Chapter 371: Life and Death Duel

Lin Xuan stared at the Hei Jia Lie Sha Zhe in front of him, feeling an unprecedented pressure. The opponent seemed to have long since seen through everything about him.

"Who exactly are you?" Lin Xuan tried to stall for time while dodging the opponent's attacks. The Wood Element Component operated within his body, providing a steady stream of energy, but every time he released Wood Element power, it was mostly absorbed by the opponent's black armor.

"My name is Ga Luo, and I am a trusted aide to Lord Mo Rui." The hunter paused his offensive, a hint of pride flowing through his voice, "Five years ago, I already arrived on Diqiu, hiding among humans to observe you 'Houxuanzhe'. Every breakthrough you made, every technique you used, I have recorded."

Lin Xuan's heart jolted: "Five years ago? Then you—"

"Yes, I witnessed with my own eyes your growth from an ordinary Practitioner into a Wood Element Houxuanzhe." Ga Luo's cold voice carried a hint of admiration, "Your growth speed is astonishing, but today, everything will end."

As soon as the words fell, Ga Luo launched an attack abruptly. A strange green light flickered on the surface of his armor—that was the absorbed Wood Element Energy, now reflecting toward Lin Xuan like sharp blades.

Lin Xuan barely managed to set up a defense, but he was still knocked back several meters, the clothing on his chest tearing to reveal a gruesome wound.

"Your armor can absorb and rebound Wood Element Energy?" Lin Xuan asked through gritted teeth, while simultaneously assessing his situation.

Ga Luo nodded lightly: "Technology from an extraterrestrial civilization, designed specifically to deal with you." He walked forward slowly, every step radiating a sense of oppression, "The more you use powerful Wood Element attacks, the more lethal the rebounding force becomes."

Lin Xuan realized he had fallen into an extremely disadvantageous position. Conventional Wood Element arts were almost ineffective, yet time was ticking away second by second. He had to shake off this opponent as soon as possible and rush to Tianmen to rendezvous with the others.

"I have no choice..." Lin Xuan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and silently recited an ancient forbidden incantation in his heart.

The surrounding trees seemed to sense something; their branches and leaves swayed gently, emitting a rustling sound. A strange green energy rose from the ground, circling around Lin Xuan's body.

Ga Luo sensed the anomaly and stepped back vigilantly: "What are you doing?"

"Wood Spirit Fusion." Lin Xuan opened his eyes, a flash of emerald green light passing through them, "This is a forbidden secret art that will severely deplete my Life Energy, but at this moment, I have no other choice."

Accompanied by a long howl, Lin Xuan's figure suddenly became blurred, as if he had merged with the surrounding forest. The branches of the trees stretched out like living things, the roots in the earth vibrated, and the entire forest became an extension of Lin Xuan.

Ga Luo's black armor began to vibrate violently, the energy on its surface flickering chaotically: "Impossible! Your energy form has changed, my armor cannot fully absorb it!"

Lin Xuan's voice seemed to come from all directions: "This is not just my own power, but the Life Energy of the entire forest."

Thousands of vines suddenly burst out from underground, whipping toward Ga Luo like flexible long lashes. Although the black armor could absorb part of the energy, the quantity was simply too great, and signs of energy overload soon appeared. Cracks began to form on the surface of the armor, with purple electric currents leaping between the fissures.

"Warning: Energy system overloaded, defensive efficiency decreased by 50%." A mechanical female voice sounded from inside Ga Luo's armor.

Taking this opportunity, Lin Xuan controlled dozens of thick tree roots to break through the ground, forming a cage that surrounded Ga Luo tightly. At the same time, countless flexible vines wrapped around the black armor, infiltrating the cracks and beginning to forcibly dismantle its structure.

Meanwhile, Ling Bo sensed the situation near Tianmen through the mental link.

"Everyone be careful, the extraterrestrial fleet is concentrating its power to attack the Tianmen area!" She urgently transmitted the information to the other Houxuanzhe, "I sense at least five main warships have locked onto that area and are conducting orbital bombardment!"

Li Yan's voice came through the link: "The situation is not good, I shook off the pursuers, but the route ahead is blocked by an energy barrier, I cannot pass through directly!"

"Same here on my end." Xu Feng responded, "Using the Metal Element Component to try and crack the barrier, but it will take time."

Shi Qi's voice was unusually calm: "I have discovered some special ley line patterns. Everyone, the area around Tianmen is shrouded by a special energy barrier, but the barrier is not completely sealed. At the nodes where the ley lines intersect, the energy is relatively weak and can be breached."

"Can you pinpoint the location?" Lin Xuan's voice carried pain; clearly, the side effects of the Wood Spirit Fusion were already beginning to manifest.

"Give me a moment..." Shi Qi responded, then fell silent, clearly focusing all efforts on sensing the changes in the ley lines.

Just at this moment, Xuan Qingzi's weak voice suddenly came through Ling Bo's link: "Listen, everyone. The energy field formed after the Fangyu Jiedian collapses will not last long. The Heavenly Origin Instrument must be activated within a quarter of an hour after the energy field forms, otherwise the field will dissipate and the opportunity will be lost forever."

"A quarter of an hour?" Li Yan exclaimed, "How much time has already passed?"

"About seven minutes." Ling Bo responded quickly, "We must reach Tianmen and complete the activation of the Heavenly Origin Instrument within eight minutes!"

The battle between Lin Xuan and Ga Luo entered a white-hot stage.

Although the Wood Spirit Fusion greatly enhanced Lin Xuan's power, it was also rapidly consuming his Life Energy. He could feel his heartbeat becoming sluggish, the Life Energy in his blood being drained away quickly, and his vision beginning to blur.

"Cannot go on like this..." Lin Xuan gritted his teeth, forcibly maintaining his connection with the forest.

Ga Luo's black armor was already severely damaged, but his own combat capability remained astonishing.

"Your secret art is indeed powerful, but the price is too high." Ga Luo analyzed calmly, "Your Life Energy is draining rapidly; you won't last long."

Lin Xuan did not respond, instead putting his all into launching his final attack. The energy of the entire forest converged upon him, forming a massive green energy vortex.

"Endless Life!"

After a long howl, the vortex rushed toward Ga Luo violently. Even the reinforced black armor could not fully withstand such immense Life Energy; Ga Luo was sent flying dozens of meters by the massive impact force, snapping a row of ancient trees, and finally crashing heavily onto the edge of a cliff.

His armor was already shattered beyond recognition, revealing the body inside—to Lin Xuan's surprise, Ga Luo was not the alien creature he had imagined, but a young man who looked no different from an ordinary human. The only difference was that purple energy patterns were faintly visible beneath his skin.

"You... are human?" Lin Xuan asked in surprise, simultaneously deactivating the Wood Spirit Fusion state and returning to his normal form.

Ga Luo struggled to stand up: "I once was... but now, I am Lord Mo Rui's most loyal warrior."