Ryan set Barret down and walked quickly to the cabin door, knocking gently on the wooden panel.

  Soon, the door opened, revealing a pale-faced woman with tear-streaked eyes. Her eye sockets were red and swollen, clearly from crying not long ago.

  Seeing Ryan, gratitude immediately appeared in her eyes. She bowed quickly."Why have you come?"

  If it weren't for Ryan bringing back the Flamefang Beast, she and her daughter might have already starved to death. In her heart, Ryan was already a savior of the village.

  "Emma, how is Aaron?" Barret stepped forward, his voice carrying concern.

  At the mention of her husband, Emma's tears fell again. Choking back her sobs, she said,"Still the same. He hasn't woken up."

  "May I take a look? Maybe I can help," Ryan spoke at the right moment.

  "Of course! Please come in. The house is simple, don't mind it," Emma said, stepping aside to lead them into the cabin.

  "No need to be so formal," Ryan waved his hand, his gaze sweeping across the room.

  On a small wooden bed in the corner lay a middle-aged man, emaciated, his complexion waxy, lips chapped, and chest rising and falling weakly.

  Next to him, in a small cradle, a little girl slept soundly—the same child who had played under the Life Tree last night.

  Ryan approached the bed, and in his mind appeared:

  【Name: Aaron】

  【Identity: Hunting Party Member】

  【Magic Level: Seventh-tier Magic Apprentice】

  【Magic Items Held: None】

  【Status: Possessed by Undead Shadow (Moderate Corruption)】

  "Possessed by Undead Shadow?" Ryan's heart skipped a beat.

  This type of magical corruption was extremely rare, usually appearing only where undead creatures gathered. Once it invaded a person's magical essence, even if they woke, they would become a shadow puppet without consciousness.

  "Have you taken him to see the Life Tree?" Ryan turned to Emma.

  The Life Tree possessed powerful purifying abilities. Normally, ordinary Undead Shadow energy could be dispelled by it.

  Emma nodded, her eyes red again."We went a long time ago. The Life Tree brushed its branches over his forehead, saying it temporarily stabilized him, but it still couldn't wake him up."

  "That's strange," Ryan murmured to himself.

  Even moderate shadow corruption should be able to be dispelled. Could Aaron's shadow energy be special in some way?

  He took a deep breath and silently recited in his mind,"Holy Light Shadow Technique, activate!"

  As the incantation fell, a faint golden light flashed briefly in Ryan's eyes. When he opened them again, his vision had already penetrated Aaron's body, clearly revealing the shadow energy coiling around his heart.

  In Ryan's vision granted by the Holy Light Shadow Technique, Aaron's body was undergoing shocking changes.

  A black mist, entwined with undead runes, was tightly bound to Aaron's magical essence, inseparable as if they were a symbiotic entity.

  The shadowy form formed by the mist had a grotesque appearance, fangs exposed, hair tangled like withered grass, and a nauseating stench radiating from its body.

  "So it's a shadow symbiote," Ryan realized.

  No wonder the Life Tree couldn't dispel it. Once this undead corruption fuses with its host's essence, forcibly removing it would only cause the host to perish as well.

  But this was not unsolvable for Ryan. Grimoire had provided him with countless spells, and among them, a dual light-and-dark punitive technique could expel such symbiotes without harming the host.

  The magical fluctuations of the symbiote were only equivalent to an Eighth-tier Magic Apprentice, completely insignificant in front of Ryan.

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  He took a deep breath and turned to Emma."Please take the child and move farther away. The upcoming exorcism of the undead might be intense, and I don't want anyone affected."

  Emma quickly lifted her sleeping daughter.

  Ryan suddenly remembered something. He bent down, picked up Aaron, and headed quickly toward the Life Tree. Its natural healing magic would be the best option for post-procedure recovery.

  Curious villagers followed quietly behind, whispering among themselves.

  "What's he going to do?"

  "Is the Life Tree going to help heal Aaron?"

  Among the crowd, Evelyn also followed silently, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes.

  When Ryan reached the Life Tree with Aaron, the surrounding area was already crowded with villagers.

  He gently placed Aaron on the grass beneath the tree and turned to address the crowd."I am about to perform the undead exorcism. Black mist may spill during the process. Do not come near, or you may be corrupted by the undead energy!"

  The villagers immediately stepped back. Emma held her daughter tightly, her hands trembling, eyes full of worry.

  Ryan approached the Life Tree, fingertips gathering a strand of energy, lightly touching the trunk to notify it to prepare the healing magic.

  The branches of the Life Tree swayed gently, scattering a pale green glow over Aaron, forming a protective aura around him.

