“Boppoli, the rest of you stay here. I’ll come out once I confirm there’s no danger. “

“Hey hey! ” Boppoli rushed over urgently with his little backpack. “You damned liar! Didn’t you say you’d check for danger before going in!? “

“When did I ever say that? I forgot! “

A flash from the halo on Yang Zicang’s chest made Boppoli trip mid-step, his feet stumbling, and he wiped out, landing flat on his face.

By the time he scrambled to his feet, the narrow path in the wind had already dissipated swiftly.

“Dammit all! “

Boboli tried to charge forward and touch the swirling mass of wind, but the skeleton men following closely had already surrounded him.

{Forgive us, Lord Boboli. The Undying King has commanded us to ensure your safety. Please do not move recklessly. }

“Wah, I, I, I! ” Boboli pointed his finger at them and waved it a few times, feeling an intense anxiety in his heart.

He had spent a considerable price to twist the threads of fate to this very point. It couldn’t possibly crumble at this final moment, just as the great peak was about to rise, for lack of a single basket of soil!

……

The curse falling from Boboli’s lips was utterly drowned out by the howling wind and the dull, heavy reassurances of the skeletal guards.

Yang Zicang glanced over his shoulder at the path woven from formless wind behind him. Lowering his gaze, he sensed the churning force of the “Blazing Sword Path. ” An energy, long dormant within him, suddenly awakened, and with a furious ROAR, it blazed with billowing flames across the rock and Sword Demon shards in his hands.

{Ah! That’s a supreme martial technique once used by Wu Zheng! }

The path vanished amidst a single burst of exploding firelight.

The passage, triggered by the power of the Five Elements within his body, instantly crumbled from the sudden loss of balance in power. His form flickered, and he reappeared miles away.

｛My speed acceleration at 0.001R.｝

That should keep Boboli out for a while. Yang Zicang let out a sigh of relief and surveyed the barren, decayed world of yellow earth around him.

Although there was still no sign of life, the soil here was at least rich in nutrients, not tainted by the heavy, dark aura of death like the earth beyond.

“Musing Night ” extended outward like invisible tendrils, probing the surroundings cautiously.

{Your statue should be to the northwest; a place called the Temple. }

Yang Zicang glanced at the broken sword blade that had been scorched by fire, which actually seemed to have gained a bit of spirit from it.

“Then lead the way. “

Dragging the long stone rod, Yang Zicang carved a deep trench across the sand dune. With the constant guidance of the demon sword, he adjusted his path forward.

His feet sank deep into the sandy soil, and from time to time, fragments of ruined structures and broken bones could be seen beneath the ground, suggesting that this area had once been densely built-up in ancient times.

“How much further? “

{I can only say… not too far, I suppose. It’s been far too long, oh Undying King. }

“You’ve been rather polite lately. ” Yang Zicang shot it a cold, sidelong glance.

Countless eyes on the demon sword revealed a hint of gentle, soft amusement.

Suddenly, a hand shot out from beneath the sand with a sharpshiiiing, grabbing hold of Yang Zicang’s ankle.

Yang Zicang’s eyes widened instantly—to be caught so silently! He immediately raised the stone rod in his hand while pressing the other hand onto the sword’s body.

The demon sword instantly understood the real purpose behind the Undying King bringing it along. This realization set his mind slightly at ease, even allowing a swell of pride to rise within him.

So the kid still has a use for me, huh? Starting to find it hard to let me go, isn’t he!

{Human… touch? }

The sand loosened, and a skeleton crawled up from the dirt. Catching sight of Yang Zicang, its skull instantly flared with a surge of soulfire!

{Could you be… the leg… legendary… Un… Undying… King? }

“Who are you? “

{Me? I… } The skeleton thought for a moment. {I am the Temple Keeper of the Holy Cathedral. }

Yang Zicang’s eyes flickered. “Is the cathedral still far from here? “

The skeleton climbed to its feet, sand and soil pattering down as it looked around left and right, then pointed in a certain direction:

{I think it’s that way. I’ll lead you there. }

……

On the sandy ground, a courtyard appeared like an oasis.

A silver-haired person held a deep purple book, his face bearing the focused expression of a scholar.

The courtyard’s frozen stillness merged with the lonely aura radiating from his body.

Even as he turned the pages, he seemed like part of the courtyard itself.

At the edge of the courtyard.

Yang Zicang came to a stop. Beside him, the skeletal figure aimed a rusty iron sword it had found on the road, its blade pointing straight into the courtyard not far away, soulfire blazing fiercely.

{Lord Undying King. }

The Holy Cathedral’s Temple Keeper’s tone was heavy and ethereal as he said:

{That man inside is the terrifying being born from the Holy Cathedral. All of us warriors who’ve guarded the shrine for ten thousand years were easily dispatched by him. }

“Silence, bones. “

The “silver glow ” within the courtyard didn’t even shift its gaze from the crystalline tome.

