Do you know why I called you here

Lin Xuan gasped heavily, his body collapsing to the ground as he lay there, utterly drained for a moment.

He had won.

It was easy to understand why Lin Xuan could defeat the Fire Fiend Great Emperor—in the original plot, Su Luo had already worn him down first.

This time, Lin Xuan fought the Fire Fiend Great Emperor without being exhausted beforehand, giving him an advantage.

Moreover, the Fire Fiend Great Emperor had just used a soul attack on Su Luo, injuring himself in the process.

There was another reason: Lin Xuan was actually more diligent in reality than in the original story.

Because of Su Luo’s existence, he wanted to catch up to him.

After all, the original plot had plenty of leisurely activities—if he spent all his time cultivating, what would there be to read in the novel?

But Lin Xuan had cut down on distractions, all to improve himself.

Even if he missed some opportunities, it didn’t make much difference—in fact, he might even be slightly stronger now.

That was why Lin Xuan could handle the Fire Fiend Great Emperor.

But Su Luo didn’t care about any of this. All he knew was that the matter was over.

As the secret realm collapsed, Su Luo left without hesitation, saying nothing to Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan also needed to leave. He quickly got up and stared at the Soul Stabilizing Pearl on the ground, lost in thought.

Su Luo hadn’t taken it—meaning he had left it for him.

He hadn’t given it directly at first, likely because he knew there was a remnant soul inside and feared it might harm Lin Xuan.

"Thank you, Su Luo."

Lin Xuan picked up the Soul Stabilizing Pearl and began his escape from the collapsing Thousand Souls Secret Realm.

......

Su Luo didn’t linger and immediately returned to the Nightshade Forest, preparing to forge the Thousand Falling Thunder Bell.

At the same time, Little Yu returned, bringing back all the materials.

"Praise me," Little Yu said, presenting the materials and seeking recognition.

Without hesitation, Su Luo rewarded her properly.

By the next day, everything was ready.

Then, the forging began.

Su Luo was extremely familiar with the process—arguably even more skilled than the Left Envoy.

However, forging alone was too exhausting, so it was better to have someone assist him.

Su Luo immediately called for the South End Demon Lord.

Previously, he had been tasked with capturing Jiang Ningshu.

But Su Luo knew he wouldn’t go himself—instead, he would spend a fortune on spirit stones to hire others to test Jiang Ningshu’s strength.

Unsurprisingly, all the hired men were killed by Jiang Ningshu.

This made the South End Demon Lord even more fearful, unwilling to face Jiang Ningshu himself.

No wonder the Left Envoy was furious.

"Do you know why I called you here?" Su Luo, disguised as the Left Envoy, asked.

"Is there another task?" the South End Demon Lord replied.

"I ordered you to capture Jiang Ningshu. Why didn’t you go?"

"I sent people, but they all failed."

"That’s exactly why I’m asking—why didn’t you go yourself?"

As he spoke, the Left Envoy’s aura surged menacingly.

Of course, it was fear—but the South End Demon Lord wouldn’t admit that. "I was testing the waters. I’ll go soon—just give me a little more time."

"Then can you guarantee you’ll go next time?" The Left Envoy pressured him further.

The South End Demon Lord thought to himself: No guarantees. If you’re so capable, why don’t you go?

But out loud, he said, "I’ll do my best."

If this were a meeting with others present, the South End Demon Lord wouldn’t be so easily cornered by the Left Envoy.

But alone, he had no choice but to comply for now and deal with it later.

The Left Envoy’s tone suddenly softened. "Actually, you don’t have to go."

"What do you mean?" The South End Demon Lord was confused.

Could he really avoid it?

From all signs, Jiang Ningshu had regained a considerable amount of strength.

The South End Demon Lord had no desire to provoke her—if he could skip this, all the better.

"Indeed. I have something else I need your help with."

"Name it."

"Assist me in forging the Thousand Falling Thunder Bell."

"No problem." The South End Demon Lord agreed without hesitation.

This was far better than capturing Jiang Ningshu.

And as an assistant in forging, his role would be much easier.

The Left Envoy nodded, then led the South End Demon Lord away.

He selected a location and laid out all the materials, including a massive furnace.

Looking at the materials, even the wealthy South End Demon Lord couldn’t help but feel a flicker of greed—these were incredibly valuable.

But he quickly suppressed it.

As long as the Heavenly Demon Sect remained, he could continue amassing spirit stones.

Over the years, he had used the sect’s influence to gather vast wealth.

Without the Heavenly Demon Sect, things would be much harder.

Once everything was prepared, the Left Envoy said, "I’ll instruct, you execute."

"Understood."

The Left Envoy began directing the South End Demon Lord, ordering him to channel demonic energy into the furnace while carefully controlling the flow.

But soon, the South End Demon Lord felt the strain—his demonic energy was being drained rapidly, as if a bottomless pit were sucking it all away.

He weakened instantly, but he could still hold on.

Meanwhile, the Left Envoy encouraged him from the side.

"Hold on. This is the critical beginning."

"Success depends on this first step."

"Stay steady. Don’t lose control."

At first, the South End Demon Lord didn’t think much of it—it was tough, but manageable.

But as time passed, it wasn’t just tough anymore—he was nearly drained dry.

The Left Envoy’s "encouragement" now felt more like pressure.

"Don’t stop. If you stop now, everything will be wasted."

"Do you want all our collected materials to go to ruin?"

"Quick, take some pills and keep going! You can’t stop yet!"

The pills, of course, came from the South End Demon Lord’s own stash.

Hearing Su Luo’s words, he didn’t dare pause—he had plenty of spirit stones, but some things couldn’t be bought with wealth.

He swallowed pills and pressed on.

But the furnace’s suction only grew stronger, and his demonic energy couldn’t recover fast enough.

All the while, Su Luo kept pressuring him, refusing to let him rest.

Finally, the South End Demon Lord passed out—completely drained of demonic energy.

Even a Demon Lord collapsing showed just how grueling this was.

"Tch. Couldn’t even last that long. Useless."

Su Luo had no choice but to pause the forging temporarily.

That bit about "can’t stop"?

Just a lie to push him harder. Without the South End Demon Lord’s relentless effort, the forging wouldn’t progress so quickly.

While the South End Demon Lord rested, Su Luo took some pills from him and forced them into his mouth.

Rest was fine—but not for too long.

Less than an hour later, Su Luo roused him again.

"What? Is it done?" The South End Demon Lord was dazed, as if just waking up.

"Hurry. I just completed a major step, but it drained me completely. You need to take over."

"Right, right."

Still groggy, the South End Demon Lord understood the urgency and resumed forging.

Su Luo, meanwhile, rested again, but not without another warning.

"Absolutely cannot stop now. If you do, everything is ruined—all the materials will be wasted."

With that, how could the South End Demon Lord dare to quit? He resumed his laborious work, panting heavily.

Failure would make him the scapegoat.

The pressure was overwhelming.