Chapter 530

Xiao Lan's cheeks flushed slightly as she pouted in protest: "There's no such thing—sister is always the person I love most, and I'll always be your little sister."

After bidding farewell to her sister, Xiao Lan's heart felt suddenly light, for she was about to enter the Iron Dimension—she would not only see her beloved but also lend him a hand, no longer just a girl hiding behind others.

"Lin Yu, wait for me—I'll see you soon."

On the other side, Li Li Yanyan returned to her room, pulled a chipped mobile phone from deep within her bookshelf, pondered for a long while, then finally pressed that long-forgotten number. The dial tone hummed, tightening her nerves until the call connected at 723.

"Hello, what do you want?" came the voice from the other end.

Li Li Yanyan's tone was slightly urgent: "Uncle, can we meet? I have some things I need to ask you."

After the call ended, Li Li Yanyan's emotions were in chaos, her thoughts drifting back over a decade.

At that time, her father had not yet become head of the Li family, and was even unremarkable among the many heirs.

The young, impetuous Li father had ventured into the Gold Dimension chasing dreams, but his recklessness made enemies and drew overseas assassins. Just as the Li family was weakening, amid internal strife, he stood utterly alone—driven into a desperate situation.

Just when all hope seemed lost, a teenage boy descended like a god, effortlessly rescuing him. The boy was barely a teenager, yet his combat index reached twenty thousand, and he was famed in the assassin world as the "King of Assassins."

At just a teenager, the Li father's combat index was only a few thousand. After being saved, he revered this peer immensely. By chance, he gained the opportunity to follow him, his strength surged, he received aid in the family struggle, and ultimately ascended to the position of family head.

【362】 Li Tianming went to Dao Feng for help!

Unfortunately, this King of Assassins had chosen to retire during his peak period, refusing to let anyone disturb his quiet life.

If not for his daughter, the Li father would never have broken this peace.

As he sank into memory, his phone vibrated again—it was his former idol, setting the time and place for their meeting.

"Sigh, even now as head of a clan, facing him still stirs me deeply," the Li father smiled awkwardly.

On the appointed day, the Li father arrived early, his heart filled with mixed emotions—time felt both swift and endless.

Finally, a figure slowly appeared—not the sharp, brilliant top assassin of memory, but one marked by time: slender frame, streaks of white hair proclaiming the passage of years.

The Li father rose immediately to greet this man who was both brother and teacher. If Xiao Lan were here, she'd be stunned—her father had an unknown bond with Wang Da Dong's father.

Yes, this legendary figure was Dao Feng—Wang Da Dong's father, the strongest in the assassin world.

Dao Feng stepped forward slowly and spoke calmly: "Sit."

Hearing this familiar voice and address, the Li father's eyes welled up: "Big brother!"

Dao Feng smiled: "Tianming, what's brought you to me today?"

Facing this elder with white hair, Li Tianming hesitated, words caught in his throat. Dao Feng noticed and deliberately scowled, urging him.

"As head of a clan, still so hesitant—just spit it out."

Li Tianming gritted his teeth and spoke his heart: "Big brother, I really need your help this time!"

He then laid bare everything about his youngest daughter's plan to enter the Iron Dimension.

Dao Feng fell silent for a long while, then finally revealed his secret: he had twice used the Forbidden Technique of Soul Transit, and his combat index had only recovered to six thousand.

Li Tianming shot to his feet, staring in disbelief at his brother: "What? Big brother, you actually practiced that forbidden art—and used it twice? One use is fatal for most—how could you… twice?"

"Sigh, some things must be done," Dao Feng replied, calm and unruffled.

Li Tianming thought of his wife and daughter, nodded silently, and sat back down.

"I might not be able to help you," Dao Feng said helplessly.

Seeing this, Li Tianming's heart churned. The peerless powerhouse who once towered over his generation now spoke words so heartbreaking. He didn't want to burden his brother further, and tried to change the subject.

Dao Feng knew perfectly well—this brother who had shared hardship with him for years was avoiding the topic out of fear of hurting his pride.

"Though my strength is limited, in weapons, I can still aid you."

"To enter the Iron Dimension, a cross-dimensional phone is essential. Your sister-in-law, Dao Gui, has crafted many new items—she's sure they'll come in handy," Dao Feng said slowly.

Hearing this, Li Tianming felt both guilt and joy—guilt for still needing his brother's aid, joy that with Dao Gui's handcrafted weapons, his daughter would be safer, and he could rest easier.

"Big brother, thank you!" Li Tianming exclaimed excitedly.

Dao Feng waved off his thanks, and the two reminisced about their youthful days fighting side by side, recalling childhood antics—laughter swept time away, and before they knew it, it was time to part.

Perhaps because of age, emotion had grown stronger—when parting, both men's eyes grew damp. The brother who once entrusted his back to him now lived far apart, with reunion uncertain.

But life always brings partings—it must end this way.

Li Tianming returned to the Li family with two cross-dimensional phones and an Energy Defense Ring gifted by Dao Feng.

Energy Defense Ring description.

【Handcrafted by Dao Gui, this weapon automatically forms an energy shield upon attack—its feature is no need for the user to activate it manually; it defends automatically, resisting attacks below a combat index of forty thousand, usable even by ordinary people!

But note: each activation lasts only twenty minutes; to restore its effect, a combat index of over thirty thousand is required to charge it continuously for five days—a burden for experts, yet a blessing for low-level users and civilians.】

After returning home, Li Tianming summoned his youngest daughter.

