Both he and Kevin had been dragged into a bizarre incident in a secret domain, forced into a chamber filled with ominous symbols and chanisms that none of them understood.
An unknown entity within that domain had implanted a blood parasite into both of their bodies. The creature clung to their life force, stubborn and vicious, refusing to be removed by any normal ans. Max recalled how they had struggled to extract it together, fighting for hours without success.
Max only managed to rid himself of that parasite because he later went through the body tempering of the Giant Dwarves in the Heavenly Lords Secret Domain. Their unique forging technique purified his body from the inside out, burning away every impurity.
The parasite, no matter how tenacious it had been, was still considered an impurity in the eyes of that divine tempering, and so it was destroyed and expelled. Max had walked away free and unaffected.
However, Kevin had not been granted such fortune. He had not gone through the sa miraculous tempering. The parasite remained inside him, growing stronger and spreading its influence little by little. Max realized that Kevin must have been fighting it alone all this ti, hoping desperately that Max would one day appear again.
"Take to him," Max said, stepping away from the group without hesitation. He left Victor, Seraphina, and the others behind as he followed the elder.
The elder led Max through the bustling streets surrounding the plaza and toward a small inn situated not far from the central district. It was a modest place, quiet and unassuming, clearly chosen by soone who did not wish to draw attention. They arrived at a narrow hallway, and the elder pointed toward a door at the end.
"He is inside this room," the elder said. "I will wait outside."
Max nodded. "Stay here and do not let anyone else enter. If sothing happens, alert no one unless I call for you." His tone left no room for misunderstanding.
Once the elder stepped aside, Max placed his hand on the door and pushed it open.
Inside, the room was dim and filled with a faint scent of dicinal herbs. Kevin paced back and forth, anxiety written all over his face. His hands trembled slightly, and dark veins were visible along his arms, a clear sign that the parasite inside him had begun to exert its influence. He looked tornted, torn between fear of rejection and hope that Max would rember him.
But the mont the door swung open and Max stepped in, Kevin froze. Relief washed over his expression instantly. The fear drained from his eyes, replaced by the fragile hope of soone who had been waiting too long for a single miracle.
"Max, you have to help !" Kevin cried the mont his eyes t Max's. His voice trembled as he fell to his knees, the desperation pouring out of him without restraint. "I have tried. I have tried everything, every thod I could find in books, every healing technique anyone recomnded. But the parasite will not leave my body. I cannot endure it any longer. Please, Max. Do sothing. I am begging you. Do sothing before it kills ."
The sight before Max was far worse than he expected. Kevin looked drastically thinner, his skin pale and slightly sunken, his breathing uneven. His cultivation, which should have advanced steadily over the years, had stagnated miserably at the first level of the Mythic Rank.
Even that level seed unstable, as if the energy within him fluctuated chaotically each ti he attempted to breathe. His aura wavered like a candle in the wind, flickering with signs of collapse. The parasite had not only weakened him, it had eaten away at his vitality and spiritual foundation little by little, making survival increasingly difficult.
Max remained silent for a mont as he observed Kevin. mories resurfaced—mories of their encounter inside that ancient secret domain where both of them had been forced to endure the horrific implantation of the blood parasite.
They had fought side by side then, not as friends, but as unwilling allies trapped in the sa nightmare. Kevin had once been an enemy and even attempted to kill Max. He belonged to the Void Soul Tower, a force entangled with demonic influence. For all these reasons, Max had originally felt no obligation to help him once they escaped the domain.
But the sight before him told another story. Kevin was not the cold and arrogant genius he once appeared to be. He was now a man crushed under a burden he was never ant to carry. The parasite was devouring him slowly, torturing him day and night.
Max understood this suffering well, for he too had endured the sa tornt until the Giant Dwarves' tempering freed him. He knew exactly what Kevin was feeling—the helplessness, the fear, the agony of sothing alien gnawing at his very essence.
Max sighed quietly. "Sit down on the floor," he said with a calm but firm tone.
Kevin obeyed instantly, dropping into a seated position without a hint of hesitation. He looked up at Max with trembling eyes, clinging to the faint hope that Max might succeed where he had failed countless tis.
Max extended his hand and activated the White Lotus Ice Essence. Instantly the temperature in the room plumted. A wave of white mist spread outward from Max's body, chilling everything it touched. Frost crawled along the walls, across the floor, and up the ceiling.
The bedsheets stiffened with frozen moisture, and Kevin's breath turned into visible vapor. Monts later, thin layers of ice enveloped Kevin's body entirely. His limbs froze in place, and his skin turned pale blue beneath the frost, but Max controlled the Ice Essence with absolute precision. The cold never once touched Kevin's heart or vital organs. It numbed him just enough to force the parasite into a state of panic.
The two remained like this for several seconds, the room silent except for the distant crackling of forming ice.
Then it happened.
Without warning, a tiny object burst out from Kevin's right arm. It was no larger than a fingernail, dark red in color with writhing tendrils that twitched violently as it attempted to flee. Kevin gasped faintly, though his frozen state kept him from reacting fully. Max's Three Dinsional Body detected the parasite the instant it erged.
Before the parasite could escape, Max summoned the fourth level of the Space Concept and trapped it within a small confined zone. The parasite struggled wildly, slamming itself against the invisible barrier, but it could not move.
Max raised his hand, and black flas ignited around his fingertips. The flas coiled like serpents before surging toward the parasite, engulfing it completely. The creature's high-pitched screech lasted only a fraction of a second before it was reduced to nothing but ash. The parasite that had tortured Kevin for years was finally gone.
Max released the freezing aura, and the room slowly began to thaw. Kevin collapsed forward, breathing shakily as warmth returned to his limbs. For the first ti in years, his aura no longer flickered with corruption. The oppressive weight pressing on his soul had lifted.
He was free.
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