"Not bad, this fish."
I looked at the half-eaten fish on my plate, unable to take another bite. Luo Yu stood quietly by the stream, his gaze vacant as he stared at his own reflection in the water.
I’d heard Zhang Qingyuan talk about the war in the Corpse Realm before, but hearing the truth from Luo Yu’s own mouth felt different. The world is always changing, and every change brings conflict. I quietly gazed at the shaft of sunlight piercing down from the mountaintop.
The world is about to change. No one knows what the outcome will be—whether it’s the worst or the best. The only constant is the human heart, and all I can do is face these changes head-on.
"We might die."
Luo Yu said suddenly. I nodded, smiling at him.
"Luo Yichen may never come back."
I looked at Luo Yu in confusion as he walked over and started tidying up the table. I leaned back comfortably; earlier, I’d offered to help, but Luo Yu said it wasn’t necessary.
Lucille Xing and the others should be back soon—it’s been so many days already. Once they return, we’ll use the laws of this world to destroy everything the Divine Emperor and his followers have built here, restoring this place to the peace of dust and silence.
The whole world may be about to fall apart, but that’s the result of endless problems piling up. I stared quietly at the tabletop, feeling strangely calm.
I have no idea what Luo Yu is thinking right now; his expression reveals nothing.
"Why did you all come to this world?"
I asked. After finishing up, Luo Yu brought over some tea and shook his head.
"I just followed Luo Yichen here. The purpose means nothing to me."
"The things belonging to the woman and child in that room—were they Luo Yichen's wife's?"
Luo Yu nodded.
Just then, I felt a faint warmth. Confused, I widened my eyes—Luo Yu had already turned into a splash of mud, instantly enveloping the flames that shot up from the ground. I jumped back, drew my bow, and nocked three golden flaming arrows, aiming at the fire that had burst through the mud.
A burst of red flames exploded in the air, but every flying spark was snuffed out by splashes of mud.
I didn’t release the arrows, fearing I’d hurt Luo Yichen. At that moment, a seductive flame began to coalesce, and Sylvia Yan gradually appeared before us.
"Your plan has already been exposed!"
Sylvia Yan waved her sleeve, and the surrounding space began to crack and dissolve. The ground split open, and an intense heat surged up. I immediately spread my wings and flew into the air, still holding my golden arrow, but I didn’t shoot. Luo Yu reformed, his eyes tinged red. His long hair turned into countless blood-red threads, stretching down to the ground like spider silk. Then his whole body shriveled, transforming into something like a withered old tree trunk, dropping to the earth.
I stared wide-eyed as beads of blood rose from the ground, morphing into blood figures—all of them shaped like Luo Yu.
"It’s useless. No matter what you do in this world, it’s all the same."
A chill ran down my spine as I dodged—a spear swept past my eyes. I stared in shock. James Grant stood there, eyes vacant, brandishing his spear, his body radiating a black glow.
"Those nine have already been subdued by the Emperor God."
I glanced at Sylvia Yan. Blood figures rushed at her, but as they drew near, it was as if they were dried up by an invisible wall of fire, vanishing in a wisp of black smoke. James Grant lunged at me. I quickly widened the distance and fired three golden flaming arrows. Guided by my will, the arrows exploded into flames as they neared James Grant, but his silver spear pierced through the fire, thrusting at me.
With a swoosh, a figure darted in front of me—Paul Zhao, gripping a dagger with golden patterns, blocked James Grant’s spear. Then, in a flash, his dagger slid along the spear and sliced across James Grant’s neck.
With a splash, James Grant dissolved into a stream of water. Paul Zhao looked helplessly at the water, then smiled.
"He’s no match for me. Sylvia Yan, as for the Emperor God, he’s already tied up—he won’t be able to deal with us anytime soon. You may be strong, but together, we’re not weak!"
Paul Zhao looked at me as he spoke.
"Let’s go, Rachel Lan. I’ll take you there right now—follow me, I’ll clear a path to the central arena for you. Can you hold on, Luo Yu?"
Paul Zhao called out. James Grant reformed again, but Paul Zhao seemed to anticipate it, slicing open his head with the dagger the moment James Grant reappeared.
With a crack, a hole appeared above Paul Zhao’s head. I noticed countless blood beads forming behind me, suddenly creating a sea of blood that extinguished Sylvia Yan’s flames. She moved toward me, but Paul Zhao instantly severed her outstretched hand as he returned to my side.
A flash of fire appeared. Paul Zhao grabbed my hand and dashed upward through the rift in the sky. I beat my wings faster, and a violent explosion thundered below.
In the blink of an eye, I was back on the ground. Surging flames burst out, and a burly figure charged forward, swinging twin axes. With two loud crashes, the flames scattered. I saw the burly man—it was Leonard Lei.
"Move faster."
Paul Zhao nodded. I began to use my power, spreading my wings and taking flight. Paul Zhao charged ahead, dagger raised. I noticed the world below was shattered, and not far away, golden light and colorful ribbons flickered—our generals were battling the Emperor God.
Suddenly, the ground in front of Paul Zhao cracked open, and flaming stones shot toward us like fire meteors.
"Don’t stop, Rachel Lan!"
I widened my eyes and flew even faster. Stones split in half before Paul Zhao, and as I passed through a cracked stone, the heat scorched my skin instantly.
In the distance, I could finally make out the circular arena ahead. My heart burned with excitement—I knew that once inside, I’d be on my own.
"Be careful once you’re inside, Rachel Lan. We’ll wait until dawn."
I stared at Paul Zhao’s resolute face and nodded hard.
With a rush, violent water burst forth. Paul Zhao slashed with his dagger, splitting the flow into four streams. James Grant appeared in four places at once, each wielding a silver spear, all thrusting toward us.
Paul Zhao twisted through the spears, suspended in the air. His dagger severed James Grant’s hand, and I dashed past James Grant as he dissolved into water again. I couldn’t understand why he was being controlled, but I knew that if this world returned to dust, they’d all vanish too.
"Don’t think about anything else, Rachel Lan. If you don’t use the Hell Imprint to resolve everything here, the Living World will suffer endlessly."
With a roar and the sound of a dragon’s cry, a massive golden dragon appeared in the arena’s sky, swooping toward us as the winds and thunder raged.
"It’s just Emperor God’s avatar—don’t worry."
Paul Zhao gripped his dagger tightly, and another, slightly longer dagger appeared in his other hand as he charged at the dragon’s head.
With a thunderous crash, Paul Zhao braced his dagger against the golden dragon’s teeth, roaring as he crossed his daggers to withstand the assault. But he was still flung toward the ground. I didn’t hesitate—skirting past the dragon’s body, I could see the arena ahead. I surged forward, purple flames igniting all over me.
James Grant blocked my path again.
"I’d really like to talk with you, James Grant, but I’m afraid there’s no time now."
I drew the half-broken Belle and charged at James Grant. He lunged at me with his spear, but then a streak of gold flashed—a dagger flew in, piercing James Grant’s head. As I passed him, he turned to look at me, dissolving into scattered water. I rushed straight into the arena wall.
With a deafening crash, I landed on the ground. The light behind me faded away. I glanced back as the broken wall slowly closed. In the final moment, I saw the golden dragon soaring upward, and the whole world roared with wind and thunder. I turned to face a dense forest ahead—no path forward. I looked up quietly, forcing a bitter smile.