Chapter 538

"I don't have time to mess around with you, Constantine."

Su Lin's expression was cold as he said, "I'm contemplating something—the survival or destruction of all worlds."

Since earlier, Constantine had been observing this alien 'Jesus' from afar—the man lay on a sofa of unknown origin, staring intently at something resembling a photograph at the edge of the audience platform, lost in thought.

"Thanks to you, Gabriel's mental state has finally stabilized—at least he's abandoned his plan to destroy the world now." Constantine noticed Su Lin's expression hadn't changed, as if he didn't care about any of this.

Then again, this oddly modernized Jesus watched movies and comics.

"You've saved my world, Son of God." Constantine carefully pulled from his chest a thing wrapped in aged linen, placing it before Su Lin. "Gabriel entrusted me to give this to you for safekeeping."

"Oh my God, I'm not your DC guy." Su Lin crossed his leg, his tone impatient: "What is this?"

"Uh…," Constantine paused. "The Spear of Destiny. You might treat it as a prop from the set—like that movie you filmed on the cross before going to study in the East."

Entrusting the very weapon that killed 'himself' to its keeper—even Constantine wondered if the angel who once foretold Jesus' birth had lost his mind. But at least it was better than letting her use the Spear of Destiny to aid the birth of Satan's son.

That was too dark.

"Don't talk to me about movies." As if triggered by a keyword, Su Lin suddenly turned to him: "Constantine, tell me—if a girl, influenced by a god, goes from disliking you to liking you, what would you do?"

"Is she beautiful?" Constantine asked.

Su Lin nodded. "Of course."

"I am a devout believer—I won't defy the will of the gods." Constantine made the sign of the cross over his chest. "Is this answer acceptable?"

"You fail, Mr. Trashy Constantine. I never said this god was the Almighty." Su Lin uncrossed his leg, stood, and vanished into thin air.

"Do I have to celibate now?"

Constantine glanced at the Spear of Destiny, fallen on the table with a dull thud, bent down to pick it up, and sighed helplessly.

"Better quit smoking? No—quit drinking? No—I should quit lust, damn it!!!"

Holding the Spear of Destiny, Constantine suddenly felt a searing heat in his hands. Instinctively releasing it, he saw the holy relic cloth upon it spontaneously igniting.

Jesus?!

Constantine's pupils contracted. He pulled out a token and fled the place—but as his entire form faded into nothingness, the spot where he stood seemed to echo with the rhythm of waves and the sound of a konghou.

Riding the breeze, kicking lightly, soaring above the plains alongside a broom.

The black dragon he summoned spread wings that blotted out sun and sky; its breath destroyed all life upon the earth, while pre-prepared offensive spells poured forth from shattered dimensional spaces.

A time trap captured five mages; parallel dimensions captured three demons.

Like a conductor, his wand glided gently, tearing open the veil of cosmic vacuum, igniting planets and freezing them into collision, while annihilating black holes waited patiently.

"Too easy?"

Now he could cast such terrifying magic without even breaking a sweat.

Yi Leina gazed up at the sky, thinking, 'She's probably opened that gift by now—hopefully moved to tears, transformed into the Goddess of Light, blushing shyly…'

It was impossible to imagine—but if it made that awkward person happy, that was enough.

Flying absentmindedly, occasionally flashing a charming smile—this would inevitably attract ambushers. But for a powerful traveler, this was precisely how one stayed alert.

"Impressive."

Yi Leina looked at the anti-magic blade embedded in her chest, and the silent, invisible mage who had just emerged from concealment—his joints slowly cracking open.

Puppet?!

Before the assassin could react, the entire world began to shatter, glass-like fragments falling like spiderwebs.

"The prize is being prepared. Please wait a moment."

"Alright."

Yi Leina smiled and nodded, her figure dissolving into foam like the mermaid in a fairy tale.

Shedding her traditional mage's robe and soft-pointed hat, she changed into simpler attire and approached the frozen Hanyue of Penglai, thawing her.

"Human meat tastes similar to veal steak—0 to 4°C is the ideal temperature for aging. Too cold, ah-choo—!" Hanyue of Penglai gently pushed aside the fabric at her neck, revealing a snow-white swan-like throat. "Want a taste?"

What a waste of a beautiful face.

"Maybe I could get rich selling Penglai meat?" Yi Leina suddenly said.

The thought vanished instantly—Penglai people had no special effects. If sold, it'd be a one-time transaction only, no recurring business.

"What's for dinner?" Xing lowered his telescope, confirming that March 7 wasn't hunting in this area.

"Miss Yi Leina!"

Ah, here we go again…

Yi Leina rubbed her temples, looking at the young mage who had just been turned down: "Give up."

"Please reconsider—I truly want to learn those magics! These are all the spells I know now. I offer them as equal exchange—just a little guidance from you."

He held a magic wand over a meter tall, bowing deeply with sincere earnestness.

