizard to deal with nearby. Without another word, Gandalf urged his horse toward the Wizard’s Tower. The others exchanged glances and followed behind him toward the tower.

The path was littered with floating corpses. It was unclear how many Orcs were killed or drowned in this battle, but now, aside from himself, Saruman’s entire Orc army had been wiped out.

Zheng Zha let Cheng Xiao carry Merry. As they walked, he asked, “Is the White Wizard Saruman still alive? Was there a battle here previously?” Merry shook his head. “No, we snuck up on him with the Ents. Saruman didn't notice us coming to attack at all. He tried to use magic against us a few times, but the Ents have a way of connecting their power to the surrounding forest. Because of this, large amounts of green light blocked Saruman’s magic, and we were no longer afraid of him.”

(No prior battle? Then something happened to Zero Point and the others? Impossible; we haven't received any notification of more deaths so far. Did they run into some other trouble? Or is that Haotian also fond of mysteries like Chu Xuan, secretly plotting something?) Zheng Zha mulled these thoughts over incessantly, yet he continued to follow behind Gandalf toward the base of the tower. When the group reached the base of the Wizard’s Tower, Gandalf suddenly spoke, “Saruman, you are defeated. Come out and face me!” His voice was not loud at first, but within a second, it grew immense, clearly audible even at the top of the high tower.

Within seconds, Saruman’s head appeared at the very top of the tower. He was laughing maniacally; the Wizard was clearly in a state of extreme madness. As he laughed, he roared, “Gandalf, you have failed! You have lost! Do you really think I would be defeated? Hahaha! The Dark Lord has been resurrected! The One Ring has returned to its true master! Now humanity has no power left to stand against Sauron. We have won! We have won! Hahaha!” As Saruman shouted, he held up a crystal bead streaked with red and black. Within the bead, an image slowly began to form: a fiery eye transforming into a steel-clad figure. The image then shifted, finally settling on the finger of the steel figure, where a golden ring—the One Ring—was clearly visible! Gandalf’s expression shifted to one of surprise. Others might not have understood, but he knew the nature of Ents intimately. These tree-folk barely spoke in daily life, let alone concerning themselves with war; a single meeting could last for days on end. Yet now, they were persuaded by someone named Neos to aid the human kingdom of Gondor. Truly, the sun must have risen in the west. This man named Neos must possess exceptional skills.

Jumping to