CH 80

The location of the main system was in a small world, but based on the coordinates, it seemed to be situated at the center of the universe.

Though it was called the central world, there wasn’t a blade of grass to be seen. The area was filled with volcanoes and magma, with volcanic ash thick in the air. The high temperatures and sparse oxygen made it completely uninhabitable for humans.

As soon as Li Xi landed, he realized this problem and quickly enveloped Duan Zhen and Dan Zuo in an energy shield.

“This place isn’t suitable for you,” he said. “I’ll send you away.”

“No,” Duan Zhen grabbed his arm. “I can adapt to this environment.”

“But this place isn’t suitable for you to fight,” Li Xi shook his head. “If we start fighting, we might trigger a volcanic eruption. You can’t fly or use energy to breathe. It would be difficult for you to be of help.”

Duan Zhen frowned. “I haven’t learned to fly yet…”

Before he could finish speaking, a disturbance in the air caught their attention. It was a deliberate signal, meant to be noticed.

“There’s definitely an ambush here,” Duan Zhen said, his brows tightly knit.

“I must send you away,” Li Xi insisted. “They’re doing this on purpose.”

They were deliberately revealing their presence to make Duan Zhen hesitant to leave, thus creating additional weaknesses for Li Xi.

Duan Zhen realized this too. For the first time, he was someone’s Achilles’ heel, and it didn’t feel good. In fact, it felt terrible.

“Send Dan Zuo away,” he suggested. “I’ll stay here until Hewlett arrives, then I’ll leave.”

“By then, you won’t be able to leave,” Li Xi said angrily.

“If we don’t leave together now, none of us might get out,” Duan Zhen urged him softly.

“I don’t think they intend to let us leave,” Dan Zuo said calmly, pushing up his glasses. “We should face them head-on.”

“Indeed,” Duan Zhen agreed.

Li Xi had no choice. He pursed his lips and glared at them. “Alright, don’t wander off.”

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes slightly, and extended his hand, muttering incantations.

Energy from the surroundings seemed to converge in his hand before spreading outwards, turning everything into ice. In just a few breaths, the entire area was covered in snow and ice, even the boiling magma turned into solid, unbreakable ice.

Duan Zhen’s eyes widened slightly.

“Now I’m more at ease,” Li Xi wrinkled his nose. “Though it’s cold, you’ve trained enough to withstand this level of cold. Just keep moving to stay warm.”

As he spoke, two figures appeared in the distance.

“You altered the entire ecosystem just for them?” Hest asked incredulously.

“If it weren’t for your ill intentions, I wouldn’t have to go this far,” Li Xi sneered.

“It seems you’re convinced we mean harm,” Moduna sighed. “Why end this world? Is the game not fun anymore?”

Before Li Xi could respond, Moduna continued, “With your lover by your side, I thought it wouldn’t be boring. If you destroy the main system, he’ll leave you, won’t he?”

“Humans are inherently selfish. When the world ends, he’ll choose to leave,” Hest added. At that moment, they looked identical, even their smirks were perfectly in sync.

In the past, Li Xi might have been swayed, but what Duan Zhen did just now reassured him. He ignored them, saying, “If you want to fight, then fight. We won’t tell you the main system’s location.”

“Love truly diminishes one’s intellect,” Moduna sighed. “In that case, we’ll have to wake you up.”

“Calm down. Have you been hanging around the God of Light’s territory? You sound like a bunch of zealots,” Li Xi mocked. “You never used to talk this much.”

Without waiting for a response, he attacked mercilessly.

Energy rippled violently in the air, sending invisible currents swirling and leaving deep scratches on the ice.

Even standing behind Li Xi, who was doing his best to shield them, Dan Zuo found it hard to stay upright, swaying dangerously as if he might be blown away.

“Hold on to me,” Duan Zhen, who had been watching the battle, said, steadying Dan Zuo. “Channel your energy to stabilize yourself.”

“Are we just going to watch?” Dan Zuo shouted over the sound, shielding his face from the blasts. The noise was deafening.

Duan Zhen shook his head.

They couldn’t just stand there and watch, letting Li Xi fight two opponents alone, especially since there might be another enemy hiding in the shadows.

Clemens hadn’t appeared yet. Duan Zhen suspected he was plotting something.

“If Shen Su is suspicious, regardless of whose minion he is, Clemens will use him to target Xia Qirong and the others,” Dan Zuo reasoned.

“Sun Le will notice,” Duan Zhen tapped out in their coded language. “But they won’t win.”

His blunt honesty gave Dan Zuo pause. “What do we do then?”

“Wait and see what Clemens does,” Duan Zhen replied calmly.

At that moment, the space tore open, and another figure joined the battle, narrowly avoiding a wind blade to the face.

“Watch it!” Hewlett grumbled, dodging. “Don’t hit your allies.”

“I didn’t know it was you,” Li Xi blinked innocently. “I thought it was Clemens.”

Hewlett scoffed. “As if you can’t tell.”

If Li Xi couldn’t differentiate allies from enemies, he would’ve been overthrown long ago.

“Are you involving yourself in our business?” Moduna paused, “That’s unlike you.”

“It’s just easier this way,” Hewlett said lazily.

With Hewlett’s arrival, the situation became even more complex. He was a veteran among the demon lords, having existed for millennia, though his true strength was rarely seen due to his prolonged periods of hibernation.

“He’s here,” Duan Zhen said suddenly, releasing Dan Zuo’s hand, his gaze fixed on a corner. “Can you stand on your own now?”

“No problem,” Dan Zuo nodded decisively.

Duan Zhen stepped out of the protective barrier, seemingly unaffected by the fierce attacks and turbulent air, and directly engaged Clemens, who had just appeared with a string of hostages.

Caught off guard, Clemens was momentarily taken aback.

Li Xi, who had been busy flinging magical orbs, was shocked to see Duan Zhen confronting a demon lord.

“Don’t worry,” Hewlett called out across the battlefield. “It makes sense for him to deal with Clemens.”

With that, Hewlett teleported to Clemens’ side, grabbed the hostages, and tossed them to Dan Zuo.

Recently kidnapped and now suddenly rescued, Sun Le and Xia Qirong were bewildered.

Xia Qirong, blown about by the wind, clung to Dan Zuo’s leg. “What’s going on? What’s happening???” he shouted, his voice dispersed by the wind.

Damn, everything is going crazy lol but this is the last conflict of the novel since we’re so close to the end!!

Thank you for reading