Chapter 457: Snuggling

Lost Zone.

The little girl's consciousness was somewhat dazed.

She did not remember what had happened.

She only remembered that she seemed to have been struck by an arrow, and then, a Pet Beast egg descended from the sky and formed a contract with her.

Her consciousness was intermittent; she struggled to get up, dragging her thin yet seemingly heavy body, walking across the vast land.

Not knowing how much time had passed, the little girl fell into a coma.

Radiance shone upon her body, yet it grew increasingly dim.

It was as if that radiance, too, was running out of strength.

Not knowing how much time had passed, the little girl was awakened by a great clamor.

"Run quickly!"

"Red Pupil is coming!"

"The Lost Zone is going to be gone!"

"It's all over, it's all over!"

"Waaah, I don't want to die!"

Red Pupil?

In the little girl's mind, her mother's voice and appearance could not help but emerge.

"Yaonu, you must become a Beast Master and leave the Lost Zone.

Otherwise, when Red Pupil descends, the Lost Zone will completely fall.

This place... will become a void."

In the little girl's memory, Red Pupil was a terrifying thing.

The original Lost Zone was actually a world as well.

However, it seemed that because Red Pupil's tentacles reached into that world.

The world became desolate and turned into a Lost Zone.

Now, with Red Pupil arriving, the Lost Zone would also cease to exist and vanish completely.

And to survive, one must pass through... the Imperial Heaven Staircase and enter into the world.

A look of fortitude appeared in the little girl's sparkling eyes.

She had to climb the Imperial Heaven Staircase and enter into the world.

But... she also knew that without being a Beast Master, it was impossible to ascend the Imperial Heaven Staircase.

Yet, she had no other choice.

Other poor people in the Lost Zone had the same idea as the little girl: to cross the Imperial Heaven Staircase.

The crowd surged, all running toward the far south.

The little girl's consciousness was still somewhat dazed.

However, she still gritted her teeth and walked on the barren land.

Her shoes were broken, blood flowed from her small feet, but she gritted her teeth and continued to walk forward.

Not knowing how much time had passed, an Imperial Heaven Staircase that extended to the Heavenly Vault appeared in the little girl's line of sight.

The little girl looked at the boundless stairs that had no visible end.

She knew that was her only path to survival.

With the sun hanging high and the sun and moon rotating, one could see a little girl, gritting her teeth, climbing the stairs step by step.

A gale blew past, extremely cold; the little girl's feet and hands were numb and had lost all sensation.

On her eyebrows and her hair, a layer of white frost had formed.

"Cold."

"So cold."

The little girl's consciousness grew increasingly blurred, and her body also began to stiffen.

She lifted her foot, but could not take a step at all.

There were still tens of thousands of steps left on the Imperial Heaven Staircase.

Behind her was the bottomless Abyss.

The sky turned blood-red; Red Pupil was devouring the Lost Zone step by step, and everything... would turn into a void.

"Butterfly Bird."

"Butterfly Bird!"

The little girl was in a coma, and she seemed to hear someone calling out something.

However, she had no strength to open her eyes, and her consciousness grew weaker and weaker.

"Butterfly Bird, it's me."

Unfortunately, she did not open her eyes in the end.

Her small body, covered in frost, lay upon the stone steps.

The wind howled sharply.

Cold, despair, destruction, blood-red.

The little girl's life could be extinguished at any moment.

Just at this moment, a wisp of white light appeared.

Between heaven and earth, it seemed as if something was blocking the white light.

Countless wisps of white light, with less than one in ten thousand managing to break free from heaven and earth.

Finally, beside the little girl, a boy who looked to be eleven or twelve years old appeared.

The boy had handsome features, hair like a waterfall, and a body so thin it seemed he would fall over if the wind blew.

He wore black clothes and looked at the little girl slumped on the ground with pity in his eyes.

"Die Niao... is it you?"

This little boy was none other than Lin Chao.

Or rather... a part of Lin Chao.

At this moment, his condition was also extremely poor.

Some time ago, forcibly Slaying the Fat-Headed Bird had nearly exhausted his energy.

This was mainly because he had forcibly manifested to Slay the Fat-Headed Bird.

It was equivalent to... acting across a "world."

Up until now, he had only recovered a little.

Now, creating a divine body had exhausted almost all of his remaining energy.

As he was now, it was actually difficult for him to even speak a word.

He looked at the young, battered little girl.

Although she had a different face than Die Niao, he could still recognize her at a glance.

That was his Die Niao.

The world is vast; even if separated by thousands of years and endless changes in appearance.

Lin Chao knew that upon meeting again, he would still recognize Die Niao.

"Die Niao." Lin Chao's consciousness was also somewhat dazed; his emotions were somewhat indifferent, yet also somewhat tender.

After emerging through the "Limit Breaker" talent, Lin Chao's body underwent special changes.

