Mo Lini looked up at the sky, instinctively parting her lips.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t catch a glimpse of Xia Lun’s battle at all—instead, the sunlight nearly made her eyes water.
Pitifully, Mo Lini rubbed her eyes.
Liyana remained wary of the group of priests standing before them, but they simply stood there, solemn and unmoving, showing no intention of causing trouble.
Aina stood guard in front of Mo Lini and Liyana, equally motionless.
Suddenly, Little Lan, perched atop Mo Lini’s head, hopped down and began bouncing around Aina in circles.
Ever since eating the ice crystal Aina had given it, Little Lan could now leap astonishingly high—so high that perching on Liyana’s or Mo Lini’s heads was effortless. But no matter how bold it felt, it never dared to jump onto Aina or Xia Lun’s heads.
Aina glanced down at the slime at her feet, then suddenly smiled, bending down to scoop Little Lan into her arms. She gently stroked its head—though it was hard to tell where a slime’s head actually was.
Thus, the luckiest slime in history was born.
Being held by the Demon King… If Little Lan could speak, it would brag about this to other slimes for the rest of its life.
The priests ahead suddenly stirred.
Their auras dimmed, and then, as one, they staggered back, some even coughing up blood.
This was the backlash of shattered power.
Xia Lun descended from the sky, but Katheon was nowhere to be seen.
Xia Lun had ended him swiftly—so thoroughly that not a trace remained. Katheon’s body had dissolved into ice crystals, vanishing as if he had never existed.
Despair filled the priests’ eyes. How could the Goddess’ Church have provoked such a terrifying enemy?
The remaining four high priests stood at the forefront, though their composure seemed forced. The other priests, though visibly trembling, showed no intention of fleeing—this was the Grand Cathedral. They would not abandon their faith.
Xia Lun’s gaze swept over them. He had already noted that some among them were not Twilight Apostles.
"Those who have never received the Hero’s Revelation… please leave now," Xia Lun said calmly.
Yet, none of the priests moved.
Then, the expressionless high priestess among them spoke: "Leave. That is an order."
Only then did a scattered few begin to depart.
Soon, only the Twilight Apostles remained.
Xia Lun looked at the high priestess, surprised. "I didn’t expect you to cooperate so readily."
"We are priests of the Goddess’ Church. We must preserve what remains of the Grand Cathedral’s legacy," she replied flatly.
Xia Lun fell silent. He understood—being a Twilight Apostle didn’t negate their identity as priests. The Twilight Apostles were more like victims, their minds forcibly imprinted with a fanatical drive to resurrect the Hero at any cost.
"Shall we talk?" Xia Lun asked.
"By all means," the high priestess answered.
Aina approached from behind, slipping her arm through Xia Lun’s.
"How did you receive the Hero’s Revelation?" Xia Lun asked.
"It came without warning, descending from the heavens," the high priestess said.
"What did the Hero say?"
"Nothing. We simply… knew." Her face twisted slightly in pain. "That the Demon King had stolen the Goddess’ authority and was plotting to destroy the world… That we must resurrect the Hero, no matter the cost…"
"Didn’t you find any of this… unnatural?" Xia Lun frowned.
"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be telling you all this," she said, her gaze complex as she studied him.
"Then why did you go through with it? The sacrifices… all of it."
"Because to us, it felt like instinct," she admitted without hesitation. "Like drinking when thirsty, sleeping when weary… We simply acted."
Her breath hitched.
"And we… we instinctively believed… that presence was the Hero."
Fear flickered in her eyes—as if she had realized something. But just as quickly, she steadied herself. "He is the Hero."
She was running from the truth.
Xia Lun hesitated.
He didn’t know how to deal with these people.
Before him stood over a hundred Twilight Apostles—nearly half the Grand Cathedral’s clergy, all corrupted by that so-called "Hero."
Yet they were also victims, their minds rewritten, their faith betrayed, reduced to tools of sacrifice.
Though unwilling, they bore the weight of their sins.
And now, Xia Lun couldn’t bring himself to kill them.
"Xia Lun." Aina leaned in, covering his eyes with one hand. "Close them."
A wave of heat rushed past him, and his heart clenched.
"Aina, you—"
When he pulled her hand away, the Twilight Apostles were gone—vanished without a trace.
Only ashes remained on the ground.
Aina slowly lowered her other hand.
Mo Lini and Liyana stood frozen, hands pressed to their mouths. They had seen it clearly—with a mere gesture from Aina, flames had engulfed the priests, reducing them to dust before they could even scream.
"Aina! What have you done?! How could you—" Xia Lun’s breath caught, his hands trembling as they gripped her shoulders. But in the end, he exhaled deeply, releasing her, his gaze softening with sorrow and apology.
"Your reaction is milder than I expected, Hero," Aina murmured. "I thought you might strike me, curse me, condemn my cruelty… I wouldn’t have minded. I wouldn’t have been angry."
"How could I? You’re my wife." Xia Lun cupped her face, pressing a tender kiss to her lips. "Thank you."
He knew exactly why Aina had stained her hands.
Even if the Twilight Apostles could be restored… as devout priests of the Goddess’ Church, they would never forgive themselves for their crimes.
For them, this was the most fitting end.
"I’m sorry… I was too weak."
"What are you saying, Xia Lun?" Aina wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his chest as she gently patted his back. "You are the kindest, strongest Hero. You’ve done more than enough."
Xia Lun held her tightly, as if trying to meld her into his very being. Burying his face in her hair, he inhaled deeply before finally letting go.
"I’m alright now."
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
