"Of course, due to the different time-space environment, there's no way to carve a boat to seek a sword and recreate it in the real world. However, thanks to that kid Weichi who completed a real-world version of the Du Shuo Mountain Teleportation Array with his knowledge and skills, I would occasionally go and observe in secret, learning quite a few new ideas from it."

"Although stopping you from building the Teleportation Door is easy, doing so would mean the Vermilion Bird won't enter the Post-mortem World of its own volition. It's quite troublesome to make a move on him in the real world. But after confirming his entry, I began activating my Teleportation Door."

Weichi once said that the data of the Du Shuo Mountain Teleportation Array technology, stolen by No. 7 amid chaos from the Yellow Springs Evangelical Institute, clearly contained alien elements that didn't align with the core style of Huang Quan. It was something fundamentally different from Huang Quan.

Now the truth finally comes to light. The parts that puzzled Weichi were likely the sections developed with Shan Liangyi's involvement.

Shan Liangyi probably hadn't mentioned everything, such as the necessity of relying on the Power of Divine Seal Fragments to activate the Du Shuo Mountain Teleportation Array. Although it's unclear whether he initially possessed Divine Seal Fragments, after the encounter with the Southern City, he held at least two fragments snatched from me. It's possible these were used to operate his Teleportation Door, or perhaps, as the Impermanence in the Legendary Realm, he had a way to output True Spirit Power himself.

Even though Gua Tianshi could observe and intercept potential Teleportation Doors from the Post-mortem World in the real world, if Shan Liangyi personally built a new Teleportation Door in the real world, Gua Tianshi's power wouldn't be enough to thwart it.

After speaking, Shan Liangyi seemed to have finished observing Mazao, seemingly not intending to continue the conversation.

The gravitational field around him began to shift, apparently to kill Mazao and Zhu Shi. All I could feel was my vision becoming dim and narrow, fixated only on that scene, wanting to rush over to stop it all. Simultaneously, my body felt bound by countless chains, unable to take a step forward.

Should I really go over?

Regardless of whether I went or not, I couldn't change what was about to happen, and acting rashly would only drag myself into it. Even if some miracle happened and I managed to save Mazao and Zhu Shi, I would certainly lose all my strength in the end.

If Shan Liangyi took the Vermilion Bird Seed, he might kill me as well, or he might leave me, now worthless, by the roadside to fend for myself. I'm not afraid of losing strength itself, nor am I afraid of dying at Shan Liangyi's hands. I was long prepared for death. As long as I die on the path of adventure, no matter how tragic the end, I won't have regrets. What I truly fear is losing the right to continue adventuring.

If the abnormal world is an ocean full of turbulent waves, powerful strength is the sturdy and stable vessel. I don't fear the waves; in fact, they are what I relentlessly pursue. But without a vessel, I would be swallowed and drowned before experiencing their true majesty. "Strength" is my pass to the utopia in my heart, a word almost synonymous with "being able to adventure."

So I must stay calm and not act rashly. The priority now is to preserve what I have. As long as the green mountains remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood.

—To be honest, when I realized I had such thoughts, I nearly let out a self-deprecating laughter.

Such words… such cowardly words, can they really come from Zhuang Cheng? Even if just in thoughts?

To preserve the power of the strange, to remain in the abnormal world, so one must choose to flee from enemies… from their own adventure?

Just because I don't know what to do, so terrified and scared, I act cowardly like a mouse, abandoning everything and avoiding confrontation. If I were truly such a person, I should have died in that basement at the start.

But… retreating is escaping adventure; advancing is also abandoning adventure. I feel like I've encountered an insoluble problem, with my obsession deeply trapped in the dilemma of being caught between two irreconcilable paths.

Meanwhile, images flashed through my mind, as vivid as photos soaked in light, of the times shared with Mazao, the pledged battles with Zhu Shi. The moments when the path to victory was opened and the shouts and expressions seen then, and Mazao's earnest face when talking about saving the world and me...

Perhaps… it's time to let go.

A thought appeared in my mind, one the former me would never forgive. But the moment I decided, an unexpected calmness settled within me. I took a step forward, teleporting myself to where Shan Liangyi was.

In my Crown Form, my body turned into a projectile capable of vaporizing anything as I charged towards Shan Liangyi.

"Hmm?" Shan Liangyi turned his head to look at me.

He reached out, a deep yellow mana forming an indestructible wall before him, forcibly blocking my impact. I unleashed flames throughout my entire body, but the wall didn't budge. It was like a child ramming their head into an adult's belly, only to be held back by a single hand on top of their head, unable to advance another step.

Shan Liangyi showed an expression of incomprehension, saying, "Someone brash and young like you, seeing your woman about to be killed, might not be able to hold back, recklessly charging in front of me... Yes, I thought such a development could happen, and thought it would be reasonable for things to develop in this direction. I've witnessed such recklessness countless times in my past."

"However... you're not the kind of person who would actually make that choice, are you? Although I'm not very familiar with you, my intuition tells me that even at times like this, you'd turn away for your own interests, being a selfish person... Has my intuition actually failed?"

In the distance, Mazao was also desperately unleashing her Power of Salvation and Return. Yet under Shan Liangyi's overwhelming power, even a power entrusted with saving the world by the natural will of the planet couldn't struggle.

"Zhuang... Cheng..." she struggled to speak.

"Well, a mistake is a mistake. The important thing now is how I should deal with you." Shan Liangyi extended another hand, "There's no reason to let a prey that delivered itself go. Vermilion Bird, thank you for your growth until now. Turn into the resources for my power, then die with the pride of having been useful to me."

An overwhelming attraction emerged from his palm. The Vermilion Bird Seed inside me completely disobeyed, taking all my strength with it and transferring to Shan Liangyi's hand in an instant.

The power vanished from my body, and an overwhelming emptiness engulfed my inner self.

On the massive deep yellow wheel, the red glow solidified. The Vermilion Bird Seed finally returned to its place, completing the cycle of the Four Symbols and Five Elements.

"Mission accomplished."

Shan Liangyi first showed a satisfied expression, then suddenly froze, his face showing signs of doubt.

"What's with that expression?" he looked at me and asked.