Especially... he had merged into one with the Heavenly Dao.

His consciousness was being slowly devoured, or rather, heading in a direction he did not wish for.

In the end, he would become the true Heavenly Dao.

However, that was the Heavenly Dao of a small world.

Coming to such a world, he would be targeted and suppressed everywhere.

He needed to change this situation.

Thus, he made a bold decision to split his consciousness into two parts, reducing the influence of the Heavenly Dao Rule upon him.

One part turned into a Pet Beast egg, possessing a portion of... emotions.

This portion of emotions was also being devoured by the "emptiness" of the Heavenly Dao Rule.

For these ten thousand years, he had been resisting the devouring of the Heavenly Dao consciousness, and also sleeping.

Until he was taken away by someone and saw Die Niao.

However, the original Die Niao had been severely wounded, her consciousness blurred.

He could only take the initiative to form a contract with Die Niao, manifest himself, and Slay the Fat-Headed Bird.

This initiative was the main drain on his energy.

However, Lin Chao had no regrets.

"Die Niao, I will take you away."

The little boy Lin Chao had manifested into was no different from an ordinary little boy.

Or even... not as good as an ordinary little boy.

Breaking away from the Beast Space and taking physical form had already nearly exhausted his energy.

Perhaps his consciousness would later fall into an eternal slumber, or fade away.

He did not regret it.

Lin Chao squatted down and pulled Die Niao into his embrace.

A cold sensation struck, yet Lin Chao felt very warm.

Lin Chao unfastened his clothes.

He simply held Die Niao close, seemingly wanting to use his own body heat to make Die Niao's body feel better.

So she would not have to suffer the cold anymore.

He looked at the remaining ten thousand steps and gritted his teeth.

The wind was strong; he was even struggling to stand steady.

He tore his clothes apart to use as a rope and tied Die Niao tightly to his body.

The biting cold wind struck like a knife.

A trace of heartache flashed in Lin Chao's indifferent eyes.

Die Niao had walked up thousands of steps just like this.

He blamed himself deeply.

The wind blew against him, feeling very cold.

He did not carry Die Niao on his back, even though that would have been better for climbing.

Lin Chao held Die Niao and slowly climbed upward.

Every step he climbed required great effort.

Lin Chao also saw many others climbing the Imperial Heaven Staircase.

Among them, a middle-aged man as thin as a hemp stalk saw Lin Chao and panted, "Little brother, there are still ten thousand steps left.

Your sister... she can't hold on anymore, put her down."

Live on with her wish."

Lin Chao's pace did not falter, nor did he reply to this middle-aged man.

Every extra word spoken was a drain on a sliver of his physical strength.

He held Die Niao tightly, regardless of anything else.

A gale blew fiercely, and there was even rain falling incessantly.

Occasionally, hail would fall as well.

His body was very thin, but he still did his utmost to shield Die Niao from the wind and rain.

This was what he owed her.

Not knowing how long he had been climbing, Lin Chao's vision had also become somewhat blurred.

On his feet, bloodstains had appeared at some unknown time.

His shoes seemed to have been pierced by something; every step he took left a pool of blood.

Lin Chao still had not encountered any other passersby for a long time.

At this altitude, it was no longer a place an Ordinary person could reach.

Yet, Lin Chao still held Die Niao and climbed to this point.

Wind and frost, flames, piercing, freezing, burning.

This was the tribulation of the Imperial Heaven Staircase, the obstacle blocking Ordinary people from climbing.

Lin Chao paid no heed.

He knew that only by ascending the Imperial Heaven Staircase and letting Die Niao enter the Beast Taming World would Die Niao have a chance at life.

Red Pupil was encroaching, and the entire Heavenly Vault was divided into two colors.

One half was pitch black, like thick clouds.

The other half was red, like blood.

Between the black and the red, the Imperial Heaven Staircase reached directly to the Heavenly Vault.

The youth kept his eyes half-closed, holding the unconscious little girl tightly, climbing upward step by step.

His clothes were tattered, the cold wind was like a knife, the icy ground was like needles; the youth dragged his bloodstains and climbed upward step by step.

Finally, the wounds became necrotic and no longer bled; his legs were already numb and had lost all sensation.

The hands holding Die Niao also lost feeling, yet they remained in a tight, locked grip that could not be pried apart.

Not knowing how much time had passed, the youth finally climbed the last step.

The little girl in his arms had not yet awakened.

However, her aura of life was extremely weak.

Lin Chao's breathing was intermittent; being able to stay for even one more second was arduous for him.

He looked up and saw, not far away, a stone bridge.

On the stone bridge, there was a stele with "Qingtian Domain" carved upon it.

On the stone bridge, there were three ethereal-looking elders.

Judging by their attire, they were the bridge guardians of the stone bridge.

