Chapter 517 A Matter Of Life and Death


    After finishing her words, Maisie turned her head around.


    Jonathan and Rhiannon glimpsed the back of Maisie''s head, and it shocked them beyond words.


    The sight was gruesome—her skull had been cracked open, bloodied, and infested with maggots.


    Even the usuallyposed Jonathan couldn''t hold back the wave of nausea that washed over him.


    At the same time, Rhiannon felt a sharp surge of acidity in her stomach.


    Jonathan took a deep breath, reminding Rhiannon once again, "It''s all an illusion."


    Tristan''s icy gaze bore into Jonathan, his words dripping with venom. "You and your mother, Paige,


    both deserve death. I should''ve ended you, an abomination, over two decades ago. Now, as you


    be my demonic tribtion, your demise is even more justified."


    Tristan''s mention of Jonathan''s mother struck a nerve, and his eyes instantly turned a fiery shade of


    red, consumed by fury. "Tristan, it was you who exploited my mother in your drunken haze. How dare


    you speak ill of her?"


    "Despicable creature!" Tristan sneered, saying, "What, you think you''ve grown strong enough to


    challenge me now? If you miss your lowly mother so much, I''ll send you to meet her right now!"


    Each word pierced Jonathan''s heart like a dagger.


    In that moment, an overwhelming wave of agony washed over Jonathan.


    His profound anguish stemmed from the crushing realization of their insignificance and unbearable


    existence, both his and his mother''s.


    He, too, longed for the affection of his parents, for he was a living, breathing human being with the


    same desires and emotions.


    Yet, to his father, he amounted to nothing.


    With a sudden roar, Jonathan dered, "Tristan, whether you''re real or an illusion, it doesn''t matter.


    Today, I will crush you!" As he finished speaking, he unleashed the powerful Stormwind Fist without


    hesitation.


    "Do you really think you can cast your magic?" Tristan''s face was impassive.


    Jonathan was also stunned. It was then he found that he couldn''t unleash the Stormwind Fist.


    It seems as though the elemental energy had disappeared from their surroundings.


    Previously, Jonathan and Rhiannon''s spiritual consciousness relied on the divine power within their


    cerebral domain, so they did not depend on elemental energy.


    And now, when Jonathan wanted to harness the elemental energy, he realized that there was no


    elemental power in the air at all.


    Jonathan stood there, stunned, his heart consumed by an overwhelming hatred for Tristan. It was a


    level of loathing he had never experienced before in his life.


    With a fierce roar, he eximed, "Tristan, even without magic, I will kill you!" After he finished speaking,


    the power of his vitality erupted around him.


    His body surged with blood as if a divine dragon was coursing through his veins.


    With a single stride, Jonathan was instantly in front of Tristan. Then, Jonathan threw a fierce punch


    toward Tristan''s abdomen.


    At this moment, Jonathan had reached the Immortal Stage Level Three in his cultivation, making his


    physical strength unparalleled. With a single punch, he wielded the power of an astonishing seven


    thousand five hundred kilograms. His movements were straightforward and uplicated, a simple


    yet powerful punch.


    A punch of his would be able to down ten men.


    However, it was a regrettable circumstance that Jonathan found himself facing Tristan—the Demon


    Emperor.


    At that very moment, Tristan countered with a move called Nestling Fist. Astonishingly, he effortlessly


    caught Jonathan''s punch, causing all of Jonathan''s strength to dissipate into nothingness.


    While Tristan remained impassive, it left Jonathan stunned.


    "How is this possible?" Jonathan eximed in disbelief. With his formidable might, how could Tristan


    overpower him without using any techniques?


    Bam! In an abrupt motion, Tristan delivered a swift kick.


    Bam! In an abrupt motion, Tristan delivered a swift kick.


    Caught off guard, Jonathan had no time to evade the attack. He was sent hurtling through the air,


    feeling excruciating pain in his chest as if his organs had shifted. The impact propelled him heavily into


    the cave wall before crashing onto the ground.


    Then, Jonathan spewed a mouthful of blood and touched the crimson liquid on the ground before


    sniffing it.


    It was unmistakably the smell of blood. He nced up at Tristan, puzzled.


    If all of this was an illusion, why did the pain feel so real?


    If it were an illusion, he shouldn''t be deceived like this!


    Meanwhile, Rhiannon was in a dire situation. Maisie had her by the neck, rendering her unable to wield


    any elemental energy and powerless to resist.


    Fear filled Rhiannon''s face, her feeble attempts to push Maisie away proving futile as her eyes


    remained shut.


    Jonathan felt utterly powerless to save Rhiannon, for Tristan had already closed in on him.


    Once again, Tristanunched a kick, propelling Jonathan through the air to crash heavily onto the


    ground, coughing up yet more blood.


    Tristan advanced toward Jonathan with a slow, menacing stride, and terror surged through Jonathan.


    He saw Tristan as his eternal nightmare. Hatred swelled inside him, yet he felt utterly powerless to


    resist, with no chance of mounting a defense.


    In a desperate attempt to escape, Jonathan struggled to crawl backward, his fear of Tristan


    overpowering any other thought.


    On the other side, Rhiannon''s eyes were turning white, seemingly inching closer to her demise at


    Maisie''s hands.


