The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

From the moment Yuying vanished to face off against the other Fishman, it took her just two exchanges to chop off her opponent's head.

Without even bothering to collect its core, she turned her attention back to Fruity, who was facing the other Peach Tyrant—the second bridge guardian.

At first, she was shocked by how Fruity was handling his opponent, not using any of his ice elements.

However, she quickly calmed down when she saw how he was managing the fight. It took only a few exchanges for her to notice some discrepancies in her master's attack patterns.

She would tell him about them later, so he could fix them before his next battle. As long as her master hadn't regained his memories, she would continue to be his teacher.

Intrigued by the exchanges, she watched closely. Near the end of the battle, she noticed a change in Fruity's expression. She wanted to step in and help, but before she could move, she saw Fruity get serious and activate his ice elements, killing the monster within seconds.

Immediately, she moved and appeared beside her master.

"That was its Aura."Yuying said "Just like soul, mind, qi, and body cultivation, there are other forms of cultivation, and one of them is Aura cultivation," she explained before Fruity could ask.

"What is it?" Fruity asked.

"It's a form of pressure that, if cultivated to its peak, can be used to suppress your opponents or even kill them without raising a weapon.

There are different forms of it. For example, there's sword aura, which is achieved through sword mastery—most call it sword qi," Yuying explained as she drew her thin sword.

As soon as she did, it began to glow golden. "This energy around the sword is sword qi. Using it amplifies any attack I unleash with this sword."

Fruity nodded, examining the aura around the sword. He could sense something powerful behind it, but he didn't fully understand it yet.

"Of course, if you continue to cultivate it to the highest levels, you'll be able to project just the sword aura and even craft weapons from it.

At that stage, you'll become nearly invincible as a swordsman," Yuying added, causing Fruity to raise an eyebrow.

"So, was that what the Fishman used?" Fruity asked. "I feel like its aura was different somehow—it didn't look sharp like yours."

"No," Yuying replied, "the Fishman cultivates a different form of aura. Its aura is one of slaughter. Most people call it Death Aura, but its true name is Asura. It's perhaps the strongest of all the auras known so far," she added with a small smile.

Fruity, on the other hand, wore a shocked expression. "Aren't you exaggerating a bit? The aura it unleashed wasn't that strong—I easily devoured it," Fruity said.

His devouring ice could absorb almost anything, from cultivation pressure to bloodline suppression, so Fruity knew how powerful the aura was, but it hadn't been strong enough to harm him. It was easily consumed.

"That Fishman's aura was a far cry from what true killing aura looks like," Yuying said, her tone carrying a hint of disdain as if she was irritated by the Fishman that Fruity had killed.

"There are many types of auras, Master. True Killing Aura can be born from constant slaughter and absorbing the blood essence of your opponents.

That Fishman's aura was born from slaughter, but it seems it never learned how to absorb the blood essence of its targets—or perhaps it didn't know the right monsters to target to awaken its True Killing Aura or Asura Aura," Yuying explained.

"Are you saying there are specific monsters that can awaken one's Killing Aura?" Fruity asked.

"Yes," Yuying nodded. "I once met a demon who possessed True Ice Killing Aura. From what I learned, it only hunted Ice-type monsters. Asura Aura requires a distinct race of monsters."

"If you don't mind, we can stop at a place on our way to the Central Continent. If we're lucky, we may be able to obtain the Aura Codex."

"I assume we'll have to kill the owner for it?" Fruity asked, and Yuying nodded with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"That thieving lion won it after an intense auction battle 47 years ago. I promised to get it back, but I got occupied. Now that you want to learn more about Aura cultivation, I will help you obtain the complete codex on aura awakening," Yuying said, making Fruity nod.

"So, aside from sword aura, what other aura are you cultivating?" Fruity asked.

"Chaotic Soul Aura. It's essentially a soul cultivation method, but instead of using spiritual energy to unleash soul attacks, my aura can do that," Yuying replied. "And one thing about auras—with enough mastery, you can merge them in combat. So, imagine getting hit with soul attacks even after defending against a sword aura."

"That does sound awesome. I guess there's still a lot more for me to learn," Fruity said with a sigh. "We'd better get moving fast, then."

Fruity spent the next 12 hours devouring the entire dark river and its inhabitants before crossing the bridge with Yuying. He wasn't sure if the river would ever recover, but he didn't care. After all, his elements had grown stronger by devouring everything, eradicating yet another race of water monster Demons.

They spent the next few days traveling several miles before, on the 10th day, a very tall mountain came into view. As soon as they saw it, Fruity knew that was where he was meant to go.

"That place looks like a nightmare," Yuying said. "Even from three miles away, I can already feel the hypnotic effect hitting me."

"I don't feel anything, but my Hypnotic Ice is getting excited for some reason," Fruity said, gazing at the mountain, which seemed to touch the clouds.

Of course, he knew it was merely an illusion. The mountain was called Illusion Mountain due to its bizarre effects on the mind. Many might not regard illusionists as true opponents, but a true illusionist is a very terrifying foe.

Losing control of your senses and body while wandering in a fantasy world in the middle of combat is something nobody wants to experience.

There was a saying: a true team-up is one with a Soul Master and an Illusionist. In a dire situation, they can create miracles.

Fruity knew the next task would require stronger mental and soul strength, but he also realized he needed to understand his Hypnotic Ice better before making any sudden moves.

In truth, the mountain ahead wasn't something he had enough confidence to climb, but based on what his past self had left him, he knew he had to take the next step, ready or not.

"I assumed you'd be resting inside my soul space, seeing as you're already feeling the effects," Fruity said, and Yuying didn't hesitate to accept the offer. Though she was stronger in terms of cultivation, Fruity's mind cultivation was superior.

He quickly placed her in his soul space, and with sturdy steps, Fruity began making his way toward the strange mountain.

"Master, if you feel like you can't handle it, don't force yourself. We can go back, train more, and return stronger later," Yuying said from inside his soul sea, clearly worried.

Fruity just smiled and kept walking toward the mountain. When he got within 2 kilometers of the mountain's base, his mind was struck by an illusion, but like a titanium wall, the Sage Mind and Unshakable Mind techniques he had cultivated shielded him from it.

Fruity snorted and kept moving. Soon, he arrived at the base of the mountain and began climbing. As he ascended, his mind was repeatedly attacked by various illusions, but he continued onward.

A while later, after reaching nearly halfway up the mountain, he stopped and extended his hand. Immediately, green ice burst from his body, enveloping the entire mountain.