Seeing this, Lin Chao felt a surge of joy in his heart.

He knew that as long as they passed the stone bridge, Die Niao could enter the Qingtian Domain and would have the qualification to live on.

Otherwise, if they stayed here and waited for Red Pupil to descend, Die Niao would undoubtedly die.

He held Die Niao and walked toward the stone bridge step by step.

Just as he was about to approach the stone bridge, a white-haired elder in a purple robe on the bridge spoke: "Stop, traveler."

The other two elders beside him saw this, smiled, and said nothing.

They were the bridge guardians.

They had a special mission.

Regarding those who climbed the Imperial Heaven Staircase like this, they almost never interfered.

Lin Chao's footsteps paused for a moment.

"Before you, seventeen Ordinary people have already climbed the Imperial Heaven Staircase.

They also wanted to cross the stone bridge, but... they fell back down.

Not being an official Beast Master, if there is no one to guide them, they cannot cross this bridge," the purple-robed elder said.

More than ten people had come before, and they, the bridge guardians, had ignored them entirely.

Those dozen or so Ordinary people had climbed the Imperial Heaven Staircase through untold hardships, thinking they had found a way out of a desperate situation, only to fall from the stone bridge.

Hearing this, Lin Chao's heart tightened.

Die Niao was not currently an official Beast Master.

As for himself, he was now so weak he was not even as capable as an Ordinary person.

If he tried to cross the bridge with Die Niao, he would likely meet the same result as the others.

Lin Chao spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse: "Sir... could you please let the two of us pass?

I... my sister cannot hold on much longer."

The purple-robed elder's voice was stern: "These are the rules, and I cannot change them.

My warning to you was already a breach of the rules."

The purple-robed elder looked at the two and could not help but think of his own grandson and granddaughter.

His own grandson and granddaughter were the same age as these two.

That was why, upon seeing these two, he felt a sense of compassion and offered a well-intentioned warning.

Otherwise, the young boy and girl before his eyes would likely already be dead.

He looked at the young boy's tattered body, covered in wounds, and a trace of pity welled up in the depths of his eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by him.

Lin Chao looked at the bridge ahead, then looked at the dying Die Niao.

He looked toward the old man in the purple robe, his gaze becoming resolute.

Thump.

This eleven or twelve-year-old boy knelt on the ground.

"I beg you, my lord, have mercy and let my sister and me enter."

Lin Chao knew that this purple-robed old man, who possessed a sliver of pity, was his only hope.

A man has Gold beneath his knees.

As the Main God, Lin Chao had never knelt before.

Yet at this moment, he did not hesitate at all and knelt on the ground.

The purple-robed old man looked at Lin Chao, his gaze becoming complex: "A humble background is not a disgrace; to be able to bend and stretch is the mark of a true man.

It is a pity, a pity..."

The purple-robed old man had already seen that Lin Chao's injuries were severe, severe to the Ultimate degree.

The reason he was still alive was by relying on a single breath.

I fear that once he takes that little girl across the bridge, he will... his body will collapse, and he will lose consciousness.

The purple-robed old man looked at this boy and ultimately felt a sense of compassion: "Do not let this happen again; quickly take your sister and go in."

He looked at the boy with a face full of regret.

A look of excitement appeared on Lin Chao's face.

"Many thanks, my lord."

He held Die Niao tightly, as if he wanted to keep holding onto her forever.

He walked with faltering steps toward the bridge.

However, when he reached the center of the bridge, Lin Chao stopped his steps.

He turned his head with difficulty and asked: "May I dare to ask, my lord... your name."

The purple-robed old man's gaze became gentle: "Little fellow, what do you want to do?"

"The kindness of crossing the bridge today, I will surely repay in full in the future!"

At this moment, the old man in green robes beside him suddenly laughed: "Little fellow, do you know who he is?

He is the Ziyi Marquis, a powerful Beast Master whose words can decide the life or death of a nation, or even the life or death of a world!

With what will you repay him?

Besides... can you even live until tomorrow?"

Lin Chao did not care about the words of the old man in green robes.

He looked at the Ziyi Marquis and silently committed this name to memory.

The Ziyi Marquis's gaze became filled with emotion, and his voice was ethereal: "I am the Ziyi Marquis, surnamed Gao, named Wenyuan."

Lin Chao noted this name, and holding Die Niao, he slowly crossed the bridge.

His consciousness became increasingly blurred, and his body grew colder and colder.

He looked at Die Niao, who was still fast asleep, a look of deep reluctance appearing in his eyes.

"Die Niao... live on well."

"Wait for me!"

Lin Chao felt endless regret.

It is a pity he could not accompany her.

His consciousness was about to fall into a long slumber.

When the warm light shone upon Lin Chao, his body slowly dissipated, leaving only the little girl lying on the ground.

The world became silent.

(End of this chapter)