Time waits for no one, and seasons flow like water. In the blink of an eye, a millennium had passed.
A young man with a white jade crown binding his hair and dressed in a moon-white robe, his delicate and fair face covered in frost, tightly gripped an exquisite silver sword in his slender hand. As he hurried along, the silver lotus patterns on the hem of his robe flickered faintly.
Sensing the person chasing after him, his expression tightened. Just as he was about to use magic, his wrist was grasped.
“Zhaozhao, you’re throwing a tantrum again.”
The newcomer’s tone was indifferent, his deep golden eyes filled with helplessness.
Zhaozhao shook off his hand and ignored him.
Luo Chen used magic to hinder his steps, asking expressionlessly, “What are you going to do?”
Just like when he was a child, Zhaozhao turned his head away, refusing to look at him.
A flicker of tenderness passed through Luo Chen’s eyes. Seeing that Zhaozhao seemed angry with him again, he softened his voice and asked, “Are you still determined to go to the Demon Realm?”
Recently, the Nayuè Divine Maiden went to investigate the situation among the Demon Clan but unfortunately became trapped and now urgently needed rescue. Upon hearing this, Zhaozhao immediately expressed his desire to go.
However, the Demon Realm was extremely dangerous, and Luo Chen could not rest easy letting him go.
Over this millennium, aside from his Divine Power and temper having grown, Zhaozhao remained a blank slate in all other matters.
Unfortunately, Zhaozhao did not understand Luo Chen’s well-intentioned concerns and still insisted on going to the Demon Realm. Luo Chen refused, leading to the current scene.
Yet Zhaozhao’s mind remained fixed on his mission. A few days ago, his three-year Life Countdown had already begun.
Now that a millennium had passed and his cultivation had improved, it was time to face the upcoming plot.
According to the plot’s progression, this rescue mission would not succeed, and the Divine Maiden’s death would become the catalyst for the outbreak of war between the Gods and Demons, worsening the already tense situation.
Zhaozhao did not want the Divine-Demon War to erupt, whether to expedite the completion of his system mission or for the sake of peace and tranquility in the world.
Thus, he chose to join the rescue effort, striving to change the outcome of the Divine Maiden’s death as much as possible.
He looked directly at Luo Chen, his clear golden eyes filled with determination. “I must go.”
After a pause, he added, “You cannot stop me.”
Luo Chen gazed into those clear eyes, untainted by the world’s evils, and softly refused, “No.”
Hearing this, Zhaozhao immediately tried to leave, but the next moment, a sentence reached his ears: “I am very worried about you.”
Zhaozhao paused, a tingling sensation rising in his heart.
He turned his back and said stiffly, “You said before that my Divine Power is high, so I won’t be in danger.”
After a moment of silence between them, Luo Chen relented. “Then go.”
He raised his hand, removed the jade pendant hanging at his side, and personally fastened it onto Zhaozhao.
Without another glance, he turned and left.
Zhaozhao looked back at his tall, straight figure, watching for a while before resolutely departing.
…
To reach the Demon Realm this time, Zhaozhao had to traverse the Mist Forest that separated the Divine and Demon Realms.
True to its name, the Mist Forest was perpetually shrouded in thick fog, making it difficult even for Gods with high Divine Power to see clearly beyond five meters.
Flight was forbidden above the Mist Forest, so Zhaozhao could only proceed on foot.
The forest teemed with venomous snakes and insects. Due to their vast numbers, Zhaozhao did not want to waste time clearing them away and instead used magic to keep them at bay.
A golden halo enveloped him as he walked, bringing a glimmer of light to the perpetually dark Mist Forest.
Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting dappled shadows. The tall, straight figure of the young man passed slowly, like a ray of light piercing through the gloom, exceptionally striking.
A malicious gaze fixed upon him. The youth’s steps slowed slightly, then suddenly, he swiftly drew his sword and swung it backward!
A flash of cold light sliced through the air, but the person behind him reacted just as quickly, dodging the lethal strike.
In the depths of the forest, turbulent currents surged, and trees swayed with a rustling sound.
Zhaozhao silently assessed his opponent’s strength, yet his movements never faltered. In the blink of an eye, the elegant silver sword split into thousands of blades, each gleaming with a sharp, cold light as they shot toward the shadows!
The flying swords fell like a dense rain, but from the darkness came only a light, scornful chuckle, arrogant and unrestrained.
As his black robe fluttered, a crimson bone fan appeared in his hand.
An unfathomable surge of demonic power continuously emanated from him, and the rain of swords was deftly deflected by the agile bone fan.
Without any desire to prolong the fight, the figure turned and fled after breaking away.
A fierce wind howled past, leaving behind only an exceedingly arrogant remark: “I won’t play with you any longer.”
The direction the demon clan member fled toward was the border of the Divine Realm. Worried that this powerful demon might cause trouble in the Divine Realm, Zhaozhao followed without hesitation.
He fled, he pursued…
The black-robed figure frowned slightly, sensing the gradually approaching footsteps. His crimson eyes curved slightly as he changed direction, deliberately leading the youth behind him deep into the mist-shrouded forest.
Here, the fog grew increasingly thick, making it nearly impossible to see anything beyond a meter. Zhaozhao grew wary, not daring to be careless in the slightest, and focused all his attention on observing his surroundings.
Hidden in the shadows, the black-robed figure watched Zhaozhao’s blurred silhouette, a cunning smile spreading across his face.
He raised his arm, and the crimson bone fan, like a dancing butterfly, shot swiftly and silently toward the upright figure.
The expected defeat did not occur. Instead, the youth’s splendid robes swirled as his silver sword clashed with the crimson fan, sparks flying and briefly illuminating a small patch of the Mist Forest.
“Tsk, troublesome.”
No longer underestimating him, the black-robed figure, seeing his attack fail, unhesitatingly unleashed a barrage of blackened silver needles.
If open attacks wouldn’t work, he’d resort to underhanded means.
The silver needles, as if given life by his control, swirled around Zhaozhao, attempting to find an opening.
At the same time, the black-robed figure wielded the bone fan and launched another fierce assault.
Zhaozhao had to both fight him and evade the dense, tiny poisoned needles. At first, he managed to hold his own, but as time passed, his stamina waned. In a moment of distraction, a needle aimed at his back pierced straight into his body.
“You actually used poison…”
“How despicable!”
Zhaozhao’s vision grew hazy, and as his body collapsed to its knees, more silver needles embedded themselves in him.
The bone fan spun gracefully through the air. The black-robed figure ceased his attack, crossing his arms as he stood to the side, admiring the Divine Realm individual who had now become a pincushion.
His laughter was arrogant and unrestrained: “Hahahaha, I told you long ago I didn’t want to play with you anymore. Who told you to foolishly insist on throwing yourself at me?”
He too had sustained some injuries, but the youth’s sword, unlike his bone fan, carried no deadly poison. After casually sprinkling some medicinal powder on his wounds, he paid them no further mind.
In stark contrast to the black-robed figure’s arrogance and domineering demeanor, Zhaozhao only managed to catch a glimpse of the cloud patterns on the approaching figure’s robe before slowly losing consciousness.