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Chao Yan's pupils trembled slightly.

Sometimes as they communicated, they could easily discern the implied meaning behind each other's glances.

So Chao Yan no longer disturbed him, and instead walked forward alone, flames igniting fiercely on her body.

She clenched her fist, pausing momentarily, as if making a firm decision at that moment.

"Su Ming'an, you're going to the Nine Serenities, right?"

"Yes," Su Ming'an said, "But the legion's advance is very difficult. We've been stuck here the entire night, still unable to break through..."

Her silhouette stood ahead, her voice was as sharp and determined as a knife:

"Then—come with me—I alone will protect you through."

In the distance, the dawn of the tenth day of the instance was faintly visible, if they continued to advance inch by inch like this, relying on sacrificing lives, they feared that another day would pass without reaching the Nine Serenities.

As long as she burned with all her might, protecting him alone to break through the frontline, it wasn't impossible.

Su Ming'an was surprised. Because he knew... currently, Chao Yan still didn't know many things. From Chao Yan's perspective, Su Ming'an had only reverted from the seaside on the eighth day to the night of the seventh day, having never touched the Prophecy Stone Wall, nor had he ever confided in her.

"Would you... trust me? As long as I send you ahead, others can also pinpoint teleport to follow." Her voice carried a hint of hesitation: "If you don't trust me..."

Su Ming'an looked at her figure, slender like a sharp sword, and walked toward her.

He couldn't say that he already knew everything. He could only demonstrate his trust through actions.

Chao Yan's eyes slightly brightened.

... Clearly, according to the inherent pattern of his previous nine cycles, it was impossible for him to trust her now.

... Just like that night when she attempted to assassinate him, he even anticipated her assassination. From then on, she felt he suddenly became a "Player" rather than an "NPC."

"Let's go," Su Ming'an said.

"Okay. I will give it my all, to protect just you." Chao Yan responded.

Intense flames rose from her body, her eyebrows and eyes showing pain, yet it was forcibly suppressed. Her right hand wrapped around Su Ming'an's waist, taking him up into the air.

A booming sound of flames erupted, and a massive gleam like a fiery cloud suddenly appeared on the previously silent black battlefield.

The red-haired girl embraced the Old God, leaping over rows of heads below, her right hand wrapped around his back, her left hand holding a blazing Sword of Flame. With one sweep—traps and arrays on the ground turned to ashes.

The counterfeit creations of the deities could not achieve the self-sacrificing combat power of Chao Yan.

Su Ming'an vaguely understood—her power might also be related to the red python. With Alice dead, she was the existing vessel.

The white light pierced the Black Mist, and Mizushima Kawa Sora flew into the sky, blocking them.

"Su Ming'an! You cannot go to the Nine Serenities, don't believe the Exotic Species King will be your ally!" Mizushima Kawa Sora shouted loudly. Clearly, her arrival was at the behest of the deities.

Su Ming'an stared at her, not saying a word.

"Su Ming'an, I didn't think the Holy Sword would affect you so much, the deities did not intend to kill you..." Mizushima Kawa Sora continued: "But you're still alive... and that's good."

There was a hint of relief in her tone, as well as implicit jealousy.

Relief because... he didn't die. His death wouldn't weigh the sin on her shoulders. She wouldn't face so much criticism and resentment, becoming a human traitor.

... Yet he had a protector like Chao Yan who was loyal to him, while beside her was only a deity with malicious intentions.

"I have nothing left to say to you." Su Ming'an stated.

... The moment Mizushima Kawa Sora decisively struck down with the Holy Sword in the sky, they had nothing left to be said.

"Get lost!"

Chao Yan's Flame Longsword launched a long beam of light, crashing towards Mizushima Kawa Sora!

"Boom——!"

With a loud crash, the Holy Sword collided with the Flame Longsword, and a powerful repulsion spread out. Mizushima Kawa Sora spat a mouthful of blood, retreating continuously, nearly dropping the Holy Sword due to the high temperature. She clutched her arm, her skin covered in purple-black burns.

The scorching hot air swept past Su Ming'an's ears, he squinted his eyes. Chao Yan immediately shielded her left hand, blocking his face from the splattering sparks, ensuring they wouldn't damage his cheek. Her right hand continued to slash another sword towards Mizushima Kawa Sora!

"Boom——!" One strike.

[HP–1073!（Burn damage! Positional Suppression!）]

...

"——!" Two strikes.

[HP–1243!（Continued burn damage! Stacked damage! Critical hit!）]

...

Third strike.

