"This old madman..." Duke sighed as he looked at the figure, charred all over, breathless, yet still clutching the Molten Fire Flower tightly.

The state of the purple-robed elder was even worse than he imagined, his Life Fire flickering like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

The once luxurious purple robe had long turned to charred fragments, clinging to his bruised and battered body, each labored breath accompanied by scorching air and blood foam.

One of his arms was unnaturally twisted, clearly broken, sustained only by sheer willpower, while the other hand was like an iron shackle, firmly gripping the Molten Fire Flower that emitted an alluring red glow and terrifying energy.

The flower swayed slightly in his charred palm, pure Fire Attribute Energy escaping, intertwining with the remnants of Emperor Flame Turtle's aura on him, forming a dangerous signal source.

The elder seemed to have barely recovered a sliver of consciousness from the dizziness of the teleportation, his cloudy eyes focusing with difficulty, finally seeing Duke hovering mid-air, surrounded by yellow sand.

His pupils suddenly contracted, not with the hopeful sight of a lifeline, but with the wariness and despair of a caged beast seeing another predator.

Instinctively, he wanted to retreat, to hide the Molten Fire Flower in the Space Ring. He had immediately teleported away upon acquiring the flower, not even having time to stow it.

But at this moment, he was already gravely wounded and on the verge of death, unable to muster even a trace of Spiritual Power. His severely injured body staggered, nearly collapsing.

"Cough... cough cough..." Violent coughing brought out more black blood and fragments of internal organs. The purple-robed elder glared at Duke, knowing his fate was sealed.

Betting everything in a desperate struggle ultimately ended in failure, marking the end of his centuries-long path as a Wizard.

He attempted to mobilize the remaining Spiritual Power within him, a faint and chaotic energy flickering around, but it quickly dissipated, exacerbating his injuries, forcing him to bend over in pain.

Duke's gaze was calm, his vigilance remained despite the other's grave injuries.

An old Wizard who could successfully pluck the Molten Fire Flower from under the eyes of the Emperor Flame Turtle and escape its furious strike, even on the brink of death, might still have a trump card left.

The yellow sand around him slowly flowed, forming a more secure defensive posture.

"The Molten Fire Flower... is mine!" The elder struggled to straighten his back, trying to maintain a last vestige of dignity, but his weak body rendered his voice powerless, filled instead with a desperate madness, "You... dare to rob me, I'll fight to the death... to take you down with me!"

His withered fingers tightened neurotically, the light of the Molten Fire Flower seemed to flicker slightly, triggered by his despairing emotions.

Unmoved, Duke clearly sensed the other's Spiritual Power, like a shattered cobweb, his soul's fire on the verge of extinction.

With a sigh, he said, "Sir, take well-deserved rest."

Upon hearing this, the elder's pupils immediately contracted, his finger pointing at Duke trembled fiercely, followed by his whole body shaking.

"I..." His voice carried a hint of choking, a flash of tears appeared at the corner of his charred eyes, and then he fell silent, collapsing to the side.

Duke could clearly sense the rapid loss of Life Force within the other, with the fluctuations of Spiritual Power also gradually dissipating.

He approached the elder's corpse, casually picked up the Molten Fire Flower, and after exerting considerable effort, tore it from the elder's hand, examining it before placing it into his Space Ring.

The Molten Fire Flower, which the elder had sacrificed his life to seize, ultimately became someone else's prize, a futile endeavor.

Though Duke had acquired the Molten Fire Flower, his heart held little joy.

He felt the intense bitterness and helplessness in the elder moments ago; there was no turning back on the path of a Wizard, only one way forward.

The elder before him might very well be his own future fate.

This was not pity for the elder but a warning for Duke's own future.

Once securing the Molten Fire Flower in the Space Ring, Duke immediately felt a strong sense of crisis, as if locked onto by some fierce beast.

He knew this was surely the crisis brought by the Emperor Flame Turtle; this Molten Fire Flower was quite important to it, likely nurtured with internal energy.

Despite having stored the Molten Fire Flower in the Space Ring, Duke couldn't entirely eliminate its aura.

The Emperor Flame Turtle had already sensed its location and would soon arrive.

Duke looked overhead, choosing a fragmentary area above, and directly soared upwards on the yellow sand.

He hovered in mid-air, surveying his surroundings.

The Blood-colored Plain was vast and desolate, the dark red gravel on the distant horizon merging with the similarly dark red sky, creating an oppressive chaos.

The wind blew, stirring up sandstorms like flowing blood mist.

To avoid being caught by the Emperor Flame Turtle due to slow flying speed, Duke called forth the Storm Dragon Eagle, sending a telepathic message, and it carried him swiftly toward the fragmentary area overhead.

The next moment, the Emperor Flame Turtle reached the edge of the Blood-colored Plain, appearing in the area where Duke had stood moments ago.

The elder's corpse was directly burned to ashes by the enraged Emperor Flame Turtle, leaving no trace of existence.

The Emperor Flame Turtle lifted its head angrily, spitting several gigantic meteor-like objects, pursuing Duke.

Yet the Storm Dragon Eagle's speed was too fast, having already flown away, leaving only a small black dot; the Emperor Flame Turtle's attack posed no threat to Duke.

Roar!!!

The Emperor Flame Turtle roared in fury, the surrounding ground cracking, shooting out countless magma.

Though capable of flight, some reason restrained it from leaving the fragmented area, venting its internal rage there.

By this time, Duke had flown far away, glancing back to see only a red dot in the black fragmentary area.

Turning his attention again, he focused on the rapidly approaching fragmentary area ahead.

This was a mobile fragmentary area, passing just overhead earlier; Duke knew nothing of the conditions there and could only proceed cautiously.

The fragmentary area was strange, essentially an inverted fragment, and upon entering, Duke sensed the direction of gravity shifting.

The Storm Dragon Eagle carried Duke like a cyan lightning tearing through the blood-colored sky, soaring rapidly toward the inverted, gravity-shifted peculiar fragmentary area overhead.

Duke only felt a lightness in his body, followed by a powerful descending sensation, quickly adjusting, transforming into soaring through the high skies.

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