    Tristan loomed over Jonathan, lifting his foot and slowly pressing it toward Jonathan''s head. This


    seemed to be the definitive end for him.


    Terror consumed Jonathan.


    But in the next instance, an overwhelming hatred filled Jonathan''s heart.


    Even if I''m going to die, I''ll face Tristan courageously, he vowed.


    Tristan may be his father, but he had no right to bear that title. Jonathan refused to let him be an


    eternal shadow, and he wouldn''t sumb to fear.


    Gritting his teeth, Jonathan lifted his head, fixing a fierce re on Tristan.


    As Tristan''s foot descended, something changed within Jonathan. A surge of strength coursed through


    his body, and he reached out, grabbing hold of Tristan''s foot.


    Tristan attempted to exert pressure, but Jonathan pushed back with all his might, unwavering.


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    A revtion struck Jonathan, and he finally understood what was happening.


    "So, you were created from my own fears. Once I''m unafraid, you be insignificant!" With


    newfound confidence, Jonathan leaped up and dodged to the side.


    Then, he delivered a powerful punch.


    With a resounding impact, Jonathan''s fist struck Tristan''s head squarely.


    Tristan had no way to evade the blow, transforming into billowing ck smoke once again and


    vanishing without a trace.


    So that''s how it is!


    Jonathan had a sudden epiphany.


    The seemingly bottomless pit wasn''t truly infinite; it symbolized people''s inner fears. As long as fear


    resided in one''s heart, the pit would appear endless.


    Taking a deep breath, Jonathan cast a concerned nce at Rhiannon, who was facing a critical


    situation.


    He approached her swiftly but refrained from intervening in Maisie''s fate.


    Jonathan knew that Maisie was a manifestation of Rhiannon''s fears, and no one else could defeat that


    fear for her. The only person who could conquer Maisie was Rhiannon herself.


    With urgency in his voice, Jonathan spoke to Rhiannon, "Maisie represents your inner fear. To defeat


    her, you must stop being afraid. Once you no longer fear her, she loses her power over you." He


    paused and added, "Rhiannon, if you believe you didn''t do anything wrong back then, then don''t let


    fear control you!"


    Rhiannon''s face was white as she trembled all over. But at that moment, something shifted within her.


    Her eyes widened, and a fierce light burst from her gaze.


    "Get away!" Rhiannon pushed Maisie aside in an instant. Then, she leaped up, pointing fiercely at


    Maisie, and proimed, "Maisie, I don''t owe you anything. During our fairpetition for the pce


    leader position, we both exhausted our spiritual energy. It was an ident that you fell off the cliff, and I


    did my best to catch you. It wasn''t my intention to let you go; I was simply powerless. All these years,


    I''ve felt guilty, ming myself for being overlypetitive and desperate for the pce leader position.


    But I never wanted you to fall off the cliff and die, never!"


    Maisie''s face brimmed with resentment, yet as she listened to Rhiannon''s vehement words, her


    expression unexpectedly softened.


    Then, much like Tristan, Maisie slowly transformed into ayer of ck smoke and soon vanished


    completely.


    As she witnessed Maisie''s disappearance, Rhiannon felt a sense of relief, breathing heavily.


    "What exactly happened?" Rhiannon couldn''t help but ask Jonathan.


    "I''m not entirely sure either," Jonathan replied.


    "Was that Maisie just an illusion, or was it her soul?" Rhiannon inquired further.


    "It wasn''t precisely an illusion, but it wasn''t Maisie''s soul either," Jonathan exined.


    "Then..." Rhiannon became even more puzzled.


    "This well might be the true embodiment of darkness, able to materialize the deepest fears within our


    hearts. As long as fear resides in us, death is inevitable," Jonathan dered.


    Curious, Rhiannon asked, "How did youe to this realization?"


    Jonathan''s thoughts turned to Tristan, a sharp pang of pain piercing his heart. After a moment of


    contemtion, he responded, "It''s not that I figured it out; I simply couldn''t ept it. My mother


    endured a miserable life and was ultimately killed by Tristan. If I were to die as well, who would seek


    justice for her? I may ept my fate at the hands of another, but I refuse to let Tristan be the one to


    end me!"


    Rhiannon regarded Jonathan, sensing the immense pain concealed beneath his optimistic demeanor.


    "Let''s take another look at the well," Jonathan proposed to Rhiannon.


    Agreeing, Rhiannon nodded, and the two approached the well once again.


    Jonathan peered down and was immediately astonished.


    Just ten meters below, there was solid ground.


    The well led to an underground tomb, undeniably the Pollerton Tomb.


    "It seems there''s elemental energy around us again," Rhiannon observed.


    As she mentioned it, Jonathan also sensed it. "Actually, there was elemental energy around us from the


    beginning. If there weren''t, we should have noticed it much earlier."


    "But why didn''t we sense it just now?" Rhiannon wondered.


    "Perhaps the well was ying tricks on us, but let''s not dwell on that now. Let''s go down and see,"


    Jonathan suggested.


    By then, after enduring numerous hardships, Jonathan couldn''t wait to explore the Pollerton Tomb.


    Rhiannon nodded and agreed to it. "All right!"


    They both jumped down, one after the other.


    Jonathan was the first to jump, and Rhiannon went after him.


    While he had jumped straight down, Rhiannon had chosen to gracefully descend with the use of


    elemental energy.