"The subtlety of those magics—I could never master them quickly on my own. Please, I beg you."

He looked like a diligent, honest man with a pressing need to strengthen himself—but the idea of him starting a harem? She had zero interest. Though, honestly, it wasn't her business to judge.

Come to think of it, that guy somehow had a lot of female attention.

Protagonist aura?

"No." Yi Leina rejected coldly.

At that moment, her peripheral vision caught Fang Zheng and a white-robed man with black hair and black eyes approaching from nearby.

But under this disguise, he probably wouldn't directly…

"Esteemed Daoist, I have here an eighth-transformation learning insect for trade."

Nieji turned to his side—the man's lips curled in a smile, his deep, pool-like eyes fixed on him, yet somehow radiating a chilling aura.

Nieji felt an unmistakable danger emanating from the man, yet he gathered his courage: "Sir—"

"The Insect Realm's Heavenly Court supports labor-based payment—payment first, delivery after." Su Lin said. "I have personal matters to resolve with this young lady. Could you please not waste our time?"

At Su Lin's gesture, Tai Bai Jin Xing suddenly appeared, seized the bewildered Nieji, and sprinted toward the crowded area.

Fang Zheng leaned against the wall, arms crossed, teasing: "Watch out for your disguise, Laoguo."

As expected, the commotion drew attention, especially upon seeing Gu Yue Fang Yuan—now one of the Four Evils who had recently risen to fame in Tiancheng.

The current Four Evils: Tang Sanzang, Gu Yue Fang Yuan, Qi Tian Di, and Yan Di Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan was included because someone who consumed the Hun Tian Di Pill saw the shared residual memories of countless souls—their final vision before death—likely: "Yan is smiling, Hun is broken."

"Should I thank this Young Master?" Yi Leina smiled, hands behind her back. "Pleasure to meet you."

Unexpectedly, Su Lin reached out, plucking a strand of hair from beside her ear—amid the eager stares of the group chat, and Yi Leina's stunned expression.

"Bai Ningbing, what are you talking about?" Su Lin affectionately patted her head, causing a pair of dragon horns to sprout atop it. "Enough playing. Let's go home."

Fang Zheng: "."

Onlookers: "."

Bai Ningbing!? Gu Yue Fang Yuan, you—

Hourai Mountain Kaguya: "Tsk. Still dragging it out."

Hoshi: "No surprise from a professional."

Fang Zheng asked in the group chat: "Laoguo, has your reputation as Fang Yuan collapsed?"

"Does Gu Yue Fang Yuan's collapse have anything to do with Otto Apocryphus?" Su Lin replied. "I'm just cosplaying. Don't follow me."

Hourai Mountain Kaguya: "This is the pivotal moment proving Lord Azathoth's prophecy true! Please (qaq), I'll do anything (tot)!"

Ye Fan: "?"

Xiao Yan: "?"

Zhong Li: "?"

Klein: "?!"

Lu Mingfei: "?!"

Ignoring the flood of private messages, Yi Leina touched her dragon horns in confusion, but after gazing at Su Lin for a moment with half-lidded eyes, she followed him down a quiet path.

"Why are you standing so far from me, Bing'er?" Su Lin turned and asked.

"Oh." Yi Leina smiled, stepping closer to link arms with him. "So you came to play a new roleplay game? Is this Bai Ningbing also white-haired? Or gray? Shouldn't you change her eye color too?"

Su Lin glanced at her intimate gesture, expressionless: "Silver hair, blue eyes."

"So you always pick heroines just like me."

Yi Leina slowly shook her head, offering a wry smile. "You go to such lengths to pair up with me? I can't help you—but it's only natural. After all, beauty is a sin."

Watching her increasingly direct actions, hearing words now barely concealed in intent.

Su Lin's icy aura suddenly dissolved; he took a deep breath, exhaled a breath of immortal qi, and his presence once again hung high as the heavens.

Though his Tianwang realm had not advanced further, this woman had nearly shattered his composure—again and again. She was more dangerous than he'd imagined.

Doesn't matter. I'll just cultivate again.

It's like a forced calmness spell—helps one stay rational.

"I have something to tell you."

"I have something to tell you too."

"Let me go first."

"Why argue over who speaks first?"

Yi Leina tilted her head, her long hair cascading like a tassel down to her waist, her deep blue-purple glass-like eyes calm as they fixed on him, complemented by the delicate dragon horns atop her head.

Re-cultivation.

"If a girl is too forward, the other might feel the affection is cheap."

Yi Leina gripped Su Lin's arm tighter; her voice trembled slightly at first, then quickly regained its confident, light tone:

"So someone had better think carefully—I know I'm just an ordinary witch, but you'll never meet another me."

Su Lin frowned. "Why do these words sound familiar?"

"Oh, from 'Reasons I Fell in Love with Yi Leina.'" Yi Leina snorted. "You caught on?"

