Chapter 119

U. S. military base in Hokkaido

Under joint operation by the Mori Sect's committee and the Bloodline Sect's half-breeds, control has now been transferred to the half-breeds; the airstrip has been cleared, and five half-breeds are preparing shielding countermeasures using alchemical matrices inscribed with the Philosopher's Stone.

Aside from Hui Liyi, the other women are generally willing to cooperate in distancing themselves from Lu Mingfei, and with guarantees from Lu Mingze and the Cassell Academy, there is no need for concern.

They will here "package" and remove a woman from Japan, escorted away by the USS Ronald Reagan; though the Sky and Wind Long Wang moves faster, he is a Long Wang—they cannot entrust the world's switch to a Long Wang.

In the future, Lu Mingfei will be added to the surveillance list; any woman appearing near him will be verified for the presence or absence of a matrix.

Lu Mingze stood within the matrix, beside him was Klean, a thin-built man with black hair and brown eyes, dressed in formal attire, his face bearing an air of scholarly refinement.

In just two short days, he returned with the rank of Sequence Three: Ancient Scholar.

Only one or two days is insufficient for an ordinary Sequence Four demi-god to prepare for advancement—what if this demi-god had begun preparing two months ago?

Vast amounts of authentic historical records require time, but he had already summoned Arodes two months prior and written down extensive ancient historical texts with pen and paper.

This was easy for him, after all, he was an outstanding graduate of the History Department at Tinggen University.

A pair of Fugen's Hounds' eyes and 100 milliliters of blood were easily obtainable; he only needed to make a request, and they would fulfill the demands of the Master of the Source Vault, for Fugen's Hounds are also known as the Vault Keepers.

Upon returning to One's Own World, he offered the Staff of Life and requested the Goddess of Night to grant him the petrified heart of the Mist Wolf and the White Frost Crystals. Perhaps she would have granted them even without sacrifice—she herself supported Klean becoming an "Ancient Scholar."

"Of course, receiving such abundant gifts would be too much; exchanging the Staff of Life is safer," Klean thought.

After demonstrating his ability to traverse between worlds, he received far greater attention than before; once confirmed free from Outer God corruption, even if he ascended to Sequence Two, the Goddess would likely still favor him, as described in the "original text," supporting him to become the "Lord of Secrecy."

A rising wind interrupted Klean's thoughts; his spiritual sense stirred, he looked up at the sky—the control tower stood in moonlight, and a full moon hung above.

A black dot grew larger beneath the golden moon, emerging from within it, gliding toward them at incredible speed, appearing before everyone in the blink of an eye.

It was a silver dragon, its lines cold and rigid; on its fearsome head, two majestic golden eyes fixed upon the people within the alchemical matrix.

He extended his claw, holding a girl dressed in a blue-purple princess dress trimmed with black lace, her long red hair adorned with a blue ribbon; he placed the girl at the center of the matrix.

Hui Liyi

She nervously scanned her surroundings, attempting to use her Word of Speech to dispel this unease,

Before the Judgment could activate, Lu Mingze snapped his fingers, disrupting the incipient Word of Speech.

"Don't be alarmed," he smiled kindly at Hui Liyi, "Let me introduce myself—I'm Lu Mingze, your foolish companion's younger brother."

"Yes, biological younger brother," Lu Mingze added weight to the words "biological younger brother."

Hui Liyi wanted to speak, but realized her small notebook and marker had been left behind.

"Don't worry—here, you may speak freely," Lu Mingze gestured with an invitation.

Hui Liyi glanced at the dragon behind her and asked Lu Mingze in confusion: "sakura?"

"Yes, your little cherry blossom, my god," Lu Mingze pressed his forehead, shaking his head, his voice tinged with exasperation: "What a flashy name."

"Don't be afraid."

As he spoke, he walked toward Hui Liyi, his expression puzzled; as he drew near, his gaze instantly turned strange—he rose into the air and touched his finger to her forehead.

Moments later

"Stop fussing," Lu Mingze told the half-breeds around him, "There's no alchemical matrix on her."

Lu Mingze stroked his chin, thinking, "I did consider this possibility, but you're just unlucky."

He was speaking to the half-breeds beside him and to Pompei.

Dr. Du Deng asked softly, "What do you mean? How could she have no alchemical matrix?"

The silver dragon, Sky and Wind Long Wang Pompei, teased, "Could it be he doesn't like this girl at all—or she doesn't like him? Oh, how pitiful."

Lu Mingze cast him a look of pity, "I think it's the opposite—he loves this girl too much."

"So he doesn't want to use her? Hahaha—" Pompei tossed his head back, his laughter alternating between deep and high-pitched.

The deafening sound battered the ears of all present; after more than ten seconds, as if he'd laughed himself out, he said, "What a beautiful story, hahaha—forgive me, as a final boss hundreds of versions beyond you, the hero destined to defeat me—this setup is both logical and clichéd."

"Alright~," he used his claw to wipe away nonexistent tears, "Now we send her back, and the lovers reunite? Pfft hahaha."

"Not impossible—considering we're both playboys," Pompei's massive dragon eyes, larger than a car, scrutinized the bewildered Hui Liyi: "What's that saying again~? True love conquers all, hahaha."

"That won't do," a committee member stepped forward, "Though he currently lacks a physical form and cannot escape Lu Mingfei's manifestation, we cannot be certain he hasn't left other backdoors on this girl."

He did not voice the next sentence: according to records, this girl is one of the rare individuals who broke the bloodline boundaries of half-breeds while remaining stable—her value is immense.

Lu Mingze shook his head, still gazing at them with pity: "You've narrowed your path."

He flew up and tapped Pompei's head, like a superior's approval, ignoring Pompei's suppressed resentment and hidden fear, saying: "Your path has widened."

"When we released you, we made a pact—we are equals, bound not to harm or interfere with each other; the pact states you do not abandon your rule or destruction of the world," the committee member said with displeasure, "For that future Supreme One, we cannot miss any chance to prevent his interference in this timeline."

"That's correct," Lu Mingze nodded, "Which is why I said you're unlucky."

"It's impossible to stop."

The moment he finished speaking, before anyone could grasp his meaning,

"Hui Liyi."

A man's voice rang out—the scene before them seemed as if a video clip had been cut, without warning, a man with enormous dragon wings appeared at the center of the matrix, his back turned to all, his wings' shadow engulfing the matrix and the five half-breeds stationed around it.

"I've come to take you home."