So Many Questions

"A Xing! Beat him up!"

In an instant, the Phase Door opened, and A Xing, wielding a long staff, was already waiting in the wings, delivering a powerful blow to the head!

With a deafening roar, the God of the Star Palace was forced to take the full force of this sudden attack. The shockwaves exploded, the earth trembled, and the surrounding stone bricks shattered inch by inch. He staggered backward, his body surrounded by a thousand layers of shimmering mist. In the blink of an eye, the enemy from beyond the sky saw the appearance of the person before him.

Her eyes were round and golden, and her hair was like fire.

He was greatly shocked and exclaimed, "It's you!"

A Xing was slightly taken aback, but did not answer. The exchange just now had allowed her to test the strength of her enemy. This enemy was more troublesome. She held her staff horizontally in front of Kang De.

How should I address you?

Kang De placed his hand on A Xing's shoulder, standing behind her in a protected posture, and sized up the enemy before him. His Phoenix Eyes burned fiercely; he had already recognized the other party's true nature.

He asked, "Did you come from the sky?"

As the thick fog dissipated, the figure of the God of the Star Palace appeared and disappeared, his voice becoming extremely eerie, deep and hazy, yet unable to conceal his shock.

"Could it be that you've already... I understand, the seal has been broken? Those Mudbloods have all escaped? Fire Thief, did you do this? I understand now, no wonder there was a second Fire Thief. How did you get to that island? This makes no sense..."

Towards the end, he was basically talking to himself, and he seemed to have many questions.

Seeing this guy chanting to himself, Kang De made a hand gesture, and the members of the assault team slowly retreated. This was not a battle they could participate in.

Ulysses held the island lord with one hand and pointed a gun at his head with the other, pulling him backward.

The accompanying Buddhist advisors used walkie-talkies provided by Kang De to send warnings to the main platform base.

"Calling, this is Oukar, a first-class mage on the Gliding Light and Flying Shadow. We have encountered a legendary enemy in the open-air plaza of Sea Suppression Castle. His Highness Kang De and his retinue are currently engaged in combat. Requesting that headquarters deploy a spellcasting range and provide elemental strike support."

"Judging from the enemy's appearance, their element is lunar, a water-based gaseous mist branch. I suggest using four super-magic supports: Illusion Breaker, Illumination, Sunfire, and Scorching to create an artificial elemental desertification zone..."

On the observation deck, Halsey, the Son of the Typhoon, put down his walkie-talkie and roared, "Alchemists! Launch the puppet kite! Target: Sea Suppression Castle! Visually search the designated plaza, Eagle Eye Officer, perform elemental calibration!"

"Summon a fire elemental strike team! Magic Core, switch to Sunfire Mode!"

"Quilion! You'll command the ballista squad! My alchemist will assign you the coordinates, change to special bolts with illusion-breaking projectiles, and spray the designated area with Recognition Stone powder!"

He roared, ordering the mixed mage corps to get moving. "And! Find a way to call those two dragons back! His Highness has encountered a formidable enemy!"

In the front courtyard square of Sea Suppression Castle, A Xing and Kang De stood one in front of the other, facing off against the God of the Star Palace. After the initial bewilderment and shock, the familiar arrogance returned to the alien enemy.

In any case, he didn't want to make a fuss in front of a mere bunch of mud people.

This is the composure and pride of the noble.

"Hmph, so the three of them, Mengdi, disappeared because they're dead..." His tone was filled with intense disgust. "Mudbloods are just mudbloods, a bunch of filthy worms that can't be eradicated. They'll jump up and bite you if you're not careful... How laughable and pathetic! You never understand that so-called heroic resistance and unyielding fighting only hasten the end of the world..."

Seeing his rambling, eccentric manner, Kang De figured he was a guy with communication difficulties, so he sighed and said, "Well, shall we go through the proper procedures, or just get straight to the point?"

This statement also surprised the God of the Star Palace: "What?"

"Going through the motions is like this: I ask you who you are, you reply with 'You lowly human,' I say I want to talk to you, you reply with 'You're not worthy,' and we chatter on and on about a bunch of nonsense until we realize we can't communicate, and then we start fighting—or we just start a fight."

Kang De shrugged. "I'll beat you down first, then I'll ask you questions."

The other party let out a loud sneer, their tone as arrogant as ever. "It seems the biggest similarity among you Mudbloods is your laughable self-confidence, or rather, your arrogance. You always think you're omnipotent, you always have this delusion that you can do anything, that you can save your pathetic world, that you can keep the poor Mudbloods living their muddled lives. But, what's the result?"