[HP–2011!（Piercing damage! Weakness Strike! Critical hit!）]

...

Reddish numbers continuously sprang from Mizushima Kawa Sora's body, she was battered, left staggering like a spinning top.

The spreading flames almost dyed the sky red, even the edge of Chao Yan's green pupils were tinged with fiery bright colors. Each strike was fiercer than the last, slashing with blazing streaks, the fire falling like meteors.

...

[HP–2152!（Piercing damage! Break Technique! Critical hit!）]

...

As the fourth strike fell, Mizushima Kawa Sora tumbled down like a turtle, her wrist already blackened by burns, unable to grip the Holy Sword. When she fell, the entire ground erupted with remnant flames, the goddess's garment on her body burnt into pitted hollows.

She lay in a dark pit, severely burned all over, her fluids leaking from her limbs, yet her dark eyes stared relentlessly at Su Ming'an in the sky.

Black smoke seeped from her skin, and the blood streaks sliding down her face looked both dejected and battered.

"Don't... go... to... the Nine Serenities..." she coughed blood lying on the ground, her voice barely audible:

"Listen... to the deities... Su Ming'an..."

She reached her charred hand upwards, attempting futilely to touch the sky. Even now, she wanted to stop Su Ming'an from going above:

"Don't... go..."

Chao Yan didn't spare her a glance, continuing forward.

Su Ming'an looked down at Mizushima Kawa Sora, shocked by her gaze—it's hard to describe the look in her eyes, resentment, pain, worry, jealousy, despair... too many complex emotions converged in her bloodshot eyes.

... As if she truly didn't want him to go to the Nine Serenities.

"I have to go." Su Ming'an spoke softly, unsure of who he was speaking to.

The deities had once said, if Su Ming'an insisted on continuing, he would be devoured by the Exotic Species King, losing himself. Thus, the deities had always been trying to stop him, hoping he could safely make it through twenty days. All the lies, imprisonment, brainwashing, harm... seemed to serve this purpose.

... Stop kidding.

The deities almost actually killed him.

This war named Faith, only those who become a god can confront it, if they don't wish to lose to the deities, to watch the world be destroyed, then they can only head to the Nine Serenities.

——This is the Fate necessary for the "Players" to complete the "Main Quest."

He glanced at his Perfect Completion Progress, shocked.

...

[TE1·(Successfully destroy the world) Perfect Completion Progress: 95%]

[TE2·(Achieve supreme positional rank within twenty days) Perfect Completion Progress: 60%]

[TE3·(Reach the final Old Day place, establish a utopia) Perfect Completion Progress: 80%]

[TE4·(Maximize "Su Luoluo" Favorability to 100 points—must go through all plots with her, cannot use Ruler's Skill to forcibly raise favorability) Perfect Completion Progress: 80%]

[TE5·(Help "Li Mingyue" completely establish the rule system) Perfect Completion Progress: 80%]

[TE6·("Chao Yan" does not die within twenty days) Perfect Completion Progress: 0%]

[TE7·(Pass the civil servant exam, build a happy family of four) Perfect Completion Progress: 0%]

...

These values... some are frighteningly high. Only now did he realize TE1 had reached such a terrifying number.

"Whoosh——"

The ear is filled with scorching wind.

Chao Yan led him through countless battles, cutting through the enemies effortlessly. Her temperature grew increasingly high, making his skin sizzle.

Her eyelashes were close, and her voice was extremely soft. Nine Serenities was near, she suddenly asked:

"...Is it hot?"

"It's not hot," Su Ming'an said.

It was actually very hot.

"Do you want to turn back?" she asked.

If afraid of dangerous things in Nine Serenities, now is the time to turn back. As long as he retreats, the deity won't trouble him.

Su Ming'an pursed his lips and shook his head.

"Can't turn back."

Too many heroic spirits hovered in his mind, clinging to his spine, preventing him from turning back.

"Then do you..." Her hair carried a scent of lemons, she made her last confirmation:

"...Are you afraid?"

Are you afraid?

Going alone to Nine Serenities, according to the deity's words, if the Exotic Species King harbors ill intentions, he might be devoured. At that time, even the deity couldn't save him.

Su Ming'an's eyes flickered.

He was actually somewhat afraid, because he had noticed that real death might occur.

But he still had to say——

"...Not afraid."

Don't let Chao Yan take the blame, don't let her worry.

This is his own decision, so he cannot say he's afraid.

She pursed her lips, sped up her sword attack, until the blazing red light was very close——

"Here."

Su Ming'an looked down, the frightening Nine Serenities was very near. The terrifying magma roiled like a bottomless hell.