Too troublesome, a bit embarrassing—so she used the power of the internet.

Pretty much that's what it meant.

"When I traveled west…" Su Lin paused, then dissolved his current appearance, returning to his true form: "I used a device to defy fate. As a price, I'll encounter certain coincidences from now on."

Yes—all coincidences begin with those called "prices."

"Alter reality, scramble cause and effect, twist time, ignore logic—even someone who only ever liked girls might suddenly prefer men." Su Lin stopped walking. Only a few passersby in ancient martial attire remained nearby. He looked at Yi Leina:

"I don't want your will to be influenced by external forces into acting against your true self—even if you're unaware of it."

"Fool." Yi Leina cut him off, hands on her hips, glaring as if he were a Bai Chi. "You care about this?"

Su Lin gazed at the faint irritation on her face, then nodded calmly.

As her smile slowly faded, light rippled around them, and the noise of the world faded.

"That kind of thing—"

"Young Master Su, uh… am I interrupting?"

Su Lin and Yi Leina turned. Bai Yuxiu stood there, holding a book. She sensed the tension, looking awkward.

"That… the Wuxiang Gong you and the previous Miss wanted to buy—"

She sheepishly scratched her cheek. "You two… please continue?"

"Aren't you going back? Don't stay long—I don't want that red witch to find us. Witch… again, a witch… hehe."

Hearing the urging voice behind him, Su Tuoni halted, the seven-colored light in his eyes swirling into a ring.

"What?"

"I just feel… something's off."

Su Tuoni looked at the silent streets of Tiancheng, then at the Yinglong Tower just behind him, now bustling with noise, and raised his head to gaze at the false stars beyond the heavens.

"Such a broken place has a complete, natural universe-level reinforced defense barrier—yet there's no Dao Will here."

If one were to rank all visible things on the surface of Tiancheng by value, without doubt, this barrier is the most valuable thing in Tiancheng.

As long as this barrier remains, other multiverses within the Void will forever be repelled and unable to swallow Tiancheng, and even stronger beings capable of forcibly breaching it likely have no interest in this place.

They say it was once glorious?

Su Tuoni retracted his gaze; in some mysterious way, this place felt strangely off.

If only he'd saved up a bit more recently, he'd have definitely gone all out to see what treasures this place held.

That newborn!

Thinking that this place might still hide something valuable, Su Tuoni gritted his teeth and grinned with bloodshot eyes.

Ah yes, he hoped to see another possibility of life—but you can't just become a ball mayor right in the prime of your struggle!

Life is a wilderness, but Mom, why is his life so wild?!

"If the heart is as clear as ice, even heaven's collapse won't shock; amidst myriad changes, the spirit remains steady, the breath calm."

Reciting the Ice-Clearing Scripture he had just bought from a Bai Mao girl, Su Tuoni calmed his emotions.

"Young Master Su, the song 'Hair Like Snow' you gave me is so beautiful!"

I really want to see this drama unfold—wait and see, you want to open a crystal palace, huh?

The dark thought sprouted for a moment, then vanished.

Su Tuoni pulled out his token to temporarily return to Earth in his own universe, waiting until his information was masked by the chaos of that universe's party before coming back to explore again.

"So beautiful," said Luo Xiaoying.

Luo Shengying shot the child a look of exasperation: "Yes, your wife and husband will see this beautiful scenery together every single day from now on. Su Lin!"

Without Luo Shengying's reminder, Su Tuoni had already seen it—the endless sea of stars surrounding the three of them.

Fading, extinguishing stars were torn apart and swallowed by countless vortices, suddenly appearing without warning, replacing the previously existing repulsion barrier from beyond that boundless spacetime.

The sound of the konghou pierced the nine heavens, like a scroll slowly unfurling.

A boat, infinite in size, infinite in weight, yet supremely light, glided through the Sea of Heaven and Earth, emerging simultaneously from all times—past, present, future—and all possibilities, floating above the star-sea brimming with countless cosmic vortices.

Su Tuoni looked around; Luo Shengying and Luo Xiaoying had vanished, while his Seven-Light Divine Eyes pierced the changing star-sea.

"Forced activation—no wonder," he said, his expression clearing with sudden understanding.

A cosmic vortex brimming with infinite potential, cycling into a tiny form, sucked him in—then Tiancheng returned to stillness.

A gentle breeze stirred the waves, scattering into a river of stars.

Ten towers glowed brightly; atop the easternmost tower, an ancient, mysterious evil eye suddenly appeared, its vertical pupil of blazing flame sweeping across Tiancheng.

Plop.

A sound like splashing water echoed.

In an instant, the evil eye formed of flame vanished as well.

The towers still connected heaven and earth, but the surrounding star-mist flickered in and out, the sound of waves lapping against shore flowing past—hua la hua la.

(End of Chapter)