He laughed cruelly, "Do you know how the last Fire Thief died? Do you know how ridiculous it was that ancient remnant standing in your way, and those livestock and beasts you saw on the island, looked when they lost everything after their triumphant rise?"

Kang De remained unmoved, shaking his finger. "I don't know, and I don't know what you mean by 'saving the world,' but I think there's one thing I'm certain of."

"--What?"

"I'm absolutely confident that I can get the information and intelligence I want from you."

The Fire Thief revealed a calm and composed smile, "Since you know I am the Fire Thief, you know I have a way to get these from you, whether you like it or not, whether you cooperate or not..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Right?"

The God of the Star Palace's smile vanished instantly.

That power, deserving of eternal curse, shamelessly and evilly plunders and strips away everything, whether material or spiritual, whether will or body, whether ability or... memory.

Memories of the past, records in books, even firsthand accounts... those horrific images flashed before my eyes, as if they had happened not long ago.

On that day, heaven and earth roared in fury. Dusk crumbled the apocalyptic glow in the sky. The ferocious demon king was unstoppable, slaughtering and devouring noble rulers one by one. She was disheveled, with blood splattered on her cheeks, like a rose blooming in the snow. She was already in a place of certain death, but she was still laughing wildly.

"I can kill twelve more. Have you decided who lives and who dies?"

Even in its final moments, it continues to manipulate the fear and selfishness in the hearts of living beings through despicable means.

In the end, she did as she had said, and killed twelve more.

Right in front of him.

The screams and roars of her companions seemed never to fade away; their noble bodies, power, and glory became sustenance for the Fire Thief, giving her new strength... until she fell.

He survived.

But the other party also...

--That scene involuntarily came to mind.

He still can't forget it, and he can still recall the fear that pierced his soul at that time. It seemed that the sharpness of that fear transcended time and space, and even now, it still pierces his soul with excruciating pain.

That thing that suddenly appeared...

Just then, a sonic boom erupted!

A surge of murderous intent erupted, and the enemy from beyond the heavens suddenly came to his senses. He saw A Xing wielding her staff and striking with a thunderous force. As she approached, the sound followed like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down—she had actually launched a sneak attack!

At the same time, Kang De's voice suddenly shouted, "Li Manyue!"

The God of the Star Palace had just involuntarily recalled the past, and fear gripped his heart, causing him to make a fatal mistake. His hasty defense was already putting him at a disadvantage, but what was worse, Kang De actually called out that name!

Fear suddenly surfaced, and I was distracted for a moment.

In a battle between the strong, every moment counts. Even a momentary lapse in concentration can be the sole reason for defeat, let alone two such incredibly rare occurrences!

A Xing shook his long staff, and purple Paradox Element materialized into mist, swirling and swirling at the tip of the staff like an unfurled flag. This unleashed a surging tornado, dispelling the pervasive mist and pressing down on the enemy from beyond the sky like an overwhelming tidal wave.

As Light Bearer from the previous era, she was already accustomed to absorbing and using Paradox Element, which allowed her to enter the White Mist World without being obliterated by the laws. When Kang De decided to explore Sea Suppression Castle, he returned to Danfeng Lucerne and brought A Xing to the White Mist World, instructing her to wait inside.

The Fire Thief's caution was indeed correct; the island lord of the Broken Isles not only had an unparalleled expert by his side, but also such a powerful figure.

A series of continuous muffled thuds followed as A Xing brandished his staff, bombarding the body of the God of the Star Palace like hail. The thick fog gathered and dispersed, but how could a hasty defense withstand the despicable sneak attack of a stranger? At this critical moment of life and death, Kang De was still grumbling on the sidelines.

"I didn't beat you to death, did I!" he laughed wildly. "You get so scared just from calling out 'Li Manyue,' you even lost focus—just how badly you were beaten back then!"

The God of the Star Palace gritted his teeth and didn't answer, pretending not to hear, focusing all his attention on parrying A Xing's fierce and relentless attacks. But what he didn't know was that these words weren't originally meant for him!

No sooner had Kang De finished speaking than a glint flashed in A Xing's eyes, and with a low shout, his long staff suddenly trembled and shook!

With a deafening crash, the weapon, which had unleashed countless flourishes, converged into one, and then, using the momentum, slammed out with overwhelming force, sending the enemy flying far away!

The Fire Thief had already appeared in the opponent's flight path.

