Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

At that time, those waiting in the material world found it extremely difficult to sever the connection between the contestant's physical body and spiritual body.

Bai E mustered the greatest willpower he had ever summoned and suddenly lifted his head, while his right hand reached out and slowly, as if emerging from water, a longsword's hilt came into his grasp.

The sticky threads of spiritual energy, crystalline at the edges, snapped from the corners of their lips. Across the beautifully pale and tender visage of the spiritual body, a look of forlorn pity filled the stunning face with eyes tightly shut.

Even those unaffected by spiritual energy would only feel compassion, yearning to satisfy her every desire upon witnessing this scene.

However, Bai E, with longsword in hand, could no longer afford to pay attention to Yue Ying's condition.

In the high-dimensional space, every influence of spiritual energy would manifest as a "reality," just as the Elf Race contestant they were supposed to rescue was currently entangled by numerous fleshly tendrils, her spiritual body increasingly deformed.

And although Yue Ying, who hung upon him, was visibly affected by the same laws, the genuine corruption had not yet made a direct impact on her.

Bai E could not afford to fall into bliss with her, nor could he simply cast her aside; he had no choice but to let her cling to him, coiling tightly around him like an octopus, demanding and grasping.

Such a delectable Elf soul was bound to drive the resident "desire demon"—or rather, that group of "desire demons"—to madness.

The dark void stirred restlessly, the penetrating desire almost ready to solidify into substance.

Bai E swung his longsword, and the dazzling blade light instantly severed a bloody tendril that lashed out at Yue Ying from the darkness.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!"

In a mere instant, more tendrils attacked from the darkness, and as Bai E's sword light danced, anything it touched was shattered.

[LawHeart Blade (Enchanted Blade): As a blade blessed with radiance, this ornamental noble's longsword has completed a transformation of its mission. From now on, it permanently carries the attribute of eternal radiance—exorcism, soul flow, +40% attack power against "desire demons," +20% attack power against "non-Four Gods demons," all members under leadership will ignore the influence of "desire laws," unless they actively "touch" or its wielder falls first. Only those who chant the true name of 'LawHeart Blade' may be permitted to wield it and unleash its full power.]

[Your skill—Enhanced *Enchanted Blade has successfully recorded the upgraded racial specific attack attribute (LawHeart Blade) (Stage 2): +40% attack power against "desire demons"… From now on, when you wield any enchanted weapon, you can endow it with such specific attack attributes. However, if you wish to further enhance the effects of the specific attack attributes, you must use that very first "First Blade" that accomplished the leap. Current Stage 3 specific attack effect progress: 25/5000.]

Right after slaying the Lord of Fear, the original tier of the LawHeart Blade was once again elevated.

The original Enchanted Blade could continue to strengthen through battle after battle. With it now in hand, Bai E easily shattered all enemies that came at him.

Becoming somewhat familiar with the strength of the opponent, Bai E prepared to rescue the Elf tied up by the tendrils of desire. However, just as he was about to act, a brilliant light suddenly burst forth from the gradually dimming spiritual body.

The warrior, summoning his last bit of will, opted for the most fervent blaze, whether to alert his kin "who may still be unaware" or to urge any hesitating kin to act.

The intense soul flames exploded from his spiritual body, shattering many of the tendrils that encased it while also briefly illuminating a small area of the surrounding darkness.

But the light was quick to fade, immediately counterattacked by the animate, oppressive darkness.

In the face of the world's might, an individual, even when burning life, will, and everything, can only be like a duck feather floating on water; after a slight ripple, there is no more aftermath.

[Your skill—Emotional Absorption has absorbed a tiny amount of emotion, transforming it into a small addition to your spiritual energy, Spiritual Energy +5/5.]

The last burst of fervor burned the tendrils that enveloped him, as well as his soul.

The spiritual body, now just an empty shell like a crystal casing without its core, floated alone in the vast darkness.

The elf contestant, whose soul had completely perished in flames, naturally couldn't reconnect with his physical body in the material world anymore.

Even the demon that had taken possession of his spiritual body couldn't use this connection to make his physical body, so closely linked to his spiritual body, a channel to invade the material world.

In such a resolute manner, the elf named Garuda decided to die.

He didn't know that rescue had already arrived.

Nor did he know that the incoming rescue might have been able to pull him out of his dire straits.

All he knew was that as a child of the material world, he couldn't possibly bring this danger to his people... even if the price were the complete annihilation of his soul.

...

In the instant perceived by heightened spiritual senses, an intense brilliance couldn't escape the notice of everyone present endowed with spiritual energy talent. With her eyes slightly glossed over, Storm Eye murmured softly, "Garuda is dead..."

Tears glistened in the eyes of the female elf as she said, "He willingly burned his own soul, not wanting to let the demon possess his body and corrupt us..."

"Wasn't it said that General Bai E could rescue him?"

"Perhaps this was his last lucid act of will... He didn't have time to wait for the rescue."

After all, General Bai E and Yue Ying had only just set out on their mission to trace and save...

"The person is already dead... Can we ask General Bai E to come back?" whispered a human concerned for the safety of their War God.

However, in the next moment, the lithe, not particularly burly body once again erupted with spiritual energy fluctuations even more intense than before...

"Has General Bai E been entangled too?!"

...

Even the now-useless spiritual body, which was merely an empty shell, still retained a last vestige of consciousness that had not yet fully dissipated.

Once again, fleshly tendrils that had momentarily been burnt to nothing shot out from the dark, oppressive void, like ravenous hounds trying to drag the unconsciously floating spiritual body completely to their side.

"Swish!"

A longsword, cleaving yin and yang.

Pure white sword light, like a streamer, swept majestically across the void, melting away all the aberrant flesh it touched, as quickly as snow under the warm sun, dissolving into nothingness.

In the flash of the sword light, even those breathing-like flesh pits in the dark were illuminated.

Spiritual energy surged like a tsunami, and Bai E's gaze was colder than it had ever been.