Huo Ling's face turned pale when the fire phoenix disappeared, but he clenched his teeth and swallowed back the blood that had risen to his throat.

After a long pause, he looked at Jiang Wuyuan, who stood opposite him with his sword in hand, and slowly said, "...You win."

Jiang Wuyuan felt no joy in victory; he only wanted to go over and check on Huo Ling's injuries. However, Huo Ling suddenly took a step back: "Don't come any closer!"

The boy stopped in his tracks, looking at his friend whom he hadn't seen for only a few months, yet who made him acutely aware of the changes that had occurred. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

"...I just wanted to see your injury."

"No need." Huo Ling shook his head, then suddenly stared intently at Jiang Wuyuan with his eyes. "Listen carefully, I have something to tell you."

"you say."

"Night Owl's headquarters is... oh..."

As soon as those six words were uttered, a piercing pain shot straight through Huo Ling's entire body.

He knew that the poison within his body had been awakened.

He used to be unable to sense any of the Gu worms no matter what he tried, but now they are devouring his internal organs.

"Huo Ling!!" This time, Jiang Wuyuan was truly anxious.

"Don't... come any closer... or in your next life... I'll make a wish that I won't be your brother anymore..."

Such a powerful vow actually stopped Jiang Wuyuan in his tracks for a moment, but the next second he gritted his teeth and stepped forward, catching Huo Ling's body as he was about to fall: "I don't need the clues you obtained by sacrificing yourself! I want you to live, to live and watch me completely eradicate Night Owl..."

What Jiang Wuyuan didn't know was that the Gu worms had been completely awakened and there was no possibility that they would fall back into slumber just because Huo Ling remained silent.

However, it was clear that Huo Ling knew this, so he stubbornly continued, "The headquarters is... in a secret realm on a small island directly east of the Federation... cough cough... heh... remember, unless you're above... a Saint... you absolutely must not go there..."

Huo Ling's forehead was covered in fine sweat, or rather, his whole body looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

The extreme pain prevented him from even fainting, and he knew he was about to die; his vision blurred.

Perhaps it was a final burst of energy before death, or perhaps he had truly let go.

Huo Ling suddenly smiled at Jiang Wuyuan, a smile just like that of the carefree young man who tried to get close to Jiang Wuyuan at the entrance of the jungle back then.

"It's all in the past..."

Forgive yourself, forgive your father, forgive your ancestors, forgive Jiang Wuyuan who is entangled with the Huo family.

"...Help us...get revenge..."

The young man, whose life had been brilliant and triumphant for the first eighteen years, finally collapsed in the arms of his best brother.