With a splash, Xu Fu plunged into the water, then instantly resurfaced. The black blood had already stained the surrounding water a deep, dark hue. He could barely move, quietly staring up at the moon overhead.
What exactly is this?
The Ghost Sovereign of the Woodbound Pact, Basil Bertram, walked over slowly, bent down to pick up the Zhanlu sword, and studied it in his hand for a moment before speaking.
Such a fine sword, yet wasted in the hands of someone like you.
If you want it, just take it. Heh.
A thumping heartbeat echoed. Xu Fu stood up, gasping for air, excitement flickering in his eyes.
It's not an illusion, not a dream, and not a trick. That leaves only one possibility.
With a sudden rush, Xu Fu lunged at the Ghost Sovereign of the Woodbound Pact, Basil Bertram, swinging his fist. His punch passed right through Basil Bertram's body, as if through light and shadow, and the force vanished into nothing.
This time, it's your heart.
As the Ghost Sovereign of the Woodbound Pact, Basil Bertram, spoke, he pointed a finger directly at Xu Fu's heart.
"It's truly unbelievable."
With a loud bang, Xu Fu slid backward, splashing water everywhere. He clutched his chest, blood spilling from his mouth, and collapsed onto the surface of the water, gasping for breath.
"A Fu, stop dragging this out. Use your true strength, or you'll really die."
A Da suddenly shouted, while Xu Fu kept coughing, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth.
"Zhang Xianyue..."
As Basil Bertram—the Ghost Sovereign of the Woodbound Pact—softly uttered a phrase, a small piece vanished from the left side of the full moon in the sky. Xu Fu immediately scrambled to his feet, as if about to float upward, but his body froze atop the water, still struggling for something.
Suddenly, with a splash, Xu Fu dove headfirst into the water, sinking below the surface. There was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. Basil Bertram raised a single finger.
"It seems you've understood part of it."
With a rush, Xu Fu moved through the water toward Basil Bertram, reaching out with both hands as if to grab his legs.
"Do you really think I'd let you catch me so easily, Xu Fu?"
As they spoke, Xu Fu's hands broke the surface, reaching for Basil Bertram's feet, but he grasped only empty air. Xu Fu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Phantom Moon. Rise and fall..."
With a whoosh, Xu Fu was blasted into the air by a surge of water. He exhaled sharply as Basil Bertram appeared above him, raising a single finger.
"How many more shocks can your heart endure?"
"Basil Bertram..."
Xu Fu roared in fury. With a loud bang, his heart burst open again, leaving a fist-sized hole. A rustling sound followed as black tendrils extended outward. But just as they tried to repair his body, Basil Bertram grabbed one of the tendrils.
With a tearing sound, Basil Bertram ripped Xu Fu's heart out, its pulsing echoing in the air. He clenched the heart tightly, but a hard black scab formed on its surface. Xu Fu screamed in agony, collapsing onto the water, clutching his chest with one hand, reaching out with the other, his face contorted in pain.
"A Fu..."
From afar, A Da cried out in alarm and stepped forward, but members of the Immortality Society immediately restrained him.
"Xu Fu, I'll say it again—admit defeat. You're no match for me."
Large beads of sweat rolled down Xu Fu's forehead. His body began to shrink, the pain intensifying.
"Dream on if you think you can destroy my heart, Basil Bertram. You'll never succeed."
Basil Bertram smiled calmly and shook his head.
"Maybe I couldn't before, but now it's different. You once said that the happy times I spent with my daughter in this world were my shackles. But you were wrong. Did you really think I wasted that year for nothing?"
Xu Fu's eyes widened. Basil Bertram slowly descended onto the water, sending ripples outward. He raised Xu Fu's black heart high; the tendrils desperately wrapped around his hands, tightening. Xu Fu struggled to his feet, then suddenly charged at Basil Bertram.
"Serene Mirror..."
With a thunderous crash, just as Xu Fu neared Basil Bertram, he was repelled and fell back into the water. I stared in shock as Basil Bertram's body grew increasingly translucent, as if formed from moonlight and water, swaying gently and gradually stabilizing.
"Is something wrong, Basil Bertram? You're just trying to make up for the regrets with your daughter, so you stay with her in this world. Days like these... for power..."