The clan's elite warriors were already waiting at the Li residence, fully prepared.

He gave Xiao Lan all the prepared gear—Controlled Magic Liquid, cross-dimensional devices, the Energy Defense Ring—and personally escorted her to the repaired dimensional gate.

Experts were no strangers to dimensional travel, so there was no fear of mishaps.

At the gate, Li Tianming looked tenderly at his daughter: "Xiao Lan, I'm sorry—I can't go with you."

"Since becoming head of the clan, though I hold great power, my life is no longer my own—I cannot accompany you to the Iron Dimension to protect you."

Behind power always comes a price.

If Li Tianming insisted on accompanying her, the Controlled Magic Liquid might not be enough—even worse, he could be imprisoned by the clan and lose his position as head. Once fallen, former rivals would not let him off easily.

Xiao Lan was fortunate—she had fallen for Lin Yu, whose combat index was immensely powerful and whose talent was extraordinary.

Had Xiao Lan not insisted, and had they not had so many allies, even Li Tianming and Li Li Yanyan's utmost efforts could not have changed her fate.

【363】 Iron Dimension: Lin Yu is trapped in an endless Illusionary Realm.

Li Li Yanyan felt a pang in her heart—her path no longer felt like her own, but pushed forward by invisible hands.

Hearing her father's words, her heart churned with guilt toward her parents.

She suddenly leaned into her father's arms, hugging him tightly, as if she could melt all her anxiety and remorse away.

Time slipped quietly away until she slowly loosened her grip, understanding that for her sake, her father had bowed his head, begged countless others, defied the clan's fierce opposition, and overcome every obstacle—just to secure for her that precious "Controlled Magic Liquid."

She longed to tell her father that she no longer wanted to go to the timeline where Lin Yu was; she was willing to stay behind and keep him company.

But every time this thought rose in her heart, her deep longing for Lin Yu became a massive boulder blocking her throat, making it impossible to speak.

In the end, she forced down her emotions and set off on the long, arduous journey to find Lin Yu.

In the Iron Dimension, Lin Yu lay on his bed asleep when suddenly, his tightly closed eyelids trembled slightly, and tears slid down his cheeks.

He felt as if he had just awakened from a long dream, in which he had returned to his once familiar world.

Every detail of that world felt so real that for a moment he doubted whether his experiences in The Ultimate Realm had been illusion. In the dream, he saw his mother—her gentle smile, warm as sunlight, made his tears flow uncontrollably.

He longed desperately to remain in that illusory world, to stay by his mother's side, to pour out every thought, every feeling, to tell her how much he missed her, how he wished time could reverse so he could once again nestle beside the person who had guarded him his whole life.

Yet his mother in the dream smiled, her voice filled with boundless tenderness.

"Xiao Yu, this is not a place you can linger. Leave quickly—someone still needs you." No sooner had she spoken than the dream shattered like flowers reflected in water or the moon in a pond; no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop her figure from dissolving once again.

Lin Yu's heart ached as if torn apart, nearly stealing his breath.

Then he sank into boundless emptiness, walking endlessly yet finding no way out.

After walking for an unknown length of time, the environment shifted, and he arrived at a frozen wasteland where a mysterious figure stood.

The figure slowly rose, a flash of swordlight in hand, splitting the frozen world in two, causing it to collapse and disintegrate. Immediately, that terrifying figure seemed to turn toward him, raising its sword and slowly bringing it down.

Though the sword strike was slow, Lin Yu felt there was nowhere to escape—as if death had already been sealed.

Suddenly, he jolted awake, gasping for breath; the sword's shadow from the dream still swirled in his mind, its shadow of fear lingering long after.

The environment had been too real, too horrifying—just one strike, and an entire world ended. Recalling that moment, he remained terrified, unable to calm himself.

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside the door; Wang Da Dong entered, intending to give him an energy tonic.

Having remained in prolonged sleep without eating, he could only sustain his strength through tonics. Wang Da Dong and Xiu had long since recovered, but he alone had not awakened, leaving everyone deeply worried.

After examination by the psychic doctor, no cause could be found—he simply remained in unbroken sleep.

When Wang Da Dong saw Lin Xuan open his eyes, the heavy stone in his heart lifted. Lin Xuan, dazed and confused, asked how long he had been unconscious.

"Da Dong, how long have I slept?"

"Ten days. Wang and Xiu recovered in two days—you never woke up. Everyone was frantic. You're finally awake—I'll go tell everyone."

Lin Xuan quickly stopped him: "Wait, Da Dong—has the situation in the Iron Dimension worsened?"

Wang Da Dong's expression darkened, his smile fading: "It's not good. Though I've fully recovered and am helping Xia Tian, his injuries are severe—he needs time."

"Moreover, demons from the Demon Realm are everywhere. With the Alliance Master missing and Xia Tian wounded, only Xiu remains to barely maintain the psychic defense field—it's extremely fragile."

"Only the Three Dimensional Guards are still resisting those vile creatures. Now that you're awake, our combat strength will increase greatly—perhaps things will improve."

Hearing this, Lin Xuan realized the situation was worse than he'd imagined. He rose swiftly, preparing to rejoin the battle. After a brief adjustment, he followed Wang Da Dong downstairs.

Inside the Xia residence, only a few people remained, making the place feel eerily desolate.