Zhou Huai was stunned for a moment, his mind going blank.

Immediately afterward, an unbelievable thought flashed through his mind.

He gripped the dragon's reins tightly and blurted out:

"You mean..."

"Back then, it was you who helped Mr. Duan successfully break through and become a transcendent being?!"

This conjecture is absolutely insane!

If Mr. Duan's transcendence was achieved by leveraging the power of this phantom of the ruins before him, then just how terrifying is this woman's true strength and identity?!

"Otherwise what?"

The illusory woman gave a noncommittal snort, and a faint crimson tinge appeared at the edges of her originally emerald green body.

Her tone softened, and the surrounding vines stopped swaying.

"To help him take that step, I paid an extremely heavy price! I even went so far as to use the power of the Origin Tree!"

"I gave him everything, and what was the result?!"

The woman's voice rose, turning into a shrill, mournful scream.

As she lost control of her emotions, the large swath of mutated vegetation at the entrance to the ruins below rapidly withered and decayed, turning into pools of foul-smelling black water!

"I'm the one who helped him so much!"

"But on the very day he successfully transcended, he turned around and betrayed me!"

"He not only drained my power and sealed me in this dark and sunless ruin, but he even took away my Origin Tree!"

"He's a selfish, heartless, and treacherous person..."

The illusory woman gritted her teeth, her face, made of energy, distorted, and she squeezed out the last few words, one by one, from between her teeth:

"What a heartless bastard!!!"

The strong winds suddenly stopped.

High in the sky, Zhou Huai sat on the dragon's back, stunned by the sudden burst of power.

He even unconsciously softened his breathing.

Holy crap!

The amount of information I gained today at the ruins of Simon City is simply outrageous!

So this arrogant ultimate boss, Mr. Duan, who treats professionals all over the world like pigs, actually had a past relationship with this ancient tree spirit?!

Judging from that furious tone, this is exactly like a melodramatic soap opera {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} where an ancient powerful being spends all his wealth to help a down-on-his-luck scholar pass the imperial examinations, only for the scholar to kill his wife and steal his wealth after becoming the top scholar!

Zhou Huai was internally ranting and raving. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

However, he did not dwell too much on this gossip and secret that spanned eight eras.

Whatever the love-hate relationship between this phantom and Mr. Duan may have had, none of that matters.

What truly matters is the core message she conveyed—if what the other person said is true, if she truly possesses a method that allows people to break the rules and grow into transcendent beings...

Then I really found a glimmer of hope!

Only by becoming a transcendent being can I truly have the right to challenge Mr. Duan! Only then can I protect those I want to protect during this impending great purge! Only then can I go to the Free Federation across the ocean to find my mother!

Thinking of this, Zhou Huai stared straight down.

He straightened his back and adjusted his breathing.

Arthur leaned forward slightly, looking down at the green phantom still emitting a red glow below, and tentatively asked:

"Okay, I believe you."

"So... how do you plan to help me?"

Upon hearing these words, the withered vines below stopped trembling.

The green phantom, wreathed in red light, slowly raised its head.

Her pupil-less, energy-filled eyes glanced at Zhou Huai in mid-air.

"Hehe...you've finally fallen for me."

The woman resumed her charming laughter, this time a little louder.

"However, the secret of how to become a transcendent being is the most precious thing in the world."

She gently tapped her chin with her slender fingers, slowing her speech.

“I have no intention of discussing such important matters with you in mid-air, just through a fake puppet shell.”

"Since it's a collaboration, shouldn't we at least show some sincerity?"

The illusory woman took half a step back, her figure slowly merging into the dark, ancient stone door.

Only one sentence remains, echoing between heaven and earth:

"If you want to know the answer..."

"It would be best if your true form came to me in person."

A fierce wind raged over the old site of Simon City.

Hearing the light, airy words coming from behind the dark stone door, Zhou Huai raised an eyebrow.

Arthur smirked and let out a sneer.

"Are you kidding me? You want my real body to come here?!"

Do you take me for a three-year-old?

"How stupid must I be to agree to such a death-defying request!"

Zhou Huai's logic is very clear.

If his clone dies, at worst he'll just lose some equipment and a 24-hour cooldown. He has the God-level Clone System to back him up, so he can come back at any time.

But what if?

What if this tree spirit is playing a trick to lure me into a trap, and as soon as my true form lands, she'll ambush me and kill me outright? Wouldn't that wipe me out in one fell swoop?!

When a person dies, the lights go out, and all the SSS-level clones and the most overpowered systems become meaningless.

There is absolutely no chance of turning things around!

"Giggle..."

The pale green phantom did not refute, but its voice became even softer.

"Young man, you are very wary."

The illusory light flickered in the darkness. "But rest assured, I swear to the remaining laws of heaven and earth in this ruin that I will not harm you."

"Besides, you can use your clever mind to think about it carefully—"

The woman's voice rose: "What good are the strength of these clones you possess now, whether it's this quasi-god-level demonic dragon or your golden-haired, blue-eyed SSS-level body?"

"Even if you have ten or a hundred top-tier SSS-level combatants in the future, will they... really be able to defeat Mr. Duan, who has already broken free of his shackles?"

Zhou Huai fell silent.

An existence of Mr. Duan's caliber transcends the realm of attribute panels and skill damage. He masters higher-dimensional laws, rules that obliterate everything. Quantity and stat accumulation are meaningless before a transcendent being.

“Those who truly have a chance to defeat him are not these empty shells.”

The ghostly voice echoed faintly: "Only yourself."

"Myself?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huai couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating sneer: "Stop trying to sweet-talk me."

"I know my own situation better than anyone else."

He was just an E-level clone master; without the God-level clone system, he was nothing.

The illusory figure sighed: "Why can't you understand, child?"

"These clones you control, no matter how powerful they are, are essentially just soulless puppets! They have no self-awareness, no will to live of their own!"

"Do you think a puppet without a soul is qualified to be a transcendent being?!"