Having previously explored the underground world and experienced various fierce battles, Kang De also developed many new techniques in high-intensity combat, one of which is the "Permission Dog's Home-Ground Kill".

As long as you manage to lure your powerful enemy into the White Mist World, even if they don't die from the obliteration of the laws, they will still be manipulated by Kang De's spacetime power until they end up stabbing themselves.

Considering that Moyani and Zhuerban had stockpiled a large amount of weapons and building materials, making them unsuitable as battlegrounds for the licensed dogs, the battlefield was still chosen in H City, their old home. The high-rise buildings were perfect for someone like Kang De to make his mark. He selected the location and silently appeared on the opponent's inevitable path, meeting them at top speed. Time acceleration was activated, the Phase Gate opened, and the dark portal swirled eerily!

But as the Phase Gate opened and a bridge was built between the two realms, the expression of the God of the Star Palace suddenly changed!

He was still in mid-air, adjusting his posture and preparing to deal with A Xing's pursuit, but the Phase Gate opened, and an unforgettable aura drifted out.

He turned back in disbelief. The power he had gained on the Great Road and in the Land of the End allowed him to see through the mist woven by time and space. In an instant, he saw the scenery on the other side through the overlapping dimensions: tall buildings, clean streets, a brightly lit city...

In an instant, a look of utter horror crossed his face.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

A fierce scream erupted from the mouth of the noble celestial god. His pride and dignity were utterly destroyed. He was a pathetic, defeated dog, his body, sent flying through the air, struggling to turn, before charging towards Kang De with the ferocity of a mad tiger. "Aaaaaahhhhhh! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"

Without hesitation, Kang De dodged into the White Mist World, then poked half his body out and beckoned, "Come here!"

A Xing chased after him from behind and started hitting him with his stick.

The God of the Star Palace, while fighting back, roared as if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world, as if he had seen the nightmare he had been running from all along. While battling the A Xing, he turned to Kang De and yelled, "You come from there! You come from there too! What kind of place is that? What kind of place is that?!"

Kang De was taken aback.

Now he has many questions too.

The enemy from outer space fought back the A Xing with all its might. The gorilla looked at Kang De with a dazed expression, no longer the arrogant and haughty person it had been before. Then it laughed hysterically and neurotically.

"You're finished, you're finished, Kang De... I'm not fighting you anymore, I'm not going to linger here, to hell with the plan, I know where you came from now, and I know what you brought..."

He laughed like a fool, a laugh filled with mockery, disbelief, and something far more complex. He pointed at Kang De and laughed loudly, "So... so you weren't the Fire Thief! Hahahaha! Such a thing actually exists in the world! Such a thing actually exists!"

Taking advantage of Kang De and A Xing's stunned silence, he finally retaliated, his figure ethereal as he prepared to escape using the abundant moisture. "The Star Palace will know what happened today! Kang De, the adults will return from the Land of the End, and the stars of the heavens will descend upon the mortal realm. Be honored! This is the greatest siege in history! Fire Thief!"

"... Have these people been in the sky for too long, rarely seeing people, and their brains have become malfunctioning?"

Kang De sighed, then shouted sternly, "Attack! Don't let him get away!"

The Phoenix Eyes blazed brightly, locking onto the other's true form. Just as he was about to point out the location to A Xing, the red clouds in the sky flashed and then turned into raging flames that fell down. The dazzling firelight scorched the low temperature, and then fine sand and dust absorbed the moisture. The crossbows exploded in the air, scattering illusory alchemical powder. Someone shouted loudly in the distance.

"Magic strike ready! Your Highness, the navies of the three nations are providing support!"

The figure of the God of the Star Palace became extremely clear, the drones that took off sprayed out a storm of metal, the ground kept exploding, air waves flew, and fire roared. Kang De stuffed A Xing back into the White Mist World, his eyes filled with phoenix flames.

"I told you, you're going to die here!"

His tone was chilling, both intimidating and provoking hatred. The Fire Thief continued to move, his voice menacing. "I will catch you, drain you with the Power of the Fire Thief, plunder your abilities, shatter your soul, read your memories, and make everything you have vanish from this world! Everything!"

"--You're delusional!"

An enemy from beyond the sky attacked in the form of frost and mist. However, the Phase Door opened, and A Xing emerged from the other rear, closing in from both sides and forming a strangulation attack. On the outer side, a magic array was deployed, and tactical support spells were bombarded continuously. The purpose was not to kill the enemy, but to deprive him of his range of movement and reduce his ability advantage!

