Seeing that Lilith had stopped speaking, Ye Chuan sat cross-legged on the bed.
He flicked his fingers, and chaotic energy coiled around his fingertips before manifesting—
"Rider of the End." From the void of darkness, a pitch-black finger adorned with dark golden patterns stretched out, towering like a pillar that nearly touched the ceiling, causing the entire house to tremble slightly.
Ye Chuan rubbed his chin as he observed the colossal entity, which was merely a single finger. "Can you shrink a bit?"
In response, the finger emitted a metallic grinding sound, like gears locking into place, and soon began to visibly shrink.
"Clank, clank, clank." The sound of metal colliding echoed repeatedly as a completely different figure emerged from the ink-like chaos—a towering suit of black armor, standing motionless before Ye Chuan.
Two meters tall, with purple flames flickering through the gaps in the armor.
"Damn, that’s cool." Ye Chuan reached out and touched the Rider of the End’s chest plate. The cold, heavy texture felt reassuring, and the crimson gem embedded in the center glowed ominously.
"Stop touching randomly." Lilith’s voice suddenly rang in his mind.
"Huh?" Ye Chuan froze, quickly retracting his hand.
The jade pendant on his chest faintly pulsed with light.
"……" After saying that, Lilith fell silent again.
Though puzzled, Ye Chuan didn’t press further when she refused to elaborate.
"Guess I’ll give you a name."
Just as Ye Chuan was brainstorming, Lilith’s voice chimed in again, "Cindela. That’s her name."
"Sin… dela?" Ye Chuan blinked. "Do people from the Aiser Continent always have such weird naming conventions?"
"And why does it sound like a girl’s name?"
It didn’t match the intimidating armor at all. Something like "Arthur" would’ve been better.
"She is a girl…" Lilith’s tone dripped with exasperation.
Ye Chuan stared blankly at the menacing armored figure before him. This thing…
"Though she’s already dead. Only the shell remains." Lilith materialized again, her gaze fixed on the armor. Her voice was devoid of emotion, as if she hadn’t expected Ye Chuan to turn this thing into his familiar.
"The Rider of the End is one of the ultimate weapons, capable of wielding four divine artifacts."
"The Sword of the End."
"The Hammer of Twilight."
"The Bow of Judgment."
"The Shield of Verdict."
As she spoke, she extended her hand toward the armor, and a magic circle materialized, enveloping it.
A longsword wreathed in purple flames, a massive hammer engraved with ancient runes, a bow crackling with lightning along its string, and a shield radiating holy light—all appeared before them.
"Even as a mere shell, she’ll be a significant asset to you."
Ye Chuan felt a flood of information rush into his mind. After a moment, he looked at the armored figure and nodded. "Alright… Dela. I’ll call you that."
The entity clad in black armor with flickering purple flames remained silent.
"Why did both of you die?" Ye Chuan asked Lilith, who was now floating mid-air with her legs crossed.
"The world collapsed because of them. That’s all." Lilith replied indifferently before dissolving into a streak of purple light and vanishing back into the jade pendant.
"Them?"
When Lilith didn’t respond, Ye Chuan sighed and let it go.
He glanced at Dela and waved his hand, causing her to dissipate into chaos.
"Time to sleep. I’m exhausted."
……
Night. Deep night.
While Ye Chuan slept soundly, his door silently creaked open.
A figure stepped into the moonlight, revealing slender, pale ankles.
Silky black hair cascaded down to her waist as she tucked a loose strand behind her ear, revealing a beauty mark beneath her eye.
"……" It was Bai Qianshuang.
After entering Ye Chuan’s room, she first scanned her surroundings. Sensing that Lan Xiaoke in the adjacent room was fast asleep, she tiptoed to Ye Chuan’s bedside.
Bai Qianshuang’s eyes shimmered as she silently watched him for a long moment before remembering her purpose.
That’s right—she was here to help Ye Chuan crystallize his core.
At this point, Bai Qianshuang had no idea about Ye Chuan’s current cultivation level. Assuming he was still stuck at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage and lacking a Core Formation Pill, she felt compelled to intervene.
Now at the peak of the Golden Core stage—though she couldn’t fathom why her cultivation speed in this world surpassed even that of the Tianxuan Continent—she was on the verge of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. With her current strength, she could assist Ye Chuan in reaching the Core Formation stage.
"I’ll help you crystallize." Bai Qianshuang placed her hand above Ye Chuan and released her spiritual energy.
This was a perception-blocking technique, something Ye Chuan, at his current level, shouldn’t be able to detect.
Seeing that Ye Chuan remained motionless, Bai Qianshuang lowered her gaze. After a brief internal struggle, she removed her outer robe and pressed herself against him.
At this moment, Ye Chuan stiffened. As Bai Qianshuang clung tightly to him, his mind blanked.
Wait, what is this girl doing?
Unbeknownst to her, Bai Qianshuang’s perception-blocking technique had no effect against Ye Chuan’s chaotic energy.
"……" But when he heard her next words, realization dawned—
She still thought he was at the Foundation Establishment stage and was trying to help him form his core.
If he opened his eyes now, Bai Qianshuang’s pride would likely ensure she’d never speak to him again.
[Why are you in my room?]
That question alone would probably send her into permanent seclusion.
[Am I dreaming?]
Bai Qianshuang would never buy that.
[Ciallo～(∠・ω＜)⌒☆, good evening, Bai Qianshuang~]
No, no, absolutely not.
But even as Ye Chuan debated how to play along, his body betrayed him—his spiritual energy surged, unmistakably alert.
Bai Qianshuang, still unaware that Ye Chuan was awake, continued channeling her spiritual energy to aid his breakthrough.
The moment her energy flowed into him, Ye Chuan’s instinctive activation of his Chaotic Immortal Body devoured it all in an instant!
"?!" Bai Qianshuang froze. The next second, she felt her meridians emptied, her spiritual energy completely drained. A wave of dizziness crashed over her.
How… how could my energy just…
Thud.
She collapsed onto Ye Chuan, unconscious.
Ye Chuan’s eyes snapped open. Seeing Bai Qianshuang passed out, he immediately checked her condition. "Qianshuang! Are you okay?!"
"Qianshuang?!"
His voice must have disturbed Lan Xiaoke next door, as a drowsy head poked through the wall. "Mmm… what’s wrong? What happened to Qianshuang?"
The next second, she took in the scene—Ye Chuan and Bai Qianshuang’s state…
Their position…
"Uh… so she got knocked out, huh? Heh, my bad, wrong room." Lan Xiaoke swiftly retreated.