“Your obsession is tenacious, but your understanding… is far too shallow. You can neither grasp the immense power imbued within this tome nor perceive the… subtle aura born from my presence here. Still, it is good that you’ve returned. “

The figure turned its head.

“……“

Yang Zicang’s gaze pierced through it, settling upon a distant palace that wavered between near and far.

That palace seemed severed by heat-warped emanations, its true form indiscernible.

His own Bloodline Resonance Statue must be in there, and possibly even Morry’s—if luck favored him, he might acquire two Bloodline Statues here!

But the person before him locked his feet in place, refusing him a single step further.

This was an innate resistance from deep within his consciousness, a chain binding his very soul.

Just as a human feels no natural appetite for stones, and would never instinctively quench thirst with flames, Yang Zicang felt compelled to stop.

The mere act of that person’s sitting there was enough to halt Yang Zicang, rooting him where he stood.

His rationality had already recognized this absurd reality,

yet his emotions still anchored his body to a rigid halt.

The person in the courtyard suddenly seemed struck by a thought, shifting their gaze from the tome momentarily to Yang Zicang, their eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.

“It’s the first time I’ve encountered such a situation. Hmm… since you are the ‘Undying King,’ ” they mused, dredging ancient vestiges of words and phrases from the vast ocean of their memory to align with the present scene.

“Then perhaps you can unravel my doubts. “

-｛Distributor May·Valkyrie observed my current experience cautiously, adjusting for the time difference.｝

“Answering doubts? “

Yang Zicang and the eyes of the shattered sword on the stone he held in his hand, all gazed at the distant figure.

“Musing Night ” was released ever so slightly.

If this were the real world, he would never dare conduct such an investigation.

“These are the doubts within this book. Undying King, the world says you granted humanity this civilization of life, so why did someone else, out of nowhere in that era, leave behind such a thing? “

The eye within the demon sword’s gaze shifted slightly, then closed with ease.

“Such a thing? ” Yang Zicang asked somewhat dubiously, but it was merely a perfunctory response to this person.

At this moment, the focus of his mind lay on Musing Night’s perception.

The man before him had no heartbeat, no body temperature, no fluctuations of flesh and blood. What constituted this “body ” should be the highly concentrated spiritual energy akin to that on the Karl.

“What are you reading? ” Yang Zicang’s voice asked calmly, his gaze fixed on the book.

Yin’s face immediately brimmed with a nearly devout radiance.

“A great… or rather, unfinished epic! Its name is a bit strange, um… called… ‘Elite Agent’. “

Yang Zicang’s expression faltered slightly.

The shimmering one lightly brushed his fingers across the crystal cover, where flowing star patterns glowed faintly as if responding to his touch.

“This story tells of an existence named Lin Feng, born in a world that is… somewhat similar to ours, yet radically different. “

“Lin Feng! ” Yang Zicang’s eyes instantly went wide, before he keenly seized upon the other word. “Similar? “

“Yes, similar! “

Yin’s tone carried the excitement of someone discovering a new world.

“Lin Feng, the moment he was born, he was… a skeleton. “

“What! ” Yang Zicang was shocked beyond words. Then, in his mind, an instinctive feeling of resistance emerged.

This must be some wild, unofficial novel written around a Holy Sword as the main character, right?

Yin paused, seeming to savor the bizarre sensation the word brought.

_”Lin Feng was born without flesh and blood, without memories, possessing only a cold skeleton and a faint spark of a soul-fire.

_”He woke up in a world ruled by humans, a rotten world filled with a lush vitality—for the Skeleton-Spirits—yet drenched in light, death, and the sun’s call.

“He was lost, and yet he struggled. He escaped from the family that summoned him, little by little, and began to explore that world, attempting to understand the meaning of his own existence… and he even discovered records of a catastrophe similar to ‘Celestial Star!’ “

A chill instantly ran down Yang Zicang’s spine.

“But… ” Yin raised his head and met Yang Zicang’s gaze, his eyes full of confusion and curiosity.

“Why was it writtenbeforea disaster ravaged the world? “

“How do you know it was before the disaster? ” Yang Zicang’s voice was almost devoid of any emotion.

He was so reeling from the implications contained within Yin’s words that he felt his mind was about to seize up.

“Because this book was enshrined together with your statue in the Holy Temple! “

Yin’s gaze burned with fiery intensity as he stared at Yang Zicang, “So why? “

“I… ” Yang Zicang took a step back.

Not to mention where that book clearly came from—

he thought to himself—in the true otherworld, were humans and skeletons living together?!

Then Lin Feng, the sage who exchanged for a chance to change the world’s fate in the hands of the Lord of Void Zero—could he really be a skeletal creature?

No, was that bastard Hong Haocheng plotting something?

