Lin Fan was almost in tears at this moment. This place was simply no place for a human to be.
With the Eternal Axe in hand, he swung it at those black hands. Yet those densely packed black hands seemed endless. The entire underground palace was filled with them.
“Damn it, you’re forcing my hand,” Lin Fan muttered. He had been taken by surprise and overwhelmed, but in the face of danger, he couldn’t afford to show fear—he had to summon his overbearing confidence.
“Sky Sword.”
After the beast tide incident in Qingling Prefecture, Lin Fan had already forged his second sword.
He called it the “Benevolence Sword.”
Instantly, his Three-Headed, Six-Armed Demon Manifestation appeared, offering full defense. Behind him, the Sky Sword and Benevolence Sword radiated boundless sword intent, slicing through the incoming black hands.
At this moment, Lin Fan felt much lighter, no longer as restricted as before.
“Ji Zai, come out!”
“Wo wo wo…”
Ji Zai emerged from the backpack, ready to proudly crow a few times, but suddenly his cute little eyes widened in shock. A black hand shot out from the side, and he flapped his featherless wings in fear.
“Ji Zai, stop crowing and start fighting,” Lin Fan shouted. At this moment, he had created a safe zone around himself. The Demon Manifestation guarded his back, slicing through the black hands, while Lin Fan himself wielded the Eternal Axe to clear the path forward.
“Wo wo wo…”
Ji Zai took in the scene around him, flapped his wings, crowed loudly, and then began sprinting on his tiny feet. With a leap, he soared into the air.
“Wo wo…”
In an instant, Ji Zai erupted with a red light that covered the entire underground palace. The countless black hands twisted violently before vanishing entirely in the red glow.
Lin Fan raised his hand slightly to shield his eyes—the light was blinding.
As the red light faded, all the black hands disappeared, and Lin Fan let out a breath of relief.
“Ji Zai, you’re amazing,” Lin Fan admitted, impressed. Without Ji Zai’s ultimate move, it might not have been possible to clear them all.
“Wo wo wo…” Ji Zai shook his head proudly, then strutted up to Lin Fan, leaped, and landed on his shoulder, gently nuzzling his cheek with his tiny head.
“Alright, today’s credit goes to you,” Lin Fan said, his previously tense mood finally easing.
Just then, Ji Zai suddenly jumped onto Lin Fan’s head, raised his head proudly, and crowed loudly, as if declaring his status had risen once again.
Lin Fan rolled his eyes. This rooster really knew how to show off.
“Peng peng…”
Just as Lin Fan and Ji Zai were reveling in their victory, a series of loud noises reached their ears.
The two exchanged glances, looking at the situation before them.
The chains that had been wrapped around the palace began to snap one by one. The runes inscribed on each link gradually dimmed.
“Ji Zai, what the hell did you do just now?” Lin Fan asked, his face blank.
“Wo wo wo…” Ji Zai blinked his big, innocent eyes and shook his head, as if saying, “I don’t know at all.”
Lin Fan swallowed hard as he looked at the unfolding scene and suddenly shouted.
“Ji Zai, we need to get the hell out of here now!” At that moment, Lin Fan grabbed Ji Zai and sprinted toward the exit.
Based on his familiarity with plot tropes, this could only mean one thing: the final boss was about to appear.
Normally, the appearance of a boss would be exciting, but for Lin Fan, an unknown boss was the most dangerous kind.
This Ji Zai had already destroyed the black hands, but why did he have to break the chains too? Wasn’t that just digging a grave for both of them?
“Boom boom…”
The palace, once suspended in midair by chains, now descended without restraint. The bloodstains on the palace seemed to awaken, radiating a terrifying aura.
Lin Fan could see the exit was just a step away.
But just as he thought he could escape, a giant hand suddenly smashed down from outside.
Seeing the black flames on the hand, Lin Fan’s heart tightened—it was the Flame Giant.
“Peng!”
“Beep! Congratulations! The Unyielding Demon Body has gained 100,000 experience points.”
Although he wasn’t hurt, the force still sent Lin Fan flying.
When Lin Fan got back up, the Flame Giant had already blocked the exit, transforming into a black barrier. The barrier flickered before solidifying into a cliff face, cutting off all escape routes.
Lin Fan looked around—there was no way out.
“Ji Zai, we’re doomed,” Lin Fan said, nearly in tears, scanning the area frantically. He needed to find a way out before the boss emerged.
With nowhere to run, Lin Fan wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes filled with sorrow.
“Just think, I, Lin Fan, am a promising young man. If I die here today, it will be a great loss to both my sect and Dongling Continent.”
For Lin Fan, this was the most heartbreaking moment. But even if he had to die, he refused to die namelessly.
He used his finger as a brush and wrote on the ground:
“In the year 6385 of Dongling Era, Lin Fan, the sixth patriarch of the Nameless Peak of the Holy Sect and the leader of the Saint Devil Sect, sacrificed himself to destroy an evil demon and protect the peace of the world.”
…
Lin Fan nodded in satisfaction at the words.
“Wo wo…” Ji Zai nudged him, as if saying, “What about me?”
Lin Fan looked at Ji Zai, then added another line below.
“Pet Ji Zai also perished here.”
He even drew a little picture of Ji Zai.
“Good enough,” Lin Fan said. He could only ease his tension this way. Though he didn’t know exactly what lay within the palace, he had to prepare for the worst.
Though Ji Zai couldn’t read the words, seeing the drawing, he flapped his wings and crowed a few times.
At that moment, Lin Fan focused his gaze. As the palace settled steadily onto the ground with a loud crash, an irresistible aura erupted violently.
“Clatter clatter…”
The tiles on the palace roof began to fall. The bloodstains on the palace walls glowed with a sinister red light, seeping inward.
Lin Fan frowned tightly.
Ji Zai tucked his wings and fearfully hid behind Lin Fan.
He was all bravado against the weak, but cowardly in the face of strength.
That was Ji Zai’s life in a nutshell.
At this moment, the aura emanating from the palace was deeply unsettling. Lin Fan understood clearly—this enemy was no easy opponent.
“Ji Zai, hide first,” Lin Fan patted Ji Zai and said.
Ji Zai trembled and crowed weakly, as if saying, “I can do it!”
“Don’t be a burden. Get out of here,” Lin Fan kicked Ji Zai a few times.
Ji Zai looked at Lin Fan with a sad expression, turned his body away, then glanced back with his tiny head, as if saying, “It’s not that I’m a coward—it’s just that you won’t let me fight.”
With a flap of his wings, Ji Zai scurried far away, peeking out now and then to watch the situation.
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