Throughout the entire ordeal, the God of the Star Palace, who had attempted to escape, was firmly contained within this plaza!

"Choose again."

Kang De asked calmly and composedly, "Is it procedural or death?"

Without hesitation, the other party stepped on the bricks and clods of earth, breaking through the passage into the underground palace in the mountain.

"A cornered beast's struggle." Kang De waved to the distance, "Take that old bastard back to the main platform base immediately. This battle is not something you can participate in—move on now."

Then he flashed away and chased after them with A Xing.

The seawater that had been poured in earlier was still flowing freely, and a little mist filled the air. Kang De and A Xing gave chase at full speed. The Eye of the Phoenix broke through the illusion and saw through the concealment. The God of the Star Palace's greatest reliance and skill were no longer a threat. Even if he transformed into mist to hide and ambush, Kang De could see through it at a glance.

A Xing whispered, "Be careful, there's a seafood smell."

"Ah?"

"There's a powerful monster here."

A hint of mockery appeared on Kang De's face. "It's nothing."

--An enemy from outer space is rushing towards the Star Worship Square.

He had previously tried to create a mist to ambush Kang De, who had ventured into the area, but the latter had learned the Phoenix Eyes. The Phoenix King Malegith had used this to monitor the Star Palace, and it would be no problem for her to see through his movements. After trying twice, he gave up his illusions and focused on getting on his way.

The original plan was to lure the Fire Thief here and let him face the hungry centipede beast. Who knew that the plan would change so quickly and that unexpected things would happen one after another? This generation of Fire Thief is extremely difficult to deal with, and even caused him to suffer great losses and flee in a sorry state.

But as expected, Kang De arrived here.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Regardless... this is an opportunity.

If the centipede entangles him, I can take the opportunity to leave. Today's discovery is truly enormous; the Fire Thief actually comes from that world—I must find a way to notify the Star Palace.

Yes, as long as this deep-sea behemoth can hold off Kang De for a short while, its mission and purpose will be complete. Compared to this, its original mission is nothing at all...

His thoughts were in turmoil, a mixture of fear and excitement. He charged forward headlong until the Star Worship Square was right in front of him.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief as he saw the deep well. He rushed into the hall, preparing to conjure mist and await Kang De's arrival. Then, he paused for a moment, and his expression suddenly changed.

Because there are things in the hall.

Strangely... they look a bit like arrows, but they're huge, painted in various colors, and there are also some iron pipes with bizarre shapes, placed in various places in the square and along the corners of the walls.

He was certain that those things didn't exist when he and his servants left.

And this is certainly not something the Broken Isles possess.

An ominous feeling welled up inside him. Just then, the God of the Star Palace suddenly saw a gleaming mechanical puppet crawling on the ground, and then Kang De's voice came from it.

"When the flood was going on, I sent a terrifying robot to float in. When you and that old coffin-like guy came out, I took the opportunity to throw something in through the Phase Door. You guys racked your brains to trick me into going in, there must be something very dangerous inside, so I threw in something even more dangerous."

"Large airburst bombs, thermobaric bombs, fuel-air explosive bombs, ordinary high-explosive bombs, and even our homemade improvised explosive devices—I've packed a little of everything. They're not very powerful, I don't know if they'll kill you, but I think they will. Even the most powerful and mysterious beings have to abide by the laws of physics, right? I think there are only two possible outcomes: either you'll be blown to bits, or you'll be badly injured and then we'll come in and kill you."

"You can't escape now. Under the watchful gaze of the Phoenix Eyes, there is nowhere in this world for you to hide."

"You still have two choices: do we go through the proper procedures, or do you just die?"

The ruler of the Star Palace remained silent.

Kang De's voice slowly rang out. "On the other hand, I have no grudge against you. I just want to know some things, and if you can tell me, I'm not unwilling..."

The God of the Star Palace stared blankly at the small mechanical puppet, then glanced at the so-called "bombs" piled up everywhere. Finally, he looked at the deep well, his expression shifting from shock to resentment, from resentment to fear, from fear to calm... Finally, he smiled with relief.

"Do you know, Fire Thief?"

He raised his foot and crushed the terrifying robot that couldn't dodge in time.

Everything was predetermined; fate cannot be changed...

The alien enemy slowly exhaled. "None of us can do it."

He faced the deep well and opened his arms.

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PS1: Ah, a little early today, working hard for Tsushima Island...