Countless clusters of pale green orbs of light floated around the Divine Tree of Life. They were likely the soul projections of elves within the Spirit World, their faint glimmers creating a dreamlike illusion.
"Legend has it that elves are born by fusing with the aura of the Divine Tree of Life, which is why they possess such incredibly long lifespans." Holding Xia Lun's hand, Aina flew ahead of him, her voice sounding exceptionally clear and ethereal in the Spirit World.
There was no solid ground here; it felt like floating in the boundless void of the universe... However, right beneath their feet were the massive, twisting roots of the Divine Tree of Life, which looked no different from the ground itself.
"By the way, when we were in Aurel City earlier, why didn't we see the Divine Tree of Life?" Xia Lun asked in confusion.
He realized that his knowledge of this world was still far too lacking.
Xia Lun roughly estimated the distance between the Forest of Libya and Aurel City... Given the majestic size of the Divine Tree of Life, shouldn't its traces be visible from anywhere? Just like how, no matter where you go, you can always look up and see the sun in the sky.
"This is the Spirit World, Xia Lun." Aina shook her head gently, as if explaining the most basic of common sense to him. A faint smile played on her lips, seemingly delighted by his reliance on her. "Space in the Spirit World isn't continuous. Sometimes, even if two things are only a meter apart in reality, their projections in the Spirit World might not be able to perceive each other at all... Have you forgotten? Both times we entered the Spirit World, I made sure to have physical contact with you. That wasn't just to take advantage of you."
Realization dawned on Xia Lun.
Well... it was a bit embarrassing. He had genuinely thought Aina was just looking for an excuse to get intimate with him.
"That's why I really didn't want you entering the Spirit World alone. If I hadn't brought you in with me, we might have been separated by a vast distance... and finding you would be quite a hassle." Aina pursed her thin lips, her cheeks flushing a rosy red as she found the most perfectly justifiable excuse for her actions.
"It wasn't for the sake of my own desires that we had to... join together... A tight connection in reality allows me to sense you much faster."
Xia Lun finally understood Aina's earnest intentions.
It was just that the tight connection Aina spoke of was indeed a bit too tight.
"I understand, Lord Demon King. I will be a good boy and listen to you." Xia Lun tightly squeezed Aina's small hand.
Aina gave him a radiant smile, one that seemed capable of dispelling the cold desolation of the Spirit World.
When he first arrived in the Spirit World, everything felt quite novel. The scenery here was truly something you could never see on the outside... but after staying for a while, a sense of emptiness began to breed in his heart.
No matter where they went, the scenery before them remained the same. Countless soul orbs floated around them; while awe-inspiring at first, it inevitably grew a bit dull after staring at it for too long... Furthermore, it made him feel as insignificant as a speck of dust, drifting aimlessly like duckweed.
The Spirit World was indeed quite dangerous. Sometimes, even when the space ahead appeared completely empty and traceless, Aina would lead him on a detour around it.
However, having Aina by his side gave Xia Lun an immense sense of security.
Thinking of this, Xia Lun felt a little ashamed.
Sooner or later, he needed to become stronger than Aina so he could be her protective umbrella.
But Aina seemed to thoroughly enjoy the feeling of protecting Xia Lun. Ever since they arrived in the Spirit World, the corners of her mouth hadn't drooped once.
It seemed there was nothing left worth looking at around them.
Aside from the Divine Tree of Life and the sky full of soul orbs, there was nothing else.
Other than absorbing some of the Divine Tree of Life's vitality earlier... nothing unusual had happened.
This was actually the most normal state of affairs in the Spirit World. If there had been anything else, it would most likely mean something had gone wrong.
"Shall we go back, Xia Lun?" Aina squeezed Xia Lun's palm. She was still looking forward to continuing where they left off once they returned.
In reality, neither of them had even put their clothes back on yet.
Xia Lun nodded gently. Aina spread her bat wings, wrapping Xia Lun tightly within them.
Of course, those bat wings were also an illusion formed by Aina's soul.
Just as Aina was preparing to leave, a green orb of light suddenly dashed toward Xia Lun. As if it had lost control, it frantically darted up and down around him.
It was obvious that it was in a tremendous hurry.
"What's wrong with this little guy?" Xia Lun couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the bizarrely behaving soul in front of him.
"Hmm... perhaps it's encountered something highly urgent in reality?" Aina guessed. "Judging by its appearance, it should be an elf... Maybe it's in danger."
At the same time, a dark purple orb of light wobbled over from behind, seemingly chasing the elf from earlier.
The two orbs of light, one green and one purple, began to circle around Xia Lun.
"What's going on here?" Xia Lun said, unable to hold back his amusement. These two little things looked quite cute, though he wondered if they would make themselves dizzy from all the spinning.
"The purple one should be some kind of monster. It's chasing after this elf," Aina said, pointing her slender finger at the soul orbs.
"Why are they circling me?" Xia Lun asked in confusion.
Aina sighed. "Did you already forget what I just told you, Xia Lun? Spirit World projections are merely manifestations of reality. They're circling you simply because you are present in the Spirit World and blocking their path. Their souls instinctively avoid colliding with you, but this doesn't have much to do with what's happening in reality... In the real world, they might be engaged in a fierce battle."
Xia Lun watched the two glowing orbs dancing up and down in front of him, deep in thought.
"So you mean that, in reality, this elf might be in danger?"
"Exactly. That purple soul has traces of green mixed into it, which indicates it has probably already claimed the lives of other elves," Aina deduced.
Xia Lun's gaze grew slightly serious.
"Can we help?" Xia Lun asked Aina.
As a Hero, he naturally couldn't just stand by and watch someone die... but this was the Spirit World. He was currently powerless here and could only pin his hopes on Aina.
Aina nodded, then held out both of her hands.
Clap—
Just like swatting a mosquito, when the dark purple orb flew in front of her, Aina clapped her hands together and smashed it.
Instantly, the purple orb symbolizing the monster's soul dissolved into scattered motes of light and vanished.
"Problem solved." Aina dusted off her hands and raised an eyebrow at Xia Lun. Catching her drift, Xia Lun leaned down and kissed Aina on the cheek.
"Thanks for your hard work."
"It certainly was hard work," Aina said, playing along with Xia Lun's words. "Actually, the way witches curse people is quite similar to what I just did. They use the target's aura to interfere with their soul... but no witch could ever do what I did and simply swat a soul to pieces."
"You're amazing, Lord Demon King," Xia Lun praised.
Aina tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear, her gaze wandering slightly. "Don't let how easy it looked fool you, it was actually quite exhausting... You'll have to reward me properly once we get back."
"As you command, Lord Demon King."
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
