"Xia Lun, move aside!" Aina shouted urgently. Xia Lun, who had been locked in combat with Death Praise, immediately disengaged.
A silvery-white magic circle materialized behind Aina. Death Praise narrowed his eyes, sensing a faint but undeniable threat.
Aina whispered softly, "Breath of Eternal Embers."
Without warning, silver-white flames erupted across Death Praise's body, instantly engulfing him in a blazing inferno. A piercing shriek tore through the air as the creature writhed in agony.
Beneath the flames, Death Praise's flesh continuously regenerated, but the speed of rebirth was no match for the relentless incineration.
Still ablaze, Death Praise lunged toward Aina, but Xia Lun swiftly pulled her away.
Being held by Xia Lun's shoulder sent a flush of embarrassment through Aina, but she was too drained to protest. Right now, she needed his help.
As for Xia Lun, he had no time to savor the warmth of her presence—his only thought was escape.
Before long, Death Praise's body was reduced to ashes, leaving only a crimson gem hovering in the air, seemingly harmless now.
Xia Lun exhaled in relief.
It was over.
Monsters had cores… perhaps this was something similar.
"You alright?" Xia Lun glanced at Aina beside him.
"No," Aina replied flatly. "Keep holding me."
She wasn’t lying—she was utterly exhausted. Not that she’d admit it, but Xia Lun’s shoulder was oddly comforting to lean on.
Suddenly, Aina’s pupils constricted. A chill ran down Xia Lun’s spine.
A shadowy figure had appeared before the crimson gem—one of Death Praise’s summoned kin, lurking unseen until now.
"Xia Lun!" Aina warned sharply.
Without hesitation, Xia Lun released Aina and charged toward the figure.
But he was too late.
The shadow grasped the gem, its long, razor-sharp claws wreathed in dark energy. It slashed open its own chest and embedded the gem inside.
A terrifying aura erupted once more, suffocating Xia Lun like a storm cloud.
"Impressive magic," Death Praise murmured. "To destroy my finest vessel…"
The gem wasn’t a core—it was his true form.
"But alas, this ends now."
Death Praise raised a finger toward Aina.
Xia Lun stepped between them.
"I’ve reconsidered," Death Praise said coolly. "Wasting effort on you is pointless. Even if the Goddess notices, I’ll simply hide a little longer. So—perish together."
Power condensed at his fingertip. The next strike would pierce both Xia Lun and Aina.
Whoosh—
The black beam veered off course, missing them entirely.
Death Praise slowly turned his gaze to his wrist—an arrow was embedded there, skewering his aim.
It had come from below.
"Bullseye!" Liyana cheered from the ground. "I’m amazing!"
"What now?" Moke asked. "We can’t even fly. How do we fight that thing?"
"Are you stupid? Run! If it sees us, we’re dead!" Liyana bolted, shouting over her shoulder, "Xia Lun! You too—get out of there!"
Xia Lun managed a bitter smile.
Escape was impossible now.
He’d never abandon Aina.
His holy sword had dimmed, its radiance faded since the battle began. Though unwounded, Xia Lun was spent—and Aina was worse off.
He had no plan left to survive Death Praise’s next assault.
Ignoring the interruption, Death Praise raised his finger again, aiming squarely at Xia Lun.
"Worst-case scenario, huh?" Xia Lun glanced back at Aina. "Sorry I couldn’t protect you."
"Dying with you… truly is the worst," Aina said, her expression unreadable.
Xia Lun didn’t despair. Instead, he gave her a small, resigned smile before stepping forward—useless as it was—to shield her.
Death Praise’s attack struck—then vanished without a trace.
"An… Ankula?" Xia Lun stared in disbelief at the figure before him.
"Ah, Xia Lun. Give me a moment—let me deal with this first."
"Ankula" smiled faintly.
"Who are you?" Death Praise’s skeletal goat head tilted, the flames in his eye sockets flickering in confusion.
He sensed nothing from "Ankula."
No presence. No aura.
Strange.
And strangeness meant danger.
Death Praise acted instantly, unleashing a condensed beam of energy—far deadlier than before.
"Ankula" lifted a hand. A thin barrier appeared, yet it might as well have been an impenetrable world of its own.
The beam struck—and dissipated without a ripple, as though swallowed whole.
"Impossible!" Death Praise gasped, his composure shattered.
Yet "Ankula" frowned slightly.
This body… was too weak. Destroying Death Praise would take more effort than expected.
But she had another way.
After all, he was still alive.
"Listen. Lend me this world’s authority. I know you can’t intervene directly."
"I kept our bargain. Xia Lun lives—he’s happy. Unlike you, I know how to make him smile."
"Don’t ask. It’ll destabilize time… You’ll understand later."
"Tch. You wretched woman."
"Ankula" murmured words no one else could hear.
But Death Praise felt the pressure mounting—crushing, inescapable.
Then, "Ankula" vanished from his perception.
And reappeared, her hand closing around the crimson gem in his chest.
"No—no! What are you?! This can’t be!" Death Praise howled, his voice frenzied.
"I see now—you’re the Goddess! Only she wields such power!"
"NO! This death is too dull! I’ve done nothing yet—!"
"Ankula" clenched her fist.
The gem shattered into glittering dust.
Death Praise’s body dissolved into ashes, carried away by the wind.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
