Chapter Twenty-Five: The Conclusion

As the words "A cup of wine traps the hero" fell, he immediately grabbed Ersan Xianyu by the collar with one hand and hoisted him up, preparing to launch an attack. However, an overwhelming and furious aura suddenly erupted uncontrollably from Ersan Xianyu’s body, instantly forcing the attacker to recoil.

Boom—

Seeing the situation change abruptly, Ye Yu and the others stepped forward and stood beside the one called "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero." They watched as internal energy continuously surged from Ersan Xianyu’s body, swirling around him and forming an aura sharp and piercing as a blade.

“Heh, I’ve long heard that Ersan Xianyu’s equipment possesses the ‘Mad Demon’ special effect. I never believed it before, but now seeing his current state, it’s clear you’ve activated it. What I’m curious about is who gave you such gear—someone like you could never have obtained it on your own,” said "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero," his lips curling into a strange smile as he regarded the scene before him calmly.

The Mad Demon effect allows one to possess unlimited mana for a certain period, reduces skill cooldowns by twenty percent, and adds five percent of the total mana as extra damage to attacks. However, it comes at a steep cost: every minute, it drains ten percent of the user’s health. Therefore, it’s best paired with equipment that has a life-steal effect to sustain its duration as long as possible.

Yet Ersan Xianyu clearly lacked any life-steal gear, meaning he was enduring the health drain just to stand his ground against "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero."

Ye Yu and the others refrained from intervening; after all, this was a matter best handled by "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" himself.

Suddenly, Ersan Xianyu chose to strike. His figure shot forward like a bolt, speeding toward "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero." His palm glowed fiercely as he unleashed a brutal assault straight at his opponent.

Countless palm shadows flashed with dizzying speed, exuding immense power as they targeted "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero."

But a warlord remains a warlord. Wielding a black spear-halberd, he thrust it forward sharply. A sharp vortex swirled around the tip, and the weapon’s strike split into multiple afterimages.

In midair, the palm shadows collided fiercely with the spear-halberd’s light trails. Yet, a strange sight unfolded: the spear’s afterimages cunningly bypassed the trajectory of Ersan Xianyu’s attacks and struck him from behind as he released his skill.

"A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" withstood the onslaught head-on.

Each terrifying palm strike slammed into his body, the force rippling through him and instantly pushing him backward.

His spear-halberd retaliated, striking key points on Ersan Xianyu’s body, eliciting a sharp cry of pain. Flames erupted from those spots, accompanied by the crackling sound of corrosion. This burning effect steadily and painfully eroded Ersan Xianyu’s health.

“Damn it, was this guy just toying with me before?” Ersan Xianyu exclaimed, suddenly realizing the truth, his anger boiling as he glared at "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero."

Seemingly amused by Ersan Xianyu’s expression, Huang Hong curved a smile and said, “Annoyed, aren’t you? Feeling like the warlord was playing with you earlier? Well, it’s good that you noticed—that proves you’re not stupid. But the fact you’re still alive only means he was just warming up on you.”

At that moment, black flames erupted from "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero," forcibly expelling the internal energy from his body. The roaring black fire coiled around him fiercely.

Then the black flames receded back inside, and his health dropped to seventy percent. Clearly, Ersan Xianyu’s prior attack dealt tremendous damage; the amplified skill damage alone cost him at least twenty-five percent of his health.

If Ersan Xianyu’s opponent lacked "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero’s" skill, he would have been at an immediate disadvantage.

“That was a smart choice,” Luo Feng remarked. It was obvious that "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" understood Ersan Xianyu’s attacks had a sustained effect that could hinder his own fighting ability. To avoid being trapped and losing the battle unexpectedly, he chose to sacrifice some health to purge the hidden internal energy.

Ye Yu nodded in agreement. This was the safest move at the moment.

Although Ersan Xianyu’s attacks centered on combos, which made his skills faster than those of other classes—thanks to his customized talent skill tree and the Mad Demon effect eliminating most skill preparation times—directly trading skill hits with him was far from wise. At this stage, Ersan Xianyu was extremely troublesome, leveraging this aggressive style to boost his attributes and damage.

“You think that’s all?” "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero’s" face burned with a long-lost fierceness. His pitch-black spear-halberd flashed like a dragon, unleashing a storm of attacks that rained down like flowers in the sky. When his left hand tapped lightly on the air before him, the spears’ shadows transformed into a scorching sea of fire—hot and intense, with an eerie hint of coldness woven in, a most bizarre spectacle.