With a crack, Xu Fu's eyes widened and he spat out a mouthful of blood. The black scab on his heart split open, and the tendrils binding Basil Bertram's wrists crumbled into ash.
"What I truly understood in those days with Le'er... you can't comprehend, Xu Fu. Surrender, or die here."
Basil Bertram's words carried a menacing edge. Xu Fu struggled to his feet.
Now the moon shone with an intense white light. Basil Bertram squeezed the heart hard—crack!—the black scab shattered, and Xu Fu whimpered in pain, raising a trembling hand.
With a splat, black blood burst forth. Xu Fu's heart exploded completely in Basil Bertram's hand. Moonlight washed over Basil Bertram's body, surrounding him in an eerie tranquility, like the surface of a lake beneath the moon.
We all stared in shock. Across the water, members of the Immortality Society and the Dark Banquet watched Xu Fu's motionless, wide-eyed body with grim faces.
Gradually, Basil Bertram returned to normal, gasping for breath. Only now did we sense the faint ghostly aura around him. His face was deathly pale, his exhaustion obvious.
"Basil Bertram, you destroyed one of my hearts. Your instinct truly caught me off guard. I'm furious now, Basil Bertram."
Suddenly, Xu Fu's voice rang out again. I looked over, but aside from Xu Fu lying on the ground, only his voice drifted in the air.
"Realm... Ultimate Evil..."
Suddenly, accompanied by Xu Fu's low, chilling voice, he stood up completely. A hole still gaped in his chest where his heart hadn't healed. His face was twisted with malice—a look so vile it made one's skin crawl.
"We may lack instinct, but as humans our greatest strength is the realm we've mastered and awakened long ago. Basil Bertram, you're already weakened."
"Waning Moon..."
Basil Bertram gasped, forcing out the words through clenched teeth. Now I noticed the moon in the sky was only half left.
"It seems your power is strongest under the full moon. In this world of Phantom Moon, and with your earlier move—Serene Mirror—you managed to destroy my heart. You've shown me something interesting."
With a rush, Xu Fu appeared before Basil Bertram and punched, but as always, his fist passed straight through Basil Bertram's body, leaving him unharmed.
"Phantom Moon..."
With a bang, Xu Fu suddenly lunged forward, twisting his fist and driving it out. Basil Bertram's eyes widened as he was sent flying backward, coughing up blood onto the water.
"It's a pity. If your power were full, you could still fight me. In the world of the full moon, your strength is nearly gone. You lost, Basil Bertram."
Basil Bertram coughed violently.
"Crescent Moon..."
The moon in the sky was now like a curved blade, only a sliver remaining. Xu Fu's smile grew more manic.
"Catching you is extremely difficult. In this layered world of the moon, your technique is impressive and your instincts are strong. But your fighting instinct has long since withered—like a beast with only a few teeth left. Let me remind you what true combat feels like."
With a boom, Xu Fu appeared above Basil Bertram, bringing both fists down. Two heavy blows landed. Basil Bertram hovered in the air, clutching his chest and gasping. The moon in the sky was fading, turning into a round black disk.
I stared in shock at the two fist-sized black holes Xu Fu had just created. The water didn't fill them. At this moment, Xu Fu seemed completely changed, his entire being radiating a chilling aura of evil.
The last sliver of moon vanished, leaving only a haloed outline in the sky. With a rush, Xu Fu closed in on Basil Bertram.
Xu Fu punched. Basil Bertram blocked with both hands.
"New Moon..."
"Do you really want to keep fighting, Basil Bertram? You'll die. Your beloved daughter is still waiting for you. Can you bear to leave her?"
Basil Bertram glared at Xu Fu, grinding his teeth. With a boom, Xu Fu drove his fist forward, sending Basil Bertram crashing onto the water. The haloed moon vanished from the sky, and the water's surface faded away.
Only the two small black holes Xu Fu had made remained.
"In the face of evil, everything else is powerless. Evil is absolute, Basil Bertram. You lost."
Xu Fu slowly landed, staring quietly at Basil Bertram. A Da flew over, mouth agape, and spat out a black heart. Xu Fu grabbed it and placed it in his chest, his complexion gradually recovering.
"I lost."
Basil Bertram said quietly.
"Next time we fight, remember—what is true combat?"