Chapter 1362: Weng Falos 3.4 (397)

Xia Die's voice, at this moment, shed all the temperature and softness belonging to "human".

"I am called the Gray‑Dark Hand, Xia Die, Demigod of Death. Listen well, the savior who comes from the past—please turn back—do not disturb them, the countless flowers' mud‑like death."

Kaersi Lan Na pretended not to hear, and kept walking forward, the memories of the past vivid before his eyes—this scene has occurred countless times.

Xia Die summoned the Dead Dragon's corpse left by Death at the border of life and death, as a force to contend with him.

"I respectfully ask you… to rest here!"

Accompanied by the Dead Dragon's hoarse, exhausted roar, Kaersi Lan Na responded with his full strength. He thrust his hand into his chest, and a radiant sphere as bright as a blazing sun rose into the air, illuminating the night‑shrouded Stikokisia as if it were daylight.

"Allow me to refuse: I must turn my soul into raging fire… must… burn that 'Destruction' idol to ashes."

——

Battle of the Twin Cities.

"No wonder the original Fire‑Stealer refused to talk with anyone, only obsessively trying to seize the spark… It turns out he had tried countless times in innumerable reincarnations, and not a single Golden‑born ever compromised for this."

As recollections of Kaersi Lan Na deepened, Jies increasingly understood the Fire‑Stealer's various deeds; those actions they could not grasp then were, in fact, desperate measures after trying countless times.

If his Golden‑born companions were to compromise through force and hand over the spark, they would no longer be the perfect model in Laigushi's eyes. Yet, as the perfect models, they could never possibly compromise with him by force.

…This is a despairing paradox.

"Jies, if it were you, how would you break this cycle?" Victor set down his pen, looked up and asked.

Jies had been leaning by the window, staring at the heavens, when he heard that and paused, turned around, and pointed at his own nose: "Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Victor, you overestimate me." Jies scratched the back of his head, his always perfectly kept hair now a bit tousled, "I… I can't endure three tens of millions of ages. But if you truly ask me… my answer will probably seem stupid to you."

"Go ahead."

"If it were me—" Jies inhaled deeply, "I can only guarantee one thing: before the cycles drive me completely insane, I will burn the entire spark within my body fiercely once; whatever I can achieve, I'll achieve it."

"You're not interested in a savior?" Victor asked lightly, as if offhand.

"I used to be, but now… hehe." Jies said with a wry smile, "It's also because of Bai E that I figured it out. Only in a desperate world does one need a savior, and such a savior is not the hero I read about in childhood fairy tales. Being born in a world that doesn't need a savior… what happiness and luck that is."

——

"However, under Kaersi Lan Na's onslaught, any resistance from Xia Die was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

"She also knew the gap between herself and the opponent; she wielded the Dead Dragon, raised her right claw, and grasped tightly into the void—"

"The Dead Dragon seemed to crush something; black liquid began to drip from its claws onto the ground, and in an instant countless vivid flowers rushed from the earth, spreading toward Kaersi Lan Na."

"Even if I cannot win, I must…!"

"Then, let this remembrance… offer respect for your millions of struggles."

"Old embers, for the dawn of the next world!"

"As Bai E summoned the sky‑blocking meteor, the Dead Dragon's corpse could no longer resist; only Xia Die's voice echoed in Stikokisia's scorching air."

"Wake up… lost ones…"

"See the firelight in the darkness… it's not…"

…

"All returns to silence."

"The fire of Death taken from the dragon's belly. How bright the flame."

"It should illuminate all, light the path ahead, illuminate Weng Falos's eventual dawn…"

"Two million three hundred forty‑two thousand reincarnations… twenty‑four million four hundred thousand one hundred eighty‑four fire‑sparks… as if even the bottomless primordial chaos could be burned away."

…

"The 4,000,001st eternal return, at the moment of departure."

"You have come, as always," the hero in his heart said behind him.

"…you are still deep within my heart, have not faded?" Kaersi Lan Na was somewhat surprised.

"Because you have not completely cut off your belief, right?" the hero in his heart said, "You also await a miracle, await the true 'hero' who can save us to appear."

Kaersi Lan Na looked up, gazing at the clear blue sky: "If that thread of hope exists, it must come from beyond the world, from the 'real' starry sky… but… if it's merely a traveler unrelated to Weng Falos, they may not understand our struggle, and may willingly join this fight."

——

Chronicles of Cheng Long's Adventures.

Father adjusted his bifocals perched on his nose, furrowing his eyebrows so tightly that even the wrinkles on his forehead deepened.

"Bai E has wavered… this is a bad omen."

"But father, this is already four million cycles, and the progress of thirty million ages has only just reached 11.9%; it's normal for confidence to waver, right?" Cheng Long said, waving his hands repeatedly, "No—at this moment, his unwavering persistence without a hint of doubt is what's abnormal!"

In Bai E's eyes, time had probably become a scale with little meaning; his perception of time was completely displaced.

A hundred years, a thousand years… even ten thousand years were but a blink in his eyes. The long ages he had endured would, on Earth, be enough for Devonian fish to crawl onto land and witness the twenty‑first century's technological revolution.

"However, judging by the outcome, Bai E still persisted, and even obtained Xing and Dan Heng," Xiao Yu said, fists clenched, excitedly, "Uncle Cheng, it seems 'Pioneering' is simply too important! Bai E spent thirty million cycles waiting for a hero, and 'Pioneering' happens to be that hero, with both ability and connections, perfectly solving Weng Falos's crisis—what a miracle that is!"

"Xiao Yu… you're celebrating too early; the matter of the Extinction Great Lord hasn't been resolved yet," Cheng Long said with a helpless smile.

"But it will be resolved sooner or later, right? The Extinction army is just a commander after all; though it looks terrifying, it can't stand against the sheer numbers on Xing's side."