He saw a person standing guard in front of Nine Serenities.

Black hair tied in a high ponytail, wearing a black cloak, the snow-white fox fur on the shoulder swayed in the wind. Holding a pipe in one hand, lightly expelling a smoke ring, lips smiling.

"Xiao Jingsan..." Su Ming'an called out. He remembered that Xiao Jingsan had traded with the Exotic Species King for power, losing himself for the sake of retrieving a corpse.

"——It's Xiao Ying," Chao Yan's voice was calm: "Xiao Jingsan lost himself, and now most of the time he is dominated by Xiao Ying's body. He comes from a thousand years ago, and he also doesn't want you to set foot in Nine Serenities."

Su Ming'an was slightly stunned: "Why?"

...Since he comes from a thousand years ago, why would he obstruct the Old God?

Xiao Ying expelled a smoke ring, fingers tapping the pipe.

He gazed at Su Ming'an for a second, then suddenly chuckled lightly: "Quite normal, right? There were good and bad people even a thousand years ago. If I kill you, then the three elements are mine, and the opportunity for becoming a god is so close at hand, with you out of the army's protection..."

Becoming a god is indeed very tempting.

Xiao Ying came from a thousand years ago, established the Old Day Church single-handedly — he must have accumulated tremendous combat power, perhaps prepared for such a moment.

Su Ming'an braced himself for a desperate fight but suddenly heard a sword sound.

Immediately after, Chao Yan pushed his back, and he fell downward.

"——I'll stop Xiao Ying. You move forward, Su Ming'an, move forward, don't worry about what's behind." Chao Yan's calm voice.

He landed on the mechanical wheel, lying on it as it slid forward, directly towards the bottomless Nine Serenities.

Bright red spider lilies bloomed on the cliff, swaying in the wind.

He heard the constant sword sounds behind, which were the sounds of blades clashing.

"Buzz——Buzz——Buzz——"

He wanted to look back.

"Don't look back, move forward." Chao Yan's voice.

He wanted to look back at the battle situation.

Those actions of city slaughter were enough to make Xiao Ying very strong. Chao Yan was already nearing exhaustion; she very likely——

"Don't look back, move forward, keep your eyes fixed on the direction of Nine Serenities..." Chao Yan's voice.

The sound of swords clashing and talismans burning.

The sound of flames exploding.

Even if he looked back, the black mist obscured his vision, and Su Ming'an couldn't see the path. He could only cling tightly to the mechanical wheel, amid the endless black mist, in the direction she pushed him——forward, forward.

Yet her muffled groan was quite clear.

The sound of flames burning, the sound of wind brushing through Su Ming'an's black hair, sizzling.

"Don't look back... Don't look back... Even if it burns until the last moment, I will..." The voice grew more distant.

His fingers clenched, his shoulders seemed to bear a heavy burden weighing thousands of pounds.

She took on everything, only asked him to move forward.

All the sacrifices, all the costs, the trust of a millennium... were all for him to move forward.

Earrings seemed to sway, a deep blue ring sparkled faintly, points of light floated quietly in his mind as if they were eternal, undying souls.

——As if countless people were watching him. Watching the pale-faced youth, lying on the mechanical wheel, amid the scalding wind, heading alone toward the magma.

Move forward... move forward.

Old God Asathoth,

——You will fulfill the thousand-year wish, cut through the fate of endless eras, end this plan spanning hundreds of generations.

——You will end this never-ending reincarnation, making future generations no longer bear the suffering of the past, granting everyone the freedom of the soul.

...

He felt his whole body screaming with pain, the burns spreading on his skin, gnawing at his nerves, the closer he got to Nine Serenities, the fiercer it felt.

"The white Morning Glory is right here, blessings from the mortal world come into dreams."

"Child, oh child..."

"Please don't go never to return, please don't go never to return..."

He pressed his chest, where a secret heartbeat was felt.

Warnings from deities, Mizushima Kawa Sora's sorrowful gaze...

...Don't stop, Su Ming'an.

You've come this far, so many tried their hardest to push you to this point...

Until he couldn't hear her voice anymore, as if a White Bird cried long in the ear——

Black hair touched the bright red Nine Serenities, his pupils overflowed with the vivid red of the Manzusha Flower——

...

Old Day 832, early winter.

With the wish of a thousand autumns, breaking the cycle of a hundred generations.

Netherworld sacrificed with fire, body carrying heavy souls, Kingfisher weaves red, warrior enters Yellow Springs.

——In the depths of Nine Serenities, an old friend comes.

...