“Could it be that this guy even uses the corrosive damage to his advantage?” Ye Yu furrowed his brows, eyeing the black flames and remarking, “The warlord truly lives up to his reputation. His fighting style might be unmatched across the entire Xuantian server for one-on-one duels. He uses fire to corrode and wear down opponents continuously, and with life-steal, he strengthens his own healing—it’s a nightmare to deal with.”

“Indeed, in a drawn-out fight, his power only grows stronger. But that doesn’t apply in PvE, since bosses aren’t players. Their overall stats surpass any single-dueling level. Although some top solo players are formidable, their equipment and stats are still limited. Within the entire 'Divine Ruin' server, few have ever cleared bosses solo at higher levels. It’s truly rare,” Luo Feng shook his head.

By now, Ersan Xianyu’s burning effect had reached a dangerous peak, continuously draining his health. Coupled with the Mad Demon effect, he had no energy left to sustain himself. Yet, this was precisely the trap "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" had set.

Ersan Xianyu launched two skill attacks in succession, closing the distance between them. His hands struck out twice with palm prints, the terrifying shadows converging into a vortex that compressed the air itself, causing it to fracture and split.

However, this time "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" didn’t endure the strikes head-on. Instead, he became a ghostly black mist, evading the relentless palm shadows while unleashing fierce spear-halberd strikes toward Ersan Xianyu’s position.

Though Ersan Xianyu activated his "Overtime Mode" skill, the proximity was too close. His left shoulder had already suffered severe black flame burns from "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero’s" attacks, and the continuous damage buff had become substantial.

At this moment, Ye Yu noticed a new debuff appearing below Ersan Xianyu’s health bar: Slowed. Seeing this, Ye Yu’s expression changed slightly as he cursed, “This guy truly is devious. I can’t imagine who came up with this skill combo—it’s tailor-made for PvP.”

“Just looking at this is giving me a headache,” Luo Feng said, crossing his arms. “Though this guy’s a bit crazy normally, in battle he’s really strong—on a top-tier level. Even if there’s a counter, I doubt anyone would want to face him.”

“If I fought him one-on-one, I’d only be fifty-fifty in a prolonged fight,” Ye Yu grimaced, eyes fixed on "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero." A bitter smile followed. “This guy’s dirty tactics are something else.”

The final outcome was unsurprising. Due to the continuous health drain from the Mad Demon effect, Ersan Xianyu grew increasingly desperate. The corrosion from the black flames compounded his torment to an alarming degree. Though he continually recovered some health, even when "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" absorbed his attacks directly, he could regenerate health faster.

Under these conditions, Ersan Xianyu’s current level simply couldn’t compare to "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero."

To put it bluntly, he wasn’t even worthy of tying his shoes.

“Just you wait! This isn’t over! I won’t let you be so arrogant! Soon, you’ll feel my wrath!” Ersan Xianyu growled, collapsing to the ground, teetering on the brink of death, black flames still raging across his body.

“That’s for the best. It’d be too boring if it ended like this,” "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" said, a cold smile playing on his lips. He crouched slowly before Ersan Xianyu and added, “If I don’t thoroughly teach you a lesson right here, how could I call it a victory? Your people will watch and learn how I make you understand what it means to be human. You don’t know how to be one? I’ll teach you!”

At that moment, terror flashed across Ersan Xianyu’s face as "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" entered his Warlock Ancestor state. The power in this form was formidable beyond words. Even players familiar with Warlock skills knew its strength—an attack-focused skill that, though a double-edged sword, was a blessing for pure offensive warlock players.

Without hesitation, "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" pinned the dying Ersan Xianyu firmly to the ground, pressing him down hard. Then, dragging him over ten meters, he suddenly hurled him into the air.

His figure turned into a black mist, soaring upward to Ersan Xianyu’s side. Grabbing him, he forcefully slammed him against an immense, fortress-like wall.

Black flames still consumed Ersan Xianyu, turning him into a streak of burning shadow crashing against the wall.

The earth beneath them cracked and sank under the immense pressure, leaving behind a jagged fissure from which black flames rose. Upon impact, the wall shattered into pieces, igniting with black fire as it crumbled.

This grand battle ended with the unparalleled warlord decisively defeating Ersan Xianyu, sealing the matter with a dramatic flourish. Everyone present knew that from this day forward, "A Cup of Wine Traps the Hero’s" reputation would soar instantly.

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