  Seeing this, Ryan returned to Aaron's side. He slowly raised both hands, palms surging with two distinctly different energies.

  His left hand radiated warm holy light, while his right hand pulsed with punitive shadow energy—the opening move of the dual light-and-dark punitive technique.

  "With light as blade, with darkness as bind, begone, undead!" Ryan shouted, slamming his left hand of holy light onto Aaron's chest.

  Aaron's body trembled slightly as a wisp of black mist seeped out from his chest.

  Immediately after, Ryan's right hand, shaped like a claw, struck at both sides of Aaron's neck.

  Those were critical nodes of magical essence flow, where the shadow energy could temporarily suppress the symbiote's activity.

  His movements were as fast as lightning, the energy waves of light and dark interwoven with each strike, each hit precisely targeting the symbiote's key attachment points, not sparing even Aaron's extremities.

  These were the weakest points of the undead energy and the breakthrough for removal.

  The villagers watched Ryan strike Aaron repeatedly, their hearts tightening with each blow.

  Emma's tears streamed down her face. She pressed her hands tightly over her daughter's eyes, afraid the child would see the brutal scene.

  Barret clenched his fists nervously, eyes fixed on the changes in Aaron's body. He could see the black mist being forced out bit by bit with every strike Ryan delivered.

  Two minutes later, Ryan's movements suddenly accelerated. Both hands condensed stronger light-and-dark energies, forming two powerful fists imbued with punitive force, and he smashed them into Aaron's left and right chest.

  As the two crushing blows landed, a piercing scream erupted from within Aaron's body.

  The dark energy that had coexisted with him was forcibly torn from his magical core, transforming into a swirl of black mist that lunged toward his body, desperate to reattach itself.

  But before it could reach him, the branches of the Tree of Life lashed out with a sharp crack. The strike, infused with the power of natural retribution, smashed into the black mist, shattering it into countless fragments that quickly dispersed into the air.

  Where the branch had struck, the ground split open with a thin, jagged crack.

  "Use the healing spell… now…"

  Ryan's voice was heavy with exhaustion. Before he could finish speaking, his vision darkened, and he collapsed.

  Casting dual-element Light and Shadow Punishment Spells in succession had long exceeded the limits of what a Ninth-tier Magic Apprentice like him could endure.

  The Tree of Life seemed to have foreseen this moment. Its branches swiftly wrapped around Aaron's body, channeling a surge of pale green healing light into him.

  Aaron's mouth and nose were bleeding profusely from the shadow extraction—one second later, and he might not have survived.

  Another slender branch gently lifted Ryan, infusing a stream of soothing natural energy into his body.

  The villagers quickly gathered around but dared not get too close. They could see Ryan's pale face and Aaron's faintly rising chest and could only pray silently that the Tree of Life would save them both.

  …

  When Ryan opened his eyes again, night had already fallen.

  "You're awake?"

  A familiar cold voice reached his ears. Ryan turned his head and met Evelyn's gaze.

  She held a yellowed magical tome in her hands, as if she had been studying it while waiting for him to wake.

  Ryan coughed violently, pretending to be weak and short of breath. He could feel that most of his magical core had already been repaired by the Tree of Life—he was fine.

  But this was the perfect opportunity to shorten the distance between himself and Evelyn. Secretly, he stirred a trace of residual shadow energy in his throat, creating a subtle disruption in his energy flow.

  He spat out a mouthful of blood tinged with dark energy residue.

  Evelyn's reaction was far quicker than he had anticipated. She rose from her chair in an instant and strode to his bedside. Her fingertips glimmered with icy energy as she swiftly tapped several magical nodes across his body.

  Then, placing her palm gently on his chest, she released a stream of pure ice-elemental energy into him, carefully smoothing the chaotic currents within.

  "You're foolish," she said softly."You nearly lost your life for someone else. Was it worth it?"

  Ryan could feel the cool touch of her palm and the gentle flow of her magic.

  It was the first time Evelyn had ever used her magic to heal him. Perhaps what the Grimoire had spoken of—establishing magical resonance—was not as unreachable as he once thought.

  He deliberately raised his trembling hand, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and replied hoarsely,"I'm used to it."

  "Why?" Evelyn couldn't help asking, her eyes filled with doubt.

  She had lived a long life and met countless magicians—those who pursued power, those who craved magical resources—but never one willing to risk his life for a stranger.

  In her previous life, after she became a Grand Magus, resources were limitless. She had grown used to solitude, to a world where no one would ever endanger themselves for the sake of someone they barely knew.