A voice came from the courtyard:

“I’ve heard you are the Undying King who knows all! Why won’t you answer me! “

Yin’s voice grew increasingly fervent, carrying a restless anxiety that no knowledge could soothe. That immense spiritual energy fluctuated in response, causing ripples in the solidifying air around him.

“Look into my eyes and answer me! Who the hell am I! “

“You… ” Yang Zicang wanted to curse, thinking,I’m the one who wants to ask where the hell you crawled out from.

And nowyou’reaskingme.

Yang Zicang took a deep breath and said:

“Your Excellency. Please let me go to the Temple, or rather, the Holy Temple. I will answer your questions after I obtain what I need. “

“I can’t wait any longer! “

An intangible aura, turbulent as the deep sea’s waves, gradually emanated from Yin, compelling the rescued Temple Keeper beside Yang Zicang to instinctively kneel.

However, the Temple Keeper, born from its boundless faith in the Undying King, managed to suppress the urge to kneel.

“Answer me! Or you shall go nowhere! “

The courtyard began to tremble as well, twisting into something more sinister.

Yang Zicang turned to look; between him and the path he had come from, ripples of distorted energy now flickered, making the distance seem both near and impossibly far, ethereal and elusive—much like the space between the Silver Saintess and the Holy Temple.

The Demon Sword whispered fawningly to Yang Zicang:

{_Its power… seems to stem from reading that book countless times, synchronizing its thoughts with it over and over. The deeper the study, the greater the strength.

Yet the stronger it becomes, the more these doubts gnaw at it like parasitic worms, for that novel remains unfinished. _}

“You seem to know quite a bit about its state? “

{Of course. After all, I know this book was enshrined here… It’s not just a story. }

The Demon Sword scoffed loudly, {Because, among my memories, I also possess knowledge of this world! }

BOOM!

As the final word echoed, a presence as vast as heaven and earth erupted with ferocity.

Yang Zicang was forced a half-step back by the overwhelming force.

He felt his mind flicker and twist in an instant—before he spotted the figure within the courtyard that had swelled taller than any mountain, their hand gripping the rocks and longsword he had brought inside.

“You! “

Yang Zicang stared back in shock at the silhouette.

His height barely reached the being’s ankle.

The book in its other hand fluttered pages noisily as it hovered high above.

Had it not been for Yang Zicang’s “Musing Night ” ability resonating over several kilometers, he would never have detected the shattered Divine Sword of the Ten Thousand Eyed God clutched in its other hand.

{Hahaha! }

The mocking laughter of the Gloating Blade echoed down unabashedly from the high altitude, drifting faintly through the air.

{What a pathetic, useless Undying King. }

Yang Zicang glance up towards it.

{Did you really think that in this world, the Demon Lord and Wu Zheng. were the absolute strongest? Compared to this being. who has been reading just one book for hundreds of thousands of years, they are utterly nothing! }

Yang Zicang retreated a hundred meters in the blink of an eye—a mere single stride for the colossal figure ahead.

The Temple Keeper scrambled frantically back to Yang Zicang’s side clutching his rusty iron sword in panic, crawling and stumbling all the way.

“Who exactly are you?! ” Yang Zicang’s voice boomed. “Were you left behind by Hong Haocheng!? “

“Hong Haocheng? “

That booming Silver Voice came crashing down like thunder in the clouds, their very words carrying gales of pressure that rippled through the air.

-｛Distributor Loki Tata Mingqi expresses “surprise. “｝

-｛The entity February-Di’an radiates disappointment.｝

{Hahaha… The sheer arrogance of such a being! Because you have secured. a Holy Swords patron’s investment, you look down upon everything. Do you really believe your meager remaining powers amount to anything compared to the might of our lords?! }

The demonic sword’s voice echoed down, the escapee now swelling with pride and glee; it mocked and boastfully explained:

{Let me answer the great one’s question! }

Silver’s gaze fell upon the broad, plaza-like palm, and the short sword lying within it.

Lying in the palm, the Ten-Thousand-Eyed God King gazed back with scorching eyes and said:

{This existence before us is none other than the condensed consciousness evolved from the wandering souls nearby, drawn here by the memoir! Or rather, Great Apostle, you are naturally honed as an observing reader—born from this book that records the true world and its heroic tales! }

Yang Zicang instantly grasped its meaning.

This thing… was likely once a collection of unconscious spirits that, after eons of clinging to this novel chronicling “Lin Feng’s” past, gradually gained wisdom and a living soul!

That novel… amemoir? Yang Zicang’s heart shook in shock.

He spoke slowly:

“So you’ve been reading it over and over, pondering time and again, until you grew to this level of power?“

Silver’s voice carried a shade of cold pity:

“You doubt me—but that’s irrelevant. I only sought to read it, to find the answer to my own existence. But now… someone has given me that answer.“